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EDWARD POV

I headed home and rushed upstairs once again. I couldn't believe this. Bella was my best friend. I wasn't supposed to like her this way. But the way she looked at me with those big brown eyes when I played her music, or when she asked if I was okay, paralyzed me. We both needed each other, but I wasn't supposed to need her this way. If I told her she would hate me. I loved her. I loved her insanely. I sighed and put my head in my hands, pulling my hair. I picked up my guitar again. I would miss her so much next year when I went to Juliard. It would be the longest we had been apart. I was scared. I strummed once on the strings, and pulled out sheets of paper, starting to write.

THE NEXT DAY

She hopped into the car with her usual bright smile. She was wearing jeans and a shell pink t-shirt and beige cardigan, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Guess what?" She bubbled.

"What?" I asked her.

"Carlos called yesterday." She told me. Anger boiled in the pit of my stomach, but I tried to smile for her.

"That's great." I said.

"He asked me for coffee today."

"When?"

"After school. He's going to pick me up." She smiled. Damn. I had just been about to offer to drive her.

"Good for you, beautiful." I said. She looked at me.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" She asked. I chuckled halfheartedly. She always knew.

"No, I guess not." I said, as we reached the school. She looked at me sympathetically and kissed my temple.

"Edward. Please don't hurt yourself. I know your stressed about Juliard and all, but you need sleep." She said. I looked at her. I was falling apart slowly.

BELLA POV

I was worried about Edward lately. I leaned over as he looked at me with his green eyes and hugged him tightly. We got out of the car and hurried into the school. The day moved by slowly, as it always did when you we're excited about something. James wasn't at school today, to Edward's intense relief, and I wondered why. He would never miss a chance to flaunt himself. I dismissed it, and continued on with my day, avoiding stares by sticking to Edward's side. When the last bell rang, I felt butterflies in my stomach, Carlos would be waiting outside for me. I followed Edward to the parking lot, and waved at Carlos, his dark curly hair falling into his eyes. He was chatting with Mike and Tyler, surprisingly.

"Hey Bells, you're date is over there, you know." Edward teased as I followed him to his car.

"I know silly. I just wanted to ask you something." I said, and he smiled.

"Okay. What is it?" He questioned, putting his books on the roof of his car while he talked to me.

"Do I look nice? Do you think he'll care about my bandage?" I blurted out nervously, biting my lip. He grinned crookedly.

"You look beautiful as always, absolutely gorgeous." He said, and there was a moment of silence between us. I blushed. "And if he cares about the bandage, I'll be right there faster than you can say my name, and after I'm done with him, his face will look like James."

"Thanks." I whispered. I looked up at him. His eyes were dark and strange. It scared me to not be able to read them. I touched his shoulder. "Hey. Best Friends forever, right?" He looked up.

"And ever. Right. Have fun, Bells." He said, hugging me lightly. I returned it, and grinned one last time before turning around and heading back towards Carlos.

CARLOS POV

I pulled up in my Honda, and realized I was early. I turned off the engine, and hopped out, walking with my hands in my pockets to wait at the front door area. There were two boys who looked about a year younger than myself standing around, kicking pebbles and chatting. I regretted coming over here, now looking awkward standing beside them. They looked over, and a bubbly looking blond one cleared his throat.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked in a friendly sort of way.

"No, I'm waiting for someone." I said politely back. He looked interested. I took it he was a generally friendly guy. "Who? Our school's pretty small, I know everyone." He grinned broadly.

"Bella Swan?" I questioned, and he looked shocked.

"Bells?" He smiled.

"You know her?" I asked him.

"Very well. She's a good friend." He told me, sitting down beside me. He scuffed the gravel at his feet, looking up once again. "So why are you waiting for her?"

"Going for coffee." I answered, smiling.

"So like a date? You are going on a date with BELLA SWAN?" He questioned, laughing. I nodded.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked, offended. "She's pretty, and nice."

"Exactly. That's the problem. She never says yes to anyone." He told me, and I gulped.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded.

