All recognizable characters are property of Stephanie Meyer and the author makes no financial gains from using them. I just like to make them spoiled little rich kids.

This story will bounce back and forth between the present time (senior year) and the summer before. Please do not hesitate to PM me with any questions you may have.

Big thanks to Kaila for betaing this for me.

Thank you to those of you who have added my story to your favorites or alerts, I really hope you enjoy it. The first several chapters should post pretty quick, but they may start to slow down after chapter 10. Thanks for reading!

"So, since Emmett got to give you a ride home yesterday, does that mean it's my turn today?" J asked as he slid into his seat behind Bella.

"What makes you think I have any interest in riding with you?" she returned, not even turning around.

"Because I am the hottest guy in school," he replied cockily. "Not to mention one of the best rides."

"Well, you'll have to excuse me if I have no interest in riding you," Bella said.

"But you don't deny that I'm the hottest guy in school," J noted.

"That would be all you heard." She laughed lightly.

"Really though," he said, leaning closer to her, finally causing her to turn. "Why can't I give you a ride home?"

"Honestly?" she asked with a sigh.

"Please," he stated, waiting.

"Because there's no dance today and Kate's already taking me home," she replied simply.

"How about tomorrow then?" J questioned, not missing a beat.

"I don't think so," Bella replied before attempting to face forward again.

"This is because I'm friends with James, isn't it?" he stated blatantly.

"Yes, and James is a dick," she replied in an annoyed tone.

"Dick? That's pretty crass speak for a lady." J smirked.

"Désolé, James est une bite," Bella said with a tight lipped smile.

Jasper let out a loud, boisterous laugh. "It does sound so much classier in French," he said, still laughing. "So the reason I can't take you home is because James is a dick?" he clarified.

"Pretty much." Bella nodded in confirmation.

"I could've sworn we discussed this yesterday, but I'll play," he said, more to himself than to her. "Don't you think it's a little hypocritical to judge me based on my friends?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I mean, you don't seem to be judging Emmett by the fact that he's friends with James."

"Emmett wasn't there," she stated, looking directly into his eyes.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Don't judge a book by its cover?'" he asked in return.

"Haven't you ever heard of 'birds of a feather?'" she responded. J opened his mouth to respond but the teacher called the class to order. He sighed and settled for staring at the back of Bella's head for the next hour.

"How goes the second day?" Kate asked as she swirled her spoon around in her yogurt cup.

"Same as the first." Bella shrugged in response.

"Nothing exciting?" Rosalie asked as Bella swirled her fry in the ketchup on her plate.

"Not really." She shrugged again, popping the fry into her mouth. "But I think things may be looking up," she added as something caught her eye. Rosalie and Kate both looked up and began searching for whatever she was looking at, but spied nothing. "How long 'til Angela shows up, you think?" Bella slowly got up from the table.

"She normally picks up a new book from the library before lunch, so probably another five minutes," Rosalie responded. "Why?"

"Payback," Bella answered with a gleam in her eye.

"Where's she going?" Alice asked, sitting down as Bella left the table.

"I don't know, but I think we're in for a show," Rosalie replied, watching Bella as she approached Emmett, J, and Edward. Bella stalked slowly up behind Edward silently telling Emmett not to say anything when he noticed her. She slipped her arms around Edward's waist lifting his blazer in the process.

"What the?" Edward exclaimed in surprise.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Bella cooed into his ear.

"Is there, um, something I can help you with?" he asked, making no attempt to move her arms but unable to contain the surprise in his tone.

"I just keep thinking about yesterday," she whispered huskily into his ear as she slowly undid his belt. "I keep thinking of your hand on the back of my skirt." She breathed deeply and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "The way your hand felt on me." She licked the shell of his ear hoping it would be enough to distract him as she slid his zipper down and unbuttoned his pants. It seemed to do the trick as he tilted his head further towards her mouth.

"Yeah?" he asked as Emmett and J watched in amusement.

"I just keep thinking how much..." she trailed off.

"How much?" Edward asked, licking his lips in anticipation of her next words.

"How much fun it was going to be to get you back." She laughed, dropping his pants to the floor and stepping away so that everyone got a full view of not only his black boxer briefs, but also the very prominent erection he was sporting.

