hey, what's the happie happes. yes, here you are at another installment of O.f.C. *fake audience cheer*

how was everyone's weekend? great, i hope. mine was okay. i want to plug something.

YAY FOR BIRTHDAYS! it's the one day where you get to be in large and charge and not feel bad. it's your day, and if people can't accept that, screw them.

anyways, that was my report, so now on to the chapter.

enjoy.

Chapter IX

(Bpov)

I sat on the couch in my dad's office and Edward sat next to me. I would be lying if I told anyone I was sure he was coming back today. I figured he had enough of me. I guess he really wanted to pass. He even came earlier than I expected. I was working on my own homework when the doorbell rang. If I knew he would be here as early as he did, I wouldn't have changed into my pajamas. When Renee said she was going to the store, I thought I had some time alone for a while so I became decompressed.

"What do you wish to start on?" I asked as I took a slip from my juice. He just looked at me without answering. "What?" I asked. He shook his head. Then I realized he was looking at my juice pouch. "It's just juice." I reminded him.

"I'm trying to remember the last time I drank out of one those."

I chuckled. I should have known that was what was wrong. "I like them. They're portable, not messy, and just enough." I explained. Since I take my lunch to school, I make sure I keep a few boxes in the house. Sometimes I'll drink them in the when I don't want water. I placed it on the floor next to me. No distractions, right? "Out of sight, out of mind." I told him. He looked at me. "Now, where are we starting?' I asked again. He reached in his bag. Then he handed me a small packet with about two or three pages. I flipped through it then looked at him. "You wrote your paper." I concluded.

He nodded. "I wanted it to be done so you could look at it." I didn't expect that. I told him to get started. I didn't think he would actually write the whole thing. I looked at the title to see what he decided write about. I saw he wanted to write about getting on the varsity football team when he was just a sophomore. I gave a hum. "What?' he asked.

"You don't think the topic is a little…ostensible?" he gave a look. "It means…"

He shook his head "Hold on." He said as if he was tired. He grabbed the dictionary on the coffee table and flipped through it. He found the page he was looking for. "No. I do not think is 'outwardly appearing as such; pretending' or 'superficial'." He read out of the book before closing it and setting it back where he got it from. I smiled. I did tell him I didn't want him to ask what something meant. He looked at me. "Can you just read it before making judgments, please?" he asked.

I fixed my glasses on my face and nodded. I didn't see the harm of looking. "Sure." I looked at it. Then I realized I didn't have a pen in my hand. I stood up and walked over to Charlie's desk. I pulled out the top drawer to look for one.

"You see a mistake already?" he asked when he saw me grab a red pen.

I shook my head before closing the drawer and walking back over to him. "I want it, just in case." I sat down next to him and started reading over his paper.

"Must you do that?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Do what?' I asked before I made another mark.

"Announce the mistakes as you mark them." he explained.

I looked at him. "I didn't realize I was doing that." I said as I pushed my glasses up. I guess I was just so use to do that to my own paper, I began to tune out of my own mumbles.

"Well, you are. I'm aware they're there. I don't need you to tell me. So, can you stop?" he asked.

I nodded. "Sorry. I'll try to stop. Start on something else until I'm done with this." I suggested. He shrugged before pulling out his math book and started working on the problems we had for homework.

I continued to read. While I was read, I noticed he mentioned his dad once or twice. That's what he began with. He started by explaining how his father was the reason he tried as hard as he did and was the way he was. Then he talked about how he didn't even make the team his first time trying out. Then he tried again and apparently impress the coach and the team so much, he was pushed to the varsity team for his second year and became captain in his junior year.

The whole paper was interesting to read. It was a lot of errors, but all that were easy to make and nothing that wasn't fixable with a move of a word. For a topic I thought was kind of shallow, it made for a great story. He was a good writer, a good story teller; maybe better than me.

"You're smiling." He pointed out in confusion when I was done.

I nodded as I flipped back to the front. "Indeed I am."

"So…'

I shrugged. "I was wrong. It was a good paper. It was interesting and almost inspirational. I have to admit, I found myself rooting for you, though I knew the ending." I looked up and saw he was sitting on the floor again. I wondered when he got there. I handed it to him. "I liked it."

