Sorry for how long it has been since the last update. My lovly Twilight Beta xoAzrealxo has had a lot to do latley so you've guys got to bear with us. I hope this chapter might be worth the wait. For any of you who are reading my other stories as soon as the chapters are Beta'd they'll be up. Now I know that a lot of this might seem kind of weird but let me explain.

Before the Cullens came the last new face they had was-in my world-when Renee's parents moved their before they had her. Yes Renee as in Bella's mom. Then the Cullens came but pepole are instentivly afraid of the Cullens so when Bella comes there all kind of obssesed with her. Just a bit. Bella is really a nice and poliet younge woman who just happens to dress excentricly. But the thing is she's a bit jaded because she's never had a friend before.

Also, Bella kind of has a way of cussing when she's really mad or surprised.

And with the Goth refrence since she's part of the subculture at the bottom I'll have a bit of explanation of the gothic culture.

I was in darkness and what little light there was, was coming off of Edward's skin. I saw only his back as he walked away leaving me in the blackness. Usually, I would make my home in the darkness but this time I felt a sense of urgency telling my whole body to get to him no matter what.

But no matter how fast I ran or how loud I called I couldn't catch up with him. I woke up realizing it was just a dream, but I couldn't fall back to sleep and after that he was in my dreams every night, just out of reach.

The month after the accident was intense and annoying. The accident quirked everyone's curiosity about me all over again and I was the center of attention for the rest of the week. Tyler Crowley was also impossibly infuriating. He followed me around; obsessed with making amends to me somehow. I had told him time and time again that the only thing I wanted was for him to stop.

But like the stalker he had recently turned into, he followed me to every class and sat at my lunch table that was now, thanks to the accident, overcrowded. I tried sitting at empty tables but every time I did, they would see me and come sit at whatever table I sat at and by then it was too late because all the other tables were filled. Golden Boy Newton and Chess Club Yorkie were even less friendly to Tyler than with each other.

No one seemed concerned about Edward. I explained that he was the superhero who pulled me away and nearly got crushed too. But all of them commented that they hadn't even seen him till the van was pulled away. I knew that I wasn't crazy and this just confirmed it. But why wasn't Van Accident Crowley working to make it up to Edward? I know that he doesn't need to be annoyed but if it's him or me I'm sticking the obsessive "let me make it up to you" stalker on him.

When Edward sat next to me in class as far away as the table allowed he'd pretend I was a ghost. Every now and then his fist would curl up like he was ready to punch me; and it was obvious what the reason was-he regretted saving me from Crowley's van. That fact hurt me more than I'd like to admit. I never cared before what people thought about me but I cared what he thought and that could be my tragic flaw. If you give someone your heart they'll rip it apart.

I was mad at him that he promised to explain himself but didn't. I kept my end of the bargain by not telling anyone. But no matter how he treated me, he did save my life. He saved Charlie any heart break, and as for Renee…he saved her annoyance.

He was already sitting when I entered the classroom. He was wearing a black buttoned down shirt that sleeves were rolled up to his elbows with a red tie, he was also wearing black skinny jeans and converse shoes, his hair was covering one of his eyes.

"Hello Edward," I said trying to be pleasant. He turned his head a fraction of a inch and gave one nod without even looking at me. I didn't try to talk to him again.

Golden Boy Newton was all too happy about the coldness between me and my forced lab partner. It was unsettling to me how my dreams continued though Edward was being less friendly to me than Hannah Montana would be to Amy Lee.

I think Golden Boy was worried I'd be impressed by Edward saving me from death, which was so much more than Mike "saving" me from a hit in the head. He was pleased that Edward's saving me seemed to have the opposite effect. In truth, I was thoroughly impressed with Edward saving me. Golden Boy started to grow confident sitting at the edge of the table 'till Biology Class started ignoring Edward as Edward ignored us.

