A/N:Thank you all so much for reading/reviewing. I love hearing from you all even though I'm bad at responding back. It's been a crazy couple of days. 4 tornadoes hit within 20 miles of me, and one of our little towns here in IL was demolished. Thankfully, no one I knew was hurt.
I'd also like to give a huge thanks to my beta, Heather, for her mad beta'ing skills.
"Homecoming is on Friday," I told Edward as I talked to him one evening. I'd been afraid that once school started, we wouldn't keep in touch as much, but that fear had been unfounded. If anything, we talked more and kept each other up to date on what was going on at school and in our lives.
I kept in touch with Alice just as much, and Emmett and I spoke and emailed occasionally, but Edward was the one person to whom I constantly talked.
"Are you going?" he asked me, and I shook my head even though he couldn't see me.
"It's not my thing. I mean, I might go to the game, but I'm not going to the dance. That would require me to not only wear a dress but to attempt to dance to music that I can't stand."
Edward let out a laugh.
"Yeah, our homecoming is next week and knowing Alice, I'll be forced to attend."
"Are you asking anyone to go with you?" I asked him, hoping that he'd say no and then berating myself for thinking that. I had no claims on Edward, and it would be stupid of me to be jealous if he did go to a school dance with someone.
"Nah," he said, and I held back a sigh of relief. "I'm not interested in any of the girls that go to my school."
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if there was anyone who didn't go to his school that he was interested in, but I was afraid of what he'd say.
"Are things any better with that Jake character?" Edward asked a few minutes later.
I'd told him all about how Jake had said he'd wanted me back and how he'd been relentless since the first day of school. I'd told Jake no a thousand times, and I was so freaking close to seeing if I could file a restraining order against him for being a harassing douchebag.
"No," I said with a growl. "It's almost gotten worse, and Leah and her friends are constantly shooting me dirty looks and talking crap about me. I don't know what to do anymore."
"Talk to your dad," Edward suggested. "He might have some ideas. If not, talk to the principal."
"I know I should, but I'm afraid that will just make things worse. It's not like Jake is stalking me at home or when I'm in town. The only time I see him is at school."
"Well, I worry about you," Edward said, and my heart skipped a beat. "I just want you to be safe."
"I appreciate it, and I promise that I'll talk to my dad."
"Good. So what else is going on?"
We talked for several hours, but it didn't seem like it. Time always flew by when I was talking to Edward, and I found myself telling him things that I hadn't told anybody. Things like how there were times when I wanted to live with my dad because I couldn't handle my mom anymore or how my friend, Bree, sometimes annoyed the hell out of me. I'd told Edward things that I hadn't told Alice even though I considered her to be my closest friend. There was something about Edward that was so trustworthy, and I knew that no matter what I told him, he wouldn't judge me nor would he share my secrets.
A little after ten, we hung up, and I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling with a goofy smile on my face.
"You've got it bad," my mom commented from my doorway, scaring the crap out of me.
"I do not," I denied.
"Uh huh," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at me until I wanted to squirm.
"Okay, fine. I like him. A lot. Happy now?"
"Does he know?"
"What?! Of course not!"
"You should tell him how you feel," she told me, coming in and sitting down on the edge of my bed.
I stared at her like she'd lost her damn mind. I wasn't going to tell Edward that I was harboring a massive crush on him.
"Uh, no. Not gonna happen."
"Why not?"
"Because," I told her. "I can't just tell Edward that I like him."
Mom just sighed and told me to think about it, but there was nothing to think about.
"C'mon, Bella!" Bree whined. "Won't you come to the dance?"
I shook my head and told her no for the umpteenth time, but she was relentless, and when my other friends joined in on the begging, I finally gave in. Now, I wasn't normally the kind of kid to give into peer pressure, but it was only a dance, and I'd been told that Jake wouldn't be there.
Guess who gave into her friends and is going to the dance? I texted to Edward, and I got a response back right away.
You poor thing. Lol.
