A/N: Well, some of you weren't too happy with Bella last chapter. I get it, but remember that she's a teenage girl who will have moments of immaturity or feelings of insecurity.

Anyway, thank you all for reviewing! Three more chapters to go. I think I said two chapters yesterday, but it's three.

I hadn't wanted spring break to end. It had been a fantastic week and spending time with Edward was always a plus. He'd been so awkward and out of his element at first, but by the end of the week, we'd made a camper out of him.

The following weeks were great. Emily had helped me manage my anger and then we'd gotten word that James had agreed to plead guilty. That meant I wouldn't have to deal with a trial, and I wouldn't have to face him again. Something that I was very relieved by.

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Things between Edward and I had been fantastic, but that all changed when I got an email in my inbox. I had just gotten home from the diner and sat down at my old computer to check my email. Imagine my surprise when I found an email from Tanya, Edward's ex-girlfriend. I couldn't figure out why she'd be emailing me, much less how she'd gotten my email.

I debated for a few minutes on whether or not to open it before curiosity got the better of me. With a bit of trepidation, I opened the email and scanned it. I couldn't believe what I was reading. My breathing picked up and my heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest. I let out a sob, quickly putting a hand over my mouth as to not alert my family. I wasn't quick enough.

Rose came into my room and asked me what was wrong. I shook my head before pointing toward the computer. I watched as Rose read the email, then a litany of curses came out of her mouth.

"She's fucking with you, Bells. You know that."

"Do I?" I choked out.

"Yeah. Edward loves you," she said, putting her arm around me.

"According to Tanya, he loves her."

Rose sighed. "Again, she's just trying to get to you. Although, why she suddenly felt the need to email you is beyond me. She's up to something."

I nodded, admitting that Rose was probably right. Tanya was jealous of me and was just trying to hurt me. However, there was a niggling little voice in my head that was telling me that Rose was wrong.

It wasn't long before I heard from Tanya again. I tried to ignore her words that Edward had lost interest me and was only staying with me out of pity. I didn't want to believe her, but prom was quickly approaching and Edward hadn't asked me. I didn't necessarily want to go, but I would when Edward asked. But he never did. He never even brought it up, and all I could think was that Tanya was right; he'd lost interest in me.

I didn't mention Tanya's latest email to Rose because I knew Rose would try and convince me that Tanya was lying. But it was the last email that I got from Tanya that almost sent me over the edge. Tanya had forwarded me an email that Edward had sent her. An email where he proclaimed his love for her and that he was trying to find a way to break up with me. I lost it.

I tossed books across my room and threw myself on my bed, tears falling. A little while later Rose came into my room and read the emails. She was furious. Not at Tanya but at Edward. She swore she'd castrate him for hurting me. I shook my head. Not matter what I was feeling, I loved Edward and didn't want him hurt.

The next day at school was hard. I found it hard to look at Edward knowing what he'd told Tanya. I tried not to believe her words or his, but I couldn't find myself to ask him if it was true. However, I did get up the nerve to ask him why he hadn't asked me to prom. He told me there was no point in asking me when I was clearly not interested in going. I was a bit taken back. The Edward I knew would've asked me regardless of whether I wanted to go or not.

Later that night as I was at work, Edward came in, and I let out a weary sigh. I didn't want to see him, much less talk to him, but he insisted. I sat down across from him and listened as he spoke and apologized for not asking me to prom. I waited for the moment when he would bring up Tanya, but he never did and that pissed me off. Why the hell was he just stringing me along? Finally, I told him I had to get back to work.

Honestly, I wasn't surprised when he broke up with me later in the week. I'd been expecting it. After all, he was in love with Tanya, and I had the emails to prove it. Tanya had forwarded me several more emails from Edward's account to her. Eventually, I blocked her email address so I wouldn't have to see them anymore.

I was absolutely miserable after he broke up with me, and I couldn't hide my misery from Mom or Dad.

"What's going on with you?" Mom asked Thursday night.

I broke down and told her how Edward had broken up with me. Mom was confused as to why he would do that, and I didn't feel like explaining it to her. I just told her that we wanted different things. I didn't think she was convinced, but she let it go.

Dad on the other hand was furious. He went on and on about how dare Edward hurt his baby girl and threatened to have him arrested. Eventually, Mom got him to calm down. Dad apologized for getting so upset, but I didn't blame him. He was just being a good dad.