The laughter that immediately erupted around him pulled Edward out of the fantasy he had been letting himself get pulled into. "What the fuck?" he exclaimed, suddenly realizing that his pants were pooled around his ankles.

"Tanya wasn't lying," Bella noted, blatantly checking out his package.

"Tanya?" Emmett asked as Edward made a quick grab for his pants.

"You didn't really think the girls didn't tell each other about us, did you?" J said to Emmett, shooting Bella a quick look.

"What'd they tell you about me?" Emmett asked, looking quite cocky all of a sudden; obviously taking the bait J had offered him.

"They said that was something I'd need to try for myself." She smirked at him and he nodded in agreement, a smug smile plastered all over his face.

Edward stared at Bella not sure what to think, part of him was pissed that he had been humiliated in front of everyone, but another part of him knew he'd deserved it and found it incredibly hot that she'd gotten him back.

"We even now?" Edward asked, pressing his body against Bella's.

Bella's breath caught in her throat as his green eyes stared back into hers. She could feel his still very prominent erection against her stomach and she had to force herself to speak.

"For now," she replied before turning and walking back to the table where Rosalie, Alice, and Kate were doubled over in laughter.

June 29th continued

At almost exactly nine o'clock, James was waiting at the foot of the deck stairs for Isabella. He had on a pair of navy track pants and a gray sweatshirt from Princeton. His dark blond hair blew in the wind, still slightly damp from his shower. James listened to the sound of the waves and marveled at how quiet it was for nine. All too soon the beach would be over crowded with drunk and loud teenagers and he would be amongst them.

He noticed Isabella's light shut off and listened for her as she came out onto the deck. Her dark brown hair hung strait around her shoulders blowing lightly in the breeze. She had on form fitting pair of black pants and a thin red tank top. He could see a slight pinkness to her skin from where she had gotten too much sun this afternoon. Under her right arm she carried a large comforter and her face lit up as she approached him.

"Can I carry that for you?" he asked politely.

"Thank you," she said, handing it to him. He put it under his right arm and then took her right hand in his left.

"What's the blanket for?" he asked casually as they walked down the beach a little ways.

"I thought we could look at stars," she said with a shy smile.

"Look at stars?" he asked snottily. "What are we twelve?"

"Oh, I see," she scoffed. "You'll spend all day looking at clouds, but someone asks you to look at stars and you make fun of them."

"Good point," he admitted and began spreading out the comforter where she had pointed.

They laid down on the blanket and situated themselves on their backs. James looked up at the stars trying to find something to say, but nothing came to him.

"Did you know you can have stars named after you?" he finally asked after some time.

"I've heard that," she acknowledged. "I think it would be neat, but at the same time, I believe that the majority of the stars belong to something greater and we shouldn't try to change them into something they aren't."

"What do you mean?" he asked, feeling like she was speaking in code.

"Well, there are a lot of old stories about how the stars and constellations came to be and what they represent."

"Tell me a story," he requested, rolling onto his side and gazing at her. She pursed her lips together in thought. "Come on," he begged slightly. "I told you a cloud story."

"Yeah, but it wasn't a very good one." She laughed. "I don't really remember them exactly," she said with a sad look.

"Do the best you can," he suggested. Bella continued looking to the sky for a bit before giving in.

"I vaguely remember this one story about the Gemini stars," she began. James eyed her in anticipation and she continued. "It's a Greek legend that Zeus had two sons, Castor and Pollux. Castor was mortal and Pollux was immortal. The legend says that they were so close that when Castor died, Pollux asked Zeus to share his immortality with his brother so they could stay together and Zeus transformed them into the Gemini constellation." James watched the way her eyes lit up as she spoke the legend and smiled seeing her so fascinated by something.

"Nothing like a good bromance," he said, laughing lightly. She shot him a small smile that lifted the corner of her mouth.

The breeze picked up as they laid there and soon Bella was shivering from the cool ocean air. "Here," James offered, pulling his sweatshirt off.

"Thanks, but you're gonna be cold now," she pointed out.

