Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters. Nor do I own the poem from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You.

I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair;

I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare.

I hate your big dumb combat boots,

And the way you read my mind.

I hate you so much it makes me sick;

It even makes me rhyme.

I hate the way you're always right,

I hate it when you lie,

I hate it when you make me laugh;

Even worse when you make me cry.

I hate it that you're not around,

And the fact that you didn't call.

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you;

Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

~10 Things I Hate About You

Chapter One: I Hate the Way You Forgot

2019

"This is bullshit," Edward grumbled. He picked up a handful of popcorn and tossed it at the laptop screen. "Boo, motherfucker."

I giggled, leaning further into his arm, I turned my head and bit into his shoulder. He hissed, trying to pull his arm from my vice-tight grip. I was coiled around his arm like a snake. That was nothing new. I was always attached to my best friend.

"Fuck off, Bella," he laughed, pushing my forehead back with his free hand.

Releasing his skin from my teeth, I leaned back to stare into his pretty green eyes. "Do I complain when it's your night to pick the movie?"

His eyebrows shot up. "Every fucking time," he deadpanned.

"Well, shut up." I had no argument. He had me there. "This is actually a good movie."

"It's mushy bullshit, Bella. That would never happen in real life." He gestured wildly at the screen. "A guy standing outside a girl's window with a radio above his head is a female fantasy. These movies are made to give girls unrealistic expectations that real-life guys will never be able to measure up to."

"Oh, whatever. Your movies are super realistic with cars flipping twenty times and then landing on all four wheels and zooming off with minimal to no damage." I rolled my eyes, grabbing some popcorn. I shoved it into Edward's mouth. "Now watch the rest of the movie quietly, please."

Edward spat the popcorn out onto my shirt. It flew in all directions, some wet pieces hitting my face.

"Eww!" I slapped the popcorn off my face and shirt, glaring up at him. "You're so gross."

Edward's lips were pressed into a thin line, his eyes dancing mischievously as they looked down and then back up to my eyes. He did that a few times before I was fed up and yelled at him.

"What are you looking at, dumbass?"

"You got some popcorn in your… ah… well, between your boobies," he snickered. his cheeks glowing red in the dimly lit room.

I could feel heat flooding my own cheeks. I quickly looked down and sure enough, there was one lone kernel there, right between my barely blossoming breasts. I pulled it out and threw it back at Edward.

He just laughed and pulled me closer to him again. He leaned his head on mine and pointed at the screen. "Aww, look. He got the girl. I didn't see that coming," He mocked in a condescending tone.

The movie had just ended when there was a soft knock on Edward's door. Like two misbehaving children, we quickly jumped apart as light flooded the room and Edward's aunt Esme walked in. She offered us a tight-lipped smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Bella, it's getting late. Do you need a ride home? Carlisle can take you."

I looked at the time on my phone, confused. It was barely seven. I usually stayed over until nine, often having dinner at their place. I looked back at Esme and noticed the way she wrung her hands and shuffled her feet. She looked nervous and anxious. I sent a questioning look to Edward. He only shrugged and stood up. He held his hand out to me, helping me up off the worn-in beanbag chair we shared.

"Okay, then." I hugged Edward tightly. "Call me later?"

"Duh," he smiled with a roll of his bright green eyes.

"Have a good night, sweetheart," Esme said softly, touching my arm as I walked by. I smiled at her and then left the room. Esme shut the door behind me. I wasn't sure what that was about. The Cullen house was usually very carefree and warm. Tonight, it felt wrong.

I met Carlisle at the door. He was pacing back and forth, jangling his keys in his hands. He looked just as uncomfortable as his wife. When he spotted me, he forced a smile on his face. "Ready? Do you have everything?"

I nodded. I only came with my phone, and it was tucked in my back pocket. Carlisle opened the door and gestured for me to go out first. The tension in the house followed us to the car, and all the way back to my house. Carlisle seemed lost in thought the whole ride home. He usually engaged me in conversation and made silly jokes. Not tonight. There was something very wrong going on. I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked to see if Edward had tried to call yet or if he texted me.

Nothing.

I was only out of his sight for a few minutes, so I didn't worry about it. Too much. But there was a pit forming in my stomach, a constricting in my chest. I was just as nervous as Esme and Carlisle. I just didn't know why. The nervous energy became even worse when ten o'clock rolled around and I still hadn't heard from Edward. The longest we went without talking was when we were sleeping. And I knew he wasn't sleeping. He was a night owl, preferring to draw or paint while the rest of the world slept.

"Bella, bed!" Mom shouted from the hallway.