"Come on, Bella. Please, please, please go with me," Alice begged Friday night.

"Why are you going to the park so early in the morning?" I asked, a bit suspicious. I could tell she was up to something, but I didn't know what.

She rolled her eyes at my question. "Because I want to show you something. Please come with me. Please!"

Knowing she'd annoy me until I gave in, I nodded then kicked her out of my room. I wanted to wallow in my misery, and I did just that. I spent the night in my room, eating ice cream, and reading romance novels.

Nine o'clock Saturday morning came too quickly. I dragged my feet as Alice tried to drag me toward her car. Sighing, I got in, more than a little annoyed with her. I didn't say a word to her as we drove toward the small park, which more of a field than anything. She pulled into the gravel parking lot and we got out. I slowly walked behind her as she skipped toward the swings.

"Alice, what are we doing here?" I asked again, my voice impatient.

"She brought you here so we could talk," I heard Edward say from behind me.

I whirled around and found myself face to face with him. He looked as miserable as I felt, although he had no reason to look miserable. He'd gotten what he wanted. He was with Tanya now so why the hell he wanted to talk was beyond me. Furious that I'd been conned, I pushed past him and headed toward Alice's car only to be stopped when his hand grasped my arm.

"Hear me out," he said quietly.

I yanked my arm out of his grasp and crossed my arms across my chest, realizing that I couldn't actually leave since Alice had the car keys. "Fine. Talk."

He ran a hand through his hair before he began to speak. "I got a call from Irina the other day, letting me know that Tanya was sending you emails. I had no idea that Tanya was doing that nor why she was doing it."

I raised an eyebrow, not buying a word of it. "Oh, really? You had no idea that the love of your life was emailing your girlfriend?"

"I don't love her, Bella. It's you I love," he said, his voice earnest.

"I don't believe you, Edward. How can I? I've seen the emails you've sent her!" I cried out, fist clenched at my side.

A look of shock came over his face. "What are you talking about? I haven't emailed Tanya since I moved to Forks."

I was beyond furious that he was lying. I'd seen the proof with my own eyes! I'd read the emails that he'd sent her. How dare he stand there and fucking lie to me!

"Don't lie to me! Don't! I've seen the emails. I know exactly how you feel about her and what you really think of me!" I shouted at him.

"Bullshit!" he hollered, stepping closer and getting in my face. "You know nothing. I've never lied to you, why would I start now? Huh? When I tell you that I haven't emailed Tanya, I'm telling you I haven't done it."

I shook my head, taking a step back, refusing to believe him.

"If you don't believe me, then you can talk to Irina. I'll call her right now. She saw the emails on Tanya's computer. She'll tell you the truth," he said, pulling out his phone and pushing a button.

Moments later, I was handed his phone and listening as Irina explained to me that Tanya had gone off the deep end. She'd gotten heavily back into drugs and was convinced that she and Edward meant to be.

"She's lost her ever-loving mind. I told my parents and showed them the emails. They've confiscated her computer and are sending her back to rehab."

"What about the emails that Edward sent her? Can you explain that?" I asked, interrupting her.

Irina let out a sigh before speaking. She informed me that she'd discovered that Tanya had hacked into an old email account of Edward's that he'd used before they'd broken up. Then she wrote and sent the emails to herself before forwarding them onto me. It sounded too farfetched, but I couldn't honestly think of any reason that Irina would lie to me.

Wordlessly, I handed the phone back to Edward before walking away. My mind was racing. I headed toward the swings where Alice was, and she watched me with a knowing look.

"He's telling the truth you know," Alice told me, watching as I sat down on one of the swings.

"How do you know, huh? How do you know that he, Tanya, and Irina aren't just screwing with me?"

She shot me a disgusted look. "Don't be stupid, Bells. You remember how crazy jealous Tanya was when we met up with them. She's off her freaking rocker. Seriously, Bella. Why the hell would you believe that skank over the man you love?"

I sat on the swing staring at the sand beneath my shoes as I thought about what she, Irina, and Edward had said. I knew that Alice would never lie to me about something so important and if she believed Edward, then chances were good that Edward was innocent in all of this. But if he was so innocent then why had he broken up with me?

"Bella?" I heard Edward asked from beside me.

Slowly, I raised my head and looked at him. His hands were shoved in his pocket as he stared at me.

"Why would you believe Tanya?" he asked, hurt written all over his face.