I tried everything to get Golden Boy to leave me alone from subtle hints to outright telling him to get lost. But nothing worked. I thought this amused Edward because sometimes I'd see him looking at us sideways smirking.

The snow washed away for good after the van accident as if Mother Nature herself was satisfied with that winter's destruction. Golden Boy was sad because he never got to have the snowball fight he was planning and sneak attack Chess Club and Van Accident. But he was happy that a beach trip would be possible soon. I always hated the beach-too many people, too hot, and too much sand.

Gossip Queen Jessica Stanley made another event looming on the horizon evident to me. She called and asked my permission to ask Mike out to the girls' choice dance in two weeks. It took me a moment to realize who she was talking about, I got so used to calling him Golden Boy in my head that I didn't even realize his name, although it was as generic as you could get.

She was surprised when she heard that I wasn't planning to ask him out and her evil bitch voice took a 180 turn.

"It will be really fun." She said halfheartedly when I told her I wasn't going at all. She liked my unexpected popularity much more than my company.

"No, have fun with Go-Mike." I said catching myself, but Gossip Queen had already hung up without saying goodbye.

Gossip Queen wasn't gushing when we were in class and was unusually silent. I could feel myself start to ask what's wrong but refrained. If Golden Boy turned her down; as awful as it was for her, it got me some much appreciated quiet time. Golden Boy was quiet during lunch and walking to Biology too. Wow, those two should turn each other down more often.

He was sitting on the desk before he broached the subject; I could feel Edward sitting beside me; so close and yet so far.

"So Jessica asked me to the spring dance."

"That's nice." I said with boredom, Golden Boy seemed to think I was disappointed.

"I told her I'd think about it." He said looking into my eyes.

"Why?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"I was thinking that you'd want to ask me." He said with a grin.

I noticed Edward's head tilt towards me in my peripheral vision.

"Why would you think that?"

"Did you already ask someone?" He asked looking shocked and his gaze flickering to Edward, which I hoped Edward didn't notice.

"Not that it's any of your business but no, I didn't. I'm not going to the dance at all."

"Why not?" Golden Boy demanded.

"I'm not into school dances, plus I'm going to Seattle that Saturday." I shrugged.

"Can't you go some other weekend?"

"Why would I want to?" I asked seeing any reason he could possibly have.

"So you and I could go to the dance together." He said giving a seductive smile that didn't work on me in the slightest.

"Not interested." I said as politely as I could. "And you should answer Jessica, it's rude to not at least give her an answer."

"Yeah." He said dazed, probably from a girl actually saying no to him. Has anyone ever said no to him before? He walked away dejectedly, playing up the sadness a little too much. I pressed my fingers to my temples to start working out the monster headache Golden Boy had given me when Mr. Banner began talking so I sighed and opened my eyes.

Edward was staring at me curiously with a familiar edge of frustration even more distinct in his eyes that were now the same wicked shade as when I first saw him.

I stared back at him and it surprised me when he didn't look away. He stayed gazing into my eyes and I lost myself, trapped in the black holes he had for eyes. I started to tremble lightly.

"Mr. Cullen?" The teacher called and Edward turned unwillingly to him.

"The Krebs Cycle," he answered a question I hadn't heard in his crushed velvet voice.

I immediately turned back to my book and attempted to find my place. I couldn't believe the rush of emotions I felt, for the first time I didn't feel annoyance or anger to him. That was a dangerous thing.

I worked the rest of the hour indifferent towards him…OKAY! Attempting to act indifferent towards him. When the bell finally rang, I turned my back to put everything into my Emily the Strange messenger bag/purse, and I expected Edward to get out of the room like a bat out of hell like he always does.

"Bella?" He asked in the already familiar crushed velvet voice of his.

I unwillingly turned to him, he had me feeling things I've never felt and that unnerved me. My expression was wary, his was unreadable. I resolved to talk to him as if he was anyone else.

"What? Are you suddenly going to talk to me now? Did whatever demonic spell you were under wear off?"