I stopped my pacing and jumped into bed, covering up quickly. I hid my phone under the covers. I knew Mom would take it if she saw me paying too much attention to it when I was supposed to be going to sleep. She was trying to get me back on a good sleeping schedule. I was starting high school in less than a week and staying up until midnight talking to Edward wasn't allowed anymore. That sucked but I knew we would be in school together, so that made up for it somewhat.

Mom peeked her head into my room, her eyes focusing through the dark, the only source of light coming from the moon shining through my window. "Everything okay?"

"Yes," I answered quietly, afraid my voice would break with the amount of stress pushing down on me. It was a flat-out lie, of course. I was worried. Why hadn't Edward at least texted me? What was going on over there? I tried to calm my thoughts and sleep. I was sure when I woke up in the morning, I would have a text from Edward, explaining everything. I just needed to be patient. It wasn't like he wouldn't talk to me ever again. I didn't know why my nerves were so out of control.

With thoughts of getting my answers tomorrow, I finally fell into a restless sleep.

2023

"Just breathe, Bella. It's not that bad," Alice assured me. I had a tight grip on her hand, her fingers turning reddish-purple from the pressure I was applying. I took an unsteady breath in and then another. I forgot the out part so Alice slapped my cheek lightly with the back of her hand and made a breathing motion.

I let out my long-winded breath.

The man at my side was pure professionalism as he patiently waited for me to calm down. When I nodded at him to continue, he counted back from three, and then on one, the needle pierced through my skin. I flinched, but oddly, that didn't hurt so much. It was when he added the jewelry that I wanted to scream, kick, and punch anything in my way. But even that was over in a matter of seconds.

"All done," the heavily pierced and tatted man announced, patting my thigh with his gloved hand. I opened my eyes that I hadn't even realized I closed. I looked down at the shiny green jewel now hanging from my navel and smiled. I was so scared to get this done, but Alice convinced me and I was so glad she did. It was awesome.

"Wow," was all I could say as I ogled it.

"Yeah, wow," Alice grunted. "Now let me go."

"Oh, sorry!" I set her hand free, and she held it to her chest, rubbing circles on the back of it. I laughed. "Hey, you're the one that wanted to take me for a piercing for my birthday."

"And it's hot as fuck," she smiled. "We can share the pain. It's fine."

I stood up and walked over to the wall mirror, turning my body, and looking at my new piercing from every angle. My white tee was lifted just under my breasts, my jean shorts low on my hips. I felt exposed but also invigorated. I wanted to show this baby off. Just not at home or in front of anyone that would report back to my parents.

"My dad is going to flip." Remembering my dad put a slight damper on my mood. I was finally old enough to get a piercing without my parents' consent, but that didn't mean I wouldn't get in trouble for it. He specifically said no body modifications while I lived under his roof.

"Just hide it from him," Alice shrugged and came to stand next to me. She looked down at my stomach quizzically. "I still don't know why you chose a green jewel. Don't get me wrong, it looks great, it's just not the norm."

I blinked and emerald eyes flashed behind my lids. "No reason. I just liked it, is all."

Alice nodded. She was nosey and pushy, but she didn't know there was anything to push out of me, thankfully. She didn't move to town until after he left. And even if she had known him, there was no way for someone to correlate the two. It was just something for me to keep my old friend close to me. A token in remembrance of a friendship I never wanted to forget.

I pulled my shorts back up a bit, dropped my loose tee over the piercing, and walked to the front. Alice paid for the piercing as well as a spray to clean the area. I got my aftercare instructions, and we were off to lunch. Another gift from Alice for my birthday. She had a whole day planned in Port Angeles for us. After lunch, we were going blacklight mini golfing. It was something I had been wanting to do for a while.

"We need to get some better uniforms for the squad," Alice sighed longingly after the waitress set our drinks down. Her fingers were swiping at breakneck speed over her phone. "These raggedy ass things need to go." She held up her phone for me to see the pictures taken at our practice the other night. She wasn't wrong. The skirts were too long with loose threading, and the tops were the worst material to ever touch my skin.

"The school isn't going to fund new uniforms. We're not important like the jocks." I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my sweet tea.

"That's why I was thinking we should have a carwash. Get all of us cheerleaders sudsy and washing cars for old pervs. Money in the bank," she nodded assuredly. I wasn't too keen on the idea of washing cars just to be ogled by men old enough to be my grandfather. I shuddered at the thought. No money was worth my integrity.

"I'm so not down for that. Isn't there another way we can get money?"

"Oh, please, Bella! You're one of the hottest girls on the squad. And as your captain, I am telling you, you have to participate."

"And as your loyal subject, I am telling you not a fat chance in hell," I grinned.