"I can remedy that," he said as she laid back down. He turned onto his side facing her and pulled her towards him. "Body heat," he whispered breathily into her surprised face.

"I guess that would work," she said, looking slightly frightened.

He didn't know whether it was the sweetness of her breath or the close proximity, but James couldn't suppress the growing urge to kiss her and find out if she tasted as good as she smelled. It almost seemed that Bella knew something was coming and was holding her breath. James stared longingly into her eyes and then lightly pressed his lips to hers.

They were soft and molded to his perfectly. She tasted even more amazing than she smelled. She returned his kiss with fervor and pressed her hands against his chest needing to touch as much of him as possible. He trailed kisses along her neck and up to her ears wanting to kiss all the skin he could find. Her body molded perfectly to his and he felt oddly calm holding her body against his. They breathed deeply staring at each other for a moment before smiling as if they were the only ones in on a very big secret.

"I guess I can add that to my list of ways on how to keep warm," she said in light joking tone.

"There's only one problem with adding that to your list though," he told her, not taking his eyes off her.

"What's that?" she asked as she lightly kissed him again.

"It'll only work with me," he said, smiling as he kissed her again.

Present Day

James spent the entire lunch period under the bleachers with the cutest girl in the sophomore class, but still left for fifth period feeling oddly unfulfilled. This was normal back to school protocol: cute girl under the bleachers, a little extracurricular activity, and then off to fifth period feeling nice and relaxed.

It hadn't worked so far though and he'd even missed most of fifth period the day before but still felt extremely tense; as unfortunately, his friends had noticed.

Advanced physics, he thought with a sigh as he strutted down the hall. He flashed his million dollar smile to the girls who made no attempt to hide their ogling before turning into the lab room and searching for an empty seat. James was amazed at how full the room seemed to be.

One last ditch effort at impressing the ivies, he thought bitterly. Anyone knew that one advanced placement physics class was not going to make a difference this late into their high school careers, but it never seemed to stop them.

He eyed the only empty seat next to a brunette who looked oddly familiar. James swung his leg over the stool and dropped his books on the black counter top before throwing his best smile at the girl next to him; who knew, she might just be willing to do his work for the year. His grin quickly faded as the girl's deep brown eyes met his and seemed to sneer almost instantly.

"Find another seat," she said to him, barely containing her anger.

"I don't know if you've noticed D, but there aren't any other seats," he replied.

"Pay someone to switch with you or whatever, but find another seat," Bella growled at him. "And don't call me that." Her eyes were on fire as she stared intently back at him and it took all of her self control not to throttle him where he sat.

He eyed her up and down for a moment trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation before giving up and standing. He glanced around the room trying to figure out if there was someone else he could trade seats with as Mr. Banner took his place at the front of the room.

"Is there a problem Mr. Evans?" he addressed James, causing everyone in the class to turn and stare at him; everyone except for Isabella who was now looking decisively forward.

"Just looking for another seat, Sir," James replied, trying to be as polite as possible.

"Is there a problem with your current seat?" Mr. Banner asked, the skepticism in his voice prominent.

"Actually, Sir," Bella spoke up, "I'd really prefer to have a lab partner that pulls their own weight."

"I realize you're new here, Ms. Swan," Mr. Banner returned, "but do you really think it's fair to the rest of your classmates to ask them to work with someone you deem to not be able to pull their own weight?" Bella opened her mouth to respond but was quickly cut off by Banner speaking again. "Your worries are unfounded anyways, Ms. Swan," he continued on. "Mr. Evans maintains a four point oh GPA." Bella turned to James for confirmation and he at least had the decency to blush slightly as he nodded in confirmation.

"I assume that takes care of everything?" Mr. Banner raised an eyebrow at the two of them. Bella said nothing, but James didn't miss the angry sigh that escaped her as he retook his seat or the way her knuckles seemed to turn white as she gripped her pen. Mr. Banner nodded once to them before beginning his lesson of the day.

"Looks like we're stuck," James observed, feeling the need to say something.

"Looks like," Bella agreed, letting out a deep breath of air.

"It's only for a year, Duchess; we can manage it," James said.

