A/N: Well everyone, I hope you "enjoyed" Bella's first date with Mike. I know all of you are probably getting frustrated with me because I'm keeping Edward and Bella apart. I know how you feel (trust me) but some things, especially good things, take some time to truly appreciate.

Also, to answer the question that has come up a lot since reading about Mike. How old is Mike? Well, Mike is 17 and a junior. Which means that all four years will not be filled with stories of Mike. He will graduate after Bella/Edward/Alice's sophomore year. Rose/Emmett/Jasper are all sophomores while the other three are freshman.

If you have any other questions, feel free to message me or send it with your review. I'll do my best to answer them next chapter or in a PM back to you.

DISCLAIMER: Same old drill. Same old song and dance.

BPOV

Monday, January 30

The month of January was flying by. For the first time since my breakup with Edward, I was smiling on a regular basis. Mike and I made our relationship official three weeks ago on the Monday after our first movie night. Since then, he walks me to most of my classes, and he has made room for me at his table during lunch giving me some place other than the gym to eat my lunch. His friends have been mostly nice about me sitting with Mike. However, Coach James had begun to count on me eating in the gym and working on statistics, so I only ate lunch with Mike once or twice a week. He was a sweet boyfriend, and I was always finding little gifts or notes in my locker.

Today, Mike was whispering in my ear as he walked me to English after lunch. I was hardly talking with Edward. After our fight on the phone that Saturday night, neither of us would be the first to apologize, although we both owed an apology to the other. So, after Mike placed a quick kiss on my cheek, I walked into English and sat down. We had spent the last week watching all the movie versions of Romeo and Juliet, seen a performance of the ballet, via satellite, watched West Side Story, and debated all the variations and voted our favorite interpretation of the play. The two weeks before that we read the play aloud in class or for homework. This week we would be performing the play, and unlike Leonardo DiCaprio, we would be using modern language.

However, in what I'm sure is an evil plot by our teacher Mrs. Larson, Edward and I were put together in our group. Of course, since Edward and I weren't even talking to each other, this would prove to be an interesting and difficult week. Luckily, we weren't supposed to go first. Edward and I would recreate the famous balcony and death scenes. I knew how I would play my part, but I would have to make sure I didn't overact the death scene, because I could seriously understand why someone would kill themselves after having to be in the same room with Edward for very long. Eventually, the class ended and Edward and I wouldn't have to perform until tomorrow. That would at least give us a moment or two in study hall to at least coordinate what we were going to do.

By the time I got to study hall later that day I was tired, but knew that I would have to talk to Edward soon. Mike and I walked in holding hands and talking about what we were going to do this coming weekend. I looked up to see Edward already sitting in his seat, and I could tell he was waiting to talk to me. I didn't know if we would apologize, but I wasn't going to hold my breath on that one. Mike and I made our way to our seats and waited for the bell to ring to stop our conversation.

Once the bell rang however, Edward passed me a note.

"Bella, I'm sorry for not fixing this argument we've been having over the last few weeks. Truth be told, I just don't know what exactly you want from me some days. I start thinking that we're friends, but then I don't know. I know that I can't go on with life without you in mine. Please forgive me for acting like an ass. Also, I hope you really are happy with Mike. If he makes you happy, then he can't be all that bad. Love, Edward"

I reread the note to make sure I had read it correctly. Today was just another day when I realized that I would never quite understand what goes on in Edward's head. I grabbed my pen and began writing a response back to Edward.

"Edward, I'm sorry too. We've both been a little, okay a lot, stupid. You were the one person that I could be myself around, well until Thanksgiving anyways. I don't know why I've been so nuts around you since then. I mean we both agreed to be friends, and yet here we are, forced to communicate with a childish note. Do you think we'll ever grow up? Obviously, I'm talking about maturing, not literally growing "up", because you are growing way to fast and are getting freakishly tall. I'm rambling, which is nearly impossible in a note. Anyway, I'm sorry for being a witch or at least something that rhymes with that. Can we go back to being friends, or are we stuck in this twilight zone pattern of hating and tolerating each other? Sorry for rambling, Bella"

I passed the paper back to Edward and started working on some homework while Edward read the note and wrote a reply. Soon the piece of paper was being placed back on top of my notebook. I put my pen down and read what Edward had to write.

