*Late that evening at the Cullen house*
"All right Edward, you had all day. Now spill! Who's this girl?" shouted Rosalie.
Emmett smiled "Whoever she is, she's pretty cool. You should've seen her, Carlisle and Esme, she really…"
"We're not here for that Emmett!" hissed Rosalie. She was starting to get frustrated.
"Tell us later Emmett," whispered Esme. Everyone knew that'll shut Emmett up for at least a little bit. Well Edward could still hear Emmett's mind. "She was pretty cool, though. Ha!"
All but Bella were present here. Carlisle stood next to Edward, Esme, and Alice were seated on the couch, Jasper was leaning from behind the couch, Rosalie stood at a few feet away from Edward with her arms crossed and Emmett was behind her.
Carlisle spoke "Alright, Rosalie calm down. Edward would you like to explain all this?"
Edward sighed "It's really nothing to worry about…"
"That's not entirely true, Carlisle." Alice interrupted.
"Alice, would you please?" asked Edward.
"Continue Edward." Esme softly said.
"Ok, at school I was partnered up with a human girl named Tammy for this history project…"
"Oh that's just GREAT! Let me guess, you invited this girl over?" screeched Rosalie
"Is this true Edward?" gasped Esme.
"No, Rosalie is just getting carried away again," He glared at Rosalie. "If she would let me finish, then I could tell you the whole story."
"Alright, alright, Rosalie please let Edward finish. Now tell me more about this Tammy. Now who is she?" asked Carlisle. He tried to remember if he had ever seen her before.
"Tammy Solano. She just moved here at the beginning of the school year. We were partnered up and no I didn't invite her over. She also didn't invite me over to her house. Just from reading her thoughts, she's unlike any human I've ever met. She's very different. In a way she reminds me of Alice." Explained Edward.
"He said the same thing about Bella." Muttered Emmett.
"The only difference is that he can't read Bella's thoughts." Said Jasper.
"Ok, so how random is this girl again?" asked Emmett.
Edward felt like smacking his own forehead. Emmett was a real idiot and he obviously wasn't focused on the important issue here that this girl Tammy could be trouble and they hardly knew her!
"EMMETT!" Rosalie growled.
Emmett shut up. This wasn't really fun for him.
"So what is there to fear? Does she suspect something?" asked Carlisle.
"No, she suspects nothing." Replied Edward. "But, Alice did see something with her. She saw Tammy hanging out with me, laughing and having a good time. She does somehow finds out about us and doesn't seemed bother by it at all. She seems ok with it and doesn't become a vampire like us. She lives out her whole life and is welcomed by us, even Bella."
"How does she find out about us?" asked Carlisle.
"I'm not sure." Replied Alice. "I tried to see how she does but I can't. It couldn't have been anyone of us, Bella or human. Otherwise, I would've seen them."
"What do you think we should do Carlisle?" asked Jasper.
Carlisle shook his head "I'm not sure,"
"It's bad enough that Bella already knows about us! Now this girl is going to know about us too?" hissed Rosalie.
"You didn't seem to mind Tammy at lunch when she told Lauren off." Hissed Edward.
"Well I didn't think we'd have to involve another human in our lives!" snapped Rosalie.
"We don't have to get her involve in our lives. Until we find out who tells her, we can just limit ourselves with her. Edward, since you have class with her, just spend as little time with her as possible." Said Carlisle.
"Yeah, sure he will." Laughed Emmett.
"Let's see how this turns out." Smirked Jasper.
"How long do you think Edward will stay away from this one?" asked Emmett.
"I give him a month." Replied Jasper.
"I give him a couple of weeks." Emmett replied stepping closer to Jasper.
"What are the steaks this time?" asked Jasper.
"Come with me brother and we'll discuss it." Emmett raped his arm around Jasper's shoulder and they both left the room to talk about their new bet.
Rosalie rolled her eyes, Alice shook her head and the others sighed.
Edward ran to Bella's house. He was eager to get there and spend some time with her tonight. It was bad that he didn't get to watch her drift into sleep, but he had to talk about this to his family. Bella wanted to attend but Edward told her that her sleep was more important.
