I clenched my eyes together as a sudden bright light flashed outside of the protection of my eyelids. I blinked several times, flinching as the illumination flooded my vision. It took a moment for the headlights to swim into view and then I heard the steady rumbling of an engine, and finally, the slam of a car door. I jerked my head up and realized with a start where I was.
I had fallen asleep on Edward Cullen's shoulder.
Oh my God.
"Dad!" I scrambled off the tailgate of my truck hurriedly, very nearly falling for the second time that evening.
"Bella," he greeted, throwing an arm around me in an odd hug. "Who's your friend?" He nodded towards Edward.
"Edward Cullen." Edward introduced himself, hopping down from the truck and extending a hand towards Charlie.
"Cullen?" Charlie echoed as he shook Edward's hand, "Dr. Cullen's boy?"
"That's right," Edward confirmed.
"Oh, Bella never mentioned being friends with you."
I blushed.
"Well, you know what they say about extreme circumstances…" Edward chuckled.
"Yeah. Relationships based on them barely ever work out," Charlie said in a very matter-of-fact tone.
"Dad, you heard that on the movie, Speed." I rolled my eyes.
Edward smiled in mild confusion before continuing, "No, what I meant was… we had never really been friends before. We just kind of ran into each other tonight."
"Is that supposed to be funny?" Charlie raised his eyebrow.
Edward's face fell in confusion for a moment before he understood how Charlie must have taken his words. "Oh, I didn't mean it like tha-"
"Is this your car?" Charlie interrupted, turning away from Edward to stroll towards the mangled Volvo on the side of the road.
"Um…" Edward looked slightly taken aback, but recovered quickly and followed after Charlie. "Yeah, what's left of it, anyway.."
I slapped my palm onto my forehead with a resounding thud before following behind them. I couldn't believe Charlie was being so rude.
"So, tell me, Edward," Charlie began as he studied the car. "Were you drinking tonight?"
Edward opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. "No, Dad. He was completely sober when the accident happened. He hydroplaned. It's no ones fault."
Edward shot me a questioning glance before adding, "I could have been more careful, but I did hydroplane."
"I pulled over that Newton boy just before Bella called me, he was coming from a party over there on 5th street. Is that where you were?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you weren't drinking?"
"Dad, will you knock it off? He wasn't drunk," I insisted.
Charlie shot me an exasperated glance before finally nodding in acceptance. "I'm just doin' my job. That's all." Charlie contemplated for a moment. "You were very fortunate Mr. Cullen. Had you been seated in any seat other than the driver's side, your injuries may have been fatal. Had you only had the run in with Bella's truck, your car might have been salvageable… but considering the beating it took when it crashed into the trees here, I think it's safe to say that it's totaled."
Edward nodded glumly, but didn't speak.
"Did you sustain any injuries? Either of you?"
"No," we both answered at the same. "I had a cut on my forehead, but Bella took care of that." Edward added.
"I see." Charlie raised his eyebrow tentatively. "Well, normally after being in a crash such as this you would be forced to go to a hospital, but under the circumstances, I'm sure your father can handle things."
"Yes. There's no need for hospitalization," Edward agreed politely.
"Do you have proof of insurance?" Charlie questioned, throwing another glance at the mangled car.
"Yeah… I mean, well… I have full coverage, but all the papers are in the glove compartment." He gestured to the car. "I have my license, though." He pulled out his wallet and handed it over to Charlie.
"In this case, we're obviously not going to be able to access your registration based on the fact that your glove box seems… well…"
"To resemble a pancake?" I suggested.
"Mmm," he nodded. "I'll run this through the computer and call for a tow truck. Would you also like me to contact your parents and have them pick you up?"
"Oh, yeah.. that would probably be a good idea," he agreed.
"No," I blurted, feeling myself blush scarlet as they both turned to stare at me. "I mean… Why bother them? I'm sure they're tired. I can just ride… er… give him a ride.."
They continued to stare at me.
"Home!" I edited frantically, "I can give him a ride home." I hoped desperately that it was too dark for either of them to see the scarlet blush that was undoubtedly accompanying the heat that flooded into my face.
"But, Bella… your truck.." Charlie reasoned.
"I'm sure if you just jump it for me it will be fine. It stalls all the time." I shrugged.
Charlie looked at me questioningly for a moment before nodding. "Oh, alright. Let me just… yeah.." And then he turned and walked back to the cruiser leaving Edward and I standing by the wrecked car.
