A/N: More from Edward. These first 6 chapters are really just establishing who Bella and Edward are, so it's kinda a lot of fluff and filler, until the plot starts to really kick in. It was a real struggle to make Edward cocky without making him too unlikeable. Is unlikeable even a word? Ugh it's too bloody late for this.
Anywho...

CHAPTER 5

Pink Pens Part 1.

Edward's POV

Yeah, okay, Alice had worked it out like she said she would, but she was pissing me the fuck off!

Pushing the gear stick in second, I turned to her, glaring at her; letting her know in no uncertain terms that if she gave me shit over this, I'd kill her. She only sat beside me smirking to herself smugly.

Huffing, I turned my attention back to the road, yanking the gear stick into third.

There was nothing I could say to the little rat—and that's what frustrated me most!

A moment later, she decided to start fucking humming. I only closed my eyes, internalizing my frustration as I shoved my car into forth, but otherwise ignored her.

I thought I'd did a good job at keeping my cool. I'd scoffed at her allegation and left it at that. The only thing was I immediately felt my fucking ears burn and knew it all but contradicted me. This in turn only sparked Alice's curiosity even more. I just didn't get why she was so damn invested in it.

Okay, I did have a thing for Bella. So what!

Jesus, I felt like groaning out loud. It sounded trivial and fucking ridiculous; as though we were in elementary school. Besides, what I felt was pointless; she couldn't stand me. She'd made that evident enough.

I had the sudden compulsion to start banging my head into the steering wheel; even with Alice sitting next to me with that smug ass I-told-you-I'd-figure-it-out expression on her face.

"Wow, Edward; you've gone quiet again."

I was itching to lean over her, open her door and shove her out. Instead, I picked up an empty soda can that was sitting in the drink holder and tossed it at her.

Naturally, I missed.

"Alice, wha—will you just leave it alone?!" I wanted to sound all serious and threatening, but the tone of my voice only managed fucking jaded—if I was lucky.

"Leave what alone?" she asked with over the fucking top innocence.

I took a short, impatient breath. "I'm going to Port Angeles, so I'll just drop you off in the driveway, okay?"

It was a spur of the moment decision. I needed to clear my head; not to mention put a large distance between the two of us.

"Cool, I'll come with!" she replied brightly, flopping down the sun visor to inspect her reflection in the mirror behind it.

"The hell you are!" I declared, sounding more defensive than I did threatening.

"Oh come on, Edward!" She was fractionally more serious this time. "You know I'm only teasing you. Please can I come?"

"So you can continue giving me shit? Fuck that."

"Well, if you just told me what was going on..."

"What the fuck do you think is going on?" I snapped. "Didn't you see Bella? She can't fucking stand me!" I shifted down a gear, before thumping my hand back on the steering wheel.

I could feel the little ferret surveying me, and when I turned to glance at her the beginnings of a sly grin were tugging at her lips. "Who said I was talking about Bella?"

Pulling up in front of the driveway, I leaned over her and shoved open the door. "Get out!" I ordered her.

"I'm only joking! I promise—I won't say another word." She did the dumbass movement of locking her lips.

I snorted sarcastically. "What are you, five? Don't think I won't drag your ass out again." I opened my door and made a move to exit the car.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry!" she protested. "Please can I come? I do need to get a few things."

I huffed shortly; she was making me feel fucking on edge. "Fine—but I mean it, Alice. You can come, but if you give me any more crap, you're road kill. Got it?"

She sighed this time and nodded. "Okay, but you're going to have to fess up sooner or later you know, Edward."

"Whatever," I muttered.

...

"How you manage to never get speeding tickets is any one's guess!" Alice exclaimed, shaking her head to herself, about half an hour into the trip.

I only grinned lightly to myself, but didn't answer.

Prior to this, we'd spent the drive in pure blissful freaking silence, and I knew it was killing her. But just as I expected, when we were more than half way to Port Angeles—when I was less likely to turn around and dump her on our driveway at home—she turned to me with apprehension.

"You promised, Alice!" I exclaimed, impatient, squeezing my hands around the steering wheel so I wouldn't strangle her.

"I'm not going to tease you, Edward. I'm not. But what's going on? You're not behaving ... like you?" She was serious, as far as I could tell, but worse was she was right! Annoyingly fucking right.

I wasn't.