I shrugged. I didn't know. Okay, I did, but I didn't want to say it out loud. I was already beginning to feel incredibly stupid and explaining why I'd fallen for her lies would only show them how stupid I really was.

"Bella?" Alice asked quietly.

"Chalk it up to insecurity," I mumbled.

"Bella, what are you talking about? What do you have to be insecure about?" Alice asked.

I let out a sigh. "Tanya's gorgeous. She's tall, blond, blue-eyed. I'm plain, old mousy Bella. How could I possibly compete with that, and Tanya pointed that out several times. She played on my insecurities and she did it well."

Hearing myself saying it out loud, I realized how stupid it all sounded. I really was an idiot. I heard a sigh from beside me, then saw Edward kneel in front of me. I adverted my gaze; I couldn't look at him. I felt a finger under my chin, and my face was turned so that I was looking at Edward.

"Haven't I told you time after time how beautiful you are?" he asked quietly. I nodded because he was always telling me that, though I personally felt he needed to have his eyes checked. "Haven't I told you that you're it for me? That you're the one I love with all my heart?"

Again, I nodded.

"Then why did you buy into her bullshit?"

"I didn't at first. It wasn't until I saw the emails from you to her that it all hit me. In the emails you said–" my voice hitched as I thought back to those emails. "You said that I was nothing compared to Tanya. That you were with me out of pity."

"But I didn't say those things. I never wrote those emails," he told me, honesty showing in his eyes.

"I know that now, but I didn't at the time!" I snapped. "At the time, all it did was reaffirm what Tanya had been telling me. I get it, I'm an idiot. You don't have to tell me. But answer me this, Edward. If you weren't interested in being with Tanya then why did you break up with me? Was I suddenly not good enough for you?"

Not knowing if I really wanted to hear his answer, I got off the swing and pushed my way past him. I heard Alice tell Edward to give me a moment. I walked toward Alice's car, stopping only when I reached it. By that time, tears were falling and my self-loathing was at an all all-time high.

I yanked on the passenger door only to find it locked. Frustrated, I plopped down on the hood and buried my face in my hands. I don't know how long I sat there but suddenly I found myself being pulled into a warm embrace. Strong arms wrapped themselves around me and held me tight. I clung to Edward, my hands clenching his sweatshirt. Finally, I pulled away, using the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the tears from my face.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, still unable to look Edward in the eye. "I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you about the emails and that I let my insecurities get the better of me."

"I'm sorry, too. I never wanted to break up with you, but I couldn't take it any more Bella. You completely pulled away from me. I was at a loss as to what I could have done to make you so cold and distant. You really hurt me, Bella."

The shame that I felt was almost overwhelming. Never once did I stop to think that my actions were hurting Edward. Oh, no. I'd been too caught up in my little pity party to even notice. Hearing him say those words was like being stabbed in the heart with a knife.

I finally met his gaze as I mumbled one apology after another. I hadn't meant to hurt him. Gazing at me softly, he told me he knew that. He sat down next to me and began to talk. I don't know how long we talked, but it seemed like forever. We talked about my insecurities, my fear that he would leave me, and we talked about how he felt that his trust in me was cracked a bit and it would take time to fix. I understood that, and I was so angry not only at myself but at Tanya. I wanted to head down to Phoenix and kick her ass, but Edward told me she wasn't worth it. Besides, she was going to be locked up in rehab for a while. That made me feel a little bit better.

A little while later my stomach let out a ferocious growl. I'd only had some granola for breakfast, and I realized that I was starving. Edward let out a small laugh.

"Perhaps we should feed you," he suggested.

I nodded before I asked a question that was bothering me. "Can you ever forgive me?"

His hands cupped my face as he looked into my eyes. "Yes."

I nodded, incredibly relieved before asking one more question. "Will we ever be together again?"

He nodded with a small smile. "Yes, but it will take a bit of time. I love you. I always will, but I think perhaps we should go slow. Start over if you will."

That was far more than I could have hoped for.

It had been a month and a half since the whole Tanya fiasco. Her parents happened to call when I was at Edward's house and they talked to both of us. They'd apologized for Tanya's behavior, something that pissed me off. Tanya was old enough to be held accountable for her own behavior. We were then informed that Tanya was in a rehab facility on the west coast, and she wasn't to have any contact with either Edward or myself. We'd see if that actually held up.

