Still don't own it. Nothing wrong with fantasizing!

I would like to thank my beta, sjdavis84, for her awesome work.

Chapter 8

EPOV

It felt so easy just sitting here talking to Bella. I loved watching the beautiful blush that would color her cheeks every few minutes. It's so rare nowadays to see a young woman blush. I find it mesmerizing.

"You must have broken many hearts then." She rolled her eyes at me. Yes, she certainly does not see herself clearly. "You really have no idea, do you?"

"I have no clue what you're referring to. I did not break anyone's heart. I was more or less a wallflower. Completely uninteresting." She looked at me. I could tell she was trying to see if I was teasing her.

"I'm completely serious. Perhaps your attentions were otherwise elsewhere, and that is why you never noticed. I assure you, since you first stepped foot in this school, every guy here is trying to find some way to approach you to ask you out." I tried not to laugh at the look of horror that crossed her face.

Bella nervously ran her fingers through her long hair. "I hope you're wrong. I really don't want have more conversations like the one I just had with Mike Newton. That was very uncomfortable."

"So you found it difficult turning him down?" I just had to find out more about her thought processes. She intrigues me so much, and the way she handled Newton was amazing.

"Surprisingly, no. It was hearing him act like a whiny little toddler that made me sick. I still don't understand where his warped sense makes him think that it's okay to behave like that and still going to get the girl". She shuddered.

"You would be amazed. Most of the girls here think he's a prize catch," I laughed quietly. Bella grimaced, shaking her head.

"There is no way a girl in her right mind would think that. Of course, if that's true, then the girls here are all in their wrong mind," she said giggling. Man, I loved this girl. She is perfect for me.

"I guess I'm glad you don't happen to fall in line with the rest of them. You seem to march to you own beat, if you know what I mean. It's quite refreshing, actually."

Bella blushed again, as if on cue. She fidgeted in her seat for a minute before she responded. "Yeah, I do. I'm okay with that. I decided a long time ago that I didn't want to follow the crowd. I need to do what's right for me, even if it's not considered cool. To be honest, I have always felt like an outsider anyway. I have never felt like I fit in anywhere and instead of trying to change who I was and compromise myself, I just accepted things as they were. I need to be happy with the reflection that stares back at me in the mirror each day. I don't know if that makes sense."

I smiled at her. "It makes perfect sense to me. Most teenagers give in to peer pressure. I'm impressed that you know exactly who you are and what you are looking for."

"Alright, enough about the new girl. What about you? It hasn't escaped my notice that Jessica Stanley has a thing for you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but she has asked you out in the past and you turned her down, right?" She looked me in the eye, waiting for my answer.

I shook my head. Of all the questions she could have asked me, she hits me with that one. "Yes, she did ask me out, and I very politely turned her down. Jessica isn't my type."

Bella giggled and did this cute little dance in her seat. The next thing I knew, she was chanting, "I knew it, I knew it!"

"I'm sorry. I'm horrible. It's just that Jessica comes off as being way too forward, if you know what I mean, and you don't seem to be the kind of guy who is into that. You must have been so uncomfortable." Bella smiled at me humorously.

It's amazing how observant she is. Other than my family, no one else picked up that Jessica throwing herself at me had made me uncomfortable.

"I was. She seems to have as much difficulty with the word 'no' as Newton does." Bella began laughing again when I told her that. I really wish her mind wasn't silent to me. I would love to know what she was thinking right now.

BPOV

I was enjoying my conversation with Edward. I couldn't help but tease him just a little over Jessica and her obvious addiction to him. I knew she made him uncomfortable. How could she not? She's overbearing and thinks she's God's gift to men. It makes me wonder if she even owns a mirror.

"Well, hasn't any girl here caught your attention? They can't all be like her. I hope." I was curious. I had to know what type of girl he was attracted to and if anyone had ever caught his interest. I hoped not. Suddenly, I was feeling jealousy towards a girl who may not even exist.'Get a grip Swan,' I told myself.

