A/N: Did you all know that I love you? Because I do. I already have more than 100 reviews!! You all rock my fuzzy emo My Chemical Romance socks!! And you make me want to take my cap off and head bang my newly acquired emo haircut. I'm not emo, but I like the awesome style!!

So, I was inspired by all the freakishly awesome reviews that I just had to update faster! See! Reviews do make me work faster!!

Note to Ericaisdazzled: CANDY CORN IS IN THE CHAPTER!! IN YOUR FACE!! BUT I STILL HATE CANDY CORN…stupid corn syrup, sugar, water, and powdery, flavor additives mixture….

Note to Aden101: St. Christopher Medal is in here!! You know, you have some of the most random sayings and words ever to give me. It's AWESOMENESS!!

Note to Blindwind: I used Shadow ghost….I hope it doesn't sound stupid. It was kind of hard to place in the chapter. But I did it.

For reviewing, I send you all stolen DVD players!! Telepathically, of course. (I'm Hispanic, that's just how you roll when you live in South Texas; I am only about ½ an hour away from the Mexican border!) (Go PIRATED DVDS!!) JK

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own lots of socks!! Courtesy of Wal-Mart….But I don't own Wal-Mart. I'm depressed…I know what will cheer me up…SOCKS!! And Baby Donald Duck antenna toppers!!


Chapter 7: Earning Her Trust

BVOP

Unsurprisingly, the week passed slowly. For the remainder of the week, Edward didn't show up, and I felt that it was my entire fault. I didn't think I would hurt him that badly. Even if I did, he would have come anyway, I think. Maybe he was just avoiding me. I hope he doesn't think I'm some sort of jerk now.

On a lighter, yet still annoying note, his absence didn't mean that I wasn't bothered by the male gender. Mike, Eric, and a boy known as Tyler Crowley all decided that I was their new target. Eric was a bit more subtle, but Mike and Tyler were both constantly bothering me during and between classes. It was now Friday and we were all sitting at lunch, meaning Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and I. All of a sudden, I heard two sets of footsteps coming towards me.

"What do you want Mike and Tyler?" I said exasperatedly. It truly was getting annoying. Why couldn't they understand that I'm not worth going after? Here I was, boring, Plain Jane Bella and the only reason they "wanted" me was because I was something new to look at. They just wanted to mark their territory, so to speak. And I wasn't owned or used by anyone.

"Well, Bella, I was going to ask you to the Girls' Choice Dance." That was Mike and he was truly stupid. He even said it was the girls' choice and yet he was asking me. I opened my mouth to say something, but honestly, nothing could be said. I just burst out laughing. Suddenly, everyone at the table was laughing and cracking up. I'm sure Mike and Tyler were completely dumbfounded about what was going on.

Once our laughter died down, Tyler started, "Bella, I was wondering if since you obviously wouldn't want to take this idiot here, if you would like to ask me?" I was still giggling slightly and I just shook my head to get the point across. What was up with these boys? It must be all the rain drowning out their brains. They may be like chickens. Whenever the rain falls, they look up until their nostrils fill with water and they drown. I could only hope that this was the case.

"Why the hell not? You know you want me? I see you turn every time you hear my voice!" Tyler exclaimed, quite loudly I might add. I could feel the stares of the whole cafeteria and the warm blush that I had received from laughing so much only grew deeper. I "glared" in his direction and before I could speak, Emmett spoke up.

"Crowley, Newton, you better get the hell out of here before your faces get smashed with my fist!" His voice was menacing and full of venom. I had heard this Emmett before. Even when we were children, he always protected me. He needed to calm down before he did something rash.

"Why should we leave? This cafeteria and table is free for anyone to sit at." Mike tried to speak bravely, but his voice wavered a bit. He was probably petrified at this moment. I wouldn't be surprised; Emmett was huge and intimidating. But I couldn't have Emmett getting in trouble for getting into a fight. "Emmett, just calm down. They're not worth it." The tense atmosphere seemed to ease up.

"Okay, Bells. I won't beat them up, but they will get it later. You idiots better leave now." I didn't hear their footsteps. Instead, they just snickered and stepped closer. Before anything else could be done, I heard the sound of plastic hitting the floor and the cries of the boys. Everyone around the cafeteria and the table were laughing loudly. It even sounded as though teachers were laughing. Something rolled on the floor and tapped my foot, so I bent down and picked it up. It had many grooves on it and it was about the size of my palm.

"Alice, what the hell is Emmett throwing?" I felt her take it out of my head and start laughing even more. Once she calmed down, she spoke, "He's throwing Baby Donald duck antenna toppers. He had some left over." Wait, how did she know that he had them? What was up with these freaking antenna toppers? And why, oh why, would they be Baby Donald duck?

