Saturday School by jandco and withthevampsofcourse.

A brief history of this story- it was originally envisioned to be a slight riff on the

Breakfast Club with a different author writing each POV, starting with jandco as
Bella and wtvoc as Edward. The idea was that the next writer in the rotation

would have to pick up where the story left off; essentially, whatever someone

did in the chapter… you had to deal with, no matter what happened.

The story has no ending. Some authors left the fandom, others had some stuff
happen and we didn’t want to like, force them into sticking to our original

timetable. The reason jandco/wtvoc decided to pull the story was that it was

never going to be finished, and we just couldn’t see anyone taking the place of
the original authors. This is their story, too.

Also, as we were waiting to add more Edward/Bella to the hilarity, jandco and

wtvoc came up with a harebrained idea for a fic that we eventually called

Scotch, Gin and the New Girl.

Anyway, in its original form- here is Saturday School.

Chapter 1

Edward Cullen was irritated.

Two weeks at this school, and he still couldn’t muster the energy required to get
to class on time. It didn’t help that his first period teacher was a total and utter

failure as an instructor. Sighing heavily, he slammed into the school parking lot,

completely unconcerned that he was the only one there because he was ten
minutes late.

Parking next to a shiny red Beamer convertible, he hopped off of his Ducati and

checked out his hair in the reflection off of the shiny hood of the Big Red

Dickmobile.

“What kind of douchebag drives a car like this to high school in a town this

small?” he wondered aloud. He noticed that the owner kept meticulous care of
the automobile, and he briefly wondered if the guy would be able to talk shop

with him. Edward rarely found someone whose conversation didn’t bore him to
tears, and he sighed again, sadly mourning the plebeian antics of small town life.

“Plebeian,” he snorted out loud, safely storing that word away for the next time
someone asked him a stupid question.

Striding across the campus, he ignored the ogling of the young girl making a

return trip from the bathroom. Sigh. Wasn’t there something else to stare at?
Edward knew that these boring children were simply fascinated by the new shiny

object, and he was almost angry that they hadn’t left him alone yet. There were

certainly hot girls in this school, but so far, he wasn’t impressed. None of them
could accurately quote Ginsberg, so in his book, that was a definite “no”.

He could hear the droning of Mr. Banner as he approached the biology classroom,

and he rolled his eyes as he distinctly heard the man mispronounce the word

“nuclear”. Who the fuck hired this bozo, anyway?

He took a breath and opened the door, knowing he was going to get “smoldering”
glances from the Stanley girl and that whiny bitch she sits with. The two had

offered him a three-way his second day there, and while he wasn’t opposed to
the idea, he knew he’d never get that nasally whine out of his head if he had said

“yes”.

So, acting like a total woman, Edward said “no”. He really hoped it never got out

that he turned down a ménage a trois, because he certainly didn’t want it to get
around that he was gay. These children would never understand that he simply

couldn’t be bothered to “do” those two hoodrats.

He strode over to his empty lab table up front. No one was brave enough to be his

partner, and that’s the way he liked it. He cracked open his Calculus book,
completely ignoring the glare of Banner. The man was a jackass, but he had

picked up quickly that Edward Cullen knew more than the school had to offer. For
the most part, Edward was allowed to do his own thing. It obviously irritated the

man, seeing that all of his lab work was completed and perfect and the one test

Edward had taken since his arrival was the only hundred on a bio exam for the

whole year.

Absently doodling on his notebook, Edward almost didn’t even realize he had
spoken.

“Excuse me?” Banner asked, lowering his head until his glasses were propped on
his nose.

Without looking up from his epic doodling, Edward cleared his throat and

repeated, “I said, ‘you’re wrong’. It’s Paragonimus, not Clonorchis. Common
mistake.”

The classroom tittered behind him, but Edward paid them no heed. He simply
kept scratching his pencil across his notebook.

The teacher glowered at him. “Mr. Cullen, I’m sure you think you know

everything, but please defer to my expertise on this-“

But Edward huffed, heaving his shoulders in an exaggerated movement that made

his messy hair flop about on his forehead. Despite the held breaths of anticipation
throughout the room, some of the girls sighed heavily. Without rolling his eyes at

his admirers, Edward continued his deadpan to the moronic instructor.

“I’m right. You’re not. And by the way, it’s ‘nuclear’, not ‘nukular’.”

The man turned a brilliant shade of fire engine red. Pointing at the door, he

shouted, “Get. Out. Principal’s. Go.”

“Well said,” Edward snickered, grabbing his stuff and heading out the door at a

leisurely pace. He knew he’d regret the action later, but he winked at the Stanley
girl and her sidekick as he left. The two of them giggled, and he smiled grimly,

already ruing his idiotic wink maneuver.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Jasper, it isn’t funny,” Bella said. He was roaring in laughter as she blushed

furiously. Her arms were crossed, and she was refusing to get out of the car.

“I’m serious, dickhead. I wish you would defend my honor instead of egging that
jack-off on,” she huffed, pushing him out of the way when he leaned over to drag

her out of the truck.

“Oh Bella, be a sport,” he teased. He pushed his straggly blonde hair off of his

forehead and winced up into the morning sun. Pulling his sunglasses out of his
pocket, Jasper noticed the subject of their discussion walking toward them.

“Hey Bells, here comes your boyfriend,” he teased, putting his arm around her

waist. Bella froze momentarily, her eyes narrowing as Mr. Eager-to-Please came

bounding up like a puppy toward the two of them. He frowned when he noticed
Jasper’s arm around Bella, but it didn’t seem to deter him in the slightest.

“Hey, guys. So Bella, did you finish the math homework? Brutal, huh?” he said as

he fell in step beside them. Bella rolled her eyes at Jasper, elbowing him in the gut

to get his attention. Save me, she was saying.

“Hey, Newton. I think Jessica’s looking for you,” Jasper droned, finally fulfilling his
role as best friend and flyswatter. Bella gave him a withering look that said, You

can’t come up with something better?, but he just smiled, his Aviators flashing as
he shook his head in laughter.

Mike looked confused. “Oh, uh, thanks, Whitlock,” he stammered, then
dejectedly turned to walk away.

“Seriously, Bella. If I have to keep being your anti-wingman, the least you can do is

put out for me occasionally,” Jasper drawled, smirking down at her as they walked

toward their first class together.

“Fuuuuuuck you and the horse you rode in on,” she spat. “Do I really need to
bring up what happens when you and I make out?” They both chuckled at the

memory, shivering in tandem at the thought.

“Ahh, but Renee was such an angel that morning. Who knew that the flavor of

Bella would make me wanna puke?”

“Eat a dick, Whitlock. You don’t taste much better,” she teased, poking him in the

ribs. Bella noticed the nasty looks of most of the female population as she walked
across campus with her arm around one of the most coveted pieces of ass in

school and didn’t give a flying fuck. Jasper had been her best friend forever, and

she knew that most of the entire town of Forks assumed that the two of them
were boning. You’d think that would keep the boys away, but it didn’t.

It didn’t prevent the girls from hitting on Jasper constantly, either. With his

stunner good looks and long, lanky frame, Jasper was, indeed, gush-worthy. He
had no tolerance for stupidity, however, and perhaps that was the reason he

always chose to hang out with Bella rather than the army of sluts that was

constantly parading behind him. Bella knew that he was just insanely shy, but he
hid it well behind his bravado and his guitar.

“Speaking of the great Barf-o-Rama of ’04, there’s supposed to be a party at

McCarty’s this weekend,” Jasper started, but Bella put her hand up to stop him.

He expected it, but was disappointed nonetheless. Freaking Bella. She never
wanted to find the fun.

“Aw, come on, Bella. When was the last time we partied hearty?” he asked,

opening the door to the math class. They sat down in their usual seats next to
each other in the back of the classroom, settling down as the teacher breezed in.

They continued to argue as the class began, the teacher barely noticing since the

two of them were some of his best students.

“Yeah, ‘cause that’s how I roll, Jas. You know I can’t stand that meat puppet.
Remember when he called me a prude in front of everyone last year in Ceramics?

I should’ve punched him in the junk,” she said, barely above a whisper. Jasper

laughed at the memory.

“Yeah, well, you are too much of a goody two-shoes, Bella,” he said, wanting to
get a rise out of her.

“Suck my ass, Jasper,” she hissed. She hated being called that.

He paused before responding.

“Oh, really?”

This was going to be unpleasant. Four years ago, the great Barf-o-Rama had

occurred when he and Bella had locked themselves in her room with a stolen
bottle of JD. They had made the brilliant decision to get drunk, make out, and see

where they ended up.

It took them to an all-night barf session that ended with Renee taking care of

them and smacking Jasper on the head for being such an idiot. Ever since then,
the thought of kissing each other completely grossed the both of them out.

But this would be worth it.

Before Bella could respond, Jasper dove to his right, bringing his long arms around
Bella’s tiny frame. Her eyes grew wide, panic creeping in as she read the

determination in his eyes. Her lips went to form the word “Don’t,” but she wasn’t
fast enough; Jasper had her in a furious lip lock and started to shove his tongue

down her throat.

The entire classroom had become still when the teacher just stood there,

blatantly staring at the two of them. All eyes were turned toward the beautiful
couple making out in the back, and someone sighed out, “about fuckin’ time.”

Bella had just submitted, knowing that the easiest way out was the path of least

resistance. Jasper was completely enjoying how uncomfortable this was making

her, and he only dropped his arms when he heard the loud “ahem” coming from
across the room.

“Whitlock. Swan. Principal. Now.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Allright, people, pass your papers forward," Ms. Meyer was instructing.

Alice snatched her paper from her binder and without making eye contact shoved
it at Emmett McCarty.

Unless they were fighting, Alice hadn't made eye contact with Emmett since the

fourth grade when he announced to the entire playground that Alice's new
breasts were actually wadded-up Cottonelle 2-ply.

"Easy, there, Hitler,” Emmett smirked.

Alice sneered back at his new nickname for her; he had called her that ever since
she cut her short black hair into a short, spiky pixie cut.

3 years ago.

The kid couldn't let anything go.

"Eat me, High on," she spat back.

"Well...whoa, whoa... " Emmett’s eyes grew wide as he glanced at Alice's essay.

"Apparently, you're saving that task for Whitlock."

Alice gasped and turned six shades of crimson.

"Give. It. Back."

"Dream on," Emmett said, getting to his feet.

"Mr. McCarty, is there a problem?" Ms. Meyer called out.

"No, it's just Alice's paper is so riveting that I thought I'd share it with the rest of
the class."

"Sit, McCarty."

"’Mr. Banner had my legs strapped down on the lab table; the restraints were

cold, binding. I tried to yelp out, as Mr. Molina pinned my wrists—‘"

"MR. MCCARTY--"

"Wait, the best part- ‘Jasper Whitlock was beckoned forth, and before I knew it,
he was on his knees in—‘"

Alice dove forward, forgetting the paper and going straight for Emmett’s jugular.

She landed on his back and bit down hard on the first piece of flesh she could
find.

His ear.

His eyes bugged out in surprise, and he grabbed for his neck, swaying from side to

side. Alice's skirt kept flipping up, but she managed to hold on for dear life as
Emmett made every attempt to pry the small girl loose.

The class was whooping in the background, and the teacher stood there, a dead

look in her eyes, not at all surprised. Emmett and Alice have been fighting for

years, and everyone in the school knew it.

"Submit!" Alice yelled, and she bit down again on his ear, hard. With a yelp, the
pages in Emmett's huge hands flew into the air, and Alice gracefully slid down his

back, gathering pages to her chest as she went. Emmett stood there, gasping,

holding his hands to his neck and staring at her in wonder and.... respect?

The teacher finally came to, now that she didn’t have to interact.

“Principal’s office. Now.”

On the way to the Laurent’s office, Emmett whistled while Alice boiled.

"Really, though. Why Mr. Banner?" Emmett asked for the seventeenth time.

"Not that you would understand, but it's not about the sex. It's symbolic of the
oppression, the authority...and… ugh. You wouldn't get it."

"Huh. Well, Whitlock, though? I mean, he's not oppressive and...wow. Whitlock."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Alice spat.

"It's just, you're all, 'Damn the man, I love art and I hate oppression and I’m into,
uh, self expression. I mean, you wear scarves in June. And Whitlock. He's about

as apple pie, as white bread as you get. It's like the Young Republican hooking up

with the anarchist."

"Shut up," Alice sighed, because it was all she could come up with.

"Hey, wanna go smoke before we get to the office? I got some primo--"

"You're a jackass. Aren't you like thirty? Shouldn't you have graduated back in

‘97?"

"No, jerkoff, I'm nineteen. And I will graduate. Soon."

Alice shrugged and pushed her way into the office, letting the door partly shut

before Emmett grabbed it, letting himself in.

Ten minutes later, they were waiting to state their case to the principal, but they
had to go through deliberations with Ms. Cope beforehand.

“Fighting, Ms. Brandon? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“To quote Abigail Adams, ‘if particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies,
we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by

any laws in which we have no voice or representation.’”

“In English, Ms. Brandon?”

“He tried to humiliate me and I had no choice but to defend myself. I tried
speaking to him, but he didn’t listen. I cannot be held accountable for my actions

as he did not give me a choice. McCarty did not give me proper respect, therefore
I cannot be bound by rules intended to uphold respect.”

“What?”

“I had to rebel, he left me no choice—“

“Save it for Principal Laurent, Ms. Brandon. Mr. McCarty?”

“I didn’t fight, she did. I just read the porn.”

There was a long sigh from Ms. Cope and nothing else.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rosalie Hale swept in to the girls bathroom in a breeze; she had perfectly coiffed

blonde hair and white, crisp clothes.

She took a moment to give a smug disapproving glance at the burn out girls
smoking in front of the mirror.

Losers.

Rosalie made a show of waving a cloud of smoke away from her exquisite face
and went back to the task of applying frosty pink gloss to her full pout.

She had a speech to give in front of the entire student body at the end of the day,

and she wouldn’t show up looking any less than perfect.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom swung open and Ms. Bender, head of
athletics, was in the door way, hands on her hips.

“Oh, shit,” one of the burnouts blurted out and they all abruptly scattered,

bumping into Rosalie, knocking her purse from her shoulder.

“Office, all of you!” Bender bellowed.

“Oh, Ms. Bender, I wasn’t—“ Rose began, but Bender smiled at her.

“Not you, honey. I know you weren’t up to anything.”

Of course she wasn’t up to anything.

Rosalie Hale’s record was beyond spotless, as white and crisp as the shirt on her
back.

The culprits left in a defeated heap to the office and Rose bent down to pick up

the contents of her purse.

Ms. Bender stooped down as well, no doubt sneaking a peak down Rosalie’s shirt.

At the same time, both of their hands reached out to grab a small rectangular

flimsy box.

Rose’s eyes widened as Bender snatched the box first.

“Rolling papers, Ms. Hale?”

“No, no, I, uh, use them for lipstick blotting.”

“Ms. Hale, this is considered paraphernalia.”

“But…but…it’s not! I don’t—“

“Because it’s only paraphernalia and not actual…substance, there’s no reason to
involve the police. Office, Ms. Hale.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The principal sighed as he picked up the files that were laid forth on his desk.

Six.

Six detentions.

One didn’t surprise him in the slightest; one made his eyes bug out in surprise;
and he wasn’t sure how he felt about the other four.

Isabella Swan was a model student; straight As, perfect attendance, volunteer.
But making out in the middle of Math class?

And with Jasper Whitlock?

Wasn’t he her best friend?

The principal put those two files down and picked up the next; chuckling, he
noted the thickness of Emmett McCarty’s file. Sure, he was a popular student-

known for weekend keg parties and his ability to obtain liquor and illegal
substances anytime, anywhere, but this fool had gotten himself in more trouble

due to his mouthy attitude than anything. Everyone knew the kid was up to no

good; the problem was he never got caught red handed.

It infuriated Principal Laurent.

All he needed was to catch him, just once…but no.

The kid was good at evading.

This wouldn’t be the first time he had been to detention for picking on another

student, specifically Alice Brandon; however, in all fairness, sassy Brandon bullied
him right back.

This Alice Brandon was a fiery one- again, good grades, an otherwise model
student. She had been caught ditching a few times, and has tried to stage a few

on campus protests, but she never had a problem with any other students. In
fact, she was peaceful, and well-liked by the other students…but in the three and

a half years at Forks High, she’d been caught fighting with McCarty at least twelve

times.

The next file was the one that shocked him the most. Captain of the Cheer Squad,

Student Body President, Homecoming Queen. Rosalie Hale, a drug user? He didn’t

believe it for a second. This one was serious, and probably required some

parental intervention. He sighed, not relishing that conversation. The Hales were
some of the most prominent residents of Forks, and they would most definitely

resent the implication that their daughter might be a drug abuser.

The last student was puzzling, and the Principal flipped through his file. As a
recent transplant to Forks High, Edward Cullen was a complete mystery. He had

never had any real trouble at his previous school, but the Principal noticed quite a
few tardies as well as a few complaints from teachers about his pompous and

arrogant attitude toward the teaching staff. With his perfect grades, some in

college-level courses, and his near perfect SAT score, the Principal wasn’t
surprised. This young man was obviously brilliant and knew it. Probably didn’t

take too kindly to being told what to do.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, the Principal decided that the only way to handle this
was with a reinstitution of the most dreaded of punishments the school had to

offer- school on Saturday. Maybe these kids would shape up before the year
ended. He didn’t want to see these files on his desk again, ever. He chuckled,

knowing that the McCarty file would continue to live in its spot right near the
paper clips, but as for the other five? Perhaps they would see the light by

spending a few eight hour sessions in the library with Mr. Pattinson on a Saturday.

Chapter 2- Edward by wtvoc

“I hate you,” the small ebony-haired girl spat, directing her anger at the hulking

oaf of a man sharing the bench with her outside of the Principal’s Office. He
chuckled at her, putting his arm across her shoulders.

“Awwww, Al. Don’t front. I know you really want me; what other reason would

you have for wrapping yourself around my neck?” he said, loudly, so that every

one of the secretaries could hear. He winked at the Student Aide sitting behind
the desk, and she giggled, eyeing him appreciatively. With his dimples, freckles,

curly locks, and rugged good looks, this football player had quite a reputation as

the ladies man. I was thoroughly amused and trying to hide it. Looks like I’m not

the only one getting in trouble this fine morning.

“Get your slimy arms off of me,” she hissed, digging her nails into his arm. He

winced in pain but withdrew, rectifying the situation by getting up and sitting next
to me in the pale green chairs next to the door.

“What’re you in for?” he asked, nudging my shoulder. I warily looked at him,
sizing him up. The guy was huge. He has to be a jock; there’s no Godly reason

why someone my age would have such huge muscles unless he was a sport-o.

“Knowing more than Mr. Banner,” I replied, smirking when the Jock chuckled

appreciatively.

“That dude’s a tool. High five, brother!” he said, raising his palm up. I couldn’t
help it; I laughed. Usually this kind of banter was beneath me, but the guy had a

very infectious grin.

“Dude, don’t leave me hangin’. Help a brother out!” he grinned, indicating his

still-raised arm. I chuckled, nodding my head, but slapping him “five”,
nonetheless. He was like The Todd.

“Hey, it’s Edward Cullen, right? Emmett McCarty. We should team up. I bet
between the two of us, we could conquer the female population of this school.

Think you could work on the little one over there?” he asked, pointing at Alice.

She stuck her tongue out at him, flipping him the bird.

I laughed at her motion. She was cute, in that angry-girl granola sort of way. I bet

she’s read a non-school-mandated book; not my type, though. I like ‘em a little
less… militant.

“What did you do to her?” I asked, my eyebrows raising in amusement.

“Shit, dude, I wish I knew. We were in this Creative Writing workshop class.

What? The teacher’s hot,” he said, noticing the questioning smirk on my face. He
continued, “I didn’t do the First Person Narrative shit we were supposed to be

reading out loud, and I know that Brandon over there’s always scribbling away in

a notebook, and I was going to pawn it off as my own until I started to read it.
Well, apparently, our little girl over there harbors some pretty decent fantasies,”

he said, grinning so widely that both his dimples flickered on his face. I gave
another questioning eyebrow, and Emmett continued his story.

“Well, our young Alice over there is writing a story worthy of a Harlequin
Romance novel starring none other than Forks High’s broody and soulful Jasper

Whitlock. Fuck, man. The dude does one decent little performance with a guitar

at the talent show and suddenly all the chicks are desperate for a piece of his
emotional, charming, talented ass. Alice was writing an epic sex story about him.

It was pretty fucking tasty, too. Full of ‘thrusting’ and ‘heated cores’ and shit.
Pissed her off reading it out loud, though,” he finished, sheepishly scratching the

back of his head. He looked a little remorseful for a moment, as though he felt
bad for exposing the girl’s secrets, but he covered it well with bravado.

I could see right through it, and I felt a little bad. This guy probably had a

reputation as a Dick to uphold. I didn’t hold it against him, however; I instinctively
knew that if I wanted to be left alone at this school that I should probably make a

friend or two. Why not the resident Man Whore? Maybe he could keep the girls
away from me that way. They might associate me as a player if I keep that kind of

company, and I could easily deflect the sluttier, braver ones if that were the case.
Despite my first impression of Emmett as a jerk, I could instinctively sense that

there was a good guy underneath those pecs. Somewhere.

“So, Cullen. What exactly did you say to Banner?” Emmett prodded. I grinned,

remembering.

“He was insisting that the fluke we were looking at was Paragonimus when in fact

it was Clonorchis. I pointed out that he was wrong, and he didn’t like that. He

insisted he was right, I insisted he was wrong. I think he didn’t appreciate being
called out in class, and he sent me away. I went out and sat on my bike, and

when they sent Pattinson out to get me, I just revved the engine a bit. So here I
sit,” Edward explained. Emmett was chuckling appreciatively at my narrative, and

he said, “Eddie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

“Sure thing, McCarty. Just don’t ever fucking call me Eddie again.”

Carlisle and Esme were less than pleased when I informed them that I would be

spending the next four Saturdays at school.

“We’re so disappointed,” “This is not the way to make your mark at your new

school,” “Aren’t you too old for rebellion?” and my personal favorite, “We’re
taking away your motorcycle for a week,” were my lecture notes. Ha. Like they’d

want to drive my ass around. Plus, they seemed to forget that I also had two cars

to my name.

I roared into the empty parking lot of the school, landing next to a beat-up old

Chevy. Classic. Probably needed a lot of maintenance.

I was late again, but who cares? What are they going to do, send me to more

Saturday Detention? It wasn’t like there was anything to do in this shit pit of a
town, anyway.

Tucking my hands into the pockets of my Dickies Jacket, I strolled toward the
library. The school wasn’t so annoying without the steady buzzing of the student

body littering the halls. I walked into the double doors of the rather large and old
library, noticing that I had company for detention, including the large form of

Emmett and the object of his obvious desire, Alice Brandon. There was also a

typical cheerleader overachiever type- probably a cold, hard bitch; Jet-style. The
group was rounded out by a tall-looking blonde guy and a beautiful brown-haired

girl sitting next to each other. Too bad they’re together; she looked like my kind
of girl. Not that I’d be interested, anyway. The others were all at their own

tables, looking pissed and tired.

Sitting down at the table across the aisle from the couple, I slouched into my

chair, ignoring the glare of Mr. Pattinson, our warden for the day.

“So nice of you to join us, Mr. Cullen,” he sneered at me. His tweed coat begged
to be mocked, and I couldn’t help the inevitable Breakfast Club comparison to

taking this bull by the horns.

“Now that we’re all present and accounted for, you can all thank Mr. Cullen for

adding an additional fifteen minutes to your sentence,” he said, and I heard the
muffled groans coming from behind me. Fuck you all.

“You are to sit here silently, writing an essay reflecting your love of high school
and what you plan on doing to stay out of this library on Saturdays in the future.

Paper will be provided, and I will collect everything you write. If you have to use

the restroom, please raise your hand. No talking. Are there any questions?” he
droned.

I couldn’t help myself, and quite frankly, I didn’t want to.

“Yeah, I’ve got one. Is Barry Manilow aware you raided his wardrobe?” I said,
managing to keep a straight face. There were appreciative snickers all around,

and I knew I was forgiven for the extra fifteen minutes.

“Cullen,” Pattinson sighed, “let’s try to keep it clean, okay?” And with that, he

started to hand out paper and pens to everyone seated.

I heard the couple to my right arguing quietly, and I raised my eyebrows in
amusement, trying to hear the lover’s spat. They were sitting closely, and the

blonde was leaning into the girl’s hair. Lucky bastard. She looks like she smells
good.

Pattinson walked back to the large desk situated in front of us, grabbing his
coffee. I heard him curse faintly, and he turned to us and said, “Okay, sit tight for

a minute. I need to get something from my office. No. Talking.” He put his mug

down and strode quickly out of the doors.

I heard a chair scoot behind me, and Emmett said, “Thank God.” He strode up to

the table and poured something in the mug. He grinned as he turned around,
throwing me a wink.

“It’s the only way we’re going to make it through today,” he said, seating himself.
I turned to ask him a question when suddenly, the beautiful brunette shot out of

her seat, yelling.

“You know what, you dirty bastard? Fuck off. I’m getting sick of your crap,” she

huffed, startling me by stepping around him and seating herself in the empty aisle
seat next to me. The blonde looked amused and apologetic, but he just shrugged

and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest.

I surreptitiously checked her out as she settled down next to me. I caught a whiff

of her hair as she shook her head in frustration, muttering to herself. Taking a
deep breath, I noticed that she did, indeed, smell good. This was my favorite

thing about girls- their amazing smells. This one reminded me of a meadow and

fresh fruit, and I was chagrinned to hear my own thoughts. What a chick I am
sometimes, I thought.

Pattinson returned then, raising his eyebrows at the change in seating, but saying
nothing. He sat at the table and took a long drink from his mug. What did

Emmett put in there? I hope he doesn’t die. I don’t want to be complicit in a
crime.

“Start writing, folks,” he said, and we all dutifully leaned forward, sighing at the

prospect of spending the next eight hours in this quiet death camp.

I already forgot what we were supposed to be writing about, so I started jotting

down the musical notes that were floating in my head. My piano still hadn’t
arrived from Chicago, and I missed its soothing presence amongst our living room

furniture. Getting lost in a random composition, I was bit startled when a piece of
paper was shoved under my nose.

Hi, I’m Bella. It’s Edward, right? I read from the paper; her writing was neat and
in all capitals, except for the Es and As. Quirky and cute.

Looking up to make sure the Bull wasn’t looking, I replied, Yeah. Edward Cullen.

Smooth, Eddie.

Nice to meet you. What’re you in for?

Mouthing off to Banner.

Nice. That shithead doesn’t know his ass from his elbow.

I am in love.

Tell me about it. You?

See the blonde asshole with the arrogant expression?

Yeah…

He had the nerve to make out with me in the middle of Calculus.

Wow. What else could I say? That guy must have a set of brass ones. Then again,
who wouldn’t want to make out with her? She was beautiful. I could make out

the outline of her boobs under that frumpy sweater; it was pretty obvious that

someone had the air conditioner set too high in here, and I silently high-fived
whoever that genius was.

She snorted. That’s what I said. He’s such a jackass. If I had a boyfriend, I’d have

him kick Jasper’s ass. He’s lucky he’s saved me from a certain idiot who always
tries to dry hump my leg at parties or I’d drop him like the slippery little shit he is.

I was floored. They’re not together? Suddenly, I saw potential everywhere. She
was already making me think dirty thoughts; now she’s not with anyone? Fuck. I

hope she’s not smart, too. I could be in trouble here.

That’s some friend you’ve got there, I wrote. Why did he make out with you?

Because I called him a fucktard.

That’s so hot.

I grinned up at her, and she flashed me a coy smile. Breathe. That smile is the
sexiest thing I have ever seen. My eyes glazed over as I imagined grabbing her

and bringing her onto my lap.

Stop! You don’t know her! She hasn’t passed your rigorous requirements for sex!
Either too stupid to understand your put-downs or smart enough to know who

Proust is!

Or is she smart enough?

So how is it that you haven’t hooked up with the Skank Twins yet? she wrote. I
looked at her questioningly, and she scribbled down Jessica and Lauren?

Oh, them. They offered me a threesome already, but… gross. I’d like to be

assured that the carpeting upstairs matches the rugs in the foyer.

Her silent laughter was beautiful. I watched her breasts shaking as she bit her lip

to keep from making noise. I had to resist the urge to lean in and smell her again,
and my breath stopped when she looked up at me, raising an eyebrow. She

wrote on the paper without even looking at it.

Thanks for that. I’m never going to look at a bottle of Clairol the same again, ever.

I grinned down at her, noticing how red the lip she had been biting was. This girl
is trouble.

So, what do folks in Forks do for fun? This place seems to suck, I wrote.

It does. For fun? We leave town. Where are you from?

Chicago.Wow. Some change in scenery, huh?

Definitely. Not all of it’s bad, though.

Oh, you like all the green?

I was referring to what’s in front of me.

She blushed when she read that, but a devilish smile overtook her face as she

wrote her next quip.

Sure, Mr. Pattinson’s cute. He must’ve been hot back in the day.

Silly Bella. You know you’re beautiful, right? I heard about you my first day here.

She blushed again. What did you hear?

Some guy Mike was going on and on about how he was going to get in your pants
eventually.

That seemed to piss her off.

That dirty pigfucker.

She really needs to stop talking like that; it’s a complete turn-on.

I looked over my shoulder when I felt a crumbled piece of paper go whizzing past

our heads; I saw Emmett mouth “Sorry” at me; I guess he was aiming for the pixie
sitting behind us, who was furiously scribbling on her paper. She had already

filled out what looked like a novel’s worth of writing.

Wow, check out Alice. She’s almost done already.

Oh, yeah. She’s an amazing writer. She’s always scribbling in her journals. She’s

cool; don’t believe what the jerks in this school say about her.

Jerks like Emmett?

Nah, Emmett’s not bad. He acts like an asshole, but he’s a big old squishy teddy
bear underneath.

What about that preppy chick over there? Rosalie Hale, right?

Oh, her. I saw Bella purse her lips. She’s a real hootenanny, that one. I heard

she’s a cokehead.

Really? Is that why she’s here?

Who knows. It’s a rumor I’ve decided to start. Besides, she would never talk to
me.

Why’s that?

Because I’m competition for Valedictorian.

Fuck. She really is smart.Well, now that I’m here, she can hate the both of us.

Why? Mr. Smarty Pants?

I laughed out loud and quickly stifled it when I saw Pattinson glance our way.

Whoops. I had forgotten why we were here in the joy of writing to this sex bomb
sitting next to me. I bet she’s a good kisser with those lips-

Hello? Where’d you go? He stopped looking like a thousand years ago, she

wrote.

I shook my head, annoyed that I was letting my thoughts take me away. Stupid

brain. In trying to stop thinking about Bella naked, I of course pictured bending
her over the copy machine right next to Pattinson.

Bad, naughty Eddie.

Sorry. I just had a random thought.

Oh? What of?

You.

Silence.

Me?

Yup.

What about?

You don’t want to know.

Well, now of course I do. Spill.

Nope. Not gonna happen.

Pause.

Please?

I just knew that if we were speaking aloud that I’d’ve told her. Those big brown

eyes were so deep that I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to keep from telling her
all of my darkest secrets.

Fine.

She sat back, turning away from me. Jasper looked over at the two of us in

amusement; I noticed the two of them have a silent conversation across the aisle,
and I became possessively jealous at their intimate moment.

Sighing, I made a critical decision. What did I want from this? Was I flirting?

