Flames are like piece of gum that've lost their flavor…all you can do is move on, throw that shit in the trash, and get a new piece.

-sLw

Edward didn't look at me the entire way to school, to which he drove way to fast. His fingers were so tight on that steering wheel that I was surprised he didn't break it in half. I kept looking at him then the road then him again, watching for the moment when he would crash the fucking car.

And when we got to school, he stopped so abrupt and hard that my hands flew out in front of me and hit the dashboard. I then turned to him to yell "What the fuck is wrong with you!", but he was already sliding out of the car and at my side with my door open.

I looked up at him with the dumbest look on my face, I'm sure, he didn't even look back. I got out of that fucking car as quick as possible. He shut the door with a loud thud! behind me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked, utterly confused at his newest mood swing.

At this he actually looked at me, his eyes smoldering a yellow-brown-topaz color. His face hard and stern looking. His eyes darted from me then to my pocket, where my cut finger was hidden away. Then his hand shot to my pocket and pulled my hand out with a too tight grip on my wrist. Edward held up my hand in front of both our faces, like it was evidence at a trial or something.

"This," he said, giving my wrist a very, very hard squeeze. "Don't ever do this to yourself again."

I tilted my head the side and sighed. "I just had to see if you were a liar."

Edward let out a frustrated breath and opened his mouth to scald me, I'm sure, but dear Jessica began calling my name at that instant.

"Bella!" Jessica called, waving at me from her car. She froze when she saw Edward and me standing there and her face went into a mask of shock. I gave her a small smile before ripping my hand from Edwards grip and stuffing it back into my pocket. It took me two tries but I eventually got free.

"Walk," I said to him--his face shocked just like Jessica's for some reason--but he walked.

Edward flanked my right side, awfully close than normal, as we walked to Jessica. She was still stuck there with that dumb look on her face.

I waved my hand in her face. "Jessica….are you okay?"

Jessica blinked a few times before shaking her head and then going back to her regular self. Her face now had a weird smile on it and she kept looking at me then Edward.

"Yea! So…" she said, moving to my left side and the three of us began to walk, silent Edward still close by my side. "How was your weekend, Bella?"

"Fine…." I said, but it came out like a question for some reason.

Jessica laughed nervously and loudly. I laughed too, but quietly.

Then I noticed something. I looked forward and saw the entire population of Forks High School looking at me. Staring at me. Staring at me and Edward. Everyone. I stopped walking in shock, but I felt Edward's hand push me forward slightly from my lower back.

So now everyone was watching Edward and I, and now they watched as Edward put his hand on my lower back.

The three of us continued to walk--I felt my cheeks go hot--until we hit the entrance to the first buildings.

"Hey did you do that Trig homework, yet?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, its not that hard," I said.

Jessica and I continued to talk leisurely about classes. Edward standing next to me, somewhat casual now, his hand still on my back but now somewhat curved around my lower back. The three of us had sat down on a lone bench, waiting for the first bell to ring.

"Hey, I'm gonna go," Edward said, I nodded. "Bye."

"Okay," I said and started to turn to him to say goodbye--my view being on Jessica.

But when my head was all the way to him……we um…..we…..our….. Well I guess he was going in to…..I don't know, maybe to kiss my cheek or something. But as I turned our lips….like bumped into each other.

And we stayed like that, for….I'm not sure how long. I was shocked. My eyes were wide open, as were Edwards. Jessica instantly shut up at to my left.

I was beyond shocked. I was kissing Edward, and not on my own accord. It couldn't had lasted more then ten seconds but it was the longest ten second I had ever lived. Edward didn't move an inch. But I guess, something clicked in his head and he pulled away so fast. I was still frozen.

"Sorry-um-er," Edward stared to say, stuttering for the first time ever. "I was-well-just-I don't know what happened….but-uh- Iwasjustryingtokissyourcheek…..so sorry, bye!" He blurted his words out and then left, hopping up from the bench and walking quickly away from us. I felt my face go terribly hot, yet again.

The first sound I heard was a giggle from Jessica. I'm sure my mouth was hanging open, my eyes wide, my face frozen. So when I turned to Jessica--I turned slow, really slow, like movie slow--she doubled over with laughter.

