ATTENTION: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far. I love hearing that you're enjoying it a bit! I hope I don't disappoint you. This is where the draaaama starts! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not Stepehnie Meyer. Nuff Said.

CHAPTER SIX - Taboo

Edward POV

I ran my hands down my jeans as I parked the Volvo outside her house. Un-doing my seatbelt was proving to be far more difficult than necessary as my hands shook with a new-found vigor. I took a large gulp of air as I waited for my body to hand back the controls. Swallowing was a feat in itself, my throat was thickening to the point of insanity. Man, this girl had me sweating buckets!

I walked slowly to her front door, but I stood on the steps for a solid 5 minutes before I worked up the courage to actually knock. However, as I rose my fist to finally announce my arrival, the door burst open. I stood there, fist raised, in shock, as Chief Swan stood in the door way with one eyebrow raised.

"Who are you?" He asked gruffly.

"-Err, I'm Edw-ard Cullen, sir, I-I-..." I studdered, brain scrambled.

"What are you doing here?" He pressed, leaning forward ever-so-slightly.

"-Daughter...p-party, go...?" I flubbed, trying to form coherent sentances.

The Chief looked behind me, glaring at my car.

"Is that your shiny, silver Volvo, Mr. Cullen?" He interrogated, folding his arms across his chest.

I looked behind me now, kicking myself for not taking a more parent-friendly vehicle. Like our family had any of those...

"Y-yes, sir. I'm a very safe driver, sir. I'll take good care of Bella, you can be sure," I tried my best to comfort him.

Before he could respond, I heard a door slam followed by a burst of song belonging the girl that had my tongue tied. A smile crept on my face before I could stop it.

"...They call me Stacey! They call me Her! They call me Jane, that's not my name! That's not my name..." She belted out as she slid down the banister gracefully. She bounced to her feet, saw me, and grinned.

She looked stunning.

She wore a deep navy blue v-neck t-shirt with a baggy chocolate brown sweater-vest left hanging off her right shoulder. Her skinny jeans were well worn, with rips in the knees and were tucked into a pair of battered cowboy boots.

"Nice of you to show up, Cullen," she winked as she pushed past the Chief without a backwards glance. I gulped loudly as I watched her skip to my car, her loose curls bouncing in every direction. I nodded in the general direction of her father to acknowledge that I did indeed fear him, and followed behind her.

As I got into the car, she was already seated and flipping through my CD case.

"What kind of music do you like?" I asked, truly curious.

She looked up at me, her hypnotizing brown eyes searching mine.

"The good kind," she stated obviously, shrugging, "whatever song I can actually feel while it's playing, that's the kind of music I like."

I looked over at her to find her staring back at me. I grinned at her. She grinned back. My heart studdered as my breath caught in my throat.

"Watch the road, mister, Chief Swan will have your head on a platter if I don't arrive home in one piece," she joked.

It wasn't all that funny.

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We entered the crowded room, the base from the speakers throbbing through the thick atmosphere. Bella grabbed my hand without hesitation and pulled my into the wall of people with a huge grin on her tiny face. I was acutely aware of the contact concentrated in our palms, a slight electricity running up and down my fingers. I craved more.

I tugged against her pull as I realized she was heading towards the dance floor.

"We don't need to dance right now, we could just talk..." I suggested, eager to escape the very public display. She playfully smacked my shoulder, but allowed herself to be led away.

"Two left feet, eh, Edward? Strange, I placed you as a rather graceful, gazelle-like ballerina man," she teased.

"Oh I can dance alright, I just don't dance in public," I explained as I lead her to a more secluded corner of the party. A bunch of guys were immersed in what seemed like a very deep conversation as they passed around a joint.

"...No, dude. No. You have not experienced the true essence of Kraft Dinner if you have not eaten it with belogna in it. It's actually an out-of-body experience," a boy with blonde dreadlocks described with a misty look in his eyes.

"Have you even tried it with salsa and broccoli? I literally see God when I eat it. God, bro. Seriously," another boy said as he leaned forward dramatically.

Bella sat on the edge of the couch and listened to the conversation, a slight smile on her lips.

"I'm quite partial to my KD doused in mustard," another said diplomatically, folding his hands in his lap.

"Bro, man, you have no idea what you're missing out on -"

"Dude, we've been over this -"

"You have no idea what you're saying, man -"

"Boys, boys, boys," Bella interupted the stoner's argument, "chill, bros. We all have our preferences, but let's be real here. We all like the traditional brilliance of the greatness known as Kraft Dinner. But what else is there that we know to be a creation so heavenly, so out-of-this-world... that the only explanation for its existance would be that it was created by the gods... that, or aliens... And we will leave the debate of the existance of both for another joint, shall we?"

The guys just sat there in silence, considering her opinion. Bella just waited for them to respond, but as their eyes glazed over, she knew she was losing them.

"Doritoes, my friends. There is nothing more magnificent than Kraft Dinner and Doritoes," she whispered for effect. All the guys were leaning in, hanging off her every word. "It's like the first rainfall after a drought; ...Like a nap on the beach; ....Like a bubble bath after a hard day's work; ...Like the first kiss in your tree fort when you were 12," she described as all the boys stared at her in awe. When she finished, all the boys looked around in a daze, leaning back into the sofa. After a period of shocked silence, the boy with dreadlocks spoke up.

