DISCLAIMER: I own Operation Set Mikey Straight… nothing else.

AN: This chapter is their meeting to "start planning in depth" Thanks so much for everyone that's hanging in the with me especially FRK921 who has reviewed on every single chapter. This chapter is dedicated to them. Thanks for the support!J Very exciting news!! I wrote the ending for this yesterday because I had sudden inspiration. I know… weird but I usually end up writing the endings before I finish everything else. Lol. The more reviews I get the faster I update… you know you're curious. ;) Alright enough of my nonsensical jabber. Here's the story…

(Breaking Benjamin)

EPOV

Once Emmett had set his mind to something he was an unstoppable force. Just as bad, if not worse was Alice and we had both of them on this project. Alice gathered us all in the living room after school that day and was standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.

"Running interference." She announced.

Jasper looked at her from his chair in the corner, moderately amused by his girlfriend. I am sure I would have found amusement in this as well if I wasn't so confused. Confusion is a normal reaction when I am in the presence of my cousin. When no one said anything for a moment Jasper chuckled.

"Perhaps you should explain to the rest of us what you are thinking dear." He said sweetly.

All eyes were on Alice as she practically beamed and nodded.

"Mike has been walking Bella to math class right Emmett?"

Emmett nodded.

"Well if someone else meets her outside the English lit. room and walks her to math class we take some of his face time away."

Running interference? Take away face time? I chuckled to myself. She sounded as if she were assembling an intricate play book.

Emmett grinned, seeming to see where she was going with this.

"I wonder who could do that?" he asked sarcastically, turning on the couch where he was sitting with Rosalie to wiggle his eyebrows at me.

"Actually Em." Alice cut in. "I was thinking you could do that."

Everyone looked at her, perplexed. I must admit this wasn't where I had thought she was going with that.

"I have it on good authority that Mike Newton" She explained. "Is petrified of you. I thought we could have some fun with intimidating him.

She smiled widely and we all voiced our agreement.

Emmett looked very proud of himself for his ability to scare the little twerp. I had to laugh a little because I knew that now that Emmett consciously knew he scared Newton he was going to have some fun with it. It was like a new toy he hadn't known he had. Everyone else knew Emmett terrified him. Em towered over everyone but Mike was not a tall boy and Emmett practically eclipsed him.

"You want to play the big bad wolf Em?" Alice questioned, an evil glint growing in her excited eyes.

Emmett was bouncing in his seat with his enthusiasm. Rose rolled her eyes at her over grown child of a boyfriend.

"I'd love to!" Boomed Emmett.

Alice clapped her hands, happy that her idea was going as she had planned thus far.

"Now it seems Edward just sitting beside Bella is enough to irritate Mike." Alice paused for a moment as if she had just thought of something. She sent a small smirk to me before continuing.

"Probably because he realizes Bella is in love with our Edward."

She reached over to where I was seated on the piano bench and patted my arm.

"So they'll continue sitting together and be together as much as possible." she continued before I could object to her use of the L word.

I loved my family but they were so delusional at times. Bella refused to even make eye contact with me for the most part!

Alice spun on the heel of her very expensive boot to look at Jasper.

"Emotional warfare?" She asked tilting her head.

He smiled at her and nodded his head in the affirmative. Sometimes it seemed like those didn't even need to speak to communicate. I however was progressively growing incredibly more confused. Again.

"Alice." I huffed. "Please stop speaking in code."

She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at me before further explaining.

"Jazz has a way of getting into people's heads. Making them doubt themselves, confusing them, ya know?"

We all turned to Jasper who shrugged and let out an amused chuckle.

"It's a real gift: manipulating emotions. My parents are lawyers." He explained.

Emmett rubbed his hands together as if he were an evil genius making sinister preparations. Come to think of it, maybe that's what he really was… an evil genius disguised as a massive jovial grizzly bear.

"And I've got a couple of surprises of my own for our little Mikey."

Everyone waited for him to expand but he just laughed and looked at us all with a gleam in his eye, not that different from the one occupying Alice's own mischievous gaze.

"You'll see."

Alice cooked an eyebrow at him but didn't press the matter further. Instead she continued with her battle decrees, turning her attention to me now.

"Other than that just don't let him step on your territory." she commanded me.

Everyone around me snickered and I glowered at the demented little pixie.

"I am not interested in her." I pronounced indignantly causing everyone to roll their eyes at me simultaneously.

"Just do it to keep that vile Mike Newton away from our friend." she glared at me as if I were being stubborn and childish.

I didn't want to get into this conversation with my family again so I agreed with a curt nod of the head.

She clapped again and jumped up an down a couple of times.

