Sorry that this is a little bit late, I got caught up in the US holiday weekend. Thanks for all the views and reviews! Every one of them makes my day a little bit brighter.

Bella has lived her entire life trying not to be her mother, and that isn't something she's ready to change just yet. No matter how momentarily exciting the mysteries-and people-of Forks, Washington are, there's a much wider world out there.

The urge to look over my shoulder followed me throughout the morning on Monday, a reflex I had developed over the last week of gossip. In spite of my constant need to check my surroundings, I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of staring and whispering. Was it possible that the rumors had died down? Being spotted in public with another guy surely hadn't hurt. I found myself worrying just a little bit less as I walked into the cafeteria. Lauren was sitting at the group table again, looking sulky (that wasn't out of the usual). As I sat down she opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but shut it again at a glare from Jessica.

Perhaps the worst was over. Lunch passed without event. Nobody giggled in Biology when Edward sat down next to me or tried to making knowing eye contact with me as we shuffled out. Conner had the grace to look shamefaced when we ran into each other in the hall as I hurried to Gym.

Relaxing turned out to be a mistake, though. Jennifer served the first shot of the volleyball game directly at me and I yelped, put my hands in front of my face, and tried to step back. I went down flailing, having managed to hook my bad ankle right out from underneath myself. Play stopped until I was helped back to my feet; Coach Clapp rolled his eyes when he thought I wasn't looking.

I spent the rest of the period either trying to be inconspicuously absent from any place the volleyball happened to be or thinking about the English paper that was due on Wednesday. We were allowed to write it about any of books on the reading list, even if we hadn't discussed them in class yet. I had decided on The Giver, a novel I had found sad but compelling when I had first read it a few years ago. I liked sad-but-compelling.

The first thing I did after getting home was sit down at the clunky computer that lived in my room, only to be used for school (and the occasional research excursion).

The Giver is the story of a boy who discovers that the life he lives is false, bounded by ignorance designed to protect the inhabitants from experiencing—or worse, knowing—the world around them. After all, most people don't really want to know that there's anything unbelievable in the world, even if they think that they do. But Jonas isn't most people. Through circumstances outside of his control, he is forced to confront the reality—or lack thereof—of his surroundings. In doing so, he comes to a better understanding of the world, the human race, and—perhaps most importantly, himself.

It hit a little close to home, but it was going to be a good paper.

I slumped back in my chair, zoning out as the English teacher reminded everyone that our analysis was due in two days and it should have already been started and anyone who needed help should see him after class today instead of procrastinating until the last minute. I had finished my first draft last night (after staying up way later than I should have; I was paying for that now) and would spend the next two days editing it, agonizing over every word choice and comma placement and paragraph break.

The bell rang and I slid out of my seat, shoving my books into my backpack without ceremony. All I wanted to do was slink to my next class in peace.

"Oh, hey, Bella."

I bit my lip to stifle a groan, then forced a smile to my face. "Hi, Eric."

"How's your paper going?" he asked, following me to the door of the classroom. He seemed a little nervous, repeatedly smoothing his black hair away from his face.

"It's good, how about yours?"

"It's okay."

"Oh. Cool. Well, I have to get to Gov."

"Let me walk you there," he said, gesturing in the direction of my next class in a way that was probably supposed to be gallant.

That made no sense, but I was too tired to puzzle out why. "Um, I guess." I started walking, not about to wait around for an escort that I didn't even want. My ankle throbbed gently as if to remind me that walking too fast was a recipe for disaster; reluctantly, I slowed down.

He hurried to catch up, sounding slightly out of breath. "I, um, I wanted to ask you if you were going to the dance."

Not again. "No," I said, trying not to snap. "I don't like dances."

"Oh," he said. "I thought maybe you would like to go if you were with someone, instead of with the group."

"Nope," I said, eyes focused forward on the door of the Gov classroom. "I don't want to go to the dance with the group or with a date or at all."

"Oh!" He sounded surprised. "Okay, then. Just checking."