"Not until yesterday," he said, looking deeply into my eyes. Is he implying what I really hope he's implying? That sexy grin is back on his lips, and he's leaning closer to me. "Bella, I'm a lot like you. I believe in soul mates as well, and I didn't want to settle for just anyone."

Wow! If I could do back flips right now without looking too obvious, I would. "And you sit there and call me the heart breaker. I think not. This may be only my second day of school, but I have noticed how all the girls stare at you non-stop. I won't even go into the drooling." I couldn't help myself. Picking on him was surprisingly enjoyable.

Edwards gorgeous golden eyes widened in surprise. I'm sure he was aware of the many female admirers he had. I guess he just wasn't used to being teased over it. I'm going to make a mental note of that.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I give. I do my best to not pay attention. I really don't like it when a girl throws herself at a guy. It just doesn't seem proper to me. If I was interested, I would be the one to approach her. I know that may seem a little outdated, but that is how I feel."

"I personally agree with you. It may be outdated compared to the way things are now-a-days, but I really don't care all that much about how others view my business. I also tend to pay very close attention to how a person conducts themselves. If their behavior is questionable, then I will not hang out with them. I do not need to deal with the whole 'guilty by association' thing." I told him firmly. I loved the fact that he and I seemed to on the same page.

"I wonder?" He said nervously, "What is your take on dating and being physical?"

I looked down when I felt my face suddenly get much warmer. Damn the blushing. It always gives me away.

"I'm actually waiting. I believe that all you need is love and a commitment to be physical with one another. By commitment, I don't just mean casual dating. I mean that you know that this is the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. There is no one else for you. I'm waiting for my soul-mate." I finished my water and was playing with the bottle. I felt like I may have said a little too much. I was fully aware that for a girl of seventeen, I had a tendency of being a bit intense.

I glanced around the cafeteria and noticed everyone including Jessica, as well as his siblings, were watching us. Seriously, do these people not have lives of their own. I looked directly at Jessica, and she gave me this dirty look like I was stealing her boyfriend. Someone is in denial. Just to be a pain in the ass, I smiled at her and waved.

"Are you aware that everyone is watching us. I think Jessica is about ready to call me out for sitting here with you. That look of hatred on her face is making me feel special," I told him jokingly.

"Yeah, I noticed. I was ignoring her. She tends to get on my nerves with her possessive attitude. Don't let her bother you. She's just a spoiled little girl who's angry for not getting her way."

"Oh, no worries there. She doesn't even register on my radar. Let's just change subjects. We don't want her thinking that we're talking about her," I suggested to him.

"Good plan. So, are we still on for after school? I did get some things together for our project. I hope you don't mind. I thought it might be a little easier." Edward smiled gently.

"Absolutely! I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for doing that. You didn't have to, but I do appreciate it." I couldn't wait to go to his house. Trust me when I say that it wasn't the project that had me eager. I just wanted to spend some time with him, getting to know him.

"The bell's about to ring. We should head on over to Biology." He said to me, standing up. I stood up and followed him out the double doors.

"I need to grab my book from my locker," I told him, heading down the hall. He followed me to my locker and waited for me while I grabbed my books. I slammed my locker shut and smiled up at him.

We walked together to Biology and sat down in our seats. We sat in silence for a minute, just looking into each other's eyes. There was just something about him that turned my insides to goo.

As I looked at him, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I started to get one of my "feelings" again. I don't know what was going on, but I did know that something was going to happen and soon.

I wish I knew more. These feelings have been happening a lot more lately. They used to happen more often while I slept, but now they are happening while I'm awake as well.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward asked me with concern lacing his voice.

" I'm fine. I was just thinking." I was saved from having to tell him more by our teaching coming in and starting class.

I tried to pay attention to what he was teaching. It was difficult. Not only have I done this class before, but now I have to worry about something in the near future.

I also noticed Edward was glancing at me often. I smiled at him reassuringly. I didn't want him to think something was wrong. I wonder what he would say if I told him about all of this? It would be nice to have someone to confide in. Hmm... Maybe. Just maybe.