A/N: This chapter is on the shorter side, compared to the ones previously posted. Sorry for that!

As always, thank you, thank you, thank you all so much for the love and support! I couldn't do this without you guys! :)

Enjoy!

-Dev

My head is pounding when I wake up the next morning. Probably because after the party I dreamt all night long. Some of the dreams were nightmares, but some of them...well... Let's just say I remember what Edward's lips feel like on my neck and how his fingertips raise goose bumps on my skin a little too well.

The nightmares are comforting because they're so straightforward, but the good dreams confuse me. I don't know what to think of Edward, but one thing is certain: there is no way in hell that I'm going to be spending the day alone with him. My car is just going to have to wait.

I go downstairs to try and explain the bad news to my mom, but I stop in the hall when I hear her and Alex talking about me. "I just don't get it," my sister is saying. "They were talking and Edward was being so sweet. Then, out of nowhere, Bella freaked out and made us leave. She didn't say a single word the whole way home."

"Well, Alex, sweetie,"—I can hear the sympathy in Mom's voice, as well as a sense of astonishment—"she was probably just scared."

Thank you! I'm so relieved that someone else in this house understands how creepy Edward is. But, then Mom adds, "Bella just isn't used to boys the way you are."

"All the people she ever hangs out with are boys, Mom!"

"But none of them have ever paid her that kind of attention before. The J's, they're good kids, but they treat Bella like one of them. Could you see any of them asking her on a date, or trying to kiss her?"

Alex snorts. "Ew."

I can't believe my mother and sister are having this conversation about me, but at least Alex and I are on the same page with that thought. Going out with The J's? Ew, ew, and ew!

"So, if Edward really likes Bella, can't you understand how she might be very confused right now? Puberty is a very difficult thing. Not everyone adapts to it as naturally as you did."

"Gross, Mom; I can't believe you just said the word puberty."

"And what else am I supposed to call it?"

"Um, nothing. We are so done with this conversation. And you know what? Maybe you shouldn't say anything to Bella. I'll help her with Edward!"

I hear a chair scoot back from the table so I start to creep back up the stairs, but I still hear Mom's stern reply. "Alex?"

"What?"

"You leave your sister alone."

"But, Mom, you didn't see her. She needs help."

"Stay out of it, Alexandra!" Mom says again. "I'm sure your sister will ask for your advice when she's ready for it."

As if that will ever happen!

I wait in my room until I hear Alex turn the shower on in the bathroom, and then go downstairs to face my mother. Thankfully, she doesn't say anything when I walk in the kitchen. She just sips her coffee while I quickly make work of pouring some Cocoa Puffs into a bowl. When she does finally speak, she doesn't breathe a word about the party.

"So, any idea what kind of car you want?"

"I don't think I'll have many options with only four thousand dollars to work with," I say, finding the perfect segue into cancelling my plans for the day without bringing up Edward. "Maybe I should just wait until the end of the summer when I've saved a little more."

"You'd be surprised, Bella. Remember Genevieve, from the hotel? Her husband, Roger, runs the Livonia Ford dealership, and he said he had a few great deals right now. I told him how hard you've been saving, and he's excited for you to come down today."

Shit! Not that I'm not grateful for my mom's attempt to get me a deal, despite our family's lack of motor vehicle connections—Mom doesn't work for a car company either, as helpful as that would be right right now. She's the front desk manager for the Dearborn Marriott—but how am I supposed to get out of going now?

"Hey, Mom? If you know this guy, why don't you go with me today?"

Mom studies me then, in way I've never seen her look at me before. It takes her a long time to reply. "Oh, honey," she says, sighing. "That's going to take all day, and I've got a whole list of things I need to get done."

"But, I'm just a kid! Don't you think I should have an adult with me for something like buying a car?"

"You're paying cash, so you won't need me to sign any papers, and you know more about cars than I do."

"But—"

"You're about to turn sixteen. It's time for you to start taking on some grown-up responsibility. Especially if you're going to own your own car." She pauses to smile at me over her coffee mug. "I trust you to make a good decision."

Ugh. She's going for the whole guilt trip thing. She's been lecturing me on responsibilities of having my own car for weeks. If I tell her that I can't handle this on my own, she'll probably tell me I can't get one.

Well, if she can go for the guilt trip, then so can I. "Don't you want to go with me, Mom? It's for my Sweet Sixteen. We could go, just the two of us. Spend the day together. Get some lunch? We don't do that very often."

