Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
Edward woke up the next morning, sure that the previous night had been a dream. Because things like that—magic, wishing and fairy godmothers—they just don't exist in real life. And if they did, they wouldn't go to someone like him. It couldn't be real. He just was up too late, upset about his argument with Bella, and had a weird as hell dream. That's all. He rubbed his eyes groggily and reached for his glasses. He put them on and opened his eyes, but his vision was blurry. He sighed, thinking he would need a newer, stronger prescription for his eyes. At this rate he'd be blind by thirty
He left them on his eyes as he made his way to the bathroom, but after bumping into his dresser and the bathroom door, he just had to take them off. His vision couldn't get much worse than this. He stood in front of the mirror and pulled off his stupid, useless glasses, half slamming them onto the counter. He blinked in surprise a few times. His vision seemed…perfect. He could see the granite countertops clear as day.
Edward looked up at the mirror and it took everything in his power not to scream.
That reflection was not his. That man was not him. It couldn't be.
Edward reached out a quivering hand, and the man in the mirror copied him exactly. He reached forward, expecting to touch someone else's bare skin—but instead all he could feel was the cool glass of the mirror. He jumped back in shock, and was surprised at how high he jumped and how easy it was. He felt—good. There was no other word to describe it. He stepped slowly back to the mirror and reached his hand up to touch his face. The mirror man copied exactly.
Edward had to accept that it was him. It was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that the person in the mirror was actually him. The man in the mirror—why his skin was tan, nothing like the paleness Edward normally had. There was no acne or blemishes on his face, just a bit of morning stubble—Edward couldn't even grow stubble before. The nose didn't have the noticeable bump that he used to have from it having been hit multiple times over the years. The hair was shiny, smooth and silky, a bright reddish-brown, unlike the normally greasy, unmanageable hair it used to be. Edward was in shock. This man was handsome. A word no one ever associated with Edward Masen.
"Hello," he whispered, and he realized his voice was just a touch deeper, a bit raspy from sleep. He cleared his throat. "Hello," he said, a bit louder, and he sounded confident and strong. Edward beamed and he noticed his teeth were whiter, straighter, but he still had his crooked smile, only it looked right with his new and improved teeth. Edward shook his head in disbelief. It couldn't be real—he had to be dreaming still.
Edward eagerly stripped off his clothes and jumped into the shower. Even his body was different. What used to be scrawny was now lean and fit. He could feel the athleticism in his body. When he squeezed the shampoo bottle, more came out than he was used to, and he realized it was because he was stronger—much stronger. Edward marveled at his newly formed muscles. A hint of a six back, and he could practically sell tickets to his gun show. Edward was feeling great as he jumped out of the shower and dried himself off, slinging a towel easily around his hips.
When he entered his bedroom, he realized it was different. The walls were still covered in shelving and music, but there were CDs and songs he had never heard of. Popular music, he realized. And his posters of his favorite novels and sci-fi movies were gone. He opened his closet and saw clothes that did not belong to him. He read the tags and noticed they were all a size bigger than he used to take (due to his new muscle mass) and were clearly designer. He pulled on a pair of jeans that fit well and hung low, and a long sleeved navy blue and white Rugby shirt.
He grabbed his backpack—the same backpack as before, only it felt considerably lighter—and hurried downstairs, eager for breakfast. His house looked pretty much the same he noticed. As he was passing through the living room he froze, staring at the picture frames. He saw pictures of himself—only it wasn't him. There was a picture of him and Mike Newton, tossing a football around. A picture of him as a child standing with a famous basketball player. A group of young boys gathered around a picnic table, Edward holding a balloon, at what was clearly a birthday party. A picture of him, his arm around Tanya (he felt a thrill up his spine when he saw this picture) both in formal wear, probably going to junior prom. He couldn't believe it. Everything had changed. He had a past that he couldn't remember.
"Edward, are you going to eat? Come on, you've got a big night tonight!" he recognized his mother's voice and hurried into the kitchen, where a feast was laid out for him. Edward's mouth watered at the sight of it.
"What's my big night?" he asked curiously, making himself a plate. He found he was hungrier than usual, and ate seconds of everything. Elizabeth Masen rolled her eyes.