"Bella!" she wheezed. "Bella-Edward-kiss!"

I slapped myself lightly on the cheeks once so my face would go back to normal, which it did.

"Oh my god! Bella did you see that?!" Jessica said, recovered from her laughter.

"Ah, yeah, Jessica….I saw that," I said. For some odd reason my lips felt really…tingly, which was really weird and I didn't like that one bit.

"I knew it!" she began to sing happily. "I knew it! I did! Me!"

I was rubbing my lips franticly to find the problem. "You knew what?"

She turned right to me, her face getting right up against mine(for a second I thought she was going to kiss me too). Her smile huge covering most of her face. And then she said something made me want to punch her in the face.

She said: "That…you and Edward are….DATING!!!!!"

My face went fucking frozen again. So I got up, picked my shit up, and walked to first period. I don't know if Jessica followed, and frankly I didn't give a shit.

I was a zombie in class and thankfully no one asked me anything, not a question. Then it was lunch, Jessica was by my side and prattling on about something. And there was Edward: waiting right at the entrance to the cafeteria. I stopped completely when I saw him, Jessica kept walking a few steps till she noticed me and turned around.

"Bella, what's wro-?" she started to ask, before she looked around and noticed Edward, and when she did her face was alit with the biggest smiled. "Bellaaaa! Your boyfriend is waiting for you…"

And she proceed to push me toward him, I dug my feet into the floor the entire way there. Right up to Edward…then she promptly disappeared. And it was just me and Edward.

"Hi," he said, a small smile on his face. All I did was nod. He laughed with a close mouth for some reason at me then straightened up. "Shall we?" he asked and gestured to the entrance.

"Maybe I should-" I started to protest, but his hand was suddenly on my back and pushing my into the cafeteria.

I was beginning to get really tired of people pushing me places, I could walk damn it!

"Are you getting lunch?" Edward asked.

"Nope," I said through clenched teeth.

I tried not to look around at the wide faces that we passed, all of them staring. Edward led me to our table-wait, wait just a second there….did I just say our table? Whoa.

Edward and I had already reached….the table while I was contemplating this new detail in this twisted and weird thing Edward and I had going. I sat down stiffly, Edward sliding into his seat like he always does. I picked at my finger nails under the table.

"What's wrong?" he asked, turning his head to the side.

"Nothing," I said quickly and added a small laugh at the end of my sentence.

"Is it….is it about what happened this morning? Look, that was a total accident. I didn't mean to kiss you, well its not like I don't want to kiss you….well…what I mean to say is that it was a total accident," he said, recovering his sentence mid-way.

I was still stuck on that little remark he said….you heard him: "…Well its not like I don't want to kiss you…". So I did was just nod. "Uh….yeah," I mumbled.

Edward nodded officially. "Good. I'm glad you understand…"

And again, all I did was nod. Edward nodded as well, and an odd silence filled the air between us.

"Never let air fill the conversation," Edward said. I kept up my nodding to everything he was saying. "Bella if you don't say something, I'll make you say something."

"Do it. I'd like to see you try," I sneered. Edward laughed, was he always laughing at me? Or am I just that damn funny?

"I knew that would get you talking," he said, smiling.

"You just know everything, don't you?" I said, giving the best nasty look I could.

"No, not everything. I would like to know more about you…" he said, looking off into space.

"You can check my Face Book, then," I mumbled under my breath where it was not intended for him to hear.

He laughed again. "Your quiet sarcastic today."

"Look, lets just cut to the chase," I totally disregarded his comment. I-we-had to settle the shit that was going on. "People….think we're…da-dat," I couldn't get the word out.

"Dating," Edward filled that word in like it was no big deal.

"Yeah, that."

"And…..I'm sorry I don't see your point."

I sighed in frustration. "Well….um-er….well are we or aren't we? I mean, what-how-why," I tried to say, but I had no idea what to say in the first place. I began to bite my lip, hard, to try and think about what I was trying to say. "Hold on, let me figure this out," I told him, to which he smiled and waited.