"Nobody." He grumbled. I had a feeling he had been turned down a few times. "Hey Tyler! This guy here is going on a DATE with Bella!" He called over to his friend. Tyler also looked surprised, and came over to us.

"Good job." He congratulated me.

"I'm Mike by the way." The blond boy stuck out his hand. I shook it.

"Carlos." I introduced myself. The bell rang, and I leapt up in anticipation.

"Just a warning though," Mike said. "Don't hurt her. In like any way."

"Of course not. But why would you say that?" I asked.

"Edward will kick your sorry ass." He answered simply. "You should see James Benna, the guy who messed up Bella's face. I'd say his face is even more screwed up than hers now that Edward is through with him."

"Seriously." Tyler agreed fervently. I watched Bella walk out of the school, with the tall, slightly muscular Edward I recognized from the hospital, at her side. She waved cheerily, a bandage covering almost a whole side of her face. She continued on with Edward, and I shifted my feet awkwardly.

"So they're best friends?" I questioned Mike.

"Since birth. They're like connected." He answered. "I wouldn't worry about it though, Edward already has millions of girls trailing after him." He said, catching the look on my face. I nodded, watching Bella and Edward talk. He had those movie star good looks, with perfect hair and teeth, and a sort of weird innocence in his green eyes, it was no wonder girls hung on his every word. I watched him hug Bella tenderly, and smiled as she made her way over here.

BELLA POV

My stomach fluttered once more as I heard Edward start his engine and give me one last reassuring smile before driving away. I took a deep breath and walked in the direction of Carlos, Mike, and Tyler. I greeted them all with a smile.

"Hey Carlos, Mike, Tyler." I said, giving the last two a strange look.

"Hey Bells," Mike said, looking awkward. "We'll get going." He said, pulling Tyler by the arm and hurrying off.

"English paper is due Monday!" I called after him, knowing he would forget. He waved me off as he climbed into Tyler's car, and they drove away. I bit my lip, and turned to smile at Carlos. "Hi." I said.

"Hello." He greeted me in a friendly way, smiling, showing me his white teeth. We stood there awkwardly for a minute, and then he uttered a nervous chuckle and I followed him to his car, an okay looking, pasty blue Honda. I got in the passenger's side, and he clambered in the other side quickly, taking a deep breath. "So, where to?" He asked.

"There's a nice new place by the library." I suggested in a friendly way. He nodded, and drove in that direction. We sat in a sort of companionable silence, until we reached the new Starbucks beside the library, and headed inside. Once we had ordered our drinks, and sat down at the table, Carlos cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to be rude, but what happened?" He asked in a curious way. I half smiled.

"No, it's okay. I said I would explain. Just don't laugh" I said, and he looked ready to listen.

"I promise." He said.

"Okay, well about a week and a half ago, there was this party at Mike's house. He has a big one every year, and everyone always goes." I started. He nodded, indicating that I should go on. "Well I drank a little too much than I should have." I said, and he smiled. "There's this one guy, James Benna, who likes me. He's not the romantic type, you could say. Sort of the school ass, but everyone seems to love him."

"I know the type." Carlos nodded.

"Yeah, well he was trying to persuade me to do stuff with him, but I told him I didn't want too. So he gave up and asked me to come for a drive with him instead. And of course, I was wrecked, so I agreed, just happy that he wasn't touching me anymore." I said, Carlos was looking worried now. "Well he took me to that campsite, and hiked us far up the trail. And then he started to try and persuade me again. This time, I had no idea where I was, and it scared me. I kneed him in the groin, and he left me there. I stumbled around for a little, and hit myself really badly on a tree, which is how I got this." I motioned to my bandage. Then I fell over, and hit my head on a rock, and started to lose consciousness." I said, my throat dry from talking. I took a sip of my drink, and half smiled again, at the awkwardness of telling this story, one that I had told countless times in the past week.

"Go on..." He encouraged.

