Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. All other characters, settings, lyrics, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Virginia May, ©2010.

Note: This is Part 1 of the (very long) story of how Bella Swan became a person of significance in Jessica Stanley's life, and how Jessica in turn became a friend to Bella. Rather than being a true outtake, it's more a collection of snapshots in their history showing the development of their relationship. These vignettes may make it seem as though the pair were very close—"besties", as they say—but that's really not the case. The bonds of friendship can be forged in many ways. Sometimes, you realize that the one friend you believed to be indifferent, was actually the one who always had a smile from across the room, a wave from across the street, or a hand offered in a time of need. Sometimes, you don't have to be best friends to become true friends.

**If it's been a while since you've read, Remember that What Drives Her is a Twilight AU, diverging from just before Mike, Eric, and Tyler all ask Bella to the dance. That was the day Edward broke down and talked to Bella again, but in this world, he left the night before.**

"The Evolution of Love"

Part One

"Hey, Bells. Somethin' smells really good in there."

I smiled to myself. Charlie was predictable if anything. His greeting every night was virtually the same. Some slightly varied version of "Honey, I'm home . . . What's for supper?" Without the term of endearment, of course.

"Hi, Dad. Lasagna tonight," I said. I heard him kicking off his boots and hanging his holster up like he always did.

"That's great. Thanks, kiddo."

"It'll be ready in a few," I added when he made it to the kitchen.

"Sounds good." Charlie went to the refrigerator for a beer, but instead of heading straight to the living room like usual, he stopped and leaned against the counter for a few seconds. A moment later he was clearing his throat and shuffling his feet around.

"Everything okay, Charlie?" I asked, looking up from the salad I was prepping. He frowned at the use of his given name. "Sorry, Dad."

He shook his head and smiled. "It's okay. I know you're not a baby anymore. Just hard to adjust, I guess."

I apologized again and gave him a quick smile before going back to what I was doing. I could tell he still had something to say, what with him shuffling his feet and all. There was also the fact that he didn't make a beeline for the television right away.

"Speaking of babies . . ." he finally said awkwardly.

It took me a minute to process what he'd said, but when I did I turned to face him with wide eyes.

"Babies?" I asked, playing dumb. I was slightly afraid of where this conversation was headed. After all it wasn't like he'd been around when Renee gave me "the birds and the bees" talk back in grade school, and from the current gossip running rampant through Forks I could easily guess what this was about.

"Uh . . . yeah. Well, see . . . I heard something interesting while I was out today."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, I did. I heard something about you and Jessica Stanley."

I looked away, feeling my cheeks heat just slightly. Stupid small towns with nothing interesting to do but gossip . . .

"What did you hear?" My voice sounded considerably more panicked than I had meant it to.

My dad chuckled quietly, letting me know that at least he wasn't mad. "Well, there's a rumor going around this little town that you may have stood up for Jessica at school."

I didn't say anything.

"Seems she's found herself in a bit of a situation and people have been talkin'," he continued, waiting for me to look up or say something.

I was quiet, not sure what to say. I had already been completely humiliated by my own behavior and didn't want to revisit the moment.

"No need to be embarrassed, kid. It sounds like you did a good thing. Threw a wrench in the gossip mill, so to speak, and gave the rest of your classmates something to think about."

I blushed furiously at my dad's words, my face practically catching fire from the remembered embarrassment. How in heaven's name had Charlie, the Chief of Police, heard about my horrifying lunchtime display at school two weeks ago?

"Um . . . I . . . How did you hear about that?" I stammered.

Charlie laughed and reached up to run his hand over forehead as if he were a little embarrassed himself.

"The ladies at the diner," he said shrugging, as if that was the only explanation needed.

I felt my brow scrunch up in doubt. "And how would they know about what goes on in the high school cafeteria?"

He laughed. "They know everything. How should I know?"

I blinked. It made sense when he put it like that.

"Guess it was only a matter of time before the whole world found out." I sighed. "What exactly did they tell you?"

Charlie took a long sip of his beer and then looked at me. "Something about going toe to toe with Lauren Mallory when she called Jessica names. They also said you gave an impromptu speech on abstinence, too."

Oh, God.

Charlie's stare felt like a tractor beam, trapping me where I was. I couldn't look away. "That true?" he asked after another moment.

My words from that day rang out loudly in my head.

