A/N: Ugh. So much drama at work, and I'm too old for that crap. Anyway, huge thanks for reading and reviewing! As always, all mistakes (especially of the comma variety) are all mine.

"Edward?"

I let out a sigh and contemplated banging my head against my locker. Jess apparently didn't know the meaning of the word no. She'd asked me out three times already, and I was tired of it.

"No, Jess. Just … no. Please respect the fact that I don't want to go out with you. I have nothing against you. You're a nice girl, but I don't want to date you," I told her, feeling like an asshole.

I heard her let out a huff before hearing footsteps take off down the hall. I turned around, resting my back against my locker and let out a sigh. The only girl I wanted to ask me out was Bella, but I was afraid that she'd categorized me into the friends only category.

Realizing that the bell was about to ring, I headed toward my last class of the day. Once school was over, I said goodbye to the Swans and headed home. I had a ton of homework to do, plus I needed to study for a math test.

I was sitting on the couch, scowling at my book when Carlisle came home.

"Hey, Edward. I'm going out with Esme tonight. Will you be okay on your own?"

I barely looked up from my book. "Sure. Have fun," I told him.

We were slowly learning to live with another. Carlisle tended to work a lot, but now that I was living with him, he was trying to cut his hours back a bit. I appreciated the gesture, although I wasn't sure it was all to do with me. I was pretty sure that working less, meant he'd have more time to spend with Esme as well.

She'd stopped by Monday night for dinner, and I'd come to find that I really liked her. She'd told me a little more about herself. She was forty-five, two years older than Carlisle, and divorced. Apparently, her first husband had been a nasty piece of work who thought it was acceptable to abuse women.

When I'd asked her if she had any children, her eyes had grown sad. She'd told me that she'd had a little boy named Colin, who had died a few weeks after he was born. I'd felt horrible that I'd brought it up, but she'd assured me it was okay.

The door bell rang, interrupting my thoughts, and I got up to let Esme in. She gave me a hug and asked me how school was.

"It was okay," I said, sighing as I thought about Jess and her persistence.

Esme gave me a calculating look. "You can talk to me or your dad about anything. You know that, right?"

I nodded. Esme made me want to tell her what was going on and before I knew it, I was.

"There's this girl who's asked me out four times. She's a nice girl, but she's not the girl for me. I feel like such an as—jerk every time I turn her down."

Esme gave my shoulder a squeeze. "Some girls can be a bit persistent."

"No kidding," I said with a sigh.

"So, tell me. Is there a girl you are interested in?"

I could feel myself blushing as I avoided her gaze. She poked my arm and asked, "Well?"

"Maybe."

She just looked at me until I cracked. "Bella Swan," I mumbled out.

"She's a great girl," Carlisle said from behind me, startling me.

"Yeah, she is," I agreed.

"Esme, we need to leave. Our reservations are for seven. I'll be back later," he told me.

I pulled him aside right before he walked out the door and reminded him that I was old enough to stay home by myself. He gave me a cocky grin before telling me he'd see me tomorrow.

Thursday morning, I checked my email before school and was pleased to see that my friend, Irina, had emailed me. I opened the email and felt my stomach drop at what I read.

T's in the hospital. She went to some big party and overdosed on cocaine. I had no idea she was even doing that stuff. She'd told me she was done partying. She's in a coma. They don't know if she's gonna wake-up. I know that the two of you had a rough break-up, but I thought you'd want to know.

I sat there numb. Tanya was my ex-girlfriend and even though she and I didn't talk anymore, I still kept in touch with her sister, Irina.

Fumbling for my phone, I pulled up Irina's number and called her.

"Edward," she answered, her voice thick with tears.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Hanging in there. If she pulls through, Mom and Dad are putting her in rehab."

"That's the best thing they can do," I told her.

We talked for a bit longer before saying goodbye, and I headed to school with a heavy heart. While I wasn't in love with Tanya, I still cared about her. I'd known her since second grade.

I walked into school, barely registering the things going on around me. I had just closed my locker when Bella came up to me. I couldn't even muster up a smile. She looked so concerned and asked me if I was okay. I wasn't ready to talk about what was going on, so I told her it was personal.

We started walking down the hall when Bella shocked the hell out of me. She asked me if I wanted to go to the movies with her. I swear my heart about jumped out of my chest. I felt blush on my cheeks as I answered yes, a bit too quickly.