If I wanted to be truly honest with myself, I’d say that I could envision asking her

to show me where the good coffee shops were. And then trying with all of my

considerable charm (which appeared when I wanted to be charming) to get her in

the backseat of my car.

I tried to get her attention again.

What’s green, fuzzy, and if it fell out of a tree it would kill you?

I slid the paper over to her, and I saw her look down at it. She paused for a

moment, and then, taking a deep breath, she turned back in my direction. Her

raised brow said, What?

A pool table.

She snorted and then grabbed the paper from me.

What’s the difference between a woman with herpes and a leather shoe? she

wrote.

I smirked in response, shrugging my shoulders and raising my eyebrow.

If you really had to, you’d eat the leather shoe.

I had to hide my face in my arms as the laughter rolled through me.

Beautiful. Intelligent. Hot as fuck. And she tells dirty jokes…. dammit. I definitely

need to get this girl into a supply closet.

I lifted my head when I heard her scratching away on the paper.

What’s the best part of a blow job?

There’s a bad part?

The ten minutes of silence.

True.

A mailman is retiring after fifty years of service. On his last day, everyone on his
route’s giving gifts-flowers, candies, cookies. My writing got a little terse as I told

the joke, but I was determined to top her herpes joke.

His last stop of the day, a beautiful, busty blonde answers the door in negligee and

beckons with her fingers upstairs. He follows and she gives him the best sex he’s
ever had. They go downstairs and she takes him to kitchen where a breakfast

setting is made complete with bacon & eggs, pancakes, & OJ. He’s puzzled by the

one dollar bill next to the plate but eats the food anyway.

Bella was grinning in anticipation at this point, and I couldn’t help but stare. She

had a little mole on the corner of her jaw, and I pictured myself leaning in and
trailing kisses up her neck, only stopping to suck on that hot little beauty mark.

But I finished the joke.

“Thanx for the breakfast, but what’s the dollar for?” mailman asked. The blonde
answered, “Well, when I asked my husband what to get you as a retirement

present, he said, ‘Fuck ‘im. Give him a dollar.’ Breakfast was my idea.”

She actually made a sound that was somewhere between a horse neigh and a

guffaw and it was so loud that I leaned over and put my hand on her hunched,
shaking back to keep her quiet. I looked up at Pattinson…. and noticed that the

man was passed out flat on the table.

My eyes widened and I glanced back at Emmett to ask what the fuck he had done,

but Emmett was nowhere in sight.

Neither was Rosalie.

Jasper was asleep at the table.

And Alice was perched on top of the card catalog, looking like she was meditating.

We were all alone.

I tapped Bella on the shoulder, my “I know chicks dig this” smirk gracing my face.

She looked up at me, the laughter still in her eyes. I took in a breath; this girl

really is wonderful, isn’t she?

I swept my hand around us, indicating the sudden shift in detention dynamics.

She sat up and looked around, her mouth making an “o” as she took in our
surroundings. Her gaze stopping at me, she raised one eyebrow before grabbing

my hand.

“Fan-fucking-tastic. Let’s get the hell outta here.”

I noticed Jasper raise his eyebrows at the two of us, and I tried to shrug my

shoulders at him as we passed, but Bella was so intent on ignoring him that she
simply tugged on my arm, pulling me toward the door.

“Wait,” I said, pausing by Pattinson to check for a pulse. Poor guy.

Oh, well.

We breezed through the double doors, and it was on the tip of my tongue to ask
where we were going when I felt myself getting slammed against the wall.

Bella was in front of me, and a shit-eating grin spread across my face as she
grabbed the collar of my button-down, pulling me toward her.

“Are you as turned on as I am?” she growled at me. Fuck yeah, I am.

“Oh, hell yes,” I breathed. She licked her bottom lip and pulled me toward her

face, and I braced myself.

The feeling of electricity that shivered through me at the contact of her soft lips

on mine made my toes curl. What the fuck was that? Never in my life had I felt
anything so incredibly delicious. I felt the bulge in my pants shift, and my brain

got a little hazy when she started to shove her tongue in my mouth.

She pulled away as quickly as she had dived in, mirroring my grin from a few

moments ago.

“Well, well, well. New Guy’s Smart, Hot, and a good kisser. Yummy,” she purred.

I leaned in for another kiss, but she pulled away from me, dropping my collar.

“Hey, what kind of girl do you take me for? I’m not that easy,” she said, turning

to walk down the hall.

I stared dumbly at her. Cock tease.

She looked over at her shoulder, a demure look on her face.

“Well? Cullen? Aren’t you going to come with me?” she said, batting her lashes
ever-so-briefly.

Why yes, Beautiful Bella. I can’t think of anything I’d love to do more than to
come with you.

Chapter 3- Bella by jandco

I felt his eyes on my ass and hoped the sway I was putting in to my hips looked
sexier than it felt.

This guy was…amazing.

Beautiful. Smart. Confident. Arrogant.

Ung.

He was as easy and fun to hang out with as Jasper…only this guy was actually

sexually appealing to me.

I definitely didn’t want to vomit when I kissed him.

Sigh.

I kissed him for several reasons, the first and most important one being he was
the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen. How could I not kiss him?

The second reason was that I was still haunted by memories of Jasper’s tongue

back in Calculus. I needed something to wipe my mind clean and God…kissing
Edward did the trick.

The third reason was that I wanted to get to him before he made it through half

of the skanks in the school…God knows it was only a matter of time.

What I didn’t expect was the way kissing him had made my body react.

I didn’t want to pull away from him when I did, but I had to; I didn’t bring a
change of underwear to detention.

I kept moving forward, praying he was following me still; praying I hadn’t made an

ass of myself with my seduction skills. I was by no means virginal, but I wasn’t
exactly a vixen, either, and something told me this guy was beyond experienced

with girls.

I couldn’t read his reaction after the kiss, so I wasn’t sure if he thought I was sexy
or an idiot.

I heard him behind me and I was flooded with relief, suddenly sure of the kiss I
planted on him. Jasper was always telling me to come out of my shell and have

fun…and Edward was definitely fun.

“So, are you the school cock tease, or is it just me you enjoy torturing?” he asked
from behind me.

Torture?

Wow, I tortured him?

My confidence grew tenfold.

“No. I’m the school’s Welcome Committee. That’s how I welcome all new
students,” I called, without turning around to look at him.

I was suddenly, forcefully halted in my steps.

He’d grabbed the belt loop on the back of my jeans and yanked so that my back

was pressed to his chest.

I stood still, reveling in his scent and the feeling of his hard chest against me.

He bent his head so his lips grazed my ear and my breathing stuttered.

“In that case,” he whispered, “let me thank you for the hospitality.”

I felt him place a warm, open-mouthed kiss on my neck, right below my ear.

To my utter embarrassment, a small squeak escaped my throat.

He laughed into my neck at my reaction, while I shivered and felt my face get hot.

Edward’s condescending laughter brought my bravado back—he wasn’t going to
make me look like a hormone crazed fool.

“Actually,” I said, arching my back, so my butt pressed in to his hips, “Alice

Brandon is the school cock tease.”

I felt him tense behind me and I pushed back harder in to him.

Success.

I felt his considerable erection press up against me.

“Why…um, why’s that?” he asked in a voice an octave lower than normal, while

he snaked an arm around my waist.

I tried to take the tremor from my voice.

“Well…” I began, attempting to keep casual conversation flowing as he used his
arm to press me tighter to him, “Don’t get me wrong. I like Alice. A lot. But…she’s

a militant virgin man hater…” I trailed off, unable to think of more words.

“I gathered that,” Edward said lowly, and I shifted from side to side, trying to gain
even ground, trying to turn him on as much as he had turned me on.

“I think…” I whispered, “it’s a vicious cycle with her…she doesn’t fuck, because

she hates men…but then again, she hates men…because she doesn’t fuck.”

His cock twitched every time I said the word “fuck”.

“Interesting theory. Do you?” he asked, tightening his grip around my waist.

“Do I what?”

“Fuck?”

“I’m selective,” I said, quite truthfully.

“Me too,” he whispered and I felt his lips on my neck again.

Everything in me went weak and the pencil I had been gripping fell to the floor. I

watched it bounce once then roll down the empty hall.

Edward lifted his head but didn’t move his arm from around me.

“A gentleman would pick it up for me,” I said.

“Yeah, well, a man would watch you bend over and pick it up. I never claimed to
be a gentleman.”

I smirked inwardly and bent at the waist to pick up my pencil while his arm stayed

wound around me.

I heard Edward sort of half exhale and half groan, and his arm released my waist.

I felt two strong hands abruptly gripping my hips.

I paused.

“Well…isn’t this an interesting position we find ourselves in?” he asked, and I

could hear the smile in his voice.

“Quite,” I mustered, trying to keep my body still.

His hands slid up my back and he had mercy on me and pulled me up straight.

Just then, I heard the distinct sound of heels clicking on the tile.

Edward and I both spun around, my face distorted in humiliation and nerves. His
was exquisite and held a full-on smirk.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was only Rosalie Hale.

Of course.

Who else would wear kitten heels to Saturday detention?

“My, my, Bella. You’re certainly working quickly these days. Whitlock and the new

guy, both in one week?”

“Shove it, Stepford Student,” I spat.

“You’re right, I’ll keep quiet. If you keep getting distracted, I’m a shoo-in for
valedictorian,” she said, triumphant.

“You can have it, sweetheart,” I told her. Valedictorian didn’t matter much to me.

Rosalie ignored me studiously and held out a perfectly manicured hand to

Edward.

I watched him take her in rather appreciatively as his eyes made the usual stops-

her legs, tits, stomach, tits, eyes, tits.

“Rosalie Hale,” Rosalie told Edward. “I’ve heard a lot about you. You’ve taken
more college prep classes than me. Word is you’re some kind of prodigy.”

Edward limply shook her hand, then released it. She continued to talk.

“If that’s the case, you’re wasting your time with Swan over here. She’s incapable

of coherent, adult conversation.”

Please.

I knew that look on her face.

She wanted him.

And why wouldn’t she? He was beautiful and smart, just like she was.

“Rosalie, go fu—“

“How’d you know all that?” Edward asked her, cutting me off.

Rosalie flashed a white toothy smile and shrugged.

“It’s my job to know all about you. I’m president of the school’s Welcoming
Committee.”

Edward and I looked at each other and busted out in laughter.

Rosalie’s perfect face twisted in annoyance as Edward and I chortled on.

“What’s so damn funny?” a booming voice came from down the hall.

Emmett McCarty strolled up and bumped fists with Edward.

I hadn’t realized they were acquainted.

“Rosalie’s just talking about the Welcoming Committee,” Edward said.

“Huh. Anyway. It’s boring as hell in there,” Emmett said, jerking his head back in

the direction of the library. “Brandon keeps quoting the Feminine Mystique and
Whitlock is passed out. Pattinson will be out for hours. Let’s go raid something.”

“Why do you like to be in trouble?” Rosalie asked him.

“Pssh. Trouble. Please. I never get caught.”

“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?” Rosalie retorted.

“That’s Brandon’s fault. Just like it always is.”

“Wait a second, Miss Goody Two Shoes,” I cut in, “why the hell are you here?”

It was only just now occurring to me that Rosalie Hale had done something to
deserve Saturday detention.

“None of your business,” she said, putting her nose in the air. “But I can assure

you that I’m not in here for slutting around on school grounds.”

“Oh, I’m sure. I know you save that for dark alleys and street corners.”

“Whatever, Swan. I just came out here to let Edward know he shouldn’t be out

here. It’s two extra Saturdays if you get caught,” she said, turning to him.

“I wouldn’t want to get caught,” he said, in mock horror. “Thanks for the
warning.”

“No problem,” she smiled, completely missing his sarcasm.

Rosalie turned to leave, but Emmett caught her by the elbow.

This was new.

What on earth could Stoner McCarty have to say to Holy Hale?

Nothing, it turned out.

Emmett simply raised his eyebrows and Rosalie gave a slight nod.

They definitely communicated…something.

Then, they stalked off, Emmett whispering something in to her ear.

Hmmm…that was beyond odd.

“C’mon,” I said to Edward, heading back to the library.

I decided to take advantage of Jasper’s nap.

I had a Sharpie in my purse and he still needed payback.

A strategically placed penis drawn in Magic Marker on his face should suffice

nicely.

If I had to spend the next four Saturdays in detention, Jasper could spend the next
four days trying to scrub penis from his face.

Edward walked beside me, letting his hand drag over the lockers as we passed

them.

“The blonde chick is smart?” he asked abruptly.

I tried not to wince when he mentioned her. Why was he thinking about her?

I snorted.

“Book smart, emotionally retarded,” I said.

“Book smart?” he asked.

“Well, yeah. She knows a lot of information…but as you just witnessed, she’s

actually a fool. I mean, she completely missed your sarcasm. Anyway, book
smart…I mean, there are all different kinds of genius. For example, Jasper does

okay in school, I do better than him, yet, he’s smarter than me. This place,” I
ranted, waving my hands around, “can’t measure true intellect. That’s why

Valedictorian doesn’t mean anything to me. Rosalie’s too stupid to understand
that, yet she’s the ‘smartest’ kid in our school…well, until you showed up,

anyway,” I said, elbowing him in the ribs.

Edward looked at me and half smiled.

“ ‘My own experience is that a certain kind of genius among students is best
brought out in bed,’” he said quietly, under his breath.

“Ginsberg,” I said, instantly recognizing the quote. “Exactly. We’re all geniuses, I

suppose, in our own ways. Even Emmett. That kid can evade anything. He’s a
genius when it comes to not getting caught—what?”

I cut myself off when I noticed that Edward had stopped walking.

He was staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite make out.

I hoped I didn’t freak him out with all of my crazy genius talk.

“You know Ginsberg.”

He wasn’t asking; it was a statement.

I nodded slowly, not getting the big deal.

“So…?” I asked when he didn’t say anything.

“You have no idea what a fucking turn on that is,” he finally said.

I was…shocked.

Really?

I decided to test my new found power.

I lowered my lids and smiled seductively.

“’Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness,’” I quoted, throwing out

my favorite Ginsberg quote.

Edward took a step forward.

He reached toward me and tugged on the ends of my hair.

“’I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, staring,

hysterical, naked,’” Edward barely breathed, cocking his head to the side and
locking his eyes with mine.

Suddenly I knew exactly what he meant by getting turned on by Ginsberg.

My chin tilted up toward his face and I took another step to him, closing the gap

between us.

My lips were half an inch from his and I could taste his sweet, unsteady breath.

“It isn’t enough for your heart to break because everybody’s heart is broken

now,” I whispered, then let my tongue graze his full upper lip.

He hissed through his teeth and shoved me up against the locker quickly.

Edward planted a hand on either side of my head and drilled his intense green

stare in to me.

I could hear my heart pound, my chest was heaving…

If he kissed me, I wouldn’t stop.

I just wouldn’t.

I forced a cocky smile and ducked my head under his arm, then took off running

down the hall.

I heard a loud clank and without turning, I knew he punched the lockers.

“Cock tease,” he called after me.

I laughed and kept running down the hall until I was at the doors to the library.

Though he walked while I ran, Edward was only three steps behind me.

I swung the door open and there was Alice, holding a few frayed, wrinkled papers
to her chest while Jasper hovered over where she sat in her desk.

Damn.

He was awake; revenge would have to wait.

They didn’t even look up when Edward and I walked in.

“I just don’t see why you’d write something down if you don’t want anyone to see
it,” Jasper was saying.

“Writing is a creative outlet, Jasper. It allows me to express—“

“I heard what you were expressing,” Jasper laughed.

Alice’s lips pressed in to a tight line.

Everyone knew that Alice got busted writing porn she claimed wasn’t porn.

Emmett read it, they fought…the rest is history.

“C’mon, Alice, let me read it. I heard it was really fucking good—“

“You did?” Alice asked, her eyes flicking up.

“Yeah, McCarty told me to check it out,” Jasper shrugged.

Alice’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m gonna castrate the bastard,” she growled.

“Look, Brandon, we’re bored. The perfect cure for boredom is always porn. Let

me read it.”

“No.”

“Why?” Jasper asked, leaning down to put both of his palms flat on her desk.

Alice squirmed and started to sweat.

Oh!

Alice Brandon, man hater, was crushing on Jasper!

He was clueless.

I stifled a laugh.

“Just one paragraph?” Jasper had resorted to pleading.

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him beg for porn. Jasper and porn were like
strippers and coke—he needed it to get the job done…when he was going solo,

anyway.

“No, and it’s not porn, it’s—“

“Wait. What are you trying to hide, Brandon?” Jasper asked, leaning in closer to

her.

Alice’s eyes widened and her face went white.

Jasper’s always had good emotion perception and he was right this time.

Alice was definitely hiding something more than just porn.

Chapter 4- Jasper by upthedownslide

Cullen and Bella were still passing notes back and forth and whispering like we

were in sixth grade. Jesus. Check “yes” if you like me. Check “no” if you don’t.
Check “maybe” if you aren’t sure, but still want to fool around under the

bleachers.

The way I figured it, if Bells thought I was passed out, maybe she’d finally drag
Cullen out behind her and get those damn bats out of her belfry. It’s about

fucking time; if I had to hear her bitch one more time about the shower head not
doing it for her anymore, I was going to bend her over a table just to shut her the

hell up.

Unfortunately, the only way to get it up for her involved a lot of alcohol and some

serious will power. You try fucking your sister and tell me how it goes. Now, if my

sister was Kate Beckinsale… Goddamn, I had a thing for short and spunky. Short
and spunky with lots of leather and some serious attitude to back up all that

energy. Oh Jesus Christ. I shifted my “little” buddy through my pockets. Well at
least if I had to, I think I could get Bella to shut up now.

I heard her chair push back from the table.

“Fan-fucking-tastic. Let’s get the hell outta here.” About fucking time, Bella. I shot

Cullen a look- half “go get some”, half “you hurt her and I’ll feed you your own
arm.”

With her gone, I lifted my head from the table. Holy hell- that whole playing
possum business was annoying, but I couldn’t take any chances; as soon as I

passed out, she’d draw a dick on my face. Ah yes, the timeless elegance of
drawing a phallic symbol on one’s face. Simple. Classic. Utterly humiliating.

Ever since we’d seen 10 Things I Hate About You in eighth grade, she had an

unnatural obsession with drawing dicks on everything. I seriously wish we’d never
seen that movie. I wanted to sneak across the hall and watch Varsity Blues for the

sole reason of Ali Larter’s tits but no; we had to stay for Heath Ledger because he
was going to sing a song which would eventually set the standard for the only

acceptable way of serenading. La-de-freaking-da. I don’t get it.

“We’ve been abandoned,” I called out to the beautiful militant on the bookcase.

“Good of you to notice. Would you like a medal? A sticker perhaps?” she spat
back.

“Ouch, Brandon. That hurts, right here.” I tapped the left side of my chest. She

rolled her eyes and went back to her faded paperback.

This is going to be a long month, I mused, the thought rattling around in my brain.

With everyone else gone, and not being one for uncomfortable silences, I was
going to play nice, whether she wanted to or not.

“You going to sit up there all day or are you going to come down and be social?”

Great, three steps above begging; good job, Whitlock.

“I’m reading,” she said, not even lifting her eyes from The Feminine Mystique.

“You’ve read it before.” The joy of a small backwater town was that everyone
knew everyone. Every secret, every quirk. It’s a well-known fact that she’s been

carrying that book around since sixth grade. I swear, her name’s probably written
in the front cover in red crayon.

“You want to borrow this, that it?” Alice dug around in her massive saddlebag.
Christ, did she have two copies? She probably had several, her favorite being in

hardback, signed and framed in her room surrounded by candles and dried

flowers- some sort of alter to honor the female.

I shook my head and laughed. “’Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow

victim.’”

Alice froze and craned her head around. Oh shit. I broke her.

“You,” she said, struggling for words. Oh man; I made Brandon quiet. Must tell
Emmett. “You’ve read this?” she managed to ask, the book dangling from her

fingers.

“Why the shock? I am literate.” I stared at her. She was fully dumbfounded.

“I know, I mean, I just. Wow.” Alice stared at me like I just took off my shirt and
posed on the table, animal style.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Really makes a boy feel all warm and fuzzy

inside.” I was getting tired of being underestimated. Seriously- you run seven
years of track and everyone thinks you can’t add.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed... I’m sorry.” She shook her head looking

genuinely flustered. Time to play.

“No, it’s fine. Go back to your little theories. Don’t mind me; I’ll just be over here

with my thumb up my ass.” I pushed back from the table and walked towards the
TV studio connected to the backroom of the library. And five, four, three, two…

“Wait! I just… ugh. Look, I get judged every day.” She jumped up and walked
towards me while stalking across the top of the bookcases, her small frame finally

perching on top of the Human Anatomy section.

“People think I’m some evil, militant, man-hating lesbian whose goal in life is to

create a female-centric utopia where men aren’t needed to procreate. I shouldn’t

have jumped on you like that. Can we start again?” And that’s one for Whitlock.

“Yes, we can start again. Do you want to go back to third grade when we actually

met, or do you want to go back five minutes before you implied that I didn’t know
which way was up?” I cocked my eyebrow and leaned against the copy machine,

crossing one leg in front of the other. She just stared at me, slack-jawed.
Seriously, Alice, must I do all of the work?

“Alright, I’ll go again. Since I personally haven’t felt the compulsion to make clay
frogs in nine years and therefore don’t want to revisit that particular speck of

history, let’s go back five minutes, shall we? I’m Jasper, in for a rather one-sided

public display of affection. Name and crime?”

“Alice. Assault and battery.” Nice.

“Well Alice, shall we?” I extended my arm and tilted my head towards her. She
hopped down from the bookcase without taking my hand, and landed in a crouch.

Alice popped back up and wrapped her arm around mine.

“We shall,” she said with a grin.

“Alright then. Right this way, my dear.” I lead her through the back of the library

and into the TV studio before sitting her in front of some editing equipment.

“And what would we be doing exactly? I wasn’t planning on adding to my list of

felonies today.”

“Oh Alice, must we be so incredulous? Did you think I was planning on stealing

equipment?” My tone was thick with implication as I started flipping on
soundboards and monitors.

“No, it’s just that-” She huffed and fiddled with the hem of her hoodie. “How do I
put this?”

“You know nothing about me and have decided to make ridiculous assumptions
despite the fact that similar assumptions are made about you on a daily basis and

you hate them? Something along those lines?” I ducked down under the table to

flip on a surge protector. Did she just sigh?

“I’m sorry. I’m rusty at this whole ‘making friends’ business.” She said gesturing

wildly, her hands throwing shadows under the table. It made her somehow more,
I don’t know- endearing? Was that the right word?

“Well, I hope you get the hang of it soon enough. It looks as though you and I are
going to be spending a lot of time together, so long as Emmett keeps his supply of

narcotics handy and Bella finally sleeps with Cullen.” I popped back up from
under the table and sat in the chair next to Alice. Resting my feet on the table and

pulling the keyboard in my lap, I turned to look into her bright eyes. Shock was

the last thing I expected to see on her face.

“Why would you want her to fuck Cullen? Aren’t you two…?” She gestured with

her hands some sort of “insertion” motion.

“No; we are not,” I said, repeating the gesture.

“I just assumed. I mean, the two of you are attached more than the Olsen twins,
pre-puberty.”

“Am I Mary-Kate or Ashley? Bella always said I was an Ashley; probably something
to do with my refusal with dressing like a hobo. I really will never understand why

she dresses like that. She’s got a great little ass under there. Like a peach.”

“Mary-Kate?”

“Bella.” Alice dropped her eyes to the ground and started fingering the knobs and

dials on the console. I reached to pull her hand away and she flinched.

“Ah ah ah. Let me do that.” I clicked my tongue at her and set the dials back the

way they were.

She took a deep breath before she stared again. Was she nervous? “So how come

you two never got together?”

“Are you particularly attracted to your brother?” Alice shook her head and rolled

her eyes, her pixie cut falling in her eyes.

“That’s what I thought. We practically grew up together, so she is, for all intents

and purposes, my sister. I just kissed her to piss her off. It was about as romantic
as Liza Minnelli kissing… anyone. But just because I never wanted a piece didn’t

mean I wasn’t curious as to what was under the hood. Now pick a number, one

through eleven.” I cued up the monitor and waited for her answer.

“Three.” She said without hesitation.

“Good choice.” I popped in the disc, hit play, and flipped off the light switch.

“What did I pick?”

“Patience, my young Padawan. Just sit back and enjoy the show.” I sank further
into my chair and released the lever on hers. Alice huffed as she sank down to my

level, but before she could complain, I put my finger to my lips.

“Shh. Show’s about to start.” A Gift Shop Life Productions scrolled up the screen.

“What’s A Gift Shop Life Productions?” she asked, crossing her arms across her

chest and finally starting to get comfortable.

“Me. Please hold all comments for the end. Just enjoy.” I refused to meet her

gaze. After all, I’d yet to show my little project to anyone. Not even Bella. For
whatever reason, I’d wanted to show Alice. I felt like maybe she could appreciate

it.

“Is this security camera footage? How did you get this?” Alice stared at me,

completely astonished.

“Comments for the end please.”

“Is that Mike Newton and Eric Yorkie? Oh Jesus, are they kissing?!” She doubled

over in her chair with the sweetest little laughter I’d ever heard. A sort of
involuntary fit of giggles; honest and true.

“Mr.Pattinson and Mrs.Stewart? Mr.Pattinson and Mrs.Reed?! How in the hell?”
Before I could get her to quiet down: “I know, I know comments for the end.” She

flicked her wrist to get me to settle down.

Fifteen minutes later, my film ended and cut back to the blue editing screen. We

sat in the dark, her delicate face washed in blue light. Alice didn’t look so severe
in this light; she looked almost serene, if it was possible to look serene and

astounded at the same time, anyhow.

“How in the name of hell did you get that footage?” she asked, our eyes finally
meeting.

“The question is why did I get this footage. The how is easy,” I said very matter-of-

factly. Why did I feel so comfortable telling here these things?

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes with a smile. “Why did you get this footage?”

“It’s my admissions project for NYU.” I cut her off before she could start again. “I
want to double major in Psychology and Film Making. I’m interested in the

motivation behind our actions. If we were truly ourselves all the time, if we pulled
off the mask we wear everyday and actually acted as who we truly are, how

would our actions change?”

“And you decided to find this out by spying on students?” She raised her eyebrow

and sat up a little straighter in her chair. Finally, a real conversation with Miss

Alice Brandon.

“And faculty. And it’s not spying. I merely used what was available.”

“And how exactly did you manage to make security footage ‘available’?” She was
leaning in closer to me, actually engaging. God, she smelled good.

“I collected on a favor. Look, the point isn’t how I got the footage. The point is- we
aren’t who we appear to be.” I sat up and leaned in closer to her.

“And you decided to prove this by filming people’s romantic liaisons?”

“I collected lots of footage; you just picked the disc that happened to deal with

sexuality.”

“You mean to tell me that all eleven of those discs are your little project?” Alice

asked as flung her hands around to illustrate her point. She really was cute when
she was flustered.

“No, only seven of those were my project. The others were episodes of South

Park.”

“Seven?” She leaned in even further, nearly crawling into my lap. Oh, how I

wanted her to. Wait, what?

“Seven.” I confirmed.

“Wow.”

“I like to be…” I hesitated, trying to find the right word. “Thorough.” Damn

Whitlock-, are you flirting?

“Apparently so,” Alice whispered, her voice husky. Was she flirting back?

“You aren’t what I thought you’d be.” And there she went, killing the mood. I
pushed my chair back and stood up before flicking on the lights, nearly knocking

into her, she’d gotten so close.

“And what did you expect? You know, I thought for once I could actually be

myself without the other person being so damn mystified. Would you stop

assuming I’m what everyone said I’d be?” Alice dropped her eyes and just sat

there, completely stunned. After a minute of silence, I finished turning off the

equipment before stalking back to the library.

I can’t believe I showed her that. I hadn’t even shown Bella yet. Jesus, what was I

doing? Did I really expect her to be any different from any of the other girls at
school? That’s the real reason I never dated anyone. They were all too shallow,

hung up on their superficial first impressions. Just once I’d like a girl, other than
Bella, to not be so surprised by what they see. I raked my hands through my hair

and plopped down in my chair. When I looked up again, the little raven-haired

sprite was in front of me.

“Jesus, how’d you get here so fast?” I hadn’t even heard her come back in.

“Look, I’m sorry alright? I didn’t mean anything by it. I don’t know anything about
you other than what I’ve heard, but I’d like to change that. Truce?” She reached

up and stuck her hand towards the middle of my chest.

She actually seemed sincere. I grabbed her hand and shook it. “Truce.”

“Again, I’m sorry I was an ass. Let me make it up to you.” Alice was truly
concerned of what I thought of her. She shouldn’t have been.

“Deal.”

“Name your terms.” I stood up and walked over to her bag and pulled out the

handwritten pages. She flew across the room and snatched her story from me.

“Not that.” Alice shook her head, her hands trembling with fear. She fell

backwards into her chair to steady herself.

“You said my terms.”

“Not. This.” She was steady in her conviction. I heard the door swing open behind
me.

“I just don’t see why you’d write something down if you don’t want anyone to see
it.” The fact of the matter was, I already knew exactly what she’d written; some

Grade-A porn about one of the guys in her class. I was just hoping she’d want to
share so I could stop pretending like I didn’t know she fancied herself a writer for

Harlequin in her spare time. For whatever reason, the idea of keeping a secret

from her made my insides bubble over.

“Writing is my creative outlet, Jasper. It allows me to express…” Alice was

grasping at straws trying to placate me.

“I heard what you were expressing.” Alice glared at me, and I started laughing.

God, she was too damn cute to be menacing.

“Come on Alice, let me read it. I heard it was really fucking good...”

She cut me off. “You did?” Her eyes flicked up to mine, a hint of fear playing
behind them.

“Yeah, McCarty told me to check it out.” I shrugged in an attempt to look
nonchalant.

“I’m going to castrate the bastard,” she growled, almost purring. A smile teased at

the corner of my lips. Jesus Christ, I wanted to pick her up and put her in my
pocket.

Time for the Hail Mary, even if it was weak as hell. “Look, Brandon, we’re bored.

The perfect cure for boredom is always porn. Let me read it.”

“No.” She squared her shoulders in a standoff.

“Why?” I leaned in close and hunched over the desk. You could cut the tension
with a knife and serve it with ice cream. Why did I want to see where this would

go?

“Just one paragraph?” Apparently, I wasn’t above begging.

“No, and it’s not porn, it’s…”

She was giving in. Why was she giving in?

“Wait.” I paused so the rest of my body could catch up to my head. “What are you
trying to hide, Brandon?” I leaned in closer to her, wishing like hell I could touch

her. Why did I want to touch her? God, she was magnetic.

“Look it’s just...” Hey eyes darted up and she saw that the others had come back

in. I silently willed for them to leave. “Can we do this later?”

“I’m not dropping this.” I shook my head and walked over to Bella, who had been

summoning me with her finger.

“I wish you would.” Alice’s voice was barely above a whisper. I saw her sink

deeper into her chair and before I could go to her, Bella dragged me into the
hallway.

“You’ll never believe what happened. Well, you will, but that’s beside the point.”
Bella’s tone demanded my attention and I tried to push down the urge to go back

to Alice. I was failing.

Chapter 5- Edward by wtvoc

Cock tease.

That girl is a damned cock tease.

She is so…. guileless. The girl is without guile.

I want to learn everything there is to know about her.

Starting with what she looks like under that ugly sweater.

