A/N: Um... Hi! Wow, several years since I've updated this. If you go back to chapter 6, I've explained that coming back to this story has been a huge surprise to me and that revisit has come with a bit of rewriting and reworking. I would suggest going back to reread from at least chapter 6, although I know I needed read the whole story again to remember all the details. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for sticking with me through this insane hiatus! Enjoy!

Monday morning came after a peaceful weekend. I didn't know what to expect. It seemed that maybe Edward and I had reached some strange, tentative form of understanding. He knew where I stood and I was beginning to outline his own stance. He had seen a glimpse into my world. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too long before I caught a scene of his own.

When I pulled into the parking lot before school I couldn't help but find the Tesla, like a magnet my mind couldn't rip off. An obsessive need to make sure that he was really here had, at some point, manifested itself into a necessary checkpoint. There was no moving on until it was completed. Seeing the shiny, expensive vehicle brought on relief. I parked a few rows down from it and headed to class without worry. Then my heart did a backflip.

Sitting at the same table that had gotten quite a show the week before was Edward. None of his siblings were with him. His messenger bag laid flat on the table's surface, closed with no sign of its contents being disturbed. As the table crept closer, I debated whether I should keep walking or stop. I chose the former, the safer option.

"It's very rude to ignore people, Sloane Summers," Edward said, amused, before I could get two steps past him.

My next step faltered, the tip of my shoe skipping across the concrete surface. He was keeping his promise.

"How was I supposed to know you were waiting for me?" I pointed out as I slid onto the bench across from him.

He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Perhaps I should have waved?"

"Kind of helps," I replied sarcastically.

There was something different about him today. The anger and resentfulness that plagued his features had subsided greatly. With Edward, it was like taking a sledge hammer to a concrete wall. After significant effort, cracks had begun to form, but the wall was fighting back, sending tiny shards of rock back at me. The cuts were minor, inconsequential, but stung nonetheless.

"Was the rest of your weekend nice?" he asked. Though his voice was soft, his eyebrows were pushed together, creating a perfect little crease above the bridge of his nose. He seemed to be in unfamiliar territory. I had a sneaky feeling that this was some sort of experiment of his own. Well, I would gladly play along.

"It was okay," I shrugged, picking at the paint that was flaking on the rusted metal. "I finished my homework and read mostly. Nothing too exciting. What about yours?"

"More or less the same," he answered.

I clicked my tongue. "More or less the same as mine or the same as what you always do? If it's the latter, I don't really know what that is."

Edward narrowed his eyes. It wasn't a glare this time, more curiosity or confusion. I seemed to do that to him a lot.

"More of the same as what you did."

"Really?" I scooted further to the edge of my seat, closer to Edward, eager to know more and remembering his odd distaste for Austen. I wanted to see how far I could keep rowing upstream in my little boat, fighting the current. "What did you read?"

I could not have said what answer I was expecting. He felt too deep to be a magazine guy. I wasn't sure what the average person considered good reading, but then again, Edward wasn't average. Hopefully, his answer was more exciting than any of my expectations.

"I brushed up on my Shakespeare."

"Really?" I snorted. I couldn't say that was a particularly enticing answer, but it was unexpected. Not many read them for fun. Especially since, in their best form, they were meant to be experienced on stage. "Wasn't it our sophomore year that we studied those plays?" I realized my goof. "I mean, I guess you weren't here last year."

"I've studied them before," Edward clarified. He tilted his head to the side, further studying me. "Do you not like him?"

I made a face. I'd hoped Edward would crack a smile – a real one – with my response, but no luck. "He's okay. A bit of a downer. I prefer happier endings."

"But Shakespeare did write happy endings," he challenged.

"Yeah, but they were too convenient. Real life isn't wrapped up in a nice little bow like that. They're more of happy endings with a little bitter sweetness to them."

"Real life doesn't have happy endings," Edward snapped, the pained look back in force. His eyes were darker again today, ever closer to black. The golden hue was nearly gone. That wasn't good. Amber meant he was more open, more willing. The darker his eyes, the darker his mood, like those old cheap rings that came in and out of fashion.