He grabbed it and looked at it. "Are you sure?' he asked.

I chuckled. "I might have gone a little correction happy." I confessed. I treated his like I treated mine. I read over mine and Rosalie like I knew the teachers would. I knew they would grade and correct every little thing so that's what I do so I'm sure there as little mistakes as possible. Of course, I still get my paper back with marks all over it, but the fewer the better.

"I'll say." he mumbled as he flipped through it. "It looks like my paper is bleeding." He responded.

I laughed "Well, like I said it was a good paper, but there were a great deal of errors and mistakes. There was items such as sentence fragments and comma displacements. And I removed some of those things about your dad. Maybe you should supplant the information with some about your commencement for starting to play sports. On the other hand, if you wish to keep what you have, I'm sure we can find a way to fix it in where it's a smooth transition. There was nothing I can't assistant you with so if you would like to rewrite it. However, I advise you do it here.'

"Got it." He mumbled as he continued to look through it.

"Do you think that is a superfluous amount of information?" I asked in concern. I didn't want him to be too uncomfortable to the fact where he stops coming to me for help with his papers.

"Do you always talk like that?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean talking like a d-, I mean like a computer." he stopped and corrected himself. He was adjusting to my rules surprisingly well.

After I thought that, what he called me registered. He called me a computer. That's the same thing Rosa always told me. I talked too proper and used too many "big words" for her liking. "I don't understand the problem with my dialect." I mumbled.

"That." he said looking at me. "Saying words like 'dialect' and 'errors' and all your other words you say that no one understands, but you and writers of dictionaries. Teenagers just don't talk that." he clarified before looking back his paper.

"Well, how do 'teenagers' talk?" I asked him.

"They…" he stopped himself. he looked up at me and smiled. "Actually, I'll teach you." It was my turn to give him a confused looked. "We had a deal, you helped me with my school work, and I'll help you fit in with my group." He reminded me as he tossed his paper to the table.

"Don't you want to work on that?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I have to pretty much write the whole thing over anyways so I'll work on it at home." he stood up and sat next to me "I had my first lesson, now it's your turn." I was kind afraid he would say that. I honestly kind of forgot about my part of the deal. Okay, I didn't forget, but I was hoping he did. "Okay, first thing I need to teach is what slang is."

"I know what slang is." I said defensibly. I wasn't completely society challenged.

He chuckled. "Sorry, didn't mean to offend. Then I'll say how to use it properly." He corrected himself. He thought for a moment. "Let's try a simple one first. 'Sup'."

"That sounds like an incomplete word." I pointed out.

He shrugged. "Well, it is, kinda. It's 'what' 'is' and 'up' put together. It's kinda shorten version of 'what's up'."

"Why not just say that, then?" I questioned.

"Because 'sup sounds cooler." He replied simply. "Just try it." He suggested. I said what he asked me to. It felt weird on my tongue. As if my tongue knew I shouldn't be saying it. I saw him try to hide a laugh.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not my fault. I'm not use to saying things like that." I told him in defense.

He gave one more chuckle. "Sorry. Slang shouldn't be forced. It should something that sounds natural. So we can come back to that. We can try something else."

"What exactly?"

"How about all those words you use? You're smart, I get it; we all get it. But you don't have use so many words to show it. You sound like you're writing an essay every time you talk. You said when people swear too much, it shows immaturity; well, when people use so many big words, they sound stuck up." He explained.

"Stuck up?" I repeated as if I didn't understand him.

"Like you think you're smarter than everyone. Therefore, better than everyone." I never thought of it that way.

"I don't think I'm better than anyone." I told him. I didn't know how I thought of it, but I didn't think people thought I was stuck up because of the words I use. I knew one thing; I didn't want to be thought of title that I knew my mother would be proud of.

He shook his head. "I didn't say you did; I said people will think you do."

"Then how I do I change that?" I challenged him. I couldn't believe I was actually him questions because I was baffled.

"Just drop them." he said. I wish it was that simple. I probably would have done it all time ago.

I shook my head. "It's not that easy." I told him.