"James' birthday party is tonight, remember? James you best friend for the last seventeen years or so. You couldn't have forgotten," she sighed. "Gosh Edward, sometimes I think I need to tape reminders to your forehead."
"Sorry, Mom," Edward said sheepishly. But then her words caught up with him. His best friend James? As in the James that just recently punched him in the face? But what happened to Jaspe Edward had assumed that since they would both be popular, they would naturally be best friends, just like before. What had happened to make James his best friend instead? "Speaking of which, do you happen to know where I left his present?" Edward didn't even know if he got James a present, but he assumed he must have.
"Doesn't Mike have it? You two chipped in to get him something, right?"
"Oh, yeah, that's right," Edward agreed, making a mental note to ask Mike about it later. "Sorry I'm just tired this morning. You know."
"Of course dear. Now go to school and be safe please."
"Bye!" Edward jumped off his chair and walked outside. And he stopped in his tracks when he saw what was parked in the driveway.
It was the car of his dreams. Literally. The S60R that was the king of all cars, at least in Edward's mind.
"You forgot your keys dear," Elizabeth called, tossing a pair of keys to him. Edward held up a hand and caught it without trouble. He stared at the keys, encased in his fist, and was glad to see his hand eye coordination had improved greatly as well. Edward noticed the bright keychain that said Volvo on it, and was elated to see the car was his. He half ran to it and tossed himself in the driver's side, eager to test out the speed and power of his new vehicle.
It was just like he imagined it and more. It was…insane. Exhilarating. Thrilling. He rolled the windows down and let the cold air blow around his face, swirling his hair—which was also a teensy bit longer he noticed—around his face. He was grinning, and for a moment, he felt like one of those models in a car commercial, the kind that always seem so happy. That was him, and it was amazing.
He pulled up in the school parking lot, just on time, and noticed a parking spot between a shiny red convertible and a massive jeep. He parked in between them and climbed out, the wind blowing at the perfect moment, his hair swirling a bit, just as all eyes turned towards him. Edward felt suddenly nervous. What if it had been a dream? What if the eyes that were turning towards him were only glaring, wondering who this freak was who thought he was so cool? But then he heard voices—happy voices. Voices happy to see him.
"Edward man!" someone called and Edward turned to see Tyler Crowley, a boy who he hadn't spoken to since second grade, waving and grinning. "What's good man?" And Edward knew just what to say back, without hesitation.
"Not much, kid," he said coolly.
"Edward! Excited for tonight?" Mike Newton called as Edward began his casual walk towards class.
"You know it," Edward answered.
"Hey man," another, more familiar voice came. Edward whirled around to see James standing with an arm around Victoria and wearing a smirk. "You're stupid ass better have gotten me good shit for tonight. We're counting on you to provide the drinks." He winked.
"I've already got it covered," Edward said, somehow knowing he was telling the truth. Edward was a little angry at himself—how come he had to provide the alcohol?—but he knew that it was part of being popular. Doing things that may or may not be exactly legal.
"You better," James said, punching him a little roughly in the arm, but it was meant in a playful way. The old, scrawny Edward probably would've gotten a bruise. The new and improved Edward merely shook it off. It didn't even hurt, not really. Edward continued his walk to class, saying hi to various classmates who used to barely acknowledge his presence, unless they were insulting him. He greeted everyone calmly and coolly.
When he entered first period, Edward felt on top of the world. People liked him—hell they loved him. His life was perfection. This is exactly what Edward was missing every time he stared longingly across the cafeteria at the popular crowd. The acceptance, the admiration, even the adoration that some girls seemed to treat him with. Girls who used to sneer at him when he passed in the hallway, then giggle about it after.
Edward walked straight to the empty seat in the center of the classroom, which seemed to be reserved for him. Girls scooted their desks a little closer and guys all grinned and clapped hands with him. Edward was on a high. He was surprised when he recognized the small girl in the seat in front of him. He tapped her shoulder—after all they were both popular now, right? "Hey Alice," he said, and the room around him froze. The girl stiffened, before turning to stare at him with enraged eyes. Edward nearly cowered. Her gaze was fierce with hatred and disgust.