He didn't know what was going to happen or how Tammy was going to figure out that Edward and his family were vampires. He would just have to do what Carlisle told him to do. After this project with Tammy, he wouldn't spend any time with Tammy at all. He would just have to limit his time with Tammy on the project. Never inviting her over to his house, never working at her house, just sticking to the library is the best option he had. He would not allow what Alice saw come true. He wouldn't allow another human to get involved in his world.
He slipped silently into Bella's window and quietly tried not to wake her up, he lied down next to her while she slept. He brushed a few hairs out of her face and watched her chest breath in and out. She looked so peaceful. Just sleeping there…and now she was waking up. "Edward?" she asked sleepily.
"Go back to sleep Bell. It's very late." Whispered Edward.
"What did Carlisle say?" asked Bella rested her head on Edward's chest.
"He told us to limit our time around her but I'm working on the project with her regardless." Replied Edward. "Have you thought yet about joining us?"
Bella replied "I want to but I can't. I have some homework to turn in," she hugged him tightly as she could "Besides, I trust you completely."
Edward crocked his eyebrow "You trust me? Bella there's nothing to worry about with her."
"Well she might want you to think that but…" Edward looked down at her and saw that she drifted off to sleep. Her grip on him also loosened but she still left her arms raped around him.
Edward sighed. Bella looked so tired when he got here. She must've been doing her homework that they didn't do earlier because they were making out. He kissed her forehead and rested his head on top of hers and shut his eyes. He knew he wasn't going to fall asleep, but pretended that he could.
Tammy woke up with a jolt from her Aunt slamming the house door. She sighed, sat up and scratched her head. Another day and her Aunt and Uncle were already arguing. She wished that they would've waited to argue after she left for school. "Well at least it won't be awkward getting ready for school."
Tammy's parents had died in a car wreck back in Texas. She had two older brothers but the social worker, lawyer, and judge didn't see her brothers fit to take care of her yet. So she was shipped to her next relatives and the guardians that her parents wanted her and her brothers to stay with incase anything happened to them. Since her brothers were older they didn't have to, but Tammy had no choice since she was sixteen at the time.
She didn't mind too much at first living with her Aunt and Uncle at first but then her Uncle lost his job. All he did now was mope around the house and hardly did anything. Her Aunt was furious that he wasn't making an effort to look for a new job so they fought a lot. She hated it. It was bad enough she didn't have any friends so now when she came home, she had to deal with this entire bickering and negative attitude. So, as much as she could, she spent time away from the house. She would walk around the town in the rain or go visit her cousin Sam at the Reservation by hitchhiking. Tammy couldn't drive and Sam would sometimes pick her up. "Just one more year and then I'll be at college. Away from Forks and way from them!"
Tammy washed her face, brushed her teeth, got dressed, straitened her thick hair and went down stairs for a quick breakfast. She always ate cereal or toast because it was quicker and the faster she ate, the sooner she can be out of here and head for school. "One more year, one more year." She told herself over and over. It was usually enough to get her through the morning but like some days, today it wasn't working.
She could hear her Uncle watching TV in the next room as she ate her cereal. She gave up a long time ago talking to him in the morning. He usually ignored her anyway because the TV was more important than her. When she was done, she rinsed the bowl and spoon and put them in the sink. She knew her Uncle wouldn't wash the dishes, so her Aunt could do it. She quickly made herself the fast version of a grilled cheese sandwich which was going to be her lunch today. She wasn't a big fan of the school food but sometimes ate it when her Aunt didn't go shopping.
She grabbed her backpack made sure she had everything she needed like her key, cell phone, MP 3 player, and sketch book and her umbrella. It was always raining here. When she walked out the door, it wasn't raining yet so she was ok. She put her head phones in her ears and began to listen to the music. Five minutes later it began to rain, Tammy sighed and pulled out her little umbrella. "Just great." She muttered.
Alice drove her, Edward and Jasper to school today. Rosalie wanted to drive her car today alone with Emmett. As Alice turned down a different road, she smiled a little for someone she was expecting to see. "Edward, look it's that girl Tammy."