"No, not really," he said with amusement.

"No to talking to me or no as in your still being possessed?" I asked with a smirk.

"I'm not sure. Both? Neither?" Okay now he's just trying to annoy me. I felt my temper flare but it's only mixed with the usual other emotion I always felt around him.

"Then what the fuck do you want?" I asked turning away from him and graving my Nightmare Before Christmas gel pen.

"I'm sorry." He sounded sincere, for once. "I'm being very rude, I know. But it's for the best this way."

"I have absolutely no idea what you mean."

"It's better if we weren't friends, trust me." I narrowed my eyes, why should I trust him? And "it's better if we're not friends", that's basically the stupid old saying, it's not you, it's me thing.

"It's too bad you didn't figure that out earlier," I said bored with a pleasantly detached expression. "You could of saved yourself the monster amount of regret."

"Regret?" He asked his eyes widening. "Regret for what?"

"Not letting the damn van crush me." I hissed. He looked at me astonished and stared at me with disbelief.

"You think I regret saving you from the van with its imbecile driver?" He asked mad.

"I know you do," I snapped. "Same as I know that I will never befriend a cheerleader." I added.

"You don't know anything." He said defensively, I just rolled my eyes and walked out of class. As I was walking away someone bumped my bag out of my hand. I thought about leaving it there, but sighed and reached for it. Edward was already there, holding my bag out to me with a murderous expression.

"Thank you," I said cold as ice.

"Your welcome," he retorted in white hot anger.

With that I stalked off to Gym while he went to whatever class he had next.

Gym was annoying. We moved on to basketball. For the benefit of everyone I stayed at the far end of the court and out of the way. I fell a lot but everyone was mostly too scared of what I'd do to them to even look, sometimes I even took people down with me. On accident of course. My already short temper was even shorter since Edward kept creeping into my thoughts.

I was as glad as a mummy in a bandage sale to leave. I rushed to my truck which luckily had only suffered minimal damage. I had to get new taillights and my paint job was from about the sixties so I didn't have to touch it up. Van Accident Crowley had to sell said van as scraps.

I nearly killed Chess Club when I saw his dark figure leaning on my truck.

"Hello, Eric." I greeted since he was on the driver's side of my truck and I couldn't just drive off and pretend I didn't see him.

"Hi, Bella."

"What's up?" I asked unlocking the door now that he had moved.

"Would you…I mean if you want….it could be fun…to go to the spring dance with me?" He asked taking me by surprise.

"I thought it was a girls' choice." I said surprised, first Golden Boy was asking me to ask him and now Chess Club was asking me.

"Well, yeah. It is but…" he trailed off looking bashful.

"Thanks for asking it's…flattering really. But I'm going to Seattle that weekend."

"Maybe some other time." He asked hopeful and I didn't want to do anything mean to him. I've had people be mean to me before and I wouldn't want to do that to him.

"Um…maybe." I said hoping he got the no I was trying to be nice about slouched off back toward the school. Then I heard a chuckle.

Edward was walking past the front of my truck, he was looking straight forward with his lips pressed tightly together. Jackass. I yanked my door open and jumped in. I revved up my engine and backed out. And what do you know? Edward was being his usual asshole self and pulled out in front of me and stayed there waiting for his siblings that I couldn't see.

Dumbass. If he's got to wait for his siblings don't pull out, and definitely don't pull out and then stop. A line was forming behind me with Van Accident in a newly purchased used Sentra. I considered taking out the back of his shiny Volvo but there were too many witnesses.

I sat there and tried to not look at him in case I snapped and crushed his stupid shiny Volvo when I heard a knock on the opposite side of my window. It was Van Accident. I glanced in my rear view mirror and not only was his car still running but the door was left open, the idiot. I rolled what little of the window down as far as I could.

"Sorry, I'm stuck behind Cullen." I said annoyed.

