Hello my dears!

I'm super excited about this chapter, so please review.

I haven't really decided how long this story is going to be-probably around 25 chapters, but it depends on character development. I have a lot of good ideas for Alice, so those will begin next chapter.

Please review!

Here we go!

When I walked out of the bathroom, Edward was waiting for me. His green eyes were alight with anger, but I'm not all that sure it was directed at Lauren.

I've seen that look in my father's eyes. I've seen that look in my eyes.

Self-hatred.

He smiles sadly at me. "Wanna go for a car ride?" he asks. "I can have you back before the end of the day."

I look down at Alice's too-small-shirt. It really isn't that much smaller than I am, but it's a lot tighter than I am used to.

I smooth back my wet hair and nod, the thought of ditching gym making me more than willing to spend an awkward car ride with the guy who was indirectly responsible for my chocolate milk shower.

I look at Jasper. "Cover for me?" I ask.

He nods before pulling me into a Jasper hug. "I'm sorry that happened to you," he whispers.

I shrug. "Eh, it would have happened sooner or later," I say.

He rolls his eyes, but kisses my forehead before he and Alice walk away.

I look back over at Edward and he gestures for me to walk next to him. I do so silently and do my best to keep a few inches between us. I keep a cautious eye open as we walk, looking for either Lauren or the insane members of her posse who may decide to throw something worse on me…like a brick.

When we finally make it to the parking lot, I stop, realizing that I have no idea what his car looks like. I'd only ever seen his parents drop him off that first day and, after that, I hadn't cared to pay attention to what he was driving.

"It's right over there," Edward says as if he senses my confusion. He points across the parking lot to a silver Volvo.

"When did you get that?" I ask as we make our way to the sleek looking car.

He shrugs. "I bought it a few weeks before we moved here," he explains. "I wanted something fast, my parents wanted something safe. This was the only compromise we could come to."

I nod as I approach the passenger's side door. He quickly jumps in front of me and opens it. I raise an eyebrow at him with a smirk as I slide in.

"Quite the gentleman, aren't we?" I ask.

He smiles. "It's how my mother raised me."

Moments later, we're speeding out of the parking lot and down the road. A glance at the speed gage tells me we are going way over the speed limit. I'm about to tell him to slow down because I don't feel like dying today, but then I get a good look at his face.

This was the most peaceful and happy I've seen him since we met. His eyes were alight with happiness as he allowed the car to go a little bit faster. While the cop's daughter side of me wants to beg him to slow down, the thrill seeking side of me is enjoying the ride.

"So," he asks after a long moment of silence. "Where do you want to go?"

I look at him again. "You're driving, Edward. It's up to you."

He grins. "But I have no idea where to go in this town. You pick."

I think about it for a long moment. My dad knew too many people around town for me to go somewhere public, so I decide it has to be somewhere more remote.

"I know the perfect place."

Around thirty minutes later, we arrive at my favorite spot in all of Forks.

The meadow.

Jasper and I had found it a few years ago. We had been randomly hiking through the woods and we got horribly lost. I still remember saying that we were going to die of starvation and Jasper laughing at my dramatic antics. But, after a few hours of searching, we were able to find a beautiful meadow. Wild flowers grew in dozens of colors and you could hear the bubbling of a creek off in the distance.

It was beautiful.

And the only place we could find where we had cell phone reception.

Thankfully, Jasper's phone had a GPS on it so we could find our way out of the woods. Turns out there was a path nearby that led to the main road, which was only about 10 minutes from my house.

When we entered the meadow, Edward had the same reaction that Jasper and I had when we first found it.

"Wow," he whispers as he looks around.

I smile and continue walking into the meadow. I sat near the edge of the meadow and lean back against my normal tree. It seems as though the tree has molded to me over time as it fits the arch of my back perfectly.

I watch Edward as he takes in the meadow. He stands in the middle for about a minute before he seems to remember where he is. He turns around and smiles at me before he plops down on the ground in front of me and leans back on his arms.

We stare at each other for a long moment before I start to feel self-conscious. I pull my hair out of the ponytail holder and allow it to fall to my shoulders. I run my fingers through it and am momentarily thankful that it isn't sticky, just a little gross feeling.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Edward says quietly.

I shake my head. "It's not like you told them to do it, Edward. You can't stop other people's actions," I say.

He rolls his eyes at me. "I know that. But it still shouldn't have happened. You didn't do anything wrong," he insists.

I look at Edward for a moment and notice how inexplicably sad he looks. After the rush of driving fast and seeing the meadow has worn off, I can clearly see the bags under his eyes and the look on his face. It was what I saw earlier, the self-hatred, but more intensified.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I ask.

He widens his eyes at me. "What are you talking about?"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "This has to be about a lot more than spilled milk."

He chuckles humorlessly. "It's not about spilled milk. It's about them spilling milk on your head because of me."

I reach out and gently touch his knee. "Stop. It would have happened if came here or not. If it wasn't about you, it would have been about Mike Newton or Jasper," I say seriously.

At the mention of Jasper's name, Edwards eyes go from sad to curious. "Speaking of Jasper…is he your boyfriend or something?" he asks.

I make a face. "Hell no. That would be like incest. He's my best friend. Pretty much like a brother," I explain.

Edward still looks skeptical. "He seems rather protective of you for just being a friend," he says.

"Jasper knows me better than anyone else. He's seen me at my worst. And even if he did want more, which he doesn't, Jasper knows that I don't date," I say. "He wouldn't even bother."

Edward raises an eyebrow at m "You don't date?" he asks with surprise.

"Nope," I answer as I lean back against my tree.

"Why not?" He asks, looking way too interested.

I shrug. "I just…don't believe in it I guess," I say as I pull a handful of grass out of the ground. I lift it up in my hand and let the wind blow it away.

Edward stays silent for a long moment. He pulls some grass out from the ground and smiles as it follows the blades I had just let go.

"I have a lot of problems," he finally admits. "But whether or not love exists has never been a question for me. If it wasn't for the love of my parents and my sister, then I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today. I don't particularly want to be in Forks, but I know they are doing it because they love me."

I pick at the bark on the tree. "The only person I'm confident loves me is my father. But it's even hard for him," I whisper the last part. I have no clue why I'm telling him all of this. I barely know him, but maybe that's the beauty of it. He doesn't know me well, only knows what other people have told him. The other people in this town have their assumptions. Even if I told them all every insignificant detail, they wouldn't believe me.

"What about your mom?" he asks.

As if on cue, my phone rings. I know right away that it's my mother, so I take it out of my pocket and silence it.

"You can answer that if you want," he says.

I stare at the screen that is steadily blinking my mother's name. I know I should answer it. I can't avoid her forever. But the things I want to say to my mom…well they aren't things you want to say over the phone.

"No. She can go to voicemail," I say.

He looks at me with a funny expression before he leans forward and rests his hands just a few inches away from my knees.

"What happened today…well, I'm not going to let it happen again," he promises heatedly. "It never should have happened."

I smile sadly at him. "You do realize that being friends with me is worse for your reputation than it is for mine?" I ask. "All I've got is Jasper and, now, Alice. Are you sure you want to risk it?"

He smiles at me and stands up. He offers me his hand and I take it, allowing him to pull me up.

"Definitely."

Review please! You guys are the best! :)

Emilia Elliot