He must have told Alice because I got a text from her a few minutes later, telling me to send her pictures, and I reluctantly agreed.
The following night, I found myself being primped by my mom as she fixed my hair and applied a bit of makeup. When she was done, I had to admit that she'd done a good job.
Mom took a few pictures of me on my phone, and I sent them to Alice as well as Edward, and then I wondered why I'd sent it to him. Trying not to dwell on what he'd think, seeing me all dolled up, I drove to the high school and tried to focus on the dance.
I had a surprisingly good time, dancing a little bit with my friends and singing to songs that we all knew. As a matter of fact, I had such a good time that I completely forgot about my text to Edward, and it wasn't until the night was over and I was back home that I checked my phone.
I had two texts from Alice, one from Emmett, and one from Edward. I read Alice and Emmett's texts first, not quite sure I was ready to read what Edward had to say. Not that he would ever say anything rude about me, but I was nervous to see whether he thought I looked pretty or not, and I let out a snort at my thoughts. When had I become so vain?
Not quite ready to read the text Edward had sent me, I took a shower and washed away the makeup that I'd worn to the dance. Once I was done, I put on my pajamas and climbed into bed, clutching my phone tightly.
With an eye roll at myself, I unlocked my phone and pulled up Edward's text.
You're beautiful, was all it read, and my heart fluttered in my chest.
With shaking fingers, I texted him back, telling him thank you, and he responded almost immediately telling me I was welcome. He asked how the dance was, and I told him it was pretty fun and had been drama free.
Before we said goodbye, he told me that he'd send me a picture of himself looking sexy for his homecoming dance, and I let out a giggle. I'd discovered over time that the shy quiet Edward I'd met camping was also a sweet and funny guy who could hold his own against his crazy brother.
You do that, and we'll see just how sexy you think you are.
I'm mad sexy. You'll see, he wrote, and I let out another giggle which sort of irritated me. I wasn't normally a giggly kind of girl, but with Edward, I found myself being a bit more girly.
The following Friday at around eight, I was on the couch, watching a movie with Mom and Phil when my phone buzzed. Excusing myself, I rushed toward my room and eagerly opened the text Edward had sent me.
He'd been right. He was mad sexy, and I let him know that. His response was a smiley emoji, and I told him to have a good time and to stay safe.
I'll call you when I get home; although knowing Alice, it won't be until late.
That's fine. I'll be up.
"Edward?" Mom asked when I came back into the living room, and I nodded.
I ended up falling asleep before the second movie was over and was awoken when my mom shook my shoulder and told me to go to bed.
"I told Edward I'd be up when he calls," I told her as I made my way into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of Pepsi.
Drink in hand, I made my way up to my room and logged onto my laptop.
I opened up my Facebook page, which I rarely updated, and saw that Alice had already posted a ton of pics from her homecoming football game as well as some pics from the dance. As I scoured through the pictures, I noticed one of Edward with his arm wrapped around a gorgeous blonde, and my heart sunk. I knew he hadn't taken anyone to the dance, but that didn't mean he wasn't interested in someone or that he didn't dance with anyone.
By the time my phone rang, I was in a bit of a funk, and I considered not answering it, but then I came to my senses. I was being silly and acting like a jealous girlfriend.
"Hey, you," I said after accepting his call.
"Hey. I hope I'm not calling too late."
"Not at all. I just got done watching some movie with my mom and Phil. So, how was the dance? I saw the pics Alice posted on Facebook."
"It was okay," he said before letting out what sounded like a weary sigh. "I was ready to leave about halfway through, but Alice wouldn't let me."
"Oh, is she the boss of you?" I teased and was rewarded with a sexy laugh.
"She certainly thinks so. No, I'd driven all of us, and I offered to come back for them, but Alice pouted until I caved in."
"Did she make you dance?" I asked him, trying to find a way to ask who the blonde in the picture was.
"I danced once with Rose, Emmett's girl, and a few times with our group, but no one special."
"Is Rose the one in the picture with you?" I asked, wincing at how I blurted it out.
