DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I am writing this story for fun and I will not seek any financial gain for it.

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CHAPTER 10: RING OF FIRE

After four failed attempts at trying to scoot my chair away from Edward I gave up and willed the hands on the clock to move faster. But time has a way of hurrying when you want it to slow and creeping like molasses when you need it to hurry. There were only twenty minutes left of class but it felt like hours.

Finally the bell rang and I shot out of my seat like a pop tart. I tried to gather my things quickly and leave but I was so full of nervous energy that I kept dropping things. I wanted to swear as I fumbled and dropped my pen and notebook a fifth time. I stared at the mutinous school supplies as they slid across the floor and under the table in front of me. I contemplated leaving them there but the room was already empty and my quick getaway foiled. I sighed and bent to pick them up but Edward darted forward quickly and picked them up for me. When I straightened he was holding my books and his and striding toward the door.

"Give me my stuff." I demanded petulantly as I followed him out into the hallway.

"I'd have been standing there till sunset waiting for you to compose yourself enough to collect your things." He smirked without looking at me.

I grimaced and wiped my hands on my jeans. "I'm perfectly composed. I'm just clumsy. Now give me my stuff." I reached to grab my books from him but he deftly switched them to his other arm and out of my reach without breaking his stride.

"You seem to be exceptionally clumsy at the moment." He gave me a sideways glance. "If you can make down this hallway without falling over I'll give you your things."

I was about to protest but then I tripped and nearly fell to the floor. Edward caught me by the elbow and I hastily straightened and glared at him. "You did that didn't you?" I said acerbically. I looked around to see if there was anything on the floor that I might have tripped on but there was nothing but smooth granite. "You tripped me? "

"I didn't need to do anything Bella. You're stumbling around as if intoxicated." He peered into my eyes. "You are in intoxicated. You're pupils are dilated and everything." He chuckled. "You're love drunk." He smiled a self-satisfied smile.

I was annoyed to no end. Things had been so much simpler when things were going well with Jacob. The certainty of his feelings for me had made it easy to lock away anything I might have been feeling for Edward. But the mistrust between us was causing cracks in the pavement and the uncertainly was letting things that had been tightly sealed away seep through. I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself but I ended up taking a lungful of Edwards scent. The smell of him had my head feeling fuzzy. He was right I was bumbling around like some lovesick puppy. I shook my head trying to dispel the fog.

"Whatever is going on with me has nothing to do with you. I'm always clumsy. If I seem to be exceptionally so, it's because I can't keep my mind off Jacob. He's all I think about."

Edward clenched his jaw clearly agitated and I kept going, enjoying his discomfort.

"I'm just antsy because school is almost over and then I'll get to see him. Just the thought of him makes me weak kneed." I stumbled on purpose as if to punctuate my statement.

"Thinking of him touching you makes me want to crush his skull." He whispered vehemently, fist clenched.

"I love him Edward."

He stared at me for minute then said, "The moment her regard ceased, I could have torn his heart out, and drunk his blood! But, till then - till then, I would have died by inches before I touched a single hair of his head!"

"Stop quoting Heathcliff. You're nothing like him."

"I am in love with a cruel woman who refuses to acknowledge her feelings for me. I'd say we have quite a bit in common."

"I do not feel anything for you Edward. Get that through your –"

We were a few steps away from the gym and he stopped short and rounded on me. "If you fix your mouth to say those words to me one more time I will kiss you soundly right where you stand." He growled menacingly. He glared at me and dared me to contradict him. "Say it again Bella. Tell me you don't love me. Tell me you don't feel anything for me." He scoffed.

"I should have changed you when you asked me the first time. I should have made you mine and changed your last name." He shook his head sadly. "So many things I should have done. But I was so afraid. I didn't want to damn your soul Bella. I wanted to save you. But in trying to save you I damned myself to a hell more real than any I've ever read of. Every day I've been apart from you has been an endless night. Do not heap coals on my head with lies, lest I steal my salvation from your lips." The intensity of his gaze was unnerving. "I burn for you. If you will not save me do not add to the heat of the furnace. There is only so much I can bear and I have reached my limit for the number times I am willing to let you lie to my face. You will not say those words to me again or any variation thereof or I will kiss you till you forget you ever knew how to lie." He threatened.

