A/N: Finally I got to update!! I've been struggling with fanfiction since last night. I know I took long to get the chapter but school is crazy, too much to do. And it carries on... I have 3 tests next week... but I needed a break so here is the next chapter.

It's kind of short and leaves things hanging but hopefully I'll get the next chapter soon.

Thank you to all who reviewed!! I get so happy when I get an alert! :D

Read on and please review and let me know what you think!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Friday was unbearable as expected. All over the school girls were making fun of my "fainting incident" and different versions were going around. I decided to ignore them but when lunch came it was difficult to avoid them having to sit at my usual table. Lauren stared and laughed at me now and then thinking I didn't notice. Jessica seemed to have recovered from the incident and kept asking how I was feeling and if there was anything she could for me.

"And I really mean anything." The look on her face as she said that was one I wish I could erase from my memory.

A change of subject from Mike finally had Jessica off my back, they started talking about our trip to La Push and got carried away.

I drifted away at some point and kept staring at her empty table hoping she might suddenly appear.

Alice had noticed my mood and began questioning me when we got home. I should have seen it coming since she hadn't grilled me about the recent developments.

"So, what's up with you today, dear brother?" She asked with a devious smile once we were both alone in the kitchen.

"Nothing, Alice." I said taking the milk box from the fridge.

"C'mon, you know I've been dying to know what's going on and I waited patiently, giving you space, but I can hold it anymore, Edward, please." Her smile was gone now and she was pouting, I knew I had to spill.

I told her and she listened reacting to every word; smiles, frowns, cries of excitement, curiosity.

"Wow, how do so many things happen to you in so little time, Edward?" She said surprised yet mockingly.

"Alice…" I started fidgeting with the bridge of my nose.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything and I'll behave. And you know you can talk to me if you need anything." She said in the sweetest tone. "For the time being try to have fun tomorrow, I know it might be difficult but you can't keep obsessing over this."

"It's just, I can't stop thinking about her, Ally. It's the weirdest feeling, I know I haven't known her long but I… I… I miss her." I finally blurted out.

"I know." She said giving me a reassuring smile. "Just try to hold on, it's only a couple of days."

I smiled at her. Alice could be a royal pain in the ass sometimes but she could also be the best person to talk to as well.

"And remember, I'm here." She said as she walked away from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Alice." It gave me a little hope to know I wasn't alone in this.

When we arrived at Newtons' Olympic Outfitters the next day everyone was already there. Lauren started ogling me when we arrived and made several failed attempts to hit on me. I really couldn't get my head around these girls.

When we were about to take off Lauren and Jessica tried to sit one on either side of me inside Mike's suburban, luckily Emmett came to my rescue just in time claiming I needed to sit next to him and Rose to discuss some reformations the Volvo needed urgently. I was happy to get away from the harpies but ended up getting mocked by Emmett the entire time.

When I started to notice the landscape I tuned him out completely and let myself be marvelled by it. The colours, the animals, nature, harmonized so well and were so mesmerizing I couldn't keep my eyes of it. The beach, the waves, the million shades of stones were very beautiful.

All too soon we were there and back to the million annoying voices.

Eventually I decided to go for a hike to get away from it all and managed to dissuade Jessica from joining me. I reached the tidal pools and sat on one of the rocks. I soon became absorbed by my surroundings except for one little part of me which was thinking about Bella, the million questions I still had for her, but most of all the desire to be with her, having her sitting next to me at that exact moment.

Finally, I heard a voice calling my name, saying the food was ready. I eventually recognized it was Jasper and rushed over to the bonfire. As I reached back the crowd I noticed the group had multiplied. As I got closer I could see the shining, straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers, teenagers from the reservation who had come to socialize. The food was already being passed around, and some of the boys hurried to claim a share while Eric introduced me and my siblings. As Eric said my name I noticed a younger girl sitting on the stones near the fire glance sheepishly up at me in interest. I sat down next to Angela not really in the mood for food while a boy who looked to be the oldest of the visitors rattled off the names of the seven others with him. All I caught was that one of the boys was also named Eric and that the girl who noticed me was named Jane.

It was relaxing to sit with Angela; she was a restful kind of person to be around, she didn't feel the need to fill every silence with chatter.

As they finished eating, people started to drift away in twos and threes. Some went hiking, others went to the shop in the village.

A few minutes after Angela left with the hikers, Jane sauntered over to take her place by my side. She looked fourteen, maybe fifteen and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of her neck. Her skin was beautiful, silky and russet-coloured; her eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of her cheekbones. She still had just a hint a childish roundness left around her chin. Altogether, a very pretty face.

"You're Edward Cullen, Carlisle son, right?" She said shyly.

"Yes, I am." I said trying to figure out where she knew me from.

"Your dad treated my father Billy last week. He fell from his chair." She said as if reading my thoughts.

"Right, I remember. How is he doing?" I tried a smile for the first time that day.

"He's better. But refuses to slow down as Carlisle recommended." She smiled back.

"Well some people are just stubborn and there's no way around it."

"Yeah, that he is."

It was very easy to talk to her and somehow she got my mind off the thing that had been haunting me all day. But good things didn't seem to last long around here.

"So, Cullen, you guys know each other?" Tyler who had been talking trash with Lauren suddenly spat out.

"His father treated mine in the hospital." Jane said simply.

"Edward, I was just saying to Lauren that it was too bad the Swan girl couldn't come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite her?" The malice in his tone was evident.

"You mean Chief's Swan daughter?" the tall, older boy asked before I could respond, much to Tyler's irritation.

"Yes, do you know them?" he asked condescendingly, turning halfway towards him.

"The Swans don't come here." He said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring his question.

Lauren, trying to win back Tyler's attention, asked his opinion on a CD she held. He was distracted.

I stared at he deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away towards the dark forest behind us. He'd said that the Swans didn't come here, but his tone had implied something more – that they weren't allowed; they were prohibited. His manner left a strange impression on me, and I tried to ignore it without success.