Bella turned sharply towards him as he used her old nickname for the second time. "You do your work and I'll do mine, but don't for one minute think we'll be working on anything together," she said to him, her eyes blazing. "And I highly suggest you stop calling me that," she warned before turning her attention away from him.

It's gonna be a long year, he thought to himself.

Edward quickly got out of bed and slid into the first pair of jeans he could find. He wandered out onto the patio that connected to his room, lighting up a cigarette in the process. His gaze wandered over the trees surrounding his family's property and he blew out a breath of smoke as he reveled in the quiet.

"Edward," the whiny voice from his bed broke through the silence. He rolled his eyes before sticking his head back into the room making sure to hold the cigarette outside as far as possible. The last thing he needed was the help telling his mother that he'd been smoking in the house.

He eyed the blond still in his bed with a look of distaste as he waited for her to continue. "What're you doing out there?" Tanya threw her slightly mussed up mane over her shoulder in an effort to entice him back to bed, but all she got was an eye roll in response. Edward brought his hand in briefly, showing her the cigarette in his hand before turning his back and walking back out into the night. "Smoking is gross you know," Tanya hollered out to him.

Yes, and the stuff you snort up your nose on a regular basis is so much more attractive, he resisted saying.

Tanya played with the edge of the comforter for a couple minutes while she waited for Edward to come back inside. She finally sighed in frustration when it became apparent that he wouldn't be back in anytime soon.

"I'm gonna take a shower," she yelled out to him as she extracted herself from the sheets. Edward's eyes snapped up and he quickly stubbed out the cigarette and headed back inside.

"Can't you do that when you get home?" he asked, leaning against the wall just inside the glass doors.

"You have an issue with me using the bathroom now?" Tanya raised an eyebrow at him incredulously. She was somewhat used to a hot and cold, post coital Edward, but this was a bit ridiculous.

"Yeah, I do," he confirmed. "I have to share it with someone else now and I really don't feel like explaining to Angela why you were in my shower."

"Who, Bella?" Tanya asked, remembering who was across the hall. "Don't worry about her, she won't say anything."

"All the same, I'd prefer not to chance it," he replied.

"Fine. Whatever. Just give me a ride home then and I guess I'll shower there," Tanya said as she began to search for her clothes.

"Can't you call Alice or someone to come get you?" he asked in a bored tone.

"No, I can't." She rolled her eyes at him as she slid her underwear up her legs. "You know, on second thought, I'll just go ask Bella for a ride home." Edward sighed in annoyance before throwing on a rumpled shirt and grabbing his keys.

"Hurry up," he growled at her. "I'll be waiting in the car." Tanya smiled sweetly in response as she slid into her jeans. Edward shut the door behind him only to stop dead in his tracks as Bella walked towards him.

"Fancy meeting you here," she quipped with a grin.

"I'm just heading out," he replied.

Bella glanced down at her watch and then back at him in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"Got a Gordita craving," he supplied.

"Grab me an Enchurito?" she requested.

"Sure thing." He nodded as she walked into her room. Edward let out a deep breath as her door shut. He ran a hand roughly through his messy hair, realizing that him not wanting Tanya in his shower had nothing to do with Angela finding out and everything to do with Bella catching Tanya in there. For some reason, he didn't want Bella knowing that he'd slept with Tanya.

"You're out late," Tanya's mother observed as her heels clicked across the foyer.

"Mom," Tanya said surprised. "I figured you'd have gone to bed." She fidgeted nervously, which was completely out of character for her.

"I had a phone conference with Alice's mother. She wanted to check in and make sure everything went well at camp and that the beginning of the year was going well." Margraux unclipped her hair and shook it out, running her fingers through her golden locks. "Where were you so late?" she asked as if the thought had just occurred to her.

"Kate wanted yogurt," she lied. "You know how those McAllister's are when they get a craving."

"Mmm," her mother nodded as she sat down on the settee. "That's interesting considering Irina and Kate stopped by earlier." She stopped, looking thoughtful for a moment and Tanya wondered if her mother was going to call her out on her lie. "She must've gotten the craving once they got home," she finished.

"Yeah," Tanya nodded as she moved towards the stairs. "I think I'm gonna head up."