"You have no right to judge anyone, Lauren. Unless, oh I don't know . . . you're a virgin? Which I'm sure everybody here would be delighted to know as long as you're sharing. And that goes for the rest of you, too. Share or shut up, 'cause Jessica hasn't done anything that half the people in this school haven't also done."

Snapping back to the present, I ripped my eyes from my father's. "There wasn't really an abstinence speech," I said to the ground.

He hummed. "Too bad."

I barked out a nervous laugh, chancing the briefest glance up. Charlie took another sip of his beer and shook his head.

"I have to admit, Bells. . . I didn't believe it when Lorraine said you made a scene. It's not like you. But I'm proud of you. I know it must have been hard for you to speak up like that."

I blushed hotly at the small but significant smile on his face. It made me stand a little taller, despite my embarrassment at being praised for what had been a horrifying, if momentary, lapse in judgement. "Thanks, Dad."

Charlie eventually wandered off to change while I finished dinner. When the timer on the oven buzzed, he returned, helping to pull some plates out down and grab the silverware while I served. We agreed to take our food to the living room where I was glad for the distraction of the television. I thought he was too. . . until he set his plate on the coffee table and picked up the television remote to hit the mute button.

"Listen, Bella. I'm uh, I'm sorry to have to bring this up, but. . . I gotta ask. . . is there any reason in particular that you stood up for the Stanley girl?"

I frowned, setting my own plate on my lap. "What do you mean?"

His cheeks went ruddy. "I mean. . . uh"—he coughed and my heart lurched—"it's not like you can imagine what she's going through, right? You're too young, and you've never, uh. . . been tempted to, um"—he coughed again—"you know? With a boy?"

"What!" I shrieked, standing instantly. "God, why would you— Ew! Dad, no! Just no!"

Charlie held out his hands up in supplication, eyes wide and shocked. "Okay, okay . . . calm down."

"Jeez, Charlie." I turned my back on him. "Are you serious?

"What?" he called after me. "I'm a father. It's my job. Not to mention you've been spending a lot your weekends with Jake and his friends down in La Push."

"Ugh, Dad . . ." I dropped my plate in the sink a little too hard. "Jake and are just friends now, and only just barely that after the way he treated me last month."

"Well, he's not the only boy in the world," my father muttered, having followed me into the room.

"Ew . . . Charlie, please stop. It's not an issue, at all. And even if it was, we would not be having this conversation. Mom already gave me the talk when I was eleven."

He huffed behind me. "Yeah, well, that was a while ago. You're not eleven anymore."

"Fine. Can we call this good though? Please? I promise I won't end up in a 'situation', okay?"

"Fine," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

I nodded and leaned back against the counter. "Aren't you going to finish your game?"

Charlie sighed and shuffled on his feet. "Yeah, I guess. But I'll wash the dishes so you can get back to your homework. Okay?"

I interpreted that as an apology for the awkwardness in the room and nodded. "Thanks," I said quietly.

"You're welcome," he answered. "Thanks for cooking dinner again."

"You're welcome."

He sighed and turned to leave, I assumed to go get his abandoned plate from the living room. I started to grab a Coke from the fridge, but stopped when I heard his voice.

"Listen Bells?"

"Yeah."

"I really am proud of you. You did a good thing standing up for Jessica Stanley. She's lucky to have you for a friend."

I swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in my throat. "Thanks, Dad."

~( )~

A couple hours later, I was supposed to be doing homework but couldn't concentrate on anything. I'd been reading the same page over and over for about twenty minutes when I finally decided to give up and try something else. Picking up my phone, I paced back and forth a few times before making my decision and grabbing my coat and keys as well.

I hopped down the stairs and went straight to the living room where Charlie was once again stationed in front of his game. He glanced up at me and then crinkled his brow in confusion.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Yeah. Um . . . I was thinking about what you said earlier. About Jessica? And, well, I really need to talk to her. I won't be long. I just want to do this face to face."

"It can't wait 'til tomorrow?"

"No, not really."

"Well . . . all right then. Don't be too late," Charlie agreed, leaning back in his chair.

"Thanks, Dad. I won't be."

It only took me five minutes to get to the Stanley's house. I was glad to see that Jessica's car was outside and almost every light in the house was illuminated. It was only eight-thirty, but I hadn't called first.