"Whoa, dude. Where'd this chick come from?" he gaped in awe.

"She must be an angel," the diplomatic one inserted.

"You are a genious," a boy with shoulder length brown hair observed.

I chuckled as the potheads embraced Bella, debating and discussing the theory of our existance.

"I'll go get us some drinks," I whispered to her as I left her to her discussion.

I rounded the corner and nearly ran full-on into Lauren Mallory.

"Eddie, babe, there you are! I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up," she said with a fake pout.

"After I promised you I'd be here?" I gasped in mock horror, "Never!"

She smiled in delight as she started to pull on my hand.

"I hope you didn't bring a date, I've been saving a special dance just for you," she winked as she walked backwards to the dance floor.

"As a matter of fact, I did come with a date," I responded, annoyed. She stopped dead.

"Who the hell did you come with? Jessica said she was coming with Mike!" She shrieked, stomping her feet. God, what was with these girls? I thought they only did that in movies...

"I came with Bella, Lauren. No need to cry your fake eyelashes off," I scoffed.

She burst out in a fit of laughter, holding onto my shoulders to steady herself. Just then, Tyler came over, drink in hand.

"What joke did I miss? I love jokes! Especially with a few drinks in my system!" he bellowed, cuffing me upside the head.

"He... came to the party... with Bella Swan!" Lauren gasped out between laughs. Tyler just stared blankly for a few moments, before he gathered what she had just said.

"BAH-HA HA HA!" he guffawed in my face, the stench of stale alcohol on his breath.

"It's really not that funny, guys," I said uncomfortably, shifting under all the gazes of the surrounding partiers.

"Well it must be a joke, Edward," Lauren said seriously, "because otherwise, we'd have a problem here."

"Yeah man, if you and Bella got close, it would be like throwing away your entire social life. Do you realize how difficult it is to get into the Elites?" Tyler asked, folding his arms.

"You wouldn't realize, seeing as you had an automatic 'in' when you arrived. But if you throw that all away, it'll have to take some serious skill to get it all back. The higher they are, Eddie, the harder they fall. You might as well not exist, because no one will acknowledge you," Lauren said coldly, her voice dripping with venom.

A shiver ran up my spine as I thought about this. There was something about Bella that just draws me to her. Her big, chocolate eyes, the dark hair that ran like a waterfall down her back, the velvet of her skin against my fingers, the electricity that coursed through my veins at the very mention of her name...

I had to appease them. I couldn't let them think I was actually serious about Bella. They'd never leave me alone, not to mention leave her alone. I didn't want to cause more torment for her. Not that she would notice or care, but I wouldn't take that chance.

"Guys, calm down. You make this seem like I'm gonna ask her to marry me or something! It's Bella Swan, for goodness sakes!" I laughed, throwing my head back, "She's just so bizarre! It's entertaining, that's all. Eventually I'll get bored, but here in Forks, you gotta take advantage of the circus while it's in town, you hear what I'm saying?" I smacked Tylers arm in jest, trying to convince him it was all a joke. Both Lauren and Tyler's face flooded with relief. I let out an internal breath I had been holding.

All of the sudden, Lauren's face changed from relief to sheer delight. She snickered evilly as she glared over my shoulder. Tyler stiffled a laugh, playfully punched my shoulder.

"And I'm guessing the circus is heading out of town a little earlier than expected. Sorry man, looks like the clown has a few words for you," he chuckled, nodding his chin towards where Lauren was looking behind me.

I turned slowly, knowing what I would see. Dread knocked the wind right out of me. There was Bella, standing in the door way, looking as beautiful as ever. A single tear betrayed her as it ran down her flushed cheek. Betrayal etched every part of her body.

"Bella..." I breathed, my arm unintentionally reaching towards her.

"Don't..." she whispered back, shaking her head.

"Bella, I-"

"Edward, there's no need for an explanation. You are an Elite, I am a Taboo. You took a risk in talking to me, and I understand you have to save your reputation. But before you go telling all your loyal followers that I'm a joke, I'd just reccommend you take a second out of your schedule to look at yourself. You're a follower, Edward. You are weak. You have the ability to roam free, and instead you look to Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb over here. Like a lost puppy. You're the joke, Edward Cullen. I hope you're sufficiantly miserable in your Stepford life. Oh," she spat as she turned towards Lauren, "and clown to clown, you might want to lay off the make-up. KISS doesn't have anything on you."

With that, she spun on her heel to leave. Before she could take two steps, I grabbed her arm and spun her around again.

"Let go of me, you-"

I grabbed her face between my palms and crashed my lips to hers. Her body went stiff under the force of my action, startled and shocked. Surprisingly, she relaxed under my grip. I felt her chuckle darkly against my mouth as her arms braced against my chest. She pushed with such force, I lost my footing and stumbled backwards.

I looked up at her to see her glaring at me with what could only be called revulsion. By now, the whole party had come to a complete halt, all eyes on the situation at hand.

I opened my mouth to speak, desperate to explain.

She just closed her eyes, her whole body quivering as she shook her head jerkily.

"Stay away from me," She whispered gently.

And then she was gone.

I hope it wasn't too bad, let me know what you think. I actually do want to know, haha. I've got the next few already planned and started.

I was totally the second in line for the midnight DVD release at Walmart. I was shaking, I was so excited! Sooo happy!!