"Alice ..." I complained.

"Come on, Edward. It's me. Plus, you seriously owe me one after all the butting in you've done in my life lately."

"What the fuck do you think it's called that you're doing right now?" I scowled at her.

"Karma," she answered simply, smirking to herself.

I only huffed to myself. I guess she had a point, and because of it I was in a predicament I didn't know how to fucking handle. The idea of Bella hating me was causing me to feel like I was in a suspended state of fucking anxiety. I just wish I knew why I should even give a shit. I barely knew her, and she was that asshole Swan's cousin.

I opened and closed my mouth several times procrastinating on what to say, before sighing lowly in frustration. "I don't know what to tell you…" I finally admitted.

"Look, you don't have to tell me anything, but honestly, I don't see what the big deal is here. Would you be ashamed to be seen with her, or something—because she's related to Jacob?"

"No…" I admitted quietly, feeling my brow bunch.

Ashamed wasn't the right word, after all.

"So, you do like her?"

"You're killing me, Alice!"

She chuckled. "Well do you like her or not? It's not a hard question, Edward."

I was beginning to feel hot and uneasy again, and I wasn't even sure if I did like her—in the sense of the word, anyway. I hardly knew her. All I did know was that she had gotten seriously under my skin in a way that had reduced me to this pathetic fucking state.

"Okay, I like her, but as I said, she hates me," I confessed with a conceding sigh, shifting in my seat awkwardly before turning my eyes back to the road.

Alice scoffed. "That's easily fixed."

"Alice, I don't need you fixing anything!" I burst out in angry frustration. "And you were supposed to be leaving me alone!"

"I promised not to give you shit over her and I'm not! Jesus, Edward!"

I turned to her again; she was looking at me with a screwed up brow, as if she was thinking I was nuts.

I was.

In hindsight, it really wasn't the smartest thing to do, spending an hour in the car with Alice scrutinizing my expressions and dissecting every word I spoke. I'd done it today during lunch and she snapped on to me in a matter of seconds. And now, my attempts to downplay the subject of Bella had only made her investment in it grow.

Throwing her an awkward smile, I let it go; she only returned it, rolling her freaking eyes at me.

...

Letting Alice come with me to Port Angeles was the second stupidest thing I'd done that day. I ended up following her around as she went into store after store, carrying her shit for her, like I was a fucking bell boy.

It wasn't a total loss, though; I did get an idea on what to do with Bella. As I followed Alice into a stationery store I knocked over a display, and a whole bunch of pink pens suddenly scattered around me.

It came to me immediately.

Picking up a box, I glanced down at them, feeling a smirk inch across my face. I realized I'd been going about it all wrong. There wasn't anything different about Bella; other than the fact that I'd screwed up her first impression of me. I just had to change tactics with her, and I knew what worked.

Along with the box of pens, I grabbed a sheet of pink card, and followed Alice to the cashier.

...

"So," Alice began, turning to face me after we climbed back into the car to head home again, her expression suspicious, "why do you look so happy with yourself all of a sudden?"

I snorted dryly. "So, I'm not allowed to look happy now? I wish you'd make your mind up."

"I didn't say that, but after all this inner turmoil of yours, it's a bit weird when all of a sudden you start grinning to yourself like a loon," she replied, her eyes narrowing.

I wanted to laugh, but stopped myself.

Inner turmoil? Was that how I looked like from Alice's point of view—from Jazz's?

Whatever the hell Bella had done to me, I had to accept it. Fighting it, while trying to understand it was obviously getting me nowhere, and I knew Alice would never let up on me while I was acting like a freak—not to mention the level of shit Jazz would give me. I wasn't going to curl up into a fetal position at the idea of Bella hating me. I decided, simply, that I'd make her forgive me, and I wouldn't stop bothering her until she did. Besides, I kind of liked the fact that she was putting up a fight.

She'll forgive me, or I'll wind up driving her insane, I thought to myself, breaking impulsively into a grin and needing to mask it from Alice's constant fucking surveillance.

"Edward, you've completely lost your mind!" she eventually exclaimed.

"What the fuck are you bitching about now?" I asked, dryly.

She arched an eyebrow skeptically at me. "You're acting like you have multiple personalities."

"You need to chill more, Alice. Think about Jazmina instead," I teased her, shrugging a shoulder and laughing further when she whacked me.