I leaned against the door jamb of the library, my arms crossed with a sardonic

smile on my face as I surveyed the Mating Dance of Jasper and Alice. Emmett had
told me all about Alice’s porn, and it was obvious that Jasper had no idea it was

about him. There’s no way that repressed WASP would have been so eager to

read a bawdy tale of lust if he knew he was the star of it.

“You’ll never believe what happened,” Bella was saying to Jasper, leading him
away. I smirked in amusement; she was either telling him about running into

Emmett and Rosalie, or she was going to tell him about seducing the New Guy. I

wouldn’t want to intrude on girl talk, so I backed off into the hall.

They really do look like they’re intimate, the way that they look into each other’s

eyes when they whisper like that. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve been
jealous.

But I knew how Bella was into me; I wasn’t worried in the slightest. Besides, the

guy made her vomit. Ahh, be fair, Edward. He must be a good guy if Bella thinks

so highly of him.

I felt rather than saw the tiny, spry form of Alice brush past me on her way to the
restroom. I knew that she and Jasper were just entering round two of their

awkward flirting, so I decided Bella and I should make ourselves scarce in order to

give them a chance.

But where to?

I didn’t know this school too well. I tended to walk with a purpose from Class A to

Class B, and while I noticed every detail, I didn’t really care.

Until I needed a place to feel up a beautiful cock tease, that is.

My thoughts were interrupted by the smacking of heels on the tile. Rosalie.

I heard the thundering clacking go up some hall and a ridiculously high-pitched

giggling fit followed as the sounds faded away.

A second later, Emmett came rounding the corner of the hall I was wandering

down.

“Have you seen… huh. What’s doin’, my brother?” he said, coming to a halt in

front of me.

“Were you guys doing a mating dance, too?” I drawled, again leaning against the

wall. These games were so childish. But hey, whatever you needed to do to get
laid, I guess.

Are you going to play games, too, Edward? I chided myself. I already knew that

Bella was worth more than childish games, but the thought of chasing her around

just to hear her scream was so damned appealing.

“I gotta go. Oh, I almost forgot. A little present to get the party going,” Emmett
said, reaching into his back pocket.

“Emmett, it’s too early to get baked,” I started, but he cut me off.

“First of all, I don’t recognize the validity of your statement. Too early? Pssh. It’s

never too early to get baked; especially if your mommy makes you rice krispie
treats every Saturday. Secondly… that’s not what I’ve got in my hot little hand,”

he said, tossing whatever was in his pocket at my face. I saw a flash of silver and
caught it before glancing at what it was.

Keys. Three shiny, generic-looking keys.

“Those, dear boy, are the keys to the kingdom. Those three little puppies will
open every single door in this school,” Emmett said, looking like the cat who

caught the proverbial canary.

“How did you…?” I asked; I was impressed. There’s more to this guy than his

dimples and Hulk-like stature.

“Karl the Janitor. Let’s just say I keep him well-supplied and he helps me out of

scrapes,” he replied, waggling his eyebrows for effect. He stuffed his hands in his
front pockets and did an about-face, whistling as he walked off.

“Oh,” he called over his shoulder, “might I make a suggestion? Center stage.”

And with that, he strolled away; one could only assume he was in search of the
Ice Bitch Rosalie.

Just then, Bella came up behind me, squeezing my ass.

“Is that you, Rose?” I called out.

She smacked my butt. Hard. I grinned.

“Rose, I didn’t know you were into the rough stuff. You seem so frigid,” I called

over my shoulder, expecting a giggle or at least another slap.

Nothing.

I turned around, and she was gone.

“Bella? I was kidding,” I said. Uh oh. Did Edward Cullen finally take it too far?

“Bellllaaaaa,” I called out, hoping she was playing. Fuck.

“Don’t you ever fucking pretend that I’m Rosalie Hale again,” she growled. I

couldn’t see her, but I grinned in anticipation. Ooh. Punishment.

She jumped up on my back, covering my eyes with her hands.

“You had better make it up to me,” she purred into my ear. She bit my earlobe.

Mmm.

“Come on, let’s go,” I said, leaning forward so that she was dangling off of my
back. I grabbed her by her knees, hitching her up so that she was riding me

piggyback.

Riding me. Hmm… bareback.

I started walking toward where I thought the auditorium was.

“Where are you taking me?” she giggled, her breath tickling my neck. Smirking, I
said, “You’ll see.”

Her hands were clasped across my chest as I strode down the hall. We passed by
the stupid trophy case, and I figured out where I was. Walking with purpose now,

I took us down the worn carpet and up a set of stairs.

“Really, Cullen. What are we doing? This whole school is locked down as if

someone got shanked for butt raping the wrong Bull Queer.”

“Shut up and just trust me. We’re going to play a little game.”

We finally got to the side entrance of the auditorium, and I let go of her leg so I

could fish the shiny keys out of my pocket.

Sliding down off my back, Bella raised an eyebrow at me as the keys successfully
opened up the heavy door.

“How very criminal of you,” she smirked, a wicked gleam in her eye. I opened the
door and swept my arm in front of me, enjoying the view as she sashayed into the

dark room.

Feeling blindly on the wall just inside the door, I managed to turn on the lights to

the backstage area of the auditorium. The props were still there for the school’s
production of a Midsummer Night’s Dream; weird-looking trees and sparkles

adorned the stage area, and I huffed at the obvious mangling of a classic. There’s
one play I won’t be attending any time soon.

The lights I had turned on were barely lighting up the stage area. Perfect. There

was an old worn-out couch next to a beat-up looking piano backstage, and I
dragged the couch out, front and center. With a wary look, Bella walked over and

plopped down on the cushions, a cloud of dust puffing out with her movement.

“So. Explain this game to me,” she said, patting the seat next to her. I took what

she offered, lazily slinging my arm across the back of the sofa.

“It’s like a drinking game, only instead of shots… we’re kissing.”

“Was this something you learned from Tila Tequila?”

“Flava Flav, actually. Just pay attention- the rules are simple. I come up with a

quote- it can’t be too vague. If you guess who said it, you pick a spot for me to

kiss on your body. If you’re wrong, I pick a spot on mine. You ready?”

She was staring at me.

“Bella?” Shit. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she didn’t want to play.

“Shut up; I’m thinking.”

I flashed her a crooked half-smile; her eyes widened in delight.

“’Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit’,” she said.

“Mark Twain.”

“Wrong. Oscar Wilde.”

She pointed to her right cheek. I leaned in, giving her a very dry, very chaste kiss.
But I did not sit up; I whispered into her skin, “’If I had my way, we’d sleep every

night all wrapped around each other like hibernating rattlesnakes.’”

She rolled her eyes at me and I leaned back. “William S. Burroughs.”

“Something wrong with Burroughs?” I asked, amused at her pretended look of

annoyance.

“Fucking Beat poets.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. It’s like nowadays, they’re more ‘Fisher Price My First Rebellion as

a Privileged White Boy’ than anything really relevant.”

“Bella, you are absurd.”

“Edward Cullen. Here, please.” She pointed to her other cheek, and I obliged in

much the same way as before.

“’I’d like to have a martini;

Two at the very most.

After three I’m under the table;

After four, I’m under the host.’”

“Anais Nin?” I guessed. I had no idea.

“Nope. Dorothy Parker.”

“You know, she once told Normal Mailer off for not knowing how to spell ‘fuck’.”

“I know. Here, please.” She pointed to her nose.

“’So it goes’.” I couldn’t get enough of kissing her, even if it these were kisses I’d

give to my mother.

“Oh, please,” she huffed. “You just want to kiss me everywhere.”

“Who said it, Smartass?”

“Kurt Fucking Vonnegut. You can kiss my forehead for that one.” So I did.

“’What is mind? It doesn’t matter. What is matter? Never mind.’”

“Homer Simpson.”

“Nice. Do you watch the Family Guy, too?”

“Naturally. Right here, please.” Fucking finally. I pointed to my mouth.

Both of us grinning, she leaned in toward me. Her lips were as soft as I
remembered, and I held myself in check so that she wouldn’t stop. She seemed

eager to continue the kiss because she let out a very soft sigh, and I took it as a

sign that she wanted to keep going. So, I lightly brushed my tongue across her

bottom lip. Fuuuuck me she tasted good.

“You didn’t choose your tongue, you chose your lips. Now you will be punished,”
she said, wrinkling her brow and waggling her finger at me. Adorable.

“Ooh, a spanking?” I said, waggling my eyebrows. She rolled her eyes at me.

“No, two freebies for me, plus you skip a turn.”

“Now who wants my lips all over your body?”

“I do. But I just might choose my forehead three times.”

“Sorry, that’s against the rules.”

“Changing the game to suit your libido, Mr. Cullen?”

“It’s not my fault you don’t know how to play.”

“Fine. Here-“ she pointed to her forehead, “here,” she pointed to the side of her

neck, “and here,” she sighed, pointing to the other side. I put my lips on her

forehead, then ducked in and moved her chin to the side with one finger, leaning
in toward the delicate skin below her jaw line. I could smell her lovely skin, and I

felt my pants tighten as her breath hitched a bit. I haven’t even touched her there
yet.

Barely brushing my lips against her neck, I quickly moved my head and her chin to
the other side, repeating the soft gesture. She sighed a bit, I think impatiently,

and then moved her head with purpose to gaze into my eyes.

“’Thou art to me a delicious torment.’”

Gulp. This girl is going to kill me.

“Thoreau?” I stammered. Dammit. Do not lose your cool.

“Wrong Transcendentalist. Emerson.” She grinned; she knew she had me. I had
to regain the higher ground.

“Where do you want it?” I whispered. She closed her eyes and breathed in; ha! I
was affecting her like she was affecting me. Not opening her eyes, she lazily

brought her hand up the front of her sweater, her fingertips lightly brushing
across her chest. When she got to the collar, she pulled down on it lightly,

revealing her tantalizing collarbone. Keeping the sweater pulled down, she

pointed with her index finger and whispered, “right there.”

Grinning, I brought my face down to her delicious neck, brushing my nose from
her ear down to her clavicle with the softest touch. I felt her shiver beneath me

and I saw gooseflesh rising on her skin. Breathing into her throat, I placed a

feather-light kiss right where her finger was still pointed. Lifting my head slightly,
I whispered into her ear the next quote.

“’The waiting drove me mad. You’re finally here, and I’m a mess. I take your

entrance back; can’t let you roam inside of my head.’”

She shot up with surprise, a half-smirk lighting up her face.

“Ooh. I love Pearl Jam.”

“Me, too. So does Carlisle.”

“Who’s Carlisle?”

“My father.”

“Your father, huh? That’s pretty fucking hot. Is he as good-looking as you are?”

I was a little embarrassed by that question. I hated the attention I always got
because of my looks. I’d really rather be remembered for my contribution to

society and conversation rather than because I was a “hottie”.

“Um, I suppose. I once had a girl who tried to get to my Dad through me. Very

reverse Stacy’s Mom.”

She was clearly amused because she smirked up at me again.

“Fountains of Wayne, huh? You’re full of surprises.”

“It was a catchy little tune,” I protested, somewhat embarrassed that I had been
caught listening to pop radio.

“How does your mother manage having a Hottie Hubby and a Studly Son?”

“She doesn’t. Carlisle and Elizabeth got divorced a few years ago.”

“Reallllllly. Hmm…” she teased. She was tapping her chin, pretending to plan.

At least I hope she was pretending.

“Hey, watch it. He’s very wary of the girls I bring home now.”

“Oh, so you’re bringing me home to meet your dad?”

“Maybe. Unless you’re just going to use me for sex.”

“Who said I wanted to have sex with you?”

“Don’t you?”

“Wow. You certainly are arrogant, aren’t you?”

“I am. I really, truly am. Where to kiss, please.”

“Hmm… I think knowing Pearl Jam and having a hot dad necessitates the removal

of my sweater.”

I held my breath. No way. She was going to be the death of me.

I watched with hooded lids as she lazily removed that ugly sweater to reveal a

very tight, white wifebeater. It was stretched out and worn, but I didn’t care
because most importantly… it was very tight.

“Hanes?” I asked, trying to inject a note of sarcasm in my voice. I hoped it was
working, because I sure as hell didn’t want her to know how turned on I was just

then.

“Fruit of the Loom. I stole a bunch of these from Jasper years ago; I need more.”

I traced the curves of her breasts with my eyes; Good God. She wasn’t wearing a

damned bra. As she moved into the light a little better, I could clearly see the
pert, brown areolas underneath the thin material. Her nipples were puckered,

pointing straight out at me.

It’s very cold in here.

Monster Eddie roared. I cleared my throat as quietly as I could.

“So, where am I kissing you?” I asked, my voice lowering an octave. I was
desperate, trying not to lose my cool, but she was making it hard.

“Right here,” she whispered, pointing to just below the strap of the undershirt

across her shoulder.

I leaned in, putting my face right between her breasts. Her breath caught, and
she was going to say something, but I traced my nose across her breast, barely

brushing her nipple as I made my way to where she was pointing. I kissed right

where her finger indicated, breathing warm breath onto her sweet skin.

Not moving my head one inch, I murmured into her shoulder, “Next?”

“’Something in the way she moves me attracts me like no other lover,’” she

whispered into the top of my head. I could feel her lips moving across my messy
bronzed mop, and the feeling soothed me like nothing ever had before. I wanted

to feel her hands run through my hair; in passion, in love, in lust, whatever. I just
wanted to feel it.

“John Lennon.” I said, still distracted by her breath.

“Wrong. You’re so wrong.”

“Bullshit. It’s the fucking Beatles. I’m not wrong.”

“Dude. It’s the wrong fucking Beatle. George Harrison. Fail.”

“I’m not wrong.”

“Fail.”

“Stop it. I’m never wrong about the Beatles.”

“Never wrong, Cullen? You’re stuck-up.”

“But right.”

“’You stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerfherder!’”

Fuck. Hot. Dammit. I growled. I dove at her, trying to get to her pouty lips.

“Ah ah ahhh. Who said it?”

“Princess Fucking Leia. Now shut up.”

“No, I have another good one.”

I made her stop talking with my mouth. I was attacking it now, trying to lean back

on the couch and pull her with me. My hands slipped around to her back, rubbing
small circles with my thumbs into her shoulder blades. I could feel her melting

against me, but she was also trying to resist.

Fucking cock tease. It was so hot. I have never been turned on by a conversation

before.

Maybe it was the kissing.

Nah.

This girl is something else.

She was mumbling into my mouth.

“Wha…?” I said, pausing in my assault on her mouth.

“Coquettes bitch slap you so polite,” she whispered into my lips. Hmm. Coquette.

“Beck,” I whispered back. “But it was technically my turn. This is your

punishment.”

And I punished her. Hard.

I had been waiting to do this all morning.

My arms wrapped tightly around her back, squeezing her chest into mine. I
wished I hadn’t decided to wear a button-down because feeling her against me in

a thin t-shirt would have been perfect. Honestly, she might as well have taken her
top off, there was so little there.

Her beautiful little hands were struggling to climb up my chest as I sucked on her
bottom lip. She finally struggled a little, pulling her arms free and reaching up to

grab me by my hair. Rough. Our lips moved together, alternating between
breathless synchronicity and slow, deep caresses. I hadn’t even started using my

tongue yet, and I could already feel the pressure of my erection pressing into the

zipper of my Abercrombies as I felt her gyrating above me. Her legs were nestled
in between mine as I lay there, one knee bent for balance. She was moving so

much that I was afraid we’d fall off the couch.

I started snaking my hands down her back, using my fingers to crawl down the

thin fabric as I slowly began lifting her shirt up. I felt her grin into my mouth,
giving us both a moment to catch our breath.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, looking me in the eye. I got

momentarily lost in the deep brown pools I saw there. Most brown-eyed girls

look so apple pie; this girl looked like the entire fucking dessert tray. She had
flecks of golden-hazel around the irises, and I found myself intrigued. Grinning

lazily, I suddenly shoved my hands down the back of her jeans, gripping her by the
ass cheeks and pressing her into my dick.

“What does it feel like?” I asked, relishing in her shocked expression. She
recovered, trying to look offended as she pulled away, but not before I could see

the absolute fire in her eyes at what I had done.

“Mr. Cullen. I think you need another week in Saturday School,” she admonished,

unable to help her wiggling as she ground into me. I let out a small groan, hoping
that a spurt of wetness on my part would not accompany any movements that

Bella decided to pull as I held her in place.

“As long as you’re there, I don’t give a fuck,” I growled. Her smile fell, and she

looked at me, burning a path through my eyes and down into my cock. God, her
intense stare was so fucking erotic. I felt like she was reading my thoughts;

pulling them out of both heads and analyzing them. I felt naked right then, and I
wanted to be naked. Shit; trying to think as both Big and Little Eddie fought for

dominance was becoming an issue. I purposefully thrust my hips up at her, trying

to break her gaze before it made me come all over the place.

I think I could get used to this girl trying to unlock my secrets.

“What. Is. It.” I said, giving a small, rolling thrust with each word uttered. Her

eyes started to roll back into her head, but she snapped to, licking her bottom lip
as she grabbed my face between her soft hands.

“Oh, nothing,” she said, breezily. We both grinned as we looked at each other; I

think we just had a moment. An “I’m not letting you out of my sight” moment.

“I just thought of something fun to do.”

“Hmm?” I answered, making myself busy with jerking my head from her grasp and
bringing her neck to my mouth. I breathed in deep, taking in the scent of her hair

and her neck. The skin there had a slight sheen that was glinting in the dull stage

light shining all around us; I sucked it away, lapping at the area just below her ear.
She hissed through her teeth, turning her head more to grant me full access.

Using her hands as a brace, she pushed up a little while keeping her neck in my
mouth, trying to bring her legs up. I helped her by grabbing her waist, briefly

letting go of her neck to alternate the pleasure by blowing cool air across the

moistened skin. She shivered in excitement, moving so that she was now
straddling me.

Sitting up now, Bella looked beautiful. She put her arms up over her head,

purposefully stretching so that I got an eyeful of her nipples pointing at me

through her shirt; she began a slow, undulating dance with her hips while
straddling me, biting the corner of her bottom lip and looking down with her left

eyebrow arched. I was breathless. I am without breath. The sexiest siren in this
school is grinding on me, and she quotes smutty authors with alacrity.

Love.

Chewing on her lip, Bella suddenly narrowed her eyes at me, and I raised my
eyebrow in response.

“Don’t you wanna know what I had in mind?”

Oh. Yeah.

“Sorry. I was just admiring how sexy you are, grinding on my junk like that. I lost

my concentration.”

When I said the word “grinding”, she thrust her hips at me, causing a jolting tug to

pulse through the lower half of my body. I started to growl… but then she jumped
off of my lap.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” I said in that husky voice that I was

sure would drive her crazy. She reached to pull me up and I got a great view of

her tits when she did. Seeing where my gaze was lingering, she playfully slapped
me in the face and I pretended to be affronted, but I couldn’t stop the smirk that

popped up. She was just so cute.

“I told you, I thought of something fun to do.”

With that she had me sitting up, and she pushed my back against the sofa. The

next thing I knew, she was between my legs, moving them apart to accommodate

her small frame. I was hoping she was going to unbutton my shirt because I was

eager for her to run her tongue along my abs, but alas.

She went lower instead.

She dipped her head down so that her eyes were still making contact with mine,

and she used her chin to nuzzle in further between my legs. I couldn’t help it; I
wanted to act like I was cool, but this was so fucking fast. I had never had a chick I

was so attracted to be so willing to take it there before. It’s usually the stupid
sluts that were more than willing to-

“Fucking look at me, Cullen.”

Grrrrr.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath… and leaned in to the fabric over my

zipper, blowing a blast of hot air onto my cock. Little Monster Eddie jumped and
roared; if I had been unclothed, I would’ve popped her in the eye.

She rubbed her nose across the hot bump of my erection, making me purr.
Dipping her head down, she brought her face back up so she could look at me,

dragging her yummy lower lip across the Monster. I was panting; I can’t breathe.
Think. What?

“What the hell are you doing to me, Woman?” I panted. “You’re going to be the
death of me, I swear it.”

“It’s called dry blowing, Cullen. All the cool kids are doing it,” she said. She

opened her mouth wide, and I sucked a healing breath in, praying for the strength

to not come all over her face through my pants.

A sound of disgust and a deep chuckle interrupted us.

Fuck.

Rosalie and Emmett.

They were the interruptus in my dry-blowing coitus.

“Well, well, well. You guys don’t waste any time, do you?” came the snarky voice
of Bella’s Arch Nemesis. Bella narrowed her eyes but didn’t move, except to close

her mouth with a resounding snap.

“Come on, you two. You will not believe what I have to show you,” Emmett said,

putting an arm around Rosalie’s shoulders. She shrugged him off, promptly
turning on her heel to exit the stage.

Sighing heavily, I willed Little Eddie to back off.

“Another time, then, Love?” I asked, grabbing her by the elbows to pull her up
with me. I stood and leaned down, nuzzling her ear as I whispered, “That was by

far the hottest thing anyone has ever done for me.” I was surprised; I was going
for seductive, but it came out as… grateful. Pleasant. Sweet.

What is going on here?

She was suddenly bashful, which I almost snorted at, considering what we were

just doing. But she tilted her eyes at me, murmuring, “You name the time, and I’ll
be there.”

I took her hand, not saying a word as we walked off the stage, the both of us

wondering just what it was that Emmett and Rosalie could have found so

important as to interrupt us with.

“This had better be fucking good,” I muttered, holding the door open so Bella
could walk through. I grabbed her hand again, my eyes seeking out the two tall

forms in front of us as they set a brisk pace down the hall. Rosalie’s clacking

shoes were impossible to miss, and Bella and I reluctantly followed the odd pair. I
grasped her hand and she looked up at me reassuringly as if to say, “Don’t worry;

I don’t want to let you go, either.”

Giving her a soft smile, I led the way as we hurried down the hall.

Chapter 6- Alice by halojones

Breathe. In. Breathe. Fucking. Out. Brandon. I locked myself in the stall for a milli-
second to regroup. Jasper was having a private conversation with Bella at the

moment. Intense and hushed. I acted like I was giving them a minute alone as I
passed by Edward quietly and went to the restroom. The reality was I needed a

minute to change the direction of my first substantial interaction with Jasper

Whitlock since I was nine years old.

He had dominated the entire conversation. I was always a step behind; either too

dazed that he was talking to me at all, or else putting my foot in my mouth. His
reaction to me was only making me more nervous. Jasper seemed so impatient,

as if he expected me to be more up to speed intellectually.

I could feel my chest tightening in anger as I replayed the last forty-five minutes

with him. Sure, we had a truce now. But before today, we had nothing. How many
times since the third grade had he attempted to even talk to me? How many

times had he walked past me in the halls at Forks High, like I was invisible? By
process of elimination, he had gotten "stuck" with me today. If Rosalie wasn't

giving Emmett a hand job for a free eight ball right now in the parking lot, or Bella
wasn't trying to recruit a new Fuck Buddy in the form of that Cullen kid, wouldn't

he be talking to them instead? He was acting like I should be grateful for his

attention. Fuck that. I'm not a charity case-although anyone at my high school
would tell you otherwise.

I got pegged as the angry, man-hating feminist my freshman year in high school.

Nothing really changed in my personality or behavior; I had always been

outspoken and passionate about my interests. But I did cut my hair short; and all
it took was one dumb ass jock to call me a Feminazi Dyke in class one day to make

that title stick. Herd mentality-you gotta love high school.

At the same time, I sometimes played into the "script" I was given for high school
as the resident man-hating dyke. The minute I step onto the campus, I can feel

the change-my shoulders round out more, my neck lunges forward, even my gait

is more aggressive. Those changes were my armor to get me through the school
day. Running off to the city where more interesting people could be found was

my only saving grace. People who were well-read and creative and interested in
more things than how Shannon Craig tried to OD on Excedrin because Paul

Guerrera blabbed about her pulling a train at his last party. City Alice was more

who I was, not Forks High Alice. City Alice was allowed to be witty and alluring
and receive attention with a confident smile. And she was just the Alice that

needed to come out to play to even the score with Jasper.

I sashayed back to the library, determined not to be the tongue-tied girl who
couldn't believe her first love would condescend to look her way. "Like a damn

mutt, begging for scraps," I scolded myself. Jasper was alone again, getting way

too close to my personal belongings. He picked up my copy of The Feminine

Mystique with marked indifference.

"Is it later yet? I really want to take a look at your pornocopia of written delights.”
He started flipping through the weathered book I had owned since sixth grade.

Panic washed over me-I didn't think he was going to actually open up the book.

"Don't touch that!" I yelled, but it was too late. He saw. Jasper read for a second,

and then moved to the next page, his eyes scanning through the text. A sly smile
was spreading slowly across his face. He checked out the cover inflaps, and his

eyes grew even wider. The book was being held vertically now, as if he was
looking at the centerfold of a Playboy.

I tried to take it out of his hand, but he held it up high, out of my reach.

"Nothing's wrong with writing notes in my favorite book," I said defensively. Well,
they weren't exactly notes. I had been pasting all my favorite sexual passages I've

come across into my copy of Feminine Mystique since I hit puberty. And from the

flush on Jasper's face, he seemed to appreciate my top fifty picks.

"What the hell type of notes are these, Brandon?" Jasper raised an eyebrow in my
direction, his devilish smile still in place.

I shrugged my shoulders as I sat on the table next to him. "I'm a very voracious

reader. Big on the classics. And it just so happens that a lot of the classics have

some mind-blowing fucks in them."

He threw me a suspicious look as he opened up the inside flap cover to expose
some Kama Sutra visuals and a mini-passage on erogenous zones. "I seemed to

have missed these classics during high school."

"What? I'm a well rounded reader. I believe nonfiction should be a healthy part of

any reading diet." My face expressed nothing but innocence as he nodded back at
me with a knowing wink.

"So, why are you collecting them?" His fingers ran through the pages now, as if he

was taking inventory of the books and authors I included.

"Why do boys collect tit shot after tit shot and organize them neatly in a folder on
their desktop?"

Jasper shrugged his shoulders in acknowledgement.

'Anyways, I plan on compiling all these passages from classic literature into an
anthology someday. Offering Dante's Inferno as a sexual primer should be a first. I

even thought up a working title : "Sweating to the Oldies."' His mouth flew open.

"That was a joke. The title. But about turning it into a porn anthology for smart
people-I'm serious."

He cracked up, still shaking his head. "All these years, you've been reading that
damn book in class."

"Hey, you are the one who said we aren't who we appear to be."

"And to think you could have shared your discoveries with me in class instead of
forcing me to sit and look at the cracks in the ceiling all period."

A flash of resentment pulsed through me. "How could I have shared them with

someone who never even acknowledged my existence?"

His face fell slightly. "I don't remember you acknowledging my existence either,

Alice." He shifted in his seat, changing the direction of the conversation. "So, now
I know why you've been so quiet in class all these years. I'd be silent too if I had a

collection like that to look at." He began flipping through the book again.

"Actually, it's a last resort to read these excerpts silently. The narratives need to

be read aloud to be fully appreciated. It's a completely different experience when
the words have a voice." That gave me an idea.

"Let's make a deal, Jasper. Instead of me letting you see my writings, YET. And I'm

not saying I won't show you. Eventually. But for now, how about I read you a
passage from my book and we'll call it even?"

He shook his head. "That's not tempting enough. I want to read YOUR words. I

want an Alice Brandon creation."

I thought for a second. "What if I read you one of the dirtier excerpts and
stimulate one of your erogenous zones with my expert hands for the entire

passage?" I sized him up for a second. "You look like a boy who brooded over

James Joyce's Ulysses in his early teen years. I've got the filthiest letter he wrote
to his wife somewhere." My fingers moved nimbly through the pages, trying to

locate the desired entry.

"Hmmm...interesting perks you added on there. Do I get to pick which erogenous
zone, though? The prostate would be my first choice." I slapped him on the

shoulder.

"Hell, no. Just a little behind-the-ear manipulation. The same way I do with my

dog Max."

"Lucky Max.."he murmured, low enough so my ears wouldn't hear. But they did.

"Deal? I'm really not ready to share my own stuff yet." If he only knew why.

"Why won't you let me see it? I showed you my project, and I haven't even shown

it to Bella yet." My expression must have conveyed something that made him
back off though. His face softened and he threw me a reassuring grin.

"Fine, if you'll show me your work later on, it's a deal." He paused for a moment
as I smiled triumphantly. "You should smile more, Brandon. It suits you."

I ignored him, even though my heart was about to jump out of my rib cage. He

was sitting in front of the table, his legs spread wide, hands on his thighs, as I

scooted my body in between his legs. I put on my reading glasses self consciously.

"Sexy librarian glasses, nice touch." I ignored him.

"Okay, behold the dirty that is James Joyce." Jasper cleared his throat loudly.

"How are you going to hit my e-zone, all the way from there?" he questioned. I

wasn't sure to be honest. He rolled his eyes, and patted his lap like it was the

most obvious solution in the world. His face looked innocent enough, so I
tentatively straddled myself onto his lap, my eyes facing his. I thought I was going

to faint on contact; but surprisingly, it felt perfectly natural to be right where I
was. Jasper's body seemed to disagree though; it stiffened before Jasper

readjusted me on his lap while his head cocked to the side.

"Am I too heavy?" I asked, hoping against hope that I was wrong and there was

another reason for his squirming.

He let out a laugh. "You probably weigh twenty pounds total dripping wet, Alice."
His laugh stopped as he stared at my thighs that were peeking out from

underneath my skirt. "That's hardly the problem." His hands lightly grazed my

legs before they rested on my waist. I tried to ignore that Jasper was below me,
against me, around me; if I didn't, there was no way I'd be able to read out loud,

let alone breathe.

My left arm extended over his shoulder as my hand held up the book. My other

arm wrapped around his neck, and my hand located the sensitive area right
behind his ear. My fingers began to massage the soft section of skin, trading off

between firm and soft strokes. A low purr rolled out of him:

I am happy now, because my little whore tells me she wants me to roger her
arseways and

wants me to fuck her mouth and wants to unbutton me and pull out my mickey

and suck it
off like a teat. More and dirtier than this she wants to do, my little naked fucker,

my naughty
wriggling little frigger, my sweet dirty little farter.

"How phone sex operator-ish is that? Can't you imagine Joyce dirty talking with
those Coke bottle glasses of his?" I expected Jasper to join along in the joking. But

his eyes were closed as he inhaled through his nose at the base of my neck.

"Are you sniffing me?"

"Yes," he answered casually, his eyes still shut. Not exactly the answer I was

expecting.

"Well, that's it...that's the end of the passage," I mumbled, while trying to

dismount the boy of my dreams. But he held me firmly in place.

"Read some more." His eyes opened and looked at the clock. "We've got a lot of

time to kill still, Pixie. If you keep reading, I'll take turns with e-zone duties."

He didn't have to ask me twice. E-zone duties weren't the only thing he took turns
with-Jasper ended up reading some passages as well. He had a deep reading

voice, which was perfect for all the comedic, raunchy male narratives I kept
choosing with him in mind. As he enacted Henry Miller's misadventures with his

friend Maxie (who needed Miller to reassure him that his scrotum looked "fine

and dandy") and his sister Rita (who Henry couldn't wait to get a peek of her
"quim"), I worked on his other ear. He stopped right when Henry was in the

middle of giving Rita her fifth orgasm.

"These are different passages. Not straight jack-off porn. They seem to convey

things beyond the sex." My heart broke slightly with how perceptive he was to
the bigger picture. I couldn't help myself-I began to explain how each excerpt

symbolized a certain aspect of sexuality--as well as life. That Henry's excerpt was
yet another hilarious sexual exploit, yes; but it was also indicative of many guys'

predicaments. They spent so much time trying to seduce their friends' sisters
while trying desperately to keep their friends away from theirs. He finally spoke

up.