"Can I intervene?" Edward asked, raising his head in the air like he had a question. I nodded urgently. "What I think you mean to say is that, we need to discuss….this," he said and waved his hand between us.

"Yes. You hit the nail on the head," I sighed.

"Thank you. But if we want to settle this then you have to answer one question: do you like me?" he asked. He asked this like he was holding something over my head. He smiled and inclined his head toward me.

I was shocked. I didn't know how to answer that.

Now, don't get me wrong, Edward is nice, an okay guy…..and he's pretty good looking (a little voice in my head went *cough*hot*cough*). Did I have feelings for him? I don't know him! Well I do but not on that level.

"Why do I have to say first?" I said, trying to bide myself some time. But then that plan instantly sounded dumb. Now, if Edward did like me, he would say it……and I would-sort of-feel obligated to say the same.

"I asked you first," he replied. I eyed him.

"Well that's mature." I was still glad he hadn't said anything though. I bit my lip hard again.

What do I say? This was probably the one time in my life that I had nothing to say, that I couldn't think up anything to say. I can't say yes….I just can't. I can't because I don't know, honestly. I can't say no. I can't say no because, being the person that I am, I would felt pity for Edward. Pity in the sense that if he did have feelings for me then I wouldn't return them. So I didn't know.

My mind was an empty hole, the only sign of life: confused thought after confused thought.

"I…" I stared to say, but stopped myself. "Wh-I mean-ca…ah! Look Edward…I-I-I don't know! How in the world can I know that?! I don't even know you on the level to make that decision! I mean, you're an okay person and all but-ugh-I don't know you that why!" Throughout my whole spiel I over exaggerated my every word with big hard movements, and by the time I was done I was out of breath.

Edward just sat there with this smug-as-fuck smirk on his face. I could have hit him. I could have hit the bastard and he would probably still have that damn look on his stupid face. And then, just when I was really getting pissed off, the fucker laughs at me. Laughs at me, a second or two after I had finished taking. It wasn't a loud laugh but it was enraging. I stared at him bewildered as he recovered from his laughing fits.

"This shit is not funny!" I said, still utterly bewildered.

"Your right, your right," Edward said, his laugh smile still stuck on his face. "That's really not why I'm laughing, I promise."

"Okaaay," I said, even more confused--if that was possible.

"No, no. I mean to say: I understand what your saying and I respect it. I do, and I as for you to respect my opinion when I say that I have to agree with you on the…um-question," he said with a small wave and nod.

"Okay then."

"We should get going," he said, standing up.

My lunch periods had been seeming to go by faster and faster every time I sat down with Edward Cullen. I actually missed the slow moving lunches I used to have when I first got here: those slow lunches, every talked about simple things, I was never rushed or confused when I spoke.

But now I was Edward's permanent lunch guest. We seemed forever booked on each other's calendars, Edward's (Most likely saying things like) Lunch with Bella: Going to make her feel awkward, Lunch with Bella: Going to laugh at her non-stop, Lunch with Bella: Going to tell her I can sometimes read her mind.

But…wait. Why was I talking about things between Edward and I with the words permanent and forever? First of all, Edward and I had nothing going on. And B, nothing is forever.

While I was thinking, Edward made a grab for my bag. But I quickly moved it out of his reach and got up; giving him a look that said "I have hands". We walked out of the cafeteria, which was emptying, and out into the hallway. The way was full of students going to lockers, talking to friends, hanging with sweethearts (I rolled my eyes at two teens furiously making out against some lockers). Edward walked closer to me than normal. Jessica spotted us walking together and winked at me, all I could do was offer up a fake smile.

But, then, a very funny thing happened. Edward stopped suddenly, I looked up at him and his face was blank. He seemed to be in a trance.

"Edward?" I said, placing a wary hand on his arm. Which woke him up instantly. He looked down at me.

"Bella. I'm sorry, Bella, but I gotta go. Okay? Bye. Sorry. I'll talk to you later." He didn't say anything more, but he walked away like there was a fire.

I stared after him in confusion before shaking my head and moving on.

I had just passed that blond girl, the bitch….Lauren. When I heard her say something.

She said, "I bet she sucked Edward's dick on the first date."

