Chapter 3

Edward's POV

I stared at her, savoring the sight before me, appreciating the view from my end of the teenage wasteland. She was a work of art, molded into perfection by God himself, and dangling in front of me like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. I could look, but couldn't touch, and that fact only made me want her even more.

Like an addiction, I was enslaved to her, always trying to get the next fix. Since there was no way in hell that I would ever have any kind of chance with her, I was not above stalking. Not psycho stalking, per se, but more like pseudo stalking. It was really more like observing…with the occasional manipulation of circumstance.

As a general rule, I kept my stalking impulses at school, which I found to be very convenient. It was easy to find little ways to get close to her and I took full advantage of this fact. I often followed her to and from class, using the crowd of students as my cover, wincing every time she ran into the back of someone or stumbled into a trash bin. Sometimes, I was able to get close enough behind her that I could smell her strawberry scented hair.

Fuck, that smell drove me CrAzY.

Okay, so I guess my actions could be misconstrued as psycho stalking, but I didn't give a damn. It was all I had and all I was ever going to get. I mean, it wasn't like I was climbing through her window at night to watch her sleep, or reading her diary to get inside her head. I was harmless, only affecting myself, torturing myself to meet my own masochistic needs.

I was always walking along that very thin line between 'too close' and 'not close enough', and she was completely oblivious. She never once noticed me, not even when I purposefully put myself directly in her path at the library. I was pretending to read Virgil's The Aeneid, but watching her from behind the pages. As she walked past, I casually stood to replace the book in its spot on the shelf, causing her to run into me head on, dropping her books at her feet. I leaned down to help her gather them and steadied myself, waiting impatiently for her to finally raise her head and acknowledging me. But, she didn't. Instead she kept her head down, quickly scooping the books up before I had a chance.

"I. Am. So. Sorry," she apologized to the floor, and then whispered under her breath, "I'm such a fucking idiot." She immediately stood and took off through the door. She was embarrassed and didn't even give me the pleasure of watching her blush.

Was I really that invisible to her?

This morning as I looked her over, working my way up and over her body, I drank in her beauty. She was flawless, perfect… except for the hideous tumor that was attached to her side. And by tumor, I mean her douche of a boyfriend, Jacob Black.

Watching him, hover over her, eyeing her like she was something to eat, made me sick to my stomach. I suddenly felt the urge to knock him on his Neanderthal ass and take my rightful place at her side.

If I could have just one taste of her, one tiny taste, maybe it would satiate this insatiable appetite. Or maybe, it would only ignite a hunger that could never be truly satisfied.

What ever the outcome, I was willing to risk it.

I stared at her intently as she turned and faced my direction, her eyes settling on me. They looked me over, exposing me for the insecure little boy that I was. I felt naked, standing vulnerable to her exploring eyes. As they roamed over my body, I couldn't stop the slight smile from forming on my face once our eyes met. She was looking at me… AT ME! My dick sprung forward and I had to use my pocketed hand to hold it down. Just as I was getting comfortable under her stare, her face flushed red and abruptly turned away from me.

"Oh shit! She saw my boner!" was my immediate thought. Or, was she just disgusted by this obvious loser, ogling her with desperation?

Suddenly, a look of dejection shot across her face as her eyes shot to Jacob, then down at her feet. She was obviously embarrassed by whatever Jacob was saying. He was doubled over in a fit of laughter, pointing at her, as his friends circled around them, rapt in his story. What the hell was he saying about her?

I envisioned myself hurdling over cars, making my way toward him, using my fist to stop the blasphemous words that were coming from his mouth regarding my angel.

She looked so small and frail as I watched her hide behind her long hair. The fact that he made her hide her beautiful face from me, only reinforced my hatred for him. He was a fucking imbecile who was completely oblivious to what he had.

I was absently taking a step in their direction, when I was snapped out of my thoughts by Jasper, throwing his fist into my arm.

"The fuck, Jasper! What the hell was that for?" I asked sullenly, rubbing the frog out of my bicep.