"I'm sorry about that." I apologized hastily, as soon as Charlie was out of earshot. "I'm pretty sure he's in the father frame of mind a little more than the professional police chief frame of mind right now."
"No, it's totally fine, Edward waved off my apology quickly. "But are you sure you're okay with bringing me home?"
"Would you rather ride with the chief of police or have your parents woken up with a phone call this late?" I raised my eyebrow.
"No," He answered quickly. "Not that I have anything against your dad, of course."
"And it would probably be easier on you if your parents didn't get to experience a late night visit from a police cruiser," I added.
"That is very true," He nodded. "A late night call from a police officer wouldn't be any more appealing either, though I just have this feeling that me coming home to tell them that I totaled my car on the way back from a party isn't going to sit very well to begin with."
"Will they believe that it was an accident?"
"I'm sure with enough coaxing, they will. But my mom is very good at worrying. I'm sure she's probably gone bat shit by now, especially if Alice is home already."
"Well as soon as we get a signal, you can use my phone to text her and tell her you're alright, if you want."
"That would probably be best." He nodded. "Are you really sure you want to bring me all the way home. I live quite a ways past town."
"It's really not a big deal," I assured him.
"I just feel terrible. First I smash into your truck and get you stranded in the rain. Then I annoy you for two hours with my apparent incapability to shut up. Then I insult you by not believing that you were my classmate. You've been more than cool about all this. I feel like you should want to kill me, but instead you tend to my wounds and share your blanket and offer me transportation."
Well when he says it that way…
"No, it's fine." I shook my head.
"Alright… then," He hesitated, "Thanks."
I nodded once, but didn't say anything else. Charlie reappeared then and positioned himself between the two of us. "I called for a tow truck, but there's no telling when they'll be here," he informed us as he handed Edward a small slip of paper. "The information for the auto-shop is on that card. Call them up tomorrow sometime and they will settle things with your car."
"Oh, great! Thanks," Edward said, overdoing the politeness a little bit, but I assumed that was to do with the obvious distaste Charlie was displaying towards him.
"Lets jump your truck Bells," Charlie said decisively, turning and beckoning me to follow him.
It only took two tries to get my truck started, fortunately. Charlie's shift wasn't over for another 45 minutes, but he offered to come home early if I wanted him to. Embarrassed, I told him that his concern was appreciated, but not necessary. I borrowed his house key, too, so that I didn't have to go back to the library to get my own.
Edward climbed lithely into my truck beside me, looking slightly nervous as he did so. Much to my dismay, the song 'Claire De Lune' was currently streaming from my iPod into the trucks speakers. Before I had left for work that afternoon I had raided the house for AA batteries to power my FM transmitter so that I didn't have to listen to my iPod through my headphones when I was driving. Charlie always made a point to remind me how unsafe that was… which was why I hoped Charlie would understand when he found his remote control lacking batteries. I grimaced internally as I realized how absurd it was to expect him to be indifferent about not being able to use his remote. I made a mental note to replace the batteries as soon as I made it home and purchase some of my own the next time I ventured out. It was a mystery to me why Charlie had been stealing batteries from the smoke alarms for the last several months for his remote instead of just buying more in the first place.
"You listen to Debussy?" Edward asked, cocking his head to the side quizzically.
The fact that he even knew how to pronounce the name "Debussy" was surprising enough, but adding to that the fact that he had recognized the composer from just ten seconds of a song was shocking.
"You listen to Debussy?" I countered, changing my mind about turning the song and placing my hand on the gear shifter instead.
"I…" He faltered, "Sometimes."
"Oh." I said quietly, not wanting to push the point further.
I drove carefully, never going past the speed limit and always using my blinker and coming to complete stops. I drove like this all the time, but I emphasized it now for Edward's benefit. As soon as I had a signal again, I handed my phone to Edward. He thanked me and quickly text messaged his mother.
He explained to me the simple way to get to his house and I nodded my understanding. We drove in silence for another moment until the song changed, giving Edward another opportunity to shock me.
"'Collide' by Rachel Yamagata." He nodded as the song began.
I felt my jaw drop as I turned to glance at him. "I'm impressed," I explained as he threw me a questioning look.
Even more shocking yet, he hummed to the song as we drove, not showing the slightest hint of humility.