"You must have an older brother...with friends." I nodded.

"You must have a younger sister yourself." He chuckled back in

acknowledgement.

"And asshole friends I don't trust as far as I can throw them."

-------

We had found a comfortable position. I was still straddling his lap; but I was

leaning against his chest now, my head resting on his shoulder as I read. I had

reading and e-zone duties at the moment. My fingers lazily caressed his neck

while we both giggled at Philip Roth's Alexander Portnoy beating the meat---with
the help of a piece of....meat. Raw liver to be exact.

Just then, Rose and Emmett walked in. Emmett let out a howl.

"What the fuck-in-tarnations-kinda-kinky-shit is going down in here?"

I slinked off his lap and sat down on my seat as Rose smirked in my direction.
Jasper tried to pull me back to him, but I resisted.

"Damn, Alice. For a virgin, you sure have a way with your hands. Whitlock's eyes

are glazed over from your Vulcan Hand Job there." Emmett turned to Rose. "Did

you see the serious ‘Cocoon’ hand sex shit she was working on Wonderbread
Whitlock?" My legs automatically kicked back my seat as I stood up.

"I have more sexual knowledge in my left pinky as a virgin than you do in your

whole nut-hugging, mesh-shorted body, McCarty."

"Well, the shorts are nut-hugging for a reason. They don't make shorts big enough

for what I pack. I'm too much man for you AND your Vulcan hands."

"Like I couldn't make you crumble in five seconds," I muttered, marching right up
to him.

"Bring it on Dr. Spock!" If I hadn't been so mad, maybe I would have noticed the
eager smile on his face.

I went for the hottest non-genital zone there was-- his navel and happy trail

region. Emmett looked confused as I lightly spread my finger tips out across his

lower torso, my thumbs centering directly below his navel. Within a few grips and
pressured strokes, however, Emmett straightened up rigidly and swung his head

to the side. Like a dog that pricks up his ears abruptly when he hears a sound that
the human ear can't detect. Mission accomplished--in about three seconds flat. I

couldn't help but laugh.

Rose didn't look amused. "Stop doing all your voodoo shit on him."

"Yeah, I'm sure to a suburban fuck puppet like yourself, foreplay would look like
voodoo magic."

"Whatever, you angry dyke." She looked at me dismissively, unaffected.

"Ha-I'll take angry over frigid anytime."

"You're the virgin, not me, Alice." She was using an almost motherly tone now, if
your mother was a cold-hearted, disinterested bitch.

"You think just because you let Tyler Crowley poke you on someone's porch swing

at a Friday night party, you are somehow more experienced than me? Because if

getting poked is your criteria, Rose, then me and my monthly boyfriend Tampax
broke my sound barrier ages ago."

"Alice." I turned around towards the soothing voice. Jasper had an amused look

on my face. He lifted a hand up and with his index finger beckoned me over.

"Someone forgot to take her meds again," Rose added in a flat tone as I walked

away.

Jasper patted the seat beside him as he pretended to write on a piece of paper
with his finger:

"Dear Alice's mom: I regret to inform you that Alice does not play well with
others. She also runs with scissors. In her little Vulcan Sex Hands." He leaned in

and murmured, "Why did Emmett get the navel e-zone and I only got the ear?"

000000000

"Okay, start from the beginning, keeping in mind to be thorough as this may need

to be recorded later for future generations." Jasper helped me escape from Rose
and Emmett. It wasn't my style to retreat. But Jasper's smile alone made me

lighten up and realize I was overreacting. As he whisked me out of the room, he
wondered out loud why I reacted at all.

We were now sitting on the floor of a lonely hallway, leaning against some

lockers. Jasper liked how I fortune-told Rose and Emmett's sex lives earlier. He
egged me on to continue with my line of reasoning.

"Rosalie, because the Queen Bitch must always go first lest we forget our place

below Her Royal Twatness." How true, I thought as I barked out a laugh.

"Frigid. FRI-GID. She's too damned vain to really know how to enjoy sex in an

interactive way. She won't have her first orgasm until she's had her fourth kid and
is forty-two. Only then when she's not perfect will she be able to concentrate on

her cunt instead of her reflection." Jasper had a wonderful laugh; very sincere and
hearty, once you got it out of him.

He raised a finger with conviction. "’Ladies, love your cunt.’" A boy who quotes
Germaine Greer and makes obscure "Arrested Development" references about

kissing Liza Minelli? It was like I created him from scratch.

He bumped me with his shoulder to get my attention. "And now, the royal court

jester, Emmett." Jasper motioned a sort of a sit-down-jig, begging me to continue.

"The poor guy is so deep in the closet, he can't figure how to come out. That's
why he tries so hard, with the sports and the girls and the loud bravado. He's

overcompensating for his latent homosexuality. You should have seen him hitting
on Edward yesterday in detention. He kept saying they needed to "buddy up" and

take on the female population together. You know what that's all about, right? It's

the next best thing to getting Edward into his bed. He'll probably try to get a
three-way going with Lauren so he can ‘accidentally’ hold onto Edward's hand as

they DP the poor girl."

"And our new rebel?." He cocked his eyebrow as I countered, "Cullen? Rebel, my

ass. He uses too much hair styling product to be a rebel." Jasper leaned in closer
expectantly.

"He's hot."

Jasper studied my face for a brief moment. "You think he's hot?" I put up a finger

to let him know I wasn't finished.

"But there's something distant and cold about him at the same time. I mean,
really. Who wants to look up at that smug face of his when you come, like he

invented the female orgasm or something? Bet you ten dollars he has OCD too."

Jasper smirked: "Which in sexual terms, means..."

“It means as we speak, your Bella is probably sitting naked somewhere while

Edward meticulously combs all her pubes in the same direction ‘cause he can't
abide any inconsistency of patterns...down there. It would mess up his sexual

rhythm."

He cracked up with that mental picture. "What a great way to introduce our next

subject-- Bella."

“Bella? Um...she seems nice enough. But she's got ‘Cocktease’ stamped on her
forehead. She's the type of girl who bucks up a couple times while in the

missionary position and thinks her job is done. She probably gets all her sex

advice from the monthly Cosmo quiz she takes with her unicorn decorated sparkly
pen.” That evaluation sent him into hysterics.

"Me." His eyes held my gaze and I couldn't think straight.

"In-tu-i-tive." It was all that I could get out as he looked at me. Jasper wanted me

to continue on, but I shot him down with a wave of the hand. I said too much as it

was with one word. Well, one word that was drawn out to equal three or four.

"And last, but certainly not least?"

Time to sell my finer points. "Um, mind-blowingly amazing, of course. She's

learned from the great literary masters. Plus, she took gymnastics for seven years
straight." He sat there staring at me with a mischievous grin.

"So, why hasn't Alice unleashed her mind blowing gifts yet? It's a real shame to

withhold all that wonder from mankind." I shot him a raised eyebrow warning.

"What? It's almost tragic, like Spiderman turning his back on the world by giving

up his powers. It caused a lot of pain and suffering, because he was too selfish to

share his gift with others." His face was one of angelic innocence as I could feel
the color rush into my cheeks. Dangerous, dangerous boy.

"Have you seen the dating pool I have to choose from at this high school? This is

dueling banjo back country. And besides, American boys are known for their lack

of sexual skills. If I have any chance of getting laid decently in high school, I'm
going to have to go with a foreign exchange student." I nodded my head soberly

as he glanced my way.

"You don't mean...Gunnar Bergstrom? The kid from Sweden?" He shook my head
in sheer disappointment. "That guy is such a jerk off."

"Gunnar's sweet, if slightly eccentric."

"No, really...he's a jerk off, Alice. In the showers after P.E. I have to wear flip flops
now inside there for fear of Gunnar getting stuck on the bottom of my foot."

I threw my shoulders up jadedly. "I never said he was the perfect choice. But
Swedish males do have the highest rate of orgasm giving among all the Western

countries. And maybe if Gunnar and I hit it off, he won't have to jerk off in the
showers anymore." He stared at me in utter disgust, and I couldn't hold it in any

longer. I wailed in laughter as he poked me in the side, his finger lingering just
longer than it had to.

"Ow!"

"Serves you right, Brandon, for leaving images of that idiot touching you in my
head." He cocked his head in my direction and sank further down against the

lockers, his shoulders grazing the floor. "You know what Alice? You've laughed

more today than I've seen you laugh in all the years we've had classes together."

I looked away quickly and reached for my bag, trying to ignore what he just said.
The answer why was obvious. He began to finger one of my hair strands behind

my ear; it made twitch involuntarily, but he didn't stop.

"Alice, come on, let me see your story," he pried in a sing-song voice. I turned to

face him and his smile was gentle. "I won't laugh, I promise. I know it's going to

be...what was the phrase you used? Mind-blowingly amazing." His words rolled
off my ears gently, and I could feel my will crumbling. I let out a moan as I put my

hands in my face.

"I don't want to. It's embarrassing." My voice sounded weak- it was clear I was

giving in.

Jasper shot up and his hands grabbed hold of my waist. Before I knew it, I was
seated once again on his lap. "I don't regret showing you my admissions project.

Why do you think you'll regret showing me a story?" He stared into my eyes, a
surprising show of concern on his face.

I sighed as I took out my notebook, scowling at him the whole time.

"Hey, if it will make it easier, I'll take care of an e-zone or two while you read," he
suggested.

The very mention of an e-zone reminded me of his issues with Emmett getting
happy trail dibs over him earlier. I couldn't help but stare at that part of his body.

My hands soon followed as they slid under his shirt, feeling their way around
before tugging the hem up and out of the way. He froze underneath me before

letting out a soft gasp. It was like Christmas morning once the shirt was lifted high
enough to expose his lower torso. Damn, what seven years of track can do for the

ab muscles......

I tried to decipher his eyes in that moment. Tried to figure out what he saw when

he looked at me. Was I just a toy he was playing with for the afternoon? Or could I
trust him?

"Jasper, will you answer one question first? Honestly?"

"Anything," he answered, his voice an almost reverent whisper.

"What was your first thought about me, when you saw me in detention today?"

He paused for a moment. "I believe the phrase beautiful militant came to mind."

I couldn't help it. My head reacted as if someone had just slapped me. Jasper's
expression and position changed. He became more alert, tense.

"What was your second thought?" He was more careful how he answered this

time.

"I was thinking with everyone else gone, and eight hours to spare, maybe I could

finally crack the real Alice Brandon, see what makes her--"

Within a second, I had slid off his legs and was back on the floor. I stuffed my
notebook into my backpack as the words "Alice Brandon, human lab rat" flashed

into my head.

Jasper tried to grab hold of my hand, but I shrugged it off.

"What did I do?"

I just shook my head as I continued to pack.

He sighed impatiently. "You asked me to answer honestly. I thought you would
respect that I did. I respected you enough to tell you what I was thinking without

patronizing you with some bullshit answers."

"We're social beings, Jasper. We aren't islands."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" He straightened his back against

the locker, his eyes searching my face.

"You mentioned we aren't who we appear to be. You're right. We aren't. Because

we are social animals."

I almost wanted to stop, because he looked so blindsided in that moment. I went
from toying with his shirt to sounding like his mother in less than three seconds.

But it was too late.

"Everything we do is situational, because we are influenced by our surroundings.

For instance, look at yourself, Jasper. You never bother to talk or even

acknowledge me on campus. And we've known each other since grade school. But
due to situational constraints, you were forced to hang out with me today. When

Monday comes around again, the situational constraints will be lifted. And you'll
go back to walking by me like I don't exist."

"Hey! That's not fair, since when do you---"

I cut him off and jumped away from him before looking at my watch. "I think I've
provided you with enough lab time for the day. Why don't you write up your

observations on the Feminazi Dyke while your impressions are still fresh in your
mind---and I'll go back to my bat cave."

Jasper stood up looking dejected and wounded at the same time. "Alice, don't do
this."

I wasn't falling for it. Turning my back to him, I ripped my sexual Ode to Jasper out

of my notebook, crumpled it up, and threw it in the trashcan on my way back to

the library. I could hide out there for the rest of the day.

I ignored the loud crash and muttered cursing behind me and kept walking. With
each step, I felt it coming back. My posture, my gait, my expression on my face.

By the time I made it back to the library, I'd be back in perfect Forks High Alice
form. Just as it should be.

Chapter 7- Bella by jandco and Edward by wtvoc

"You better have something epic to show us," I called up to Holy Hale and Stoner

McCarty.

Edward squeezed my hand in agreement and kept his annoyed stare straight
ahead.

I wondered how his hard-on was faring.

Blue balls were never my intention…a strategically placed cum stain on his

Abercrombies, however, was.

I wanted to chop this guy down to my level before he figured out he was way too
sexy, smart and experienced to be running with me. Sexual humiliation would've

done the trick nicely.

"Simmer down, now, Swan. You don't want to miss this," Emmett said over his

shoulder to me.

"Really," Rosalie chimed in. "Anyway, we didn't interrupt much. Dry blowing?

What are you, twelve?"

I was about to shoot back with a clever comment about Rosalie's well-known

reputation for playing “Just the Tip” with most of the Varsity Football team, but
Edward spoke before I did.

"Say what you will about dry blowing, but it was by far the fucking sexiest, most

erotic act I've ever been a part of…and I'm not exactly inexperienced."

I looked up at Edward and raised my eyebrows.

"It's true," he shrugged, not even a hint of embarrassment in his confident tone.

I couldn't help but grin in wonder.

I gave him the sexiest experience of his life?

By dry blowing?

There was a stutter in Rosalie's sway and I could practically see the jealousy roll

up her back.

My wonder grin turned in to a smug one…she couldn't stand for me to be the best

at anything.

"Who the fuck says erotic?" Emmett snorted.

"Me," Edward said, his tone leaving no room for more teasing from Emmett.

The respect he could command from one word was staggering.

"Huh. Whatever with dry blowing, bitches," Emmett said, abruptly turning

around to walk backwards so he could face us while he spoke. "So, Rose and I
were hanging out in the main office, doing a little—"

"Skip the details," Rose cut in, rather harshly.

Hmm.

What the hell were these two up to?

I quickly deduced that between the two of them, it was either drugs or a rousing

game of Just the Tip.

Or possibly both.

"So, we're in the office, studying," Emmett continued, pointedly looking at Rosalie

before turning his attention back to Edward and I, "And Rose notices a few papers
hanging out of the secretary’s desk."

He paused, looking at us expectantly.

We didn't feel the suspense and he waited for us to let it build.

Edward and I stared blankly at him for three silent seconds.

"Let's go finish the dry blow," Edward finally said, yanking on my hand.

"No, you jack offs, I didn't tell you what it is yet," Emmett said, exasperated.

"Spit it out, McCarty," I sighed.

His current substance of choice must be doing serious damage to his brain cells.

"So, Rosalie's on the Sanitary Napkin Committee—"

"The Sanitary School Committee," she sneered at him.

"Is there a committee you're not on?" Edward asked her.

"No," I told him, flatly. He had a lot to learn.

"It's a proven fact that both students and faculty perform better in a clean and

organized environm—"

"Anyway," Emmett said, cutting her off, thank god, "Rosalie opens the drawer to

organize the papers, it's her duty or whatever, and we find…" he paused
dramatically and dug around in his back pocket, then held out his huge hand.

Two condoms, several suspicious looking pills, loose bits of tobacco, a little red

bouncy ball and one of those tiny airplane bottles of booze.

"So, do you guys do pointless cock blocking for fun, or is it for a school

committee?" Edward asked, after surveying the boring contents of Emmett's
pocket.

"Shut up and listen," Emmett said.

Rosalie plucked the bottle of liquor from Emmett's palm.

Edward absently tugged on the ends of my hair, bored and anxious to get back to

the auditorium.

"There's more," Rosalie said, waving the little bottle around. "A lot more."

"An entire drawer full," Emmett said. "Come on."

Emmett and Rosalie took off down the hall.

Edward and I shrugged at each other.

"Man, being reasonable, must get drunk; the best of life is but intoxication,"

Edward quoted, grinning lazily.

"Ah…but Lord Byron had it wrong," I said. "The best of life is actually intoxicated
dry blowing."

Edward came to a sudden halt.

I watched and giggled while he adjusted his cock.

"You're kind of amazing when you use that dirty mouth," he said.

"If you think that's amazing," I said, stretching up to whisper in his ear, "wait until

you experience drunk, uninhibited dry blowing."

Edward shivered and made a low noise, then quickly turned his head to catch my

lips with his.

I let him part my lips with his soft tongue; he tasted like spearmint and Edward—

my new favorite flavor. My nipples hardened and an achy throb began between
my legs…just from his kiss.

If I wasn't careful, I'd quickly turn in to his swooning, pathetic, lap dog

admirer…something I'm sure he had more than enough of.

I pulled back and scowled.

"You're certainly being mighty presumptuous. Since when do we make out in
high school hallways like the head cheerleader and the Prom King?"

"You had your mouth on my zipper five minutes ago. I feel justified in taking such

liberties. Besides," he said, that cocky, son of a bitch grin creeping on his lips,

"you liked it."

He ran one finger across my betraying hard nipples.

I bit my cheek to keep from moaning. Just that light touch was all the foreplay I

needed.

Edward leaned back and looked at my chest.

"You liked it a lot," he said, nodding his head toward my protruding nipples.

Before I could speak, he started walking forward.

"You'll pay for that, Cullen," I called, trying to regain some composure.

He turned and reached his hand for mine.

"I fervently hope so," he said, pulling me down the hall with him.

We met Emmett and Rosalie in the main office, where Emmett was taking

handfuls of the tiny bottles from Cope's deep bottom drawer.

"What's your poison," Emmett asked, crouched over the open drawer.

"Whiskey," Edward said.

Emmett tossed a tiny bottle up and across to Edward, who caught it mid air.

"Vodka," I said, and Edward’s hand shot out to grab the bottle for me.

Rosalie was perched on the desk, sipping a bottle of gin.

"My, my," I said, "you do realize this is an illegal activity, don't you Rosalie?"

"Only if I get caught. Why do you think you were invited down here, Swan? You

can't possibly turn me in if you're an accomplice."

"Touche," I said, already too annoyed to continue the conversation.

Edward unscrewed the caps on our bottles and handed me mine.

We clinked them together…thus the drinking began.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

A half hour later, I was adequately buzzed and perched on Edward’s knee.

He sat loosely slouched in Mrs. Copes chair with his head tossed back in drunk

boredom.

"Who's up for some intoxicated Truth or Dare?" Emmett asked, plunking another
empty bottle on the desk, adding to the collection.

"Forget it, McCarty," I said. "Drunk Truth or Dare always ends in regretful kissing
and topless chicks."

"Exactly," Emmett grinned.

"Psssh…I didn't come down here for a four-way party," Edward said, lifting me by
the hips to my feet.

He stood and grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

But we didn't go far.

Edward pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the adjoining door that

led to the Principal’s office. "Impressive," I said, brushing past him and in to the
office.

"I try," he sighed, shutting the door behind us.

I heard the lock click and my heart rate picked up.

Edward slowly took in the office and I noticed he paid particular attention to the

certificates and diplomas on the wall.

He was sizing up the principal.

I watched his eyes narrow and he seemed to be calculating or comparing.

I hoisted myself on to the desk to keep watching him.

His hair had fallen in to his eyes and his walk was now more of a slow, sexy
shuffle.

Edward was a quiet drunk.

I noticed he seemed more contemplative, more brooding when he was buzzed. It
was refreshing, actually. Most guys in this school got horny, obnoxious and all

around belligerent when they drank…but then again, Edward wasn't like any

other guy at this school.

As I kept staring, it was becoming disturbingly clear to me that he was more than
just a sexy, witty guy who happened to be too good with his hands.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I went ahead and did it.

I had fallen for him—too quick and too hard.

I was about to make a break for it, to try to save myself from falling harder, when
he turned around, smiling dark and seductive at me.

I was frozen.

How the hell did he do that?

"Finished with your assessment so soon?" I asked.

"Quite finished. I've much more pressing matters to attend to," he said, coming

at me, keeping our gazes locked.

"Hmm. Such as?"

He placed a hand on either side of my lap on the desk.

"I think…we can cut the banter for now, Bella," he whispered, his face inches from
mine.

I leaned back.

"Intimidated by my verbal sparring skills?" I asked.

"No. But it makes it a lot harder to kiss you when your mouth is running."

"Well, then—"

"What are you so suddenly nervous about?" he asked, seeing through me like I

was a freshly Windexed window.

If I spoke again, he'd figure me out…he was way too perceptive…so, I kissed him
instead.

He responded vigorously, gripping my face with his hands, his tongue slipping
softly against mine.

Without warning, I was flat on my back with Edward hovering over me, our lips
still working together.

I let my hands feel my way up his tensed arms gripping tightly at his solid biceps.

Oh God.

My hips rose off the desk, searching for his. I desperately needed the friction.

He softly snickered into my mouth and I could taste the whiskey mixed with

spearmint now…delicious.

Edward put his weight on one arm and I felt his other hand snake up my shirt.

His palm slowly and smoothly went up my stomach until I could feel his fingertips

brushing the bottom of my breast.

I shouldn't let him.

I wanted him to.

I really, really shouldn't…for so many reasons.

I wanted him to.

He smoothly covered my tit with his hand, then gave a gentle squeeze and we

both moaned out at the same time.

Edward’s mouth went to my neck where he kissed and sighed, making my body

tremble.

"You've got great tits," he mumbled absently, but his hand slid out from under my
shirt and he stood up, leaving me reeling flat on my back.

My expression must have been pathetic, because he cocked his head and
smirked.

His hands went for the button on my jeans.

"Whoa," I said, sitting up. "I can't."

"Relax," he said. "Tragic as it is, there will be no principal's office sex today."

"Well, then what—"

"Everything will remain 'dry'. Well…maybe not everything," he amended, running
a finger directly over the seam of my jeans.

I looked at him for an explanation.

"I just think this dry blowing thing could stand a few minor revisions. Like thinner
fabric. Besides," he said, leaning in to my ear, "I want to be able to smell you."

That was it.

I lay back down on the desk.

I reasoned that the type of material didn't make a difference.

Denim, cotton—whatever—it was still a dry blow.

The button had been undone by the time I had completed my self -justification.

"Lift your ass," Edward said, and I did so he could yank my jeans down.

I quickly recalled what underwear I put on that morning.

Yellow cotton, bikini cut.

Not sexy.

Not embarrassing, either, though.

"Fu—uck," Edward said, under his breath.

My eyes widened.

I couldn't be that bad.

"You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen," he mumbled, then I heard a soft thud
when his knees hit the floor.

Edward’s hands pushed my thighs apart and then I felt one short gasp of breath

through my underwear before his mouth was hot and wide open, pressing against

the thin cotton.

"Oh…god," I said, completely unprepared for the amazing, liquid sensations he
sent coursing through me.

His fingers pressed harder in to the soft skin of my inner thighs and then…his
tongue was wide and flat against my clit.

The hot moisture from his tongue slowly seeped through the fabric and I

instinctively inched down the desk, pushing myself into his face.

Edward’s tongue started to slowly ripple against me, making tiny, wet waves that

made me squirm and wriggle, despite the fact that his hands held firmly on to my
thighs.

"I can taste you," he groaned, and the vibration from his deep, gritty voice against
my core threw me in to a lustful, dripping frenzy.

My butt lifted from the desk and I thrust up and down on his mouth quickly.

He started sucking through the soaked cotton and the heat from my core spread
up to my stomach.

"Oh…you're gonna…make…me…" I panted, before my jaw locked shut and my
back arched.

My hips jerked in to him violently, but he didn't budge from his position…thank

heaven.

Edward kept sucking and lapping, letting me ride out every powerful spasm until

my body relaxed and my ass dropped back to the desk in exhaustion.

Edward planted two feather light kisses on the wet material, then got to his feet.

He leaned over me until his face was just above mine.

"I think I got the hang of this dry blow thing," he said, cockily.

"I taught you well, grasshopper," I said, closing my eyes, hoping he wouldn't see

my sudden wave of self consciousness.

His lips brushed mine briefly and I felt his weight lift from my body.

I sat up and patted my hair.

Edward tossed my jeans in my lap.

"Oh—ew! I can't keep this underwear on," I said, practicality rushing back to me.
"It's gooey and—"

"So, take it off," Edward said, leaning on the desk next to me.

"Turn around," I said.

"Are you kidding? I know what it tastes like. I think I can handle the visual."

"If you ever want to taste it again, you'll shut up and turn around now."

He rolled his eyes and turned around.

It was silly, but I didn't want him to see me yet.

I probably shouldn't have let things get so far, but, dammit. I couldn't help it.

And…it wasn't so much the act that I was freaked out about…it was anticipating

his reaction to the act.

I mean, he's a guy…of course he's going to see how far he can get…that didn't

mean he wouldn't think I was slutty.

And I'm not.

But he didn't know that. That I had never gone so far so quickly with

someone…it's just- I had no sexual self-control where Edward was concerned.

Ugh.

I zipped up my jeans and swallowed hard, preparing to tell Edward, 'But wait, I'm

not a slut.'

God, this was going to be awkward.

"Alright, Hoover, you may look at me again," I said, in what I hoped was a bored

tone.

Edward slowly turned to look at me with an intense, unreadable expression.

Shit.

I mumbled something unintelligible and went for the door, quickly unlocking it

and swinging it open.

"Bella?" Edward asked behind me.

I didn't turn. I tried to focus on Emmett, standing there, flipping through a manila

folder.

Emmett looked up to say something, but his eyes looked past me and widened.

I turned just in time to see Edward snatch my yellow underwear from the desk
and shove them in his back pocket.

His eyes met Emmett's, and it was obvious Edward was giving him the keep-your-

fucking-mouth-shut glare.

I was grateful.

"What's up?" Edward asked, nodding toward Emmett's file.

"Student records," Emmett hiccupped. "Mine's full of shit."

Rosalie was by the file cabinet, flipping through the folders.

"Holy shit, Emmett, this one's thicker than yours," she said, pulling it out.

Emmett grinned and was about to say something equally egotistical and

perverted when Rosalie held up the novel-sized folder.

"Who is it?" I asked, curious about who on earth could have a larger fuck-up list

than Emmett McCarty.

"Hmmm," Rosalie said, flipping open the file. "Cullen, Edward."

He stiffened behind me.

I looked over my shoulder.

Edward was glaring at Rosalie from under his lashes, his head slightly bowed in

anger.

He took a deep breath.

"Put. That. Back."

Edward

Goddamnit.

My thinking ability is for shit right now.

I wanted to make up something witty to say about my damned transcripts.

But I could still smell Bella all over my face.

Good thing I have a few of those Listerine Strips left.

Rosalie let a knowing smirk pop up; she really is beautiful.

But then she has to ruin it by opening her mouth and-

“Lemme guess. Caught cheating? Faculty fucking? Come on, Cullen. Let’s air out

your dirty laundry,” she said, flipping open to the top page of the file.

I was about to dive over and smack the thing out of the bitch’s hand when we all

became aware of pounding footsteps out in the hall.

Someone was running.

And we were in the Principal’s Office.

Rosalie looked like she was going to shit her pants; she stuffed my record back in
the file cabinet, and Emmett shoved the rest of the pilfered records back as well.

While the two of them argued over alphabetical order, Bella and I rearranged our

clothing and hair, making sure we didn’t look too disheveled.

Alice and Jasper burst in, Alice breathing out, “Oh thank Christ.” She leaned

forward, hand on her chest, catching her breath. Jasper didn’t even look winded.

“The fuck are you guys up to?” he said, eyeing Bella’s hair. He glanced at me out

of the corner of his eye, then darted back to her. She flashed him a warning, and
he shrugged his shoulders in acceptance.

I guess I’m in. Might need to work on the Best Friend Approval. I’d really hate to

have to kick his ass in the end.

But I’d do it if it was for Bella.

Alice finally caught her breath. “Pattinson’s awake, and he’s pissed. We need to

get back.”

I glanced at the clock, noticing with surprise that it was already a quarter to four.

Meeting Bella’s eyes, I smirked, sizing her up.

“I think we left your sweater in the auditorium.”

She blushed a furious shade of strawberry red, self-consciously wrapping her arms

around her breasts. Jasper noticed and this time, his eyes met mine as he flashed
me the “don’t fuck this up” look.

I really hoped I wouldn’t.

Putting my arms around her shoulder, I led her out into the hallway. I assumed
everyone followed us, and we all made our way back to the library.

Pattinson was standing there, looking bleary-eyed. Jesus, he had already grown
stubble while laying there. He looked hung over. Which fit, since we were all still

buzzed from the Cope Stash.

“What…. The hell…” he muttered. He was rubbing his eyes and running his hand

through his hair, making it stand on end. I looked back toward the group and
noticed that Bella, Rosalie, and even Alice were staring at Pattinson, glassy-eyed

with lust.

The fuck?

Pattinson?

Whatever.

I’m way hotter than he is.

Anyway, time to go.

“Mr. Pattinson, we had a potty emergency. Jasper, Emmett and I didn’t feel safe

having such beautiful ladies walking these hallowed halls all by their lonesome, so
we accompanied them. You seem to have fallen asleep most of the day, but it

sure was nice of you to excuse us from writing those papers,” I said smoothly.

Hey, I might be a total dick, but I could be charming and convincing when I
wanted.

A confused look swept over his face as he absorbed what I had told him. I know

whatever Emmett had slipped in his coffee was going to fuck with his short-term,

so I sent a silent prayer to the Dry Blow Gods that my ruse would work.

He took a deep breath and running his hands through his hair again, he eyed the
three ladies we all were coupled up with.

Holy shit. He runs his hands through his hair on purpose. The girls were all lost in
hair fantasies again.

Stop eye fucking Bella.

I wanted to pound his stubbly face in.

He came to, grinning lazily.

“Well, kids. I guess I’ll see you next Saturday, then.” He eyed the girls

appreciatively, and I pulled Bella with me to the chair I had been sitting in, pulling
my Dickies jacket off the back and enfolding her in it.

“I wouldn’t want you to get the chills now, would I?” I murmured. She was
looking at me, and I felt warm as I gazed back. Her eyes are so beautiful.

“Shall we?” I said, offering my arm. She took it, placing her small hand in the
crook of my elbow, and we barely uttered our good-byes to everyone as we sailed

out of the library together.

“Seeya next Saturdayyyyy!” Emmett called out, laughing maniacally. I heard a

loud smack, and I didn’t need to look to know that Rosalie had schooled the guy.

“See you later, Bella?” Jasper mumbled, his hands shoved in his pockets as he
came up next to us. Alice had her head ducked down as she barreled past, flying

out into the cloudy afternoon and diving into the Microbus that was waiting for

her.

I noticed my Father standing outside of his Mercedes, and I wondered why he had
bothered to show up. Great.

“Keep the jacket, Bella. I’ll call you later, okay?” I asked, squeezing her ass as I

left.

“But you don’t have my-“

“I’ll get it.”

My father had been talking to an attractive dark blonde, and when we all

emerged from the school, she wandered back to her car. I wondered if she was

Rosalie’s mother. Good genes. Wonder if she’s a raging bitch, too.

“Carlisle.”

“Edward.”

“What in the hell are you doing here?”

“I told you. No motorcycle. I had it towed.”

“Very thoughtful of you.”

“Always a pleasure.”

He sighed. “Edward, is this-“

“Dad. I’ll be fine. I had a religious experience in detention, trust me.”

Grinning, I added cheekily, “Don’t worry. I cannot wait for next Saturday.”