"Fuck off," she spat, before whirling back around in her seat, back rigid, and staring straight forward. There was a general murmur of dislike towards Alice, and sympathy and compassion towards Edward, while Edward just stared blankly at the pissed off girl in front of him. He took in the rest of her as the teacher entered the classroom. She was wearing sweatpants, which was so unlike the old Alice. Her sweatshirt was too big to belong to her, and Edward recognized it as something the old Jasper might wear. Her hair was cropped short, but it wasn't as well kept as she used to keep it. What was wrong with Alice?
Edward contemplated for the rest of the class what could've happened in his transition from unpopular to popular to make Alice like this. Bitter and angry and unkempt. Was it his fault? It had to be—why else would Alice have changed so drastically? But Edward couldn't understand what he could've had to do with this. How could it be his fault that Alice wasn't her usual peppy, bouncy and happy self? It couldn't be. Maybe she was just in a bad mood. And happened to hate him…
"You with us man?" someone called to the laughter of others.
"Yeah, sorry," Edward grumbled in response. He pushed Alice from his mind, deciding to revisit the subject when he wasn't surrounded by worshipping classmates.
The second period bell rang quickly and Edward stood, as did the people around him. Edward was pretty shocked when they walked with him to his third period class, chattering and laughing and making crude jokes. Edward was in the center of the makeshift circle, and he saw the envious stares of his classmates as they swaggered down the halls. Edward entered his second period class.
His seat was in the back, towards the middle, and he was once again surrounded by friends and admirers. It was crazy to him that these people, who had hated him previously, were now practically worshipping him. When the bell rang he was encircled by his friends and escorted to third period, which was much the same as his first and second classes. It was repetitive, but Edward still loved the thrill of being surrounded by so many people who genuinely liked him.
When Edward arrived at lunch, escorted by James and Mike Newton, he saw the popular table, front and center, as usual. Only this time he didn't pass by, head down, into the small corner in the back. He walked, chin up and a grin on his face, straight to the center table. His seat was right in the middle. Emmett and Rosalie were across from him, completely wrapped up in each other. James was seated to his left, smirking smugly with Victoria on his lap. And to his right was an empty seat that seemed to be saved for someone.
"Hey James, ready for tonight?" Emmett asked, peeling his lips away from Rosalie's for a brief moment. James grinned cockily.
"You know it. Tonight's gonna be the shit! Only hot chicks allowed though, right babe?" Victoria giggled, tossing her flaming red hair over her shoulder.
"Right, sexy," she purred and Edward rolled his eyes as the two began attacking each others' lips. Edward found his eyes wandering towards his old table, farthest from the table he currently sat at, and mostly hidden from the rest of the cafeteria. He recognized Angela and Ben, holding hands, and was glad to see their lives didn't seem to change because of him. And, although he couldn't see their faces, he recognized Jasper, Bella and, surprisingly, Alice sitting with their backs to him. Bella was in the middle of Alice and Jasper, who seemed to be staring in opposite directions.
"Hey Edward," a seductive voice called, and Edward whirled his head around, his heart rising, to see Tanya making her way towards him, a cute little smile on her face. Edward let a lazy grin spread across his cheeks, trying not to seem too eager, because he somehow knew that was not how he should act. Tanya reached a hand out and he automatically reached forward to lace his fingers through hers. She sank into the seat next to him and cuddled up. Edward was in heaven on earth.
"Hey Tanya," he said, pulling her a tiny bit closer.
"I missed you this morning," she said, flashing him another dazzling grin. Edward nearly melted.
"I missed you too," he answered, and the answer was truthful. Although he hadn't realized it, he most certainly had missed Tanya today. Almost a dull ache in his chest that dissipated at the sight of her. She scooted closer to him. Out of the corner of his eye, Edward could see movement at the table he used to sit at. He was surprised to see Bella stand up, glaring forward the whole way, and storm into the hall. He wondered what could possibly be wrong with her. But at that same moment, Tanya moved forward and pressed her soft, warm lips to his, and all thoughts of Bella's rage were forgotten.
Edward was in bliss for the rest of the school day. Tanya and him walked, hands laced to gym, Tanya cooing in his ear the whole time as he practically tingled. Edward barely noticed Alice, Jasper and Bella, standing together, glaring at him from across the gym. He was with the love of his life and that was all that mattered to him at the moment. They changed into their uniforms and Edward found he was much better at the sports he used to fail at. It was encouraging, and he showed off a little bit, just for Tanya. She giggled and cheered.
