A/N- Wow, I really wasn't expecting that response for the first chapter! I honestly didnt even think I would get one review, so it was really, really nice to see the reviews and alerts/faves - thanks so much! I'm replying to people right after I've posted this... aka now if you're reading this, haha.

Anyway... here's the second chapter. Hopefully it wasn't too long of a wait, I'll try and keep all the updates like this. Hope you like it!

Please review!

"Smile, though your heart is aching,
Smile, Even though it's breaking,
When there are clouds in the sky- you'll get by.
If you smile through your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow,
You'll see the sun come shining through- For you.

Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness,
Although a tear may be ever so near,
That's the time, you must keep on trying."

Fearless

Chapter Two

One week passed by in a slow, almost painful matter. Nothing changed; nothing altered… not that I was expecting it to.

Everyday I walked the halls like I was a shadow, or just invisible, and then I would make my way to English – the one place where I felt like I wasn't. Because even though I spoke to no one, I knew that he was paying attention to me, in some way or another.

Whenever I sat down his head would always turn in my attention – whether that was just because he was more wary, or not, I didn't know for sure. There would be so many times when I planned to talk to him, to put my plan into place… they were all perfect times, yet I just couldn't. He didn't seem to want to talk to me, and I hadn't yet mustered the confidence to say anything.

But as I sat down next to him everyday and took in his lonely, devastated expression, I couldn't help but wonder what had made him this way… what had made him blind, and so sad. My guess was that they were both linked… in some way or another… but if that were the case that would probably mean that he hadn't always been blind. He wouldn't be so sad if he had been born this way… because he wouldn't know any different.

But the idea of having sight… of having the ability to see the sunshine and what beauty the world had to offer and then losing it to the blackness… well that was an excruciating thought. It would be devastating and very lonely… and a good reason to feel so angry and depressed at everything.

… A reason that could be considered as good as mine, if not better.

I shook my head to clear that train of thought, not wanting to go back on that route again, not yet. I was probably wrong about Edward anyway… I knew that I had to stop making these guesses about him and finally muster up the courage to apologise to him… to explain what I really meant.

I was currently in English, next to him… once again it was independent reading and note taking, yet the silence between us was almost painful. I rested my chin in my hand, taking a look around the classroom at the calendar and then out the window. I realised two things – firstly that today was a Wednesday, and for once it was sunny. However, to my annoyance, the clouds looked ready to cover it, and I somehow knew that by the time school was over that the sun would be gone. Typical, huh?

I sighed wistfully, knowing that it came out as more of a groan then what I had aimed for.

Edward's head turned slightly in my direction, his attention altering from his book to me. I blushed slightly, and focused back on my work, feeling embarrassed even though he couldn't see me.

It was then that I heard his soft voice for the first time in a week, "are you okay?"

I lifted my head up to look at him, noticing a confused and almost concerned expression on his beautiful face. Today his sunglasses were different, and actually showed a bit more of his face… apart from his eyes of course.

"I'm fine," I eventually whispered. "I'm just annoyed that's all."

Instantly a frown formed on his face at my words, "annoyed? Why?"

"Oh, its not over anything bad… just at the weather, that's all," I muttered, not failing to notice that my voice was shaking… probably due to the shock that we were talking again.

"Oh…" he murmured, his forehead creasing. "What's it like?"

"What?" I asked dumbly.

He let out a long breath, "The weather… what's it like today? I mean I know its not raining right now because I can't hear it… but surely it must be something bad to get you annoyed… I was just curious," he muttered, seeming almost embarrassed for asking.

Instantly a foreign feeling took over me… I hated seeing him upset, and I hated knowing that he couldn't just look out the window like I knew he would want to.

I looked past him out the window again; taking in how much lighter and prettier everything looked today. "It almost looks warm outside… the sun is out for once," I whispered softly.

He let out a soft sigh, clearly picturing it. "Why's that a bad thing?" he asked.

My thoughts were lost though… to another time when it was sunny like this… to a time where I was actually happy and able to enjoy it. "Because it won't last," I told him, my voice sad, giving away my emotions.

"Oh… I understand now," Edward murmured, not showing any signs of noticing my change in tone. "… But at least you got to see it though?"

I tried to smile at that thought but failed, "Yeah…" I replied, before realised what I had to do now. I had to finally apologise to him - "listen Edward, about last week… I really, honestly didn't mean what you thought I meant, you know when I made that stupid comment about going to an ordinary school," I stuttered out.

He nodded thoughtfully, "What did you mean then?" he asked quietly.

"I just meant that Fork's high is such an ordinary school… compared to the ones that are in Chicago." I told him honestly, "… I mean they must be so much better… much bigger, and they must have so many more facilities… I don't know. It was a stupid comment, and I'm sorry that you mistook it and it hurt you," I apologised sadly, remembering his expression from the other day.