"Now I'm impressed," he said approvingly as the song changed again to the song 'I Don't Care' by Apocalyptica. "Someone who listens to Debussy and can also appreciate music styles like this?" He nodded approvingly.
"I could say the same about you," I replied, not taking my eyes off the road.
"I really like music," he admitted with a shrug, "I don't think its right to restrict oneself to just one genre. Music is more than just a reflection of your interests, but it's a reflection of your personality… and your soul, even."
I felt a lump rise in my throat. Edward Cullen could be deep.
"I agree," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
I turned onto the road which he had informed me his house was located on at that point.
"Its still about five miles away," he informed me.
"Alright," I nodded. "Let me know when we're getting close."
He nodded his agreement and then turned his body in his seat so that he was facing me. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Uh… Thanks, Bella."
"For what?" I frowned.
"Well, for being so cool about all of this," He gestured blindly with his hands. "And… thanks for not telling your dad that I was drinking."
"I figured you had enough problems." I shrugged.
"That's just it, though. You didn't have to do that. I mean… it's no mystery that I haven't been very friendly towards you in the past.."
I small chuckle escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"Yeah, okay… so I didn't really even know you existed. That's my point though. You really don't have to be so nice to me. I don't deserve it."
I shrugged again.
"I owe you one," he concluded.
"You don't owe me anything." I shook my head. "I didn't do any of that expecting a payback of any sort. Really. It's not a big deal."
He seemed like he had more to add, but his thoughts were pushed aside as his driveway approached. "Right here," he pointed to the left side of the road and I slowed down and turned where he pointed.
He didn't say anything else as we slowed to a halt in front of his home. It was, as I expected, an impressive house. It was large and the walls seemed to be made of glass more than any other type of building material. I could see a large portion of the inside of the house due to the open view through the windows - or, walls, rather. The lights were still on and as soon as my truck appeared, so did three figures standing in the window, watching.
"This ought to be fun," he winced as he unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the truck.
He turned back for a second before closing the door and tapped his hand on the frame of the truck, considering what to say.
"Thanks, again. I guess I'll see you in school."
I chuckled again thinking that it was very unlikely that he would actually see me, but nodded anyways.
He started to shut the door, but I quickly stopped him.
"Edward?" He stuck his head back in the door. "Oh… um," I muttered lamely. "You're welcome."
This time, he chuckled. He flashed me a brilliant and heart stopping smile quickly before disappearing.
I took a deep breath and shook my head quickly, clearing my thoughts before turning and heading back to the road. I reached for the volume knob to turn the music up and found that the song playing now was called 'Wonderful Surprise' by Shawn Hlookoff. I let out a long sigh as I listened to the chorus of the song. Was it just coincidence that at every moment of depth and meaning in my life the song that would play would be so ironically fitting that it was almost impossible to consider it as such?
I tried not to focus on the words of the song, but instead focus on the other vehicles I passed on the road. There weren't many of them, but those that there were, I was almost certain, must have been coming from Tanya's party. Forks was essentially dead at this hour. The only people caught driving now would be young teens returning from a party… or an accident with a handsome stranger.
I shook my head again in an attempt to dispel some of the ridiculous thoughts clouding my head. I had made a complete idiot out of myself several times tonight. Though I was trying to be as smooth as I could, falling asleep on his shoulder and confronting him about drinking and driving didn't exactly fall under the heading of 'cool'. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Despite my desire to get to know Edward Cullen better, I was almost certain that we would never speak again. He hadn't noticed me before, and I'm sure he wouldn't now. Even if for some insane reason he did notice me, I was almost positive that Tanya or Rosalie or someone that he considered his friend would be quick to inform him of just how lame Isabella Swan really was. Maybe it was better that he hadn't noticed me before. Now, all he would see when he looked at me was how much other students avoided me.
How did I feel when I realized that it was Edward Cullen who had smashed into me on a deserted road at 12:30 in the morning? I was terrified. It was Edward Cullen for Christ's sake! I had a fear of embarrassing myself before, but to embarrass myself in front of him would be something altogether horrifying. I had doubted he even knew that I existed, and as it turned out, I was very much correct…
"I can't help feeling like I've seen you before."
I chuckled to myself as I recalled that conversation. I had known who he was from the moment I saw his silver Volvo coming around the corner. How many times had I overheard girls talking amongst themselves about their secret fantasies involving the backseat of that very Volvo and a severe lack of clothing -- I couldn't even estimate. From the second I saw the vehicle, I knew it was him… but not even after twenty minutes of conversation did he have even an inkling of who I was.