Rosalie answered my unspoken question, "Emmett got dared by Jasper to put them on all the cars in the hospital parking lot; including the ones without antennas. So, he was using super glue to put them on the cars without antennas. And he had about two buckets left over. But I honestly don't know why he is carrying some around in his bag." (A/N: That answers the Baby Donald Duck antenna topper question. Why he carries them around with him is still a mystery though, even to me.)

After lots of laughing and allowing Emmett to pelt Mike and Tyler with the antenna toppers, the bell for lunches end rang loudly. I bid goodbye to my friends and headed to biology. The voice of someone who I presumed was a teacher was echoing throughout the hall. Apparently, Emmett had blamed Mike and Tyler for the mess in the cafeteria and had also said that they were picking on me. Now they had a week's worth of detention. Again, being blind had its perks.

When I got into biology, I sat at the table alone again. I still felt that I should apologize to Edward about his foot. His actions had just set me off. I didn't think I could trust him again, though. I wasn't exactly sorry; I just didn't think I would hurt him that badly. I heard Mr. Banner roll in his cart. The sound of beakers and graduated cylinders clinking against each other were the signal that we were doing a lab today.

"Okay class, today we are doing the St. Christopher medal lab. Each pair of partners will get one medal and we will be trying to find the total metal composition of each. Each is different, so you won't be able to cheat off of each other. Whichever pair is done by the end of class will not have to do the five-page essay that I will be assigning you today on the differences and similarities between silver and gold." Well that sucks. I had already done this lab and given the record to Mr. Banner, but that meant that I had to do the essay. It wouldn't be fair unless I did the lab again, and that would mean that I would need to be able to see the different chemical components. This just makes everything so much harder. Damn you Edward. I didn't think it was possible, but now I hate you even more.

I heard the sound of footsteps coming towards me. Then I recognized the squeaky sounds that would normally come off of Mr. Banner's shoes, the pair that he always used for when the students were dangerous acids. "Ms. Swan, since Mr. Cullen isn't here again, you will have to do the essay. It wouldn't be fair to the other students." I nodded and was about to tell him I understood, but then the classroom door opened.

"Ah, Mr. Cullen, nice of you to join us."


EVOP

The entire week, I had mentally prepared myself for Friday. I wanted to make a good impression for Bella. Getting her to let her in to her life, even as just a friend, was going to be difficult. It would mean that she would have to forgive me for my horrific behavior on Monday and the likeliness of that happening was slim. But I wasn't given up yet. But for fear of her cane, I wore my hiking boots to soften the blow incase it came into contact with my foot again.

I had told Carlisle why I was staying home for the week. For some reason, he didn't complain. It's almost as if he knew exactly why I would want to fix things with her. As for Emmett, I still hadn't talked to him. When Emmett was angry with something, or in this case, someone, he could hold a grudge. It would take a lot of reassuring on my part for him to actually believe that I would never hurt his sister ever again.

I reached the biology class room door and turned the knob slowly. It was now or never. The door creaked open and I walked in.

"Ah, Mr. Cullen, nice of you to join us." Mr. Banner, who was obviously annoyed, was standing before Bella's desk. Bella; she looked beautiful. The white blouse she wore fit her perfectly and just seemed so natural. I felt my knees weaken at the sight of her. Walking over to the desk, I watched her every move. She seemed to stiffen when I got closer. The frown upon her lips became more pronounced as I sat down. An angel like her should only smile. It was then that I took in the realization that I was the cause of said frown. It would be my goal to end that.

She let her hair fall around her face like a curtain, shielding herself from me. Mr. Banner explained the lab to me and said that Bella and I had a bit of a late start, but if we were able to finish first, we wouldn't have to do the gold and silver comparison essay. I could do the essay in my sleep, but I didn't want to make Bella do it. I turned to her and spoke.

"Bella, if you would like, we can finish this lab together. I wouldn't want you to have to do the essay." She turned herself to me and nodded. I began setting up the chemical components and set aside a beaker of diluted hydrochloric acid. After setting everything up, I placed the medal into the acid. A scent filled the air, but it was very faint. I was about to waft the fumes towards me, but before I could, Bella spoke. "It's silver." I looked back at her, astonished. How did she know?

Answering my unspoken question, she spoke again, "I can smell it from over here. The metallic smell is much more potent than with gold, but it's not as potent as iron." I wrote down the required equations and the solution. After clearing up the mess, I turned to Bella and prepared myself to speak, but was interrupted by Mr. Banner.