Chapter 8- Jacob by Heartbroken1

In my time at Forks High, I’d worn many hats, held a variety of positions

and been called lots of flattering things; Captain of the basketball,
baseball and debate teams, Student Body President, band geek, and I’d
even received the ridiculous honor of being voted ‘best abs’ two years
in a row.

This morning though, as I pulled into the parking lot for Saturday
School, the only description I could come up with was stupid, pathetic,
pussy-whipped loser. Bella’s car was lined up amongst the others, most
of which I recognized.

Alice Brandon, the tiny man-hater’s little yellow Volkswagen Beetle was
parked next to Jasper Whitlock’s Ford Mustang.

Ah, Jasper- Bella’s best friend, the man I would give my eye teeth to
replace. He was always at Bella’s side and, if not for the inside
knowledge I had about Bella’s sexual appetites, I would have guessed
that he was the one satisfying her itch.

Of course McCarty’s Jeep was here. The prick was always in the
principal’s office and probably spent most Saturdays in the very place

he was constantly trying to escape. One look at the size of McCarty’s
mode of transportation makes you wonder which part of his anatomy
he was making up for.

The shiny red Beamer that belonged to the mega-priss, full of herself,
extremely flirtatious, catty, I’m-better-than-you Rosalie Hale was also
here. Damn, that skanky bitch had propositioned me one night our
freshman year. I shook my head, trying to avoid the disgusting memory.

“Hey, Jake,” she attempted a sexy purr, but the slurring killed the
effect.

“Hey,” I answered without looking up.

“I’ve been thinking…” she said as her hand moved up my thigh.

I cursed the sudden hardening that was purely involuntary. “Tough
thing for you?” My tone was full of the appropriate amount of venom.

She rolled her eyes as the long, perfectly manicured fingers moved
closer to my traitorous second head. “I’ll bet you’re as big here as you
are everywhere else.” An unexpected squeeze of my member nearly
sent me through the roof and she giggled.

Towering over where she looked up at me from the couch, I glared at
her. “So what if I am… what’s it to you?”

She stood, wobbled on her stilettos and fell into my arms. If my mother
had raised an ass, I would have gladly let Rosalie fall on hers. Instead, I
supported the drunk floozy.

“Listen, Jacob, I have a cherry that is in some serious need of popping.”

I laughed in her face. “Not interested.”

“Sure, you are,” another really bad attempt at seduction, “it’s every
guy’s dream to take a girl’s virginity. I’m offering mine to you…no
strings attached.” Her hands were rubbing all over my body, causing me
to shudder -- and not in a good way.

My hand captured both of hers and held them tight, the other one
grasped her chin gently and waited until her bloodshot, dilated eyes
met my clear ones. “Rosalie, that’s a real sweet offer, but, like I said,
not interested. If you’re hell bent on some asshole taking your virginity
tonight, try Tyler…he’s on the porch.”

She placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek and whispered in my ear, “You
were my first choice, Jacob Black. Your loss.”

The wood door with the large window brought me back to reality.

There was Bella, the reason I would lower myself to being here. Who
would have guessed it would be so hard to get yourself sentenced to
spending a Saturday stuck in the library with a bunch of juvenile
delinquents. But, that’s what I’d done.

I’d tried all week; been late, decked Embry in the middle of Calculus --
he knew it was coming -- and yet, it took begging Mrs. Smith to send
me after spraying her with a can of silly string.

Bella shifted in her seat, causing my eyes to focus on again on the here

and now. A deep breath and the cracking of ten knuckles and I pulled
the door open. Seven sets of eyes turned to gawk at me. I was aware of
them, but only through my periphery. My eyes were focused only on

one set, the most beautiful brown eyes God ever placed in a human
being.

Bella first looked surprised, then she blushed as she smiled.

Mr. Pattinson cleared his throat, causing me to tear my vision away
from Bella. “It’s nice of you to join us, Mr. Black. Have a seat, and
remember there’s absolutely no talking. This is a punishment, although
I’m not sure what would possess you to feel the need to be here.”

“It’s okay.” With a wave of my hand, I brushed him off and slunk down

into the first empty seat nearest to Bella. “I pushed Mrs. Smith too far,
and deserve the punishment.”

He chuckled knowingly. “If that’s the way you want to play it, Jake, we’ll
stick with that story.”

I could feel Bella’s questioning eyes boring into the side of my face, and
avoided looking at her at all costs.

The truth was that when Bella didn’t call Sunday night for our usual
extracurricular activity, I was really bothered; hurt. I even went to the
little fishing cabin Billy and Charlie used and waited… and waited. She

didn’t answer her cell phone. Then Monday morning she’d given me
some lame excuse about having to attend Saturday School and being
behind on her homework.

I hated being blown off, especially when my pathetic heart looked
forward to our bi-weekly meetings even more than my cock did.
Delusions are interesting things and, when it came to my relationship

with Bella, I had a bunch. For those few hours every week, she was
simply getting off, having sex. But for me, it was making love, baring my
soul to her and praying that today would be the day she would want
more of me than just the part that gave her screaming orgasms.

Yep, pathetic!

Someone cleared their throat and my head jerked in the direction of
the sound. Karl, the janitor, was standing there with mop in hand. “Mr.
Pattinson, I’m kind of having… an emergency.” His eyes darted quickly

toward McCarty and I wondered what kind of diversion the jack-off had
put into motion. “I could really use your help.”

Pattinson surveyed his cell block. “Um, I guess I can step out for a few
minutes.”

“Thanks,” Karl let out a sigh of relief.

“Remember everybody, no talking. Black, you’re in charge.” He turned
his back to us and stepped out the door.

I groaned inwardly, while everyone around me made their disapproval
in more vocal ways. Karl shot McCarty another glance that was met by
a thumbs-up and a wink.

The door closed with a thud and Emmett jumped out of his seat. “Well,

that’ll keep him busy for a while. I’m outta here. You got a problem
with that, Black?”

I glared at his smug face. “Honestly, dick, I don’t give a shit who you
do.”

“Great idea.” He offered a hand to the blond bitch. “Wanna join me?”

She giggled, tossed her hair over her shoulder and took his hand. “See

you losers later.” Their heads were together before they’d even
entered the hall and I guessed that it was only a matter of minutes
before they were more intimately joined.

Jasper gave Alice a look and the two of them filed out into the hall.

“Jacob Black!”

My neck nearly got whiplash as it jerked around to meet Bella’s irate
glare. Holy shit, she’s even more beautiful when she’s angry.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Said the 4.0 student,” I grumbled.

“Yeah, to the 3.9.” She slipped down in the chair next to me. “I asked
you a question. What the hell are you doing here?”

“I got in a little trouble…. No big deal.”

“Jacob, look at me.”

Of course I would do anything she asked. I’m just that pitiful.

Her big brown eyes were worried, surprised and angry when I finally
worked up enough courage to meet them. “You don’t get into trouble.
This is a big deal.”

Over Bella’s shoulder, the new kid, Edmund something-or-other, was

practically seething. His eyes were narrowed and filled with so much
hatred I could feel it slamming into me in waves. The muscle in his jaw
was working so hard that he wasn’t going to have any molars left, if he
didn’t give it a rest.

Leaning in closer to Bella, I whispered, “What’s his deal?”

She looked over her shoulder, blushed, then whispered back, “Don’t
worry about him. This is about you.”

“Whatever, Bells, he looks like, in about five seconds, he’s gonna go all
caveman on my ass… just before he throws you over his shoulder or
drags you away by your hair.”

“He’s not like that.” She shook her head. “Are you trying to purposely
avoid talking about what’s going on with you?”

“Don’t pretend you care now, Bella.” Before my head could argue, my

feet had pushed me away from the desk, stood and were carrying me
out of the library. I so don’t need her shit, I told myself…not that I could
be convinced.

“Jake, don’t…” Her voice was cut off by the door closing.

The squeaking of my tennis shoes against the floor was the only sound
in the deserted hallway. Hell, the whole school, my second home, was
empty. Being Student Body President had given me a certain number of
perks; keys to the conference room, teacher’s lounge and teacher’s
work room, locker number one, amongst others.

I got to my locker, right next to the principal’s office, and there was

another piece of that stupid poem on it. “The poor bastard that’s trying

to nail a girl this way is even more pathetic than I am,” I grumbled
under my breath. My hand grabbed at the paper and crumpled it into a
ball.

“Jacob,” Bella’s soft voice was almost as soft as her touch as her hand
rested on the small of my back. “Please talk to me.”

I didn’t turn around, expecting Edmund to be in her hip pocket or that

she was drenched in his urine, after he’d claimed his territory before
letting her out of his sight. “What do you want me to say?”

She snorted and wedged herself between me and the locker. “What the
hell is your problem?”

“My problem? My problem? Are you freakin’ kiddin’ me, Bells?” Her
eyes widened in surprise as I raised my voice. “You’re not the only with
needs, little girl. I’m frustrated as hell. I need our meetings as much as
you do. It’s been over a damn week and…” I let out a frustrated breath
and ran my hand through my hair before looking down at her.

Good Lord, she was gorgeous. Her long lashes blinked over her dark
eyes while her perfectly, pouty lips pursed, begging to be kissed.

I lowered my tone, dropping my head to rest against the locker over
her shoulder. “I missed you, Bells.” I cleared my throat and put a
disgusting spin on it. “At least I miss the… release you give me.”

She giggled. “You’re always so proper, it cracks me up. Release, Jake?
Call it what it is… you need to get off.” Her hand grabbed onto my boys,
causing a low hiss to escape through my teeth. “I get that. If you’d like, I

can ah, ease a little of that tension, Mr. President.” She ducked away
from me and sashayed down the hall, using her hips to beckon me.

Damn, she’s good. My pride wanted me to stay right where I was. My
cock, on the other hand, was straining painfully against the zipper of my
jeans.

Her hands reached for the hem of her sweater and she pulled it over
her head, revealing another of Jasper’s more-gray-than-white, worn-
out wife-beaters. I hated that she wore them, but only because they
weren’t mine.

Jakey jumped and the decision was made before the head on my

shoulders even had a chance to think. I was careful to keep my distance
from her, not wanting to get too close. She was so hot, so tempting,
that if I got within an arm’s length, I might lose control and do her right
here in the middle of the hall.

We walked past the locker rooms and could hear Rosalie agreeing

wholeheartedly with Emmett. Bella giggled and rounded the corner
toward the teacher’s lounge. “Don’t you have a key?” she said through
her knowing smile. Her fingers fumbled painfully in my pocket in search
of my keys. Butterflies filled my stomach as she opened the door. She
smiled and raised her brows. “Come on, let me work my magic.”

Before the door had even closed, Bella had her hands on the button of
my jeans. “Wow, you’re ready for me.” I flipped the lock on the door as
her nimble fingers made quick work of the buttons on my shirt, easing

it off my shoulders and down my arms. She giggled, “Look, we match,”
making reference to my white tank top.

“Um, no, mine is white. Yours is dingy and so worn I can see your tits
through it.” I pinched her nipple. “Not that I’m complaining.”

She bit her lip, looked down at herself, then to me. Her warm hands
pulled the hem from my jeans and lifted it over my head. She kissed my
chest at heart level, sending fire through my skin right into the beating
organ that had her name stamped on it.

My head fell back, knocking a large clippy magnet thing to the floor
with an obnoxious crash. I’ll have to try to remember to pick that up. I

watched eagerly as she shed her decrepit tank top and brushed her
already erect, perfect pearls against my bare skin while she stood on
her tiptoes to get closer to my face.

“Now… we match.”

The animal in me took over, grabbing the back of her thighs. I lifted her
against me. Her legs wrapping themselves around my waist while her
fingers slid themselves into my hair. She sighed, “I so needed this.” Her

nails raked down my back, sliding beneath the waistband and sinking
into the flesh of my ass.

I groaned and she smiled against my lips. Finding the front of her jeans,
I popped the button and slid the denim over her thighs to reveal a blue

satin thong. Totally hot. My breath caught in my throat, but my heart
was hammering violently in my chest. This girl would be the death of
me.

She went to work on my neck, leaving kisses and a wake of erotic fire
that nearly caused my knees to give out. It took every ounce of control I
had to remain standing. I focused instead on her hot flesh that was only

millimeters away. After carefully moving the silky fabric to the side, my
fingers plunged into the wet deliciousness that was my Bella.

A scream ripped from her lungs. I’d done this exact thing more times
than I could count, but had it hurt this time? I paused and she grabbed
my hand. “Don’t you dare stop!” Her hips moved against my hand as
she panted and squealed her approval.

“You don’t want me stop this?” I asked, plunging my fingers deep inside
her.

Slick walls tightened around me as Bella let out another scream of pure
ecstasy. If they could bottle the effects of that sound, they would no

longer need Viagra. My cock throbbed painfully against the coarse
denim barrier of my jeans.

Bella finished her wave and wiggled against my grip. I placed her
carefully on her feet in front of me. Her tiny hand rubbed me through
my pants. “It seems to me that you’re the one who was frustrated.” She

made quick work of my jeans, shimmying the fabric over my legs until it
dropped to the floor with a soft thud. Her fingers wrapped around my
member, squeezing lightly.

Air hissed through my teeth as she took me into her mouth, sucking
and using her tongue in a way that would cause a statue to blush. Her
head jerked back, releasing my cock with a loud pop. She smiled

seductively while her eyes twinkled mischievously, then used her hand
to guide my member into her very wet, very ready core.

She braced herself against the table where our beloved staff ate their
lunch. The various, ‘World’s Greatest’ mugs, sitting off to the side,
clanked with my rhythm. If my mind hadn’t been preoccupied with
better things, I might have felt guilty.

With a final thrust, I let go and released everything I had, irresponsibly,
into Bella. She clutched to my shoulders, pulling me closer to her.
Heaving breasts met my chest with each attempt to catch her breath.

“That.Was…”

Awesome? Earth-shattering?

“Fabulous.”

That’ll do. “I.Agree.”

The interesting dance of finding our clothes and getting redressed
started. Her long fingers reached for the disgusting wife-beater that
had once been worn by another man and my stomach clenched. That
was something that I would have to remedy. I snatched it away from

her and chucked it in the trash, where it belonged. “Here, why don’t
you wear mine.” The thought of having my shirt so intimately against
her skin was a huge turn on.

She snatched it out of my hand and pulled it over her head, easing her
long hair to hang down her back. Her eyes looked down. “This one fits
like a dress. It’s so long.”

“I thought you liked them long,” I teased.

Her perfect lips turned up in a smile. “I do,” she said as she stuffed the
edges into her pants, then tugged violently at the zipper that wasn’t
willing to budge over the excess fabric.

“Let me help you with that.” I took a step toward her and, in one fluid

motion, had the zipper back where it belonged. My hands grabbed onto
her hips and held in her place. She looked up into my eyes. “Bella, I
need you to be honest with me.”

Worry flashed across her face. “’Kay.”

“Do I…ah…what I mean is…”

She kissed my chin. “Spit it out, Jake.”

“Do I need to find somebody else to…” I closed my eyes so I didn’t have
to see her tell me no. “…meet with twice a week?”

She giggled and I braved a look at her. “Do you need to find a new

screw buddy?” I loved that she respected me enough to keep her
mouth semi-clean while we were together. I knew she usually talked
like a trucker.

“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m asking. Is that why you…”

“Blew you off?”

I nodded and held my anxious breath painfully in my overstretched
lungs.

Her hands snaked around to rest on my ass. “Jake, you worry too
much.” The sound of a slap filled the room around us. “The next time

you get all frustrated, just call me. The phone lines run both ways, you
know.” She leaned up to press her lips to mine, then she ducked out of
my hold and strutted toward the door. Her laughter was cut off by her
gasp as she opened the door.

Visions of Mr. Pattinson, the man who had trusted me to keep order,
standing in the hallway, jumped into my mind. When I came up behind
her, it was a really pissed off Edmund glaring at her… then at me.

“Edward! Shit! I can explain.” She hurried after him, yanking her
oversized sweater over my shirt. “It’s not what it… Okay, maybe it is.
But… Dammit!”

Well, hell! That can’t be good. He may be pissed, but at least it was my
dick in her mouth this morning… And she hadn’t given me a red light for
future romps.

Tomorrow night would be the tell-all. When Bella showed up to our

regular Sunday night rendezvous at Charlie’s fishing cabin, I would
know that we were cool. And after today? Damn, I couldn’t wait.

Chapter 9- Rosalie by Ereeen

I’m a rebel….soul rebel…

I opened my eyes lazily and breathed in a deep, lung-filling breath. I
stretched my long limbs outward to awaken my stiff muscles.

Bob Marley continued to croon to me as I shook myself out of the
warm haze I’d been under all night.

See the morning sun, aaah…

I smiled as my favorite song once again greeted me as I woke up to
another beautiful morning. I flopped my body to the side so I could
stare past my hanging love beads covering my window and look out to
the beautiful blue sky.

Well, it was beautiful until I remembered I had detention again. As if
nature knew my sudden mood change, clouds covered the sun and my
room shifted to a darker, danker color.

Detention. More charades. Goody.

Sighing heavily in disappointment and general annoyance, I flung the
warm tie-dyed sheets off my body and shuffled towards my iPod in
search of a fitting song. Bob Marley wasn’t helping my cynical mood.

Alanis’s “Ironic” lilted from the speakers.

“Uh, not today,” I snapped at the small device in my hand. I stabbed a
perfectly manicured nail onto the “next” button so the song would
change. I cringed when my finger nail bent uncomfortably.

How I hated acrylics.

I smiled as Blink 182’s “Dammit” filled my purple room. I jumped in
place as the opening guitar riff enveloped my room, then bobbed my
head in time with the drum slide. The song kicked off with a bang, and
so did I. I shot around my room like a haphazard missile, gyrating my

body and arms in all directions. I successfully took out a lamp with a
wayward hand, but I ignored it. I needed to get pumped. I needed to
forget about the next exhausting eight hours.

I sashayed up to my Aqua Bats! poster and shook my chest at the blue

scuba suit-clad men generously. I blew a kiss then skipped to my closet
singing the lyrics at the top of my lungs.

Well, I guess this is growing up…

I flung my closet door open and danced into the mountains of clothes,
still swinging my hair every which way. I stopped and dropped my arms
to my sides as I closed my eyes in preparation for the day to come.
Deep breath through the nose pipe.

Smmmmmmmmmmmmmmmah.

Deep breath out through the mouth hole.

Woooooooooooooooooshah.

After successfully calming my itching nerves slightly, I opened my eyes
and took in the contents of my closet.

I looked to my left and saw my “school” clothes that were for my alter
ego known as Rosalie. Banana Republic would be proud. I basically

owned every article of clothing the store had ever produced. I stuck my
tongue at the dark, sultry colors and the prim pant suits I had collected
over the years. It was your basic constipated soccer mom wardrobe.

I pivoted my feet to my right where my clothes resided; Rose’s clothes.
My hippie skirts. My jeans. My band tees. My I-don’t-give-a-flying-fuck
clothes. Everything I loved to wear, just not at school.

At school, I had an image to uphold. A carbon copy of myself

essentially, except twisted and distorted. I felt for that Atlas. He had to
carry the weight of the world on his shoulders; I had to carry the weight
of a different personality.

A different life.

I wasn’t skittish, I was just guarded. I’m not one to let people in easily,
so I created an armor to help me survive high school the only way I
knew how--fake a life. Be a bitch. Dispel everyone. I’ll never see these
people again in my life, so what was the difference?

It’s been working quite nicely for the past four years.

Plus, since when has anyone ever cared for more than themselves?

America was the greediest country since, well, ever, and I wasn’t willing
to unload my personal baggage on a bunch of pimpled, horny future
consummates that would eventually lead to this nation’s downfall.

I eyed a lavender scoop neck sweater wearily. I wasn‘t particularly a
huge fan of sleeveless shirts that put my boobs on display for the entire

high school community, but it had its advantages. Like getting out of
classes, for example. I’d given my most hated teachers boners-a-plenty
in my time.

I ripped the poor purple blouse from its hanger a little more violently
than I intended. I also snatched a pair of charcoal grey dress pants that
hugged my ass perfectly a little rougher than necessary. It wasn’t their

fault I was missing a day that I could be spending in Seattle visiting my
college friends. My real friends.

I turned back to my right and gazed longingly at a pair of faded jeans
and my favorite holey NOFX shirt. My Dad had gotten the shirt back in
the 90’s when he was still able to bounce around youthfully. Now at
forty-five and overworked, not so much.

I shrugged and moved from my closet and flung the offending articles
of clothing onto my bed and began my morning preparation.

Makeup, hair, clothes, hair, makeup, hair, makeup.

Ah, what a tedious life, I say, the beautiful have.

I smirked at my reflection as I patted myself inwardly on the back.

Despite Bella Swan’s intense disagreement, I could be quite charming.

After one final ass check in the mirror, I slipped on a pair of black
pointed heels and grabbed my keys and stuffed them into my purse. I
paused as I opened the door to my bedroom and glanced over my

shoulder to make eye contact with Bob Marley. He smiled back,
exuding warmth and peace. I gave him a half smile back, then blew a
kiss in the air.

One love, baby.

I skipped down the steps humming a tuneless song to myself but
stopped short when the putrid smell of alcohol burned my nostrils
almost instantly when I bounded to the bottom step of the stairs.

My father was sitting on the couch staring blankly at an infomercial for
receding hairlines. I snickered quietly and attempted to make it out of
the room unseen. My mother was nowhere to be found.

As usual.

I had almost successfully made my way out of the funked-up living
room when a treacherous floor board gave away my silent escape.

A sharp inhale filled the silence as if the dead were awakening.

“Rosie…” a deep voice slurred.

I rolled my eyes and straightened my shoulders.

“Fucking the bottle already, Dad?” I mumbled under my breath while
pulling a hand through my blonde locks.

“Whas-tha?” My father asked loudly. A rasping cough jarred his body,
and he bent over to help steady his shaking body. The disgusting sound
of phlegm clearing from an air passage came from my father‘s
hunched-over form.

Gross.

“I said, ‘what’s up Daddy?’”

“Get in here,” he barked harshly.

Panic slipped down my throat like cold water as his rough command
shook my tough charade. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up
slightly, praying that I could get away with just a bruised hip bone. Just
for today.

“Rosalie Hale! I will not fuh-cking ask you again, you ungrateful piece of
shit!”

I jumped as his voice ripped through the thick air that suddenly filled

the spacious living room. It was stifling, and I felt a faint sprinkle of
sweat cover the space between my upper lip and nose.

Now I knew why Mom was missing. He was in one of his moods.

I hesitantly clicked my way over to my father’s slouching form and
prepared myself for the inevitable berating that was about to take
place.

“Y-yes, Dad?” I stammered stupidly once I stood five feet away from
him.

Heavy lidded eyes looked up from a bottle of whiskey and roamed my
body. A slimy tongue flicked across cracked lips.

My father grunted his approval.

The bile pushed itself from my stomach and rushed up my throat. It
took an audible gulp to force it back down.

“Where the fuck are you going at this hour?” he asked roughly as he
collided the lip of the whiskey bottle to his mouth and took a long draw.

“I have detention, Dad. I told you all about it a week ago.”

My Father’s eyes narrowed.

“You are a perpetual fuck up.” Spit went flying like fireworks from his
mouth.

I held my head a little higher. I was used to his words now. I learned to
accept that it was just a mixture of anger and alcohol speaking.

“I need to get going, Dad. I’ll be home later.” I turned to leave, but a
tight hand gripped my forearm. He tugged me back towards him, and I
felt my skin jerk against his fingers painfully.

That’s going to leave a mark.

He pushed his lips right into my hair, then sipped in a breath through
his nose, and expelled from his mouth in a gush.

My stomach quenched as his musky breath caressed my cheek. I closed
my eyes and locked my jaw.

“What, no ‘I love you’?” my father cooed. His hands began to snake
down to my waist, but I wrenched myself out of his grasp and walked
quickly toward the door and closed it soundly behind me.

The tension that was surging through my body finally left and I felt my
body sag limply against the wooden door. Tears silently slid down my
cheeks as I tried to steady my breathing.

In. Out. In. Out.

Once my breathing returned to normal, I picked myself up and wobbled

over to my red BMW convertible on numb legs. I reached for my car
door and paused as another wave of nausea swam through my system
as I took in the sight before me.

Purplish marks were already beginning to bloom where my father had
grabbed me.

Perfect. Iron. Must digest more iron.

I slipped into my car and heard it purr to life. The sound was
comforting, but it still didn’t erase the dull ache throbbing in my lower
stomach. I quickly took my iPod from my purse and hooked it up to my

radio. I scanned through my play lists and finally found “New Shoes” by
Paulo Nutini.

Picture Perfect Rosalie. Hah.

It wasn’t always like this. My dad was actually normal before he took
his current position as the Head Chief of Hale Enterprises. Something
about that job changed his normal cheery attitude to one of pure
despair. It killed me to see him suffer so badly.

He was the person who inspired me to pursue my photography. He had

gotten me my first camera when I was ten and took me to a park to
help me capture stills of insects. I remembered how he sat me in his lap
on a hill and placed his chin on my shoulder as he pointed to a tiny
caterpillar working its way up a blade of grass.

I smiled sadly at the memory. So much love in that one little moment.

I missed him.

I pulled out the driveway and began the drive to school. The shrill ring
of my phone cut through Paolo’s singing. I glanced at my Blackberry
and smirked..

“How is my favorite feminist Nazi?” I cooed into the phone playfully.

“She’s good, and how’s my favorite bad teen pregnancy plot?” Alice
chirped into the phone.

I laughed and shook my head. Oh, Alice. “Peachy.”

“Hey, so I was thinking we could stop real quick and get some coffee.
I’m utterly starving for a good caffie-” I cut her off quickly.

“I-uh,” I looked at my arm trying to see how noticeable the bruises
actually were.

Pretty damn noticeable.

“How about we meet after detention? I’ll even pick you up, and we can
go spend the night in Seattle?”

“Rose…are you okay?”

“I’m perfect!” I said a little too happily in the phone.

“Wow! That wasn’t forced!” Alice replied. I cringed.

I tried to switch gears.

“So…you and Whitlock, eh? Who knew the track star and the school’s
resident Sylvia Plath would rub one out together?”

She ignored my jab.

“Spill, Rose.”

“Does your mouth run on premium oil only?” I asked, irritated.

“Only on good days.”

“Alice, seriously. I don’t want to talk about it. I’m fucking fine. Drop the
subject like your panties and I’ll be great.” I snapped defensively. I
immediately regretted my hasty reaction.

“Oh, god. Stop making me drip, you know I love it when you talk bitch!”
I heard Alice laugh, letting me know she forgave my harsh tone.

“Dropped,” she added after a short pause.

I sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

“I’m here, Rose. I know we’re supposed to keep this whole friendship
deal under wraps, but I’m here regardless.”

Fresh tears blinded my vision as I stopped at a red light. “Thanks, Alice,”
I answered thickly. I cleared away the lump in my throat. “Oh, and get
me some coffee, will you? I’ll act like I stole it from you or something.”

“I am your puppet.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled slightly. “Bye, Alice.”

I hung up the phone quickly and gently applied pressure to my gas as
the light turned green.

Alice was one of my only friends. Best friend, actually. We had met a

few months ago in a coffee shop nestled in the downtown area of
Seattle. I was hanging some of my most prized photos on the wall for
sale when she screeched my name at the top of her lungs. I, of course
like any other normal reaction, fell off the chair I had been standing on

and landed flat on my face. She quickly rushed over mumbling a less-
than-heart-felt apology as she helped me up. Once I realized who the
black haired sprite was who stood before me with a look of awe, I knew
I couldn’t shift back to Rosalie, even if I wanted to. Her eyes bore too
deeply into mine like she understood exactly why I was here, why I was

living a double life. No questions were asked, no witless insults hedged
into conversation, just silent understanding. She did question where my
seductress clothes were when she noticed I was just in a blue hippie
skirt and a brown “The Doors” shirt. I laughed it off with a wave of my
hand.

She gave me a slight nod and gestured towards the bar as a peace
offering.

I ordered a chai latte and she a caramel mocha. Two hours later, we
were thick as thieves. Never once did we bring up school. We both
understood that come Monday, she was Alice and I was Rosalie; mortal
enemies. So, we relished the time we had to get to know the person
behind the mask, the true self of the other.

I sighed as I parked in the school parking lot and focused on the
problem at hand; my arm.

I dumped the contents of my purse out onto the passenger’s seat and
rustled through random pieces of gum and money until I found the
cover-up I was looking for.

I unscrewed the cap and began to gingerly apply the thick make-up
onto the purple bruises, rubbing it in to where it was blended just
enough.

“Oh my God, really? They have make up for arms now?”

I yelped in surprise at the feeling of hot breath on the back of my neck.
The small bottle flew out of my hand and landed on the concrete.

“Emmett! Fuck, don’t sneak up on me like that!” I gasped between
deep breaths as I willed my failing heart to slow down to a flutter.

Emmett laughed boomingly. “Sorry, I saw you pull up and thought I
could walk you to detention.” He opened my door and swept his arm
out and bowed lowly waiting for me to dislodge myself from my car.

My heart jumped, but I ignored it with a roll of my eyes. I unbuckled my

seatbelt and shoved the spilled contents back into my purse. I swiveled
my hips and legs out of the car, made a quick double check of my
forearm to make sure all noticeable traces were gone, then swayed my
body out of the car. Emmett watched appreciatively as I closed the
door with my ass.

“I can‘t believe that out of the 10,000 sperm, you were the quickest.”

“Tell me how you really feel,” was his quick reply. He took my hand and
tucked it in the crook between his firm side and bulging arm.

I saw Alice scurry out of her Bug balancing two coffees. I smiled
inwardly.

Small favors.

“Hold on a second, please.” I took a step back from Emmett and began
walking my way over to Alice. I took note of the fact that Jasper and
Bella had also arrived, so I put on my best bitch face.

“Alice.” I greeted coldly. A small smile flickered across her face, but it
disappeared in an instant.

She loved our play fights almost as much as I did. It was like fucking, but
oh so much more satisfying.

“What do you want, Jameson?”

I scoffed at her comeback. “I didn’t know you thought so highly of me,
Alice!”

Alice rolled her eyes and jutted out her tiny hip. “You would take that
as a compliment.”

I questioned her with my eyes which coffee was for me, and she quickly
pointed hers at her right hand.

I snagged it.

“Bitch!” Alice spat and attempted to grab it out of my towering grasp. I
placed a hand on her forehead at arm’s length.

“Like you need that much caffeine, infant. Thanks for the free coffee!” I
flung my hair over my shoulder, making sure if slapped Alice softly in
the face. I laughed when I heard the small growl rip through her throat.

I winked at Bella when she mouthed “cunt” in my direction.

“You’re not as tough as you think you are. I really don’t understand why

you have to be such a bitch,” Emmett scoffed under his breath as we
walked towards the library. I tucked my hand back under his arm.

“And you’re not as badass as you think you are,” I answered after
taking a small sip from my coffee.

Emmett leaned in closer to me but kept walking. “Are you panties wet
yet?”

I clucked my tongue in annoyance and shoved him away from me. He
landed thunderously against the lockers. “Pig!”

He flashed me a dimpled smirk that made my heart jump.

“Don’t act like you’re immune to my ridiculous good looks, Rosalie.”

“You know, the problem with the gene pool is there’s no lifeguard,” I
huffed then swiftly turned myself in the best snob fashion I could, and

clicked my way toward the library. I pulled open the heavy door and
saw that Edward was already sitting and writing something in what
looked like a journal. My eyebrows rose slightly.

Time to play.

I placed my coffee onto a table and fluffed my hair off my shoulders. I
straightened my spine ever so slightly and strutted over to Edward.