Of course she was referring to my shirt which said 'I hug on the first date'.

So I walked over to that bitch, and the bitch next to her who was laughing her head off.

"What did you just say?" I asked, my voice so strained to keep from letting all my anger out.

"Oh look…its Bella," she sneered.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say." I repeated.

"I said: I bet you suck-" she started to say.

But she never got to finish. Because I decked that bitch in the nose. Right square in the nose. She let out a loud grunt and sort of fell against the lockers with her hands holding her nose. I heard several people gasp near me. Jessica looked up at me, still holding her nose (which might have been bleeding), her face innocent and appalled. But that face didn't stay that way long. Her face changed to angry and I thought her eyes would explode she looked so mad. But her eyes didn't explode, she did. She lunged at me: long, claw-like nails aimed at my face.

She pushed me against the lockers, and began to scratch and hit at my arms and stomach. What the fuck was she doing? I pushed her away (which was when I noticed the large group of frozen students watching us) but she came right back, scratching at my face this time. That was it. I reared back and hit her in the face again which landed on her cheek. I got a full view of her nose as she held her cheek but there was only a small trickle of blood.

"Bitch," she sneered, holding her cheek. She pushed me and, at a time that she caught me off guard, she slapped my left cheek, hard.

"Fucking bitch," I think I said as I grabbed my cheek. Then I let her have it.

I pushed her again, away from me for a second. That was when the group of frozen students began to circle around us and chant "Fight! Fight! Fight!". Lauren lunged at me with her claws at the ready. She swiped at my cheek and I suddenly felt a small burning sensation and I knew she had scratched me. I kneed her in the stomach (I swear I heard the crowd let out a cheer) and she backed again holding her stomach.

"That you all you got, whore?" I taunted. She looked up and jumped at me.

Her fist collided with the side of my head, the pain was there and gone (I really didn't have time I focus on pain now), as I used her technique and clawed at her. I think I got her on the arm, but before I could think to much on it she hit me in the nose with a loose fist. I pushed her off and away from me before hitting her in the nose for a second time.

By this time the crowd was full of cheering and camera phones out. A group of teachers had begun to break the crowd up as I hit her in the stomach again and we began clawing on each other.

"Get to class!" Teachers had begun to yell at the crowd.

Two male teachers (two I didn't really recognized, I think one taught science and the other taught History) gripped Lauren and I around the waist and pulled us off of each other. I flailed my arms and legs, trying my hardest to just keep hitting that bitch, as the teacher's grip tightened and he turned me away from her.

"Let go of me," I demanded threw clenched teeth.

"That will not be happening, Ms. Swan," boomed a loud voice.

The principle of Forks High School, a man whom I hadn't met yet, was tall, looked like he wore a hair piece, and looked like an all around jack-ass. His name was--I think-- Mr. Putter. Weird name right? When I saw him I had to restrain my laughter of a joke I'd thought of just then (How must Mrs. Putter feel?) because right now would not be a good time to laugh.

"Teachers. Please escort them to the office, please take Ms. Swan to the conference room, Ms. Mallory to the nurse's office," Mr. Putter (hehe) directed.

Our little body guards nodded. Mr. History-teacher-guy set me down and walked on my left side, away from Lauren--as did Mr. Science-teacher-guy--but he gripped my left arm roughly and began to walk to the office. This quiet movement through the school to the office was not good for me. I began to look at my arms and my hands, and began to feel my facial injuries. My cheek stung, as did the side of my whole face, and I knew she must have scratched my arm. I tried to recall all the injuries she must have and I knew she must be hurting too.

We were at the office--the teachers taking the inside route rather than the quicker way outside--and separated us. The conference room was a very plain room, with a long table with chairs in the center. Mr. H-T-G set me down, the fucker practically pushed me down, in a chair and stood in the hallway.

I examined my face. My cheek hurt like a bitch when I tapped it with my finger tips. Well, lets face it, my whole damn face hurt. My nose was bleeding, there was blood running down my lips and I hadn't even noticed it. I looked at the scratches on my arm and they weren't that bad but they were in four distinct lines with little lines of blood trailing down from them. My I went to touch my face again and my bangs hit my fingers. I had a feeling my hair was a mess……great.