"You finished already? Let me check your work." He looked over it and then turned to me and then Bella. "How did you finish it so quickly?" This time, Bella spoke, "I can smell the difference when the medal was placed in the hydrochloric acid." Mr. Banner nodded and sighed before announcing to the class that Bella and I wouldn't have to do the essay. Everyone groaned and when I turned to Bella, she had that beautiful crimson blush upon cheeks. Was she embarrassed with attention? I wouldn't be surprised. She didn't seem like the kind of person who would flaunt herself for everyone to see and yet she had so much to actually flaunt. Again, she was abnormal in the most wonderful way.

"Bella…" Her head shot around to me. "I have to apologize for my behavior on Monday. That was unacceptable. I will understand if you never forgive me and you hate me, but I am being completely sincere." She seemed to be listening to my every word, searching for any hint of dishonesty. She wouldn't find it, because I meant every word I said.

She sighed and faced herself so it looked as if she was actually looking into my eyes. Her milky covered brown eyes felt as if they were piercing through me. It was a scary feeling, but I loved it. "I will forgive you, that is if you forgive me for what I did to your foot. I hope I didn't hurt you too badly." A light blush spread across her cheeks as I chuckled. I shook my head then answered, "Bella, you have nothing to apologize for. It was my fault for acting like a bloody idiot to you. But if accepting your apology means you will accept mine, then I accept your apology. She smiled a small smile and I felt my heart skip a beat.

"But Bella, there is one thing I would like to ask you." She turned back to me and tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She was adorable. "What is it you would like to ask?" I was watching as her lips moved. They looked so soft and smooth. Quickly, I remembered what she asked and answered, "I know you probably don't trust me and I understand if you don't want to, but could you find it in your heart to allow me to be your friend?" Her eyes went wide, brows shot up in surprise. She really didn't expect that, I presume. Suddenly, her shocked face turned to one of confusion and then concentration.

"I don't know Edward. Your reputation precedes you and I don't want to be one of your so called "projects"." I could feel my face fall, but I knew that she was right. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"Wait, Bella please. Just consider this. If I can earn your trust, will you allow me to be your friend, please? I can prove to you my worth." She seemed to be mulling over the idea in her head. Finally, she answered, "Okay Edward, you've got a deal. But you've got to promise that hitting on me and the use of other girls for your pleasure has got to stop." My mind was going a million miles a minute. She said yes, she said yes, she said yes, she said yes!!

"Bella, thank you so much! You won't regret this!" Without thinking, I pulled her into a hug. As soon as my skin came into contact with hers, I felt a shock rush through me. She must have felt it too because she jumped slightly. "Sorry," I murmured. I was just ecstatic. The bell rang soon afterwards and Bella walked off to her gym class. On the way to study hall, I ran into Emmett and stopped him. I might as well apologize to him and tell him what was now going on.

"Emmett, wait up." He turned to me and there was a look of anger in his eyes. Yup, his grudge was still there. "What do you want Cullen? Coming to ask for my sister's phone number?" I shook my head quickly and explained, "Emmett, I swear, those days are over. I swore to Bella that I wouldn't treat her like Lauren or Jessica. In fact, I promised her I wouldn't treat any girl like that. I am not willing to break that swear." His look was disbelieving.

"Edward, ever since you moved here, you have been a player. How do I know that you are being serious? How do I know that you won't hurt Bella like you hurt every other girl you used?" I looked down, ashamed. "Emmett, you are just going to have to trust me and let time tell. I wouldn't ever hurt your sister. She's not every other girl. I have to earn her trust again." I finally looked up and he stared at me deeply. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "Emmett, would you forgive me for acting like an idiot if I buy you your favorite candy and rent your favorite, stupid Sci-fi flick?" His eyes opened up in astonishment and awe at the words.

"You mean you would actually buy the candy corn and rent Shadow Ghost?!" I nodded with a smile on my face while he patted my shoulder in his brotherly manner and grinned widely. "Okay man, you're forgiven. But if you hurt my sister, you are going down." He spoke seriously for that last part. I assured him and hurried off to class. This day was turning out so much better than I planned. And from this moment, I knew that I couldn't screw up again. I had to earn her trust.


See, you guys rock my socks so much that I have posted two chapters in one day!! All those reviews are going to my head though. Just kidding…Anyway, there really was a Sci-fi film called Shadow Ghost some time ago. I didn't watch it, but I know there was one out there. Whoa, I actually finished this chapter in about two hours!!

Remember, your reviews rock my fuzzy emo My Chemical Romance socks!! And they make me want to head bang in my new emo haircut, so review!!