A/N: Thanks so much for reading and/or reviewing. It totally makes my day! Also a huge thanks to my beta, Heather, for her her ideas and corrections. My stories would be a hot mess without her.
"Tell me everything!" Angela demanded the second I'd climbed out of the Jeep, and I had to let out laugh at her persistence.
So, I told her everything. I told her all about our dinner and about our walk in the park where Edward had kissed me and asked me to be his girlfriend.
She let out a squeal, much like Alice did when she was excited, before throwing her arms around me in a hug. I laughed as I hugged her back, and that was how Ben and Eric found us.
"What's this all about?" Ben asked as Angela, and I parted.
"Edward asked Bella to be his girlfriend," she said rather loudly and then I saw why.
Jessica, Mike, and Lauren were walking nearby, and they clearly heard what Angela had said because I saw Jessica and Lauren shoot each other looks of disbelief while a dark look crossed over Mike's face.
"Thanks, Ang. Let's give them even more reason to hate me."
Angela shrugged a shoulder.
"Don't worry about them. All that matters is that you're happy and with someone who cares about you a lot."
Angela was right, and that helped me get through the day as Jessica, Lauren, and their friends circulated all kinds of rumors about me.
They weren't super nasty rumors, but I had no doubt the girls would lead up to that at some point. Mainly the thing being said about me was that I was a liar because there was no way Edward Cullen would ever date a girl like me. I wasn't so sure what they meant by that because if there was one thing about which I was positive, it was that Edward would never date girls like them.
Well, that wasn't true. From what I'd heard about Tanya, she was a bit shallow, like Jessica and Lauren, and now she wanted Edward back. I hoped she knew he was off limits, and it was at that moment I wished I went to the same school as him. At least then, I'd be able to mark my claim in front of her.
"You okay?" Eric asked as we stood in line to get food in the cafeteria.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking that's all," I told him.
"Okay. Don't let the lies that those two idiots are spreading get to you."
"I won't."
"Good, because,apparently, you and I are secretly dating, but I'm too ashamed of you to let the world know that we're together," he said.
I stared at him before cracking up.
"I'm not laughing at you," I told him once I'd calmed down, "and if you were my type, I'd probably date you, but wow. Ashamed of me, huh?"
Eric let out a snicker, and I was glad to know that I hadn't offended him because I'd been worried for a minute.
"Don't worry, Bells," he said in a quiet voice as we made our way over to our table. "You're not my type at all either. You don't have the right equipment."
My eyes widened at his words, and I stared at him for a moment, not saying anything. Not that I had a problem or cared that Eric was gay. It was just a bit unexpected, and I chided myself for thinking how Eric didn't fit the stereotype of a gay guy.
"I'm out, but I don't widely advertise it," he told me.
"No worries. I won't tell anyone," I promised, and I meant it. Besides, it was no one's business but Eric's.
"It's not a huge deal, but I could only imagine what Jessica and Lauren would do with that information."
I shuddered at the thought. Knowing those two, they would do what they could to make Eric's life miserable.
"So now I want to hear about your date with the ever so gorgeous Edward Cullen," he said as we sat down, and I let out a small laugh. He sounded just like Angela.
Halfway through lunch, my phone beeped, and I saw that I had a text from Edward.
The interrogations have been relentless. How's your day going?
Lol. Pretty good. Not so much interrogations as people wanting details, I texted back.
Lucky you. Alice, Emmett, and a few other friends have demanded to know every detail of our date.
What about Tanya? I asked him. Does she know you're taken?
She does now, he texted back. She didn't seem too thrilled by the news, but I couldn't care less.
"Is that Edward?" Angela asked, but it was Eric that answered her.
"Of course it is. Look at her face."
I stuck my tongue at them and then went back to texting Edward throughout lunch.
"You're coming over for the weekend, right?" Alice asked me later in the week, and I told her yes.
She'd invited me to spend the entire weekend at their house, and I'd eagerly agreed. Not just because I would get to spend time with Edward but because I wanted to spend time with Alice as well. I felt like we hadn't hung out in forever, and we really hadn't.
"I'll drive there straight after school. Dad said it was fine."
"Yay! I have so much planned for us to do. It's going to be so much fun, and yes, I'll even let you and Edward have some alone time," she said, and I let out a small laugh.
"Thanks, Alice," I told her before we hung up.
Two days later, I was in my car and on my way to the Cullen's house in Port Angeles, and when the snow began to fall, I said a small prayer. I didn't mind snow or at least I didn't think I did, but I'd never spent much time in it, and I'd never driven in it.
Clutching the steering wheel tightly, I slowed down and was grateful that I was the only one on the road. That meant I could go as slow as needed to without pissing off any drivers behind me.
As soon as I found the turn off to the Cullen's driveway, I let out a long, slow breath and sighed with relief as their house came into view.
Edward must have been waiting for me because as soon as I parked the jeep, he was there, opening my door.
"Are you okay?" he asked, brushing a lock of hair off my face, and I nodded as I tried to hide my trembling hands. I was being stupid. I was going to have to learn to drive in the snow eventually.
"I'm fine. Just not used to the snow," I said with a small smile.
He pulled me to him, and I buried my face in the crook of his neck as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
"Let's get you inside before you freeze to death. Besides, Alice can't wait to see you."
He wasn't kidding. The second I walked in the door, Alice tossed herself at me, all while talking a million miles an hour.
I barely had time to wave to Esme before Alice dragged me up to her room where she told me that we were going to manicures while watching rom coms. I held back the face I wanted to make because getting my nails painted wasn't really my thing.
"Sit," she demanded pointing to her bed, and I did.
As she filed, shaped, and painted my nails, she chattered on about Jasper, school, and then she brought up Tanya.
"Oh man, was she pissed to learn about you," she said, a gleeful tone in her voice.
