October

"There you are!" Bella yelled, wavy brown hair bouncing like Slinkys as she ran to greet me at the door. She grinned and threw herself at me, so I had to wrap her in a hug and lift her off her feet.

"Edward!" she squealed, pretending to shove me away, but I knew she liked the attention. Anything to get anyone to notice her.

Of course, I was only trying to get the attention of one person. Bella quickly led me to the kitchen, where I found exactly who I was looking for going through the liquor cabinet.

"Cullen," Leah greeted me with a smirk, and gestured to the counter filled with various liquors. "What's your poison?"

"Ginger ale," I told her while I tried to ignore Bella's arm around my waist.

"No mixer?"

"I don't really feel comfortable drinking the chief of police's booze, to be honest," I laughed.

"Oh, come on. Daddy Swan won't even notice it's gone!" she cried. Bella nodded from my side, but before I could protest a hand clapped me on the shoulder.

"Cullen doesn't drink. It's below him," my best friend Jasper informed them. I gave him a nod of thanks, which he returned before pulling a giggling Bella away and out the back door.

"You don't drink? This has shattered my bad-boy image of you, Cullen. I don't know what to think right now."

I laughed and took the ginger ale she proffered. "What would happen to that image if I told you I had a 4.0 GPA?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Leah laughed and slammed her hand down. "Mister 'Maybe I'll Show My Pretty Face to Class This Week' has a 4.0? I don't believe it."

I grinned and stepped closer to her. "You think I'm pretty?" Red flooded her cheeks and I resisted the urge to touch her.

"Did I say pretty? I meant absolutely normal-looking face," she tried to recover, but it was no use.

"Leah!"

She started at her name, her dark eyes going wide.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked whoever had just entered the kitchen behind me. I watched as a tall Native kid with dark hair swept past me and scooped her up before kissing her. She pushed him away quickly and glanced at me.

"Bells called me earlier and told me you guys were having a party," he explained with a grin. His teeth were too white and too straight. He reminded me of some male model and was definitely not who I pictured Leah with.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess I forgot," she muttered, cheeks flaming red again, and turned back to me. "Jake this is Cullen. Cullen, this is my…boyfriend."

I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as I held out my hand to him. He smiled and shook it, and I fought the laughter that seemed to bubble up in my chest.

"Nice to meet you," I grinned. Leah narrowed her eyes at me and started pushing Jake out of the kitchen.

"Go find Bella, I'll be right out," she told him with a shove before turning back to me with a glare. "What are you grinning about?"

"He's like…the male version of Bella. Did you notice that?"

"Is not!" she yelled, sticking her hands on her hips. I almost expected her to stomp her foot.

"He is! He's all smiley and 'ooh, I puke sunshine and rainbows and little birds follow me around singing', isn't he?" I goaded her.

"Just because he's nice doesn't mean anything, Cullen."

"What? And I'm not nice?" I feigned hurt and she flashed me a smirk.

"You? I haven't figured you out just yet," she said quietly with a step toward me.

"Better do it fast, beautiful," I returned, brushing my fingers across her cheek.

"You're trouble, Cullen. I know that much." Leah stepped away and grabbed her drink off the counter.

I laughed as she stalked out of the kitchen, really starting to enjoy the reactions I got from her.