Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun. –B

Chapter 8
(Lilly's POV)

"So," I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "Did you talk to Edward is biology?" I asked her as we drove home in her large Chevy truck.

She didn't answer right away and I watched as her cheeks lit up with her signature blush. "Yeah," She said with a smile. "He apologized for the way he had acted when he met me and then attempted to get to know me by asking me questions about my family, you, and how I liked Forks so far." She paused. "Although…"

"What?" I prodded.

She looked at me briefly before looking back at the road, then did it again and pursed her lips. "There is something…off about him."

"What do you mean?" I pressed, trying to get what she thought she might know out of her head. I knew that if they were to have an honest relationship and planned to stay together, then she would have to learn the truth at some point, but I however was not going to be the one to deliver that blow. I was afraid that if she knew the truth, she would never speak to me again. I am hoping to have her get to know me and the Cullen's further before learning of what we were. Maybe then it won't matter as much to her and we can still salvage our friendship.

"He seemed very…I don't know…almost frustrated. Like he expected to already know the answer before I spoke it and when it didn't come to him, he would press the matter further with more questions. When I asked him about it, he said that he was trying to 'figure me out' and that I was 'very hard to read.' I found it weird, because people usually call me an open book. And his eyes! I swear that they were almost black the last time I saw him. Today, they were like a golden/topaz color. I asked if he had gotten contacts, but he just shook his head and blamed them on the fluorescent lighting before rushing off without so much as a word." She rushed out her explanation. "I mean, that's weird, right?" She looked at me for my reaction.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Weird."

"Not only that, but he keeps looking at me so intensely." She wrinkled her eyebrows together in concentration. "I don't know what to make of him."

"Maybe he just likes you and is nervous. I mean, Jess did say that he hasn't dated anyone at the school since him and his family arrived." I tried to explain.

"Maybe." She nodded. "But she said the same thing about Jasper and look at you two. Or was he the same way as Edward is?"

"No, he was more forward with what he wanted." I answered. She frowned, so I quickly gave a reason for his forwardness. "But that's probably because he's older. He might have had a girlfriend at his old school."

"I guess you're right." She said, seemingly satisfied with my reasoning. "But have you noticed anything…different about him or his family?"

"Like what?" I asked straightening in my seat.

"Like when we sat with them at lunch yesterday. Did you notice that none of them really ate anything? I mean, sure their food was gone when they threw out their trays, but I didn't see any of them take a single bite! Or how Alice seemed to zone out in the middle of the conversation we were having? Things like that."

Shit. She is more perceptive than I thought. I decided that instead of dismissing her observations, I would back them up. Otherwise, I was afraid she wouldn't talk to me about this stuff and I figured that it would probably be important to find out exactly how much she knew. Plus, I didn't want her to think she couldn't talk to me about things on her mind. She was my best friend and I would like to return the courtesy for how nice and accepting she was of me.

"Yeah, I noticed." I mumbled.

She snapped her head in my direction. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged. "I thought I was going crazy and being ridiculous. Now that you saw the same things I did, I see that the notion isn't me at all."

She smiled at me. "You're definitely not crazy."

"Thanks."

She reached over and grabbed one of my hands that I had placed in my lap, giving me a reassuring squeeze. She flinched and looked over at me in shock.

"Oh my gosh, your hands are freezing! If you were cold, why didn't you tell me?" She immediately began to turn the heat in the cab up.

"Thanks. I have a blood circulation problem, so I'm always cold. I just didn't want to roast you out of your truck." I giggled.

Bella laughed with me, shaking her head. "It's not a problem. If I get hot, I'll just roll down my window a bit."

We continued to make small talk until we made it to her house. She parked her car in her driveway, then turned to me and gave me a small smile.

"Hey Lilly, I'm really glad we became friends. You're the only one I met so far that I feel like I can really talk to and isn't just friends with me because I'm new and want the popularity points. Then again, you're new too, but still. I really appreciate it." She said as I put my gloves and hat back on.

I reached over and took her hand in mine, pulling it on to my lap and held it between both of my hands.

