A/N: Ok to all of you out there who have me on author alert, don't worry! I am still working on Time Could Cease To Exist. In fact I almost have the second half of the date scene from Edward's POV done.

But this story has been rolling around in my head and I know the only way I can get it out of there is to either write it or try to scrub it out of my brain with a QTip or something. I hesitate to do the latter since I might also wipe out the part of my brain that holds my phone number or the fact that I hate beets. And I would hate to eat a beet on accident without knowing that I think they are one of the most hurl-worthy foods out there. So I have no choice but to write this.

This story is AU/AH. I have never done an AH before but since I am in fact a human I think I have a pretty good grip on the fundamentals of what makes one tick. And Bella and Edward are going to be slightly OOC in that Bella is going to be a more confident (and dare I say snarky) version of herself. Edward will also retain his basic personality (though he will also be on the snarky side) but he is not as *ahem* sexually repressed as Edward is in the books. Okay okay! He is a typical horny dude! After all in my story he is a human seventeen year old boy! He is basically an erection with legs! But you know you can never get enough of sexy Edward can you, you pervs? Ha! I see you blushing! Yeah you know who you are.

Oh and to those who have sensitive ears (eh eyes?) and/or delicate sensibilities I have to put out a warning. There is a lot of cursing in this story. I mean a lot. Like an Oh-my-God-your-ears-are-burning-and-you-want-to-read-Dr.-Seuss-just-to-get-back-to-the-innocence-of-it-all amount of cursing. What can I say? They are modern high school students and they curse. You have been warned.

So I hope you like it and please any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks and I hope you enjoy.

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Bella's POV

Why was I doing this again? Why was I subjugating myself to this torture? Oh, right. I'm a peacekeeper. For some reason I could not fathom I felt the need to keep things on a smooth even keel around me. I could handle myself in a conflict but didn't try to seek them out and if one started I tried to resolve it the best I could. Did that make me a marshmallow? No, I have a backbone. So a marshmallow with a backbone? Is that like a marshmallow on a stick? Ooh, that reminds me of summer camp in seventh grade when we made s'mores and I tripped and almost landed in the campfire. Davie Dobbs saved me and we went steady for four whole days.

Wait, what the hell am I talking about? Sometimes I have no rule over the wayward thoughts in my head. I guess that is why they are wayward isn't it. What was I talking about?

Oh yes. I was talking about why I suddenly find myself at Eclipse with two people I can hardly tolerate and who hate me with the pulsing white hot intensity of ten thousand suns.

I walked through the two sets of double doors, pushing hard against the second set. Why in the hell do they put two thousand pound doors on these places? If there was ever an emergency there would be a huge pileup at the door because no one could open it without a winch or something.

See what I mean about wayward thoughts?

I made it through the door and saw the retreating forms of the two people I supposedly came with.

I moved a little quicker to catch up with them, though still slow by regular human standards. Look, when you can trip on thin air you learn to move at a pace that keeps you from being a danger to yourself and those around you.

"Hey Jessica, Lauren! Wait a second!" I called out.

They turned to look at me with identical sneering expressions. It was funny actually that at that moment they looked like twins despite the fact that they could not look any less like each other.

Jessica was short, shorter even than my five foot four, but she made up for it with a mass of dark curly hair that somehow managed to defy both gravity and frizz in the rainiest city in the continental US. She would even be considered pretty if she wore less makeup and kept the perpetual scowl off her face. Though she only really scowled in my direction. I didn't have the heart to tell her she was well on her way to a forehead full of wrinkles. Poor thing.

Lauren was completely opposite. She towered over me by at least five inches. She had very blond, very straight hair that went halfway down her back. She would also be considered a lot prettier, if she stopped getting "fake baked". I don't know what the obsession high school girls had with looking like Cheetos but most of the girls in my class went out and got faux tans. As it was, Lauren's "tan" clashed with her hair and instead of a healthy glow she looked almost radioactive.

"What do you want, Bella?" Lauren asked in disgust. I opened my mouth to speak but Jessica cut me off.

"We told you not to speak to us once we left the house. Renee and Dad think that we are all hanging out together but you know better than to speak to us in public."

"Yeah yeah, whatever, I know. I just wanted to know if I had to find my own way back home. Last time you ditched me without telling me and I had to call a cab. And if you recall Mom and Charlie were pretty pissed about it." I said.

"Find your own way home, Swan." Lauren said scornfully. "I totally intend to find a totally hot guy and I will not have you fucking it up for me. So in case you can't take a hint, FUCK OFF!" She yelled. The room got quiet for about the space of ten seconds then picked back up at a higher than usual intensity.