"I know, I just wanted to ask you something while were trapped here." Oh shit. "Will you ask me to the spring dance?" He grinned.

"I'm not going to be in town." I said accenting each syllable, my patience was at a breaking point. First Golden Boy, then Chess Club, and now Van Accident.

"Yeah, Mike said that."

"Then why would-"

He shrugged. "I was hoping you were just letting him down easy."

I glared, yeah I was letting Golden Boy down easy, just like I was letting him. I should of just told him no, he deserved it.

"No, I'm really going out of town."

"That's cool. We still have prom." He said before leaving. Who does he think he is? Saying that like there's no doubt that I'll say yes, like I'd be caught dead at any prom. Unless of course it was a Halloween prom, that'd be wicked.

Then I saw Edward's siblings climb into the Volvo and caught Edward's gaze looking at me as he shook with laughter. My foot was inching to the gas pedal by itself, it wouldn't hurt any of them, just ruin some of that pretty paint job. But they speed away before I got the chance.

I muttered curses the whole way home.

When I got home I decided to make chicken enchiladas for dinner. It was a long process that would allow me a chance to calm down. While I was simmering the onions and chilies the phone rang. I didn't want to answer it because it might have been my mom calling to ask me to do who knows what or babble about her day. I answered it anyway because I loved to hang up on her and then tell her that there was a lot of static because of the rain.

It was Gossip Queen Jessica Stanley, and she was happier than a vampire at a blood bank. Golden Boy had given her the answer she had wanted. I suggested that she tell Angela to ask Eric out and Lauren to ask out Tyler. Angela was the shy girl in my Biology class who was quiet and nice and I enjoyed her quiet company much more than my group of "friends". I had noticed whenever Angela was around Eric she would blush and look at him every so often, she liked him-it was obvious. Lauren, who was the Queen Bee for our year deserved Tyler and his stalkerish ways. She'd enjoy the nonstop attention.

Gossip Queen agreed that it was an excellent idea and was a bit more sincere in asking me to go. Yet I could feel in my gut that she still wanted retaliation against me after the whole chastising her about gossiping about the Cullens and the whole Poor new girl, at the dance all alone. I guess that the Goth thing would be an excellent way to do that. I just gave her the Seattle excuse.

After hanging up I sighed, socializing with people was draining. I started dinner again and while I was chopping the chicken my mind went to Edward of its own accord. Analyzing everything he'd ever said to me, what could he possibly mean by it was better if we weren't friends?

Then, with my stomach twisting as if it had its own little cannibalistic monster I understood. He saw how much I watched him, how I hung on his every word. Knowing something was different about him, that for the first time I met someone who I believed could relate to me. But he didn't want a friend, he had his family. I was no use to him and he didn't want to put in the effort since once we graduated we'd probably never see each other again.

Well that's fine. I had lived seventeen years without a friend, I can survive longer. And I'll leave him alone. I would be the "ghost that sat beside him for forty five minutes during science." I would get through the last two years of high school and hopefully get a scholarship from some school around more understanding people. Somewhere in Europe perhaps. I focused back on dinner and put the enchiladas in the oven.

Charlie was surprised when he came home and smelled green peppers. The closest Mexican food that wouldn't make you vomit was probably in Southern California. Which I never understood, if it's usually hot outside why would someone want to eat hot and spicy food?

But Charlie was still a cop so he was brave enough to take the first bite. I think he liked it because than he took another bite. It's fun to watch him learn to trust my culinary powers.

"Dad?" I asked when he was done.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to Seattle a for the day a week from Saturday. That okay with you?"

"Why?"

"Books, Clothes, CD's, stuff like that." I said, itching to get such things, the library mostly has books on old town history and anything donated which meant old magazines and books from the school that were so poorly mistreated that I was afraid if I even touched it, it'd break.

All the stores sold were flannels, jeans, and plain shirts. And there were absolutely no CD stores. One of the few downfalls of my truck is it couldn't be very good in gas mileage, what I saved on the truck was going to gas.