Standing on the front porch, I was suddenly nervous. I hadn't even thought about what I was going to say, just that I needed to apologize to Jessica for making a spectacle out of both of us. She was still pretty pissed off at me, and even though we hadn't been tremendously close during the past year, that was as much my fault as it was hers. Or maybe it was Mike's fault? At this point I didn't think it really mattered. All that mattered was that I hadn't been the best friend I could have been, and it bothered me.

The door swung open a little and a surprised-looking Jessica stared at me.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" she asked, leaning against the door but not opening it.

"Hi, Jess. Um . . . I wanted to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

"Not really. What do you want?"

I sighed. Why did she have to be difficult about everything lately? I guess I knew the answer, but she wasn't really doing herself any favors.

"I just wanted to apologize to you again for what happened with Lauren," I said. It sounded lame, even to me.

"You mean for what happened in front of the whole school, don't you?" she spat, glaring.

"Yeah . . . I guess."

"Whatever, Bella. Can we just go back to ignoring each other now? You're sorry, I get it. So is everybody else."

"Wait, Jess. Look . . ." I took a breath. "You and I are as different as night and day. We always have been. But that doesn't mean that I don't care, because I do."

Jessica shook her head. "Thanks, but it might have been better if you just stayed out of it, Bella. You humiliated me and half the student body. We can't all be angels and saints like some people."

"I know and I'm sorry. That was never my intention."

I was surprised when Jessica began wiping at tears that suddenly pooled in her eyes. She never let them spill, but there they were, nonetheless.

I looked down to give her some privacy. "Look, you don't have to forgive me now. That's okay. But, please remember what I said. And I'll be around if you ever want to talk. Or bitch about Mike, or Lauren, or whoever . . ."

Jessica laughed quietly once. "Yeah, thanks."

"So, I'm gonna go," I said, feeling like this was as good as things could get between the two of us.

"M'kay. See you tomorrow, I guess," she said, half-moaning at the mention of the upcoming day.

"All right . . . see you in English. I'll be hiding in my truck at lunch if you need me."

I turned to leave, only getting a few feet down the drive before I heard Jessica call my name.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around.

"Do you mean that?"

"Do I mean what?"

She smiled halfway and came outside to the steps.

"The thing about your truck?

"Uhh, yeah . . ."

She looked around, seeming unsure. "Maybe . . . maybe it might be nice to avoid the looks and whispers for one day."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Okay, then. See you tomorrow."

~( )~

"So, it really didn't hurt?" I asked hesitantly, my cheeks flaming and my voice barely audible.

Jessica shrugged. "He was gentle. I mean, Mike's not an idiot. He may act like it sometimes, but he's not. He was maybe a little impatient, though. If he'd waited for me to adjust, I think it would have been better the first time. And just FYI, the second and third times were pretty much the same. Not horrible, but no fireworks."

I looked out the window of my truck in utter humiliation and took a drink of my Coke.

Jessica started laughing. "Oh my God, Bella! You look like a tomato! You're such a virgin!"

I almost choked, but laughed a little, too. "Well, yeah . . ."

She shook her head. "You never know. I mean, people have secrets."

I nodded, but she was way off the mark about what kind of secrets I had. Yeah, Jess, for instance I happen to know that vampires are real. You met one. Or five. I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts when suddenly, Jessica was yelling and pointing out the window.

"Ohmygod! Tyler Crowley's totally kissing that junior that lives around the corner from you! Um . . . What's her name again?!"

"Katie Marshall," I answered, trying not to look. "She's nice."

"She's kissing Tyler! That's just gross. And her hair is hideous. Holy cow, they are totally going at it!"

I frowned and rolled my eyes. "I think her hair's pretty."

Jess scoffed. "If you like redheads, I guess. I much prefer blondes. Well, blond guys. And blond guys who aren't being total douche bags."

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's important isn't it? What happened between you two anyway, you never got to that part."

"What part?" she asked, turning away from the free show Tyler and Katie were giving us.

"The part where you guys broke up. 'Cause if it was over the baby, I'll whack him over the head with something for you when I get to work later."

Jessica laughed again. "Bella, I would pay good money to see that under different circumstances, but he didn't break up with me because of the baby. He didn't break up with me at all."

"But I thought . . ."

"I was being a total bitch to him. Never mind that we all know why I was acting like a hag now, but then . . ." she sighed. "I was yelling at him all the time, or crying. So one day he just had enough and he goes, 'What are you . . . like, on the rag or something? What's your damage lately, Jessica?' And the way he said my name, it was like it left a bad taste in his mouth."