"Whatever." I shrugged. If either of them had ever acted any differently towards me I might have been offended or hurt. But this was them being almost nice in comparison to their normal behavior so it didn't bother me. Plus I had my question answered and that was what I really wanted in the first place.

They turned from me flipping their hair at the exact same time and went towards the back of the room.

Eclipse was a popular teen hang out in Forks. Well it was the only teen hang out in Forks. Well it was the only place to go in Forks if you were under 21 and didn't want to sit home doing nothing or take the hour drive to Port Angeles.

I think it might have been a bar at one time, mainly because there was a large twenty foot bar that curved in a semi circle in the middle of the room. Good guess huh? Behind the bar, instead of copious amounts of alcohol there was a large flat screen TV. When you walked in the door there were booths to the left and right and about fifteen tables set up in between. Up around the perimeter of the room, above the booths, there were several mounted televisions; most of them tuned to separate sporting events and a few were set on music videos. The sound was turned down on most of them and there was music playing. After eight the music turned to pop (which I was okay with) and rap (which I did not enjoy at all). If you walked past the bar on the left there was a largish room with about seven pool tables and a small seating area. On the right it was the same thing except at the back there was a ping pong table and an electronic dart board.

I made my way over to my normal table and picked up the menu. The food they served here was actually pretty good and I already knew what I wanted when the waitress came over to take my order.

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Edward's POV

Why was I here again? Why wasn't I at home playing Halo 3? Why was I asking myself questions I already knew the answer to?

I looked over at my brother Emmett and our friend Jasper Whitlock. They were sitting next to each other on the opposite side of the booth from me. I knew that they chose that side so they could watch the doors. They were on the lookout for hot girls. This was not a surprise to me since they were always on the lookout for hot girls when we went out. I was not sure if there actually were any here in this tiny town though.

We had all just moved here from Chicago. My adopted parents, Esme and Carlisle, had moved here when Carlisle had been offered the head of surgery job at the local hospital. Carlisle had received a hefty inheritance from his parents when they died and after working as Chief of Staff at Chicago General for ten years didn't need the money so he took a drastic cut in pay to move to this small town in the middle of nowhere. When I asked him why, he said that he wanted to really get to know his patients instead of only having five minutes of time with them before having to make the rest of his rounds. Carlisle was probably the most compassionate, caring man I had ever met and I knew that being a doctor and making a difference really meant a lot to him. He felt like in moving here he would finally be able to.

Carlisle and Esme had adopted me five years ago when I was twelve. My parents both died in a fire when I was nine and since I had no other relatives I was put into the foster system. Unfortunately some foster parents are not what they were cracked up to be and the last set that I had were indifferent to all of us, preferring to spend the money they received to pay for our care on drinking and drugs.

I had been outside playing ball with a few friends when the ball had rolled into the street. I had looked both ways before going out to get it but a car came barreling down the street and had clipped me before I could get out of the way, breaking my arm. My fosters were nowhere to be found and my neighbor had to take me to the hospital. Carlisle was working that night and when they informed him that there was a small boy who had no one with him and no way of contacting anyone, he had taken it upon himself to treat me personally.

He had asked me where my parents were and I told him they died and I lived with foster parents. When he asked where they were I had just shrugged and told him they were more than likely at a bar. I can perfectly recall the look on his face when he heard that. His lips had tightened into a hard line and he had a dark scowl on his face. He set my arm and told me that I would have to stay for a while. Then he ruffled my hair and smiled at me. He told the nurse to get me something to eat and to drink and told me he would be back in a little while.

I was sitting there drinking some apple juice and watching television when I met her. People who have been in accidents (or who were on some sort of hallucinogenic drug) often said that they saw angels. I met one face to face.

A beautiful woman with hair the color of caramel and the most beautiful blue eyes came into to room with Carlisle. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to me. Then she shocked the hell out of me. She reached over and engulfed me in a warm hug. I was frozen for a moment before tentatively hugging her back. She responded by holding me tighter and petting the back of my head. I remember feeling more safe and secure and loved than I had felt since my parents had died. She let me go and put her hands on the sides of my face and looked deep into my eyes and I knew that I had found home.

Carlisle stepped up to us then and placed his hand on her shoulder, introducing her to me as Esme, his wife. He told me that the police had found my foster parents and that I would be removed from their home and they were not going to be allowed to be foster parents anymore because of neglect. I remember being terrified and relieved at the same time. I didn't like my fosters that much but what was I going to do now?