"Yep. She's pretty and all, but not my type. She can be a bit abrasive and has no trouble telling you exactly what she thinks. She keeps Emmett in line."
And just like that, all those conflicted jealous emotions I had been feeling were gone.
As we talked, Edward mentioned, once again, about how I needed to come out to Washington for a visit, and my heart stuttered like it always did. He'd mentioned it a few times now, and the thought of seeing him again gave me goosebumps. Oh, we'd Skyped a few times, but it wasn't quite the same as seeing him in person.
"I'd love to come out and visit you guys. Maybe spring break or something. We'll see," I told him, mentally trying to figure out a way to make it work.
"Hey, Dad!" I sang as I answered my phone. Dad and I did our best to talk as often as possible but life tended to get in the way, and it had been two weeks since we'd last spoken.
"Hey, Bells! How are you?" he asked, and I told him that I was fine before asking him what was up.
"Well, you know how I've been looking for a different job?" he asked, and I nodded even though he couldn't see me. Dad had been looking for a change. He still wanted to be a cop, but he was tired of the big city, and he'd begun to search for a job in a smaller town. He'd been nervous when he first told me, but I totally supported his decision. It was his life, and I didn't want my dad to be unhappy.
"You got one?" I asked.
"I did, and I owe a huge thanks to Edward's dad, Carlisle. We've kept in touch like you and their kids have, and he let me know that there was an opening in a small town near them called Forks."
My heart about stopped. The idea of being able to visit my dad and see Edward at the same time would be incredibly awesome.
"So, you're going to be a cop in Forks, Washington?"
"Actually, I'll be the chief of police. The pay is a bit less, but the cost of living is also cheaper, so I'll be good. They want me to start the first of November, so I've got a month to sell the house here and find one there."
"Well, I'm happy for you, Dad, and I'll definitely be visiting you."
"You'll just want to visit so you can see the Cullen kids," he teased, and I totally agreed.
After I got off the phone with Dad, I sent out multiple texts to Edward, Alice, and Emmett before hunting down my mom in the kitchen.
As I sat on a stool at the kitchen counter, I told Mom that Dad had gotten a new job and was moving to Washington.
"Good for Charlie," she said, and I knew she meant it. Their divorce had been amicable, and neither held any dislike for the other.
"He's always loved the Northwest, and now he can do a lot more fishing."
I let out a laugh at that.
I had a feeling Washington was going to be the perfect place for my dad. A few minutes later, my phone rang, and I saw it was Alice.
"Oh my God!" she squealed as soon as I answered. "I can't believe it! We'll actually get to see you!"
I let out a laugh at her exuberance.
"How far is Forks from Port Angeles?"
"An hour or so," she told me before she was off and running and talking about all the things we would do when I came to visit. I had to admit, I was getting pretty excited about it myself.
"Edward wants to talk to you, so I have to hang up," Alice said in a disgruntled tone a few minutes later, but I knew she wasn't too upset.
"Or you could just give me your phone so I can talk to her," I heard Edward say, and Alice huffed, handing it over.
"Hey, Bella," Edward said, and his voice warmed me. "I was pretty excited when I saw your text. I'd love to see you sooner rather than later, and your dad will only be like an hour away from us."
"Yeah, that's what Alice was saying, and I have to admit, it would be great to be able to see you guys more often."
"Will you be spending the holidays with your dad?" he asked, and I paused before answering. I usually spent the holidays with my mom since I spent summers with Dad, but maybe I'd change it up this year if Mom was cool with it.
"I'll see if I can come out for Christmas. I'll have to ask my mom first."
We spoke for a while until Mom called my name, and I told Edward I had to go.
"I'll talk to you later Sweet Girl," he said before hanging up, and I stared at my phone in surprise.
"Everything okay?" Mom asked a few minutes later.
"Huh. Oh, yeah," I told her absently as I pondered over Edward's words. He'd never called me that before. I certainly wasn't objecting, but I wondered what it meant.
a/n: As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.