"Seriously?" I asked, surprised that he would talk that way to her. He seemed so mellow most of the time.

Jessica nodded. "Yeah, and it made me so mad that I slapped him." I gasped. "Yep. And then to top it off, I told him that we were over and I never wanted to see him again. It wasn't until I got home that I figured out that he was sort of right and I should have been having my period. But I wasn't. I was two weeks late."

"You must have been so scared."

She snorted. "Duh . . . of course I was. I mean, what was I supposed to do? I'd just broken up with my boyfriend. And slapped him. And I was pregnant. I didn't know how to go back to him after finding that out. I was just . . . just . . ."

"Scared."

She sighed. "Yeah. I was also really embarrassed and I just wanted everything to go back to the way it was. I felt guilty about the way I treated Mike and I regretted sleeping with him. Which I think was the thing that made me really mad because I didn't want to regret it. I still don't. I loved him and sex with him was kinda awesome once we got the kinks worked out."

"Okay, Jess. I so didn't need to know that last part," I said, uncomfortable with her being that candid.

"Well, it was, and I miss it. I miss being with him, Bella. He's being a dick now, but I know it's just because of the way I treated him. That, and the fact that everyone knows he knocked me up. I think he's scared that if we get back together I'll want him to propose or something."

Once again, I nearly choked. "You don't want him to, do you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. I do love him, though. I miss him."

I sighed. "Look, Jess . . . just because you love somebody doesn't mean you should get married. My parents got married young and look where it led them."

Jess nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's why I was thinking about getting it . . . well, getting the pregnancy taken care of. I don't really like the idea, but I think it may be the best thing."

My heart was suddenly beating really fast. "You mean get an abortion?"

Jess nodded. "I need to talk to Mike first. Of course, now that everybody knows, I'm not sure I could go through with it. People would know that I had an abortion when there's no baby bump in a few weeks. That almost seems worse than them knowing I'm knocked up in the first place." She was thoughtful a moment. "I guess my parents can always tell people I had a miscarriage if anyone asks."

"Jessica, have you talked to anyone else about this?"

"No, of course not."

"Well, I think you really need to do that. I can't help you with this. I don't know what to tell you. I just know that . . ." I trailed off, both lost in my own thoughts and realizing I was no one to give advice.

"What?"

"I shouldn't say anything." And it was true; I really shouldn't have been giving Jessica advice.

I'd never thought much about abortion before. I knew what my mother believed, that from a political standpoint anyway, she thought it was safer for women to have access to the procedure if they needed it. Personally, she didn't think it was ever something to be used for birth control alone, but she used to tell me it was a good thing that it was legal in our country because otherwise women in difficult situations would do desperate and dangerous things.

I shuddered at the thought. I couldn't even imagine myself in Jessica's shoes. Pregnant at eighteen? The thought terrified me. How did a girl my age make a decision like that?

"Please, Bella. You're the only one who knows I'm even thinking about it. Just say whatever you're thinking."

I nodded slowly. "Okay . . . Well, it's a really personal decision and I'm not telling you that you should or shouldn't do what you need to, but . . . you are right about one thing." She nodded eagerly, waiting for me to continue. "People will know, Jess. Even if you're parents and"—I smiled—"your friends tell them it was a miscarriage, there will be rumors. And it's such a small town that it will take a while for them to forget. So things won't ever be the way they were before, even if you end it now."

Jessica was quiet for a long time. "I know," she whispered finally, her voice raspy. "I know what people will think about me. What they'll be saying about me for years to come. I'll always be the girl who got pregnant in high school. I'll be the damn cliché, a statistic, instead of a valedictorian. But if I do it . . . if I make this go away? Then I can go to college and I never have to come back to this lousy, backwoods town again. I can have a new life in California and start fresh."

"What about Mike, though?" I asked, seemingly out of nowhere. "You said you love him."

Jess turned her head towards me. "I do."

"But he's going to school in-state, right? So are you just going to end things with him for good? And how does he feel about the baby? He seems like he wants to support you. He's not denying it or anything."

Jessica looked so sad and I instantly regretted what I said. "That's why I have to talk to him," she sniffled. "I don't know what he wants or what's going to happen between us."

Tears slipped down her cheeks and I found myself throwing the rest of my lunch back in the paper bag I'd brought it in. I slid over a little and hugged Jessica Stanley for the first time ever. It was awkward, but it felt like what my mother would do for me. Slowly, Jessica's hands came around me and she cried softly into my shoulder.