"Yes it is. You know how to use them, just learn that you don't need to. Replace them with simpler words." He replied.

"You wish for me to be simple?" I asked.

He gave a laugh. "It sounds mean, but teens don't like complicate. That's why we abbreviate when we can. So yeah, be simple. And while you're at it, try being rebellious."

"I don't understand."

"And I thought I would be the only who didn't. It's kinda nice to know that I'm not." He mumbled. "You think teens swear because we're can't think of anything better to say or because we want to be mature, right?" I nodded. "Believe it or not, that's not true. We do it because we not supposes to." I gave a puzzled look. "Well, think about it. Parents and teachers don't want to hear us swear, just like they don't want us to drink; but when we're around our friends we do it anyways. It's something about breaking rules that we can't stay away from." He explained, ending with a shrug; as if he didn't understand himself. "So you can swear, even if it's a word people considers not that bad"

He wasn't making any sense. I wonder if this is how he feels when I'm talking, not any comprehension of anything coming out the other person mouth. He might as well have been speaking a different language. I felt he was speaking in circles.

I shook my head as I rested it in my hands. "Edward, I can't do any of that." I mumbled.

He sighed. "Why not?" he demanded

"My mom." I sighed. I looked up. When I did, I saw he was looking at me for more. I would expect him to just get the hint because of how he saw her and me act around each other. I sighed. "She taught me I shouldn't use words that might be thought of as 'inappropriate' so I've found way to replace them. And if you don't mind, I wish to leave it at that." I explained.

My mother always told me a lady never swore. That was a privilege for the man of the house and the man only. She hates it so much. Once she thought I said one word. She grabbed me roughly and washed my mouth out with some kind of mixture that contained soap, salt, and baking soda. It was awful. When she was done, she told me I was to never swear ever again or she would do the same thing every time. I didn't want that to happen again.

That was probably the reason why I use so many big words, because I did the opposite of what he was telling me to do. I didn't want to be rebellious or break any rules. It's also probably why I rather not to be grabbed.

"Okay, wish granted. What about not over complicating what you say?" he asked.

I gave a small smile. "Remember when you said it should be natural?" I replied. He nodded. "That's why. It's not for me." I explained simply.

"Oh and saying things like 'ostensible' instead of just saying 'shallow' is?" I was surprise he said the word correctly let along remembering a correctly synonym for it.

"Yes, it is." I replied. "You say it's stuck up, I say beg to differ. I don't use the words I do because I believe I'm more scintillating than my peers" I saw he rolled his eyes at the word I decided to use, but I went on. "It's because of the same reason turtles have shells on their backs. It's to protect them. My vocabulary is mine. It makes me feels more comfortable by doing something I know I can do and am good at." I enlightened to him.

He shook his head. "This might be harder than I thought if that's the case." He stood up and started passing back and forth. "We just need make you comfortable. However, I don't know how easy that will be when I'm sure you never even said a curse word, even on accident. Hell, the only time I've seen you not like that is…" he stopped. He looked at me then smile.

Why was he smiling at me like that? What was he thinking about? "Mind telling me why you're staring at me like that?"

"I think we should take a field trip."

"What do you -." He grabbed my wrist and yanked me off the couch, which made me stop midway through my sentence.

"Just come on." He urged.

XXX

"I still don't understand why we're here." I repeated as I walked behind his stroll through the mall. After he ordered me to change out of my pajamas, he instructed me to leave a note for my parents so they wouldn't be worried. I think my mother would be more upset that I went to the mall without her than I went without telling her. My father, on the other hand, would probably not be very happy with the fact that I rode in the car with Forks' Public Enemy Number One. I see what he meant by "speed demon". I also understand how he got to my house so fast.

He drives crazily. He was racing down the streets and through yellow lights like he was in a rush to get here or something. I jumped out as soon as he parked. The worst thing was, unless I wanted risk trying to get a taxi on a Friday night, I would have to let him drive me back home.

He pushed his hands in his pocket. "I told you, we're on a field trip."