"What is she doing walking in the rain?" asked Jasper.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." Alice replied.
Edward hissed "Alice you can't be serious! What did Carlisle say?"
Alice looked at him innocently "I don't know what you mean Edward."
"Alice!" Edward growled.
"Carlisle said to limit our time with her, and I'm just being friendly and giving her a ride. Isn't that that the human thing to do?" She simply replied.
The rain still poured and Tammy could tell that she was going to be soaked by the time she got to school. Then she decided to turn around and walk backwards for a few minutes. She knew she wouldn't get hit. Then to her surprise, when she turned around she was a little shocked to see a car pull up next to her. She didn't recognize the car until the window rolled down. Her eyes widened when she saw Alice and Jasper. "What are they doing here? They never come down this road." She clutched on to her umbrella handle.
"Do you need a ride?" asked Alice.
Tammy shook her head "No, it's ok. I'm used to walking." "I don't want to burden them."
"It's no trouble at all. Come on hop in." Jasper said.
"But isn't it full? I mean aren't Edward, Rosalie and Emmett with you too?" asked Tammy.
Alice shook her head "No, it's just us and Edward. We'll give you a ride to school and it's no trouble at all."
It began to rain harder and Tammy nodded. "Thank you." "Ok, as long as this is the first and last time."
Edward opened the door for Tammy. She closed the umbrella and quickly got in and closed the door as Edward slid over. "You always walked to school? Even in this weather?" asked Alice.
Tammy nodded shyly "Yes, my Aunt doesn't have time to and my Uncle is too lazy to take me. But I don't mind. I get some exercise and it's not so bad. Plus if I see something cool, I'll draw it- that is on my way home of course. The only part that sucks is the rain. I've never seen you guys come this way before."
"Alice took a different road today. What do you draw?" asked Jasper.
"The forest, some animals or anything that comes to my mind." Replied Tammy.
"Do you sketch people?" asked Edward. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked somewhat wet but with the heater, she was starting to warm up. The bottom of her hair was a little damp. She had on a thick blue jean jacket that looked kind of faded. She was wearing some jean pants and some snow boots that were already soaked.
"Yes, if they stand still long enough. It's actually been a while since I've drawn someone." Replied Tammy she looked out the window and saw the rain fall harder. "I'm glad you decided to come my way." "It saves me another school day being soaked. Hopefully it's not raining when I get out today. Is it me or are we going fast?"
Edward glanced at Alice and Jasper. He knew something was up so he tried to read their minds.
"That jacket she's wearing is SO old. But it actually looks cool. She probably doesn't have very decent clothes. They look too casual and ok. I could give her some tips! OOOO this would be so much fun! I could take her shopping and give her a makeover! That'll make Derek Kings fall for her in no time!" Alice thought. She knew Edward was listening to her. She smiled.
Edward listened to Jasper next. "So this is the girl? Still hard to imagine that she walks all the way to school."
Tammy felt a little awkward with the silence, so she spoke up. "So, Jasper are you happy to be graduating?"
Tammy didn't notice them trying to hide their smiles. "Yes, I got accepted to a good amount of schools. Trying to decide which one to go to is hard."
"Well whichever school you decide, make sure it's the one you want to go to. Don't let anybody else influence you. It's your dream and nobody else's." replied Tammy. "It's the same for you Alice and Edward. You control your own life."
Jasper was a little shocked at her response. Nobody has ever told him that. He never thought about what he wanted to do. Since he looked young, he knew he was forced to repeat High School over and over. Being a Vampire wasn't something easy, especially with his new diet of animal blood and not human. Jasper's only dream and ambition was to be with Alice. He never really thought about doing anything else. What talents did he have? All he could do was control people's emotions.
Alice glanced at Jasper. She was just as surprised as she was. Other than Bella, nobody had ever made them feel normal. Tammy wasn't afraid of them at all. She sat comfortably in her seat as if nothing. She was just shy. She treated them as if they really were teenagers and she was nice to them. She didn't give them any attitude or treat them horribly.
