I promise Alice's vision problem will be revealed! I have a couple of twists ready to be exposed within the next few chapters! Thank you all for the reviews and alerts, I swear I'm more than thankful. I'm really happy you're enjoying this so far.

P.S.: Edward may not remain the way he's acting, forever...

Chapter Seven – Missing Alice

The sun was shining all day the following Monday and even though The Cullen siblings weren't around, Bella still had reason to smile all day at school. Her mind kept replying that kiss in her head over and over again. She could still smell Alice's cool skin and taste her cool lips as if it had all happened moments prior.

Even though the day was uneventful for the most part, Bella used her free time to clean up the house after school and do her homework.

Tuesday was back to its cloudy ways and she realized that it probably wasn't normal to be missing Alice as much as she was.

"So can I ask you a really odd question?" Angela asked Bella as they sat at their lunch table. Eric watched them both intently and leaned forward towards Angela's whispered voice.

"Ask me anything." Bella offered with a shrug.

"Alice is a sweet girl and everything but don't you find her and her family a little odd?" Angela asked, peering around the rest of cafeteria.

"How so?" Bella swallowed her piece of fruit and glanced at her friends.

"Bella, she doesn't eat. She grabs a tray full and she doesn't eat any of it." Eric whispered in a sort of awe.

Bella noticed that herself but never thought too much about it. Alice always seemed full of energy and looked perfectly healthy so she wasn't concerned of an eating disorder. The paleness to the girl's skin wasn't of any concern seeing as Bella herself was pretty pale. Shrugging, she dismissed it carefully, "it's none of our business what she decides to do or not do with her lunch."

"How did your shopping go yesterday?" Angela changed the subject, sensing the need to. "Buy anything good?"

"A couple of things. Alice wouldn't take no for an answer, you know?" Bella couldn't even keep the reddish tinge in her cheeks from showing. She could only think about the way Alice had looked at her all day in the different change rooms, especially when she tried on the skirt.

"Isabella, are you blushing?" Angela smiled and perched her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose.

Eric laughed and ate a fry from his tray. "This is classic. You're crushing on her aren't you?"

Bella ducked her head down a little and bit her lip. "Have you seen Alice Cullen?" She raised an eyebrow, making a perfectly good point.

"I heard Mike Newton wanted to ask her out." Angela laughed. "I guess he'll have some competition."

Bella snorted and shook her head. "I doubt he's any type of competition, Ang."

Eric slapped his hand over his mouth and stared wide eyed at his new friend. "Something happened between you two, didn't it?"

Angela's brown eyes were full of amusement as Bella tossed her head back and laughed lightly, slightly embarrassed. "Oh you two already kissed, right? I see it written all over your rosy cheeks."

"Fine, I'll tell the truth if you two would just stop teasing me." Bella briefly chewed on her thumbnail before taking a breath. "Yes, we kissed the other night."

Angela and Eric gave each other a high five before holding their hands up towards Bella, waiting for the same gesture. "Come on Swan, give us some skin." Eric smirked.

Bella slapped their hands and looked around as few fellow students' attention was focused at their table. "It doesn't freak you guys out?" She whispered a little.

"No, why would it?" Angela smiled warmly.

"Aside from thinking that it's insanely hot," Eric stated seriously, "I can see the way she is around you. I think you two make a cute couple."

Bella chuckled and played with the ring on her thumb. "Thanks. But uh, don't tell anyone okay? It may have been just a fleeting moment and I... I haven't talked to her since."

"Lips are sealed," Angela held her hand to her lips, "right Eric?"

"We've got your back baby." Eric winked and went back to eating his fries.

The subject of the Alice and Bella kiss was tossed aside during the remainder of lunch. The brunette dragged her feet to her classes and when it came time for biology, she almost decided to skip it. However, knowing they had a lab experiment she knew it'd do no good if Alice came back to school and she couldn't offer her a follow-up of what was happening in class.

Walking into her last class of the day, her breath caught in her throat at the person sitting in the seat next to her own.

"Hello Bella," Edward said softly with a gentle nod of his head.

Bella looked around the classroom confused and her heart dropped at the absence of her favourite Cullen. "I didn't expect to see you here today," she sat down beside him and pulled out her text and note book.

"Well it's such a dreary day out I decided coming home wouldn't be a big deal." Edward shrugged and tapped his pencil lightly on the table surface. "I hope you don't mind that I'm taking Alice's spot for the time being. A lab experiment sucks when you're flying solo."

"It's fine," Bella smiled friendly towards the male vampire for the first time. "It'd be easier to have the both of us explain to Alice what she'll be missing. I heard Mr. Wright will be putting this on the next test."

Edward merely smiled as his partner for the day. Alice had tainted some things for him when it concerned Bella. "You and Alice seem pretty close."

"You can say that." She nodded her head and turned her attention to the front of the class when the final bell rang. "So are the rest coming back tomorrow?"

"They'll be back tonight." Edward deadpanned.

Bella nodded and thought about calling Alice later on that evening. Would she seem too desperate?

"What are you thinking?" The vampire asked in a curious tone. Bella had intrigued him to no end with the fact that he couldn't read her at all.

Being honest, so there'd be no weird confusion between the two, Bella smiled at the boy beside her. "Calling your sister later. I want to hear about her camping trip."

Edward was sorry that he asked but at the same time he was a little surprised that Bella had told him without asking any questions. "It was pretty boring," he decided to tell her about his time out with his family.

"You're not a camping type of person?" Bella asked. She flipped open her text to the experiment set-up page while glancing every so often at Edward.

"Not much for the sun." Edward shrugged and helped get the supplies ready.

The rest of the class went by quietly, both of them only making conversation when it concerned their lab. The bell rang and Bella packed her stuff away neatly. "So thanks for taking Alice's place today."

"Thank you for letting me." Edward smiled and walked out into the hallway with Bella by his side. He walked her to her locker and even to her truck, while carrying her bag.

"Aren't you just the gentleman?" Bella teased while taking her bag back and throwing into the truck. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Listen Bella," Edward scratched the back of his neck and placed a hand on her driver door. "I was wondering if you'd like to come over this Saturday. Esme is making special party plans for Carlisle in honour of his more than successful career. I was wondering if you'd like to join us?"

"Oh wow," she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, glancing up at him with an apologetic smile. "I'd love to and thank you for the invite but I already have plans. My friend Jake has this traditional bonfire that he throws and I promised I'd be there."

Edward's jaw tightened as he looked at her hard. "You shouldn't be hanging out there so much."

Bella was taken aback by the crudeness in his voice and frowned, placing a hand on her hip. "Excuse me?"

"You don't know who they are Bella." He warned quietly.

"I know exactly who they are," she spit out harshly, not liking the way he was glaring at her. "They're my friends, my family."

"It's a mistake." He murmured lowly and stepped closer to her. "I think you should maybe stay away from La Push."

Bella scoffed and even with all her might, the shove she had given to Edward barely made him budge. "Who do you think you are telling me where I shouldn't go and who I shouldn't hang out with?"

"Look Bella, I'm sorry but-" he was cut off by another attempted shove.

"Leave me alone Edward." Bella finally closed her driver's side door and started her engine. She cast one more glance in the vampire's direction before peeling out of the parking lot.

****