"Oh," I commented as if I didn't have a care in the world, but I wasn't fooling Alice.
"I know Edward has told you how Tanya wanted him back since she broke up with James, right? Well, I made sure to have to Jasper ask him about his date with you in front of her so she'd get the hint that Edward had moved on. Boy, was she jealous."
"Yeah?" I asked, sort of thrilled that Tanya was jealous of me.
Alice nodded her head as she finished putting a coat of pink polish on my nails.
"But, she's a nasty bitch, so I wouldn't put it past her to try and get Edward back somehow. But don't worry. He has you. The two of you are perfect for each other."
I certainly hoped she was right about Edward and me.
An hour later, Edward poked his head in the room and asked if we wanted to order a pizza for dinner. Alice and I both nodded and followed Edward downstairs and into their giant kitchen where he pulled out several pizza takeout menus.
Alice snatched one up as she informed me that Marco's had the best pizza in the world, and I told her we'd see about that.
We decided to order five large pizzas mainly because Emmett would be home soon, and he was bringing his girlfriend, Rose, with, and I'd seen the way Edward could put away food. We ordered a pepperoni, a sausage and onion, and a supreme pizza.
"What are we going to watch?" Edward asked after he'd placed our orders. "And none of that romantic stuff. I want an action or a horror movie."
Alice made a face at him, but I gave him a thumbs up. I was in agreement with him.
"How about Pirates of the Caribbean?" she suggested, and I shook my head no. I wasn't in the mood to watch that.
The three of us spent a good five minutes, arguing over what to watch before we finally decided on Die Hard. It was a great action flick, and I had a massive crush on Bruce Willis.
"Hey, guys!" Emmett boomed a few minutes later, proceeding to scare the crap out of me.
There was a tall, gorgeous blonde woman beside him, and I noticed the cool look she gave me. I'd heard all about Rose from Alice, and I'd been told that she was really into cars and fixing them up, but that didn't jive with the woman standing in front of me.
"Rosie, this is Edward's girl, Bella. Bells, this is my girlfriend, Rose."
I held a hand which she shook and told her it was nice to meet her. She replied, saying the same, but there was a cool tone to her voice, and I wondered if I'd offended her somehow.
I shot Edward a look, asking what I'd done wrong, and he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
Just then the doorbell rang, and Emmett ran to answer it with Rose right behind him. I turned to Alice and asked her if Rose was always like that or if it was me. She frowned and told me she wasn't sure what the girl's problem with me was.
There was a definite tension in the air as the five of us ate our dinner and watched the movie, and I hated that I seemed to be the cause of it.
Halfway through the movie, Rose got up to refill her drink, and I decided to confront her and find out what her problem with me was.
I grabbed my own glass, told Edward I'd be right back, and made my way into the kitchen where Rose was pouring a glass of Diet Coke.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked her, and she barely spared me a glance as she shrugged one shoulder.
"Did I do something to offend you? I mean, I've heard nothing but nice things about you, and I'd been looking forward to meeting you, but frankly, you seem sort of like a bitch. From the moment you walked in, you've done nothing but shoot me dirty looks and refuse to talk to me. So, what's going on?"
She set the two liter down and turned to face me.
"I've heard things about you," she commented, and I could only stare at her.
"I've been in Forks for less than a month. What in the world could you have possibly heard about me?"
"Stuff," she replied, and that answer wasn't flying with me.
"Stuff? Like what? That I'm a liar, and I'm really dating Eric Yorkie?" I asked her because that was the only thing I could think of.
"How about the fact that you were sent to live with your dad because of your drug problem?" she snapped, and I gaped at her. "Yeah. I know all about that, and I know you're not good enough for Edward."
"Oh, good, God. Really? Who is saying that?" I demanded to know. "I've never done drugs in my life, and I moved out here, voluntarily I might add, to give my mom time with her soon to be new husband."
I was seething that someone was spreading that kind of a lie about me, and I was going to put a stop to it.
"You know, before you go believing the bullshit that someone feeds you, perhaps you should get to know that person first," I snarled before stomping back into the living room.
I was so fucking angry, and the Cullen siblings noticed right off the bat.
"What's wrong?" Edward asked me, taking one of my tightly clenched fists in his hand and rubbing his thumb across my knuckles.
"Besides the fact that I'm a drug addict who was sent to live with my dad to keep me out of trouble? Nothing. Nothing is wrong at all. Everything's just freaking peachy."
"What?" Edward asked, a look of confusion on his face. "Where in the world did you hear that?"
"From Emmett's girlfriend, who by the way, is not the nicest person I've ever met," I said, arms crossed over my chest.
"Why would Rosie say that?" Emmett asked, and I shot him a glare.
"I don't know. Why don't you go ask her? Apparently, she knows all about me."
I knew it was stupid to get so upset over a rumor, but the fact that I'd heard it from a stranger who didn't even live in the same town as me had me really upset. That kind of rumor could be damaging to my reputation, and I certainly didn't want people thinking I was a drug user.
"C'mere," Edward said, standing up and pulling me up with him.
He kept his hand in mine as we walked upstairs toward his room, and I knew he was giving me a chance to cool down away from the others.
I was blinking back tears by the time we made it to his room, and I brushed away a stray tear that had managed to fall.
"I don't know where Rose heard that or why she chose to believe it, but you and I both know that isn't true," he said quietly as he sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him.
I sat down next to him, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, tucking me into him. I laid my head on his shoulders and let out a sniffle.
"Who would say such a thing about me? More importantly, why?" I asked him. "Who did I piss off so badly that they'd spread rumors like this about me?"
Of course, I was fairly certain that it had to be either Jessica or Lauren, but I wanted an answer.
a/n: As always, let me know what you thought! I love hearing from you all.