"It's my pleasure. I know exactly what you mean on both of those aspects and feel the same way. I've been used by a lot of petty people who only want to get to know me because they think I'm pretty or because of my music career." I said returning her smile.

"Music career?" Her eyebrows rose towards her hairline in surprise.

"Uh, yeah." I blushed and nervously began to shift in my seat. "Back in Vancouver, I began to dabble with music just for fun. I ended up singing in a small club during an open mic night and got discovered by a pretty popular recording artist. I wasn't looking for fame or to go anywhere with it, but agreed to record an album to sell. It became pretty popular around Canada and a good portion of the US. I said that I wasn't looking to make a big deal about it for the time being and wanted to finish school and go to college, but any time that I was feeling musical, I would record and let them sell it."

Bella's jaw was hanging down in surprise. "Wow." Then, a look of recognition crossed her features. "Wait a minute!" She shuffled through her book of CD's she had behind the seat, then pushed in the cassette tape that had a cord connected to it that plugged into a portable CD player. She pulled the CD she was looking for out of the book and placed it in the open CD player, closing it and pressed play.

Music began to play before my voice sounded through the speakers in the cab. A smile lit up my face at hearing my favorite song that I recorded on the album.

"This is you!" Bella exclaimed.

"Yeah," I laughed. "This is my favorite song that I recorded."

"It's mine too!"

"Well, I'm glad you like it." I grinned at her.

We sang along to the song until it ended and then Bella turned off the CD. We sat in silence for a few moments before she broke it by clearing her throat.

"You know, back in Phoenix, I didn't really have any friends. I wasn't the kind of girl that guys asked on dates or the girl who anyone looked up to or invited to their parties or sleepovers. I mainly kept to myself throughout the day and when I got home, I would cook dinner for my Mom, pay any bills that were due, and finish any homework I didn't get done in study hall or during lunch. I pretty much played the parent to my harebrained mother. Don't get me wrong, I love her with all my heart, but she was more like the kid than my mom. She was my best and only friend." She looked up at me from her hands that were placed together in her lap. "I really appreciate your friendship, Lilly. Promise me we will always be best friends?"

"I promise." I reached over and enveloped her in my arms, hugging her to my body. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"Me too." She whispered, and then pulled back with a small smile. "You better get going. Jasper should be over any minute now."

I looked at my watch on my left wrist and noticed that it was now almost three thirty.

"Yeah, you're right." I nodded, and then looked up at her as I gathered my books. "You know, you're welcome to come over any time. You don't even have to knock. Just come right in. The door is always unlocked, except after my parents get home. Drop by whenever."

"Okay, thanks. You too." She told me, then pulled the handle on her door and stepped out of the car into the freezing cold March air.

By the time I made it across the street, Jasper was just pulling up in front of my house. I opened the front door, setting my bag inside and turned to watch as Jasper pulled an overnight bag out of his back seat. He slung it over his shoulder and stopped as he looked up and me and gave me a wide smile before resuming his approach.

I met him half way and wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling up at him before catching his lips with me in a heated kiss. Though we have only been away from each other for less than an hour, it felt as though it had been much longer.

"I missed you." He whispered as he rubbed his nose against mine in an Eskimo kiss.

"I missed you, too." I whispered back giggling.

He pecked my lips again before taking my hands from around his neck and bringing them down in front of us, releasing one hand and dragging me back towards the open front door.

Once we were in, I flicked my wrist, closing the front door and making my book bag levitate off the ground, following us up to my bedroom.

"Just put your bag on the other side of my bed." I instructed. "The bathroom is right through there, as well as the linen closet where the towels and wash cloths are unless you prefer a loofa. I have two hanging in the shower." I pointed to the door on the right side of my room; one of the perks of being an only child. I got my own bathroom and this one happened to be in my room. "My closet is through those double doors if you want to keep some clothes here until I can move in with you."

"That sounds wonderful." He grinned. "I brought bottles of my own shampoo, conditioner and body wash that I can keep here as well?"

"Sure! Bring whatever you need or want to keep here." I insisted. I wanted him to feel at home here with me at my house. I knew for a fact that both John and Anne will adore him almost as much as I do.