I couldn't believe it. Bella Swan asked me out. I was practically giddy. Then, another thought occurred to me. Maybe it was a group outing.

"So, um … is everyone going or is it just us?"

"Everyone," she said, and I did my best not to let my disappointment show.

"Sounds good."

"Great. I'll give you more details once I have them," she said as we stopped in front of my classroom.

Later in the day, Emmett stopped me in the hall and asked if I wanted to spend the weekend at their house. It was just the distraction I needed. I sent Carlisle text asking if it was okay. I got the okay a few seconds later.

"Suh-weet!" was Emmett's response.

After school, I followed the Swans back to their house. The second I was inside, Emmett and Jasper led me to their room. I hadn't really hadn't gotten a good look around their house the last time I was there. I felt a bit bad when I stepped into their room. It was half the size of my room at Carlisle's, and it housed two teenage guys.

There was a bed on each side of the room along with two dressers, and tons of shelves aligned the walls. Posters of scantily clad women and sports figures hung crookedly and clothes litered the floor.

"Uh, we've got an air mattress for you to sleep on if that's cool. If not, you can crash on the couch," Emmett told me as I set my bag down.

"The air mattress is fine," I assured him.

A few hours later, I was riding in Emmett's Jeep with my thigh pressed intimately against Bella's. Goosebumps erupted across my skin at being such close proximity with her. Thankfully, everyone was unaware of how much she affected me.

Sitting next to Bella in a dark theater was an experience. We hadn't done anything, but there was almost an electrical current in the air. It didn't help that the couples around us were salivating all over one another.

The movie was truly horrible. The action sequences were okay, but the rest of the movie was an eyesore.

Once the movie let out, I excused myself to use the bathroom. I had just left the bathroom when I heard my name being called. I barely held back a groan when I recognized the voice as Jess's. The girl just didn't know when to quit.

"Edward! Hi! What are you doing here?"

"Uh … I just got done watching a movie," I told her, thinking why else would I be at the theater.

A pout crossed her lips, and she reached out to touch my arm. "You should've asked me to come with you, that way you wouldn't have to watch a movie alone."

"I didn't come by myself," I told her as I pulled my arm away. "I'm here with Bella and —"

"Oh, so she's good enough to date, but I'm not?" she interrupted, a glare in her eye.

"If you had let me finish, I would've told you that I was hear with Bella and her siblings," I practically snarled. "Not that it's any of your business who I go to the movies with. I know I'm coming across as an asshole and I'm sorry for that, but I've told you that I'm not interested in you."

If looks could kill not only would I be dead but Bella as well. Scowling, I headed back toward the group, telling them things were fine when they asked.

Later that night, I woke up from a nightmare involving Tanya. In my dream, Irina had called to tell me that Tanya had died and that it was my fault. As quietly as possible, I slipped out of Emmett and Jasper's room and headed out to the living room. I sat on the couch trying to calm my emotions and thoughts.

I was a bit startled when a figure came into the room, and let out a breath when I realized it was Bella. Almost immediately, I felt calmed and before I knew it, I was spilling my soul to her. I told her about Tanya and then told her about Jess at the theater.

I really appreciated Bella's listening to me, and it made her that much more attractive to me. We said our good nights and I watched as she walked down the hall, enjoying the way her ass looked in her tiny sleep shorts. Oh, yeah. I was falling hard.

The next day was a flurry of activities. We'd been woken up by Mrs. Swan who had insisted on feeding us oatmeal filled with stuff. I say stuff because I honestly had no idea what was in it, and Bella had told me it was better not to ask.

After breakfast, Jasper asked us if we were up for a game of baseball. Apparently, the whole family played. Once the dishes were done, the Swans gathered up a bunch of equipment and started out the door. I followed them down this path behind their house, through some woods, until we came to a huge clearing.

It was obvious they'd played there before. Bases were already set up and there were some logs that were used as seats. Chief Swan began pulling bats out of one of the bags while the others pulled out gloves and balls.

"What position did you play in Phoenix?" Emmett asked me.

"Pitcher," I told him.

"Fantastic! You're on my team. Jasper can't pitch worth sh—crap," he said with a grin as Mrs. Swan gave him a look.