I was feeling more optimistic all of a sudden, and I preferred it over all this anxiety bullshit. Why Bella made me feel the way she did was irrelevant. All that mattered now was rectifying how she felt about me, and considering how stubborn she was, I didn't mind knowing that I might need to get creative with her.

...

"So, all you needed was some sea air then, Edward," Alice teased me as we walked through the front door.

"Yeah, sure." I rolled my eyes, throwing her a sarcastic grin before I made for the stairs and my bedroom a little too eagerly.

"I'll work on Bella for you tomorrow, big brother!" the little rat called from downstairs, making me cringe, praying Emmett wasn't home.

"Evil little ferret," I muttered to myself.

Pulling the box of pens and pink card—that I'd taken great lengths to hide from Alice—out of the paper bag, I sat for a moment deciding what to write. Ignoring my better instincts that told me how much of a pussy I was going to look like, I came up with something:

Bella,

I should have given you a pen when you asked. But since I didn't I hope these will make up for it.

I'm sorry, please forgive me.

Edward.

After folding the card, I stuck it to the box of pens, needing to push away any thoughts of Jazz's laughter if he had any idea what I was doing. It threatened to stonewall this whole pen thing before I got it off the ground. This was just the sort of thing the prick was waiting for.

I couldn't think too much on it, because it was more important to me that Bella forgave me, than looking like a serious dickhead if Jazz found out. But as I stared down at the corny little package, I found myself ironically hoping it would fail. I knew I could take it to some interesting extremes if Bella stayed stubborn, but it was extremes I really kind of wanted to push.

...

The next day didn't look like it'd be different from the day before. I ran into Bella a few times during the morning—okay, I went out of my way to run into her. She seen me once and immediately frowned, before turning away looking fucking bothered. I was hoping she'd go home the day before, see that being angry with me was ridiculous and put it behind her. It really threw me to discover she was still looking at me like I was a sleaze, and afterwards it had taken me a whole fucking hour to fully recover from it—as well as stop myself stalling on the pens.

English and of course slut-bag Stanley, but I was too distracted to be bothered by her. Though, she really was becoming a pain in the ass.

"Jeez, douche bag, are you blind? She totally wants you. What's the matter with you?" Jazz asked in a hushed tone, looking at me as though I'd lost my mind.

I scoffed blatantly. "I'd like her lot more if she had any self-respect at all."

Jazz snorted and rolled his eyes. "What's self-respect got to do with—"

"Mr. Hale?" Mr. Cox called on him.

Jessica Stanley was the farthest thing from my mind at that moment. I was too busy being conscious of the box of pens in my bag, while the thought of giving them to Bella in Bio today was turning me into a fucking basket case.

After English, I was heading to the cafeteria, with my freaking head in the clouds, when I was shoulder barged, pretty roughly from behind. It knocked me forward, but I was too distracted to really react to it; I simply straightened back up and continued walking, not too bothered by it. I just figured it was accidental and went back to talking myself out of stalling on the gay little package in my bag.

It wasn't until Jazz mentioned it that I realized who it was.

"Man, you're seriously gonna have to have it out with Jacob, and soon before he gets any bigger!"

"Huh?" I mumbled blankly, slowly coming out of the stranglehold of doubt I was wrestling with, to focus properly on what Jazz had just said. "Oh yeah—fucking asshole," I muttered. My tone hardened involuntarily, but my anger was only fractionally genuine.

Jazz only flashed me an odd, curious look, but I ignored him. I didn't want to waste time being pissed at Jacob, so I shrugged it off. He wasn't going anywhere, and neither was his problem with me, it seemed. I pushed it to the back of my mind, knowing it would come back all too soon. Jazz was right, though; I was going to have to deal with him before things went too far ... again.

Bella was sitting with Alice, and as soon as Jazz and I entered the cafeteria Alice flashed me a sit-here-and-die look, before she turned to Jazz and blew him a kiss, winking fucking seductively. I stiffened and glanced away when my eyes inadvertently fell on Bella. Seeming to sense my gaze, she looked over in my direction and our eyes locked. My skin immediately buzzed with heat, and I was becoming too fucking conscious of it. It didn't really matter, anyway. Bella too quickly severed her gaze looking like she'd just stepped on a spider, and it wasn't until Jazz shoved me that I realized I was all but fucking staring at her from across the cafeteria.