I heaved myself onto the top of the desk he was sitting at and crossed
my legs in his direction.

“Cullen.”

Edward looked up and his eyes darkened immediately. I received a
grunt as recognition.

“Aww, why so serious?” I asked playfully. I swung my crossed legs back
and forth.

“I’d rather not converse with the lower levels of society,” he retorted. I
snorted.

“Are you always so proper?”

“Are you always such a bitch? Run along and get raped or something.
I’m sure you’d enjoy the attention,” Edward spat as he hunched his
shoulders so I couldn’t see what he was writing.

It didn’t matter, though. I was too focused on the fact that my stomach

felt like it had gotten bunched by an iron bar. Searing pain ripped open
the hole I tried to patch up this morning, and I felt all my hidden
emotion bleed out.

“That was low, Cullen,” I whispered hoarsely and jumped off the table.

“I thought you were used to that position, Rosalie?” he called over his
shoulder as I walked away. I slipped into a chair at the back of the
room.

I placed my head on the cool wooden table and counted out my

breathing to help the ache disappear. I didn’t notice when Emmett’s
hulking form sat next to me or the fact that he squeezed my knee
lightly to get my attention. I picked up my head, breathing steadily in
and out from my nose. I stared at the clock above Pattinson’s head
while he droned on about what we should or shouldn’t do. I didn’t

register Jacob Black walking in or the sharp pain I felt every time I saw
him. I didn’t hear Karl call Pattinson out.

I couldn’t hear anything. It was like someone had placed me into a glass
bubble and all I could hear was the blood rushing through my head. My
entire body felt numb. I lightly brushed my hand over the hidden marks
on my arm.

It wasn’t like Edward knew my personal life. No one did, for that
matter. I shouldn’t take what he said so seriously. No matter how
wrong it was…

“Rosalie?” A cloudy voice questioned me, pulling me from my thoughts.
I shook my head and turned towards Emmett.

“Y-yeah?” I asked shakily. I subconsciously ran a hand over my
markings.

“I asked if you would like to get out of here. Pattinson is going to be
occupied for a while.” Emmett smirked. I simply nodded, too dazed and
lost in the fresh feelings of shame to answer him out loud.

I heard Emmett say something to Jacob, and I shook myself out of my
haze.

“Great idea.” Emmett turned to me with a playful smirk. “Wanna join?”

I giggled the best I could, but it only made my stomach sick. I took his
hand and shook my hair over my shoulder. “See you losers later.”

I followed along quietly as Emmett walked me towards what I assumed
was a locker room.

“Well, this is romantic. I get we’re fuck buddies and all, but a locker
room that smells like piss? Stop outdoing yourself, Emmett!” I
wrenched my hand from his and fanned myself. The steam that had

congealed in this room was disgusting. Why are locker rooms steamy
anyway? And why do they always smell like shit? Aren’t girls supposed
to be dainty?

“Hush. We are here for a simple snack.” Emmett reached into his front
pants pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a joint.

My mouth watered at the sight.

I hadn’t had good pot in a long time.

“Care for a puff?”

I shook my head disbelievingly.

“Where the hell do you get all your stuff?”

Emmett just shook his head with a smile. “Constant vigilance.”

“Oh, well, good to know you read something.”

Emmett feigned hurt and clutched at his heart. “I am a lot smarter than
I look, thank you.”

I smiled and kissed his lips chastely as I snatched the roach from his
hand. I felt the same electric shock as his lips pressed against mine, but
I ignored it. “Whatever you say, captain.”

Fuck buddies don’t have sparks.

After a few minutes of passing and toking, I felt myself begin to relax. I

loved that feeling. Everything bad disappears, and all you feel is
complete peace. I needed to make a note and get high more often.

I felt Emmett pull my head towards his and pressed my lips to his in a
fevered kiss. I returned it with just as much vigor.

“God, I’ve been wanting to feel you all fucking morning, Rosalie.”
Emmett groaned against my lips as he swept his tongue into my mouth.
I playfully pushed mine against his, tasting and savoring his sweet
flavor.

Emmett shifted me from my position on the floor next to him to his lap

so I could straddle him and his hard length. I ground myself against him
and moaned into his full lips, eager to get out of my clothes and feel his
hands dragging all over me.

Emmett growled in response and grabbed my arms roughly and held
them above my head. I yelped in pain when he jerked the tender spot
above my wrist. He let go immediately and broke our kiss.

“Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough,” Emmett gasped as he
attempted to catch his breath. I shook my head and rubbed the spot
lightly.

“No it’s okay, just…ow.”

Emmett reached for my arm but I jerked it away. He looked at me
warily.

“Rose, what’s wrong?

“Nothing,” I snapped and backed myself off his lap. “Mind your fucking
business.”

“Rose, let me see your arm.” Emmett hedged when he noticed I had
tucked it into my side protectively.

Tears welled in my eyes and I shook my head. “You’re killing my buzz!” I
shot back weakly.

Emmett ignored me and shifted to his knees. His eyes bore into mine as

he stroked a piece of hair from my face. I felt my wall begin to crumble.
“Rose, let me see your arm.”

My grip slackened as I stared back into his concerned eyes. A few tears
escaped, but I ignored them.

Gingerly, Emmett picked up my arm and dropped his gaze to inspect it.

“Shit, Rose…” he whispered quietly as he brushed his warm fingers over
the now black bruises. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt more tears
escape as the feeling of humiliation shook me to the core.

I attempted to pull my arm back, but Emmett held it still.

“Who did this to you?” Emmett asked solemnly. I ignored him and
attempted to pull my arm away again. He held fast, tightening his grasp
a little.

“Rose, answer me. Who is the son of a bitch that did this to you?” His
voice rose slightly with his demand.

I looked into his eyes with distrust. I saw concern, hurt, sadness,
and…love? Why did he care so much? We weren’t supposed to care
about one another. This didn’t make any sense.

“Rose, baby, who did this to you?” he asked a little softer. A warm hand
cupped my cheek and I closed my eyes as fresh pain ripped through my
chest.

It was too much. I couldn’t handle it.

“MY FATHER!” I screeched and allowed the floodgates I had been

holding closed to open. I let every emotion I had pushed to the side for
four years well up my throat and it escape from my mouth in sharp
sobs.

I felt my face come into contact with Emmett’s hard chest, and felt his
hands begin to rub soothing circles up and down my shaking back.

“How long?” Emmett whispered into my ear as he rocked us back and
forth.

“Four years,” I blubbered against his soaking shirt. I attempted to bury
my face deeper, hiding from all the skeletons that were escaping from
my past.

“Jesus…” Emmett whispered and pressed his lips against the side of my
head.

I felt anger bubble over my sadness suddenly. I pushed myself away
from Emmett’s comforting arms.

“Don’t you fucking pity me!” I yelled and pushed his shoulders roughly.
He didn’t move.

“I don’t pity you, Rose,” Emmett answered quietly. He reached out a
hand to run through my hair, but I flinched away. “I may care about you
more than I should, but I certainly do not pity you.”

I scrunched my forehead in confusion.

“What do you mean?” I yelled. I realized I was acting a bit dramatically,
but shit.

He smiled at me halfheartedly. “I kind of fell in love with you.”

My eyes widened. “What?” I asked in a deadpan voice.

“I love you, Rosie.” Emmett repeated.

“Nice timing.”

“Hey, I can’t control my feelings,” he answered simply.

We stared at each other for a few seconds. Emmett kept the same
straight face while mine twisted with thousands of emotions.

“There’s no way. You don’t even know me,” I spat once I got my
emotions in check.

“I don’t?” Emmett chuckled. “I know more than you think.”

“I doubt that.”

Emmett looked into my eyes determinedly and took my face into both
his hands. He refused to let me look anywhere but him.

“You’re a brilliant photographer who sells most of her work to coffee
shops in Seattle to help raise money for college. You want to major in
visual arts at Emerson. Your favorite musician is Bob Marley because
you feel like his music touches you, just like millions of other lost souls.

You’d rather wear jeans and a t-shirt over the shit you wear to school. I
could go on and on, but your face proves that I have shocked you into
incoherency.” He gently tapped my mouth closed.

How in the…what the…

“How the fuck do you know all this?”

“Rose, just because I suck at school doesn’t mean I’m not perceptive.”
Emmett smiled and kissed my parted lips.

“Plus, you can get almost anything out of Alice if you play your cards
right.”

Bastard.

“Well, I…you know…” I floundered for words idiotically. Emmett just
held my face and continued to gaze into my eyes with a slight smile on
his lips.

“Oh, fuck it. Questions later!” I dove for Emmett’s lips and poured all

the conflicting emotions I had for this bumbling fool into his mouth
with as much passion my body could muster.

Chapter 10- Emmett by bittenev

Tap, tap, tap; tap, tap, tap; tap, tap, tap.

I sat in the front seat of my tricked-out Jeep, resting my forearms on the leather
steering wheel, drumming my fingers on the front dashboard like it was my own

personal set of drums. Pretty soon, my tapping was matched with my anxious
mumblings.

Where is she? Where is she? Where is she? Every tap of my finger was
accompanied with a word.

I craned my neck, looking out the back tinted window, checking to make sure she

hadn’t pulled in behind me unnoticed. There was still no sign of her.

Good Hell, Em. Get a grip man. She’s coming; be patient. I smirked at the word

‘coming’…remembering me and Rose’s last Fuck Fest.

I let out a gust of air and sat back in my seat with a thud. Looking around for any

kind of distraction I reached down and grabbed my New York Times. NASDAQ
dropped a few points yesterday and I was still pissed over my loss. Some people

had a bad day when the weather was shitty or when they realized they were out
of milk after pouring their cereal, but for me it all depended on the market.

I flipped open the ink-smeared pages and read the headline. NASDAQ OMX
Introduces Four New Global Indexes. I made a mental note to read it later and do

some research this afternoon. I was always looking for something new and high

risk. That’s part of the reason I enjoyed the stock market so much- you never
knew when you could lose a buck or have Benjamin Damn Franklin become your

new best friend.

I folded the news paper back up and tucked it inside of my latest issue of Sports

Illustrated, safe from prying eyes. It’s wasn’t like I was ashamed of my non-
school-related passion; it was simply that I didn’t feel like explaining myself to

anyone.

People saw me as the pot-dealing, goof ball, smart-ass jock that could get away
with anything. Is the Pope Catholic? Hells yes he is, and all the opinions of me

were right on, but there was more to me than anyone perceived.

The simple fact that I probably made more money then most the people in this

hell hole of a town was something I just chose to keep under my hat. After all,
how I made the money that I then turned around and invested was not what

people would call exactly legal. I, on the other hand, looked at it as filling a much-

needed position. Not everyone had the skills to pay the bills and get away with
the shit I did, therefore, no one else was capable of supplying the teens of this

little town with its supply of grass. Plus, having a never-ending supply for me was
a perk of the trade.

I smiled at the thought as I reached into my glove compartment, pulling out a

small Ziploc bag that held a few pre-rolled joints, and shoved them in my pocket.

Maybe Rose will be interested in “relaxing” with me a little later.

Just thinking her name caused the nerves to return. I took a deep breath in and
flipped on my radio, hoping to blast the anxiety away with music. I was instantly

rewarded when the pounding beat of 50 Cent rang through my ears.

I'll take you to the candy shop

I'll let you lick the lollipop
Go 'head girl, don't you stop

Keep going 'til you hit the spot, woah.

I bobbed my head along with the music, singing the words until I found myself
thinking once again of Rosalie and licking. Oh lord, Rosalie licking. Two things

which were sure to get me hard. Not that I minded. I was used to her having that
effect on me. Hell, I welcomed it.

My quick reaction came in handy whenever we had our impromptu visits.
Although, lately the “meetings” we had were becoming less impromptu and more

of a daily thing. Again, it’s not like I minded. After all I’m a guy, and what guy

turns down sex? Mike Newton, school fucktard, that’s who. And not just sex, but
no-strings-attached, no promises, casual, hot dirty sex? Not me, that’s for fucking

sure.

There’s only one problem: the no-strings-attached, no promises, casual, hot dirty

sex doesn’t exist anymore; at least, not for me.

Over the last month, I noticed things changing. I found myself looking around for

her at school, wondering if she was having a good day or not, and worrying if
something seemed off. Every time we’d met up for our, “casual fuck session,” I

found myself wanting to hold her longer, to cuddle with her and to simply talk. It
didn’t take long for me to figure out what was wrong. I was falling for her, and

hard.

What the hell! Did I just say cuddle? What the fuck am I, a teddy bear? No, I’m

Emmett McCarty; I’ve banged more chicks than McDonalds gives out Happy

Meals. Whatever.

I almost said something to her last Saturday; hell, I even drugged Pattinson and

gave Karl a more then reasonable amount of pot for master keys to the school,
just so I could be alone with her. But I chickened out; I could tell she was having a

bad day. Of course she tried to cover it up and act like nothing was wrong, but I
could tell, like always. The edge in her voice was different and her eyes had the

glazed over, “hard ass” look in them.

I left detention last week with one goal: I had to figure her out. I had to learn
everything about her and break through the tough exterior I knew she hid behind.

And if there was one person that had the answers, it was Alice. That fiery sprite
knew more then she was letting on and I knew it.

Extracting the information I needed turned out easier than I thought. After
finding out, or should I say reading, about how much of a thing she had for Jasper

Whitlock, all it took was a little bribing. I couldn’t help but laugh when I thought

back to how easy Alice and her info really were to access.

“Fuck off, McCarty,” she spat at me before grabbing her coffee and walking away.

“Come on, Alice, don’t be such a frigid bitch.” She snapped her head back, glaring

at me with hate-filled eyes.

Ok, so maybe calling her names was not the way to do this. I scrambled in my

mind, quickly reconfiguring my plan as I sat down across from her.

“Ok, look, Alice. Let’s make a deal. You answer one of my questions and I’ll give

you something in return.”

She didn’t hesitate or look up from her pages of the Feminine Mystique. “Believe
me; there is nothing you have that I’d be even remotely interested in.”

I felt a smile spread across my face and I tried desperately to force it away. “Fine,
if that’s what you think. I’ll just see if anyone else is interested in the scantily

clad… Jasper Whitlock.”

I said his name slowly for extra emphasis and saw her body stiffen next to me

immediately.

“What did you say?” She said, lifting her narrowed eyes up to mine.

“Oh, I was just saying that maybe someone else would be interested in the half-
naked picture I happen to have of Whitlock.” I shrugged my shoulders and stood

up slowly. I knew that she would break… I just had to bide my time. Wait for I;,

wait for it.

“Hang on.” She practically shouted.

Score.

“Yes?” I asked, spinning around on my heel to face her.

“What exactly do you want to know?”

“I just need a lil’ somethin’, somethin’ about… Rosalie Hale.” I said, trying to

sound casual.

Her eyes grew wide for an instant and then relaxed as if nothing happened.

“What makes you think I know anything about that bitch?” She spat.

I felt my blood boil as she insulted the very person I was falling in love with. Not

wanting to share this information with someone like Alice Brandon, the “feminist
Nazi”, I played it cool.

“She may be a bitch but I need some information about her.”

“Even if I had information- which I don’t- what makes you think I would tell you?

You would probably use it against her anyway.”

I let out a gust of air. “First off, I know that you know more about the lame-ass

losers of our school then you let on. Besides, you’ve always had a way of knowing
things. And secondly, I would never use anything against Rose.”

Alice stared at me for a second, looking into my eyes as if she was trying to pull
information straight from my mind. I kept my eyes locked with hers so she would

know I was telling the truth. After a moment, she glanced down at her book. She
looked as if she was having an internal battle struggling with her decision.

I took the chance at her moment of weakness and went for the jugular.

“I also just so happen to have in my possession a pair of a certain someone’s

boxers.” Thank God I have gym class with Whitlock. I’d hate to have to explain

why another dude’s drawers were in my back pocket. I thought.

Alice’s head perked right up, her face alight like a Christmas tree. Apparently,

that did the trick.

“What do you want to know?”

We spent the next hour talking, going back and forth, exchanging information. I
not only gave her the pictures and boxers as promised, but I also gave her little

bits of information that I’d picked up from the parties I’d bounced to and from.
By the end of our conversation, we were both satisfied with our newly acquired

knowledge. We sat in awkward silence before I finally spoke up.

“Well, Brandon, it was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“You too, McCarty.”

I stood up to leave and was almost to the door when she hollered at me.

“You use any of the information I gave you against her in anyway. I’ll castrate you

with my bare hands. Comprendre?

I nodded my head once in understanding and laughed back. “I like you too,

Hitler.”

The loud chirping of an engine awoke me from my trance. My eyes followed the

sound that could only belong to one type of car, an old 69’ Volkswagen Beetle.

Alice, I thought.

I watched as she drove around the parking lot, finally deciding on a spot only a

few cars away from…Rosalie. Wait, she’s here? Damn it Emmett, if you weren’t
so lost in la-la land, you would have seen her pull up.

Cursing myself for not paying attention, I snatched my keys from the ignition and
climbed out of my Jeep, slamming the door shut behind me with my foot.

I felt my heart rate increase as I got closer to her and her shiny car. She hadn’t
noticed me approaching her yet, so I stood back for a minute, watching her. It

looked like she was rummaging through her bag for something. I saw her holding

a tube of makeup that she started rubbing on her arms. What the hell is that for?

“Oh my God, really? They have make up for arms now?” I said as I

leaned into her car, speaking only a few inches away from her.

She jumped and threw the bottle of gunk across the inside of the car.
“Emmett! Fuck, don’t sneak up on me like that!” She gasped.

Man ,I love hearing her breathe heavily.

Her shocked face looked so cute, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry. I

saw you pull up and thought I could walk you to detention,” I lied.

Actually, I’ve been sitting here for the past thirty minutes thinking about
you, trying to figure out a way for us to be alone again today. I want to

tell you that I love you. Yeah, sure that would go over well, McCarty.

Instead, I took a quick breath and opened her door. I clutched my side
with one arm and motioned with the other for her to step out, bowing

to her slightly.

She rolled her eyes at my attempt to be a gentleman and grabbed her

purse, shoving the contents back inside.

My eyes trailed down her body as she lifted her legs out of the car. God
knew what he was doing when he made her. I watched the goddess in

front of me as she swayed her body out of the car, hitting the door
closed with her ass. Umm, her ass. I smiled as a vision of her perfect,
naked tush danced through my mind.

“I can‘t believe that out of the 10,000 sperm, you were the quickest.”
She looked down at her arm quickly and back up at me when that all-
too familiar glaze covered her eyes. She’s having a bad day; great.

“Tell me how you really feel.” I replied quickly in attempt to lighten the
mood and possibly change her attitude.

I gently grabbed her hand and tucked it under my arm, something that
looked playful and friendly to outsiders, but to me meant so much

more. I was just about to ask her how her morning was when I noticed
she was watching Alice climb out of her car.

“Hold on a second please,” she purred as she stepped away from me
and sauntered over to Alice.

Here they go again. I rolled my eyes as I watched the exchange happen
in front of me. I still didn’t understand why they both didn’t just come
clean with their secret friendship. Sure, everyone else was oblivious;
even I faked ignorance. But it was pretty clear after my informative

chat with Alice that she and Rose were friends. I just couldn’t figure out
why they kept it so secret, or why Rose pretended to be something she
wasn’t. Hello, kettle? You’re black.

I laughed at the irony of my thoughts and turned my attention back to
the antics in front of me.

Rose snatched one of the two coffee cups out of Alice’s hand and

started drinking from it.

“Bitch!” Alice screamed, attempting to grab it out of Rose’s hand. In

return, Rose simply placed her hand on the pixie’s forehead and held

her away at arm’s length.

Man, she really knows how to piss them off, doesn’t she?

Rose said something back to her, but I couldn’t make it out; no doubt it
was some smart-ass response. She flipped her long, blond hair over her
shoulder, hitting Alice in the face and walked toward me, her attitude

triumphant. Damn, she’s hot when she’s trying to be a bitch.

“You’re not as tough as you think you are. I really don’t understand

why you have to be such a bitch,” I said as I grabbed her hand and

placed it back under my arm.

“And you’re not as badass as you think you are,” she retorted, taking a
sip of her coffee as my eyes focused on her lips pressed firmly against
the rim of the cup.

I leaned in toward her, whispering in her ear as we shuffled into the
building. “Are your panties wet yet?”

She clicked her tongue and shoved me away from her, up against the
lockers.

“Pig!” she snapped in annoyance.

I loved it when she played rough, something she was well aware of. I
couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face.

“Don’t act like you’re immune to my ridiculous good looks, Rosalie.” I

said, wearing a shit-eating grin.

“You know, the problem with the gene pool is there’s no lifeguard.” She
spun around quickly and hurried off down the hall.

I found myself staring after her, watching her hips sway side to side.
Damn.

My trance was broken once she stepped out of view, disappearing

behind the large library doors.

I was just about to follow after her when I heard something.

“Pssst, hey Emmett?”

I looked over my shoulder and saw Karl peering around the corner,

looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“Hey, Karl. You got everything taken care of?” I asked, enthusiastically.

He shook his head excitingly. “Sure do. Ready whenever you are.”

“Perfect. Just give me a chance to get in there before you start.” I gave
him a friendly smile and headed off down the hall, whistling happily to
myself as I walked into the library.

I searched the room for the one person I wanted and saw her talking to
Cullen. I walked over to an open table and sat down waiting for Karl to
work his magic. Better be damn good magic too; I didn’t give him that
shit for nothing.

I flipped open my phone to play Bejeweled 2, hoping it would help pass
the time until Karl did his thing.

Only a few moments had passed and the sound of someone clearing
their throat made my head snap up. Sure enough, there was Karl,
standing in the front of the room holding a mop, his shirt dripping wet.

“Mr. Pattinson? I’m kind of having… an emergency. I could really use
your help.” He glanced at me quickly and I’d felt a laugh threaten to
escape. Man this guy is a hoot.

I looked over at Pattinson who looked hesitant to help, but eventually
gave in.

“Um, I guess I can step out for a few minutes. Remember everybody,

no talking. Black, you’re in charge.” He turned around to leave and I
noticed Karl give me another wide eyed glance.

This time I did chuckle, but softly, as I gave him my thumbs-up and wink
“seal of approval”.

As soon as they were out of sight, I hopped up out of my seat.

“Well, that’ll keep him busy for a while. I’m outta here. What do you
say, Rose?” I turned toward Rosalie, expecting her to be standing

already, but noticed that she was still seated, in a daze; staring straight,
ahead but not really looking at anything.

I knew something was wrong and was suddenly anxious to get her all to
myself. I kept my eyes on her for another second before addressing the
one person I despised.

“You got a problem with that, Black?” I asked, eyebrows raised.

Black’s smug face met mine. “Honestly, dick, I don’t give a shit who you

do.”

Fucker. I wanted to reach my arm across the table and punch him right
in his face for talking that way, especially since I knew who he was

referring to. Calm down Emmett; stay calm. I clenched my jaw and
gave him a wide smile before turning towards Rose.

“Rosalie?” I said, a second time, taking a step towards her. She shook
her head slightly before looking up at me.

“Y-yeah?” She asked, her voice shaking.

“I asked if you would like to get out of here. Pattinson is going to be
occupied for a while.” I gave her my best cheerful, reassuring smile as I
held my hand out to her.

She giggled softly and placed her hand in mine. “See you losers later.”
She called back over her shoulder as I led her out into the hallway.

I held her hand gently in mine as we walked silently through the halls.
My mind was racing with so many things that all of it seemed confusing.
I needed to calm down and there was only one way that was going to

happen. I changed our course for the one place I knew we could have
some privacy- the locker rooms.

“Well, this is romantic. I get we’re fuck buddies and all, but a locker

room that smells like piss? Stop outdoing yourself, Emmett!” She
pulled her hand away from me and started fanning herself.

Drama queen. What is it with girls and smells?

“Hush. We are here for a simple snack.” I reached into my pocket and
pulled out the bag of joints I’d placed there earlier. Thank god I
thought ahead.

“Care for a puff?” I asked, watching her eyes widen with yearning.

She shook her head quickly, feigning interest. “Where the hell do you
get all your stuff?”

Heh, if you only knew. I smiled and shook my head. “Constant
vigilance.”

“Oh, well. Good to know you read something.”

I placed my hand on my chest, clutching at my heart. “I am a lot

smarter than I look, thank you.”

She smiled and reached up, placing her lips on mine softly. For that
split second I felt the energy from her pass through me. Damn, how

does she do that? Taking advantage of my moment of weakness, she
grabbed the joint from my hand and took a drag. “Whatever you say,
Captain,” she said with a smirk.

It only took a few minutes for my head to clear and feel a little more
relaxed. I watched Rose’s lips as they parted when she exhaled. I felt
my cock jerk when I thought of those same lips- her lips- wrapped

snugly around me. My pants strained against my growing erection; I
knew I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer, being this close to her
and not having her the way I wanted. Screw it.

I reached out and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her towards me
and crushing my mouth to hers.

“God, I’ve been wanting to feel you all fucking morning, Rosalie,” I
growled, as I swept my tongue into her mouth, tasting her. She pushed
back against my tongue with her own, teasing me playfully.

I love when she teases.

I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her on top of me,

separating her legs, allowing them to wrap around me. She rocked her
hips forward, rubbing her center against my hardened cock, moaning
into my mouth.

Fuck yeah. I loved hearing her moan and she knew it.

Losing all of my patience, I growled back at her and grabbed hold of her

arms, lifting them above her head. I knew she enjoyed when I took
control- almost as much as I enjoyed when she dominated. I was
expecting her to smile in anticipation for what was coming but was
shocked when I heard her yelp in pain. I dropped her arms immediately
and pulled away from her soft, swollen lips.

“Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough,” I said, panting as I tried to
catch my breath.

She shook her head slightly and looked down at her arm, rubbing it
gently.

“No it’s okay, just…ow.” Her face was scrunched in pain.

I reached out to grab her arm so I could get a better look at it, but she

jerked it away quickly.

“Rose, what’s wrong?” I studied her face, waiting.

“Nothing,” She snapped, as she crawled off of my lap. “Mind your
fucking business.”

She tucked her arm up against her side, hiding it from my view. My
stomach twisted; I had the distinct feeling something was wrong.

“Rose, let me see your arm.” I tried to keep my voice calm but I knew
she could hear my forceful tone.

Her beautiful, blue eyes welled with tears as she shook her head,

causing her hair to shadow her eyes. “You’re killing my buzz!” She said
weakly.

I don’t give a shit about your buzz! I wanted to yell at he,r but I knew

that wasn’t the right thing to say. Instead, I pushed myself up to my
knees, keeping my eyes locked with hers and leaning towards her,
gently brushing her hair away from her eyes.

“Rose,” I repeated softly, “let me see your arm.”

I could sense her body relaxing as I looked at her. The same tears

which only a minute ago were threatening to escape he, were now
trailing gently down her cheek.

Hoping that she would finally let me, I reached forward slowly and held

her arm in my hands. As soon as my eyes dropped down to inspect her
arm, I felt my heart stop. Dark bruises in the shape of fingers marked
her forearm, right above her wrist. I was in shock, not fully registering
what I was seeing, let alone what it meant.

“Shit, Rose…” I whispered, brushing my fingers gently across her
bruises, not wanting to inflict any pain on her. She attempted to pull
her arm away from me, but I held onto her.

“Who did this to you?” I finally managed to ask. She tried to pull away
a second time and I saw the anguish in her eyes. She kept her head low
as if she was embarrassed or hurt. I felt my blood start to boil as a

thousand possible scenarios of how she got the bruises flashed through
my mind. My stomach churned as I thought of someone touching her,
causing her, the person I loved, any kind of pain.

“Rose, answer me. Who is the son of a bitch that did this to you?” I
couldn’t help the anger that was now pouring out of me, evident in the
tone of my voice.

She lifted her head and looked into my eyes, searching for something.
My only hope was that she could see the love I had for her and the
anger I felt towards whoever did this to her. I hoped she could see the

fear, and worry that I felt if she could tell me, and the aching sadness
that I would feel if she didn’t.

I took a calming breath and reached my hand forward, gently cupping

her cheek in my hand.

“Rose, baby, who did this to you?” I asked lowering my voice so she
could hear my love for her.

“MY FATHER!” She screamed; her loud cries and sobs echoing though

the locker room. She threw her body into mine and rested her head on
my chest.

I held her close to me, breathing in her peppermint scent, rubbing
circles along her back and hoping to bring her some sort of comfort. I

found myself instinctively rocking back and forth as I whispered in her
ear.

“How long?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“Four years,” she sobbed against my now soaked shirt, pulling herself

closer to me.

“Jesus…” I whispered, still in shock.

I wanted to stand up, get in my car, drive over to her house and beat

the motherfucker up. But I knew it would do no good. Not now, at
least. Right now, I needed to be with Rose, to let her know I was here
for her. I pressed my lips against the side of her head as I continued to
rock her.

All of a sudden she pushed away from me, sat up, and looked at my sad
face.

“Don’t you fucking pity me!” She yelled, hitting my shoulders.

Is she serious? How in the hell can she think I honestly pity her? Love

her? Yes. Pity her? No.

I kept my voice calm, knowing that it would be the only way she would
believe me.

“I don’t pity you, Rose.” I reached out for her, wanting to pull her
toward me once again, but she flinched away.

“I may care about you more than I should, but I certainly do not pity
you.”

She looked at me like I was crazy, her eyes squinting, trying to read my
expression.

“What do you mean?” She yelled.

Well, here goes nothing.

I took a deep breath and smiled at her, weakly. “I kind of fell in love
with you,” I blurted, my heart thumping loudly in my chest.

Her eyes grew wide. “What?” she asked.

Feeling more confident, I spoke up, louder this time. “I love you,

Rosie.” I repeated.

“Nice timing.” She said, sarcastically.

“Hey, I can’t control my feelings.” I shrugged my shoulders, stating the
obvious.

I watched as what I said registered in her mind; while hundreds of
emotions played across her face.

“There’s no way. You don’t even know me.” She said doubtfully.

“I don’t?” I laughed. “I know more than you think.”

“I doubt that.” She said in a huff.

Damn, she is stubborn.

I looked at Rose- this amazingly strong, sassy, beautiful woman- and
knew that I needed her to believe me. To believe that what I was
telling her was true. I reached forward, taking her red, tear-stained
face in my hands and made her look at me.

“You’re a brilliant photographer who sells most of her work to coffee
shops in Seattle to help raise money for college. You want to major in
the visual arts at Emerson. Your favorite musician is Bob Marley

because you feel like his music touches you, just like millions of other
lost souls. You’d rather wear jeans and a t-shirt over the shit you wear
to school. I could go on and on, but your face proves that I have
shocked you into incoherency.”

I placed my fingers under her chin and closed her mouth, which was
open in shock.

“How the fuck do you know all this?”

“Rose, just because I suck at school doesn’t mean I’m not perceptive.” I

smiled and leaned forward pressing my lips to hers.

“Plus,” I added. “You can get almost anything out of Alice, if you play
your cards right.”

“Well, I…you know…” She fumbled with her words, attempting to find

a quip response.

I waited patiently for her to say something, still holding her face in my
hands.

“Oh, fuck it. Questions later!” She crashed her lips to mine,
immediately opening her mouth and allowing me to taste her.

I groaned as she slipped her tongue over mine. Fuck, she’s good with

her tongue.

Keeping my hands wrapped firmly around her waist, I held her close to
me. I could feel the firmness of her breasts as she pressed against my

chest, each breath she took causing the pressure to increase.

I always enjoyed kissing Rose, but this time I felt something different. I

wasn’t sure if it was the fact that she finally knew I loved her, or the joy
that I felt knowing that she might actually have those same feelings for
me. Either way, I knew something was different. I felt it, and I never
wanted it to change.