He nodded, and let out another long breath- "I'm not going to lie, it did hurt… it was just that you seemed to understand what I felt when Mr. Greene thought I needed extra help, and so when you said that comment… I don't know why, but I just took it the wrong way. I've gotten used to people saying things like that, so…" he trailed off, as he moved so his head was facing the table, "I'm sorry, too much information."

"It's okay," I whispered.

He lifted his head back him, "You don't need to apologise, you know. I'm the one that's sorry for making that assumption about you. You're not like that and I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions," he whispered.

"Apology accepted," I replied instantly, my voice tender. The corner of his mouth lifted in what could be a smile, and I found myself smiling back, completely confused as to what was happening… I had spoken to him twice, and yet it seemed like so much more then that. The possibility of him being upset or mad at me was much more devastating then it should be – and I knew that I had to make sure that didn't happen.

And so, I spoke the truth - "You know what? I think we need a clean slate, we've spoken twice so far and all we've done is apologise," I sighed.

"I know, that's not good, huh?" he frowned.

I shook my head, "Nope… but it won't happen again, right?" I asked him, as I lightened up my voice a little.

"Right," he agreed, his voice matching mine.

I grinned and made a note to always think through what I was going to say to him from now on, so that I could avoid hurting him again. "So… I don't know about you, but this project is completely over my head. Think you could help me out in English from now on?"

He nodded, and then bit his lip, deep in thought - "Or… maybe we could actually be friends?" he asked slowly, hesitantly.

Friends.

I hadn't had any friends in such a long time… I had vowed to never have them again, not feeling like I deserved it… but I knew that I couldn't pass this up. Edward was different… and there was no way I was going to say no to him.

And so, I reached out and grabbed his hand in mine, "Friends," I agreed, as I closed my fingers around his.

And then he smiled… it wasn't the first smile of his I had seen, but I knew that this one was different. Unlike the times with his family, it lit up his whole face, was genuine…

And it was for me.

"The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight,
Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time.
And I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts,
I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out.

I'm falling apart; I'm barely breathing…
With a broken heart that's still beating,
In the pain there is healing,
In your name I find meaning."

The rest of that class passed quickly, mainly because there was no more silence, and no more awkwardness. As a matter of a fact it was far from that… it was nice. Having a friend I mean. I knew deep down that it wouldn't go further then that… I would have one friend who I would talk to in English class for the rest of the year, and then I would head of to college like planned.

Only… that was what I would keep telling myself at least. But I knew deep down that there was something more there with Edward… maybe not attraction but it was definitely something… it did seem like I cared too much too soon. Maybe it was compassion for his disability, or some sort of messed up guilt for hurting him… or maybe it wasn't. I knew that the third option was the most likely… it was the only one that seemed right to me. But for my sake and his I would convince myself that it was one of the others… I knew it wasn't a good idea to get close to someone again.

Still nonetheless, I still walked home with a smile on my face that afternoon – it was the first time I had done that in so long. I also noted that it hadn't started raining like I thought it would, and that most the clouds had just passed – leaving the sky a bright blue colour.

When I finally reached home I immediately noticed two other things – firstly that the cruiser was parked in the drive, meaning that Charlie was home early… and that there was a red Chevy truck parked next to it. I knew that none of Charlie's friends drove a car like this, so I was instantly curious as to why it was here.

The front door opened and Charlie stepped out; I walked up to him slowly, completely surprised and confused.

"What's this?" I asked curiously, gesturing to the truck.

He cleared his throat awkwardly; his infamous blush that I had inherited from him was out in force. "It's yours," he told me quietly.

I gasped in surprise, whirling around to look at it again. "Mine? You got me a truck?" I asked, surprised.

Charlie cleared his throat again, "Well, yeah. I know you've needed a car for a long time to get around, so I got this for you."

To say I was stunned would be an understatement. This was the most he had said to me in a year, and what he had done for me… it was amazing. I hadn't owned a car since… well, Phoenix, and I desperately needed one but didn't want to spend the money. It was very thoughtful of him to get one for me.

"Wow… I don't know what to say," I told him honestly.

He laughed a little at my awed expression, "Why don't you take a look at it," he suggested holding out the keys for me.

I thanked him and took them gratefully and pretty much ran down to the truck, figuring out how to unlock the door before climbing in. I sighed happily instantly loving it… admittedly it was of course very old, and many teenagers wouldn't want to be seen in it, but it was perfect for me. The smell of coffee and tobacco and the small holes in the vinyl seats only added to the appeal as strange as that sounds. I also loved how loud the engine was when I started it… it was authentic, real, and I smiled at the thought of how many places it had been since it was made in the 50's.

I spent several minutes sitting in the cab, figuring out the pedals and the controls before climbing out with a huge grin on my face, thrilled at how well this day was going. I walked up to Charlie and thanked him multiple times.