Soon the teams were divided up, and I found myself on the same team as Emmett, Mrs. Swan, and Alice. We didn't have enough players for a real game, but it had to be the most interesting game of baseball I'd ever played. I pitched, Mrs. Swan played first base, Alice played third, and Emmett played the entire outfield. And, I hated to say it, but Alice and Mrs. Swan were awful. Neither of them could hit or catch, although I was wise enough to keep my mouth shut. Emmett, however, was not.

"Geez, Mom! Do you need glasses? How in the world did you miss that?! Dad practically hit it right at you!"

Mrs. Swan turned and gave Emmett, what I had dubbed, the Mom stare. "Don't take that tone of voice with me! I'm still your mother, and I still have the right to ground you and take away your Jeep!"

That shut him up. But the best part of the game was when Bella was up to bat. She was an awful player as well. She was on her second strike when I tossed her a easy pitch. She hit the ball, a look of pure surprise on her face. Her dad, Jasper, and Rose were yelling at her to run, and when she did, she ran the wrong way. Emmett and I were doubled over with laughter. A smack to my stomach quickly shut me up.

"Not all of us can be baseball superstars," Bella growled.

"I'm sorry," I said with a grin.

"Hmph."

"Alright, gang. Let's pack it in. I need to hit up the grocery store to get some steaks. You boys will be helping me grill out," Chief Swan said after his team had lost.

As we walked back to their house, I was filled with a bit of jealousy. The Swans were such an amazing family. It was obvious how much they all loved each other, and I envied their closeness. I wasn't that close to my parents at all.

My folks had divorced when I was four, and Mom had taken me to Phoenix. She'd gotten a lot of alimony and child support from Carlisle, but that hadn't stopped her from bad mouthing him for as long as I could remember. She had always been warning me about him; telling me that he wouldn't hesitate to buy my affection.

It had always bothered me. Whenever I visited Carlisle and he'd buy me stuff, I'd always wonder if it was because he loved me or because he felt guilty. But, not once, did he ever talk bad about Mom. And for that, I respected him. I knew that the divorce had been messy, and Mom had always placed the blame on Carlisle.

"You okay?" Bella asked, startling me.

"Yeah," I said giving her a smile. "Just thinking about how close your family is. I'm a bit jealous to tell you the truth."

"Mom and Dad are pretty great. We're extremely lucky to have such an intact family."

"Hurry up, you two!" Jasper hollered from ahead of us.

Twenty minutes later, I was at the local IGA with the Swan men. It was a train wreck waiting to happen, and Chief Swan knew it. I almost expected him to put leashes on Emmett and Jasper.

"Boys, divide and conquer. And Emmett? Don't even think about looking at the liquor aisle," he warned.

It was the longest trip I'd ever taken to a grocery store, but eventually we got everything we needed.

Once back at the Swan house, us guys began to prep and prepare the food for dinner while the women laid back and relaxed.

"How are you adjusting to Forks, son?" Chief Swan asked me as we stood around the grill.

"I'm surviving. I'm not used to all the rain or the chilly weather, but I'm adjusting."

He nodded. "Change can be rough. Things okay on the home front?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Carlisle and I are learning to live with one another."

He nodded again, taking a sip of his beer. "Well, you're welcome here anytime. All my kids like you and that's saying a lot. They don't tend to like just anyone."

"They're awesome," I told him.

The weekend went by too quickly and it was Monday before I knew it. I'd called Irina on Sunday night and had been informed that nothing had changed. I did my best not to dwell on the negative thoughts that entered my head.

I was at my locker gathering my books when James came down the hallway. He'd left me alone since our last encounter, and I'd hoped it would stay that way.

"Hey, man. Sorry about getting your face the other day."

I was flabbergasted and suspicious. Why would he suddenly change his attitude?

"Yeah, whatever," I told him, closing my locker.

"Look, dude. A bunch of us are getting together later tonight at the Rev in Port Angeles. Why don't you come with?"

"No thanks," I replied as I took off down the hallway.

I entered my Spanish class and found Lauren propped up against my desk. I barely held back a sigh. Bella had warned me that Lauren had decided she wanted me. I just didn't understand why. It wasn't like I had movie star looks. I was just an average guy.

"Hi, Edward," Lauren said as I sat down.

"Hey."

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me this weekend?"

"No thanks," I said, shaking my head.

She put her hands on her hips and gave me a pout. "I promise to make it worth your while."

I shuddered at her promise. "Again, no thank you."