Since Edward and I had cleared the air, I'd spent more time at Emily's office working through things. She'd patiently listened as I'd berated myself for being so gullible and stupid. She'd told me I was neither. I wasn't so sure I believed her. I spent many hours in her office discussing my feelings toward Tanya, Edward, and myself.

"How are you and Edward doing?" Emily asked me during our last session.

"Okay, I guess," I said with a shrug. "We're taking things slow. We're just friends for now."

She nodded. "I think that's a wise decision. It'll give you a chance to start over."

Emily was right. It was giving us a chance to start over. We'd hang out with my siblings, go out to eat, or watch movies together. We talked way more than we ever had. I mean we'd talked a lot before, but now we talked more openly about everything.

Friday at lunch, I watched as poor Edward was harassed by several girls on his way through the lunch. He brushed them off, annoyance written on his face. He'd made it more than clear that he wasn't interested in them, despite the fact that he was single. Sort of. Okay, he was, but he'd told me that I was the only girl he wanted.

"When will they get the freaking hint?" he scowled as he sat down next to me at the table.

"Never, my man. Never. You're a hot commodity," Em said with a grin. "I've been there, Ed. It's a rough life."

Rose rolled her eyes at his words. Rose had apologized to Edward for believing in Tanya's lies as well. Edward being Edward, forgave her just as he'd forgiven me.

"Well they need to get a clue," he growled before shoveling some mash potatoes into his mouth. I agreed with him.

"So what are we doing tonight?" Jasper asked.

"There's a movie playing in Port Angeles that I really want to see," Alice said, and I barely held back a groan. Alice really wanted to go see some cheesy romance and had been begging all week to go. Jasper being the sucker, yet wonderful person that he was, agreed to take her.

"You guys want to go with?" he asked.

I shook my head as Rose nodded, saying that she and Emmett were in. Emmett looked less than thrilled, but he knew better than to argue with Rose.

"You coming with, Ed?" Jasper asked.

Edward shook his head. "Nah. You guys go ahead. Bella and I will find something else to do."

That comment got a few raised eyebrows and some lewd comments. Edward and I rolled our eyes at their immature behavior. We were nowhere near ready to do some of the things that Emmett suggested.

"Want to get some takeout and watch a non-romantic movie at my house?" he asked as he walked down the hall with me.

I nodded eagerly. "That would be great. But no zombie movies. I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah. No zombies for you," he said with a grin. He reached out and gave my hand a squeeze.

I made my way to gym class and made my way into the locker room. Gym class had been almost unbearable since Edward and I had broken up. I'd had to listen to the nasty comments coming from Jessica and Lauren.

I had just finished changing and had come out of the bathroom only to find myself surrounded by Jessica and Lauren.

"So what's going on with you and Edward? I thought he dumped your ass," Lauren commented.

"None of your business."

"He can't seriously be thinking of taking you back. I mean why would he, when he could have someone prettier?"

I barked out a laugh as I turned to face her. "Someone prettier? Like who? You? Yeah, I don't think so. How many times has Edward turned you down now? You'd think that you'd get the hint, but I guess you're hell bent on making yourself look pathetic. I gotta say, you're doing a great job of it."

Then I made the mistake of turning my back to Lauren as I went to put my clothes away in my gym locker. I hadn't gone very far when I heard an outraged screech and felt a painful yank to my hair. What the—?

"You fucking bitch!" Lauren screamed as she yanked on my hair again, causing me to let out a yelp of pain.

Thankfully, Jessica managed to get Lauren to let go of my hair. I rubbed my head as I Lauren shot a glare at Jessica before leaving the locker room. I turned to face Jessica and asked her if she planned on picking up where Lauren had left off.

She shook her head and mumbled something before walking away. As soon as I headed out to the gym, I made my way over to Coach Clapp and told him what had happened. He went over to Lauren and then I watched as he walked her out of the gym. The rest of class passed without incident. Once the bell rang, I headed down the hall toward biology, wincing at the massive headache that had formed.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked me as I sat down next to him.

With a sigh, I explained what had happened in gym class. He was furious and went on and on about how someone needed to put Lauren in her place.

"What the hell is with all these crazy girls?" he asked as he pulled out his notebook.

"You're a hot commodity, remember?" I said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," he said with an eye roll.

I was so glad that we were on speaking terms again. Biology class had been hell when we'd been broken up. Having to seat next to him everyday, but not being able to touch or talk to him had been hell. And while, I wasn't sure we were at the point where casual touches were okay, at least I could talk to him.