But then the typical worry set in, "I just feel bad, it must have cost a lot…" I bit my lip anxiously.

He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, "Erm, I actually got it for free…"

That interested me – nobody ever got things for free nowadays after all. "Oh, really? Did you get it from someone then?" I asked him curiously.

He seemed reluctant to answer, but finally did - "Yeah… I got it from Billy Black."

I gasped in horror and surprise, "B-Billy? As in Jacobs -" I cut myself off, unable to say his name, "I-I can't accept t-this."

Charlie's expression grew sadder at my horrified one, "Don't be stupid Bells, he wanted me to give this to you, it was his idea," he muttered.

I shook my head, shaking off his idea - "I still can't accept it… I won't. Not after what happened…" I trailed off, as all the memories came back to me in quick, painful flashes.

The bright lights…

The screeching of brakes…

The deep voice yelling my name…

The smashing of glass…

The white light in front of me, blurring into Charlie's heartbroken, worn expression as he told me what had happened…

By now my legs and whole body was shaking – I had to lean against the truck to support myself. Somewhere through my reverie I could hear Charlie's voice talking, trying to soothe me and break me out of my spell I had been in so many times before -

"Bells… you know Billy doesn't blame you right?" he whispered gently, his voice softer then I had ever heard it. "He knows that things like this happens, and he doesn't blame you for what happened to Jake-"

Tears were now blinding my vision, making Charlie a blur in front of me. "How could he not? I blame myself!" I shouted, "It was my fault!"

He tried to grab hold of me, but I somehow managed to get out of the way, stumbling as I did so. He sighed sadly, "Bella, accidents can happen to anybody, you need to stop blaming yourself, you need to try to move on. If not…"

I cut him off, annoyed that he just didn't understand what I was feeling. "What if I don't want to? I don't deserve it!" I screamed, as I turned and began heading towards the front door, wanting to be alone in my room.

"Bella!" Charlie called from behind me.

"Just leave me alone!" I screamed over my shoulder as I made my way through the front door. Once inside I quickly made my way upstairs, stumbling and banging into walls and doorframes as I did, due to my blurred vision.

I eventually made my way into my room, and after slamming the door behind me, curled up on my bed and I allowed myself to cry. It seemed like the grief was worse then ever before – because I had actually experienced some sort of happiness before having this harsh reminder of what my life really is. Loud, gut-wrenching sobs came from me, hurting my chest which was good – I wanted to feel the pain and certainly didn't want to feel numb.

Through my haze of tears I caught sight of the picture frame on my nightstand - the picture capturing the moment from another life ago. The picture of me and my best friend, so happy, so carefree, so free… and not afraid.

I lay there for hours, noticing the sky cloud over and turn into rain. And only then did I allow the darkness take over me once again as I cried myself into a restless, nightmare filled sleep.

The morning came, but I refused to move from my spot. I didn't go to school that day, or the day that followed it. I knew that there was no point… I had been in these types of moods before, and had attempted school… only to find it was worthless. So, I didn't even get out of bed this time. Charlie came into check on me several times, but never once suggested that I move – he knew that I needed to be alone and that trying to tell me otherwise would only cause an argument.

The weekend followed after that, but everything stayed the same. I barely moved from my position, and only noticed the changes in the days through the change in light and through the occasional need to sleep whenever night came. Eventually my thoughts grew clearer, and by Sunday night I was preparing myself for the next morning, knowing deep down that staying locked up here wouldn't solve anything… no matter how much I wanted it to.

It was around 11 in the morning on Monday when I finally pulled myself out of bed, forcing myself to take a shower and get ready for the last couple of hours of school. I didn't bother getting overdressed, or even looking at myself in the mirror, knowing that I wouldn't be faced with a pretty sight.

I walked to school again, not even looking at the truck as I passed by it on my way. I knew there was no way I could accept it – I knew that Charlie was just trying to do something nice for me, and while I did appreciate it and love the fact that he was making an effort. It just didn't seem fair to accept something like that - not when I knew who it came from, and the horrible circumstances leading up to all of this.

I closed my eyes leading myself to happier thoughts as best I could, not wanting to remember that night once again. Instead, I thought about the two benefits school would bring me – further education leading towards college, and my English class… which in other words means getting to see Edward again.

Admittedly, he hadn't crossed my mind at all these past few days – until early this morning. I remembered our conversation on Wednesday and how we had agreed to be friends and to help eachother in English, and I also remembered my promise to myself to help him be happy again.

… Even though I needed so much help to be that myself.

If I were to be completely honest with myself then I will admit this fact - he was the main reason I was bothering to come into school today. I knew that the education part was no problem – I could always catch up on what I had missed. But I didn't want to miss the opportunity to be his friend… or to help him.

And so, here I was.