"I don't think we're welcome anymore." Jazz laughed, shoving me again; which was code for acting like a jackass for Alice's benefit.

Shrugging the dickhead off me, I sat down at the table, pissed off. How many times was this girl going to fucking squash me before I had the sense to let it go? The idea of Jazz giving me shit over the pens in my bag was suddenly seeming a lot more important than whether Bella was going to change her opinion of me. I was close to throwing them in the trash.

"What the fuck are you sulking about, douche-bag?" Jazz asked me after surveying me for a minute and shaking his head to himself.

Dragging my hand back through my hair, I slammed it down to the table. "Maybe sitting next to you while you have fucking pornographic thoughts about my sister!"

His face actually went blank—completely fucking confirming it.

Huffing to myself in frustration, I got up from the table. I'd made up my mind to throw the lame-ass package in my bag away and be done with it. It was a stupid idea to begin with. What did it matter if one girl in the school didn't like me?

I had almost left the cafeteria when Alice and Bella came into my line of vision. They were obviously talking about me, looking directly at me. Or more accurately, Alice was talking to Bella about me, and whatever the hell she was saying had made a troubled look knot Bella's forehead. I wanted to roll my eyes, and say to her, "I fucking get it. You think I'm an asshole, but here's me not giving a shit anymore," but when her eyes connected to mine, they warmed and her expression softened out. She smiled then, with her lower lip half caught between her teeth, while she nodded her head to whatever the little rat was telling her. It didn't matter that she wasn't smiling at me, but it immediately jarred me, causing my body heat to start rising again.

For all I knew she could have been laughing at me, and it immediately pissed me off. I felt the scowl penetrate my expression, and in response her eyes widened, before something flickered in them and she hastily looked away. I continued to gaze at her for a few moments after, watching as her face darkened, and her expression turned back to aversion.

Fuck!

I suddenly recalled why I bought the damn pens in the first place, and why it was so fucking important to get her to come around to me. Never mind that it made no fucking sense at all.

. . .

I arrived in Biology before Bella. In fact, she was one of the last to arrive. I suspected that she'd taken her time to delay having to sit next to me, but shook it off, irritated at how pathetic I was. If I was going to go ahead with the freaking pens, I had to stop thinking like a pussy.

"Hi, Bella," I said, offering her a friendly smile when she reached our lab table. Though there was no point in smiling, since she didn't glance in my direction at all.

"Hello, Edward," she replied, her tone fairly indifferent, before pulling out her books and sitting down.

With heat beginning to flood up my neck, I pulled my sweater over my head, before bending down to shove it in my bag. I noticed hers then; it was directly under her chair and she'd left it unzipped.

I quickly decided that the best course of action was to slip her the pens at the end of the class, knowing I'd probably have to distract her first. But I wasn't confident, and I still felt completely thrown by her. I was not used to girls looking at me like I was a fucking suspected sex offender, and I was beginning to think I was about to make a total ass out of myself and nothing more.

Of course, this is when Mr. Banner called my name; he was talking about something to do with the Digestive System.

"Er ... I'm sorry?" I stammered.

"Do you know the answer, Mr. Cullen?" He glanced at me over his glasses.

I shook my head and shrugged feeling like a total dickhead.

He sighed. "Miss Swan?"

"Epiglottis?" she answered with uncertainty.

"Epiglottis, very good," he said satisfied, before continuing.

I looked over at her; her cheeks were a shade deeper, and for a moment I was unable to tear my eyes from her. Hers flickered in my direction before she turned her head fully to meet my gaze. She gave me a confused, questioning look; though, the touch-me-and-die-asshole expression was still prominently etched into her face.

Clearing my throat, I smiled quickly, before she could look away again. She smiled back, but it completely forced.

"Erm ... so, it seems like you already know all this stuff, huh?" I asked her, trying hard to keep my voice even.

She half shrugged, but didn't offer a reply.

I wanted to fucking cringe—and more so when I thought about the box of pens wrapped in that freaking pink card that was sitting in my bag, waiting.

Yet a part of me felt more determined by her stubbornness.

She turned to look back to the front of the class, with no indication that she was even aware of my presence.

Fuck this, I thought to myself, my frustration giving away to resolve. I'm going to crack her!