And I had done it again. Something that I'd said had set him off and caused him to retreat into his own darkness. Part of me wanted to swiftly withdraw, whisper sorry and run away. But I couldn't. The sadness of Edward Masen made me stay.

"You're wrong," I told him bluntly.

He straightened up, visibly taken aback by my forwardness. "What makes you say that?"

"People mark down points in their lives as unpassable," I explained. Edward stared off at nothing, unmoving, but he seemed to be listening. "Like a permanent injury or losing a loved one. But really it's a… blip on your timeline. That doesn't mean they aren't important," I added quickly, "just that they aren't the end."

Edward's hands curled into fists, clutching each other. The skin on his knuckles was tight, turning even whiter than the rest of him.

"Somethings you can't merely 'get over'," he growled.

"I'm sorry." This was a whole new level I wasn't prepared for. A reaction I hadn't experienced. Whatever it was that plagued him so relentlessly, it was huge, insurmountable in his mind. "I didn't mean it like that. Some blips are bigger than others. Over time, you can find a reason to be happy again, if you let yourself look for it." All of a sudden, I had no control over my body. I watched in surprise as I reached for him and my fingers dropped on his own clenched hands. They were ice cold and gone in a flash.

Hands now safely away from me and in his lap, Edward sighed. Embarrassment washed over me as I did the same with my own. The flash of frustrated anger was gone from him as he stood up. I followed suit. So this was where things would end. I had finally pushed too far, it appeared.

"We should probably get to class," he suggested. "You don't want to be late for your favorite one."

I stood there, feet sinking into the moist grass. My mouth hung open, my eyes blinking excessively as I stared at him. Every conversation we've had ran through my mind. I never told him the extent of which I loved English. Had he simply guessed based on my choice of literature?

"Sloane?"

"What? Sorry?" My thoughts twisted and collided like a collapsing atom. "Right. Class." I headed towards Building Three. Edward stayed by my side. I glanced at him, confused, but kept walking. "What are you doing?"

Edward gave me a look like it should have been obvious. "Walking you to class."

Okay. "Why?"

He stopped walking. "Do you not want me to?"

"No, it's fine," I assured. "Just took me by surprise." It was a very gentleman-like gesture. Not many would even think to extend such a notion.

"Chivalry isn't completely dead." His tone could be construed as almost teasing, except for the constant frown.

Arriving at main entrance to the building, I expected him bow out of the chivalrous act and for his own first period class, but he saw me all the way to Mr. Rosner's door.

"Guess I'll see you in Physics?" I said awkwardly.

"I'll see you at lunch," he corrected. His eyes flickered over my shoulder, glaring. I followed his gaze to Alice, who was staring straight ahead at the board, spine rim rod straight, but she was smiling, practically glowing in the dull light. I turned to ask Edward what Alice had done to make him mad, but he was gone.

Abby's mouth was hanging wide open as I sat down at my desk beside her. There was no time to even try to explain what she had seen as the bell rang only seconds later and Rosner started the lesson immediately.

For the duration of the period I kept my face forward. That measure of focus, however, didn't completely block out Abby's sideways glances and head shaking. As if he knew I was trying to avoid any confrontation, Rosner ended his lecture with a few minutes to spare on the hour. Abby sprang.

"What the hell was that?" she hissed, leaning across the aisle.

"What do you mean?" Playing stupid was definitely the wrong choice.

Invisible steam rolled off of her. "You know damn well–"

"Sloane."

Abby stopped and we both turned to the twinkling voice that had spoken my name.

Alice was also leaning out of her desk and into the aisle, twisted so she was facing us already conspiring. Her black hair was sticking up in its normal, quirky way and her eyes, like her brother's, were now a dulling gold. But they still managed to shine brighter than her sibling's. Where Edward's burned with sorrow, her own sparkled with hope.

"Yeah, Alice?" I leaned towards her. She never made contact without a reason, though it was usually lost on me. If anyone could give me insight to Edward's behavior, this was my best chance.

"Can I talk to you after class?"