"You're fucking whipped, man. You're drooling over this chick that you have a one and a million chance with and it's pathetic."

That sobering truth hit me hard, but I jokingly returned, "So, you're saying there's a chance?"

He just shook his head and shoved me forward as we laughed at my hopeless situation.

Once I stepped through the front doors of school, my nose was quickly assaulted with the stench of chalk dust and raging hormones.

God, and to think I was one of them.

Just to emphasize the fact that I had now entered hell, my eyes landed on the quarter back and prom queen going at it against a set of lockers in the hall. He was pushing her against the locker with her leg hiked up, resting on his hip, practically fucking her right there in the hallway. I couldn't take my eyes off of them. It was like watching National Geographic's documentary of the mating rituals of the Grizzly Bear.

Being stoned out of my head, I began hearing the soothing voice of Sigourney Weaver, narrating the scene before me.

'The male approaches the female voraciously, cornering her with his massive body. She at first rejects him, fighting him off with lazy paw swats and playful growls. This display of courtship develops into aggressive advances by the male who charges and bites the female into submission against school property, the back seat of his Jeep, or the old musky couch in his parents' basement. This eventually progresses into a savage copulation, ending with the male releasing his load on the female's stomach and passing out on her tits.'

Lost in my own world, staring at them in fascination, I suddenly realized that they were no longer groping each other; but instead, looking at me in disgust. My eyes quickly averted themselves to the floor as I awkwardly shrugged my shoulders at them and sauntered away.

As I watched my chucks move across the black and white checkered flooring, I was stopped by a brick wall... Or, at least, I thought it was a wall. It definitely stopped me dead in my tracks like a wall.

A set of hands grabbed the front of my shirt as I stumbled and looked up, into the face of my nemesis, Jacob Black.

"Watch where the fuck you're going, Loser," he said as he eyed me up and down.

Looking over his shoulder, I saw Bella pulling at his arm trying to get him to release me, a look of alarm on her face.

Was she worried about Jacob getting in trouble or was she worried about me getting hurt? I couldn't tell. My eyes moved from her, and down to his hands gripping my T-shirt. I felt the rage before I heard it, moving up from my gut and out of my mouth in the form of words.

"Fuck you, dick!" I spat out, pulling myself from his grasp.

My eyes widened, as I prepared myself to run.

I may be a masochist, but I'm not a complete fucking idiot.

Just as I was about to take off, Mr. Banner, my biology teacher, walked in between us. He eyed us, before asking, "Do we have a problem, boys?"

"No sir," Jacob replied through clenched teeth, glaring at me with contempt.

"And you, Edward?" Mr. Banner turned toward me, waiting for my answer.

Do I have a problem? Hell yeah, I have a problem! He's dating MY GIRL and could quite possibly be using steroids, because he is unnaturally enormous, and I hope it makes his balls shrivel up and fall off.

This was what I was thinking, but instead, "No problem, Mr. Banner," came running out of my mouth like verbal diarrhea.

He turned us both in the direction of our classrooms and gave us a firm pat on our backs, saying, "Good. Now let's get to class, shall we."

Jacob glared at me one last time and turned toward Bella, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him. She turned to me and mouthed the word "sorry" and darted her eyes at Jacob while he was busy laughing with his friends. I could have sworn I saw a look of disgust as she stared him down.

I walked into my first class, which just so happened to be Biology, with Mr. Banner. He simply gave me a nod as I walked past him, taking my seat at the back of the room. My lab partner, Alice, was busy looking at herself through her compact mirror, attempted to smooth out her spiky hair.

Alice was a member of the cheer squad, but a little more tolerable than the rest of them. I mean, she wasn't bitchy, but she wasn't overly nice either. If I said something to her, she didn't ignore me and sometimes she even added to the conversation.

If anything else, we could always rely on Mr. Banner's overly excited attitude toward Biology, to give a something to discuss.

Last week, he was explaining Cell Biology, starting his lecture enthusiastically wide-eyed.