I rolled my eyes behind his head. That was his second time saying that, and made just as little sense as the first time. "What does that even mean? And are you sure we should even be here?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Anyone important would have come right after school. There's a big sale at the shoe store, but if they're anything like my sister, they would have come yesterday to get first picks; anyone else would just come tomorrow to get what's left over. So we should be fine enough" he answered

I let out a heavy breath. "That doesn't answer my first question." I directed his attention to the answer I really wanted.

He chuckled. "You sound irritated." Was all his reply.

"That's amusing to you?"

"Actually, yeah; kinda" he admitted. He turned to me, but didn't stop walking. "But I'll tell you before you ask again. We're here because I noticed a pattern with you. The only time I've seen you not use your 'shell' as you put it was when you are talking to or about Jasper."

There he goes again. I thought we covered this last time. "Edward…" I started.

He shook his head. "Don't worry; I'm not talking about him. I'm just telling you a simple observation." He ended with a shrug

I turned away from his eyes and sighed. "It's probably because I'm too nervous to do anything, but." I muttered.

"I figured. But then I thought if I can try to turn that nervousness into confidences, you might be comfortable enough to break away from that protective shell of yours."

I turned back to him. "How do you expect to do that?" I inquired.

He shrugged before turned back around so he was facing the direction in which he was walking it. "That's what we need to figure out. Before we talk about it, let's make a stop." He suggested.

"Why not? It's not like I have a preference in the matter." I replied under my breath.

"That's the spirit." He replied. And I was more than sure I heard a smug smirk in his voice. I was starting to think he was more of a jerk than I primarily thought.

I followed him in to the shoe store. He glanced around the store until a guy with short brown hair approached him. "If it isn't one half of my favorite customers." He greeted him with a smile.

"Hey Riley." Edward greeted back as they slapped hands.

"Haven't seen you in a while." Riley, I guess, said as he took his hand back. Edward must come with here a lot. Probably with the rest of his "crew" or something. Can't say I'm shocked there.

Edward shrugged. "I've been busy." He told him as pushed his hands back his pockets.

Riley laughed. "Understandable. So what brings you?"

"My sister told me about a sale going on." He informed him.

Riley shook his head. "Can't keep anything from her."

"Right. I thought it would be good time to get some new shoes considering the dance is next week." He told him. I rolled my eyes. Did he really interrupt us studying to come to get some new things for that…that stupid dance next Saturday. I could be spending my time for something useful. Or at least, something I care much more about. "So what do you have for me?" Edward asked. He had almost a voice full of glee. Who ever thought a guy would be so contented about some dumb shoes?

I've been having the same one for almost a year now and they were fine for me. I guess one might say I have the same views about my shoes as I do about my clothes. They're just to get you from one place to another; no need to be decorative about it.

"I put some aside for you." Riley nodded his head in a direction before walking over to where he was nodding. Edward followed him, I followed Edward. I couldn't help but wonder how long we would be here and where in the world was he going with his whole nervousness-to-confidence thing he was talking about early.

I leaned against the closest shelve as Edward and Riley talked about the new shoes that were coming in, hints the reason they were having a sale; to get rid of the "old" inventory. Riley told him about all the different styles on sale and the benefits of each one. I felt I was rolling my eyes the whole time they were talking. It all sounded the same to me. I couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to show me something. Too bad, I didn't care enough to pay much attention if he was.

"Alright Edward. I'll be over here if you need me." Riley said as the slapped hands again. He gave me smile. I gave a small one back before he walked away. Finally, they were done talking. While he was talking, I see why he was working in the shoe store. Working in places like clothes, shoes, and makeup stores always seemed ostensible to me. It was almost like you were telling people it was okay to buy something to make them someone that they weren't.

Edward looked through the shoes that Riley just showed him. "Are you quite finished?" I asked him.

"Quit pouting." He answered.

I gave him an insulted looked, which he didn't even bother to pay attention to. "I am not -."

"Fine complaining, whatever." He interrupted. "Why don't you look around? You might see something you like." He suggested.

He might have been right. My mom and Rosalie would agree it might have been time to get a new pair. Plus, it might help sell the lie I told Rosa on Monday if she sees me with a new pair on my feet. But I didn't want him to know he was right.