"This is going to be so much fun!" She chirped.

"And Rose can help me with one of my special surprises." Emmett declared happily.

ONE of his surprises? That did not sound comforting.

Rosalie looked at him with her nose wrinkled. She never got involved in any of our crazy war games but that never stopped Emmett from trying to drag her into it. Every. Single. Time. He smiled and leaned over to whisper the game plan in her ear.

We all watched with intense curiosity as she actually smiled.

She reached up to plant a kiss on him and said somewhat reluctantly, "I will help you just this once."

Emmett beamed.

After all of the excitement had died down and we had all gone over our different plans multiple times Alice came bouncing over to me. I had decided to see if I could compose anything else on the piano. I hadn't had any inspiration sense that first day Emmett came to my room to warn me about the setup plan with "the new girl."

"Do you have plans tomorrow?" Alice asked.

I sighed. What did she have planned now?

"No…" I looked at her curiously as she squealed and hugged me.

"Great!" She chirped. "We'll meet you here at 4:00 unless you want to Bella up yourself."

"What?"

Why was it that every time I talked to Alice I felt as if I was on a game show where I only had so much time to figure out the puzzle?

"We never got to have our shopping trip yesterday because of the accident. Rose said she's in and it'll be a good chance for all of us girls to get together. And don't think you can get out of this!"

I just stared at her.

"You didn't really think I would forget did you Eddie?"

I grimaced. She was using that now too?

"I'll go if you stop calling me that." I informed her.

She gave me another hug which I took as her acceptance and then she bounded out of the room to find Jasper.

I sighed.

"And don't ambush Bella. Ask nicely and leave it alone." I called after her retreating form.

She waved her hand dismissively over her head before rounding the corner.

BPOV

I really needed to get my truck fixed. I cannot believe I only got one free day from riding in the police cruiser. There wasn't any sever damage but for some odd reason Charlie refused to let me drive a vehicle with no back bumper. Besides the wheel wall was so bent in the back that the tire rubbed when I drove. Not that I had tried to drive it sense the accident… ok, maybe once.

"So what's going on at school?" asked Charlie.

I sighed. I had thought we were making progress when he bought me the truck but as it turns out baby steps are fairly small fractions and he still seemed fairly nervous making conversation with me. Plus ever sense the accident he looked at me like I might disappear at any moment, turn to dust and vanish right before his eyes. It almost annoyed me but I realized the reality of someone just never coming home. "Gone" is a very complex reality. In the dictionary it's defined as "departed, ruined, dead, used up, or consumed." It's much harder to define when it's someone who you loved; someone who you had seen every single day of your life that was, "departed, ruined, dead, used up, or consumed." How can someone just not exist anymore??

I swallowed hard and ran my fingers over the chain of my locket. I hadn't taken it off once sense my arrival in Forks.

"Bells?" Charlie looked at me for a second with concern before turning his attention back to the road.

I shook my head, ashamed that I seemed to be stuck with baby steps myself. Why couldn't I move on? I want to move on really. I don't want to be stuck in the terrible past but I couldn't envision my future self any longer. My entire life had changed in one day and I had trouble envisioning my life here but then again I couldn't envision me living in sunny Arizona any longer either. Maybe if I got my head out of the past I would be able to find someplace where I fit in right now.

"Nothing really." I told him, forcing myself out of my reverie. "I'm worried about an assignment that's due in math today but that's really all that's going on at school."

Charlie relaxed his death grip on the steering wheel now that he knew he was in safe waters. He didn't have to worry about breaking any awkward silences if I was speaking.

"I'm sure you'll do fine Bells."

I smiled despite my current attitude.

"Thanks Dad."

He nodded without taking his eyes of the road.

"I'm still reading Dracula in English lit." I continued trying to remember all the idle facts from my few school days here, hoping to satisfy him.

He chuckled.

"You don't seem too excited about that."

"not really." I sighed. "we were reading Austen's work when I left Arizona and I was hoping to be able to finish that."

Silence.

I bit my lip while I tried to think of something else to mention. We were on a roll with this conversation thing for a while and I wanted it to continue. Besides if I wasn't talking I was thinking and that was dangerous territory.

"I met someone else yesterday." I finally recalled.

He raised one eyebrow while still staring out the windshield.

"Is this someone a girl?" he asked hopefully.

I rolled my eyes. He had been asking me about the people at school every day and I was starting to think now that maybe he was really just attempting to keep track of all the guys I had met. I giggled to myself as I thought of Charlie making detailed lists of all the guys I had met and running them through the police achieves when he went to work.

"yes." I assured him. "Her name is Angela Webber."