We missed the bell for fifth period, but somebody must have seen us through the window because Principal Greene came outside after a half an hour or so. He started to order us back to class, but brought us to his office when he saw Jessica's tears. He spent a few minutes counseling her, then left us alone in his office until she was composed enough to go back to class.

We never talked about what had transpired between us that afternoon again, but the next day Jessica joined me for lunch in my truck just the same. By Friday, Angela was squeezing in with us, too.

"I think we need a bigger truck," Jessica said, shifting against the door.

"We can sit in my car tomorrow," Angela offered.

"Or . . ." I said. "We could go back to the cafeteria."

I looked at Jess and she shook her head. "Not yet."

"Okay," I agreed. "Monday?"

Jess shook her head again.

"Awesome," Angela said with a smile. "My car it is then. I'll bring some music. What do you guys listen to?"

~( )~

Two weeks later, we'd all gotten tired of hiding out in the parking lot and made a quiet return to the cafeteria that went relatively well. There were a few stares and snickers, but for the most part everyone ignored us. Ironically, the only open table that day was the table I'd avoided looking at all year. I spent most of the lunch hour lost in my own thoughts about vampires and van accidents while Angela talked to Jessica about proms and graduations.

Not surprisingly I suppose, I dreamed of him again that night. It had been over a year since he departed Forks and Edward Cullen still haunted my dreams. Most of the time, he was walking away from me, leaving me alone in the woods. But ever since Jacob and I had broken up, ever since he showed up ranting about stupid Quileute legends that he didn't even believe in, my dreams were different. Worse. There was one with Jacob and a rusty-brown wolf that would growl and lunge for Edward's throat just before I woke up. It was pretty rare as far as my Edward dreams went, but it was the dream that came to me the night after the Cullens table became my table.

Shaken and wondering what it meant, I decided it was time to go ask Jacob a few questions. The next morning, I drove to La Push on the pretense of needing help with a rattling sound that my truck was making. I was pretty sure I could have looked at it myself, but I needed to talk to Jake. He seemed happy to see me, but was evasive as usual when he realized why I was really there. We argued, also a fairly normal occurrence since he'd fallen "ill" in February. Also fairly normal, I ended up leaving La Push in a huff.

As I turned back onto the 101 towards Forks, a little green car on the grass shoulder caught my eye. I pulled to a stop behind Jessica's Corolla and hopped out when it was safe. Walking quickly through the rain to get to the driver's side window, I ducked my head down and knocked lightly. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to hear then soft sobs coming from inside.

"Jess? Are you okay? It's me, Bella."

"Bella," she cried, looking up at me with puffy red and bloodshot eyes. She rolled the window down a crack and then motioned me around to the passenger's side. I opened the door and started to get in the car with her as she moved a few papers and brochures out of the way.

"What happened? Why are you on the side of the road?" I asked after I was in.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I just needed a minute."

"Are you all right?" I asked, eyeing the brochures warily. The words Planned Parenthood were visible across the top of them.

"I'm fine. I went to Seattle. I . . . I tried to do it, Bella. I wanted to. I went there." She pointed to one of the pamphlets. "They gave me an appointment at a clinic, but when I got to the place, the doctor had to do an ultrasound first because I'm already so far along." She took a gasping breath and started sobbing with her head pressed to the steering wheel.

I put a hand on her back and made soothing circles. It didn't seem to help, so I leaned over and half-hugged her across the center console. "It's okay, Jess. Shh . . . You're okay." After another minute or two of crying I got scared. "Jess? You are okay, right?"

"No." She sobbed, shaking her head. She sniffled and sat back, pulling out of our hug. "I mean I am okay, but I'm not."

I stared at her, having no idea what she actually meant. She wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I just couldn't do it. The second the doctor stuck that stupid wand thingy on my stomach I knew. I didn't even have to see the baby. I just knew I couldn't do it. I don't what I'm going to do now, but I couldn't do that."

Her sobbing began again in earnest, and I almost wanted to cry with her. I managed to get her to take a few deep breaths and took one or two myself.

"Do you want me to follow you home?" I asked after she was calmer.

"Actually, would it be okay if I came over to your place for a while? I don't want my mom to find out and if I see her right now, I'm going to fall apart again."

I nodded. "Of course. You can come over for a little."

"Thanks," she whispered.

"Sure, sure."