"Well, the first thing I could think of was to call Edward, since he's on my speed dial. So I did that, and told him I needed help, right before blacking out." I said. Carlos looked even more worried now. "Now Edward, he has always hated James. Since we were in grade 8, when he had a fight with him about some girl. They both walked away badly hurt. But anyways, Edward can hold his liquor, and he drove over to the campsite, where he knew James would have taken me. He found me about half an hour later up the trail, and panicked. He took me back the the car and tried to clean the minor scrapes and stuff but he couldn't treat the big one. So he took me back to the party and let my brother Emmett watch me for a couple minutes while he beat up James." I finished matter of factly.

"Woah. That's insane!" Carlos exclaimed. "What happened after?" He asked.

"They took me back home and called Edward's dad over, because he's a doctor."

"I know." Carlos smiled. "I work with him."

"Oh, right." I blushed, forgetting where I had met him, and that he was a college intern. "Well he stitched it up and I stayed home from school for a couple days. I'm still getting over the concussion from hitting my head on the rock." I said.

"Ouch." He winced. "Are you okay?" I nodded.

"I guess I am now. I just get stared at in school and have to restrain Edward from attacking James in the hallways." I chuckled quietly.

"Why restrain him?" Carlos asked. There was a minute of silence. I shrugged. For the rest of our date, we talked and chatted easily, and I had a really good time. He drove me home after we walked around the library square for a while, and it was just getting dark as I bounced up the steps to my door. I turned back and waved as he drove off. I got inside and ignored Emmett's pestering questions, going up to my room. I picked up the phone and dialed Edward's number, waiting restlessly for him to pick up.

"Bells." He said into the phone, sounding happy. "Everything go okay?"

"It went amazing." I said, and he chuckled.

"That's nice. So I won't be beating anyone up?"

"Nope." I said happily.

"Hold on." He said patiently. I heard Carlisle calling to him in the background. "My dad says you have to change your bandage tonight."

"Oh..." I said, uncertain I would be able to do it without fainting. He chuckled.

"I'll be over in a bit." He said, and I smiled, hanging up. I shrugged. It was Friday night anyway, and Edward and I always had sleepovers.

EDWARD POV

I pulled my arms through the sleeves of my jacket, and walked out into the brisk night air, whistling as I made my way down to Bella's. I was in a strange mood. Jealous of Carlos. Angry with Carlos. Angry with James. Relieved that Bella still wanted me to come over and help her. I don't know what I had been expecting, a sudden end to our friendship because of one Starbucks date with hospital boy? I laughed to myself, but felt that weird feeling in my stomach again. Emmett's greeted me with a smile as he shifted through university papers at the kitchen table. I returned it with one of my own, and headed up the stairs. I smiled again as I passed the framed picture of Bella and I at the beach on the way. We were about seven, and it was the summer before Renee had left. I was kneeling proudly next to a magnificent sandcastle we had built, in purple swim trunks, and Bella stood behind me, smiling, her hands on my shoulders, wearing a blue little mermaid one piece, her curly hair up in a sloppy ponytail, dry sand crusted to her legs.

We had been working on it for hours, our beautiful fortress. It had three lookout towers and a mote I had filled with sea water, a piece of flat driftwood crossing it like a bridge. It had a seashell door, sea glass windows and tiny flags on each turret, courtesy of Bella explaining to me that it needed a homey touch.

"Finished!" She exclaimed as she stuck the last flag in. We sighed simultaneously.

"Perfect." I said, gazing at it in wonder. It was the best we had made yet.

"What should we call it?" She asked me. I stared at it for a while.

"Swasen Manor." I said, and she looked at me in confusion. "It's a combination of our last names." She nodded in comprehension.

"I like that name." She agreed. "DAD!" She called Charlie over. He was resting his back on a log, reading the paper. He looked up, and smiled. He lifted his camera and snapped the picture.

"Hey." She said warmly, grinning as I came in.

"Ready?" I asked, holding up the package of new bandages and ointment Carlisle had given me. She looked queasy, and I moved over to hug her. She wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm glad you're helping." She said. I just smiled.