I rolled my eyes as I turned to the shelves behind me anyways. I saw a nice pair of white Adidas that looked nice enough. They were simple and nothing too eye-catching. Just my speed. I actually considered buying them. But then I saw the price.

"What the h-." I started to exclaimed but stopped myself. Edward looked at me on the side of his eye with a smile. I'm sure he enjoyed the fact a swear word almost came out my mouth.

"What is your problem?" he asked as he turned his attention back to what he was looking at.

"These are sixty dollars."

"Yeah I know." He said rolling his eyes. "They're worth so much more."

I stared at him in disbelief. He was upset because they weren't higher? He was joking, right? His priorities were mixed up in so many ways. "Whatever. I can't afford anything in this store. Can we go soon?" I asked.

He nodded. "I found what I wanted." he grabbed two boxes of shoes. On was below a white Adidas with blue stripes and the other one was the same colors just in reverse. Then he grabbed a pair of pink and red Converses.

"Cute." I commented as we walked to counter where Riley was.

Edward chuckled. "They're for my sister. She will be pissed if I don't get her at least one pair." He explained.

"Everything went alright?" Riley asked as he rang up Edward's things. Edward nodded. "$175.89." He said when he was done.

Almost two-hundred dollars for only three pairs of shoes? "Unbelievable." I said to myself.

Edward chuckled. "You don't blink when it comes to paying half that for some books we might not even use, but bug out about paying that much for one of the main necessities." He pointed out as he gave the guy two hundred-dollar bills.

"Guess our values are dissimilar." I replied as he got his change. I still wanted to identify with the specific person that just contains over twenty dollars in cash in their wallet all the time like he does. It seems like a waste of time and money.

"Probably." He shrugged. "Thanks, man." He said to Riley as he grabbed his bags.

"Sure thing. Bring your sister next time. We're a little behind on our electric bill this month." He joked. Edward laughed.

"Will do. Seeya." He said before tossing one of his bags over his shoulder. He turned to leave the store. I followed behind him. When we got to the door, he stopped. "Wait." He turned to me.

Geez, "What now?" I asked, clearly annoyed now. Wasn't it bad enough I wasted precious time here? Did I really have to waste more?

"What do you think of him?" he asked nodding behind me.

I turned and saw Riley counting some money. I turned back to Edward "He's nice, I guess." I answered.

He rolled his eyes. "You know that's not what I meant. What do you think of how he looks?" he clarified.

I turned and looked again. I turned back and shrugged. "He's attractive, I suppose." I told him as I pushed up my glasses. I might not have said exactly what I was thinking.

I never thought I would meet someone else whom I found as attractive as Jasper. I have to say, this Riley guy was kind of cute. Okay, a little more than kind of.

I never thought I would see someone who looks good with brown hair and blue eyes like he did. They matched more than they should have. not only that, but his is smile was amazing. He had a barely noticeable dimple on his left cheek that appeared when he talked and smiled. Also his teeth were so white. I swear, his smile would be perfect for any place with a camera. But only because of how he reacted when he found out about my liking for Jasper, I didn't want to tell Edward that.

Edward smiled. "Good. Go talk to him." he said.

"What?" I asked as if I misheard, though I heard him pretty clearly. It just didn't make any sense. "Is that why you brought us here?" I asked.

"More or less. I honestly came here to get some new shoes, but I thought 'why not kill two birds with one stone?'." He answered with a shrug. "I told you; we're working on changing that nervous feeling you have around Jasper in to confidence. It's not something I, or anyone else, can teach you. The best way to learn is to actually do it and he's a perfect way to start. If you can talk to someone you just met, after while, Jasper will be a piece of a cake."

"I really rather not." I told him. I took a step and he matched mine to block me.

"I'm giving your second lesson. Talking to guys. Why can you talk to me?" he asked.

I gave him a puzzled look. "I don't understand."

"I mean you don't seem nervous when talking to me. Why is that?" he asked.

"Because…" I stopped and thought about it. Why was I never nervous around him? I don't trip over my words or make a fool of myself when in front of him. Then I realized. I looked at him. "Because I'm not attracted to you." I told him.

His eyes widen. "Ouch." He replied.

"Sorry." I said with a shrug.

