Chapter One

Gym Class, the bane of my existence it seems.

Today we're jogging around the outdoor track and the late summer sun burns hot. The t-shirt I wear sticks to my skin and sweat drips down my back. I run alongside my friend Rosalie who hasn't stopped talking since we began. She's a cheerleader who also runs cross-country and her long legs and practiced lungs are used to this torture. I, on the other hand, can barely form a sentence after two laps.

"And that ass, Jesus B. How do you not stare at that ass all day?" She's talking about Coach Cullen. She's been talking about him for the better part of ten minutes. I would normally shut it down but I can only focus on the pattern of my breathing. In and out. When I don't respond after a while she continues.

"Have you ever been in his bedroom? Oh my God Bella, tell me you have." I cast my gaze towards her and furrow my brows.

"Rose." I plan to reprimand the inappropriate conversation, especially in Coach Cullen's class, but I don't. Her name is all I can manage to spit out.

"What? It's just a question. I bet it's just as sexy as he is. He's like a fucking statue, seriously. He looks like he was carved out of marble, and those muscles…" She casts her gaze to him across the track and I roll my eyes. I certainly agree with her assessment of his attractiveness. It's unfair for anyone to look that good. I don't dare voice my opinions to Rosalie though. She would never let me live it down.

"You need to get laid." That's all I say. I know it's bound to change the subject and I'm right.

"Believe me, I'm trying. Emmett is just being ridiculous." We run past Coach Cullen and Rose offers a perfect smile. I want to look too but I manage to resist. Instead, I stare straight ahead and try to keep up with her.

"We've been together for two years B. Two years! And he's still worrying about being respectful. Ugh!" Leave it to Rose to complain about a guy being too much of a gentleman. I understand her plight though. These teenage bodies are raging with hormones and ready to pounce. I feel it every time he stands too close.

"He'll give in," I take a quick breathe between strides "soon enough."

"Pshhh." She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"He loves you Rose." Breath. "You know he does." They've been dating since sophomore year and Emmett completely dotes on her. He pined over her for years and eventually she decided to give him a shot. I was surprised, along with the rest of our class. Rose has never been short of admirers in our small town, or anywhere for that matter. She's model tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, and easy confidence. Nothing ever seems to touch her but then somewhere along the way Emmett McCarty did.

"I know." It's unlike her to say so little.

I think to question her about it when a stinging slap on my rear startles me. I let out a hiss of breath and my steps stutter before I stop and watch as Mike Newton runs past. Its like time freezes and he's running in slow motion, blonde hair bouncing with each step. He turns around and jogs backward, before cocking his head and winking one of his blue eyes. My stomach rolls. What a pig.

Before I can stop myself I'm throwing up my hand and letting a certain finger speak for me.

"Asshole." I speak loud enough for him to hear me and a few of our classmates slow their pace to watch. He smirks and turns back around before sprinting off. I'm turning my attention to Rose, intent on venting my frustration, when I hear the shrill sound of the whistle.

"Isabella Swan! Over here now!" Coach Cullen's deep voice booms across the field. Of course I'm the one getting in trouble for this.

"Great." I groan in frustration.

"I would take your place if I could." Rosalie replies, wiggling her eyebrows and eyeing Coach Cullen for the umpteenth time.

I fix my friend with a glare and jog across the grass to stand before him. By the time I come to a stop, I'm out of breath again and panting slightly.

"Miss Swan, care to explain to me why I saw you pointing an obscene gesture at Mr. Newton?" I look up at him through my lashes. His blue-green eyes are hardened serious and his muscled arms are crossed. He looks so intimidating yet so attractive and I gulp nervously.

"He" inhale, "slapped" exhale, "my ass." I'm still panting and the words are barely decipherable.

He furrows his brows and tilts his head slightly. "What?"

I squint against the afternoon sun and lean my hands on my knees while I catch my breath. After a moment I straighten back up and try again.

"He slapped my ass." He looks surprised at this information. I see his eyes move across the field to Mike and then back to me.

"I suppose the gesture was deserved then." I can't help but crack a smile at that.

"Does he bother you often?" His dark brows are furrowed and his face is etched in concern. I watch in fascination as his jaw clenches and the muscles straining against his tee shirt flex.

Mike Newton has been persistently pawing at me since the beginning of junior year when I came back from summer break with bigger breasts and fuller curves. He's an arrogant player who thinks he can woo any girl he wants because he's on the football team, but I've always seen him for the slime-ball that he is. I don't tell Coach Cullen all of this though.