"Knowing the components of cells and how cells work is fundamental to all biological sciences. Appreciating the similarities and differences between cell types is extremely important to the fields of cell and molecular biology as well as to biomedical fields such as cancer research and developmental biology."

By the end of his rant he was so excited, his breathing was erratic and there a look of madness in his eyes. Alice leaned over and whispered, "I think he just jizzed his pants with that one."

I couldn't help but look down at his zipper, and I'd be damned, he had a hard-on. No Shit!

At the end of class, Jasper was waiting for me at the door, holding his fingers to his lips, holding an imaginary joint, silently asking me to join him in a toke. Alice walked out before me, and as soon as she passed by Jasper, his eyes locked in on her ass.

"Da-amn!" he whispered, grabbing his junk and biting his lip. I just shook my head, as I watched the pixie turn to him, rolling her eyes, before settling them on his. Just as her mouth opened, preparing to tell him off, it shut and formed into a wicked smile. Without a word, she turned and walked away, shaking her ass exaggeratedly, throwing him one last glance over her shoulder.

"I believe I've just seen the devil herself," he said, once outside, as he lit the joint.

"Why do you say that?" I questioned, amused.

Taking a hit and inhaling deeply, he explained, "The devil uses flesh to tempt the soul," then releasing the thick smoke in my direction, he finished, "She tempted me alright."

"It's good to know that I'm not the only one."

"What does that mean?" he asked, confused.

"Dude, she's a fucking cheerleader. She's as far out of your reach as Bella is to me. Your chances with her are… How did you put it? Oh yeah…. One and a million, remember."

Using my own words against me, he said, "So, your saying I've got a chance."

After a good laugh we walked back in and resumed our day in hell.

Bella POV

The day was passing by way too quickly, and before I knew it, it was time for lunch.

I was starting to get really nervous about the task ahead. Not that I was second guessing myself, I definitely wasn't, but I needed more time to think of what I was going to say to Jacob and was beginning to worry about how he would react. He could be a real hot head sometimes, all brawn and no brains. The thought of breaking up with him, in the meadow while we were alone, was starting to sound like a bad idea. But, I had no choice. I hated him, but I didn't want to humiliate him in front of the entire school, and maybe being in such a tranquil place, would give me a chance to talk to him civilly.

He had never done anything to make me think he would hurt me, but he had a temper and I had seen it first hand. A prime example was the encounter he had with the Adonis in the hallway. If Mr. Banner hadn't have stepped in when he did, Jacob would have pummeled him to the ground.

I shook my head at the thought of my unreasonable infatuation with the Adonis of the parking lot, and made my way to the cafeteria.

"Bella! Over here!"

I looked up to find Alice yelling from across the room. She was standing on a chair waving her hands, apparently afraid that I couldn't hear her. I laughed at her subtleness, or lack there of. Even though she only stood 4'9", she made up for the lack of height with personality. She was confident and bubbly, standing out like a diamond, outshining the rest of the rhinestone cheer bitches. I could always count on her honesty, and was someone that I could trust, which was exactly what I needed at the moment.

Looking over at the table where she stood, I couldn't help but notice Rosalie, sitting in Emmett's lap, sucking his face off. My appetite immediately left me, and seeing Jacob at the table with his big toothy grin, made we want to retch out any remaining food yet undigested from breakfast.

I slowly walked over to our table, wearing my best 'sick face', which wasn't hard to do as long as I was looking at him.

"What's wrong, Bella? You look like shit," Alice asked with concern.

I looked at her and gave a quick nod towards to the door that lead outside. "Yeah, I'm not feeling well. Wanna go outside with me to get some fresh air?"

Understanding settled in her eyes as she got out of her seat.

"Suuuure," she drew out, wrapping her arm around my shoulders comfortingly, telling the others that we'd be right back.

As soon as we made it outside, she pulled away from me and threw her hands on her hips.

"You are a horrible liar. What the hell's going on?"

"I'm breaking up with Jacob after school," I answered quickly, as if he was going to bust through the door and hear me. Like he cared enough to see if I was alright.