He would probably not even remember my name by tomorrow, I reasoned with myself. I decided at that moment to just put Edward Cullen out of my mind completely. There was no point in my dwelling.
That was the first night I dreamt of Edward Cullen.
I awoke in a cold sweat at 7:35 AM. My heart beat was wild and my breath was coming in short, uneven gasps. It was one of those dreams where the details become fuzzy almost the instant you come back into consciousness, but I remembered the face of the person I was dreaming about clearly. I remembered the eyes, especially. Those vivid green eyes that held so much more depth than you would expect. The hair was clearly visible to me too. Bronze, untidy waves gelled into a messy perfection. And the smell of him was so enticing…so appealing.
Could you really smell things in your dreams?
No. It must have just been my memory… or worse, my imagination.
Still, why was my imagination conjuring up imperfect, but still beautiful, images of Edward Cullen?
I shook my head a little and lay back onto my pillows, tossing and turning several times in an attempt to fall back to sleep. After the clock read 8 AM, I finally gave up.
I tossed the blankets away from my body and swung my legs over the side of the bed, making sure that they were both planted firmly on the ground before I tried to stand up. Yawning, I gathered my bag of toiletries and shower supplies and clothes out of my closet and shuffled into the bathroom.
I showered in a haze, still not completely ready to become coherent. I let my eyes close and I felt my muscles relax substantially as the hot water from the shower dealt with the knots in my back and neck. If the water hadn't run out twenty minutes later, I very well could have stayed there for an hour. I toweled my hair haphazardly and brushed my teeth before getting dressed and heading downstairs to start cooking breakfast.
I had been in bed by the time Charlie had returned home. I remembered hearing him climb the stairs, skipping the third stair from the top that always squeaked, and opening my door slightly to make sure I was in bed. I remembered then hearing him warm up a bowl of soup and turn on the TV in the living room. I did not, however, remember hearing him go to bed. At first I figured that the reason for that was simply because I had fallen asleep, but I realized, as I descended the stairs, that it could have instead been because he had never made it up the stairs. I rolled my eyes as the TV came into view, still on and playing sports highlights in very minimal volume. Charlie was sitting in his chair with a beer bottle and soup bowl discarded on the table beside him. The remote control was still in his hand.
Quietly, I picked up the soup bowl and set it in the sink and put the empty bottle in the bag beneath the sink for recycling, noting that it was nearly full. I grabbed a quilt from the back of the couch and carefully covered Charlie. I gently pried the remote out from under his fingers, relieved that I remembered to put the batteries back in it the night before, and pressed the power button. He stirred suddenly, opening his eye a tiny bit and groaning as he saw me.
"You fell asleep in the chair again," I said softly.
"Mmm," he grumbled. "Just leave me here. Wake me up in the morning when you get up." His words were garbled, but I understood them.
"Okay," I chuckled, not finding it necessary to mention that it was already morning. I figured the smell of bacon would wake him up in due time.
I set to work as I usually did on Saturday mornings. I started the coffee first. I didn't really drink a lot of coffee, but Charlie did. I opened a package of bacon and let it start cooking as I washed the dishes from the previous night. Shortly before the bacon was done cooking, I took out another pan and began frying four eggs as I placed two pieces of toast in the toaster oven. Just as I had expected, Charlie came stumbling into the kitchen, wiping the sleep from his eyes just as I placed the plates onto the table. "Good Morning, Bells," he greeted groggily as he stretched into his usual chair.
"Good Morning," I echoed, pouring a cup of coffee and setting it in front of him.
"Thanks," he mumbled through a yawn. "Smells good."
I smiled slightly and sat down at my chair after pouring myself a glass of orange juice.
The relationship between Charlie and myself had always been awkward, to say the least. Neither of us was really very good when it came to showing affection or dependence. We kept to ourselves most of the time, and all conversations were kept simple and spoken in the least words possible. Though we weren't forthcoming about it, we id each have our subtle ways to let the other know we cared. I took care of Charlie the best I could. Little things like cooking for him and doing laundry and cleaning. All of these things I expected he would have learned to do when my mother, Renee, had left Forks, but I was quickly proved wrong when I had moved back here two years ago. He survived mostly by ordering out or making himself a usual at the local diner. His laundry habits were almost comical. For the last 16 years it seemed he had been putting all of his clothing in the same load and considering it a conspiracy of sorts when his white t-shirts turned pink.