The truth is, offering some quality girl time, just the two of us, is pretty underhanded of me. My mom is a lot more like Alex, and it's no secret that I'm my dad's daughter. I feel a little bad about manipulating her, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Mom gets really quiet as she sits down her coffee cup. I have her! She's going to give in—I can see it in her eyes now. When she finally speaks, I wait for her to say okay, but what comes out of her mouth is, "I'm sorry, honey. I just can't today."

That's when I realize what she's doing. "She totally got to you!" I accuse, my eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What?" Mom sounds startled.

"I'm going to kill her!"

"Kill who?"

"Alex!" I shout at the top of my lungs. "That little bi—" I catch myself in time to not get grounded. "Brat!"

"Bella! What is the matter with you?"

I can't help getting angry at my mom. "You're blowing me off because you want me to have to go with Edward!"

Mom can't find a reply—I've hit the nail right on the head.

"You're as bad as she is!"

"Bella, stop yelling," Mom says, her voice becoming stern. "It was very nice of Edward to offer to help you. He's brand new in town and just wants to spend time with the only people his age that he knows. It would very rude to cancel on him now."

"Oh, please. You don't care about offending anyone. You just want your freak daughter to be more like your perfect one."

"Isabella Marie Swan!"

I've crossed a line with that one, but I don't take it back. I fold my arms stubbornly, falling into a staring match with my mom. I wait for her to start in on me, wait for the lecture and the grounding that I deserve, and am really surprise when I get compassion. "Alex isn't perfect, sweetheart, and you're not a freak."

Mom reaches across the table and puts her hand on my arm. She has that proud-parent look in her eyes. "You're a smart, strong, beautiful young woman, Bella," she says. "It was only a matter of time before boys started realizing that. And now that they are, you're going to have to learn how to deal with it."

"It'll be fine, Mom. One week won't kill me."

"It's more than that, Bella. Your father and I know you're bummed about your friends being gone this summer and missing your birthday."

"I'll throw her a party," Alex says, coming into the kitchen. "The Fourth is this Friday, which doesn't give me much time, but I think I can pull it off."

Mom looks at me hopefully and sighs when I shake my head. "This is your sixteenth birthday," she reminds me. "It should be special."

That strikes a nerve, no matter how hard I'm trying to not let it. "Well, there's no way a stupid party full of Alex's friends is going to make it special," I snap.

"Ingrate," Alex mutters. I glare at her.

"Forget it; it's just a stupid birthday."

"Bella," my mom reprimands, frowning.

The pity in her voice throws my temper over the edge. "I don't want a party!" I yell. "And I'm not going today!"

"What do you mean, you're not going?" Alex gasps in a panic. "You have to! Bella, this is basically a date. I even called Rachel and Brooke to come help you get ready. They'll be here in, like, fifteen minutes."

"It's not a date."

"You heard Edward last night on the way home. He's really looking forward to today. You can't cancel on him; you'll break his heart."

"I'll bet I will. I'm not going anywhere alone with Edward Masen."

"So, then, take your sister," Mom suggests quickly.

"On her date?" Alex demands, appalled.

"Not a date!" I don't hesitate to remind her.

But my mom has a point. Maybe there is a chance I can still get my car today. When Alex is there, Edward does a decent job of controlling his creep factor.

"Alex, if you don't go, I don't go."

My sister stares at me incredulously. "You're such a freak."

"Fine. I guess I'm not going." I say, shrugging, while leaving the room.

I get halfway up the stairs before Alex comes stomping up them behind me, saying, "Alright, I'll go, you big baby."

I lock myself in the bathroom before she can start giving me wardrobe tips.

Luckily, Rachel and Brooke do not show up to give me a first date makeover, but there is an outfit laid out on my bed when I get out of the shower. I don't want to give Alex the satisfaction of winning, but I don't want to fight with her, either. I need her to be in a good mood to keep Edward distracted.

I can tell that my sister is trying to be reasonable by her selections for my outfit. She's laid out a pair of my own jeans—probably just because I'm too tall to wear any of hers—so I put on the shirt without too much argument—even though it's pink, has a strap to tie around my neck instead of sleeves, and seems to be missing part of the back.

After pulling some of my hair back out of my face, styling it in a side braid, I go back downstairs fully expecting Alex to complain about my hair. But she just looks at me kind of startled and says, "Wow. You actually look kind of cute. Man, I'm good."