I shrug and admit a partial truth. "Not really. Usually it's just corny pickup lines."

"Alright. I'll handle him. Just let me know if he bothers you again." I nod in response.

"We don't need you getting detention. I don't have time to find a new babysitter and I know Max and Daisy would be disappointed." He's smirking with straight white teeth and I know he's joking. That smirk makes my knees weak. I'm actually glad for the hot summer heat in this moment because I know it's hiding my inevitable blush.

"Yes sir." I nod and mask my face with playful seriousness. I give him one last smile and then I'm jogging back over to Rose.

Class ends shortly after the incident and the school week comes to a close. I pick up Max and Daisy from the elementary school down the block and drive them home in the old blue minivan my dad bought me for my sixteenth birthday. We spend the remainder of the afternoon swimming in the pool in my backyard under he heat of the slowly descending sun. The water feels cool and crisp and it's the perfect remedy to the afternoon I've endured.

Daisy cuts through the clear water like a tiny mermaid but Max insists on wearing superhero arm floaties. I've worked with him on his swimming over the summer but he's still hesitant to give up the safety that he's used to and I can understand the fear. It takes a while to feel confidant in most things. I stay patient and we work on paddling for the next hour until we're all pruned skin, tired, and ready to call it quits.

We head through the gate and over to their house next door, the Patterson's old place. The Cullen family moved in two years ago and I've been babysitting the twins almost as long. I've spent countless nights spread out at their dining room table studying for exams or helping the kids with crayon art for the 'kitchen gallery wall' we created. I spend as much time at their house as I do my own and it feels like an extension of home.

I help the kids get cleaned up before making dinner. We eat chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes, the favorite food of most kindergarteners, especially these. I make green beans as well but they're pushed around and hardly eaten. After years of babysitting I've come to expect this but it doesn't stop me from trying. When we're done I wash the dishes and the kids help me dry. We sing made up songs about cleaning and dance while we work and somehow manage not to break anything.

Once everything is washed, we curl up on the couch to watch a movie. It's Max's night to pick so we watch Finding Nemo for the third time. We're about an hour in when I glance over to find them both soundly asleep. They're leaning against one another, strawberry blonde curls on messy auburn, and it's absolutely adorable. Most nights I leave before bedtime, so I never see them this peaceful but I'm thankful that tonight's a game night, the first of the season.

Once the movie ends, I manage to wake them enough to get them upstairs and into bed with teeth brushed and pajamas on. It's a little after nine when they're both lying down in their beds with heavy eyelids, waiting for a story.

"What do you guys want to hear tonight?" I stand next to their large bookshelf and practice my best Vanna White impression.

"Dr Suess!" Max yells.

"No, The little Mermaid!" Daisy disagrees strongly and folds her arms. Book time often ends in disagreements until we can find a suitable compromise and it seems that tonight is no different.

"What if we read another chapter out of the book from last week?"

"Yes the Lion!" Daisy is yelling and Max is smiling wide. It's seems we've reached a consensus. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was one of my favorites growing up and they seem to like it so far too. I grab the worn copy from the shelf and take a seat on the edge of Daisy's bed.

I read for a mere ten minutes before they're both out. Daisy is curled up and clutching her favorite stuffed elephant and Max's mouth hangs open. I close the book softly and set it back on the shelf. I'm working hard to stay quiet, tip toeing across the creaking hardwoods and clicking the lamp off with gentle hands. I back gingerly out of the room and softly close the door.

I'm turning around when I see it. A hulking figure standing behind me, cloaked in shadow in the dark hallway. I'm tense and frozen in fear. I let out a short squeak and then a warm hand pushes against my lips.

"Shhh, don't want you to undo all that hard work." It's Coach Cullen's deep velvet voice and my muscles relax instantly. He drops his hand as quickly as it arrived and I'm letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"You scared me." My voice is a whisper floating through the dark. But I know he hears me, standing so close.

"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt your story time." How long was he standing there? I watch as his hand runs through his hair as it often does and then he's motioning back down the hall. "Come on."

I follow his lead as we make our way downstairs and emerge in the lit up kitchen. I pause and squint to let my tired eyes adjust. He pads over to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water before taking a seat on the nearest barstool. I watch every movement closely. In the bright light, I can't look away. He's exactly how Rose described him and more. Once again I'm finding it hard to breath in his presence but it's not a product of exercise.

"Sorry again for scaring you." His voice is louder now and it pulls me from my stupor. It's silent for another moment, while he takes a gulp from the icy bottle.