It wasn't as if I was unused to caring for a parent. I had lived most of my life caring for my scatterbrained and crazy mother, Renee. She wasn't completely helpless. She knew how to do the basics like cooking, cleaning, and laundry, but she was very forgetful. I was constantly reminding her to pay the phone bill or pick up the mail and the dry cleaning. I used to think that she would forget to change out of her pajamas in the morning if I wasn't there to help her along -- things changed when she met Phil.
Phil was really a great guy, and he was perfect for my mom. He took care of her in the ways that I couldn't, and the ways that I had made a habit of in the 16 years of my life. Renee was noticeably happier with Phil, too. That's not to say that she had ever been unhappy before. She was always jumping from man to man, losing interest in them too quickly for any degree of permanence. I was honestly relieved when Phil came along. She needed some form of consistency in her life other than me. The only drawback of having Phil as a stepfather, though, was his career. He moved around a lot, and Renee was completely thrilled to jump into that new lifestyle. I could tell how much she loved Phil, and I could see the huge sacrifice behind her unconvincing enthusiasm when she said that she would stay behind with me for two years so that I could finish High School without moving all over the place. As much as I loved my mother and didn't want to be without her, I couldn't let her make that huge of a sacrifice for me. She needed to get her fair chance at a happy newlywed lifestyle, and I was the only thing standing in the middle of her and that experience. I was actually very shocked when she finally agreed to letting me move to Forks. Normally she could see through my lies, but I was determined to go, so maybe she could see that too.
I had honestly expected that Forks would be much worse than what it was. I hated the constant rain and the cold. But everything else I had gotten used to. My dad had given me the truck when I first arrived, which drastically brightened my outlook. As second-hand as it was, I loved the truck. It had character. It was different. I got used to school in Forks, though I didn't like it very much at first. I had had many more friends in Phoenix, but for some reason I didn't feel it necessary to have friends here. I knew that I would only be here for two years, so friends were not something that I needed to waste my attention on. I figured it would be best if I just focused on my grades in order to get a good enough scholarship and skip this town the first chance I had.
It wasn't as if I had no friends, though. I did have one. He was actually an acquaintance that had been forced upon me when I used to spend two weeks with my dad every summer. Charlie's best friend's name was Billy Black, and his son, Jacob, was everywhere he was. Billy and Jacob lived out in La Push in an Indian reservation. Jacob had made it a point to rekindle our friendship the moment I moved back to Forks. At first I was a little uncertain about him, but soon I realized that it was nice to have someone to talk to. Jacob went to school on the reservation too, though, so I only got to see him when he visited or talk to him on the phone. He was a little bit younger than I was, but he was still fun to spend time with. He had the kind of personality where he was all smiles all the time and he could always make me laugh.
"Isn't there a game on tonight?" I asked suddenly.
"What is today? Saturday? Yeah, there's a Mariners game on tonight." Charlie replied around a mouthful of bacon. "Why?"
"I was just thinking about Billy and Jacob and how we haven't seen them around in a while." I shrugged honestly.
"You're right. Billy's had that flu virus last weekend, and the weekend before that Jacob had strep throat. Have you talked to Jake lately?"
"No, he sent me an email that I saw last night that I didn't read yet."
"I'll give Billy a call and see what they're up to tonight." He nodded.
With the matter settled, I stood from the table and cleared my plate. Routinely, I went to the front door and slipped on my boots. The newspaper was closer today than it normally was. I brought it back in the house and set it on the table for Charlie before taking his empty plate and clearing it for him.
"Thanks, Bells. You know, you spoil me too much."
I smiled and shook my head as I washed the dishes and put them away before running up the stairs to get my homework out of my backpack. I stopped short of reaching my backpack, though, when I remembered the email I had been too tired to read last night. I crossed to my desk and opened the lid on my new laptop that Renee had sent me for my birthday. She was not at all discreet about her distaste for the computer I had been previously supplied with. It was ancient, to put it kindly, and she was impatient. She liked me to respond to her emails right away, and the excuse of a slow computer was never much to her liking.
--
Hey Bells,
I'm sorry I've been so out of touch lately. I haven't had much internet access and I lost my cell phone. I've had a tough week at school, too. Tons of tests.
How are you? How did that math test you were worried about go? I feel so behind on everything. I'm going to call as soon as I get a new phone.
