Okay... I know this is extremely cliched, coming from me.. but, again.. I am SO SO SO sorry about the long wait for the update. I've been overwhelmed with schoolwork and just haven't found much time to be able to work on my stories. I've been working on this chapter for a really long time in the small moments of spare time that I find, so I'm hoping that it'll turn out to be something good, and well.. readable. So, overall, I apologize for the wait and I hope you guys think that this is worth waiting for. As always, thank you for all the wonderful reviews. =]

Carlisle Cullen

"Hey, can I talk to you?" Erin's voice came from a few feet behind me just as I was walking out of the back door of the school to start on my way home before I met up with the other three at our tree.

"Sure thing." I stopped in my path and turned around, dropping my heavy bag from my shoulders. "What do you need?"

Erin paused for a moment and glanced down at the ground for a second. "Well... I figured that since it's the weekend... and you've been hanging around with – or so it seems, you seem to always pop up where she is – that Esme chick lately. Do you two have like... plans this weekend or anything?"

I blinked, not even having to contemplate her question for the slightest of moments. "No. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I was just kinda wondering if you two were.. dating or something."

I sighed and slapped my palm over my forehead. "You too? We are not dating, Erin! Don't you think I would've told you and the others first if we were?"

"Well... maybe. But you can be all secretive with certain things."

"When? Give me one example of when I've been so-called 'secretive' with something."

She paused for a few seconds, thinking deeply. "Like... like that time when you failed that Social Studies test. You never told anyone."

I rolled my eyes. "Erin, I get straight A's in every class I take. Why would I tell someone that I failed a test?"

"Then what happened during that 'detention' you had with the new chick? Was it even a detention?" Her voice sped up near the end of the question, causing my to throw up my hands, palms forward, n defense.

"I swear, Erin, it was a detention. I punched a kid in the face and then the science teacher flipped out on us. End of story."

"Well, what made you punch the jock, huh? You only did it 'cause you knew that you'd get detention... with her." She paused for a moment, "I know you like her, Carlisle. It's obvious. Whenever she comes up in anyone's conversation, you immediately shy away like you don't want anyone to know about those... feelings," she sneered the word, "that you have for the emo chick."

I just simply stared at her at the end of her speech for a few moments. Erin glared straight back at me until I turned my back to her and walked away. I passed Ryan on my way to.. well, wherever I was going, not giving him a second glance as he opened his mouth to ask why I looked so infuriated. I just kept walking as long as my legs could manage.

I had no idea of how long I kept walking. No idea of the distance I traveled, no idea of where in the hell I stopped. All I recall was walking until my legs could take no more and I eventually tripped over a tree root. I laid there on the forest floor for what seemed like hours until I heard a soft crunching of leaves, and a rather medium-heighted, slim figure appeared before me, cloaked from head to toe in black.

"What are you doing out here?" The quiet voice broke through the wall that seemed to have been slammed down over all of my senses. "It's late. You should be at home." I turned my eyes up to look at who I recognized as Esme.

"I don't wanna go home," I mumbled, my voice barely able to form the words I wanted to utter.

Esme slid down to the forest floor and sat beside me. "You shouldn't be out here. It's not safe."

"Then why are you out here?" I shot back, unaware of how harsh my voice most likely sounded.

"I'm out here enough to know my way around. You, on the other hand, don't." She stared at me with those dark, midnight blue eyes of hers. At a first glance, one would think that her eyes were black; cold and harsh. It took a few deep gazes to really see the true color. Unfortunately for Esme, no one really tended to give her more than a second glance.

"I've lived here long enough to know my way around," I replied, pulling myself into a sitting position. "But thank you for the concern."

She stared at me for a few moments longer before she turned her gaze away. "well, you were concerned for my well-being those few days ago when we got the detention. I figured that I may as well return the favor."

I nodded slowly. "Uh.. sure. Thanks."

"You sure that you don't want me to show you the way out of here?" she asked once more. I stifled a light sigh.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll find my way out once dawn breaks."

"So you're gonna stay out here all night?"

"I guess I have to." I leaned back against a nearby tree, picking up a twig and fiddling with it in between my fingers. When I looked over at Esme, I could've sworn that I detected a hint of worry in her dark blue gaze before she looked away.

"I'll stay with you, then. Some animal might come out of nowhere and eat you or something." A hint of a smirk played at the corners of her lips for a few seconds before she sighed.

"Well, it could eat you, too," I said quietly, also slightly smirking.

"Nah. Animals don't really tend to come near me."

"So I take it you don't have any pets?" I looked over at her and smiled. To my surprise, her lips didn't turn upwards in a smirk again. She just stared coldly at the water flowing by in the creek.

"No. I don't."

"Oh... well, I don't either. Don't feel alone."

Esme nodded curtly and began to ask me about some sort of science homework we may have had that night. The subject eventually drifted away from schoolwork and onto other things, though as time went on I noticed that she didn't choose to share much about her personal life. For hours on end, the two of us sat by the small creek and talked until the first rays of the sun broke through the clouds at the break of dawn.

...hm...well... its something! XD

and I just need to point out one small detail... I hope I don't disappoint any of you... but... no, Esme is not a vampire. Nopers. So, I just wanted to clear up that small suspicion that a few of you had left in your reviews XD sorry for any disappointment... but, well... a few more of those lovely reviews would be appreciated =D