For whatever reason, Mr. Banner was watching me intently, so like the complete idiot that I was, I slipped Bella a note, writing:

Do you forgive me?

She gazed at it for such a long time that for a moment I thought she was going to ignore it. But eventually she wrote a reply and passed it back to me.

It read one word:

Sure.

I swallowed back the groan and fought the urge to rake my hands through my hair. It was obvious I wasn't going to get anywhere with her like this, so I made up my mind to leave her alone. I'd slip the pens in at the end of the lesson and make sure I seen her again before she went home, to gauge her reaction.

As absolute luck would have it, something happened that distracted her. When the bell sounded, Bella stood up, a little too quickly, and when she went to grab her books she stumbled and ended up pushing them over the front of her desk.

Huffing loudly and mumbling something that sounded like, "bloody hell" she stepped into the aisle to collect them. This is when I dove into my bag and transferred the pens into hers, before scrambling to my feet, flustered and no doubt guilty looking, to help her collect the rest of her books from the floor.

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking them from me. She looked up briefly and flashed me a small, tight smile, before exiting the room quickly—as if she couldn't get away from me fast enough.

I left well behind her, not feeling very fucking confident.

. . .

I was the first person to the parking lot that afternoon. I felt like shit. If it wasn't the constant heat stroke that Bella's proximity was causing me, it was the pathetic fucking onset of nerves. I still only wore my t shirt; my sweater and jacket were still stuffed inside my bag, as I waited, leaning up against the side of my car; ignoring my better instincts that told me to wait inside. The icy drizzle caused goosebumps to break out across my arms, but at that point I wasn't registering the cold. I was too fucking high strung.

Alice and Bella approached the car walking slowly, their heads huddled together. Bella was shrinking into her coat, her entire body looking rigid; her face windswept and flushed. My pulse quickened, or I became even hotter, I wasn't sure, but then she chuckled and my heart fucking stalled behind my ribs.

"See you tomorrow, Bella," Alice said warmly to her as they parted at the car.

"See ya, Alice!" she replied before she almost paused and looked over her shoulder; catching my gaze. There was a strange expression on her face; she looked almost curious, but at the same time, irritated. By me I could only assume, before she turned back around, and shrinking further into her coat, continued toward her car.

I felt the frown etch in my forehead rather than feeling it as a whole emotion. If she'd already discovered my pens that was not the reaction I was hoping for.

"Are we going or what, Edward? I'm freezing!" Alice exclaimed, getting quickly into the passenger seat.

"Just hang on a minute..." I replied, distracted, my eyes not severing from Bella.

As Bella approached her car, she reached into her bag—for her keys, I assumed—when she stopped walking mid-stride and peered into it. Then slowly—too fucking slowly—she pulled out my box of pens. This is when my fucking heart stalled, and for the longest time she seemed to gaze at them—just like she did with the stupid note I'd passed her in Biology. Eventually she plucked the note off the box, and opened it. Again it was if she was fucking frozen, emotionless, but then, the barest smile lit up on her face before she shook her head with the slightest movement.

But she was smiling—a real fucking smile.

She turned then, her eyes again meeting mine, before she held up the box in emphasis. Okay, her expression was slightly cynical, but her smile broadened.

I was immediately flooded by heat, and my fucking hands started shaking, but shoving them hastily in my jean pockets, I smiled back at her.

I think she might have rolled her eyes to herself, but her expression was definitely warm—almost shy.

With my smile turning to a grin, I took one shaking, clammy hand out of my jeans pocket and waved to her in good-bye. She waved back, a little awkwardly, mouthing the word, "bye", before she turned back to her car.

It took a moment to register the incredible relief I felt. I hadn't realized how fucking overwrought I had become over this one moment.

Taking a huge breath, I turned to open the car door when my eyes met with Jacob's.

He'd stopped right in front of the car and was glaring at me.

"I'd seriously re-think that course you're on, Cullen. Unless you want me to put you on another one," he fucking threatened me.

My body went instinctively tense, my face darkening. "Just mind your own business, asshole!"

"When it comes to my family, it is my business, Princess. So stay away from her." He was all but fucking growling at me.

"What are you going to do about it!?" I challenged him.

"Edward, get in the car!" Alice suddenly ordered me, impatiently

I tore my gaze from his, then without making a conscious decision to do so, my eyes turned in Bella's direction.