"That truck probably doesn't get very good gas mileage," he said.

"I know, I'll stop anywhere I have to."

"All by yourself?" He asked surprised. I rolled my eyes, I had been doing things by myself for seventeen years I think I could handle a trip to Seattle.

"Yeah."

"Seattle's pretty big, Bells, you could easily get lost." Charlie said in a worried tone and I was again shocked at his sincere tone. He really cared about my health and safety, I almost cried right then but that'd give the poor guy a heart attack and ruin my eyeliner.

"Phoenix is five times the size of Seattle," I said, I ought to know, I have been in every road in Phoenix doing something or other for Renee and her omnipresent boyfriend. "And I can read a map." Another thing I had learned out of necessity.

"Do you want me to come with you?"
There he was doing it again, caring, something I've never had done to me before. But I couldn't accept, I am a very independent person and I don't know how to deal with company.

"That's okay; I'll probably in dressing rooms all day. Very boring."

"Okay." The thought of dressing rooms immediately put him off, typical guy.

"Thanks though." I said because it actually did mean a lot to me that he cared.

"Will you be back in time for the dance?"

I froze and looked at him horrified.

"Not really your scene?" He asked realizing my scene would be much more on the end of raves and picnics in the cemetery.

"No," I laughed.

The next morning, when I pulled in the parking lot I purposely made sure that I was as far away from the silver Volvo as possible. I didn't want to put myself in the path of too much temptation and kill someone, or at least owe him a new car. I had decided since there probably wasn't going to be any ice I put on a Gothic Lolita outfit. I was wearing a black skirt that came to my knees with white bows and a black long sleeve high necked black tailored top with white lace. I put on combat boots that came to my ankles with black stockings. I had applied no makeup and put my hair up in pigtails along with the headband that were held up with the same intricate white frills. The headband was black.

When I got out of the truck I fumbled with my keys and they dropped into a puddle at my feet. As I reached down to get it, a white blur moved over them and I jerked up in surprise. Edward Culled was right next to me, leaning causally on my truck as if this was a regular occurrence.

"How the hell do you even do that?" I asked, amazed and irritated at the same time.

"Do what?" He asked all faked innocence as he dropped the key into my palm.

"Appear out of thin air."

"Bella it's not my fault you're exceptionally unobservant." Yeah, sure, I'm unobservant. I purposely parked as far away from him as possible and he got here in two seconds.
I scowled at him; his eyes were a light deep golden honey color today.

"What's with the traffic jam yesterday?" I demanded still annoyed. "I thought you were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not pissing me off."

"That was for Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him his chance." He snickered.

"You…" I don't think I have a bad enough word. My anger was white and red hot at the same time, it should burn him but he only seemed more amused. How dare he, he had no right to do that.

"And I'm not pretending you don't exist."

"Then you're what? Trying to piss me off? Or are you trying to irritate me to death since Tyler's van didn't do the job?"

His eyes came alight with anger, and his lips pressed into a tight line.

"Bella, you are utterly absurd." He said in a cold voice.

My palms tingled, I wanted to hit something. Badly. How dare he say I'm absurd, first he gives me the death glare when I did absolutely nothing to him, then he disappears for weeks, saves me from a van, and promptly acts like I don't exist. And I'm absurd? I turned around and walked away.

"Wait," he called. I just kept walking.

"I'm sorry, that was very rude of me, true, but rude." He said catching up to me.

"Just leave me alone."

"I wanted to ask you something, but you sidetracked me. Which reminds me, I quite enjoy your choice of attire today."

I stopped dead in my tracks turning to him. "What?" I tried to stop my blush but I didn't have very much luck.

"I was wondering if a week from Saturday, you know the day of the spring dance-"

"You're very funny." I said turning away from him.

"Wait," he said and when I turned I saw his face. He was wickedly amused. "Can I finish?"