Edward was just as surprised as his sibs. Tammy was really something. She wasn't being nice to them or using them for anything. She seemed to have good intentions. He looked at her and she smiled. "They all seem so nice. I'm truly glad I got to spend some time with them. I was right. They aren't as bad as everyone sees them."
The rain died down when Alice pulled into the parking lot. Some kids were already parking their cars. Edward saw Bella's truck and smiled. Tammy saw Bella and turned to Edward. "Edward, did you tell Bella about today? Is she joining us?"
Edward shook his head "She's not joining us today."
Tammy's face fell but then she shrugged it off "Oh…. Oh well that's ok. Maybe next time she can join us. Tell her she's welcome any time." "I wonder why she's not joining us. Well it's none of my business! It's between her and Edward."
Edward nodded and Alice pulled into a spot. Tammy smiled "Thank you so much for the ride. Lunch will be on me today."
Alice smiled "You're welcome. Thank you but that's not necessary."
Tammy put her hand up "I insist. It's the least I can do for you Alice."
A smile came to Alice's face. This girl wasn't going to give up. And she was trying to be censer "Alright, then it's a deal."
Tammy laughed "Ok, I'll see you Alice and Jasper at lunch and I'll see you in the library Edward." She got out of the car and she did a little skip and then walked for the school building.
Bella saw Tammy climb out of the car. Her usual smile when she saw Edward, turned into a frown. Alice skipped happily over to Bella. "Hi Bella!"
"Hi… uh so you all gave that girl Tammy a ride?" asked Bella.
"Yes, she was walking in the rain and I stopped to give her a ride." Replied Alice. "It's nothing to worry about."
Bella nodded her head but she still didn't like how they (and by "they" she meant Edward) gave Tammy a ride to school as if nothing. Didn't Tammy have a car or something?
"So Edward, do you still plan on working with her today?" asked Bella.
"Yes, and you're still welcome to join us and skip first period. Tammy was disappointed that you weren't joining us." Said Edward.
"I can't skip first. I have homework to turn in. Why is she upset I'm not joining you? Shouldn't she be happy?" asked Bella. She realized she said the last part out loud.
Edward frowned at her "No, she doesn't see me that way. And she likes Derek."
Alice smiled brightly "And he's going to ask her out today. That'll make her really happy. Isn't that cute? Maybe I should give her some styling tips."
"Alice you can't be serious." Replied Bella.
"Well, I saw her clothes today and she could use some help. Maybe she would be more appreciative towards my help." Alice smirked at Bella.
Bella glared at Alice while Edward and Jasper laughed. Bella was not one for Alice's makeovers but Alice was willing to try with someone else. She began to blabber about how she could help Tammy. How she could style her hair, what kind of clothes should she wear and things like that.
Jasper laughed "Maybe Carlisle should've been more direct with you staying away from her."
Alice innocently replied "I can't help it if I see someone in need of my help." She took Jasper's arm and happily walked away from Bella and Edward.
Bella asked Edward "So… you'll be in the library with her?"
"Bella, just join us. It couldn't hurt. She wants to make new friends, so maybe you can be one for her." Said Edward.
"I told you I can't join you two. And it's pretty obvious that she wants you as a friend, not me." Bella stubbornly said.
Edward sighed. "She doesn't have any friends and I'm just working on this project with her. I'm not going to see or deal with her after this project."
Bella still wasn't totally convinced. Edward was her very first boyfriend and she just got him. Now all of a sudden here comes this girl from out of the blue and is trying to steal Edward away from her? She knew that a lot of girls liked Edward and Tammy wasn't any different. Bella knew that Tammy was probably trying to play it off like she didn't when she secretly did.
She tried to shake off this feeling. Bella knew that she was going to enjoy what she had left with Edward before the bell rang. She kissed Edward and they were raped in each other's arms as if they were the only one's here. The bell ringing came almost too quick for Bella. Edward walked her to her class before heading to the library. When he left, Lauren passed by "If I had a boyfriend like him, I could NEVER trust my him with another girl." She smirked and walked away, leaving Bella to question whether or not she should've listened to Edward and skipped first period to join him and Tammy in the library.