I nodded excitedly. "Of course."

She smiled and turned back to face the front. Abby threw her hands in the air, letting out an exasperated sigh. About a minute and a half later, I followed Alice out of the room. She walked into a side hallway that was deserted. Though she was still very cheerful, there was hesitation in her contenance.

Now I was concerned. "What is it, Alice?"

"Well, I'm technically not supposed to talk to you," she confessed. Her lips were pursed in a very put out manner.

I laughed. "Says who?"

"Edward's just worried," Alice explained, though her adamant expression revealed that she found her brother's order nothing more than annoying. "After last time– Well, he doesn't think we should get involved."

"Involved?" I echoed. What exactly could there be to be "involved" with? And what had happened before? Was it the shadow that darkened Edward's eyes? "But Edward talks to me."

Alice pouted. "I know, the hypocrite. But we don't say anything because he seems to be doing better. Even Rosalie is keeping her mouth shut. Which is actually why I wanted to talk to you. To say thank you. You've always been kind to us, even though everyone else…" she trailed off, shrugging one shoulder.

"Is rude as hell?" I finished for her. "You're welcome, Alice. Everyone should feel welcomed, no matter where they land. And… your brother is an interesting person. But what do you mean last time? What happened to Edward?"

Like a switch, Alice's smile became formal, off-putting and distant. "I'll see you later, Sloane. Have fun in Photography!" She skipped off before I could even attempt to stop her.

For a moment, I was frozen. Whether it was the switch up or what she had revealed to me, I couldn't be sure. I stored those remnants of information away for future use. At least it somewhat explained Edward's constant back and forth with me. I ran to Photography, making it to my seat barely in time.

I went through my classes in a haze, only fully alert again when Spanish let out late. That was when my mind sharpened for lunch. On Edward's correction of when I would see him. Abby didn't wait for me like she usually did. She was already sitting down in the cafeteria, flirting with Jackson. I took the usual step towards them until I saw Edward sitting off on the other side of the cafeteria. The table he occupied by himself was a smaller one and no one paid attention to him as they passed on by. Making eye contact, he motioned with his head for me to join him. I walked over to his lonesome seat, but I didn't sit down.

"What are you doing?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. It was quickly becoming his signature expression. "Didn't I say I would see you at lunch?"

"Yes," I said hesitantly, "but I thought you were just referring to our staring contests that usually occur during this time." It was truthful enough. Hoping for anything more had felt… too wishful. I got the twitch amongst his lips again, but it didn't last long enough to count.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He nodded towards the serving bars.

I glanced at the lunch line. Now that I'd been distracted, the line was at its max. I sat down. "I'll wait for the line to die down."

"You'll miss all the good food," he pushed.

I looked pointedly at the tray of food in front of him. "Like you usually do?"

The crease in his forehead was back. "You're too observant."

I threw my hands up in a "what can you do" manner. "I get told that a lot. Call it my superpower. So, why don't you guys ever eat?"

"We're vegetarians," he answered all too quickly and stiffly.

Seriously? "They have options here." Edward continued to stare at me. He was not going to elaborate on that answer anymore. So, I searched desperately for a new subject. "So, anyway, why isn't Alice allowed to talk to me?"

Edward's face snapped towards his family and I could have sworn a deep hiss was let loose with that murderous look.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get Alice in trouble." I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "I'm just trying to understand. I mean, it's a bit weird, don't you think?"

He dropped his face in his hands. My own fingers itched to comfort him, but this time I kept my control. I hardly doubted that he would welcome it anymore than the previous try.

"I shouldn't be doing this again," he murmured.

"Doing what?" With a deep frown of my own, I slumped back in my chair, crossing my arms. Looking up at me, Edward copied my pose.

"I told you I wasn't a good friend to have."

I wrinkled my nose, tired of this scratched CD playing over and over again. "We aren't really going to have this argument again, are we?"

"No," he shook his head. "At least not now."

I couldn't help but smirk. "Good, because, at least until presentations, you're stuck with me. After that, well, I hope you don't take out a restraining order. That makes it hard to get into college."