He didn't even try to disguise his sigh of relief.

"She seems really shy… kind of like me. But she seems really nice."

He smiled over at me as we pulled into the parking lot and he pulled over to the side of the curb. I grabbed my bag and had my hand on the handle when he cleared his throat.

"I might not be home from the station till late. Do you think you can find a ride?"

I nodded without hesitation and got out of the car. I didn't know who I was going to ask for a ride but I didn't want to be a burden to Charlie after he had been so nice about me moving in. Maybe I'd just walk. There was sure to be some rain. I was starting to come to terms with the fact that rain was just a give in here. I shot a glare up at the offending clouds. It didn't mean I had to like it.

Alice came bouncing over to my locker just as I was getting my books out. This was becoming routine. She didn't even take me by surprise this time. I had been watching for her.

"Hi Alice." I said before she could say anything.

She smiled and I couldn't help feeling a little proud about getting the first word. Something told me this was no small feat with Alice Brandon.

"Good morning Bella!" She chimed happily, linking her arm in mine and starting off towards my first hour class. This too was becoming routine. Between Alice, Edward, Emmett, and Mike I never walked to a class by myself. I kind of felt like I had an entourage.

"You need to call Charlie and let him know you don't need a ride today." She announced as we reached the English lit. room.

I looked at her with my head tilted to the side in bewilderment. Did she see the future or something? Really! That was just weird!

Alice's bell like laughter filled the halls.

"You look confused Bella." she giggled. "Sorry. I got ahead of myself. I thought today would be a good shopping day!"

Her eyes lit up at the mere mention of shopping, making me think she thought everyday was a good day for shopping.

"So Edward will drop us off at my house to get ready and then we'll meet Rose at Edward's house later."

I grimaced I was not a big fan of shopping. Neither was I a big fan of spending the day with people I didn't know and I hadn't gotten to know Rosalie very well yet. It kind of made me nervous… but the thought of meeting at Edward's house wasn't repulsive.

"Are you sure Alice? I wouldn't want to intrude on your girls day out."

I was after all the newcomer and for all I knew this was something Alice and Rosalie did and I didn't want to intrude on their well set routine.

Alice giggled and shook her head.

"Nonsense! You're coming!" she gave me a hug and started to walk away but then she turned and smiled at me.

"Besides it wouldn't be a very good girls day." her smile widened and I raised an eyebrow in question.

It always seemed as if she were speaking in code. I could almost feel the whiplash when I tried to follow her I conversation.

"Edward's coming!" She explained. "Oh and by the way Emmett may be meeting you here instead of waiting for you outside of the math room today. He will explain but it involves "O.S.M.S."

Again. Do you see what I mean about whiplash?

"What's that?" I asked.

She bounced back over to me and lowered her voice to a soft whisper.

"Operation set Mikey straight."

Before I could say anything else she gave me another hug and pranced away.

"See you at lunch!" She called over her shoulder.

---

I didn't even try to stop Mike when he reached over and grabbed my books off of my desk when the bell rang. It seemed resistance was futile. But when he reached over for my hand I crossed my arms over my chest and kept my glare focused in front of me. Really this was getting ridicules. I was starting to think this boy had no filter. I didn't even know him. Why was he being all grabby?

"Hey Bells!" boomed a now familiar voice. I mean it was very hard to confuse Emmett with anyone else in this school. Or in the town. Come to think of it I had never met anyone exactly like Emmett anywhere I've been.

I grinned a little when I saw Mike flinch at the sound of Emmett, almost dropping my books. Emmett may sound intimidating and definitely look intimidating but it was obvious he would never hurt a fly, at least to me. Maybe that was just because I had seen him try to hide behind Edward yesterday at lunch when he accidentally spilled his milk on Rosalie. Now I could see being afraid of her.

"Hi Emmett." I waved at him and he came over to plant himself in front of Mike. I got the feeling he knew the effect he had over him.

Emmett looked down at him and grinned, although the way he was smiling it looked more like he was showing Mike his teeth. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"You've got a cling on Bella!" he chuckled and looked at Mike who hadn't moved an inch.

I wasn't sure if it was because of his determination to walk me or because he was frozen in fear.

"Yeah. He's a good buddy." I said, putting a little more emphases on the word buddy than was really necessary. (AN: I couldn't help myself. I just love the way Kristen Stewart says this in the movie! It makes me laugh.)

This was as close as I was getting to joining in on this. Not that I would spoil Emmett's fun. Maybe it would be a clue to Mike and he'd give me some breathing room.

Emmett grinned at me and reached out a hand to Mike, making him flinch again. Emmett chuckled when he saw but didn't say anything about it.