"Is this really necessary?" I ask, pointing at the shirt. I look at the Eminem t-shirt she's wearing and frown. "How come you get to wear sleeves?"

"Bella, if you're going to make me chaperone your date, then you at least have to look like you tried to be cuter than me."

"Would you give it a rest already? This is not a date!"

But two seconds later, the doorbell rings and we answer it to find Edward standing there with roses in his hand. Roses! Alex casts me a very pointed look. I ignore it.

Edward's eyes rake over me from head-to-toe, lingering curiously on the shirt I'm wearing. When his gaze finally makes it back to my face, he laughs at my scowl and holds out the flowers. "For the almost-birthday girl."

I don't realize I'm standing there like an idiot, gaping open-mouthed at the flowers, until Alex elbows me. Edward has to actually take my hand and puts the flower in it.

"Um, thanks," I murmur, but for some reason it sounds like a question.

Edward holds out his arm to me and asks, "You ready to go?"

I peer down at his waiting arm and then at Alex. She's giving me a pleading look, begging me to go without her. "I'm ready," I say, not taking my eyes off my sister. "You ready, Alex?"

Alex rolls her eyes. With an irritated sigh, she says, "I just have to get my purse," and she stalks up the stairs.

"Your sister's coming?"

I look back at Edward and shrug.

Edward's face is careful. "I thought it was just going to be us," he says evenly.

"She wanted to come," I lie.

Edward studies me for a moment, his gaze intense. "You could tell her no."

Thankfully, Alex comes back then. "Okay, I'm ready," she says, glossing her lips as she stops in front of us.

"Great," Edward says, with a big smile in her direction. But as he walks out the door, he points to her face and says, "You smeared a little, just there."

When I head for the back of Edward's car, he grabs me by my shoulders, steers me around the car, and plops me in the front seat. "Stay," he orders me, and then hurries to slip behind the wheel.

After buckling his seatbelt, Edward brushes his fingers down the length of my arm and pulls my hand into his. I stare down, slightly baffled at how he's intertwined our fingers—I've never held hands with a guy before.

"So." His voice startles me. I look up and am met with a smile so warm I can't pull my hand away. "I was thinking we could—"

"It's too bad you won't be coming home with a car like this today, Bella," Alex, who has finally stopped fussing over her lips, interrupts as she climbs into the backseat. At the sound of her voice, I rip my hand from Edward's.

Edward starts the car, patiently sending Alex a smile in the rearview mirror. "You like it?" he asks.

I can still feel the warmth of Edward's hand on mine. My skin tingles where he held it, as if it craves more. Why does the first boy to ever like me have to be crazy? And I know he's crazy because his voice is perfectly friendly as he chats with my sister about the perks of driving a BMW, all while having a death grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning bone-white.

"Bella?"

I peer up. Edward and Alex are both waiting for me to say something.

"What do you think?" my sister asks again.

"I wouldn't buy one of these things, even if I had a zillion dollars."

"That's not what we were talking about," Alex says. "And don't be rude."

"Too rich for your blood?" Edward asks me curiously.

"Try too foreign. This is Detroit. Motor City? Ford, Chevy, GM?"

Edward shrugs. "At least with this car I won't have to replace the transmission every three years."

Oh!

Alex sees my eyes narrow and quickly steps in. "Bella, we were talking about Fat Patty's."

"What?"

"Do you want to go to Fat Patty's before we start looking at cars? I was just telling Edward how much you love it there."

Fat Patty's is this old-school diner where they have the absolute best milkshakes on the planet. I don't really want to prolong this day any more than necessary, but some things are totally worth it. "Fine," I grumble.

"See?" Alex beams triumphantly at Edward. "I told you she can't ever resist Fat Patty's."

Edward visibly relaxes in his seat. "What other things can't she resist?" he asks my sister, grinning devilishly at me.

"Tickets to a Red Wings game," Alex says automatically. "And guys who play the guitar."

I gasp. "Traitor! Shut up!" I honestly didn't expect for Alex to know that about me.

"Really?" Edward laughs, and I turn a very deep shade of red. "Musicians, huh?"

"Do you play?" Alex asks Edward hopefully.

I pray that Edward won't realize Alex is trying to play matchmaker, but I also suspect that there isn't much Edward misses. "I'm proficient at piano. But I'm seeing guitar lessons in my near future..."