And then it started to happen.

The right corner of his mouth slowly crept up. Before I could get too worked up, the rest of his mouth followed, turning into a side purse of his lips.

Doesn't count. I'll get it sooner or later. It was becoming an obsession.

Edward pushed the tray towards me. "You really should eat."

On the tray was a now lukewarm cheeseburger, a bag of chips, an apple, and soda. I ignored the soda, even though my carbonation craving was killing me, and reached for the apple. The stem broke off in my fingers after twirling it around for a moment. I took a bite, slowly chewing the grainy piece over. About half of the fruit was gone after a minute of silent chewing. Edward watched me without starting a new conversation. I felt awkward, so I took one more bite and then placed the apple back on his tray.

"That's it?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really that hungry." That wasn't entirely true. My stomach wasn't rumbling at me, but it could use a bit more food. But I was too lazy to get back up and get my own tray and I didn't want to miss out on a second of Edward.

"I doubt your breakfast has kept you over this long."

True, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "You don't know what I had for breakfast."

He huffed at that. "I'm sure it was full of wonderful nutrients." He nudged the tray with his knuckles, pushing it closer to me. "Really, eat. I don't mind you taking my tray."

"Because it would go to waste anyway?"

Edward's face remained unchanged, eyes on me, expectantly.

His stubbornness was unmatched. Acknowledging that only one of us would give in to the stalemate, I took the decomposable knife from the tray and cut the burger in half. I took small bites, slowly consuming the sandwich to his satisfaction. When that was gone, I moved on to the chips. "Happy?"

"Enough so."

"It's okay for you to skip lunch but not me?" It seemed highly hypocritical in my opinion and it wouldn't kill him to be somewhat forthcoming. His sister's earlier use of the same adjective was very revealing about how Edward saw the world.

Edward narrowed his eyes. Calculations danced in his eyes but I couldn't understand what they would add up to. Something to his right caught his attention and his eyes flickered away. Following it, I found the Masen table, the other four siblings at their usual stations. Edward's frown deepened, but I was at a loss as to what caused it. "Maybe your own wellbeing is above my own."

It wasn't a question. To him, it was very much a straight mention.

I couldn't help the small laugh. "You don't think highly of yourself then?"

He sighed, frowning at me. "All the same, we should probably get to class."

Suppressing a frustrated groan, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and zipped up my jacket. This was not a lesson I was looking forward to. We were still on water pressure and I couldn't make heads or tails of the different equations. Now that Edward was more forthcoming outside of that particular classroom, there was no more enthusiasm needed in going there.

"Don't worry; we're finishing up the unit today."

"I won't get my hopes up," I muttered.

Edward picked up the remnants of his wasted food and I followed him as he tossed it into a trashcan on our way to the exit. One quick glance at my friends on the way told me I would be paying for ditching them later.

"You might want to put your hood up," Edward warned.

I turned to him. "What?"

In one smooth motion, Edward tugged the hood of my jacket onto my head, passed me, and held the door open, waiting for me to walk through. His movements were smooth and effortless, not a stumble in sight, and it bothered me. No one should be that graceful.

Large drops of water pelted my head. Though it had been cloudy all day, I hadn't expected it to rain. Edward gently placed a hand at the small of my back and led me down the sidewalk to the science building so I was no longer blocking the doorway for the other students. That was the way Edward did everything: gently.

Once at the classroom where we were the first to arrive, I stripped off the now soaked jacket, my teeth chattering from the cold rain. Edward seemed perfectly fine even with his hair dripping worse than mine and his coat way too thin for this time of year. He looked down at me, concerned. "Are you all right?"

Shivering, I threw him a look. "Seriously? Aren't you cold?"

Edward coughed, and then straightened up, walking past me as if my question had never happened. My mouth gaped open like a fish.

"What?" he paused.

"Did you just laugh?" I gasped.

"Sloane," he said impatiently. "We should really get in the classroom. You're developing a bad habit of blocking doorways."

I walked inside with him. "But that wasn't even funny."