"Thanks." He leaned in and placed a kiss on my lips, but pulled away before I could deepen it. He smirked at my pout and kissed it once me. "You're so beautiful." He ran his thumb across my cheek. "And as much as I would like nothing more than to continue to kiss you all night, I need to hurry up and shower. Then we can resume kissing and anything else you desire until your parents get home."

"Sounds perfect." I grinned up at him. "While you're washing up, I'm going to get dinner ready so that all we have to do is warm it up later on. This way, after you're out of the shower, I can just spend time kissing you until John and Anne arrives."

His smile widened at what I was suggesting and I could feel his gift leaking happiness, excitement, and love.

He flit into the bathroom, but then appeared in front of me once again and gave me a peck on the lips before disappearing into the bathroom once again.

I chuckled to myself at his silliness and excitement and made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I stood in the middle of the room, making sure I had a good view of everything. I took a deep relaxing breath and concentrated on what I wanted to do. Instantly, everything began to float and move about the room. The chicken and other food I needed levitated and floated out of the fridge, landing on the counter.

I watched everything and using my hands when needed, I instructed and controlled everything with my mind as needed. After several minutes, I was finally finished and the chicken and biscuits were in the oven cooking, as well as the sliced potatoes boiling on the stove, along with the garlic butter sauce on medium, sautéing in a small pan.

I suddenly felt arms wrap around my waist and a kiss placed on my neck. I knew it was Jasper as he used his signature greeting. I smiled and turned my head, placing a kiss on his cheek. He returned my smile, pulling me down onto his lap as he sat at one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

The potatoes were obviously done, so I flicked my wrist and turned off the stove, levitating the sauce pan of boiling water and potatoes to the sink. I drained the water out and then dumped the potatoes in a shallow bowl, then poured the garlic butter sauce onto the hot potatoes and made sure to stir them so all of the potatoes would be covered. I then washed and dried the dirty pans, then put them back in their designated places in the cabinets. Done.

"You're amazing, you know that?" He mumbled in my ear.

I turned my head to look at him and shrugged. "I try."

"You succeed." He corrected me.

"Thank you." I smile at him and peck his lips. "Let's go watch a movie." I suggest. "The chicken won't be done for another two hours."

"Sounds good." He said as he picked me up bridal style. He laughed at my squeak and next thing I know, I am sitting sideways in his lap with my back against the arm of the couch in the living room with the television on. "Though, I doubt I will be paying much attention to the movie." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Slow down Casanova." I chuckle. "There will be none of 'that.'" I wiggled my eyebrows mimicking his gesture. I knew he was only joking and I decided to play along but at the same time let him know that it is something I am looking forward to in the future. "I would prefer our first time not be rushed or on my parent's couch. I want us to take our time and have hours and hours to worship each other's bodies."

"You're right." He nodded. "You deserve so much more than that."

He kissed me chastely and brought his hand behind my neck, playing with the hairs at the nape of my neck. God, I loved this man and I would spend the rest of eternity showing him exactly how much.

A/N: So what did you guys think of Lilly and Bella's talk? She is beginning notice that something is different about the Cullen's, but she hasn't quite noticed anything about Lilly yet. I wanted their friendship to be a strong one. Not only that, but Lilly seems to have a quality about her that draws people and creatures to her. They can't help but adore her. You will find out why that is in later chapters.

If you have any questions or comments, post them in the reviews and I will respond in my next Author's Note.

I am currently accepting Twilight stories to beta. I will accept any story about Jasper/any female lead or Bella/selected male leads. I will also make exceptions for other stories depending on the plot and the characters. PM me for any further details or if you would like me to beta for you!

If you like this story, check of the other stories listed on my FanFiction page!

'The Major'
'Pretexting'
'Perplexing Revelations'
'Attempting to Covet'
'Twilight ReVAMPed'
'Far Fetched Realities'
'Other Worldly Beauty'
'Mirror Image' NEW!

Thank you for reading my stories and I hope you enjoy everything that your read!
-Bella'Xo
Xo BellaItalia oX