She'd been about to get into her car when she'd obviously heard the confrontation between Jacob and me. She had a troubled, fearful expression on her face as she stood surveying both of us, clutching my box of pens to her chest.

I tried to catch her gaze, but she deliberately avoided me, before she turned and climbed in her car.

I whipped my head back to Jacob, suddenly fucking pissed off. "If I was you, Jacob, I'd keep the fuck out of my way!"

"Oh, you promise, Princess?" He smiled smugly, and I had to physically restrain myself.

"You're an idiot!" I snapped, getting into the car and slamming the door shut.

"Edward, why do you let him get to you?" Alice asked with an exaggerated sigh.

I shrugged, started the engine angrily, and pulled out. As I drove passed Bella's Jeep, I glanced over; she appeared to be arguing with Jacob. I felt a conflicting emotion over it. While one part of me wanted to stop the car and rip that great ape's fucking head off, the other part of me was still on a high from the pens.

"So ... what was going on with you two just now, anyhow? Did I actually see Bella smiling at you?" Alice asked me with a sly smile as we left the school grounds.

"It seemed that way..."I mumbled, smiling to myself.

"So, you got her to forgive you then? What did you say?" she asked eagerly, making me feel like we were having some kind of fucked up, girly conversation.

"Um ... I wrote her a note," I admitted, becoming distracted as I watched Bella's Jeep through the rear view mirror. I kept an eye on it until she disappeared down a back street.

"A note?" Alice repeated dubiously, before she broke into laughter.

I sighed before turning back to her. "Do you want to interrogate me, Alice, or do you want to walk home?" I threatened her, only half joking.

She didn't reply, and when I glanced at her she was smiling over at me in that annoying, fucking all-knowing way of hers.

I dropped her off at the front of the house.

"I've got to go back to Port Angeles," I leaned over and said to her through the open door. She opened her mouth to reply, but I cut her off. "No, you're not coming!"

Pulling her door shut again, I reversed out of the driveway and out of Forks.

I bought eight boxes of pens this time—on the drive I'd come up with a few different things to do with them, and I needed a ton of them. I knew some of my ideas would be pretty evil, but I was riding high from my sudden success with her, and my confidence was returning.

I really wanted to torture her with these pens; I wanted to totally fuck with her.

...

The next day, I was armed with two boxes of pens, and spent the entire day stealthily planting them in the pockets of Bella's jacket and shoulder bag. It wasn't an easy thing to do; especially while I was avoiding freaking Alice, as well as trying to get some kind of control over my body. But the minute I got within six feet of Bella, I turned into a fucking sauna. Still, I managed to get about a dozen on her by the time Alice discovered what I was up to.

She caught me slipping a pen into Bella's pocket from behind and flashed me a bewildered look. I just shook my head and put my forefinger to my lips, grinning to myself. The little ferret only rolled her eyes at me, but she didn't rat me out to Bella, at least.

At lunch, when Bella entered the cafeteria she looked completely flustered. She was carrying several pens in her hands and as she sat down a couple more fell out of her jacket. She paused for a moment, huffing angrily to herself before picking up the pens and slamming them down on the table. When she finished checking through her jacket, finding a couple more pens in them, she whipped her head around and locked her gaze to mine. I only flashed her a blatantly cocky grin and held my hand up in a wave. She looked caught off guard, almost dumbfounded, while her face flashed like a tomato. I couldn't tell if I was annoying her or cracking through her wall; all she did was blink a few times, looking jarred, before she severed her eyes from mine and turned back to Alice.

I was definitely having an effect on her, and unable to stop myself, I laughed openly.

I had a suspicion I had just taken the advantage back from Little Miss Stubborn.

Dropping his lunch tray on the table, Jazz sat beside me.

"Hey, dude," he said, as he shoved fries down his throat, before he paused, gazing at me blankly. "Why the hell do you have a pink pen behind your ear? You look gay!"

I chuckled to myself and took it out. "I forgot I left it there."

"What are you doing with pink pens, anyway?" he asked, becoming curious. He was glancing from Alice to me and back again, repeatedly, his confusion slowly fading out. He'd obviously spotted the pink pens lying in front of Bella and put two and two together, because he suddenly exclaimed with a broad grin, "You've got the hots for the new girl, haven't you?"

"Kind of, I guess," I admitted with half a shrug. The words had flown out of my mouth without hesitation that for a moment I was stumped.