By the way, I have a bunch of new music to put on your iPod. I know how much you love my music. :D
Love ya, Bells. Talk to you soon!
--
I pressed the reply button and watched as the computer loaded the new page almost instantly. Making a personal note to thank Renee for the new computer, I began my message to Jake.
--
Hi Jake,
I am not going to answer your questions through email because I'm pretty sure Charlie is going to invite you and Billy over here to watch the game tonight. We can catch up then. I agree it seems like it's been forever since I've talked to you. A lot has happened.
Hopefully I'll see you tonight.
Bella.
--
I opened up another new message screen to send to Renee.
--
Hey Mom,
Thanks again for the new computer. I love it. It's great to be able to send an email in less than 2 hours.
I miss you. I hope the weather is good in Florida. I'll call tomorrow.
I love you.
Bella.
--
After I had sent the emails, I closed the computer and grabbed by backpack from the foot of the bed. I made it down the stairs just in time to hear the end of Charlie's conversation with Billy on the phone.
"That sounds great, Billy, I'll see you at six, then."
I took my seat at the table again and began pulling out my school books as Charlie hung the phone up.
"That was Billy. He said they'll come over at six."
I nodded my head as if I hadn't already gathered that information from the last of his conversation. Charlie shook open the paper in front of him and started reading as I began to work on my English assignment on the works of Robert Frost.
------------------------------------------------
6 o' clock rolled around quickly. I had made turkey sandwiches for lunch and then taken a nap before waking up and starting on supper. Charlie had run out to the grocery store in my absence and picked up steak and potatoes. Not my favorite food, but it was his.
I was just finishing up the steaks when Jacob and Billy arrived. I heard the heavy clunk of Billy's wheelchair as Jacob toted him up the stairs.
Charlie rushed to the door and opened it, helping Jacob pull Billy up the last of the stairs. "Hey, hey!" He greeted with an almost audible smile. I turned the stove off quickly and put the rest of the steaks on the platter before wiping off my hands and walking over to the doorway where Jacob and Billy were removing their rain drenched jackets.
"Bells!" Jacob smiled.
"Hey, Jake," I smiled back. "Hi Billy."
"Hey there, Bella," Billy greeted. "Something smells good."
"Bells has been cooking all day." Charlie grinned.
"Steak?" Jacob grinned approvingly, peeking around the corner.
"Mmm, yeah," I nodded, rocking back on my heels a little bit.
We stood silently for a moment before Charlie clapped his hands together and said ,"Well then, let's go get our plates, the game's about to start."
We followed Charlie through the kitchen, each grabbing a plate on our way through and settling into a chair in the living room. I ate quickly, not paying even enough attention to the television to notice what kind of game it was. Jacob followed me into the kitchen with his plate when we were finished and set it in the sink, following my lead.
"I brought some CD's for you," he reminded me.
"Oh yeah, that's right," I nodded. "Hey Charlie.."
"Yeah, Bells?" He said, not breaking his eye contact with the television.
"We're gonna go put some music on my computer," I informed him.
"Oh, okay. See you… yeah.." He was far too immersed in the game to even compose a sentence. I rolled my eyes and jerked my head towards the stairs. Jake quickly followed me.
"Oh! You got a new computer!" he commented as I shut the door behind us.
"Yeah, Renee sent it to me as an early birthday present." I nodded.
"That's going to make uploading these CD's so much easier," he said, producing three CD cases from his sweater pocket.
"What do you have?" I asked, flopping into my computer chair.
"Fall Out Boy, Snow Patrol, and a mixed CD that Quil made me last week," he answered, setting the CD cases on the desk and sitting himself cross legged on my bed.
"Nice." I nodded approvingly, popping the first CD into the computer and pressing the "Rip Songs" button before joining Jacob.
"So, what's new?" I started conversationally.
"Oh… not much, I guess." He shrugged. "I got your email when I was over at Embry's earlier, though. It seems like you have a lot to tell me."
"I've had a crazy couple of days." I nodded.
He stared at me for a moment before bobbing his head expectantly, "Well?"
"I got into an accident yesterday." I informed him, feigning casualty.
"Umm…. Oh my God…." His eyes widened.
"Oh, no worries, the truck is fine," I assured him.
Jacob was the one who had fixed the truck up for me in the first place. It had been Billy's before he had been confined to the wheelchair, and then Jacob had gotten it running before Charlie bought it off of him for my coming-to-Forks gift.