She leaned forward showing off her cleavage. "You can't honestly tell me that you aren't interested."

I looked her straight and eye and said, "I'm not interested. Please, don't ask me again."

She stood up and walked away from my desk with a huff as I rolled my eyes. The rest of class was spent with Lauren and some pale blonde girl giving me dirty looks.

By the time lunch rolled around, Lauren had asked me out twice more, and I'd been accosted by her friend, Jane. Jane had tried to play up Lauren's strengths and attributes, telling me that it would up my rep if I dated Lauren. To which I'd responded, that I didn't care about upping my rep.

"Obviously. I mean, hello. You hang out with the Swans. That's a rep killer right there," she told me before stalking off.

"What was that about?" Rose asked from behind me as I got into the lunch line.

"Apparently, Lauren wants me to go out with her."

A look of pure horror crossed Rose's face. "Please tell me you said no."

"Duh," I said with an eye roll. "I'm not interested in her or Jessica."

"What about Bella?" she asked, reaching over me to grab an apple.

"What about her?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Rose gave me a calculating look. "I'm not blind, Edward. It's obvious that you like my sister. So my question to you, is what are you going to do about it?"

"Uh … ask her out?"

Rose smiled. "Good answer. But, Edward? If you hurt her, I'll break you into tiny little pieces and scatter them throughout the woods. Understand?"

I gulped. Rose could be a bit scary. "Uh huh."

"Excellent. So, when are you going to ask her out?"

"Uh …"

"Who's Eddie asking out?" Emmett asked from behind us as we made our way toward our table.

"Bella."

Emmett nodded. "Fuck with her, I'll fuck with you."

"Yup, got it. Rose beat you to it."

"That's my Rosie. Hot as fuck when she's all protective," he said, leaning down to place a kiss on Rose's lips.

I looked away, slightly jealous at their relationship. It was obvious that they loved each other deeply. I wanted that kind of love. I rolled my eyes at myself. I sounded like a girl.

"What's this I hear about you going out with Lauren this weekend?" Alice asked the second I sat down at the table.

"What!? I'm not going out with her. I told her I wasn't interested, same as I told Jessica," I seethed.

"It's Lauren. She's not too bright. You may have to tell her a few times," Bella said with a sneer.

I was finishing up my last bite of cafeteria pizza when I overheard Lauren telling Jess that I was going out with her. Standing up, I excused myself from our table and walked over to where Jess and Lauren were arguing.

"Let me make things clear. I'm not going to date either of you. Ever. Stop asking me out. You're not only wasting my time, but you're making fools of yourselves," I told them, my fists clenched at my sides.

I hadn't realized that I was being loud until I noticed the cafeteria had gone quiet. Crap. I could feel my cheeks heating up and knew that if I looked around, everyone would be staring at me.

"Thanks for being such an asshole," Lauren said, shooting me a dirty look.

"Lauren's right. You are an asshole. I don't know what I saw in you," Jessica told me, turning her back on me.

I clenched my teeth from commenting on what bitches they had been and headed back to my table. However, none of the girls at my table had a problem with calling them out on their behavior.

"Maybe if you hadn't been so pathetic and needy, he wouldn't have had to be so harsh," Rose commented to Jessica.

"Seriously. How many times does guy have to tell you no before you get the hint?" Alice asked.

"If anyone's an asshole here, it would be Lauren. She's supposed to be your best friend, Jessica. Yet, she's spent all day asking Edward out and talking about how he would rather go out with her than you," Bella told her.

That was all it took for a cat fight to break out. A cat fight between Jessica and Lauren that is. It was mildly entertaining to watch until they managed to come to agreement and decide that it was all Bella's fault that I wouldn't go out with them. I narrowed my eyes, just waiting for them to go after my girl. Not that she was my girl, but she would be. I knew right then and there, I would ask her out before the day was over. I hoped that she'd say yes.

Halfway through Biology, Bella got called to the principal's office along with Jessica and Lauren. When Bella didn't return to class, I started to get worried. I shot Alice a look across the room, and she mouthed not too worry. I couldn't help but worry. I didn't want Bella to get in trouble because of me.

Class finally ended, and I booked it out the room, scanning the hallway for Bella. I didn't see her before my last two classes ,and when school was done, I hurried toward her locker.

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw her there. A quick glance told me that she didn't appear harmed in anyway, just pissed off.