"'Bout time," she said, rolling her eyes as if bored by the subject. "I don't know why you've waited so long. Do you enjoy torture?"

"I know, I'm an idiot," I said mostly to myself. "Anyway, can you wait for me in the parking lot after school so that I can catch a ride home?"

She looked at me questioningly. "You're gonna do it here? Today? Are you fucking crazy! 'Cause you know Jacob, and if you humiliate him in front of everybody, there's no telling what he'll do. He's the fucking Hulk, for Christ's sake."

"Alice, don't be so dramatic. He's not going to do anything. He's too conceited to act like he cares. He'll probably tell me he was going to do it if I didn't anyway. And, I'm not gonna tell him at school. I'm going to take him to the meadow so that we can talk it out like adults. It'll be fine," I said reassuringly.

"Now I know you're crazy. You know there's medication for that. How's 'bout we scratch out your little plan and you just leave a break up note on his windshield. That way you're far away from him when he reads it and starts looking for something to punch."

I huffed, "Come on, Alice, I need your help. Just do this for me, okay. I can't just break up with the guy without giving him an explanation."

She shook her head in defeat. "I'll give you 20 minutes, and if you not in my car by then, I'm coming to get you're ass."

Once that was settled, the door to the cafeteria swung open. There, with the sun reflecting off his copper hair, was my Adonis. I was vaguely aware of the blondie that was standing beside him, when I felt Alice jerk me back into the building.

"Damn it, Alice, you're gonna pull my arm off." I swear she was an ox trapped in the body of a faerie.

She was hyperventilating with her hand on her chest, smiling dreamily.

"What's going on?" I asked with suspicion.

She just shook her head and looked at the floor as if trying to snap herself out of the daze I was finding her in. "Did you see him, that hunk of a man that walked out with Edward? I saw him this morning standing outside of Biology. They must be friends. He was so totally checking me out and... I don't know... I liked it. And he is nothing like my usual type. I mean, did you see his clothes. I will definitely have to work on his style..."

She continued making plans with the boy that hadn't even asked her out yet, when suddenly, it struck me.

"Edward?" Was that my Adonis's name?

She looked up from the floor, breaking away from her own thoughts. "Yeah, he sits next to me in Biology. Why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering. I mean, I noticed him this morning in the parking lot. Then Jacob tried to pick a fight with him in the hall. It seems like he's been popping up a lot today after not ever seeing him before."

Alice started laughing, hysterically. "You think he's hot!"

"What? No, I've just noticed him a lot today." I started remembering his face, his chiseled jaw and luscious lips, and got lost in my thoughts.

"Did you notice his nice lips? I bet he could make a girl beg for mercy with those lips." Did I just say that out loud?

"Girl, you need to get laid," Alice snorted, as she poked her finger through the circle she made with her other hand.

She can be so juvenile.

My eyes widen. "Alice, I'm trying to get rid of one boyfriend. I don't need another one." Although, Edward would be at the top of the list of possible candidates, when I decided I was ready again.

"Who said anything about a boyfriend, Bella? I'm talking sex… with Edward."

I shook my head "I'm not ready, and who's to say he would even be interested."

The thought of it made me blush, and made me nervous, because I could actually see myself enjoying that little scenario. Not like Jacob, with whom I was miserable, and never could see myself with him in that way.

She quickly changed the subject as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. I ran over to Jacob as he was picking his tray up from the table.

"Hey, Jacob, umm… Can we take a walk to the meadow after school today, so we can talk?" I asked, stressing the 'T' in the word talk. I didn't want him getting any ideas.

He lifted my chin with his fingers and kissed me, forcefully pushing his tongue between my lips. "We can definitely go to our meadow, but I don't know how much talking we're gonna do."

I forced a smile and fought back the nausea. Maybe the meadow wasn't such a good idea. Oh well, what's done is done. I was just going to have to focus on the task at hand once we got there, and not let him sway me.

If I lay it out on the table quickly, I won't have to endure his rough hands and dry humping.

I closed my eyes and pictured Edward's arm around my waist, as Jacob took hold of it, leading me to my next class.