Jazz thought nothing of it, making me wonder how I expected him to react.

"So, you gonna ask her to Rob's party?" he asked, not seeming terribly interested in my answer, as his eyes turned in Alice's direction again.

I still felt jarred but quickly realized that his mind was momentarily being controlled by his dick. "Ah ... I'm not sure."

He turned back to me and his grin was suddenly turning sly. "Hang on, I thought she hated you?"

"Yeah, well ... I'm working on it," I mumbled to myself.

He snickered. "Hasn't she fallen in love with you like all the other girls yet, Eddie?"

"Fuck you, Jazmina," I retorted awkwardly, wishing he'd tire of the conversation already and go back to his pornographic thoughts of my sister. I could see it in his eyes; the more we stayed on the topic of Bella, the more he remembered all the shit I gave him over Alice, and the more he realized what he owed me.

"Well, good luck with that." He snorted, chuckling to himself like the pissant he was.

I only sighed.

After that, every time I turned my head even close to Bella's direction, Jazz snickered. The few times I caught her gaze, she turned away quickly, her brow knotting, looking more and more uncomfortable.

I wasn't sure if the first batch of pens was a failure or not, but it was obvious I was beginning to get under her skin. She hadn't come completely around to me yet, but that hostile look she kept on her face for me was definitely fading.

. . .

Alice caught up with me as I was making my way to Biology; falling in step with me without stopping.

"I have much to tell you, brother dearest," she said covertly to me with a broad grin on her face, before she hurried her step ahead of me.

I was sort of counting on Alice to fill me in on Bella's reaction—so long as I could make it seem like she was offering information on her own admission, that is. Though, it was all kinds of fucked up that I was having these kinds of conversations with my sister.

This was what I had to resort to.

Again, Bella was the last to arrive for Bio, and judging by her agitated state, I was guessing this time it was to deliberately delay our class together.

Striding over to our table, she slammed down a fist full of pens, before sitting down on her stool with an impatient huff. "Okay, Edward—I get it!" she burst, turning to completely face me.

I replied with what I knew was an egotistical grin, and asked, "I'm sorry? What do you get?"

She only gauged me for a moment, her eyes narrowing, before she arched her brow skeptically, and I was getting the impression that she wasn't half as angry as she wanted me to believe.

"Do you forgive me?" I asked her. I was being an arrogant prick, but I couldn't help it, and I enjoyed annoying her.

"I said I did, didn't I?!" she snapped, huffing her breath again.

I broke into an immediate grin, snorting it shortly through my nose. "Well, then if you've really forgiven me, you'll agree to hang out with me on the weekend."

She opened her mouth to reply, but faltered looking conflicted. Then, scoffing to herself, she turned away from me without offering a response.

I wasn't deterred; leaning toward her I said lightly, "I guess you need more pens to think about it."

She whipped her head back to me just as Mr. Banner walked in, and suddenly our faces were centimeters apart. She immediately drew in her breath in surprise, looking flustered, while the words died on her lips.

I pulled back quickly, my fucking body temperature burning through to the surface of my skin.

I had no clue she smelled so good!

A moment later, appearing more collected, she threw me a glare; she didn't look very threatening.

I broke into a light chuckle, keeping my violently shaking hands out of view. "You were saying, Bella?"

Again she didn't reply; instead, with her face glowering, she turned back toward the front of the class.

About ten minutes into the lesson she slipped me a note:

No more pens okay?

Fighting back the urge to grin, I deliberately waited a few minutes before I replied and slipped it back to her.

Sure

This pissed her off, and with a short, sharp breath, she yanked her note book back in front of her then pointedly ignored me for the rest of Biology. In fact, she seemed to make a conscious effort not to allow her eyes to even accidentally glance in my direction, even a fraction. I just sat next to her, grinning to myself broadly, like a complete asshole, but fuck it, I couldn't help it.

She was cracking.

...

We had a two-hour baseball drill that afternoon. We were playing Rochester High the next day; they were last year's winners, beating us in the championship match by one run. During the final game, I'd let a home-run ball go over the boundary, and it had haunted me ever since. I needed to redeem myself, and during practice it was the first time in a week that Bella wasn't monopolizing my every thought.