My heart was in my throat because I knew he was dead serious. He'd neatly wedged me between a rock and a hard place. If I told him I didn't love him he would take it for the lie and see it as an invitation for him to kiss me. If I kept my mouth shut and did not protest I would be admitting that he was right and that I did love him. No matter what I did he won.

"Edward I don't –" He took a step toward me as if to make good on his threat and my knees felt weak. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Edward, I don't want to play games with you. Whatever else may or may not be true, the truth is I do love Jacob."

He frowned at me eyes searching, then without a word he stepped past me and walked out the double doors at the end of the hall that led to the parking lot. I stood outside the gym in a bit of a daze.

I didn't notice the click clack of heels coming down the hall. "Miss Swan shouldn't you be in class?" Ms. Rupi, the school receptionist, asked.

"I'm not feeling well." I said grabbing my stomach. "I was just about to head to the nurse."

She nodded. "Go along then. Don't dawdle in the hallway."

"Yes ma'am." I shoved off the wall and made my way to the nurse where I pretended to be suffering from severe menstrual cramps so I didn't have to go to gym. I think Mrs. Granger knew I was lying but she let me hang out anyway. It was a slow day in the nurse's station and she didn't mind.

I only had two more classes till the end of today but I didn't see Edward anymore. I was relieved and a bit disappointed as well. I was also a little miffed because he'd never given me back my books or my notebook and I had Biology homework that I needed to get done. Angela caught up with me right before I left for the day to make sure I was still coming over.

"You want me to grab anything?" I asked.

"Whatever you might want to snack on. My folks are on a serious health food kick so there's not a lot of junk food in the house."

"OK. Anything you want in particular?"

"Gummy Bears!"

"Gummy Bears it is." I laughed. "See you in a few."

It was lightly misting out so I grabbed my parka from my locker then headed to my truck. When I hopped in I noticed my Biology textbook and note book were in the passenger seat. The notebook was flipped open and a note was scrawled in the neat script I knew so well. I pulled the notebook into my lap and read the note.

Love is a burning thing

And it makes a fiery ring.

Bound by wild desire

I fell into a ring of fire.

I fell into a burning ring of fire,

I went down, down, down as the flames went higher

And it burns, burns, burns,

The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

I found myself singing the lyrics in my head after I read the first two lines. This was one of my mom's favorite Johnny Cash songs. She had his greatest hits album and would play it Saturday mornings while making pancakes and bacon. I wondered if I ever told Edward about that. I flipped the note over. There was a bit more written on the other side.

I never knew what these words meant till I met you.

I burn for you.

I ripped the page out of my notebook and stuffed it in the glove box. It shouldn't make me feel so much to read those words from him but it did. I felt guilty but I couldn't help the way I felt. How do you tell your heart to turn away from someone? I loved Jacob but all this fighting was making me have some serious doubts. I was at a complete loss as to how to make things right and Edward was not making things any easier.

One day at a time I guess. I told myself. There was nothing I could do now. I pushed away all thoughts of boy drama and focused on having a good time with Angela.

Once the truck was nice and warmed up I headed to the nearest gas station and picked up as much junk food as my measly ten dollars and fifty seven cents could buy then went to Angela's house. I could hear her brothers falling over each other as they thumped down the steps to answer the door when I rang the doorbell.

The door swung open and two identical faces beamed at me.

"Hey Bella! You get us anything good?"

"You wanna play K'nex with us. We got the roller coaster set!" Joshua and Isaac asked at the same time.

"Guys let her get in the door first." Angela laughed as she came to the door.