"Are you okay?" I asked, leaning against the locker next to hers.

"I'm fine. Mad as hell, but fine," she said, slamming her locker door shut.

"What happened?" I asked as we walked out of the building.

"Jessica and Lauren got called into the office for the scene in the caf. Of course, they told the principal that it was all my fault, and that I'd started it. Hence, my being called in there. Anyway, to make a long story short, the three of us have detention tomorrow after school."

I stopped in my tracks. "That's bull! You didn't do anything!"

"Well, yeah, I kind of did. If I'd kept my mouth shut, they wouldn't have gotten into it."

"Then, it's my fault as well, and I should be in detention too," I told her.

Bella shook her head. "What's done is done. I'm over it for the most part. Although, if Jess or Lauren come after me, I may not be able to hold Rose back."

I walked Bella to her car, wishing her fun at work before making my way to my car.

"Edward!" she hollered before I'd gotten very far.

"Yeah?" I asked, jogging back toward her.

"My car won't start. Could you give me a ride to the diner? I'll have one of my parents pick me up."

"Of course," I said with a smile. Giving her a ride would give me the perfect opportunity to ask her out.

As we walked to my car, butterflies erupted in my stomach. My palms became sweaty and wiped them off on my pants as I unlocked the car and held her door open for her.

"Thank you."

"You're quite welcome."

We made small talk as I drove and as I pulled into the parking lot of the diner, I gathered my nerve. I pulled into a spot and put the car in park.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?" she said, turning to look at me.

For a moment, I got lost in her beautiful eyes before I remembered what I was doing.

"Would you—" I took a deep breath, "Would you go out with me on Friday?"

"Like a date?" she asked in a soft voice.

I blushed as I answered. "Yeah, like a date."

A big smile crossed over her face and before I knew it, my arms were full of Bella.

"Of course! I'd love to go on a date with you!"

I grinned, thrilled with her answer and her reaction.

"Great! Fantastic! I'll pick you up at seven, if that's okay?"

She nodded after letting go of me. "I can't wait."

"Me either," I said.

I barely remembered the drive home. I couldn't believe that I had done it, and she'd said yes. You'd have thought I'd proposed to her with the way I was acting. I tried to wipe the huge smile off my face as I walked inside the house, but it was useless.

"What's got you looking so happy?" Carlisle asked, scaring the crap out of me.

"Oh … uh, I asked Bella out for Friday night."

Carlisle grinned. "You couldn't have found a nicer girl. Better be on your best behavior, son. Her dad is the chief of police."

"I know," I said with a slight gulp. I hadn't really given that much thought.

Later as we sat down for dinner, Carlisle informed me that he was going to be gone for the weekend.

"I have a medical conference in Portland that I need to attend. One of my co-workers was supposed to go, but he got hit with a nasty case of the flu. I'll be leaving Thursday night, and I'll be back late Sunday."

"Okay."

"I trust you, Edward. That being said, no parties, no booze, no girls."

"Understood. Um … would it be okay if I had the Swans over for an afternoon to watch movies or something?"

"That's fine. I'd prefer that no one spends the night."

I nodded. I thought he was being plenty fair.

"Good. So, tell me. Where are you taking Bella?"

"No idea. Where's a good place to go for dinner?"

Carlisle thought about it for a moment. "Not much around here, but there's plenty of places in Port Angeles. You could take her to Cafe Garden. It's a nice little place. I took Esme there on our first date."

After dinner, I looked up the restaurant online and decided that it looked like a good place for a date. I wanted to do more than just take her to dinner, but I was sure what was around the area. There were a few art galleries, a marine sanctuary, and a marine life center. I wasn't sure if Bella had done all the Port Angeles tourist stuff, so I decided I would ask one of her siblings. Or all of them.

I sent them all messages on Facebook and got replies almost immediately.

Someplace with lots of people and no privacy, was Emmett's suggestion. I snickered at his big brother response.

Alice suggested shopping, Jasper suggested the historical society museum, but it was Rose's suggestion that I liked the best.

Take her to the Olympic Coast Discovery Center. She's only been once, but she loves marine life. Here's a link to their website.

I quickly sent a thank you to Rose as well as the others for their ideas.

When bedtime rolled around, I found that I couldn't sleep. I was too excited about the fact that I had a date with Bella Swan.

a/n: Yay! They're going on a date! Woot!