"I didn't laugh," Edward insisted. "I coughed. I might be getting sick and your lack of concern is very unfeeling."

I shook my head. "And now you're cracking jokes. Whoa, what are you doing?" Instead of taking his usual seat in the back, Edward sat down in the desk to my left.

"I don't think Shawn will mind," Edward concluded. "He's sick today."

"Okay, but–"

"Sloane," he said evenly, cutting me off. Only he could say my name so much and not let it get old. "I thought you wanted to be friends? Do you not want to sit by me?"

Of course I did. If I had my way, we'd be skipping class altogether and continuing our conversation uninterrupted. Water was leaking through the dam now, but what would happen when the walls crumbled and the water broke free? Would I swim or drown? Maybe Edward was right. Maybe I was playing a game that would only end one way: me getting hurt.

Not physically. I would never slump him in that category. But emotionally? That was a probability. I'd have to be extra careful. But I refused to turn back. Why would I, when so much progress was being made?

I slid into my desk, deciding to live in the present. Besides, I had a lovely view of the growing eyes of our fellow students as they filed in through the door. Jackson even choked on his soda mid gulp when he spotted us. Serves him right for trying to chug the thing before class. Not even Shetler was immune to the surprise of Edward's move, but he masked it better than the others.

Like Edward had said, at the beginning of class Shetler announced that this would be our last day on water pressure and on Monday we would start projectile motion. Though now running on relief, I prayed that the next unit would be more merciful to me.

"So, what are your weekend plans?" I asked Edward when class was dismissed. Thankfully, my jacket had almost completely dried during the course of the hour. However, from the windows it looked like the rain was still going strong. It was going to be soaked once again.

"I'm not sure," Edward answered. "Do you have anything special planned?"

"Not really," I shrugged. "I don't usually make plans for my weekends, unless it's hiking with the guys. I prefer spontaneity."

"Hmm," he nodded. For a moment I thought maybe he was going to offer to do something with me, but the invitation never came. "Ready to brace the rain?" was all he asked.

"Walking me to gym?" I guessed.

The look flashed on his face again before disappearing again. "It's the gentleman thing to do."

Gentlemanly, yes. Strictly friendly? Not as much. I made an over-the-top motion with my arm. "Let's go."

The rain wasn't coming down quite as hard now, but it was still relentless in its pursuit to soak everything it could reach. Whoever thought of building a non-connected school in the rainiest place in the continental US was clearly on something. The fact that no one had thought of connecting them in the past century was even more mind boggling. Despite the rain, though, Edward stayed with me all the way to the gym door.

"Well, this is my stop," I sighed, reluctant to go inside.

"It won't be as bad as you think," Edward declared. He looked over my shoulder. "However, Tanner will be asking questions the moment he can."

I glance behind me. Sure enough, Tanner was already dressed in his uniform, blatantly staring at us, not even bothering to conceal it. Rolling my eyes, I waved goodbye. "Wish me luck." Edward was already walking away. I ran inside and to the girl's locker room.

Just as Edward had predicted, Tanner was bombarding me with questions, including the big "D" word.

"No, we are not dating," I repeated again, since he didn't seem to believe me the first time.

"It just came out of nowhere, you and him," Tanner defended. We were part of the lucky group that got to sit out the first game since there were only enough of us to form three small teams. We sat on the bottom bench of the bleachers, eyes on the game but not taking in any of it.

"We're partners in Physics," I asserted. "I decided that I wanted to get to know him. Now, we're friends. Everyone else ignores the Masens, so of course us talking is going to seem odd."

"It's cause they're weird," Tanner protested.

For my more logic-minded friend, he was being rather ridiculous. Like all our other classmates at this isolated school. "Everyone is weird in high school. Besides, why should that mean they don't get to have any friends?"

"True," he relented after a moment of silence. "But there's something… off about them. I can't put my finger on it. Every instinct says to stay away, though. And I believe in following your instincts. I don't want something bad to happen to you."

I laughed in disbelief. "Tanner, he's not going to kidnap me and hold me in his basement. He just needs someone to talk to."

The questioning look still didn't leave his face. "Sure."