That is when Carlisle told me that they wanted to adopt me and asked if I want to be adopted by them? I think I lost the ability to speak for a full minute before I nodded my head. Who wouldn't want to be adopted by two angels?

Esme was overjoyed and Carlisle managed to use some of his clout to speed up the adoption process. I went to live with them and in a few months officially became their son. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen.

Moving in with them is where I met Emmett and Jasper. Emmett was their son and accepted me immediately. He grew into a beast of a guy with dark curly hair and his mother's piercing blue eyes. On the outside he looked like he could snap you like a twig with his pinkie toe but on the inside he was a warm, caring, fun-loving guy. Jasper was his friend and so became my friend. Jasper's life at home was loving but not stable. His parents had three other children to care for and they left Jasper to his own devices most of the time. This meant he spent most of his time at the Cullen's. He even had his own bedroom and front door key.

When we decided to make the move to Forks, Carlisle and Esme had gotten permission to take him with us. His parents signed him over into their care gratefully. Don't get me wrong, Jasper's parents loved him dearly but they could not provide him with everything that he needed while still caring for the other children in the household. It was a relief and a torment for them to let him go.

Jasper was as opposite in appearance from Emmett as I was to Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was tall and lanky with a mop of blonde hair and hazel, almost golden eyes. I always felt calm around him. He exuded serenity. He was often quiet but his silent mouth hid a mind that was always busy. He was always thinking, calculating. He was probably the most insightful, honest person I had ever met and I often asked him for advice.

So here we were in what had been touted as a popular teen hang out, Eclipse. I liked the casual, we-don't-take-ourselves-too-seriously attitude of the place. I was sitting quietly sipping my soda when I heard a commotion to my right.

"FUCK OFF!" I heard a screechy voice say and I instantly turned my head. Two girls were standing in front of a third and were looking at her with disdain written across their faces.

The girl who yelled was tall and blond and had the worst fake tan I had ever seen. Really, who wanted to be the color of a circus peanut? The one standing next to her was very short with a lot of dark curly hair. A lot of hair. Like Welcome to the Miss Who Can Tease Their Hair The Highest Pageant. That much hair. I could tell too that she wore way too much makeup.

I could not see much of the girl they had yelled at. Only that she was short and petite with long dark hair. I was surprised that the only reaction she gave to being yelled at was to shrug and walk away. She didn't even seem upset. She walked in the direction of our booth and I got a good look at her for the first time.

I have to say that I really hadn't seen a prettier girl. Her skin was pale and it looked like she wore little to no makeup. She had big brown eyes and a set of full, very kissable looking lips. Those lips were actually turned into a slight smile and I could not fathom how she could smile after being yelled at by those girls. I had the sudden urge to meet her, to talk to her. I could not read her expression and I was very curious to know what she was thinking.

She sat down at a table about five feet away from our booth. She picked up the menu and started to look it over.

"Edward. Yo Edward." Emmett pulled my attention over to him. "We're gonna go shoot some pool, you wanna come?"

I shook my head. I wanted to talk to the girl and this was a perfect opportunity.

"Nah, you guys go ahead. I'm gonna chill here for a while."

"Whatever dude. I know why you are pussing out on us." I looked over at him, wondering if he had noticed me watching the girl. Emmett could tease like the devil and I didn't need to hear it from him right now.

"Oh yeah? Why?" I challenged.

"Cause you know I'll kick your ass is why. You know I have su-per-ior skills when it comes to pool and you don't want your ass handed to you like last time." He said with a smirk.

"Yep, you got me Em. That's it right there." I said sarcastically. "Though I keep telling you asshole, last time I had taken too much fucking cold medicine and was completely stoned. That is why you beat me."

"Yeah yeah, whatever gets you through the day man. When you find your balls, put 'em in your pocket and come join us." He said laughing.

I flipped him off and he and Jasper, who had watched the entire exchange with a huge grin on his face, went off to find a pool table.

I sat for a few minutes wondering what the best approach would be to talking to the girl when I saw the waitress come over to her. I decided to wait until she had ordered before going to talk to her.

"Hey Bella." The twenty-something looking waitress said. Bella. So that was her name. Beautiful in Italian. It suited her.

"Hey Nancy." Bella responded. Her voice was sweet and just a little husky, almost like honey. Wow when did I become such a girl? I thought.

"Your usual tonight?" Nancy asked, smiling.