I felt like I had been rude, but I couldn't quite bring myself to feel bad about it. "Thanks."

"Good look with your English paper," he said with a smile before turning away, heading back in the direction we had come.

I was still tired on Wednesday, in spite of going to bed early the night before. My night had been filled with anxiety dreams—running in slow motion, searching for something that I had forgotten or maybe had never existed, the endless moment before Edward had pulled me out from in front of Tyler's van. I couldn't stop thinking about that as I dragged myself through the schoolday; how I had frozen, too scared for even fight-or-flight, how I owed Edward my life twice over, how he had suddenly become a central fixture of my life. I still felt the butterflies, but they were now accompanied by discomfort at how quickly everything had happened.

I was definitely in over my head. The last week had shown me that I was barely capable of dealing with everyday teenager things, let alone the existence of vampires. I couldn't even remember what I had spent all my time thinking about before that discovery—now half my mind was always either trying to think of a question or pondering possible answers to questions already thought of or scanning the face of every stranger to see if they might be a vampire or wondering when I would talk to Edward next. It was too much.

It got worse in Biology because it was impossible to be aware of anything other than Edward's proximity—the chiseled slope of his cheek, the tilt of his chin, his long and elegant fingers. I kept my thoughts away from the way his soft cashmere sweater contoured his slim frame and refused to appreciate how nicely the rust color complemented his piercingly gold eyes.

I tried to be more present in Gym, but it was difficult when I was so strongly indifferent to the volleyball game that was happening around me. My team covered for me, stepping into my square to set or bump the ball safely away from me. The coach let them get away with it for most of the hour, but towards the end he pointed in my direction.

"Hit the ball, Swan," he roared, and I cringed. Someone in front of me sighed audibly.

The next serve came my way and I stepped forward, crouching slightly, arms in front of me, ready to hit it or die trying.

It seemed like the universe was in favor of the death option. The girl in front of me spun around, cupped hands extended, a look of concentration on her face. I slammed directly into her outstretched fists and bounced backward with a shriek. "Fuck!"

"No swearing," Coach Clapp scolded me as I covered my face. "It didn't hurt that much."

My eyes were tearing up and when I pulled one hand away, it was covered with—Oh no. "I've got a bloody nose," I moaned.

The coach sighed loudly. "Go to the nurse's office."

Jennifer gave me a hand up—not without a hint of a smirk—and I limped out, tears of pain and embarrassment streaking down my face to mix with the freely flowing blood. I kept my head tilted back, trying my best to stem the bleeding while still being able to see where I was going.

The nurse tutted concernedly at me and tucked me into the corner of her office with a rag and an icepack. By the end of the class period the bleeding had stopped, though my nose was still a little tender and my eye looked like it was going to be outrageously black in the morning. I wiped the blood away from my face carefully, trying to remove as much evidence of my disaster as possible. The nurse told me to keep using ice as necessary until the swelling went down and then sent me on my way; I hurried across the school as quickly as possible, hoping to get to my car without seeing anyone that I knew.

It wasn't to be, apparently. I turned a corner and found myself face to face with Edward. We both stopped awkwardly. His gaze flicked across my injuries and his expression darkened; his eyes narrowed, his jaw set, and I saw his arms tremble as though he were an instant away from action. Though I had seen the angelic boy more often than the dangerous vampire, I still knew what I was looking at: in that moment, he seemed capable of anything. I could feel my heart speed up. My mouth felt dry and it was hard not to take a step backward.

"What happened to you?" he asked quietly, the strain in his voice evident. Had I not gotten rid of all the blood? I felt a knot in my stomach.

"Gym," I responded, trying to sound as though I wasn't inches away from panic. "I'm accident-prone."

Swiftly, as if without his conscious control, he raised one hand. It stopped just an inch away from me—hovered beside my bruised cheek. I stopped breathing. "Just an accident?"

"Yes," I hastened to reassure him. "I'm fine." I wasn't, but he seemed more upset than there was any reason to be.