I bit my lip and locked my hands in a death grip. So I wouldn't do anything to wind myself up in a jail cell.

"I heard you were going to Seattle that day, and I was wondering if you wanted a ride."

Now that surprised me. "With who?"

"Myself." He said, speaking slowly as if I was stupid.

"Why?" I asked, so far he had gone from hating me, to ignoring me, to annoying me. Why would he offer to drive me to Seattle?

"Well I was planning on going there soon anyway. And I don't think your truck can make it."

"My truck works just fine. But thank you for your concern." I started to walk away again but he called me again.

"Yes, I know it works fine for something from the fifties. But can it make it their on one tank of gas?"

"None of your business." I said, stupid shiny Volvo owner.

"The wasting of finite resources is everyone's business."

"Honestly, I thought you said you didn't want to be friends."

"I said it'd be better if we weren't friends, I never said I didn't want to be."

"Gee, thanks, that's cleared up." I said with heavy sarcasm, he seemed to understand it.

"It'd be better for you if we weren't friends, but I can't stay away from you anymore Bella." He said with intense eyes that had me losing my breath.

"Go to Seattle with me?" He asked, and since I couldn't talk with the whole no breathing thing I just nodded. I was under the spell of his eyes, and I didn't want the spell to be broken. He smiled.

"You really should stay away from me; I'll see you in class." He said intensely before he turned and walked into the school.

The Gothic subculture is not just about the steryotipical teenagers in all black in there black painted bedrooms with flickering candlelight wrighting about there angst. The whole Gothic movment started about four hundred years ago with Gothic Art, Gothic Archictoter, Gothic Lituture (also known as Gothic Novles.) Goth is also an Asthetic, which is what somoene lives there life by, like a set of codes or morels.

The Gothic asthetic is about finding beauty in unexpected places and relizes that the world isn't always a good place and it's not always fun and everyone has feelings of being all alone and it's okay to recognize that.

It's also a musical movment after Punk Rock. Not all Goth's listen to Gothic music, there's more to being Goth then the music you listen to. There is no set religion to being a Goth, theres Goths of every religion, theres Goths of no religion.

Goth also has plenty of Whimsy and Goth has a healthy dose of Vampires, but Goths don't belive their vampires. Vampires are fun to read, write, and watch movies about. Which is why I'm doing this. And black humor jokes, like hitting classmates with sledgehammers, or adding them to The List, thoes are JOKES. They arn't meant to be taken seriously.

There are sevral diffrent types of Gothic fashon the main ones are: Steampunk, Vampire/vampire/Vampyre, Cybergoth, Neovictioran, Deathrock, Romantic, and a lesser known one called Cupcake Goth, which is combing black and another "nongoth" color, such as pale cotten candy pink or a bright color. Now there are defintly plenty of others but thoes are the main ones that most goth looks can be catorgied in.

Not all Goths dress excentricly and are more in deep jewle tones, and theres Goths of every occupation which means any job you may have you don't know if your coworker has a bookshelf full of Anne Rice, and all of Bowhoses CDs.

Now Goths are not: Violent, Murders, Depressed, into Self Harm, Belive they are Vampires or part of the dead, or pretty much anything the Media says Goths are. As a rule of thumb, if the media says it it's probaly a lie. *I have proof of that.*

If you want to know more I suggest you go on or watch Tim Burton movies, such as The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride or Alice in Wonderland. Think Bettlejuice and The Addams Family.

Alright, that was the big explanation of the Gothic Subculture. I am happy to say I've got no Anti-Goth reviews yet but I hope this will stop from ever getting any. I also hope this will help some of you understand the Gothic Subculture and shed light on the dark clad masses. If any one has a qustion about this you can PM me, wright it in a review, I accept anionimes reviews so even if you don't have an account you can ask. And if anyone feels I am not protraying the Gothic Subculture in it's full capatancy please tell me.