"What happened?" He asked, concern flooding his tone.
"A kid from school… he was dr-… he hydroplaned," I shook my head. "His car is completely totaled, but the truck's a trooper," I smiled.
"It's a Chevy," he shrugged. "Like a rock."
I rolled my eyes and continued, "Anyway, the truck stalled and neither of us had a signal so we had to walk for a long time until I could finally get through to Charlie. You should have seen Charlie when he got there. He went completely over-protective parent on Edward," I chuckled.
"Edward?" Jacob narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. "Wait, you don't mean… Edward Cullen?"
"Yeah… how do you know him?"
"I don't.. I've heard of him. My dad pretty much hates his dad… I'm not entirely sure why, though," he frowned.
"Oh. That's weird," my brow furrowed in contemplation
"But anyway, so Charlie didn't like him either?"
"No, Charlie was giving him a really hard time."
"Are you…friends with Edward?" Jacob pressed.
"No… not by any stretch of the imagination," I assured him.
The look on his face made it clear that he didn't believe me.
"What?" I shook my head.
"Why do you have that look on your face, then?" He raised an eyebrow.
I checked myself, wiping whatever look he was referring to away and replacing it with confusion, instead.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You had this… look."
"What look? You're insane." I rolled my eyes.
"You like Edward Cullen." It was a stated fact, not a question.
"What?! I do not! I don't even know him."
"You're blushing."
"Shut up."
"Wow, that must have been one hell of a collision."
"Jake, seriously, stop it." I glared at him.
"Are you going to talk to him on Monday?"
"No! Of course not. On Monday, I'm sure, we're just going to go back to pretending the other doesn't exist."
He raised his eyebrow suspiciously.
"Seriously, Jake, he didn't even know that I went to his school. I'm so far out of his league it's not even funny. We live in two completely different worlds."
"And is that a problem?"
"No! Because I don't like him. Yesterday was the first time I've ever even talked to him."
"He must make one hell of a first impression," he grinned.
"Oh my God!" I groaned, pulling a pillow out from behind me and smacking him over the head with it. I got up and crossed to the computer to switch the CD, leaving him consumed by a fit of laughter behind me.
"It's not funny," I grumbled.
"It's hilarious," he argued.
"No."
"You love him."
"I will kick you out."
"You want him."
"Jacob!"
"Oh, on your first date you should wear that blue sweater. That's a good color for you."
"Oh for the love of.." I whirled around and narrowed my eyes at him.
He faked a cringe and winked. "I'm just messing around with you, Bella. I never get anything juicy to pick on you for. You're far too boring for your own good, you know. It's so hard to be friends with you sometimes," he joked.
"Well I don't see you telling me about love interests in your life." I retorted.
He cast his eyes down immediately.
"Oh… no," I shook my head. "You're sitting here picking on me for something that isn't even true when you've got a love interest that you're not telling me about? Spill." I insisted.
"No. It's nothing," he shook his head.
"Jake."
"She doesn't like me back. It's no big deal." He shrugged.
I bit my lip as I caught the sad undertone of his voice. He was really bummed about this girl, whoever she was.
"Maybe you should talk to her about it."
He just shook his head, still looking down.
"Okay…" I said, softening my tone and going back to sit next to him. "I won't make you tell me about it, but I'm here if you want to."
He nodded.
We sat in silence for a moment before an uproar of profanities from downstairs brought us into a fit of laughter.
"That was a shitty call! What the hell is that ref thinking!?" Charlie and Billy's voices were muffled, but their point was clear.
We spent the rest of the night listening to music and talking about school and teachers. He didn't bring up Edward Cullen again, and I didn't bring up his mystery girl.
By the time Billy and Jacob left, I had forgotten about Edward all together. I was so exhausted, despite my afternoon nap, that I fell asleep immediately.
I found, though, as I woke up with my heart racing again at 4 in the morning, that even if Edward wasn't in my conscious thoughts, he was still in my subconscious.
I convinced myself as I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep that the only reason for it was because Jacob had planted the outrageous idea in my head. There was nothing in the world that could make me have these dreams about Edward other than that simple explanation.
…Right?
I have this story written up through chapter 5, and it's been submitted to my Betas. I am extremely excited about the direction I am taking this, and I hope you will all stick around and bear with me.
music downloads from this fic are located here