He swallowed visibly and pulled his hand away, tucking it into a back pocket self-consciously. "Good. Let's hope you stay that way."

"Yeah," I said. "Um, thanks. Bye."

We backed away from each other and headed our separate ways, but my heart didn't slow down until I was sitting in my truck. It would be a mistake to forget what Edward was capable of.

I was standing in the bottom of a valley. The clouds above me were creeping slowly downward, so low that I couldn't see the tops of the hills on either side. I whipped around, peering through the dark trees, afraid of—something. I couldn't remember what it was.

"Bella!"

I whirled to see Edward. He was crouched, eyes dark and desperate. Fangs jutted from his half-open mouth. I screamed and turned to run, but I was falling, sliding endlessly through the fog.

"Bella!"

I was on the ground, staring wildly around me. Someone was screaming—it was me. I was screaming. Edward stood over me, reaching a hand out.

I opened my eyes.

"Miss Swan."

My stomach dropped and I looked over my shoulder to see Mr. Mason leaning against his desk. I swallowed and turned away from the door, clutching my book-bag with hands that were suddenly sweaty. I had struggled to stay awake during class, still unsettled from the vivid dream I had awoken from that morning, and I fully expected that he was about to scold me for it. Or—maybe worse—express concern.

"I read your paper last night," he said. "It was pretty good."

I felt myself light up. "Oh! Thank you!" This wasn't the first time I had been complimented on my writing, but it wasn't any less appreciated because of that.

"Have you thought about what you'll be doing after high school?" he asked, running one hand through the sparse hair at the top of his head.

I definitely had. "A little. I want to be a journalist."

"WSU has a good college of communications. I would be happy to sit down with you and the school's advisor and help you with some application materials."

"Yes!" I blurted. WSU wasn't my first choice of university, but I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. "Yes, I'd like that."

"You have a good grasp of people," he said. "Very insightful. The media could use a mind like yours."

I felt like my chest might burst, but I would rather drop dead than show how excited I was. "Um, thank you."

"Of course."

"Um, I have to get to class. But—thank you, again." The first students in the next class were filtering in. Angela caught my gaze and raised an eyebrow as I turned to leave. I gave her a covert thumbs up and she smiled in response.

I was floating for the rest of the day. Not even the fact that there was a mixup in the cafeteria that resulted in no vegetarian options being available could ruin my day. The lunch lady let me take extra vegetables and ranch. I let the friendly conversation wash over me as I sat at the regular table. What was the point of participating when Forks was just going to be a short stop on my journey to a more important destination? I wasn't going to make Renee's mistake and find myself trapped in a life I didn't want.

By the end of Biology, I knew what I had to do. I couldn't afford to get distracted by something that—though interesting—was unlikely to ever have any real significant effect on my life. Vampires were a distraction. Edward was a distraction. I couldn't let a boy—even an elegant, attractive, mysterious boy—get between me and my future. Besides, my life expectancy would probably be higher if I avoided them. Even the good ones. I couldn't quite shake the memory of Edward's face the previous day. Or the night in my bedroom.

When the bell rang, I was ready. I turned to Edward before he stood up, but he was already leaning toward me, amber eyes looking troubled.

"I'm going to be… busy… this weekend," he said. "I'm afraid I'll have to cancel our plans for Saturday."

Oh. Even though that was exactly what I had been about to do, I couldn't help but feel a little bit annoyed. "That's fine," I said. "I'm going to be… busy… too."

I ignored the butterflies I felt as our eyes met; the message was clear to both of us. This—whatever this was—is over.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay," I replied.

Just outside the classroom I stopped, feeling suddenly conflicted. For a moment I wished that I could take it back—hurry after him and ask what about Sunday, what about next week, when can I see you again? I glanced back over my shoulder and saw him, leaning against the wall, looking right at me.

After a long moment, I turned away, feeling oddly dissatisfied. This is the right thing to do, I reassured myself.

I just wished I could believe it.