I felt the passion and eagerness behind her lips as she clung to my
shoulders, crawling up my body in attempt to wrap her legs around me.

I moved my hands down and grabbed her ass, lifting her up and pushing
my erection against her.

She moaned into my mouth and tightened her legs around my waist,
crossing her ankles; causing her heels to dig into my ass. I felt the
joyous sensation shoot through my body as she thrust herself against

me, almost causing me to lose my balance.

She pulled her lips away from mine and kissed her way down my neck
and over to my ear.

“I love how fucking hard you are,” she said, panting. She wrapped her
tongue around my earlobe, taking it in to her mouth and bit down,
hard.

I let out a growl as I spun around, slamming her back up against the
lockers. I used the lockers as leverage and dropped my arms from
around her waist. Leaning back, I looked down at her; her eyes were on

fire, a look that I was familiar with. I crashed my lips to hers once more
before grabbing the bottom of her sweater and pulling it up over her
head.

I tossed the shirt on the floor and looked at Rose once again. She was
wearing a simple, black cotton bra, but it was still the sexiest thing I’d
ever seen. I dropped my head, trailing my lips over her shoulder and
down her arm. I stopped when I was halfway down and turned my

head to the side, blowing cool air over her breast. I watched as her
nipples hardened beneath the fabric, causing goose bumps to blanket
her skin.

I heard her quick intake of breath which was followed by a sigh of
annoyance. I knew she hated when I teased her. Before she had a
chance to complain, I placed my mouth over her nipple, flicking it with
my tongue before taking it into my mouth and sucking through the

fabric. She arched her back, pushing herself even closer to me, sighing
quietly before dropping her head back, banging it against the lockers.

“Dammit Emmett…stop…uh…oh…stop.” I could barely hear her
mumbled words.

“What was that Rose?”

“I said…stop…teasing,” she panted, her voice still muffled.

“Come on baby, you can do better then that.”

I opened my mouth and bit down on her nipple, just the way she liked

it, hoping to elicit the response I wanted.

“Dammit Emmett, quit fucking teasing me!” She yelled.

Now that’s what I wanted to hear.

I smiled to myself, taking pleasure in how well I knew her body and

what made her tick. I looked up at Rose who was peering down at me
with hungry eyes. She grabbed the back of my head and pulled me to
her mouth. She moaned impatiently and began tugging at my belt.

She made quick work of the button and pulled at the fabric of my jeans,
frantically yanking it open so she could touch me.

God, I love this woman. I thought, my eyes rolling back into the back of

my head, thinking about the pleasure that I knew was coming. Wait,
wait! I love her. I love her. STOP you fucking idiot!

Before I had time to think about the consequences of my actions, I was

pulling away from Rose and untangling her legs from around my waist.

“Wait, wait. We can’t do this. Not like this.”

“What are you talking about? In case you missed it. We’ve been doing
this,” she motioned back and forth between her and me, “for more
than four months. So don’t pull the ‘this could be awkward’ shit on me

now.”

She was fuming as I knew she would be.

“No, no that’s now what I’m talking about.” I shook my head quickly,
trying to figure out a way to explain what I was feeling without looking
like a complete ass.

“Look Rose, I love you.”

“You already said…”

“Let me finish,” I said cutting her off. “I know we’ve been doing this for
the past four months and believe me, it’s been great.” She let out a

huff and placed her hands on her waist.

Wrong choice of words, dickhead.

“It’s been more than great; it’s been wonderful. Frankly, it’s the best

damn sex I’ve ever had.” I pleaded, looking into her knowing eyes.

“But, something tells me you already know that.” I nervously scratched

my head. “See here’s the thing. I feel like now that you know, I mean
now that I’ve told you how I feel and everything, I just don’t think…I
don’t think I can just let the first time we do this be up against a wall in
some smelly locker room.”

I closed my eyes and waited for her response, not really sure as to what
it would be. The room was silent and just as I opened my eyes, I felt

her hands rest on my chest.

“Emmett.” She said quietly, lifting her head.

I looked down at her eyes as she nervously bit her bottom lip. After a
moment of silence, she opened her mouth to say something, pausing
before she could get a single word out. She clamped her jaw shut and

exhaled through her nose, obviously feeling flustered with whatever it
was she was trying to say.

“Look, I’m not good at this kind of stuff.” Her eyes dashed around the
room, never focusing. She continued talking but it seemed as if she was
talking to herself more than me. “I’ve been hurt so many times, and my
view of men is well…fucked up…but then you come and say stuff like
that, and…you’re different, I know it…I feel it. It’s just…I don’t know if I

can…but I do…I just…”

My heart was pounding loudly in my chest, I knew what she wanted to

say; what she was struggling to say. What she didn’t know is that I
already knew how she felt. I knew she loved me as soon as she told me
about her father. I knew she trusted me enough to let me in, to let me
be the one who knew, the one who could be there for her. I couldn’t
help the smile that was tugging at the corner of my mouth as I watched

her continue to struggle to get the words out. The three words that I’d
been struggling to tell her over the past month.

She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes before looking up at me.
“What I’m trying to say is…”

“Rose,” I cut her off, lifting my hand and placed it on her cheek gently.

“You don’t have to say anything. I already know.”

She smiled up at me, turning her face into my hand. I reached out with
both arms and pulled her into my chest, tucking my head under my

chin.

“So…no locker room?” she asked, sounding disappointed.

What the hell am I doing? Dude, she wants sex and I’m turning her
down?! Like hell I am.

“No locker room.” I confirmed. “But, if you give me a minute, we can
meet on the upper level of the gym,” my voice sounding hopeful, “on
the mats.” I finished.

“Fine, but why do you need a few minutes?” Even through her smile, I
could sense her annoyance returning.

“Just give me some time.” I reached down, picking up her shirt, and
tossed it to her.

She rolled her eyes, still smiling. “Fine, I’ll meet you up there.”

I stood back and gave her a kiss on the forehead before turning to
leave.

I hurried down the hallway knowing exactly where I was going. As soon
as I made it to E hall, I pulled out my master keys and opened the door
to Miss Bennett’s room.

I know she’s got what I’m looking for. I’ve sat through too many of her,
“tell me what you’re feeling while you listen to this, open your mind to
the music” lessons.

I flicked on the light and walked over to her desk, pulling open the
drawers until I found what I wanted. Feeling pleasantly surprised, I
grabbed what I needed and left, locking the door behind me.

Two more quick stops and I’ll be done.

I hurried as fast as I could, knowing that Rose was probably getting
more impatient as the clock ticked.

Sure enough, Rose was pacing back and forth across the mats as I
walked through the door.

“What is all that for?” she said, eyeing my full arms.

“Just give me a second to set this up.”

I walked next to her and dropped everything on the mats.

“A flashlight, scarf, CD’s, potpourri…” she started naming off the
numerous items in front of her. “Planning on getting a little kinky, are
we? I thought you said you didn’t like being tied up?”

My head snapped up at her comment. I held my finger out in front of
me.

“First off, I never said that. I only said I didn’t like using that damn rope

you have. It burned the hell out of my wrists last time. And secondly,
that’s not what the scarf is for.”

I quickly went to work setting up the CD player and setting out the

potpourri.

“Smells a little better, right?” I faced Rose, her expression looked
highly amused and I took that as a good thing.

“Ok, now for the lights.” I grabbed the flashlight and walked over to
the wall. I flicked it on and switched the lights off.

I kept the light pointed at the floor as I walked back over to CD player. I
made my selection and waited for the music to fill the air. Sure, it
wasn’t my favorite type of music, but I knew Rose loved it, and that was

enough for me.

One Love, One Heart.
Let's get together and feel all right.

I made my way over to where Rose was; sitting on the mats, looking up
at me with glistening eyes. I sat down next to her and reached for the
scarf, draping it over the flashlight, casting a red glow around the room.

I looked up at Rose who still hadn’t taken her eyes off of me. She was
beautiful; her hair looked pink from the light and her skin was

luminescent; she took my breath away.

“God, you’re beautiful.” I reached forward, taking her hand on mine
and gently traced my fingers over her bruised arm. “I’ll never hurt you,

Rose. And I’ll never let him touch you again, I swear.”

She remained silent but pushed herself up onto her knees so she was
closer to my level. Her eyes were filled with emotion. I wasn’t sure if it

was joy, trust, love, or passion- but the feelings were so strong that I
could feel them emanating from her.

“Emmett.” She sighed quietly, before leaning forward and pressing her

soft lips to mine.

I returned her kiss, softly at first, but felt it quickly change to one of
hunger as I lifted her onto my lap. I separated her legs, placing one on

each side of my body and pulled her hips towards me so I could feel her
center push up against my pulsing erection.

She moaned immediately at the contact and I felt her smile beneath my
lips.

“Feel something you like, Miss Hale?” I said, my voice husky, sounding

deeper than normal.

“Mmm hmm” She shook her head and placed her hands on my chest,
pushing me onto my back.

She gracefully stood up, keeping her eyes locked with mine while
unbuttoning her pants. I watched her hands trail down her body as she
pushed her slacks down over the luscious curve of her hips.

Damn, she’s sexy.

My breath hitched as her pants fell to the ground, pooling around her
ankles. I let my eyes graze hungrily over her legs down to her feet and
back up again, enjoying the matching black panties she was wearing.

“You are so sexy,” I sighed, making my thoughts verbal.

Her sexy smirk spread across her lips as she reached for the bottom of
her shirt and lifted it up over her head, causing her blond hair to fall

down around her shoulders, framing her face.

She walked towards me, hips swaying, and stood over top of me.

Slowly lowering her body on top of mine she stopped, barely brushing
against my hard cock that twitched with anticipation, straining within
the limited space of my jeans.

She didn’t tease me long and I was thankful for that. She finally sat on
top of me, rocking her hips forward, rubbing up my entire length. A
hiss escaped through my teeth at the sensation. I knew I wouldn’t be
able to take it much longer; being fully clothed and not being able to

feel her silky skin against mine.

I started to unbutton my pants until her hands clamped over my wrists
stopping me from continuing further. She took over where I left off,

sliding the zipper down and pulling my pants off, tossing them aside. I
sat up quickly and yanked my shirt over my head. I heard her breath
catch at the sight of me.

“Umm.” She sighed, as she slid her hands over my stomach and up my
chest.

She placed her palms flat on my pecs and pushed me onto my back,
falling down on top of me. She started kissing and licking her way down
my chest, sliding her tongue over the dips and curves of my abs until

she reached the waist band of my boxers.

I felt her body freeze and I looked down at her. I was so hard that the

fabric of my boxers couldn’t keep me inside. Her eyes grew wide as she
took in the sight before her. She looked at me briefly before biting on
her lower lip and smiling mischievously.

Oh fuck yes, she’s going to… ahh yes. I groaned both internally and out
loud, not being able to muffle the sound of my pleasure.

She licked the length of my shaft, blowing lightly across the tip before

she wrapped her lips around my dick, sliding it deep into her mouth.
She bobbed up and down for a moment before pulling off and letting
her tongue swipe across the tip.

Oh shit, her tongue. My eyes rolled back as I reveled in the sensations
of her tongue.

It didn’t take long for the pressure to build; a fire that burned from

inside sending waves of heat through my body.

Not ready for this to end so quickly, I sat up and flipped her on her

back, thankful that I chose a room with mats. I crashed my lips to hers,
feeling her delicious tongue making contact with mine. I placed my
large hand on her thigh and slowly traced my way higher. I felt her hips
buck up under me, encouraging my movement. I paused just as my

fingertips grazed over her center, causing her to lift her hips even
higher. Instead of slipping my fingers under the fabric like she wanted,
I took my time and slid my hands up to her waist, gradually pulling her
underwear down past her knees and onto the floor.

I looked up at Rose and placed a kiss on the inside of her thigh before
pushing her legs open, allowing me better access to her. I lowered
myself between her legs, kissing my way up to her center. Placing both

my hands on the inside of her thighs on either side of her wet core, I
slid my flattened tongue out, licking from the base of her slit all the way
to the top, ending with a flick of my tongue.

“Ffffuuck, Emmett. I want you inside of me NOW!” I could hear the
desperation behind her command.

I allowed myself one more taste of her, sliding my tongue into her slit
before pulling back and looking up at her ravenous eyes.

I grabbed hold of one of her legs, tucking it against my side as I moved

my body over hers. As soon as I felt my tip against her wet entrance, I
slid myself in, feeling her warmth envelope around me tightly. Both of
us moaned out at the sensation.

“God, Rose you feel so good.” I said as I started to pump into her,
slowly increasing my pace.

I knew her body- knew every curve, every dip. I knew what positions

felt the best for her and reveled in watching her feel the pleasure that I
could give her. I lifted her leg from my side and hitched it over my
shoulder, allowing myself to plunge into her deeper.

“Oh…uhh…yes…ugh…” She was panting, words coming out with gasps
of air.

I pushed myself deeper, pounding into her relentlessly, feeling the
sweat start to cover our bodies.

Feeling her walls start to clamp down around me and her hips start to

spasm, I knew she was close, and this only drove me further. I
increased my pace, pumping faster and faster as our bodies slapped

against each other. Our moans and grunts filled the air mixing with the
sounds of the music.

“Uhh…shhhitt....uhh…yes…yessss!” She lifted her shoulders off the mat
curling them inward as her body shuddered against mine. I felt the
juices pour out of her, making our contact even slicker as I continued to

thrust into her. She rode out the end of her orgasm just as I felt mine
building.

I quickly grabbed her bra strap, yanking it down and exposed her chest.

I placed my hand on her breast, dragging my thumb across her hard
nipple before pinching it between my fingers, eliciting more sounds of
pleasure from her. Her moans slowly grew louder and I knew that what
I was doing was working. I wanted her to come twice and she was

going to.

I thrust into her again and again, trying desperately to hold out. As
soon as I felt her walls begin to tighten for the second time, I knew she

was almost there. The fire building within me shot through my limbs
before I felt the jerk and spasm of my cock as I spilled into her,
releasing all the built-up pressure.

She arched her back and screamed out for the second time as she
grabbed hold of my shoulders and pulled me on top of her. Both of our
hearts were pounding loudly, matching the fast rhythm of our
breathing. Our chests molded together, slick from the sweat.

I stayed on top of her for a minute before kissing her gently and rolling
to my side, pulling her into my chest. I felt the joy rush over me
knowing that I could hold her for as long as wanted, and she wouldn’t

question my desire.

“So, are you going to tell me more about your love for photography?”

She lifted up her head and looked at me, obviously shocked by my
question.

“You actually want to hear about it?”

“Rosie,” I laughed “It’s something you love, so of course I want to hear

about it.”

She gave me a smile before nestling her head back on my chest as she
told me all about her work.

We laid in each other’s arms for the next hour or so. I asked her
questions that I’d been anxious to know the answers to and she
seemed happy to tell me. I could hear the relief in her voice knowing

that she wasn’t hiding who she was anymore- well, from me, at least.

“So why do you do it?” I asked, during one of the quiet moments.

“I don’t know. I think it’s just easier. I don’t let very many people in,
and I guess if I put on a ‘bitchy, hoity- toity’ attitude, then no one will
bother me.”

“It didn’t stop me.” I reminded her.

“Yeah well, you’re different. Plus the whole ‘fuck buddy’ arrangement

gave you some leverage.”

My loud laugh filled the gym, echoing off the walls.

“Speaking of arrangement… are we still on for tomorrow night?”

“Aren’t we always?” She said, smiling.

I planted a quick kiss on her lips and sat up, pulling her with me.

“We better get back before Pattinson and Karl get everything under
control.”

“What did you do anyway?”

“Me?” I gave her my best “innocent puppy dog” look. “Why do you

think I had anything to do with it?”

“Fine, smartass. Don’t tell me. I’ll get it out of you eventually.” She
said with a wink.

I returned her wink with one of my own and a smile that said, ‘I’m
looking forward to it.’

“Time to don the ‘bitch’ clothing,” she moaned as she tugged her pants
on and over her hips.

Watching her get dressed made me think of something else I wanted to
ask her.

“Will you do me a favor?”

“It depends on what it is,” her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Come dressed as Rose tomorrow. The real Rose. The one I’m in love
with.”

She didn’t respond; she just shook her head in agreement before

slipping into her clothes and her other persona.

We walked hand in hand down the hallway until we reached the library.
She gave me one last look and a wink before opening the door.

“You’re such an ass sometimes, do you know that?” She spat as she
walked past me, through the doorway.

And so it begins. I laughed to myself as I followed after her.

“Oh, come on Hale, you love my ass and you know it.” I teased back.

I stopped as soon as we were in view of everyone else. Pattinson was
nowhere to be found, but I could feel the tension filling the room. I

looked over to my right and noticed Bella sitting at the table, her head
in her hands. I noticed the dickhead Black standing behind her quietly,
looking as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. He slowly
pulled a chair up next to her and reached out, brushing her hair away

from her eyes.

What the hell is that all about? Black and Bella? Huh. I thought she was
messing around with Cullen.

I almost opened my mouth to say something but stopped when Bella
sat up and slapped his hand away, staring at him angrily. Jacob looked
back at her without an ounce of apology. Her eyes looked regretful as

they swiftly shot across the room.

I followed her line of vision and saw Cullen leaning up against the wall,
his head dropped back as he stared at the ceiling. His face was blank,

not registering any kind of emotion and his body was perfectly still, like
a statue.

I wonder what that’s all about.

I walked to the back of the room and was just about to sit down next to
Rose, when I heard a terror-filled scream coming from the hallway. All

of our heads turned toward the door as the sound grew louder. Before
any of us could even get to our feet, Alice’s small frame came barreling
through the doors.

She was gasping for air, her face white; panic-stricken. Her frantic eyes
searched the room, finally coming to a stop on Bella.

“Please, help me- something’s wrong!”

Chapter 11- Jasper by upthedownslide

Wake up Wake up on a Saturday night, could be New York, maybe Hollywood and

Vine

I rolled over and slapped my hand down on my nightstand, searching for my

phone. Without lifting my head from the pillow, I clicked the button on the side
and stared at the neon number flashing so blaringly before me. Six fifty-five. I’m

going to murder her.

“So this is what you were doing with my phone last night.” My voice was groggy,

making it seem like it was me, and not Bella, who’d downed a fifth of bourbon last
night during our two-hour Rock Band extravaganza.

“What did you think I was doing, brother mine?” I heard her sheets ruffle and she

crossed the three feet between our beds and climbed in next to me. “The real
shocker is that you even had Hilary Duff on your phone.”

“Yes, because you put it there.” I shook my head and tucked my arm around her
waist, pulling her closer to me, attempting to silence her and steal a few more

minutes of sleep.

“You could have deleted it. Admit it Whitlock, you like the Duffster.” Bella rolled

around to face me and prodded her heavily-bitten fingernail into my chest.

“Oh yes, you know me so well. She brightens my dark, tormented soul with her

rays of sunshine and happiness. Her peroxide hair and enormous teeth make me
want to be a better person. Now can we please, please go back to sleep before

round two of super-fun-adventure time?” I held Bella to my chest with one arm
and used the other to mash her head into my neck. She pushed her hands into my

hips in an attempt to create a gap between us. She failed.

“Nope, you’re buying me breakfast. Get your ass out of bed!” Bella yelled into my

neck, pinching my flesh between her teeth.

“Ow! Christ. Alright, alright. What are you, seven?” I released her from my arms
and massaged the tender spot on my neck she had so lovingly gnawed on.

“You know you love me.” She batted her lashes at me and shook her ass at me.
I’m gonna hop in the shower, meet you downstairs in ten.” Bella disappeared

behind the bathroom door and I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, digging
my toes into the carpet.

I stood up and threw the sheets back into place on my bed before doing the same
to Bella’s. The whole setup was very 1950’s, but it worked for us, mostly because

she thrashed like a wolverine, rendering her almost impossible to sleep near.

When her Mom bailed on her when she was five, abandoning her family to move
across the county for the studly young sports star, her dad, Charlie, was thrust

into a role of single parentage he couldn’t handle. My Mom started taking dinners
to Charlie, bringing Bella over to our house for play dates, filling the void left in

Renee’s absence. While never officially ‘moving in,’ Bella slept here most nights,

and after about three months of sleepovers, all of her crap was strewn about our
house, officially branding it home. I was an only child no more.

We used to live on the same street in near identical, outdated split-levels, but
when my mother remarried, we moved on up to the eastside to our deluxe seven

bedroom on the ground. Bella had her own room, as did I, but we’d always shared

a room in the old house, so it made sense to do the same in the new. Mom

turned a blind eye as we took sledgehammers to the offending dividing wall and
turned our two singles into an over-sized double. She even helped us patch the

ceiling where the old wall was and decorate the whole mess just the way we
wanted.

One summer, the three of us spent a week taping off and blocking the whole
room, ceiling included, and painted each box a different color. The whole room

looked like an androgynous explosion of paint chips, posters, ticket stubs and

book pages that had all been ripped out and tacked to the walls. Four years and
Aro still didn’t know what we’d done. What a laugh.

My stepfather Aro was grade-A dick-cheese, but he loved my mother in his own
way. That way just happened to be spending ungodly amounts of money on

unnecessary, material things while being as emotionally frozen as petrified wood.
We didn’t need it. She only married him because the bank was going to foreclose

on our house, I was sure of it. He circled like a vulture, waiting until she had no

other options than to except his proposal. She was never a wife, only a prize. I
think, on some level, she’d hoped that Aro would be the father figure my own had

never been. We hadn’t even heard from the sperm donor since he took off when
my Mom was eighteen and I was eight months in utero. Great album. We didn’t

need anyone else; we had each other.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes and ran my hands along my stomach, my nails

raking into my skin. Why do people always wake up and compulsively itch? I

picked the jeans I’d worn last night off the floor and shook the dust out of them
before jumping into them and sliding my feet into the faded Vans slip-ons I’d

grown so fond of. I pushed my hands through my hair and out of my eyes before
it slid right back into place. Jesus, I needed a haircut.

“Bells, I need a haircut.” I made my way into our bathroom to brush my teeth. I
squeezed a line of blue mint onto the bristles and ran the head under the faucet

before cleaning my pearly whites.

“I’ll take you tomorrow.” She called out from behind the fogged-over glass door,

not even phased by my presence. I spit the sickly sweet foamed concoction from
my mouth and called back to her.

“Thanks boss. Doesn’t matter when, I’m just starting to look like a filthy hippie.”

“We wouldn’t want that, now would we?”

“No, ma’am.” A rinse and spit later and I was out the door. Almost.

“Oy, would you leave me a beater?” Bella shouted, waking some poor Filipinos on

the other side of the world.

“What’s mine is yours, lovey cheeks.” Her laughter bounced down the hallway as I
grabbed my once horribly oversized little league jersey and slammed it over my

head, tossed a beater on the bed and made my way down the stairs towards the
kitchen.

“Mom?” I ducked my head in the study. Nope. I glanced out the front window as I
grabbed my jacket off the coat rack and slid my arms into the faded fatigues

before making my way to the kitchen. There you are.

The kitchen was empty, still and lifeless. Sunlight shot through the undraped

windows, staining the slate floor in oblong, rectangular patches. I clicked my

tongue in distaste and made my way to the counter. I grabbed a mug from the
cabinet and filled it with the coffee I’d set to brew last night. After tossing in two

packets of sugar-in-the-raw and a shot of skim milk, I leaned back against the

black granite and cracked my neck. The kitchen mirrored most of the house,

overly modern and cold- not our taste at all. I’ll get us out of here, the three of us.

“There’s my boy.” As soon as I popped my head out of the front door, I found her,

curled up on the couch, lounging in the sun.

“Morning, Mom.” I darted my way around the porch furniture and made my way

towards her. I put her coffee down on the table and kissed her forehead before
sitting across from her in the whitewashed rocking chair.

“You’re up early.” She picked up the coffee mug and cradled it to her chest after
taking a sip.

“I could say the same thing.” She smiled as I kicked my feet up on the coffee

table.

“Couldn’t sleep, so I stopped trying around three and started painting. Came out

to watch the sunrise.”

“You’re painting again?” She nodded, happiness radiating from her eyes. “Good.”

She looked away from me and her eyes glanced across the lake, watching the
geese land on the glassy service. Mom deserved to be happy, truly happy, in a

way that I couldn’t make her.

“Where’s Il Duce?” Mom sighed, her chin touching her chest.

“I wish you wouldn’t.”

“I’m sorry.” I hated making her upset, but I hated him more.

“He never came home last night. I think he got tied up at work.” I shook my head.
That bastard. He was an art dealer, a Euro trashy Italian art dealer who’d been

after my Mom since she was sixteen. My grandparents were grossly wealthy, and

my grandmother’s obsession with Jackson Pollack led to the introduction
between the three of them and the man that would become my stepfather at

some museum fundraiser. As soon as he saw her, Aro wanted my mother for
himself. Pervert. Mom and I both knew that the only business Aro had after hours

was trying to nail the next new prodigy slash model, despite whatever she
deluded herself into believing to preserve her fragile state of sanity. I hated him.

Mom changed the subject just as the front door swung open. “Where are you two

off to so early?” Bella bounded up behind me, wrapping her arms around my neck
and resting her chin on the top of my head.

“Your wonderful son has so graciously offered to buy me breakfast before round
two of detention.”

“I did no such thing.”

“You’re the reason I’m in this mess. The least you can do is buy me breaky.” Mom

chuckled, a smile lighting up her face. Bella made her happy. Thank God for Bella.

“She’s got a point, you know.”

“Thank you, Ez!”

I pushed out of the rocking chair and tossed my hands in the air. “I give up. I never

had a chance did I?”

“Not even a little one.” Mom stood up and wrapped her arms around my waist

before letting me go. “You two heading home after detention?”

“Just for a second to drop off Jazz; I’m going to stop in and see Charlie. I’ll be

home after dinner.”

“Sounds good. Love you two. Please, please, please, be good! Be safe.”

I barked a laugh at the last bit. “Be safe? This is detention, how could we possibly

get into any sort of trouble?” I mustered up my best mischievous face and cocked
an eyebrow at my mother.

Mom wrapped her arms around Bella’s back. “Knowing you two, I don’t want to
know.” She released Bella and we made out way down the steps and piled into

my car, the faded leather crunching as I slid over it.

“Dammit, I love this car. Only two more months before she’s mine again.”

“You wouldn’t know what to do with her.” Bella slammed her door shut and ran
her hands over the dash, reveling in the car’s beauty.

“She’ll tell me what to do, don’t worry about it. Where are we going for breaky?”

She just smiled as she pushed the thin, metal frames of her aviators up her nose
and slammed the key into the ignition.

I groaned as I cranked open the window. “Again?”

“We’re halfway done with the list! It’s a sin not to go.” She pushed her foot to the

clutch and turned the key four times before the engine rolled over.

“You’re making me hate pancakes, you know that right?”

“Impossible. Not possible. Nope. No way. It’s the Original Pancake House. You

can’t hate it.” Bella put her foot on the gas, and released the clutch, lurching the
car forward.

“It’s a chain! There are literally over a hundred of them all over Am-ur-ica! There
is nothing original about it and there hasn’t been for fifty years!” I glared at her as

we pulled onto the freeway. She simply turned her head and stuck her tongue out

at me. There was nothing left to do but laugh. I grabbed a tape from the glove box
and popped Bookends in the deck. We sang along disgustingly out of tune the

whole way into Seattle.

XXXXX

“Can we each get a large orange juice and a glass of water? And I’ll have the
Georgia Pecan Pancakes with a side of home fries and bacon, and he’ll have the

Bacon Pancakes with two scrambled eggs and wheat toast.” Bella swallowed her
smirk as she pushed the menu towards the waitress.

“No, he will not be having the Bacon Pancakes. Ignore her, please; she gets a little

uppity in the morning. Can I get the strawberry crepes and two eggs over easy
with wheat toast and home fries?” The waitress huffed angrily and repeated the

order back to us, scratching her hair with the tip of her pencil. I could barely get
out a thank you before she turned on her heel and beat feet back to the kitchen,

her Keds squeaking on the dingy tiled floor.

“Traitor.” Bella pulled her sunglasses off her head and tossed them on the table.

“If you wanted them so much, you should have gotten them. I still hold that

putting meat in cake is unnatural.”

“You’re such a lesbian, you know that?” After a twenty-second staring contest, I

conceded defeat. There was too much going on in my head today to keep up with
silly games.

“Touché.” I flicked at the weathered table top, sliding my nail under the edge of
the cracked beige linoleum. We sat in silence until the drinks came, me tooling

with the cutlery, Bella staring at the window watching the over-achievers jog in
the early morning sun. Neither of us said anything as the waitress dropped off our

drinks, sloshing sticky, pulpy nectar onto the table. And like a shot in the dark,

amidst our sea of silence, she cut right to the heart of things.

“You know what you’re going to say to her?” I dropped the fork I was

manhandling. Oh yes, I wanted to discuss that particular pile of loveliness on an
empty stomach.

“Well, that was forward.”

“Quit dancing and answer the question.” Stupid know-me-too-well wench. Damn

her. I raked my hand through my hair, hoping it would stimulate some stray
neuron to fire and give me the ever-elusive answer to the Sixty-four Thousand

Dollar Question.

“Words fail me.”

“EEEHH. Wrong answer.” Dammit I hated that buzzer sound.

“I plead the fifth?” Drop it, drop it, drop it, drop it, please, drop it.

“Oh. My. God. You want to mate the midget! You want to play rough-and-tumble
until you’re both out of college and then you want to settle down and have 2.4

impish children!” I’m surprised my lungs didn’t collapse from the massive exhale-

slash-coughing fit. I downed a gulp of water as Bella looked on, smirk firmly in
place. Would she ever not know?

“It’s that obvious? Oh sweet Christ on the cross it is, isn’t it? Look, I don’t even
know what’s going on with us but she’s…” I slammed my head down on the

counter at an utter loss for words as the waitress came back with our plates.
Saved by bitchface and her lardy goodness.

“Heads up, string-bean. Hot plates.” Bella grabbed a slice of bacon off her plate
and snapped it in her mouth, a smile stretching across her face all the way to her

earlobes. Like the damn Cheshire Cat.

“It’s not funny.” I swallowed a laugh and Bella caught it. Dammit.

“It totally is, String Bean, now dish. You’ve been quieter about this whole thing

than… something… that’s… quiet.”

“Well played.” If I’d be wearing a hat I would have tipped it at her. She smushed

her face at me like a second grader, her lips pouting together, too cute to be
menacing. I made my best ‘dur’ face before stabbing a strawberry with my fork

and tossing it in my mouth. Bella followed suit and molested the virginity out of
her pancakes. She’s a real classy broad, that one.

“Classy.”

“Shhh-uhh! Ish facking dericious!” She swallowed a bite the size of her fist and

chugged half her orange juice, preparing herself for round two, no doubt. “If I

ever have my 2.4, I want it to be with this syrupy goodness.”

“And not Mr. Rebel-Rebel?” I cocked my eyebrow, genuinely interested in her

response.

“De-flect-ing.” She went up on the last syllable, clearly not going to answer my

question. God dammit. I hate her singsong voice. “This is about you, not me.”

“Alright, alright. Uncle, mercy, and all that jazz.” Bella rolled her eyes at me

before pushing up her sleeves and motioning for me to continue.

“The thing is, I can’t get her out of my head, she’s been lodged in there all week.