"Tanya," her mother's voice carried up to her, effectively stopping her half way up the staircase. "Be careful with the Cullen men, they're not known for marrying the girl they fool around with." Tanya was instantly glad that she had mastered the art of concealment in her features at a young age.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Tanya responded, taking a couple steps down to find her mother at the foot of the staircase.

"All the same," Margraux waived her hand as if to carry on. "I know firsthand how hard it can be to lose a Cullen. Don't get me wrong; socially, there are few names better than Hale, but Cullen is one of them and it can be quite the blow to one's ego to believe they will one day become one and then…Well, not."

Tanya and her mother had always had a closer relationship than most of the mothers and daughters in their circle, but never quite close enough to be discussing Tanya's sex life. A look of confusion swept over her features as she took the remaining steps down the stairs and rejoined her mother.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Carlisle and I spent quite a bit of time together when we were in school," she began, looking tired at the thought of the memory she was recalling. "Carlisle always said that he had no desire for a girlfriend, but I was the closest thing there was. I attended all the school dances with him and all the social functions. I think your grandmother had already had the invitations made up even. To me, it seemed no big deal to engage in other activities with him considering I knew I would become his fiancée after graduation." Margraux lost herself briefly in all those years ago. She could remember each and every dress she had danced with Carlisle in and still had them stored away in the attic.

"Carlisle was a year ahead of me in school, so he graduated and headed off to Yale in the fall. I was able to sneak off and visit him for the first month or so, but as my course load increased, I saw him less and less. We would see each other frequently over the winter holidays and all my nerves were calmed as everything had seemed so normal when he came home for Christmas. I was fully expecting a proposal in June and was utterly shocked when he came home for summer break with Esme, the five carat engagement ring already on her finger. I did my best to act as if it had meant nothing to me, but one night shortly before my own leaving for college, I broke down and asked him." She locked eyes with her daughter to ensure she was listening and Tanya's icy blue eyes stared back at her in confirmation. "He told me that men didn't marry the girl they fucked in high school and that I'd do well to think about that before I left for college."

Tanya instantly grew angry and hurt on her mother's behalf. She'd known Carlisle Cullen her entire life, and while he was never the kindest man, she'd never suspected him of such cruelty.

"Does Esme know?" she asked, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

"Of course not!" Her mother looked shocked at the thought before calming down again. "It wasn't Esme's fault, she didn't know what had gone on and oddly enough, she's become one of my dearest friends. I just wanted to you to have all the information you might need," she finished. Without another word she ascended the stairs never glancing back at her daughter. Tanya briefly wondered if her mother was crying, but she knew better than to go to check on her. Margraux was a proud woman and no one would ever see her shed a tear, not even her own daughter.

Tanya wiggled the mouse to her computer and it instantly lit up with an instant message from Alice.

danseur: you just getting in?

goldngyrl: yeah, late night…

danseur: how is dear Edward this evening?

goldngyrl: delicious as always.

Tanya's fingers hovered over the keys as she debated her next question.

danseur: you're taking too long. What's up?

goldngyrl: do you think what I'm doing with him is wrong?

danseur: are you actually developing a conscience Tan? Since when do you care how this would affect Angela?

goldngyrl: Angela? Gawd no! My mom just said something tonight that got me thinking.

danseur: do share

goldngyrl: she said that Cullen men don't…

danseur: marry the girl they fuck?

goldngyrl: not those words exactly, but yeah. How'd you know?

danseur: Rosalie's mom made a similar comment to her after she found out she slept with Alec. I believe her exact words were, "I sure hope you're not expecting to marry him, because Cullen men don't marry the girls they fuck."

goldngyrl: gotta love Lillian.

danseur: well, look at it this way, you're not planning on marrying Edward, are you?

goldngyrl: of course not!

danseur: okay then, no worries! voir-vous demain, la fille!

danseur has logged off.

Tanya logged off of her messenger and closed down her computer. She hadn't planned on marrying Edward; well, not really anyways. The thought of walking into every major social event of the season on his arm was quite a pretty image though. She tossed her clothes on the floor and crawled into her enormous bed. She could still smell Edward on her skin and felt like a complete and utter idiot for reveling in that fact.