"Okay." I said steadily, concentrating on not hurting her tender skin, 15 minutes later as she sat on the counter in the bathroom. I stood in front of her, and gently removed the tape and bandage from her face. It was swollen and scary looking, like I had never seen her. It looked like it hurt badly, and I could see the stitches in it. I winced.

"It's bad, isn't it?" She asked, the hand that was gripping my shirt moved up to my forearm.

"Well..." I said, not wanting to tell her the truth. She gulped, and turned around to face the mirror, jumping off the counter. She gasped, and raised her shaking fingers to touch it lightly. I stood behind her. She reached behind her and wrapped her arms around me.

"It's terrible! I'll never look the same again!" She groaned.

"Bells, that's not true. It'll fade. My dad gave me some scar ointment, it'll help it heal into less of a noticeable scar." I reassured her. She didn't say a word, just stared at herself in the mirror, her brown eyes shiny. And then, suddenly, she vomited into the toilet. I held her hair and rubbed her back, and she just cried and vomited. Charlie and Emmett came to see what was wrong, and she straightened up, holding a towel to her face gingerly, wiping her mouth and tears. She took a deep breath.

"Sorry." She said weakly. I smiled reassuringly again, and dabbed the cream and scar ointment gently to the wound. The bruising around it was turning yellow, healing. I produced clean gauze bandages from my bag, and taped them neatly onto her cheek again. She sighed when I was finished, and Emmett and Charlie went back to what they had been doing. Bella filled the cup beside the sink with tap water and took a deep drink, rinsing the taste of vomit from her mouth.

"Are you alright?" I asked. She nodded. "You're sure?"

"I'm fine. It's just a little jarring, you know?" She sniffled. I nodded.

"I know, beautiful." I said as we went back into her room. She lay down, already dressed in sweatpants and a baggy shirt. I sat down beside her, and we were silent for a while. The quiet gave me a chance to think, and my mind strayed to thoughts of James again. I found myself clenching my fists.

"Edward, what's up?" Bella asked, looking concerned.

"Oh you know, just the familar killing rush." I said sarcastically through my teeth.

"James?" She questioned. I nodded. He couldn't get away with this. Something more serious had to be done. A court order? A sentence? I would talk to Charlie about what was possible. She touched my shoulder. "Sing." She said, shifting her weight. I looked down at her.

"Sing what?" I asked.

"Tarzan song." She smiled. I chuckled. When Bella and I were small, we had loved Tarzan, it was our favourite movie in the world. For the talent show one year, I had sung one of the songs from the soundtrack, on Bella's whim. And ever since, she had been asking me to sing it.

"Okay." I said, and leaned back against the headboard. She settled herself down, bringing the quilt up to hide her chin. I loved the words to this song. They had always described exactly how I felt about Bella.

BELLA POV

I rested my sore head against the pillow, and sighed as Edward began to sing my favourite song. It made me feel safe and protected, and when he sang it it gave me a warm, happy feeling that always put me to sleep. I really needed that right now.

Come stop your crying It will be all right Just take my hand Hold it tight I will protect you from all around you I will be here Don't you cry For one so small, you seem so strong My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm This bond between us Can't be broken I will be here Don't you cry 'Cause you'll be in my heart Yes, you'll be in my heart From this day on Now and forever more You'll be in my heart No matter what they say You'll be here in my heart, always Why can't they understand the way we feel They just don't trust what they can't explain I know we're different but, deep inside us We're not that different at all And you'll be in my heart Yes, you'll be in my heart From this day on Now and forever more Don't listen to them 'Cause what do they know We need each other, to have, to hold They'll see in time I know When destiny calls you You must be strong I may not be with you But you've got to hold on They'll see in time I know We'll show them together 'Cause you'll be in my heart Yes, you'll be in my heart From this day on, Now and forever more Oh, you'll be in my heart No matter what they say You'll be in my heart, always Always

I smiled as the song ended, feeling sleepy already. Edward smiled too.

"Good job." I murmured. He chuckled. "I love that one."

"Thanks Bella." He said. I closed my eyes again.

"Night. Far away places." I said.

"Far away places, Bells. That's right." He said. And then, I drifted into a perfect sleep.

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