When Edward left for his final class, he was surprised to find his feet leading him towards the English wing. He knew instinctively that he had creative writing instead of his previous advanced class. He didn't mind. He took his seat near the back, and was unhappy to see that most of his new friends weren't in the class. Bella, Jasper and Alice all came in and were seated next to him. Bella was closest to him, but she angled her desk away from him, and something about her posture made Edward think she was uncomfortable.
"Okay, class," the teacher announced cheerfully as he entered the classroom. "We're going to have a term long assignment. Basically, I'll pair you up, and you have to work with this person to take an idea from something else in your life—whether it be a personal experience or a book or movie—and change it, so it keeps the basic themes, ideas and characters. The characters should be similar to how they are in the book, movie, whatever, but you should change the plot. Take Harry Potter for instance. Instead of having them all witches and wizards, you could have them involved in the mob. Voldemort would be the mob boss and Harry would have to take him down." A few students laughed at the comparison, and one boy jotted the idea down.
"And you can't use my idea!" the teacher added firmly and the boy's face fell. "I'll pick partners now." Everyone scooted closer to people they would prefer to be with. Bella moved towards Alice, as did Jasper. Edward stayed put, not really knowing who he wanted to be paired with. The teacher walked around slowly, setting up pairs, and he finally reached the back of the classroom where Edward sat with his old friends, feeling awkward and uncomfortable.
"Okay…Miss Brandon with…" he began, and Bella looked up hopefully. "Mister Hale." Jasper looked thrilled while Alice sent an apologetic glance to Bella. Edward realized that Jasper must be hiding his love for Alice, just like he used to do when they were all unpopular and Alice was the popular one. Although he didn't understand why Jasper would hide it. They were socially equal, or so it seemed.
"And Miss Swan you'll be paired with…" He stared around for a moment and his eyes rested on me. "Mister Masen."
"No!" Bella blurted and the teacher raised his eyebrows. Edward stared in shock and slight offense. "Um, I mean, I would prefer working with somebody else, if you don't mind, sir. Please." She was literally begging. Edward didn't understand what he could've done to make Bella want to not be his partner so much. Had he offended her? Or was she just worried she would have to do all the work? Edward would prove he would do his fair share—he had hated having to do the work for others.
"I'm sorry Bella, but my decision is final. You and Mister Masen will have to put your differences aside and work on this project. I'm sorry," the teacher said, and he had an evil grin on his face like he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Fine," Bella pouted, and the way her lower lip jutted out was simply adorable. Edward took a moment to examine Bella. She was wearing dark clothes, darker than she used to wear, and she seemed thin—too thin almost. Her normally wavy hair hung limply over her shoulders, and she was slumped over in her desk, little arms folded over her chest. She stayed in that position for the rest of the class.
When Edward stood at the end of class, he was surprised to feel a small hand on his arm. Bella was holding him back, her face set. Edward waited anxiously as the class emptied slowly, a lot of eyes watching him and Bella suspiciously. Bella waited in stony silence until even the teacher had left the classroom. When they were completely alone, she whirled around to face Edward. He was surprised by the amount of hatred in her stare.
"Listen—I don't like you and you don't like me, but I'm not about to fail just because you're an asshole. I don't care what we do it on, but you're going to do an equal amount of work. We're just going to have to deal with being around each other. We can start working on it this weekend." Edward just stared. The forcefulness of her statement shocked him—and he kind of liked it. He wasn't used to this powerful, angry Bella. But he was glad she was standing up for herself.
He only wished he knew why she needed to stand up to him in the first place.
"Okay," Edward agreed finally, realizing Bella was waiting for an answer.
"Good. We can set up times and stuff tomorrow," she decided.
"Yeah definitely. I look forward to it," he said, trying to be more of a gentleman so maybe she wouldn't hate him as much. Bella made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, shook her head, and stomped out of the classroom. Edward stared after her in shock, wondering what the hell he did to piss her off like that.
A/N: Hmm? Responses? Sorry for the long time between updates. Busy life. And also I feel like I don't tell you guys how much I appreciate you. I love you guys! Your reviews are awesome, and although I can't reply to all of the reviews, I do read every single one and appreciate them all, I promise! Thanks to my beta .miserable . fate. for being totally awesome and helping me out! REVIEW!