Alice glared at me. She opened her mouth but whatever retort was brewing behind her lips stopped in her throat. Her eyes went wide and her jaw literally dropped to her chest. I followed where her gaze had landed and rolled my eyes.

Of course.

A tall, blond boy stood at the counter, his jean-clad legs crossed at the ankle, his hands deep within his pockets. He was the epitome of relaxation, right down to the lazy smirk on his face as he said something to another boy who was wrestling with the claw machine in the corner.

"Holy hotness," Alice gasped, fanning herself dramatically.

I snickered under my breath. Alice was so easily distracted, especially when a cute boy walked by. I looked him over again and had to admit he was extremely easy on the eyes. I had no doubt that Alice would have his number before we left the diner. She had a way about her that guys couldn't seem to resist. I saw it firsthand every time I was with her. It was like she cast spells on these poor unsuspecting boys.

Alice raised her eyebrows suggestively, her hazel eyes meeting mine. "Tag team? I get the blond one, you get mister aggressive?"

Looking back over to the boys, I noticed the other boy now slapping the side of the claw machine with excessive force, apparently not too pleased with its functionality. He looked pretty good from the back – tall, broad shoulders, full head of dark hair. His friend stood to the side of him looking like he was doing his best not to burst out laughing. He held his fist in front of his mouth, his eyes closed tightly.

The other boy started to shake the machine with renewed vigor when the punching and slapping of its sides didn't do him any good. I looked at Alice and as soon as we locked eyes, we laughed. We turned back to watch the spectacle. You could always count on Port Angeles for some free entertainment.

The waitress cut in front of our line of sight. She smiled down at us, placing our burgers and fries on the table. "Enjoy, ladies."

"Thank you," we both said distractedly, our necks craning to watch the show in the corner.

"I'm not sure I want the aggressive one," I mused aloud. "He's a bit intense."

"Well, you can't have the blond one. He's mine," Alice grinned.

I held my hands up. "Go for it, girl. I'm good flying solo."

Alice pulled her gaze away from the boys with what looked like a lot of difficulties and met my eyes with an annoyed pinch to her nose. She sighed, exasperated. "Aren't you tired of flying solo? I mean, damn, you and James broke up like a dick-year ago."

"You could just say a year," I rolled my eyes. "And I don't feel like being pressured all the time to do shit that I'm not ready for."

Alice pointed a fry in my direction. "Your loss. The other guy is fuck hawt."

I took a sip of my tea shaking my head at my friend's immature descriptions, but curiosity got the better of me. I peeked back over even though I knew no matter what the guy looked like, I still wouldn't be interested. I gasped, pulling the sweet tea down my throat, and then coughed it back up, my nose and throat burning from the flood of liquid.

Alice jumped up, always at the ready. She beat her hand on my back until my coughing fit subsided. Waiting until my face lost the redness and the tears stopped rolling down my cheeks, she handed me a napkin and offered me a dubious look as she slid back into her seat.

"Edward?" I whispered, my throat thick and my voice hoarse.

The boy who was previously abusing the claw machine had turned around and was talking animatedly with his friend, a scowl on his face. I wasn't used to that face looking so utterly pissed off, but that face… I couldn't mistake it. It had starred in most of my dreams for years. It was more mature now, more defined, and harder somehow.

Without my permission, my body lifted from the chair and my feet carried me over to the corner of the restaurant. I ignored Alice's questioning voice, pushing her hand away from mine when she tried to pull me back. I felt like a magnet was pulling me, guiding me over to him. I was helpless against it. My eyes couldn't leave his face. My chest swelled with a feeling that I hadn't experienced since he left. I stopped a few feet away, forcing myself not to jump into his arms. Arms that I longed to touch again.

"The fucking bitch needs to get the fuck off my back. I'm not her goddamn kid," he seethed through clenched teeth. "Only reason I'm here is because…" Edward trailed off, his eyes darting over to me. They widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing so quickly, that I wasn't sure if I had actually seen it.

"Can I help you?"

I was taken aback by the annoyance in his tone. I opened my mouth, but no words would come forth. I could feel the blood draining from my cheeks. This wasn't my Edward. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a perfect brow that had a little silver stud through it.

When I didn't respond, he gestured between himself and his friend. "We're kinda in the middle of something if you don't mind?"

I finally found my voice and I hated that it came out as a desperate croak. "Edward?"

"Bella?" he mocked with an exaggerated shake of his head. "The fuck you want?"

I could feel the tears gathering in the corner of my eyes. I swallowed the lump forming deep within my throat, crossing my arms over the tight constriction I felt in my chest. I opened my mouth to say something, but I wasn't sure what I could even say. Thankfully, soft hands grabbed onto my elbow and pulled me back, dragging me out of the diner. I could hear Alice say something to them, but it sounded like it was coming through a tunnel. She ushered me to her car, opened the door for me, and helped me in.