"Ms. Swan?" called a semi-sweet voice from the doorway. It was the nurse. I had met her, when I had brought a sick student up when we were doing blood typing. "We're going to switch the room from here to my office, alright?" I nodded. "Please just follow me." At least she wasn't going to pulled me along.

She gestured to her office from the doorway and followed by my side. There was no sign of Jessica when I go there, but there was bloody alcoholic prep pads in the trash can.

"Just sit there, honey," she said with a pleasant smile. I nodded at sat on the standard nurse's bed/thing as she said.

She moved around the room, grabbing things off the shelves and setting them here and there. She grabbed some alcohol pre pads, some cotton balls, and a box of Kleenex's.

"Oh honey…well your nose isn't broken but it'll be hurtin' in the morning," she said, opening up a prep pad and wiping at the blood on my face.

Once that was done she ripped up a Kleenex and helped me put them in my nostrils to stop any more bleeding. She wiped at the scratch marks with alcohol--which hurt, by the way--and placed an industrial sized band-aid over them.

"Any where else that hurts, hon?" she asked.

"My cheek and head," I said, gesturing to my face.

She nodded, leaving the room and coming back just as quickly with a bag of ice. "Here, honey. Just hold it, now longer than ten minutes, on you temple and cheek." I nodded and held it to my temple first. The phone rang then, and she went over it to answer. "Alright," she said into the receiver and hung up. "Dear, you'll have get going to the principles office now. I'll show you the way."

She ushered me up and out of her office and to Mr. Putter's office, Lauren was already sitting there, as was a large male teacher who stood between Lauren and a chair where I figured I was supposed to be. I sat down, Mr. Putter staring me down from his desk. He let it get really quiet before he spoke.

"Ms. Swan, can you please tell me the events that led up to the fight that happened today?" he asked.

I sighed. "I was walking from the cafeteria to class-"

"With whom?" he interrupted.

"A friend."

"Who?"

"Edward Cullen." He nodded scientifically for some weird reason.

"Continue," he said.

"We were walking to class, when I heard Lauren-"

The fucker interrupted again. "Where was Mr. Cullen at this time?"

"He had left."

"Left?"

"He said he had to go, and left."

He nodded again. "Continue."

"I heard Lauren say something obscene, regarding Mr. Cullen and myself, so I went over to her-"

"Is this when the fight started?" Dear god! If we interrupted me one more time, Lauren wouldn't be the only person I would be getting in a fight with.

"No, sir," I said, through slightly clenched teeth. "I asked her what she said, she said it, and then that's when the fight started."

He nodded, again, and twisted his mouth around while he thought. "I see…"

I took this quick chance to sneak a peek at Lauren. The bitch looked messed up: cheeks pink and red, nose stuffed up with Kleenex just like mine but her nose looked like it had ten Kleenex's stuffed up there. She didn't look back at me and I didn't really want to look her in the eye right now.

"Well…" Mr. Putter said, breaking the silence. "Since this is both your first offence, punishment will not be that severe. But, fight is a very serious thing girls. So…you'll both have In School Suspension for two days, being Tuesday and Wednesday. And your parents will be called."

I was thank for nothing more serious. I remember two girls got in a huge fight at my old school and they both got expelled. And that had scared the shit out of me. But I was fine…no one was getting expelled today.

"Alright?" asked Mr. Putter, like we were allowed an opinion on the subject. When we didn't say anything, just nodded he continued. "Good. You will both be dismissed for the day, and I trust that you both do not need to be escorted to the parking lot?" We both nodded again, and stood up. "Ms. Swan will go first, then Ms. Mallory."

The teacher who was standing between us, motioned for me to go. I walked out of the room into the main office. Someone had gotten my bag and set it behind the front counter, the secretary gave me my bag with a big kind smile that I returned.

I left the office, and stepped outside into the nice cold air. Which cooled my burning and hurting cheeks. I'd almost forgotten about my ice pack so I switched it to my cheek. I started to walk out into the parking lot to find my truck.

"Fuck," I said to myself.

Edward had driven me to school today. Shit.

Loves you guys!!!

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