Isabella Swan POV

"Wait, Bella... Please?"

I stopped just in front of the check out counter and turned around to face him, suddenly irritated. "What?" I snapped.

Why was he talking to me now? I wasn't prepared to deal with him today… or any day for that matter. After all this time, I accepted that I wasn't "good enough" for Edward Cullen, not anymore.

I wondered for a second if he missed me as much as I missed him, but I pushed those thoughts aside and looked him directly in the eyes, waiting for him to speak.

For once he looked lost and vulnerable. He shuffled back and forth on his feet nervously, biting his lip. His hands kept roaming around his body, in his pockets, his hair, and finally just resting along his sides. Edward Cullen was fidgeting and nervous. Why… because of me?

"How did you know?" I redirected, since he couldn't spit out his words. He looked caught off guard, maybe losing his train of thought.

"Know what?" His confused face was so adorable, his features contorted trying to figure out what I meant. Damn was he beautiful.

"How did you know what I was looking for?" I amended, waiting patiently for his answer. After a beat or two, Edward did something unexpected. He smiled. A real, genuine, shiny white teeth smile. It was a smile I knew and loved, one etched in my memory forever.

I couldn't help but frown in response, the memories flooding back to me. So long since I've seen that smile… late night movie marathons, laughing and staying up all night watching Star Trek, Edward putting up with my Chris Pine obsession… eating ice cream down at the Dairy Queen, each of us getting twist cones… long afternoons spent at the lake, riding his parents boat and sunbathing…

He spoke softly, the smile still on his lips. "You were obsessed with those things for the longest time…" Shrugging, he continues. "Plus I don't think I've seen you buy anything else from there. And you love chocolate." He said the last bit like it was completely obvious. Okay, so maybe it was. I was pretty addicted to chocolate.

Sighing, I tried to work through his words. His explanation still didn't explain why he was in here now, I saw him buy his food and eat it already. Maybe he was still hungry.

His smile became wider, as if he knew I was inner rambling. It was really hard to be angry with him when he looked at me like that. All beautiful and sincere. Or maybe it was just because he's Edward.

"Well, thanks for helping me." I kept my answer short and to the point, it was all I could come up with.

His smile was mocking me now, and I had to get out of there. Paying for the granola bar, I made a beeline out of the cafeteria, opting to sit outside for the rest of lunch. It was cloudy, but preferable to the now claustrophobic atmosphere inside. I really needed to clear my head.

This whole situation was confusing me, and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to act. I really wanted to ignore him and forget it ever happened.

But then again, I wanted to grab him by the neck and kiss him senseless. Sigh.

It was the most horrible of emotions. Hating and loving Edward Cullen. He deserted me, left me friendless. We were best friends, true friends. Now, things were dramatically different. I had to remember that, and what he put me through. I had no friends; the girls at school were shallow and mindless. The few nice girls at Forks High were rare, like Angela, or her friend Lauren. I did really like them, but we only talked in class.

I always kept to myself, and lately I was very lonely.

I had no one to turn to, confide in. He took it all away, and nobody else gave me a chance. I was smart, pretty, and funny. My looks were a bit ordinary, but I enhanced them with make up and other products. I wore nice clothes; Charlie gave me more than enough money to supplement my wardrobe.

It didn't help that I practically lived alone, except Zoila, my housekeeper turned quasi-guardian. She tried to keep my spirits up, but it wasn't the same. She saw me transition from high to low in the course of these few months.

There was another confusing aspect of all this. Edward hung out with the elite and popular of Forks High, yet my Dad was still the wealthiest in the area. He was never around to flaunt it like the Hales or Cullen's, but everyone knew we had millions. The big lonely mansion I lived in and the brand new black Audi Q7 I drove were big indicators.

The mansion I lived in with Ziola had 6 bedrooms, and all the extra bells and whistles. My dad liked to keep up appearances, even if he wasn't here. Even Zoila had a car stashed away in one of the garages, a beautiful white Audi sedan.

I loved spending time with her. She would tell me stories about her childhood and her family in Seattle. She didn't mind living with me, and she took a few weekends a month to visit her children and her grandchildren.

Zoila was always good company, and reminded me of the mother I didn't have anymore. She was good to me, remembered all my favorite foods, knew when I needed cheering up, and knew exactly what fabric softener I liked when washing my sheets.

But there are days that I just missed when I was young, and my dad was content with being a family man, a police officer to the community. When I had a mother who made dinner and dragged us to Sunday mass. That was all over, and the new reality I have been living is still a huge adjustment for me.

Lunch ended and I shuffled inside to my locker. I kept my head down, avoiding anyone and everyone. Today was not my day.

The rest of the school day was a blur; I could hardly pay attention or take proper notes. Some teachers had to ask me questions twice, and I stumbled through wrong answers. They gave me questioning looks, but I shrugged it off. I wasn't on my game, thanks to Edward Cullen.

When the final bell rang, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I can finally go home. Pushing my books into my tote, I bypassed my locker knowing I wouldn't bother doing any homework tonight.

I took out my keys and hit the automatic unlock button, 20 yards away from the Audi. The lights flashed, indicating it was ready and waiting.