"Of course and a plate of nachos please." Bella said. Nancy nodded and wrote it down on her pad. "How is Jack?" She continued. "How are his classes going?"

"Jack is great. Oh Bella I have to thank you so much for finding that grant program for him. He only has one more class to finish before he graduates and he already has a job offer lined up." Nancy said, excited.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I was glad to help. It sucks though that he is in Seattle while you are here. Where is his job going to be?"
"That's the best news. His job is in Port Angeles so he can commute everyday. We are going to get married next June. If you hadn't helped we would have had to postpone the wedding."

Bella stood up and hugged Nancy. "I'm so happy for you both! Let me know if there is anything you need help with. I can make favors or stuff invitations. Just don't ask me to write any of them. You know my handwriting looks like a chicken stole my pencil and danced with it across the paper." They both laughed.

I found myself chuckling along with her, though I made sure it was too low for her to hear. She sounded like a really nice girl so far and I couldn't wait for the waitress to leave so I could meet her.

"Bella," Nancy said quietly, "Why do you let them talk to you that way? You know Renee and Charlie would have a fit if they heard the way they treat you. I am surprised that they haven't gotten in more trouble with them as it is."

I was wondering this as well. How could she shrug off being yelled at like that?

"Nancy, it really doesn't bother me. Renee and Charlie don't know that they are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They are nice to me when the parents are at home and that is what is important. Raising three teenage girls is hard enough on them without having to deal with fighting and whatnot. They can be as mean to me as they like as long as Renee and Charlie have less to worry about." Bella shrugged.

I could not believe what I was hearing. She was taking the abuse willingly? What kind of a person did that?

Nancy wasn't done though. "What about at school? How do they act there?"
Bella gave a short humorless laugh. "I think you just got a pretty good idea of how they act there."
"What do the teachers say about it?" Nancy probed.

"They don't see it. Here's the thing, Nance. When they take all their shit out on me it keeps them in line in all the other aspects of their lives. The parents are happy and the girls don't act out in school. Despite how horrible they are they have both managed to keep pretty good grade averages and they will be able to get scholarships to college. Mom and Charlie will be happy and I won't have to deal with them. Plus when they get there the college girls will show them the true meaning of what being a bitch is and they will finally be put in their place. So if they want to treat me as a social outcast they can. I have broad enough shoulders to handle it."

Could anyone be that selfless? I could not believe it. She was willing to be treated like shit to keep everyone else happy? I was suddenly very angry at the two girls I now had to assume were her sisters, or step sisters at the very least. How could they treat a girl who was so obviously good so badly?

"Social outcast?" Nancy said in surprise. "What does that mean?"

"Oh you know how high school is. Nothing but cliques. They hate me so their friends do too. But you know I have Alice and Rosalie and they know who I really am. That is all I need. No one else matters."
"What about boyfriends?" My ears perked up and I listened hard to make sure I heard her answer.

Bella laughed. "Yeah right. Come on, Nancy. With all the beautiful girls roaming the halls of Forks High and the bitch twins scaring away anyone who might be interested in plain ole boring me you know I don't have a change in hell of getting a boyfriend."

Plain? Boring? No fucking way. The more I learned about her the more beautiful she became to me. Only now it was beauty on the inside and outside that was attracting me.

"Bella Swan. You are not plain and boring. You are beautiful. You are also sweet and caring and considerate and smart and excuse me, but a fucking riot. Don't you ever let me hear you talk about yourself like that again." Nancy said fervently.

Bella blushed and looked down. I could not remember seeing anything more adorable in my life as that blush. And that she could take someone telling her to "fuck off" with her head held high but a compliment totally flustered her endeared her to me more. Fuck, I really was turning into a chick. I was crushing on a girl I had never even spoken to.

"Ok well I will go get your order and bring it out. You remember what I said now." Nancy said. Bella only nodded and Nancy walked away.

It was now or never. I got up from the booth and walked over to stand in front of her at her table.

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Bella's POV

"Hi." A deep voice said.

I looked up into the most beautiful set of green eyes I had ever seen. A boy was standing in front of me, holding the back of the chair across from me and looking down at me with a slight smile on his face.

He was gorgeous. That was the only word that came to mind. He was tall with pale white skin. He had a shock of hair on his head the color of an old penny and it stood out in several directions. So that is what they mean by 'sex hair', I thought.

He was kind of lanky but I could see his muscles through the black t-shirt he wore. I looked into his eyes again to find him looking at me expectantly. I looked quickly to the left and the right but there was no one behind me.