After the final bell rang, I headed toward my locker and told Edward I'd meet him at his car. I quickly shoved some books in my bag and found him at his car, surrounded by some freshman groupies. From where I stood, I could see that his jaw was clenched. He really hated all the attention that he got. I guess it was a good thing that he'd decided to forgo trying out for baseball this year. If he was a baseball player, the groupies would be ten times as bad.

I knew the moment that Edward spotted me because a smile came across his face as well as a look of relief. I headed toward him, ignoring the girls that were surrounding the car and climbed into the passenger seat. He slid behind the wheel, shutting his door and turned to face me.

"Ready for a night full of non-romantic movies?"

"And non-zombie movies. Don't forget that."

Fifteen minutes later, we were pulling into the Cullen drive. I'd been so worried the first time I'd come over after Edward and I had made our peace. I'd been afraid that Esme and Carlisle would hate me, but they didn't. Esme had wrapped me up in a hug and told me that every relationship had its ups and downs.

We headed inside, tossing our backpacks in a corner of the living room, and I flopped down on the leather couch. Edward opened up a cabinet and started browsing the movies.

"What are you in the mood for?" he asked, interrupting my ogling of his very nice ass.

"Something violent," I told him. I was still furious about the hair-pulling incident. I mean, seriously. Were we in third grade? Lauren had been suspended until next Wednesday, and I knew when she came back that I'd probably catch hell from her.

"You know, zombie movies are violent," he commented with a grin my way.

I didn't know what it was about zombie movies that Edward loved so much. Jasper and Emmett were the same way, and I just didn't get it.

"No, Edward. Just no. I don't care if it's horror violence or a violent thriller, but no freaking zombies."

"Alright, alright. I was just sayin'."

After some playful arguing, we finally settled on Hostel. It was incredibly graphic, gruesome, and violent. I was slightly squeamish, and by the time the movie was over, I swore that I would never ever step foot in a hostel if I ever went abroad.

"Okay, so what's next? More gore or do you want something a little lighter?" he asked, taking the movie out of the DVD player.

"Something lighter."

A little after six, Esme arrived home and told Edward that Carlisle would be home by seven and that they were going out with friends in Port Angeles.

"Do you need me to make you something for dinner?" she asked us. Edward shook his head and informed her that we'd probably just order something.

Around eight, Esme and Carlisle left and Edward and I spent a good twenty minutes arguing over what to order. He wanted pizza, I wanted Chinese. In the end, we compromised and agreed to get burgers from the diner. I called in the order, and he went to pick it up, leaving me alone in the Cullen house.

Resisting the urge to snoop around, I plopped down in front of the cabinet that held the movies and tried to decide what to watch while we ate. There were so many movies to choose from, and I eventually settled on Coraline. It was one of my absolute favorite movies. I put in the player and waited for Edward to come back.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Edward let me know it was him. I met him in the kitchen where we put our food on plates and grabbed sodas to drink. We sat down next to each other on the couch and began to eat as the movie started.

"Man, I love this movie," he said through a mouthful of burger.

I nodded in agreement. It was a truly fantastic movie. Before long, our food was gone, and I was feeling a bit sleepy. I curled up on my side of the couch and at some point, I must have drifted off because I woke up to Edward gently shaking me.

"Hey, sleepy girl. It's a little after ten. Did you want me to take you home?"

With a sigh I sat up, covering my mouth as I yawned. "I'm so sorry I fell asleep. I didn't mean to."

Edward waved me off.

"As much fun as I've had tonight, I'm exhausted and I'm sure Alice will be laying in wait to tell me in great detail about the movie they saw."

We talked quietly as he drove me home and once we pulled into my driveway, he stopped the car and came around to open my door. With his hand on the small of my back, we walked up the steps to my porch.

"Got any plans for tomorrow?" he asked me.

"Nope. What do you have in mind?" I asked.

"It's supposed to be warmer tomorrow. How about a picnic?"

I quickly said yes. Giving me a smile, Edward said goodnight but not before he pressed a kiss to my cheek. I couldn't contain the smile that broke across my face. I felt like we were really starting to make progress. I wasn't sure if tomorrow would be classified as a date, but I was really looking forward to it.

a/n: See? Things worked out. I know some of you will think he forgave her too quickly, but my Edwards tend to forgive quickly. See you all on Tuesday!