An hour later, Jessica Stanley was calling her mom from my kitchen asking to stay over for the night. I was standing around wondering how that had happened when Charlie walked in the door. He took one look at Jessica and grabbed a beer before leaving us alone. I smiled when I heard him turn the television on with the volume higher than usual. I had a feeling he just really didn't want to know.

"Your dad's really cool," Jess said when she sat down at the table.

"Yeah, one of the good things about Charlie is he doesn't hover," I said, offering her some hot chocolate with marshmallows. I hoped that it was okay for pregnant people.

Jess took it and sighed. "That must be nice. My dad's not around a lot, but my mom is always in my hair. Always. Especially these last few weeks," she said, staring into her mug for a moment. "Thanks for letting me stay."

"You're welcome."

She put her mug down. "I don't think I'm supposed to be drinking hot chocolate. I'm pretty sure it has caffeine or something." She sighed. "I don't know. I guess I should get one of those baby books if I'm going to keep this thing."

I made a face. "Thing?"

"Sorry . . . baby."

I chewed on one of my cuticles. "Is that what . . ." I hesitated a beat longer. "Um, is that what you really want?"

She shrugged. "I don't want to get rid of it. Not like that, anyway. I can't hurt it."

"So you're going to keep it because you don't think you have any other choice? You have heard of adoption, haven't you?"

"Of course, I have." She made a face, sighing as she pushed her hot chocolate away. "If I keep the baby . . . you know, like, for myself? Then it will be because I always wanted to have kids someday anyway. Not because I'm stuck. It'll be something I want to do."

"You want to have a baby when you're barely out of high school?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Bella. It's number one on my life's list of things to do."

I gave her a look.

She smiled ruefully. "All right, so maybe I had a few other things I wanted to do before I had a baby. Maybe this isn't ideal. Maybe people will talk about me behind my back for the rest of my life, but"—she sighed and shook her head—"ever since I was a little girl playing with my dolls, I wanted to be a mommy. I wanted it all. A house with a white picket fence. A husband to cook dinner for. Children to make lunches for. I even wanted the frickin' minivan, okay?"

We both laughed. "A minivan?" I asked.

She nodded, smiling. "For soccer practice, of course."

We were both quiet, lost in our own thoughts for a time.

"Bella?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm scared. I'm scared that giving up this baby means that I'm giving up on those dreams. At the same time, I'm also scared that keeping the baby means I'm throwing them all away."

I sighed and nodded as though I understood. Not that I possibly could. How did one decide what they were willing to sacrifice for their future happiness? I couldn't imagine being faced with such a dilemma.

"Do you think I'm crazy for even considering it?" she asked, when I didn't continue. "Keeping the baby, I mean?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No, Jess. You're not crazy. You have a difficult decision ahead of you. Nobody has the right to judge you for weighing all the costs or considering all the options."

Jessica nodded and stared at the table. She began picking at her fingernail polish.

"How have you been feeling?" I asked.

"Eh," she shrugged. "Some days good. Some not so good. The nausea seems to be going away. I'll have to see if I can find out if that's normal. See, I need a book."

I frowned a little. "So what have you been doing for information until now?"

Jess twirled her hair. "I've been using the internet. I went on this one site and found out my due date and everything."

"Seriously? When is it?"

She smiled a little. "September 28th."

"Wow, Jess. That's only a few months from now."

"I know. I'm already sixteen and a half weeks along. That's like . . . four months. Crazy, huh?"

I nodded, thinking. "Maybe we should go to Port Angeles tomorrow and get you that book."

"You'd come with me? Just to get a book?"

I smiled. "Do you know me at all? I'd use any excuse to go to the bookstore."

Jessica laughed.

"Have you been to a doctor?" I asked after a few minutes of easy silence.

"Not yet. I mean, I saw Dr. Gerandy at the beginning. But not like . . . a baby doctor or whatever."

"Do you know where to find one?"

"Not really. I think I have to call my dad's insurance first. I'm not sure."

"I'll help you if you want, but you should do that soon, too."

Jessica kept her eyes down. "I know."

"I'm sorry, am I being rude? Or insensitive? I don't know what to—"

She looked up. "You're fine."

I blushed a little and dropped my chin, watching the last of the marshmallows melt into my hot chocolate.

"Thank you, Bella," she said unexpectedly.

"For what?"

She smiled and shrugged, looking shy. "For everything. For being so nice to me."

I smiled back. "Any time."

~( )~

(Part 2 should post soon.)