Only a few steps away, I heard that achingly familiar voice, out of breath and panting. Turning around, Edward stood a few feet away from me, catching his breath. His cheeks were a slight pink, and in any other circumstances, I would have found it absolutely adorable.

"Who knew little legs could move so fast?" Edward said, a small smirk on his face.

I was in no mood for small talk. "What do you want now, Edward?" My voice was soft, but he could hear the irritation I had.

"You didn't let me finish earli-" he started justifying, but I cut him off again.

"You couldn't spit it out."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked at me intensely, his green eyes bright and shiny. Why did he have to be so beautiful? He made it impossible to harbor negative feelings about him. I held my tongue, giving him the chance to speak. He didn't deserve my rude behavior… not completely. I had to be the better person.

"I – I wanted to say hi… and see how you were doing?" He sounded like he was questioning his own motives. He started running his fingers through his erratic hair. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I've wanted to talk to you for so long, but… I just couldn't do it. I was afraid to approach you… I knew I should have anyway. Today I saw you looking for your granola bar, and I just knew right then I had to do something. I guess I finally grew a pair of balls." He chuckled, and looked at me sheepishly.

It took me a minute to process everything Edward had just said. I wasn't even sure how to respond to his rambling, it was all so confusing. Months and months with no communication, and now he wants to talk? Be friends again? Yay. Ugh.

I missed him more than I ever wanted to admit, but he hurt me so much.

"Um… well hey? I've been just peachy." I gave him a small smile, playing with the frayed handles on my tote bag. "Thanks for the help earlier," I added, trying to play nice. I wasn't sure what else to say, because this conversation could turn ugly any minute.

He didn't miss a beat. "No problem, Bella. Like I said, it gave me the opportunity to talk to you." Smiling again, he took a step closer. I took a step back, keeping a safe distance between us. It was better this way. He needed to know I had boundaries.

Looking disappointed, Edward spoke again, "So I was hoping we could hang out sometime? Talk, maybe?" He looked so hopeful, a small glow on his cheeks. I aimlessly ran my fingers through my hair, thinking about his request.

So this wasn't a joke. He was being sincere and wanted to make amends, right? I couldn't process this information lightly. If I gave myself hope, Edward Cullen could crush me again. I wasn't completely sure I could survive that. Once was enough.

There was a fine line between what I wanted to do, and what I needed to do.

In the end, the facts remained the same. The months of loneliness and solitude weren't forgotten, and the blatant disregard for our friendship hurt me more than he knew. I thought I meant more to him than that. I thought I was special.

I wasn't good enough then, so why was I now? Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Locking on a decision, I took a deep breath. Inhale, exhale.

"Edward, I… I just don't think it's a good idea." I could hardly say the words, our eyes locked in a gaze, chocolate brown to forest green.

"Why not? C'mon Bella… we need to talk." He was pleading; his eyes grew soft and his lips turned into a pout. I turned away quickly, moisture developing in my eyes.

"I'm just not ready." It was pure honesty. I couldn't tell him I wasn't sure whenI would be ready. A few salty tears leaked over, and I decided to let them fall freely. I wrapped my arms around my torso, holding myself together. He was emotionally draining me. This was not what I was expecting when I woke up this morning.

"I'm going to head home."

Edward looked so sad. He nodded once solemnly, knowing this conversation was over. Walking up to me, he cupped my cheek, running the pads of his thumbs over my tears, brushing them away. I flinched slightly but that didn't deter him.

"This isn't over, Swan. I won't let you go again…" He spoke with sheer determination and resolve. "This is all my fault, and I'm gonna fucking fix it."

I nodded my head and he leaned in to kiss my wet cheek. "Drive safe, Bella, please."

The Audi purred quietly and I left the parking lot without one look back at Edward.

The house was quiet and dark, and I saw some double chocolate cookies and a note from Zoila on the counter, saying she was taking the night off. I swear she had a sixth sense about things, knowing when I would need a pick-me-up. Dashing up to my room, I stripped off my clothes and put on my favorite sweats, and Edward's old Track t-shirt. My bed made a whishing sound as I pounced on it, snuggling into the pillows.

Thank you, Zoila. My bedding was freshly washed and smelled like Tide. Crawling under my blanket, I closed my eyes and thought back to this crazy-bizarre day.

Was it a dream?

I pinched myself and looked at the clock. 3:34 p.m. Damn, it really did happen.

I relaxed in my bed for the next hour, unable to sleep. The rest of the night was filled with homework, thinking about Edward, eating cookies, thinking about Edward, and trying not to think about Edward.

Deciding that a run would clear my head, I put on a different t-shirt, shorts and running shoes. Left, right. Left, right. I fell into a familiar pace, jogging along the streets of my neighborhood. My leg muscles burned, but I kept pushing myself farther, to run faster. I ran passed the Hale house, noticing a few cars littered in the driveway. Thankfully, Edward wasn't there. Although we lived in the same neighborhood, I ignored his street. I couldn't bring myself to go down that road, literally and figuratively. Not right now.

It started drizzling by the time I came home, all sweaty and breathing heavily.

After a refreshing shower and a snack, I put Edwards shirt back on, needing a little Cullen comfort. It was just after 10 p.m. and I was exhausted, mentally and physically.

What a day.

The rain picked up to a steady pour and the sound relaxed me, putting me to sleep within minutes.