"Relax, Bella," she tried to soothe me, her hand rubbing circles on my own.

I couldn't though. I had imagined what it would be like seeing him again so many times – imagined how we would hug and smile and catch up on lost time. Never in a million years would I have thought seeing my best friend again would go so horribly wrong. Never in a million years would I have expected the sweet boy I grew up with to be so mean. Especially to me.

I lifted my knees onto the passenger seat, dropped my head down, and tried my hardest not to burst out crying. I wrapped my arms around my legs and eventually, I had no choice but to give in to the sobs that were going to come one way or another. They consumed me, blanketing me in the worst kind of hurt.

I wasn't sure how long I cried and much to Alice's credit, she didn't pry for the first time in her life. She just waited for me to calm down, and then asked me if I was ready to go home when the last of my cries quieted down. I could only nod. She spared worried glances my way throughout the drive home to Forks from Port Angeles but said nothing. I appreciated her giving me that time. I was able to calm myself down before seeing my parents. If they saw me crying or looking upset, they would never drop it until I told them what was wrong. And I just wasn't ready to have that conversation yet.

We pulled up to my driveway. Alice idled the car and turned to me. "I don't know what that was about but fuck that guy. Seriously, he was an asshole."

I sniffled, glancing at her from the corner of my eye. "Do you remember when you asked me who the cute boy was in that picture on my desk?"

Alice nodded, her eyebrows knitting together. "Edward, your childhood sweetheart?"

I snorted painfully and shook my head. "Not my sweetheart. He was my best friend growing up."

"Okay…" she drew the word out, obviously not putting the pieces together.

"That was Edward."

Her face went blank, shock registering like a spark in her eyes. "Wow."

I reached into the backseat, grabbed my purse, and then sighed, gathering my wits before I headed inside. I checked myself out in the mirror, grimacing at the redness under my eyes and the mascara tracks that swam down my cheeks. It was way too obvious I had been crying. I scrubbed at my cheeks but it only made me redder and smudgier. I gave up, dropping my hand down into my lap.

I looked over at Alice with a small smile.

"Thanks for a great day, Alice. Sorry, it was cut short."

She smiled back sadly, her eyes scanning over my face. "Of course. Happy birthday. I love you." She reached over and wrapped her arms around my neck. I hugged her back tightly. She really was an amazing friend. I appreciated her now more than I ever had.

"I love you more," I whispered into her neck.

We pulled apart and I headed inside, waving her off. I watched until she turned the corner, biding my time. I could hear the TV on in the living room through the open window. My parents were watching their favorite show, so I was hoping to escape to my room with little to no interaction. When their show was on, I might as well not exist. For once, I could use that to my advantage.

I took a deep breath, secured my purse tighter to my shoulder, and walked inside as casually as I could.

"Bells?" Dad called when the door clicked back into place. I cursed under my breath. "You home already?"

"Yep, I have a mountain of homework to do, so I'll be up in my room for a while." I walked quickly by the living room and headed up the stairs, holding onto the rail and taking the steps two at a time.

"We ordered pizza. It should be here in twenty," Mom offered distractedly.

"Sounds good." I ran into my room, not sparing a second glance in fear of them seeing the smudged black tear tracks adorning my face like a trail to the void I had inside, put there by someone I once called my best friend.

I threw my purse down on the floor and then flopped on my bed face first. Grabbing my pillow, I shoved my face into it, muffling the scream I had been holding in since Edward snubbed me so horribly at the diner. It didn't make me feel better. Not even a little bit.

I flipped over onto my back and stared at the ceiling. Visions of the old Edward dancing in the streaked paint, warring with the reality of who he had become. I wasn't sure who that was, but it wasn't the boy I remembered. I felt sick to my stomach.

I wished I hadn't spent so many years dreaming of our reunion. It wouldn't have hurt this badly if I hadn't done that to myself. I was so sure that we would see each other again one day, that I allowed myself to see only the good. I never expected him to change so tremendously.

Could I really be angry with him, though? We hadn't seen each other since the summer before freshman year and hadn't spoken since a month after that. Was I justified in my hurt? Could I really expect him to be the same boy at eighteen that he was at fourteen? Could I hold it against him that he forgot all about me? That he didn't care for me anymore? I was the one who held onto a connection that was apparently one-sided.

I had too many questions and doubts. Instead of allowing myself to continue to dwell, I went into the bathroom, washed my face, cleaned my new piercing, and then joined my parents downstairs for pizza. I was sure I was going to dream about Edward – I would work through my issues then.