"It's okay, I guess." He said as he shook his head. He gave a thinking face. "And that makes you comfortable around me?" he questioned. I gave a nod. More or less. It makes me comfortable enough to talk to him with tripping over myself. "Okay, well use that."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Pretend he's me, or better, Rosalie. You don't have a problem talking to her. Think of her. Any guy is just another person. We're not super heroes or anything. Expect me, but I'm an exception." He added. I rolled my eyes. He just had to add something about him. I thought he was supposes to be helping me. He saw it and went on. "My point is, we just people; not aliens."

It was actually good advice. It made sense. If I thought of someone or something I was comfortable around, it might help. It was like people afraid of public speaking picturing the audience in their underwear. It was a stress-reliever method. "Good advice. I might try it." I told him with a shrug.

I made another step. He took one to block me again. I can't believe he was doing that again. I think I've come to realize I really dislike that. "Try it now with Riley." He expressed. I was kind of hoping he forgot about that.

"Edward…" I started.

"We're not leaving until you at least try." He said. I glared at him. "That's doesn't affect me." he turned me "Go. It's honestly not that hard." He said as he shoveled me.

"Stop." I urged.

"Just go." He said as he gave me one more push. Because Riley was coming out from around the corner, Edward's push made me bump into him. I elbowed Edward in the side. "Just talk. I'll be at the door." He said in my ear.

Riley turned to me. "Hi, again." he said to me with another one his perfect grins.

"Um, hi." I said as I tucked a piece of hair that came from my ponytail behind my ear.

"I saw you with Edward, right?' he asked. I nodded. It wasn't as fast as when I'm in front of Jasper, but still pretty quickly. "Funny, he always said his girlfriend had blonde hair." he pointed out.

"Uh?" I asked confused.

"You're Tanya, right?" he said.

I felt my face drop in a slightly outraged look. "No." I said quickly. That was a first. I never got confused for her before. "Not at all." I didn't like that. I hope no one ever does that to me again. Why would he say something like?

His smile dropped. "Oh, sorry. He's usually with Alice, so I just assume…" he trailed off.

Now I understood. Because Edward is never with his girlfriend, but clearly talks about her for some odd reason or another; Riley thought any girl that wasn't the one he was used to seeing was her. It made sense. However, I still didn't want to be mistaken for her. I shook my head. "I'm Bella. And I'm really more of friend." I clarified.

Riley smiled again. "Well, any friend of the Cullens is a friend of mine. So what can I help with you, Bella?" he asked as he leaned against the counter.

When he asked that, I remembered the task Edward wished for me to perform. I had no idea what to talk about. But I don't want Riley to know I was sent over here by Edward, who thinks it will make me "conformable around guys" or whatever he's thinking. So I should say something, anything.

"I was wondering…" Anything; first thing that comes to mind. I pushed my glasses up. "What time do you close?" he smiled and pointed to the sign beside him. I turned and saw why he smiled. I also realize how dumb of a question that might have sounded it. It was because the sign he was pointing at has the hours and days they were open in big red letters. I should have seen that before asking. I don't understand why I get so dense around guys. I smiled back. "Thank you." I said before turned away and walking to the door.

Edward blocked it again. "Try again." he mouthed. I looked at him with an angry look. "Remember what I said. Just relax." He said softly. I was not going back over there and embarrassing myself further. "I'll push you again." he warned when he saw I wasn't moving. He really knows how to get under my skin. Not feeling like having that happen again. I rolled my eyes away from him and drag myself over to the counter again.

"Yes?" Riley said with a smile. He was enjoying this, which did nothing, but make it worst.

Just try again. Like everyone keep saying, "it's not that hard". It has to be some truth in that if everyone keeps freaking saying the same thing. I turned away from him. Aw who was I kidding? It was that hard for me. If it wasn't, I would probably be dating Jasper by now. I thought of Rosa, but that wasn't enough. Then I saw something that might help. I looked back at him. "You work here, right?" he nodded to a question I already knew. I smiled anyways. "Maybe you can help me something."

"What can I help you with, Bella?" he asked with another smile.