"You talking to me?" I blurted out. Then cringed internally for saying something so completely ridiculous.

He laughed out loud and I don't think I have ever heard any sound to match it. It was full and deep and dare I say sexy.

"Yes, DeNiro, I'm talking to you." He said with a smirk.

I could only laugh. "Sorry, you took me by surprise. I'm Bella."

He smiled a breathtakingly gorgeous crooked grin at me. "Edward."

"Please sit down." I said, gesturing to the seat in front of me. He slid into the seat smoothly and rested his hands on the table in front of himself. I noticed that his fingers were long and graceful and I wanted to touch them. Wait, where did that thought come from? Since when do I want to start touching random guys? Even yummy ones like this one.

"So," I said, "I'm going to take a stab here and say that you must be new here?"

He smiled that smile again. "How can you tell?"

"Well considering that there are only about three hundred students that go to the high school here and I've never seen you before I think it is a pretty good guess. Plus gossip in this town travels fast and they tell me at the hospital that there is a new doctor there who has three sons. It stands to reason that you are one of those sons, correct?"

He grinned at me. "Excellent deduction, Watson." I grinned at him.

"Yes, I am one of his sons. Actually he only has me and one son and the other is a family friend who is living with us."

"Oh, so you're not his son? Are you adopted then?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, they adopted me about five years ago." He said.

"Small world." I said softly.

He looked at me quizzically. "What do you mean? Are you adopted too?"

"Yes, I was adopted six years ago. My parents were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Then Renee, my adopted mom, found me in an orphanage and decided she wanted to adopt me. So here I am." I said smiling. I knew how lucky I was and I loved my adopted mother dearly.

He looked shocked for a moment. "This really is a small world. So, I take it that those girls you were with before are your sisters?"

I made a face. Of course he would have seen them yelling at me. How embarrassing. I felt my cheeks move into a Stage 3 blush.

"Yeah, they are my step-sisters. Jessica and Lauren. Their Dad married my Mom."

"They seemed more like evil step sisters to me." He said softly, shaking his head.

I was about to speak when Nancy approached the table, carrying a tray. She set my drink and a huge tray of nachos in front of me.

"Jesus Christ Nancy, is this a super size or something? I'm never going to be able to eat that much." I said laughing.

"I thought maybe you could share or something." She said mischievously, looking back and forth between Edward and me. Great. Now I'm up to Stage 4. There were only five stages and after that I think my head explodes.

"Would you care to share these with me, Edward? I'm not going to be able to eat all of it and I would hate for it to go to waste."

Edward gave me that grin again and nodded. "Sure, they look great. Thanks." He looked up at Nancy. "May I have a Coke, please?"

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that he had such good manners. Most boys our age didn't. Nancy looked pleased as well.

"Certainly, I'll be right back." She turned and walked away and when she was behind Edward and out of his line of vision she turned and gave me a thumbs up and a wink. I looked down to hide my smile.

We ate in silence for a moment. I felt some cheese on the corner of my mouth and licked it away. When I looked at Edward he was looking at my mouth. I licked my lips again just to see what he would do and I watched as his eyes narrowed and his gaze became more intense. He looked up at me then and seemed surprised to see me watching him. Then his cheeks turned a little pink and I don't think I have ever seen anything more adorable. I smiled at him and he smiled back, a little chagrinned. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak but never got the chance.

"So, Bella, who's your friend?" I cringed internally to hear Lauren's high pitched voice. I looked up at her and she was practically eye-fucking Edward. His expression was an odd mix of surprise and distaste. I knew I liked him.

"Lauren this is Edward, Edward this Lauren, my step-sister." I said, gesturing.

"It is soo nice to meet you Edward." Lauren simpered. I could barely contain a laugh and had to bite my lip. Edward looked at me for a second before looking back up at Lauren.

"Umm, thanks, you too." He looked so uncomfortable and I inhaled and exhaled deeply to keep from bursting out laughing.

"So, I've never seen you in here before." Lauren said.

"Probably because I've never been in here before." I could have been wrong but I was pretty sure I heard the impatience in Edward's tone. Lauren did not.

"Oh, so you're like, not from here?" She said. God could she get any more dumb? I don't think so. Any dumber and she would put her eye out tying her own shoes.

"That is an excellent guess. Yes, I'm not from here." Edward said sardonically. Lauren was oblivious of course.

"Oh, I've always been an excellent guesser." She said solemnly and I had to gulp down my laughter.

"Ahh." Was all Edward said. He looked at me and his expression said 'are you fucking kidding me?' I simply shook my head.