"Silly Bella. Maybe that is our relationship, that freakish hate-love relationship the sitcoms are always going on about. I hope that as we mature, because eventually it is bound to happen (although, my guess is that you'll mature before me) we will begin to accept each other's flaws as well as the great things we love about each other. I will promise you now that if I even think of acting the way I have been these last few weeks, please kick me in any area of my body that you feel will make an impression. Anyway, we have to perform the infamous balcony scene tomorrow. Do you think you could come over to my house tonight to work on our scene(s). It's probably a good thing we didn't get to perform today seeing as how we weren't prepared. My mom has been bugging me and Alice to bring you around the house more often anyways. I think she likes you better than her own children, actually, so what do you say? Are you coming by tonight after school? You know mom will feed you, so you don't have to worry about dinner at least. And I promise, I will behave myself tonight. (No promises on whether or not Alice will contain her excitement or not though). Edward"

I sighed and smiled. I looked over to see Edward watching me from the corner of my eye. He was smiling hopefully at me which caused me to smile even harder. It's amazing how that boy could dazzle me at times. I was about to write back a quick reply to his note, but the bell rang and stopped me from having to pass anymore notes. Instead I turned to Edward and spoke the first words to him in over three weeks.

"Edward, I would love to come over after school. I'll have to stop at my house first just to let mom and dad know where I am and that I'm staying for dinner, but I'm sure they'll be happy that we made up. I'll be over at your house shortly after that. I've missed you," I told him.

His grin became a full-fledged smile and he spoke to me for the first time in three weeks, "I've missed you too Bella. Please promise me that you won't let our friendship die because we're young, immature, and too stubborn for our own good."

I laughed and nodded my head. I felt someone tugging on my hand and realized Mike was watching this whole conversation unfold. I looked back at Edward, shrugged, and walked to my locker with Mike by my side. I could tell Mike was upset by something, but I really wasn't sure what it was. I had a feeling it had to do with Edward, but I wasn't going to bring it up.

"Bella," Mike said, "why are you going to Edward's house today after school?"

"Mike, we have that Romeo and Juliet performance thing in English we have to work on. I haven't even spoken to Edward until today, so we're going to work on our scenes and have them ready so we both don't fail English."

"I don't trust him. Every time you do something that he doesn't like, he ends up making you feel bad about it. Then I have to pick up the pieces. You should really tell him where he can go and leave him alone. I don't want him to hurt you Bella. You know he'll only hurt you again and again unless you put your cute little foot down. Do you want me to come with you so you can tell him off today?"

"Um, Mike… Edward is a friend of mine. We're going to fight, just like all friends do. I care about Edward, I'm not just going to ignore him for the next three and a half years."

"But Bella, you're MY girlfriend. I don't want you at another guy's house. I don't care who the guy is," Mike said.

I couldn't believe he was acting this way. Mike was never jealous. I know that our relationship was new, but this was ridiculous. Mike had no right to tell me who I could and couldn't hang out with. I told him so and he turned away from me and stormed off.

I didn't have time to worry about Mike Newton right now. I had to run to catch my bus and get home. I barely made it to the bus before it was leaving school. When it dropped me and Emmett off at home I rushed into the house to see if our parents, or at least one parent, was home. No one was here, so I told Emmett where I was going and wrote a note that I taped to the refrigerator that said I was at Edward's house. I figured I might need the note, because Emmett wasn't known for his memory skills or reliable message skills, so this way, mom was bound to see where I was.

I kissed Emmett's cheek as I walked out the door with my English notebook and walked to Edward's house. The walk seemed to take no time at all and within minutes, I was at Edward's house and he was standing in an open doorway welcoming me to his home. It was as if I had been away for years instead of just weeks. As he hugged me and pulled me through the doorframe, I felt like my life had finally gotten all the pieces fitting together perfectly to form a perfect picture. I had no worries.

A/N: So Bella's life is looking up. Her and Edward have made up, she has a boyfriend that she really likes, and she's happy. What could go wrong? Hmm… update will be up soon… Read and review please.