Okay, I was calmed down a little more. This might be a good sign. Edward might be on to something. "I really like these." I said as walked over to the white Adidas I was looking at earlier. I picked up the display shoe and turned back to Riley. "Do you have these in a six?' I asked.

He looked at the shoe in my hand then back at me. "I think so. Let me look in the back." He said. I nodded before he left. I turned to Edward. He gave me a thumbs-up, as if saying I was fine. He was no help. I rolled my eyes away from him. When I did, I saw Riley was making his way back to me. He had two boxes under his arm. He walked over to me and set the boxes on the counter. He smiled again. "I have a confession. I didn't really look for the white ones." He admitted.

"Oh." I said in disappointment. I kind of wanted them.

"Because I saw some I think you will like better." He opened the one on top. He pulled out a gray shoe with light blue strips. That one was really cute. I could see myself wearing them. "I knew you would like them." he said when he saw the small grin I gave. He handed it to me to look at more. Then he opened the second box and pulled white, black, and gray plaid Converse shoe. My grin widened. I really adored the ones he showed me. I completely forgot about the ones I originally asked for. "I'm guess I did good." He teased as he handed me the other one.

He did really good. The first pair was classic and simple with style. While the other ones weren't something I would get, but they were definitely something I would wear without question. "How did you do that?" I said softly, not really asking him for an answer. How did he figure out something I would wear by just looking at me? Was I that easy to figure out? Perhaps I was.

He chuckled. "I'm just that awesome at what I do." He answered.

I looked at him. "I'm not sure which ones to get" I admitted.

He leaned on the counter. "Get both." He suggested with a shrug.

I shook my head. They were both sixty to sixty-five dollars apiece. I wasn't Edward or Alice. I literally couldn't get both. I could probably barely get one. I haven't really babysat since Sunday, so I didn't get the chance to replace the eighty dollars I spend with Edward at the bookstore. "I can't afford both." I confessed in disappointment once again as I put them both back in there respectful boxes. I really did want both, though.

He made a thinking face. "How about I sell you both for just seventy?" He suggested.

"Why?" I asked. Why would he do something like that? What was in it for him?

He chuckled. "Like I said, a friend of the Cullens is a friend of mine. Anything to repay them for putting so much money into this store. Besides…" he stopped and leaned in close to me. "I have kinda have a soft spot for girls with glasses." He said softly to me. He pulled back and smiled at me. "So…" before I knew what I was doing, I was nodding fast as if was in front of Jasper. I fixed my glasses for they slipped down. He went around the corner and rang up my things I felt "force" to buy. I think I was down to about a dollar in my account after he swiped my card. My father might be a little upset when he finds out.

When he was done, I grabbed my bag and walked back over to Edward. "How did it go?" he asked. It actually went well. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. But I didn't tell him that. I don't need him knowing he was right. Maybe later. I showed him my bags. "He got you to buy something?" he asked in disbelief. I nodded. I wondered what his first clue was; jerk. He chuckled and shook his head. "Damn, he's good. But you didn't seem nervous while talking to him and I saw a lot of smiling, which both are good."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, can we go now please?' I asked in a demanding voice as I pushed passed him andwalked out the door.

I heard him chuckle behind me. "We might need to work on your people skills." He teased.

"Bite me." I told him. I didn't know what that meant. But I heard Rosa say it when she was mad so I knew it was insult, which was all I needed.

welcome to the bottom of the page.

yeah, i put Riley in there. i needed someone to be the shoe clerk, so i thought why not.

anyway, i want to ask something, what do you guys think about the title. i was thinking about changing it. i had a few other ideas, but if you like it the way it is, i will keep it.

nothing else to say. thanks for all the review, favs and alerts. you guys are amazing and dont stop until i get enough (which i never will, lol) if anyone ever come up to you and say "hey, you, stop being so amazing." then you get in your best "i'm freaking awesome" stance, look that sum b**** in the eyes and say "Look you S.O.B., I am amazing because i am awesome. dont be comin' all up in my space, trya rain on my sunshine because you're not awesome like me" then just walk away. do exactly that.

keep telling what you think. love to hear it. keep Reading and Reviewing. love you guys.

Luv & Rockets.