The bell for lunch break rang just as I walked through the front doors, leading me towards the decision to just spend the hour in the library alone, catching up on what I had missed.

However that decision meant going to get my books out my locker first, which was luckily only a short walk. Once I got there, I noticed that Edward was standing a few lockers down, and smiled slightly at the sight of him looking as handsome as ever. He was leaning against one the lockers with his head down, while his sister while was putting her books away – and then as if she could sense me looking at them, her green eyes lifted up to meet mine, surprise and dismay written across her face. She turned to whisper something to Edward, causing me to sigh sadly imagining the words she could be saying.

'She's a freak,'

'That weird girl is staring at us,'

'You should stay away from her,'

… Words I had heard before.

I pushed some of my hair behind my ears and focused my attention back on my task, opening my locker and then gathering what books I needed.

However, as I began putting them back in my bag I heard footsteps approaching me from my left – shy, cautious steps, as if the person was nervous somehow. And then once they were closer, I heard a soft voice that could only belong to one person speak my name –

"Bella?"

I looked up to see Edward standing about a foot from me, a slight smile on his face.

"Hi, Edward," I replied softly.

His smile widened, "Are you feeling better?" he asked me quietly.

He was obviously referring to how I wasn't in school. I knew I had to go along with it, pretending that I was only off because I was sick - "Erm, yeah… much better, thanks," I told him.

"Good, I'm glad," he told me gently, sincerity and kindness in his voice. "So… are you just heading to the cafeteria now?" he asked curiously.

The thought of food right now was nauseating, so I knew I had to stick to my original plan to avoid what could only be major embarrassment when I smelt the revolting food they served here. "Err, no, I'm not very hungry. I was thinking of just heading to the library, to study a little," I told him honestly.

He nodded as his smile became somewhat shy, "Do you want some company?" he asked quietly.

I blinked in surprise, "Really?"

He nodded, grinning - "Yeah… that's what friends do right?" he shrugged, as if it was something he suggested everyday.

I nodded as well, even though he couldn't see it. "Yeah, they do…" I replied thoughtfully, before realising I hadn't yet answered his question - "That would be really nice." I told him tenderly, meaning every word I spoke.

His smile grew even wider at my response, "Okay then," he replied, before turning around to face in the direction he came from – in other words, back to his sister. "I'll see you later, Alice."

His sister, aka Alice, was texting on her phone, but looked up at his voice, her eyebrows creasing in protective concern, "Will you be okay?" she asked worriedly.

I could imagine he was rolling his eyes right now. "I'll be fine," he muttered, in a soft yet annoyed tone.

She didn't seem fazed by his tone though, and instead a bright smile lit up her beautiful face as she glanced in between us both. "Okay… I'll see you later then!" she told him enthusiastically, before turning and almost skipping down the corridor towards the cafeteria.

I felt bad for judging her earlier and for assuming that she would say horrible things about me – she clearly cared about Edward a lot, and seemed like a really nice, fun person to be around. I knew that my assumptions were right about a lot of people here… that was proven when I started a year ago, but I was clearly wrong about her.

Once she was gone, Edward turned back to face me, the smile on his face now crooked and even more beautiful then before. "Well… lead the way then," he grinned, getting ready to unfold his cane.

I smiled gently at him, and boldly reached out and grabbed his hand, intertwining our fingers. "You won't need that, just hold onto my hand," I whispered softly, hoping that he wouldn't be offended or hurt in anyway – perhaps he liked using his cane more then holding onto someone… I didn't know for sure yet.

But to my surprise and relief, his warm hand squeezed mine gently, "thank you," he whispered.

I knew that there was a lot of meaning behind those two words – he was of course grateful for the help, but was also grateful for the acceptance… because his disability didn't bother me. And it didn't make me see him in any negative way – only in a positive way actually due to my admiration for him.

I almost felt like thanking him too… because he was helping me. I had just spent a miserable, alone four days, where none of my thoughts or ideas were even close to making me feel happy again. But just with seeing him, and hearing his concern, and with holding his warm hand and knowing I would have his company for the next couple of hours was enough to break me out of my spell.

… It was enough to give me optimism, to think that maybe things might just be okay.

And then I realised… this relationship wasn't just because he needed me to save him, nor was it that I needed him to save me…

It was because we might just save eachother.

So yeah I know there are still a lot of things to be explained. Such as what exactly happened to Bella, and why Edward's blind... things like that will all be answered very soon. Remember I'm only planning for this story to be 10 chapters - 15 tops if I get too carried away haha. So yeah, things will move along pretty quickly.

Once again, I still know its a bit sad, and some of you want a happy ending for Edward but are wondering how that will happen... just stick with it. I'm promising a super happy, fluffy ending, you'll just have to wait to find out whether or not Edward will see again! No matter what it will be happy though!

Please review if you liked this!

Thanks for reading.. Emma.x