By the time I got home, I was starving. I headed straight into the kitchen via the back door, and as I walked into the room, I was ambushed by Emmett. Wrapping his arm around my neck in an almost suffocating fucking stranglehold, he practically folded me in half.

"Duuuuuude!" he drawled. "I hear you're stalking Bella Dundee!"

He dragged me around the kitchen in the crook of his arm as he made himself a sandwich with asshole over confidence, knowing there wasn't a damn thing I could do to get out of his grip.

I groaned loudly feeling the anger—and lack of oxygen—blaze in my face. "Okay, okay!" I bellowed, struggling against him. It was futile, Emmett had won every fucking award there was to win in wrestling and he outweighed me by at least fifty pounds.

"Is this the chick you've been brooding over?" He snorted and suddenly let me go; I dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Getting up, I elbowed him out of the way to get to the refrigerator—he barely budged—grabbed a donut, and ate it in two mouthfuls as the blood slowly circulated back to my brain. My head was fucking pounding and I wanted to rub the back of my neck but there was no way I'd give the asshole the satisfaction.

"By the way, we're fending for ourselves again tonight. Mom and Doc Hollywood are eating out," he said offhandedly, before taking a gulp of milk straight from the carton.

"Okay," I mumbled with half a shrug. It was a facade and I wanted to groan loudly. No doubt Alice would hang out with Jazz until Mom and Carlisle got home. It was too long for me to wait for her to tell me what happened with Bella in class that day.

Jesus, how fucking pathetic could I get?

Emmett shoved me, breaking me from my thoughts. "So what's this pen business Rose was telling me about?"

"I dunno. I gave her a pen," I replied, feigning ignorance, before grabbing a can of coke from the refrigerator and sitting down at the table.

He glanced at me with full amusement. "What's the matter, doesn't the Edwina Cullen charm work on girls from down under?"

Emmett would easily give me shit about this for the next five years if I wasn't careful. I had to steer him off the subject, knowing there was only one fucking way of doing it.

With an internal groan, I walked over to him casually, with the pretense that I was going back to the refrigerator, then without a pause, I shoved him as hard as I could in the back of the head. The carton of milk he'd been about to take another gulp from, splashed over his face. I snickered at the comical sight of it before bolting for the stairs with him right behind me.

I was faster and I made it to my bedroom, locking the door behind me with plenty of time to spare, before collapsing on my bed out of breath and laughing.

Still, I knew sooner or later I'd have to pay heavily for it.

Emmett barged on the door and bellowed, "You have to come out sooner or later, pretty boy!"

Even though I knew he wanted to sound threatening, I could hear the smirk in his tone.

"Fuck you—that was payback!"

"I wouldn't count on it, Edith," he replied, his words fading away as he retreated back down stairs.

Rose, no doubt. Rose was the only person who could distract Emmett from beating the shit out of me; even if it was in good humor.

A moment later, I heard Alice's voice on the stairs, and hauling myself off the bed, I opened my bedroom door a little too fucking eagerly—fighting the urge to cringe. Jazz wasn't with her at least; she was chatting on her phone.

Meeting my gaze, she smiled in that all knowing way of hers, switching her phone off.

"Calm down, Edward. You look like you're about to have a stroke." She laughed lightly, walking into my room.

I sighed. Could I be any more of a pussy?

"Just lay it on me, Alice," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck where fucking Emmett had practically crushed it earlier.

"There's nothing to lay on you. This pen thing of yours today worked perfectly," she answered, looking almost arguably impressed.

I faltered. "It ... did?"

She chuckled to herself and nodded. "Uh-huh. It was really funny, actually. Every class we went to she'd find these pink pens stuffed all over the place. In English, she pulled out her books and about ten of them fell everywhere. Mr. Berty told her she might like to get a case to hold them all. Her face went bright red and she said to me"—she paused to put forward her best Australian accent—"I'm gonna kill your bloody brother."

I laughed whole-heartedly.

"She's making out she's annoyed, but she's so the opposite. Her face was going all gooey by the end of the day." Alice continued to chuckle to herself, before directing it at me broadly.

"Well, thanks for that, Alice," I mumbled, running my hand back through my hair, and breaking her gaze, beginning to feel awkward.

"No probs," she replied. "I'll leave now, before you ask for a makeover!"

Fuck my life.

She sprang out of the room laughing before I had a chance to throw her ass out.

A/N: Ye gods he's uptight~