"Ok, Ok." Isaac said. Or at least I thought it was Isaac. They twins looked so much alike it was hard to tell them apart. Both of them had short haircuts but one of them wore it spiked up and the other smoothed over his forehead.

"Come on in Bella." Angela waved me in and turned to the kitchen.

"I bought your gummy bears." I said as I followed her in. Isaac and Joshua followed on either side of me trying to get a peek at what was in the bags. "I also got some Twizzlers, some Sour Patch Kids and some M & M's."

"Ohhhh can I have the M&M's?" The twin with the spiky hair begged.

"Did you get those for you Bella?" Angela asked.

"It's a king sized bag so it's big enough to share." I said.

She nodded and turned to the spiky haired twin. "Josh did you finish your homework?"

Ok so that was Josh. Spiky hair Josh. Smooth hair Isaac. I made a mental note.

"I only have two more problems and I'm done." He whined.

"Go finish it and then you can have some candy." Angela said. Josh bounded up the stairs two at a time to go finish his homework.

"I finished my homework already. Can I have some sour patch kids?" Isaac asked.

"Go get your homework so I can check it." Angela said.

Isaac ran off and returned just as quickly with said homework. I pulled out a few paper towels and poured out a portion of sweets for everyone while Angela looked over his worksheet. Josh returned shortly and then we all sat at the small table in the eat-in kitchen getting a sugar high.

Once they finished wolfing down their candy they were bouncing off the walls and wrestling in the living room. I laughed as they threw pillows and pretended to close line each other.

"Why don't you two go outside for a bit." Angela suggested.

"Awwww we wanted to build the K'nex roller coaster." Joshua moaned as he tried to twist out of the headlock his brother had him in.

"You want to help us Bella?" Isaac asked me hopefully.

"I don't think Bella's into K'nex guys." Angela said.

"No it's cool. Show me this magnificent roller coaster." I said.

"Alright. C'mon it's this way!" The twins said excitedly. They disentangled themselves and ran to their play room.

"You don't have to do this." Angela said as we walked down the hall.

"It's fine. It'll be fun." I said reassuringly.

And it was fun. The roller coaster was nearly half-way complete. There was a picture guide that took you through the building process step by step. I lost myself in the million little pieces and enjoyed the goofy of antics of the twins. We spent the next hour and a half finishing it. The end product was nearly as tall as I was. It was seriously impressive. Josh and Isaac whooped with joy when we linked the last pieces together. Angela was praised as "The Best Big Sister Ever" when she scrounged up some double batteries for the motor that made the roller coaster run. I think we all sat there for like ten minutes just watching the little car go around and around on the track. It was a pretty cool toy. Angela tapped me on the shoulder bringing me out of my trance.

"Thanks for this." Angela said.

"It was fun." I smiled at her.

"Feel like keeping me company in the kitchen while I whip up dinner."

"Sure sure." I said and it reminded me of Jacob. I lost a bit of my levity and Angela seemed to see it in my face but didn't comment on it. We quietly left the room but I don't think the twins would have noticed us anyway; they were so into their toy.

"You mind if I use your phone?" I asked

"Not at all."

Hers hung on the wall in her kitchen just like in my house. I called Charlie and let him know where I was and that there was left over spaghetti in the fridge.

"I can take care of myself. You don't be too late getting home now. It's a school night."

"I won't. Love you."

"Love you too." Charlie said and hung up.

I sat at the table and contemplated my current dilemma with Edward and Jacob while Angela bustled around the kitchen.

"So what's up?" Angela asked pulling me out of my reverie as she stirred diced chicken in a pan.

This is why I'd come over. I needed a friend that I could talk to but I didn't know where to start.

"It's… complicated."

She nodded and continued stirring waiting for me to continue.

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This chapter looks nothing like I originally intended but I like it anyway. The writing process can be funny like that. :)

I am working on chapter 11 now and it should be up by next weekend. Everything I wanted to put in this chapter will be in it LOL

Hope you all are enjoying this story as it unfolds as much as me!