"The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?" His eyes are trained on me and I inch closer and lean my arms against the granite countertop.

"Yeah, they seem to like it so far. It was one of my favorites growing up." My voice is still low and I clear my throat when I'm done. Get a grip Bella.

"Mine too." He's smiling toward me and I feel my cheeks heat.

"How was the game?"

"Eh, kind of a cluster to be honest. We barely scraped a win." He runs his free hand through messy locks and sighs loudly. "We're going to need to change up the practices I think. The guys don't seem to trust each other like they should."

I raise my brows and try not to smile. I know the boys on the team and being friends with Rose means I know all their drama. The past summer was full of it and it's no surprise to me that they don't trust each other. Especially with Mike Newton leading the pack.

"What?" I snap my eyes up and realize he's caught my tight-lipped smile.

"Nothing."

"Psht…no not nothing. What is it? What do you know Belly?" My resolve melts when he uses the nickname created by Max and Daisy. I hated it at first, for obvious reasons, but the distaste didn't last long.

"I feel like interrogation is a strict abuse of power." I'm stalling and he knows it.

"Spill it Swan." His voice is deep and he's sitting close and goose bumps cover my skin in reaction

"Its just drama. Tyler was dating Jessica but apparently so was Eric, just that sort of thing but a lot of it. And then there's Mike…"I stop myself because the dirt I have on him is of the sleeping with someone's mother variety and I know Coach Cullen will lose his mind.

"Mike?"

"Yeah, he's just an asshole." This is also the truth as proven by his actions this afternoon.

"Well he didn't play tonight so I don't know if that was a factor." I perk up at this news and stand to my full height.

"He didn't play? Coach…"

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him you told me. I wasn't going to let him get away with that though." He's using his teacher voice again and I know he means business. He stands from the stool and throws his empty bottle into the recycling before moving back to my side. He's over six feet and towers above me as usual.

"Well, thank you." My voice is a whisper again as I stare down at the granite countertop in front of me. I eye the flecks of sparkling stone and resist the urge to run my fingers over it.

"It's no problem. I told you I'd handle it and I'm a man of my word." I certainly know that. Edward Cullen is a man of many things.

"How were the kids?" He shifts the subject and I'm very grateful for the change.

I lift my eyes to him and smile before I speak. "They were amazing as usual."

"Mhmm…" His eyes narrow with skepticism.

"Really, they were great."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They love you. " He's smiling now and it's a beautiful sight. I could stare at that smile all day. I realize then that my mouth is hanging open slightly and I snap it shut and try not to blush.

"You guys went swimming I presume." He reaches forward and pulls lightly at one of my dark curls. My words stick in my throat like peanut butter but then he pulls away and I can breathe and freely respond.

"Guilty as charged. I can hardly keep Daisy out of the pool. I think your daughter might be a fish."

He chuckles deep at that. It's infections and I laugh lightly as well and after a moment silence falls. We're staring at one another and I can suddenly feel the weight of heavy eyelids as my blinking slows.

"You should get home. It's been a long day." I nod in response and we both make our way to the door.

Just before he opens it, I feel his hand span the space on the small of my back, ushering me forward. I've known him long enough to know that he doesn't think anything about the contact. He's being a gentleman and helping his tired babysitter out the door. But it's all I think about. I focus on the warmth radiating through my loose tank top. The size of his palm as it covers my lower back. I want to feel more of it but then he's releasing me as we reach the porch and I march onward towards my house. I turn when I get to the front door and wave. He waves back as he always does and then we both step inside our respective homes and he's gone from my sight.

Twenty minutes later I'm freshly showered with brushed teeth and a giant tee shirt. I lay in my fluffy bed, cloaked in darkness and staring at the light from the window next door. I know who's room it is and he's all I can seem to think about. I don't know when exactly it happened, maybe from the moment I first met him. Either way there's no denying it. I'm desperately crushing on my neighbor, my boss, my teacher. It's impossible and wrong and I know it, but I can't seem to make it stop.

Finally after another few minutes his window goes dark and I let my tired eyes fall closed.

I think again about the feel of his hand on my back and I know he'll be the subject of my dreams tonight.

Author's Note: Hello and welcome! First and foremost, thank you for reading! Hopefully I've peaked your interest. If not, no harm no foul and thanks for reading all the same. If you're reading 'Memories From the End', you should know going in that this will be a lot lighter than that. The Bella and Edward in this are going to be a bit different as well but hopefully you'll still love them. Please review! Let me know what you think and if you're interested to see where this will go.