"I can take those books for you 'Buddy.'" He smiled that smile again where I wasn't sure if he was actually smiling and Mike handed him the pile of books without hesitation.

"See ya later Bella!" Mike called hastily as he walked briskly in the wrong direction of his class just so he didn't have to pass Emmett.

"That was so much fun!" Emmett enthused looking like a little kid who had just gotten away with eating cookies before dinner.

I couldn't hold in my laughter anymore, thinking of the look of panic on Mike's face. When I could catch my breath I tried to give him a disapproving look. I don't think it worked very well.

"That wasn't very nice Emmett."

Emmett just shrugged.

"'Operation set Mikey straight' is in full swing!" He announced proudly completely ignoring my mild reproof.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't believe he was actually taking this seriously. And that Alice was helping him! I held out my hands for my books now that we were out of Mike's line of sight and he handed them to me with a grin.

"You guys don't have to do this. I can take care of myself." I told him sternly.

He smirked and ushered me into the classroom.

"You're one of the gang now Bells! We're just lookin out for ya."

I almost chocked up right there. I was one of the gang now? I was overwhelmed with gratefulness and pride of being accepted into such a close knit group of people. And people that wanted to watch out for me!

In Arizona Zach had been a trouble maker so most of the time I was trying to keep him out of trouble and my mom is very young for her age so I spent a great majority of time watching over her. I wasn't used to being taken care of. Maybe that's why I was so uncomfortable when Charlie tried to take care of me after the accident.

"Thank you." I whispered.

Emmett chuckled and ruffled my hair on his way to his seat.

---

I was expecting another quiet day in Biology when I arrived to find Edward with his head on the desk.

"Hey." I said quietly as I sat down because I didn't want to startle him.

He lifted his head and when he saw me he gave me a little crocked grin that made me stop breathing all together.

"Hello Bella." he replied.

How could someone so perfect be real? I couldn't believe it. There must be something I was missing.

"So did Alice convince to go shopping today?" he asked.

I made the mistake of looking into his gorgeous green eyes and started talking without thinking.

"Actually it didn't take very much convincing. I didn't have a ride today."

He laughed and if his smile was breathtaking his laughter was that of the angels.

"Your secret is safe with me." he told me nodding his head with mock seriousness.

I just smiled and looked down at the desk. The teacher, Mr. Banner came in and started talking about something but I'm very thankful it wasn't a test day because I had no idea what he was saying because I could feel Edward staring at me through the entire lecture. It was a little distracting. I looked at him through the curtain my hair had made between us.

"What?" I whispered, thinking he was trying to get my attention.

He shook his head and chuckled.

"Nothing. Sorry."

I bit my lip, trying to figure him out.

"So you're going shopping today too?" I asked.

He cringed.

"It took a little more convincing for me." he whispered, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

I just looked back towards the front of the classroom. A part of me would love to think he was coming for me but that was absolutely ludicrous not to mention egocentric of me.

"Do you know where we're going?" I asked.

I looked over at him and was surprised to see he had never looked away.

"Seattle I think."

He chuckled.

"You may want to call Charlie and let him know not to expect you for dinner. Alice tends to go over board with her shopping trips."

I grinned.

"Really?" I prompted.

I usually wasn't interested in any conversation revolving around shopping. I just wanted him to continue speaking.

He nodded.

"It is more like marathon shopping." he whispered, his lopsided grin back in place.

I wrinkled my nose in distaste. He frowned, watching me intently.

"What?" he asked.

I blushed just realizing I had showed my displeasure. I hadn't meant to. I didn't want to offend anyone. I just couldn't think when I was he was looking at me so intently.

"Sorry. I don't like shopping all that much."

"You don't have to apologize Bella." he nudged me with his elbow, making me look back up at him.

He lent over like he was going to tell me a secret and whispered, "No one likes shopping as much as Alice does. Your reaction is not a rarity."

His warmth breath tickled my ear and I shivered. He sat back up and smiled at me before turning his attention back to the front of the classroom. I just sat there frozen. Stupid man keeps dazzling me!

"Ms. Swan. Are you alright?"

I jerked my head to the front of the classroom where Mr. Banner was watching me with his eyebrows. My blush crept over my cheeks before the snickering even started around me. I still didn't say anything, just bit my lip and nodded.

"Good. Pay attention please." He advised.

I focused on keeping my attention to Mr. Banner but Edward was so much more interesting. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward grin that stupid dazzling lopsided grin and my blush only intensified.

(AN: Hope you liked it. I'm adding a special authors note right after this. It's muy importante so please please don't skip it! Other than that if you read it please review it. Thanks!)