"So what are you doing Friday?" Lauren asked. Edward appeared taken aback for a moment before looking at me for help. I smiled at him and winked. He looked back at Lauren quickly.

"I actually have plans Friday. But thanks anyway."

Lauren looked over at me and sneered before looking back at Edward. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, if your plans don't come through, give me a call." She said sweetly while shooting daggers at me. Jesus, why was she so mad at me all of a sudden?

She grabbed a napkin and wrote her number on it before handing it to Edward.

"Uh, thanks." He said.

"Have a good night." She said. I think she was trying to sound all breathless and seductive but it came out sounding like she had bronchitis.

Edward watched her walk away with a pained expression on his face and when she was out of earshot I burst out laughing.

He whipped his head over to me and looked at me in shock for a moment before bursting out laughing himself.

"Did that just happen? Was she for real? And why did she sound like she was having an asthma attack when she said good night?" He was shaking his head in disbelief.

"I think she was trying for seductive." I said laughing.

"Really? I thought she was getting a cold or something." He laughed. Then he sobered a bit. "Why was she looking at you like that? Like she wanted to burn a hole through you with her eyes?"

"I honestly don't know why they hate me. It has been this way since my Mom and their Dad got married four years ago. They have never liked me, though I have never done anything to incur their wrath. There is only one thing I can think of that would make them angry with me."

"Oh, what is that?" He asked.

"They are jealous of me because I am adopted."

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Edward's POV

They are jealous of me because I am adopted.

The thought kept rolling through my head and I had no where to put it. Being adopted had never seemed to me to be something people would be envious about.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Her face turned thoughtful. "Well if you think about it, being adopted makes you really special. Look at all these kids here. Only about a third of them could be considered "planned pregnancies". That means the rest of them were technically accidents. Sure their parents love them and all, of course the do. But people like you and me, we were chosen. Our adopted parents looked at us and said "that is the one I want". And do you know how long and drawn out the process of adopting a child is? Even getting approved to be an adopted parent can take a few years. So for someone to go through all that just to be able to take us home and call us their own, that's devotion. We have the privilege of saying we were "hand picked" to be someone's son or daughter. How many people get to say that?"

I was stunned. I sat there for a moment, unable to speak. I felt the telltale prick of tears behind my lids and willed them back. I would not fucking cry in front of this girl. But Jesus fucking Christ, what she just said smacked me in the chest. I had never thought about being adopted like that before. Most people attached a sort of stigma to adopted kids. Like, Oh, poor thing. Adopted you know. Poor thing. I realized now how special it was to be chosen. I think I understood for the first time how much Esme and Carlisle loved me. Of course I knew they loved me but now, thinking about it the way Bella put it, well it put a whole new spin on it.

"Edward, are you okay?" I looked up into Bella's beautiful chocolate eyes, now filled with concern. I had to clear my throat before speaking.

"Uh, yeah. I just never thought about it like that before, that's all." I felt like a huge ass now and hoped that she had not seen how wet my eyes had gotten. But when I looked at her she was only smiling at me in soft understanding.

"Most people don't. My train of thought had always left a completely different station than everyone else's."

I laughed. "I think I like the way your mind works though." She blushed again.

"So, what are you doing Friday?" I said. She looked surprised before adopting a coy expression.

"I thought you had plans for Friday?" She said, smiling.

"I do." I said. "I'm about to find out what they are."

She laughed. "Smooth."

"I thought so. So do you want to go out?"

"Sure, what do you want to do?" She said. I felt giddy that she had said yes. Geez, the emasculation of Edward Cullen was in full swing now.

"Well, since I'm "like, not from here" maybe you can pick something." She laughed at my impression of Lauren and I decided I loved the sound of her laughter. She seemed to laugh with her whole being and you could not help but laugh with her.

"Ok well we can go bowling in Port Angeles. It is a town about an hour from here and they have a pretty good bowling alley."

"Hmm, bowling huh? I would have thought you would say dinner and a movie. Isn't that the typical first date?"

"Oh no. First of all you can't talk and get to know someone in a movie theater without getting kicked out. Second movies are places for illicit kisses and mild groping. That is definitely fourth date stuff." She grinned at me.

I was stunned for a second. "And here I thought you were so sweet and innocent." I shook my head in mock sadness.

"It's always the quiet ones." She said laughing.

"Can we skip right to the fourth date then?" I asked hopefully. She laughed out loud and I realized I could easily fall for Bella Swan.

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A/N: So what do you think? Let me know. And thanks!