Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Some things are taken directly from the book.

Chapter 7: Schemes

When I arrived home, I was still in a sour mood. The radio had failed to cheer me up as it usually does. I had noticed that my parents' car wasn't in the driveway, and my mom had left a note for me on the table.

Out for a bite to eat with some friends. Don't wait up!

Mom and Dad

Great, I thought to myself. My folks are more popular than I am. On further reflection I realized that my last thought was not true. I had so many friends, and if I really wanted someone other than Bella as a girlfriend, I could have one in a heartbeat.

Someone other than Bella.

I didn't want someone other than Bella. I thought maybe my self-doubts and negative energy came from the rejection.

I grabbed a hot pocket from the freezer and put it in the microwave, heating it up according to the instructions on the wrapper. I ran a hand through my hair and pressed my lips together firmly.

"Maybe if I weren't so hard on myself she would finally be attracted to me." I saw my reflection in the glass on the microwave and chuckled when I realized I was talking to myself. "This girl really is making me go crazy."

When the microwave yelled impatiently at me that my unhealthy dinner was ready to be devoured, I put it on a paper plate and sat down at the table. A 500 piece puzzle lay unfinished next to me and I made a face when I saw my eyes staring up at me. My grandmother thought it would be cute to make a baby picture of mine into a puzzle for my birthday. That's just creepy.

My mom must have started working on it, which meant she was stressed. She always went into a jigsaw craze when her nerves needed soothing. I always preferred video games.

It didn't matter what she was worried about, even if it was because of the smallest thing. I was going to pamper her this weekend. And that is exactly what I did. I made her favorite breakfast: toast, with little hearts cut out of the middle, which I filled with eggs. We went on a nine mile hike on one of her favorite trails and it was distracting enough from Bella that it was a pleasant day for me as well.

It wasn't until after we finished the puzzle of me, with pudgy cheeks and a toothless grin, that the subject of Bella came up at all. My mom loves it when I talk to her about girls, and I kind of wanted some advice anyways.

"This is probably good for your ego," my mom finally said after she had listened to me rant for a half hour about my crush. She laughed when I replied with a scowl.

"You're such a good boy though, Honey. I don't know why she doesn't like you back."

Bologna.

"Maybe you're too clingy, or seem too interested. People tend to like what they can't have. Take yourself for an example."

There we go.

It was a good chat, and by the time we were done and my head hit the pillow, I had a new theory. She seemed to like boys that were forward. Both Jacob and Edward seemed almost smug in the way they talked to her. Or at least, that was my interpretation. I decided that I was going to ask her on a date the next day. When I finally drifted to sleep, I dreamt of Bella and sunshine; my two favorite things at the moment.

I woke up on the other side of the bed with my covers tossed on the floor. It wasn't the cold that woke me up, but the light. When I opened my eyes a little wider, they trailed to the window, the source of the light. Sunshine! I almost leaped out of my bed. This was a very good sign! Half of my dream was already a reality! I washed my face with cold water and dressed in a blue, striped, Rugby shirt and khaki shorts. My mom said she loved this shirt on me because it "complimented my eyes." Whatever the hell that meant. If my mother liked it, then maybe Bella would too.

Pancakes waited for me on the table, but the hands that prepared it were gone. They were cold, which told me that I was running late. I didn't want to let this ruin my day. It would be easier, I thought, if she would wake me up when I sleep in too late. But then I made myself smile, and actually got to school at a decent time.

As if it were a sign, Bella was sitting at a table all by herself, and she looked dazzling in the sunlight. "Bella!" I called to get her attention, and I smiled and waved at her when she looked up at me. She was smiling and waved back, which was perfect; she was in a good mood today!

I suddenly felt so delighted and confident, and I sat down next to her, still grinning like a fool. Her hair was so shiny and pretty. I wanted to touch it. What the hell. Today is my day.

"I never noticed before…your hair has red in it," I said as my fingers caught a loose strand of that glorious hair of hers.

"Only in the sun." I tucked it behind her ear, but when I saw her smile falter, I withdrew my hand. Maybe I shouldn't move too fast.

"Great day, isn't it?" I said, hiding my humiliation.

"My kind of day." Her easy comment made me confident again, and I decided to build up to the moment of asking her out.

"What did you do yesterday?"

"I mostly worked on my essay."

Shit, I totally forgot about that! I hit my forehead with the heel of my hand. "Oh yeah…that's due Thursday, right?"

"Um, Wednesday, I think."

"Wednesday? That's not good…" My smile vanished. "What are you writing yours on?"

"Whether Shakespeare's treatment of the female characters is misogynistic."

Damn. She put so much thought into this. I stared at her blankly. "I guess I'll have to get to work on that tonight." I couldn't slack off on my schoolwork, even if Bella did say yes to me. My mom would kill me. Any confidence I still had was completely gone. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out," I added quietly.

"Oh." She seemed disappointed that I wouldn't get to go out with her tonight. Screw the grade!

"Well, we could go to dinner or something…and I could work on it later," I said, smiling.

"Mike…I don't think that would be the best idea."

I couldn't help but let the disappointment show. She probably wanted to hang out with Cullen instead. I asked, "Why?" though I thought I knew the answer.

"I think," she started, "and if you ever repeat what I'm saying right now I will cheerfully beat you to death, but I think that would hurt Jessica's feelings."

I wasn't expecting that. "Oh," is all I could manage to say as I exhaled.

"It's time for class, and I can't be late again," she said as she gathered her books together.

As we walked to class, I thought about my situation in a new light. Obviously, she wouldn't go out with me. I wasn't sure if it was because she didn't like me, or because she wanted to honor the "girl code" with Jess. I hoped it was the latter, and the rest of the morning I brewed up a plan.

All I would have to do is go out with Jessica. I would act completely obnoxious, or try to get her to have a miserable time. She wouldn't like me anymore, and that would get her out of the way. I knew using Jessica like this was mean, but I was desperate, and she was never going to stop annoying me until she found me annoying.

When lunch came around, I saved an empty seat for Jessica, and even held the chair out for her like a real gentleman.

After school, I found her easily and asked her if she would be interested in eating dinner with me that night. She couldn't contain her enthusiasm when she accepted. Then after she goes to Port Angeles with Bella, they'll have had time to talk about me. In English I'll casually mention my date with Jess to see her reaction to it. Maybe she'll even be jealous!

Man, some girls really bring out the worst in a guy.

A/N: Once again, sorry about the lack of updating. I was a little disappointed by the lack of reviews, and it's been hard to motivate myself to continue. Please review, it takes two seconds. The next chapter should be exciting! Mike's date with Jessica!