She’s just not what I thought she’d be, Bella. She is so much more. I just feel, I

don’t know, whole? Does that even make any sense? Alice makes me feel whole,
even if I don’t know a damn thing about her. She spent the better part of last

week ignoring me; she wouldn’t even look at me! I spend most of the time trying

to come up with some excuse to see her, but whenever I get near her, I get so

anxious that the insides of my arms tingle. Literally tingle, like I dunked them in
Listerine! Who does that? Who gets wholly infatuated after a week? I’m

disgusting.” I stared at Bella wide-eyed and defeated at the same time before
slamming my head on the table and praying she’d have some sort of remedy for

my malaise.

“You aren’t disgusting, you’re cute. You like a girl; happens to the best of us.” She

slammed her hands on the table, jerking me into picking my head up. “Now,

forget all the crap that happened last week. What are you going to do today?” I
hesitated, strumming my fingers on the tabletop until the words came.

“Oy! Keith Moon! What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I don’t know, I just…” I trailed off, my eyes tracing the rust patterns in the ceiling,

trying to find the words. “I need to get Alice to listen to me so I can apologize. I
was inadvertently a douche bag and I need to fix that. I have to make her see that

she isn’t just some passing fad, some misplaced curiosity. I felt something last

week, and I know in some fucked up way that she felt it too. I just, I really think
there could be something there, you know?”

“I do.” She nodded, nothing but warmth in her eyes. “But if she breaks your heart,
I’m going to toss her in a burlap sack and drown her in the Pacific.”

“Thanks. Your murderous intentions really do mean a lot.”

“I try; now come on, we gotta jet if we don’t want to be late to Pattinson’s House

o’ Horrors.”

“Yes ma’am.” As soon as I pushed back from the table, my nerves started up, the

inescapable fire in my gut, the needles in my limbs, the chill in my spine. I tossed
two twenties on the table and followed Bella out to the car. If nothing else, at

least it would be an interesting day.

XXXXX

Pick your feet up. Walk. Oh Jesus I’m going to vomit; no, no I’m not. This is
nothing, literally nothing. I climbed out of the car and slammed the metal hunk of

a door shut.

“So I walk in, I talk to her, and what happens, happens.” Just like ripping off a

band-aid. I was talking to myself more than Bella. She was just a physical

manifestation of my consciousness; something to talk to so I didn’t feel so crazy
about talking to myself.

“All you can do is try. Like you said, you know she feels something. Just jump in.”
A band-aid that has the misfortune to be located on your cock.

“I imagine this is what people are feeling when they say they could use a beer.” I
pulled my hands through my hair for the thousandth time today, speeding up my

inevitable baldness. Thanks Gramps. Oh God, I can’t even think in a straight line

anymore and I hadn’t even seen her. Can’t. Fucking. Wait.

“Alcohol’s a crutch. Besides, we both know you couldn’t even if you wanted to.

You’ll be fine.” Bella clapped me on the back like a Mom sending her kid off to
kindergarten for the first time. “Go get ‘em, Tiger.” We pushed through the

double doors into the school, some real life sort of Mod Squad on to do our dirty
deeds.

“What about you? You haven’t exactly been yourself this past week either. What

are you going to do about your ‘situation’?” It would be good to know I wasn’t
alone in this particular neck of the woods.

“I’m not sure yet, truth be told. But something is there. It is… it is most definitely
there.” Bella looked at me, a grin on her face and a gleam in her eye. And there

you have it; I am alone no more.

“You’ve got what I got.” I couldn’t help but smile and cringe at the same time.

“Ain’t love grand?”

“Ain’t it just.” Wait. What? We pushed into the library, one after the other, our

shoes shuffling on the carpet in rhythm.

“What did you say?” The dreamy look shot right out of Bella’s eyes and we both

sobered up. Oh, god.

“Bella?” My head whipped around to face her, my fingers curling around her arm,
pulling her into me. Her arms latched around me, her head nestled under my

chin. “Is he what you think he is? Is he worth it, worth you?”

“Is she?” I kissed the top of her head, not knowing what to say. I couldn’t kill her

with my unfounded suspicions about Edward; she was already so keyed into him. I
knew that one word from me and she’d never look at him the same way again.

Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

She wanted him and even though he sure as hell didn’t deserve her, he seemed to

want her too, and I wouldn’t stand in her way. I couldn’t shelter her forever, but
god knows I’d try. We had to find our own ways through this, risk be damned. I

never really put much stock in dogma, but now seemed as good a time as any to
have a little faith. Didn’t change the fact that if he hurt her, I’d kill him.

Bella and I eyed the room; everyone but Pattinson was here. Conversation over.
“We’ll talk about it later. Go get your girl.” We would most definitely be talking

about this later. When I didn’t let her go, Bella inhaled deeply and shoved back

from me, smoothing the hair out of my eyes. “You do need a haircut.” I smiled;
she always makes me smile. She turned and crossed the room, eyeing the seat

next to Alice before settling in the seat furthest from the door, across from
Edward. Now or never.

I pulled my jacket off and tossed it on the table before sitting next to Alice,
keeping my eyes forward. “Morning.” I couldn’t bring myself to actually look at

her, but I figured conversation was a start. She sat there, not even a nod in my

direction, just her nose buried in a book, sketching feverishly. Apparently
conversation wasn’t a start, but that didn’t mean I’d stop talking. Anxiety-driven

nervous chatter; my favorite bad habit.

“Look, I’m sorry, alright? I’ve tried all week to talk to you, but you take off in the

other direction as soon as you see me. I know I fucked up, that what I said came
out wrong. You aren’t some lab rat to be studied. Can we just… can we start

again?” Alice didn’t even look up she just kept working her hands back and forth

over the page, her small frame hunched over the desk.

“Great, I love being ignored. Awesome.” I muttered to myself, pushing back in my

chair and wrapping my ankles around the base of the legs. I shot Bella a look; she
just shrugged her shoulders at me before nodding for me to continue. Fuck me. A

smile shot across Bella’s face before she snapped her head forward. What the...?

“I’m sorry, what?” As soon as Alice’s voice caught my ear my heart hitched

forward and my blood stalled in my veins. I pivoted to face her, attempting to
calm myself to a tolerable level in the half second it took for my eyes to go from

the back of Bella’s head to Alice’s eyes. I hope I succeeded, but I probably didn’t.

My eyes found hers and nothing else mattered. She was stunning. Stunning and

bored and beautiful and… shit, she hadn’t heard a word I said. Tangled in her right
hand was a stick of charcoal and an ear bud, music still blaring out of it. Cold War

Kids. Nice.

“Hello?” She waved her hands in front of my face to shake me out of my trance. I
could just look at her and I’d be perfectly content. Well, not perfectly, but

enough.

“Sorry, I… Listen can we talk? Can we go somewhere and…?” She cut me off like a

knife to the throat.

“Shut up.”

“What the fu…?” She grabbed my jaw and yanked it forward, holding it in place,
forcing me to look at the front of the room. Pattinson walked in and dropped his

shiny little briefcase on the table with more force than necessary, trying to assert

himself no doubt. He was as intimidating as a ladybug. Well- once you knew he
could only get off if you had his nuts in a vice grip- he was as intimidating as a

ladybug. Oh the joys of web cams; people will put anything on the Internet these
days.

“No talking. Either books out or head down. I’m already sick of you people.” He
pulled the morning paper out of his bag; no doubt some sort of skin mag was

rolled up inside it. My guess was some sort of BDSM-related publication with

scratch-and-sniff pages. I died a little inside.

And so we sat for seven minutes, no talking no real moving; just sitting, mentally

willing time to move faster. The entire time my skin was buzzing and my feet were
tapping the ground like I was some sort of Fred Astaire at the prospect of being so

physically close to Alice. Then again, I was also nauseated and felt like my body
temperature was hovering around twelve because we were so very distant at the

same time. I pulled The Road out of my back pocket and hoped to hell that

McCarty had some trick up his Izod to save us from our self-induced hell so I could
breathe some life into my Alice situation.

My eyes scanned the same page four times before I shut it and tossed the damn
thing across the desk. Before I could be reprimanded for my noise disruption,

Jacob Black burst in, shoving his roided-out frame through the door, his
trademark look of entitlement securely in place. He was always leering at Bella, so

naturally I wanted to rip his eyes out and shove them down his throat. Jacob

wanted to own Bella, pin her wings to a mat and frame her for all to see. I
couldn’t actually bring myself to hate anyone, but if I could, it would be him,

hands down.

“It’s nice of you to join us, Mr. Black. Have a seat, and remember there’s

absolutely no talking. This is a punishment, although I’m not sure what would
possess you to feel the need to be here.” Pattinson yelled out and he and Jacob

had a verbal circle jerk until the behemoth settled in next to Bella. This was not

good. I closed my eyes and exhaled, pressing my palms into my knees, trying to
get myself back to zero. Bella’s a big girl; she can take care of herself. If she needs

me, she’ll get me. The words swung back and forth in my brain, a metronome
rocking me back to calm.

When I opened my eyes again, Pattinson was gone and Emmett was pulling
Rosalie out of the room. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. My turn. I mustered up

every bit of confidence I had and put my hand over Alice’s, my long fingers

swallowing up her petite hand. I wanted to keep it there, resting against her cool

skin. I needed to keep it there, needed it in my bones. I rubbed my thumb against
the inside of her wrist, coaxing her to follow me. I lifted my eyes to meet hers,

silently willing her to come with me so we could fix this, fix us. Was there even an
us?

I stood up from the table, releasing her hand, dragging my fingertips along her
arm. Please, do this with me.

And by some miracle, she did.

Alice walked silently behind me, slipping out of the library without even so much

as a glance as I held the door open for her. Well this is off to a great start. She

turned to face me as soon as she was out the door, stopping me short. With her
arms crossed over her chest and a look of half annoyance, half boredom on her

face, she was the taller of the us; my two-and-half foot advantage meant nothing.

“What did you want?” Irritation dripped from her words, staining my shoes.

“Not here, please. Will you come with me?” I made to grab for her hand, but she
flinched before I even had it out of my pocket. Had I really screwed things up this

much?

“Look, I’d rather not waste another day having a pissing match. Either spit it out

or let me go. I’ve got things I’d like to do today.” Like a knife to the gullet.

“Please. Five minutes, it’s all I’m asking. Please.”

“You have three.” I would have taken one. Hell, I would have taken four seconds

but what can you really do in four seconds other than attempt a halfway decent
kiss? Somehow I didn’t think that would go over so well.

“Follow me, please.” I turned down the hall, not waiting for her to argue. Follow
me, please for the love of God. Silence. Nothing. Not even the clack of her boots.

She wasn’t coming.

I called out over my shoulder, a false note of confidence in my voice as I kept

walking. Desperation wasn’t sexy unless you were, of course, having sex. “Are you

coming?” Still nothing. She didn’t move.

And then- the most glorious “and then” of my life- I heard her behind me. Slowly

at first, and then she ran up behind me, her shoes pounding against the ground. A
more beautiful sound was never heard.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“What does that mean?”

“Do you trust me?” Say yes.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you trust me?” Say yes. She said nothing, which meant everything. Fuck. I

could fix this, I had to fix this. I stopped at the end of the hall and pushed up the
window and popped the screen out before tossing it on the roof. I slid through,

landing with a thud on the gravel.

“What the hell? Why are we on the roof?”

“I like it out here. It’s private. Do you need a hand getting out?” I held out my
hand, extending it toward her. She brushed by it, leaping effortlessly onto the

roof. “Apparently not.”

“Can we just get this over with?”

“I wanted to apologize to you.” She cut me off.

“That’s it? Fine. I’m over it. It’s nothing. Whatever.” She pulled her phone out and

flipped it open before closing it against her thigh and sliding it back into pocket.

“It’s been three minutes. I’m going now.” She turned back towards the window,
ready to run back inside and forget me.

“Don’t.” I closed my hand around her wrist and she froze. “Stay with me.”

“What more is there to say Jasper? You apologized. I’m over it. It’s my own fault

anyways. Can we just forget about this and move on with our lives?” Fuck.

“How is this your fault? You didn’t do anything.”

“I shouldn’t have let things get that far. We were better off the way we were, now

let go of me. I’m going back inside.”

“Alice.”

“Let me go, Jasper.” Her eyes were tired; she wanted no more of me. So I did. I let
her go back inside because I am a worthless idiot. I sat down on the edge of the

roof, my feet dangling down over the auditorium, dwelling on my own idiocracy. I
let her go. Again. I am a piece of fail. Wasn’t she worth it? Didn’t I spend every

moment of last week dreaming of her? Wanting to be with her, wanting to hold

her? No, not wanting. Needing. Needing to be with her. I need her, and if I didn’t
do something, I’d never get her.

The sudden realization that I might not ever have her became unbearable to
comprehend. What the fuck am I doing? I pushed up from the gravel, the small

stones embedding in my palms. I ran to the window and ducked back in,
slamming my knee on the windowsill. Ignoring the pain, I sprinted down the

hallway, hoping to catch her before she made it to the library. I darted into the

stairwell and slammed the door open, scaring the hell out of Alice.

“Jesus Christ! What the hell do you think-?”

“Shut up. Just listen. I’ve tried to talk to you all week, and as soon as you see me,
you run away. Don’t act like you don’t see me, I know you do. I’ve slid notes in

your locker, I’ve sent you emails, I’ve texted you. Nothing. Do you have any idea
how hard it’s been to be blatantly ignored? I don’t care if you don’t feel the same

way about me, I just need you to know this, and if I don’t tell you I’ll regret it
forever. I don’t think you’re some sort of project Alice; I didn’t want to get to

know you because I was bored. I wanted to get to know you because I like you,

Alice. You’re smart and witty and beautiful and you aren’t like anyone else. There
is no one like you and I hate that it took me so long to see it.” She just stood

there, shell-shocked, frozen in time, her eyes darting back and forth over my face.

Still, she said nothing.

“I hate that I ever hurt you. You didn’t deserve it; you don’t deserve it. Ever. If you

let me, I’ll be there for you, everyday because I want you Alice. I need you. Please
Alice, let me be there.” Every second she stared at me, my heart beat a little more

ice into my veins. I was frozen and petrified, and more proud of myself than I’d
ever been. At the end of all of this, at least I will have told her, regardless of what

happens.

“Alice?” I pulled her chin up, to look in her eyes. “Are you-?” Like a spark, she was
alive again. She jumped in my arms, locking her legs around my waist and forcing

my body back against the wall. Her left arm clasped behind my back and her right
wound its way around my neck. She pulled my head against hers and kissed me

hard, her nose knocking into mine. I sighed into her, my arms tightening around
her body, hugging her tighter as she moved against my mouth. I parted my lips

and slid my tongue against hers, the two of us completely in sync. Apples. She

tastes like apples, tart and sweet. The ice in my veins was replaced with an ever-
increasing warmth, igniting me from the tips of my toes to the hair on my head.

This was perfect. This was bliss.

Then why did bliss feel so wrong? Oh no, not now, oh God. I peeled Alice away

from me, and set her back down on the ground before pushing back against the
wall. My head dropped down to my chest and I knew time was running out. I slid

down to the floor.

“Get Bella.”

“Jasper? What’s… Oh god.”

“Bella.” With the tile under my head, I faded into the black.

Chapter 13- Alice by halojones

"Seriously, Alice. Bella was just being a ball hog with Jasper. She didn't want to

share the Florence Nightingale spotlight with you in front of the assembled
testosterone. That's why she peeled off her sweatshirt. Not because she was

trying to cushion her BFF fuck buddy's head with the sweatshirt. Because she was
trying to meet your naughty Catholic Schoolgirl miniskirt and raise it two braless

nipples poking out of a wife-beater. Nipples that, may I add, were somewhat

cockeyed..."

I shot her a death stare while I took another sip of my Latte. For a Sunday

morning, the coffee house was deserted.

"Sorry. Alleged BFF fuck buddy," she amended.

Rosalie kept driving home the fact that she saw something very fishy about Jasper
and Bella's "sibling" relationship. She likened it to Angelina Jolie's connection with

her brother.

"You saw what went down when she won her Oscar, right? She open-mouthed

her brother, but was confused why so many were creeped out. Some people have
fucked-up reference points for what you do with family and friends. For all you

know, Jasper and Bella think it's totally sibling-like to give each other hand jobs

underneath a blanket on a Lazy-Boy recliner while watching Full House on Nick-at-
Night. Eating popcorn and watching the Olsen Embryos and giving hand jobs - that

may be their version of Family Night."

A big part of her suspicion was due to what she saw as Bella's territorial ways

with Jasper. And by her logic, sex is involved whenever you get that possessive.

I wasn't concerned about them sexually. I trusted Jasper. But I was intimidated by

their emotional connection. They had been living inside their bubble-for-two for
so many years now, and I wasn't sure how to even approach them as a unit. I felt

like an intruder.

"Hey, I'm just glad Bella was there to know what to do. Lord knows I probably

would have inadvertently killed him."

I winced at the memory of detention just yesterday. Jasper had told me to get

Bella before his body collapsed onto the floor in a fit of convulsions. Epileptic

seizure. I retrieved Bella almost immediately and sprinted back to where he was,
ahead of the others.

His body was scooting too close to the lockers as he writhed. I was afraid he was
going to hit himself against the hard metal. My first instinct took over; I shot my

hands out, trying to restrain his movement.

"DON'T! Don't hold him down like that, Alice!" Bella's harsh tone was

understandable, but shocked me nonetheless as she dropped to my side. I

scooted away, realizing I was more of a hindrance than a help.

Bella lovingly combed the overgrown hair off his face, whispering close to his ear.

"It's okay, hon. It's okay....."

She stayed with him until it ended. The teacher was called, and Jasper got to go

right home - with Bella. I didn't even get to say good-bye.

Rose burst me out of my thoughts. "Fuck it. Fuck her. So what if Bella answered

his phone right now. Go over to Jasper's anyways. I wouldn't let that stop me."

"Of course you wouldn't." But this wasn't Rose. It was me, and I didn’t want to

start drama with Bella from the get-go. I needed to go over there under harmless

pretenses if Bella was still hanging out with him.

"Bring him soup."

What?

"You heard me, Alice. Bring him soup. The guy had a seizure, and fell down on a

hard floor surface. I'm sure a little TLC wouldn't hurt. That would PISS Bella off

royally, having you swoop in on her territory!"

She crossed her arms with satisfaction at the thought. Rose meant well. She

thought Bella was going to be a problem for me. She told me I had to draw the
boundaries with her early on, so she knew "her place." It was hard to argue with

her. Rose knew all the ins and outs of the social girl pyramid in high school. I
couldn't dismiss her outright.

"But I don't know how to make soup."

Rose snorted in exasperation. "I didn't mean it literally. Just take something

thoughtful over to his house. I know it's hard for your Betty Friedan loving ass to

do anything remotely domestic. But it's just an easy way to ingratiate yourself
with Jasper and his family while putting Bella on notice."

Damn. And I thought she just wanted me to make him soup because it was warm

and nourishing.

A horn let out an atrocious noise and Rose jumped. Her face betrayed a twinge of

excitement before she ever-so-slightly brushed down her hair with her hand.

"Listen. I gotta go, Alice." She leapt up and gave me a kiss on the forehead. I

turned around to see who was making her hurry.

"Emmett?! I thought you only saw him under the veil of darkness in the utility

room because of his date rape face!"

I waited for her to correct me. She just stood there.

"Oh, no, Rose...you like him? I mean, I just saw you actually smooth your hair out
for the guy...."

It only took one glare from her to make me stop my verbal connect-the-dots. It

was time to backtrack.

"Hey, whatever works for you. But you just made my case on why I've stayed a

virgin throughout high school." I nodded my head in Emmett's direction. "So that I
didn't end up falling for my fuck buddy who a decade from now was destined to

be on a microphone at a strip club asking everyone to tip their waitress."

Rose took one look back over at Emmett, and burst out laughing.

"Yeah, whatever, Brandon. That will be Whitlock's job since he's SO musical.

Emmett will have been promoted to bouncer by then."

I gave her a reassuring wink. "Well, well, well.... aren't we two dumb shits in

love?"

She nodded with a smile that rivaled mine.

0000000

I was hopeless. Rose told me not to take her suggestion literally. That it was more

of a concept to work with. But here I was, two hours later, holding a goddamn pot

of soup in front of Jasper Whitlock's front door, for lack of a better idea. Make
that goddamned canned soup that I tried to doctor up by adding chopped carrots

to it and placing it in a pretty, decorative soup tureen. Cooking from scratch to me
means making mac-n-cheese from a box on the stove - instead using the instant

microwaveable packages. This was as good as it was going to get.

The door opened in the middle of me trying spoon off fat deposits that were

settling on top of the soup. Ew.

"Alice." Bella's face was full of suprise. "Hey, come on in."

She acted like she owned the place, geesh.

"Bella, where are the pine nuts?" a feminine voice inquired from the kitchen. The

mention of pine nuts directed my attention toward the aroma that was
permeating the whole house. Delicious. Garlicky. Italian? Pine nuts would

confirm that. Definitely homemade. And probably lacking any surface fat deposits
on top. Shit. I wanted to hide the tureen behind me and back up slowly...until I hit

my car door to dump off the Campbell's Crock of Crap. But it was too late.

Jasper appeared on the stairwell to the left of me. He stopped in mid-descent,

cranking his head to the side as he saw me. Like Alice Brandon holding a soup pot

in the middle of his living room was an unnatural sight. Which it was, of course.

He took of the rest of the steps two by two as a woman came out of the kitchen,

wiping her hands on her apron. Her sandy blonde hair was tossed up carelessly
into a bun on top of her head with tendrils falling all around the sides. Light,

serene eyes, high cheekbones. Beautiful. The apples don't fall far from the
Whitlock tree.

"Bella, dear..." She stopped talking once saw me. A warm smile overcame her as

she stood at Bella's side. What the hell? They had matching aprons on--

"This is a pleasant surprise." I jerked in reaction to Jasper's lips whispering into my

ear. He laughed at my startled expression, and then took the tureen out of my
hands to set it on the ground. He had a big, dumb and ultimately adorable grin on

his face.

"Yeah, I just thought I'd come over-"

He cut me off with a kiss. But not just any kiss - he grabbed me tight by the waist
and planted his lips enthusiastically onto mine. His parted lips, with a tongue

starting to flick out.....

I backed up slightly, stopping the kiss. Only a mother standing three feet away

could make me do that. And yet, when I glanced straight at her, there she was.
Elbowing Bella with a smirk.

"Mom, this is Alice. Alice, this is Mom. Alice is the girl that made me hit head on

hard linoleum yesterday and lose consciousness. She's trouble."

His mom laughed and then accosted me with a hug. This family had no personal

space issues whatsoever.

"Nice to meet you, Alice." She was smiling warmly, while appraising me from head

to toe. I tried to readjust my black and white pin- striped punk pant capris and
polka dotted cami, worrying I was showing too much skin.

"Ballet dancer?" She inquired. I smiled, and nodded weakly.

"Not anymore, but I danced for ten years."

Jasper furrowed his eyebrows." I thought you said gymnastics." I told him I did
both.

"This is a ballet dancer's body, dear, not a gymnast's body. She did ballet longer
and later on, I bet?" She was right again. Jasper did a victory fist pump in the air at

his mother's assertion.

Mom seemed like free spirit - just like her son. She gave me a quick wink and then

ushered Bella off to the kitchen, arm in arm.

"What's in the urn? Somebody's ashes?" He was still holding onto my waist firmly.

I grimaced; and in a rushed tone, told him how good an idea it seemed at the time
to bring him soup after his fall. That is, until I smelled his mother's cooking.

"Oh, Bella does most of the cooking here."

Huh?

A sly smile spread across his face as he lifted my chin with his finger. "But hold up,
you brought me soup(pp)?" He over-pronounced that last letter. My confirmation

brought on a new round of kisses.

He stopped suddenly and ran to the kitchen, quickly reappearing with two bowls

and two spoons.

"Jasper, tell Alice she must stay for dinner. It's the least she can do for making you

hit your head on the floor."

"That's alright, Mom. Alice brought me some delicious soup(pp) already. We'll be
upstairs."

0000000

Oh God. Oh God, Oh God. The soup tasted horrible. It tasted like what I imagined

what canned cat food tasted like. All slimy and thick and FULL of salt. I had long
abandoned trying to eat the stuff.

And Jasper, bless his soul, kept taking big spoonfuls of it under my watchful eyes

as he sat beside me on his bed.

"I'm sorry. This tastes horrible. You don't have to eat it."

He shook his head innocently. Too innocently. He took another spoonful to prove
me wrong; and then bit down on one of my pretty sliced carrots I added

earlier.....which also happened be raw.....and very hard....and seemed to spear his
tooth and gum in a way that made him grimace....in possible pain.

"Maybe if you could just hand me that water bottle over there."

I reached over and grabbed the unopened one liter bottle. He ended up polishing

off half of it in his first gulp, and then stared at me for a moment before clearing
his throat.

"Alice, did you know that you have to add a can of water for every can of soup

you use?"

Add water? I thought the whole beauty of canned soup was that you took off the

lid and dumped it into a bowl.

"You can tell it's canned soup," I asked with a slight wince.

Jasper brushed my cheek with his index finger. "The alphabet letters sort of gave
it away."

Everything was making more sense now. "I was wondering why I needed so many
damn cans of soup to fill up the tureen decently." He asked me how many cans I

used. Nine total.

"Nine cans? You trying to preserve my boyish good looks with all that salt? Trying

to keep me around forever? You could have just asked and I would have stuck
around. You didn't need to try and mummify me.""

He was good enough to pour the rest of his water bottle into the tureen to try to

salvage the goop.

The soup didn't taste as bad once it was diluted (it still needed more water

though). At least we could feed each other spoonfuls of the goop after forming
words with the assembled pasta letters. He made me eat the word "penus" (there

was no "i" in sight). I fed him the word "magina" (I told him that's the word to use
to describe the Pussy-Cat Dolls' genitals...cause they have a special breed of man

vaginas).

"Ready to open your other get-well gift?" I held up my gift bag for him. I couldn't

cook; but damnit, I could wrap and gift with the best of them.

"Get well gift? Is that why you brought me soup? And here I hoped you just
missed me; it has been what, almost twenty-five hours since we last saw each

other?"

Was he just figuring out the theme here? He ripped through the ties and

wrapping and pulled out two softcovers.

"Oh, shit, you bought me those Judy Blume books?" I nodded with excitement.

When we talked in detention two Saturdays ago, I had been appalled to find out

he had never read her books. He reminded me he was a dude. Guys don't "do"
Blume. Which meant he missed out on the most priceless sexual treasure chest in

all of Youth Literature.

"Which story is which again?" he asked, holding up both books.

I took his bowl off his lap and replaced it with me. "Are You There God It's Me,
Margaret is 200 pages full of a girl bitching to God about how she wants her

period. And Deenie's about a girl who wants to model, but she gets scoliosis. So,
to make herself feel better, she masturbates for hours on end during bath time."

----

"Usually I take a shower and get out as fast as I can, but I liked the feeling of

relaxation and I rubbed my special spot with my wash cloth until I got that special

feeling."

Jasper shook his head gravely. "This should be called 'Deenie and the Epic Water

Bill'. Doesn't anyone notice her twelve-a-day bath habit?"

"Or that every washcloth in the house is all worn down and holey?"

"The absentee parenting in this country is totally unacceptable."

"Here, here."

Of course, Jasper picked the book with the masturbating model instead of the

prayerful tween. Who could blame him? Are YouThere God, It's Me Margaret was
a tougher sell.

Jasper mused as he flipped through Margaret's book. "Judy should have written a
male accompaniment to this book."

He flipped open to a page:

"Are you there God? It's me, Jasper. God, why haven't my balls descended yet?

I'm almost twelve, and Emmett McCarty down the street descended at the age of
seven."

I took the book back, keeping up the charade of reading.

"Jasper, my son. This is God. Emmett may have descended earlier. But he's going

to abuse creatine and steroids in about four years, at which time his balls will

shrink to the size of two raisins. So you see Child, everything has a way of working
itself out."

He snatched the book out of my hand and threw it on his nightstand. He looked at
me like he was seeing me for the first time.

"What the hell are you grinning about?" I tried to sound concerned, but of course

I ended up sounding like I was fishing for a compliment. Which I was.

"There's just something about you reading to me with those glasses on. I can't

describe it."

"Try."

"I'd rather show you, if you'd let me."

It was my turn to have a big, stupid grin on my face. He leaned in, brushing his lips

lightly against mine. I closed my eyes, waiting for him to press into the kiss more.
To show the intensity he demonstrated in our first kiss just yesterday. That kiss

was all lightning and fire crackers and Disneyland for me.

But he pulled away instead.

"I would describe it,"

-his lips lightly kissed my closed eye lid-

"as something equal parts,"

-and then the other-

"of the reverent,"

-then back down south to my lips-

"and profane."

All I could do in that moment was rest my forehead on his.

"I'll take it, Mister."

We sat there for a moment, waiting to see who would make the next move.

Unfortunately, it was neither of us.

Knock knock knock.

Bella barged in on the other side of the room. She looked sheepish as she took
some clothes out of a dresser drawer and held them up. "Sorry, guys. Back as you

were..." She then mouthed to Jasper quickly. "I'm sleeping down the hall."

I turned to him quickly.

"Whoa." I motioned to the other side of the room. "Does....does Bella live here or

something?"

He nodded casually. "Did you think I slept in both beds?"

I just stared at him, shaking my head.

"Legally, her mail goes to Charlie so she technically lives there; but for all intents
and purposes, yeah, she lives here. Sleeps about four feet away from where

you're sitting."

My face must have expressed something in that moment, because he started

rubbing my shoulders in a reassuring way.

"Wait, what's up with you two?"

"She's my sister." He didn't offer anymore. But that wasn't enough.

"Alice, not everyone is born into their family, okay? Bella's mom split when she

was a little girl and my Mom and I took her in. Back then, we lived next door to
the Swans so it wasn't really weird to have Bella at our house all the time. The

whole thing was just one big extended sleepover. My piss-ant of a father took off

when my Mom told him she was pregnant, so she knows what it's like to be
abandoned. She knew how hard it was for Charlie to deal with that, so she took

Bella in to make things easier. Started out for a few hours a day, and then it
ended up like it is now. She still sees Charlie a couple times a week, and last

summer the two of us flew out to visit Renee for the first time since she bailed,

but that woman isn't her Mother. Mom doesn't expect Bella to call her mom, but
it's sort of the unspoken truth. Esme is as much my mother as she is Bella's. She's

our family."

He paused for a moment before continuing, stroking my arms as he spoke.

"Mom made Bella ours. She sorted through our pile of lemons - mine, hers and

Bella's - and made lemonade out of it. Not just lemonade even - like that fancy
raspberry lemonade they serve with decorative mint leaves and shit on top.

Bella's my family; always has been, always will be. Can you understand that?"

His voice was earnest. You could hear the sincerity in his voice. I scooped in for a

kiss on his forehead, and his eyes closed on contact.

"When you put it that way; yeah, I can understand."

00000000

"Just close your eyes, you aren't going to like this." Jasper's right hand was

clasped onto the car window frame; his left hand was glued on the glove

compartment, as if he was bracing for the inevitable impact. I drove like a speed
demon. Or a bat out of hell during daytime when the bat can't see worth shit and

is blindly flailing through the air, always this close to smacking into trees and
street signs -if you go by Jasper's overdramatic description. Maybe it was because

every time I pushed my 1968 VW bug past eighty mph, the exterior began shaking
violently like the doors and the roof would collapse on us.

"So what was the question, again? About threesomes?" I looked over my shoulder

- and then crossed four lanes of traffic to make the freeway exit I needed. Jasper
was so twitchy during the drive that I tried to distract him with sex. Not the act. I

was busy driving. With the hypothetical logistics of sex. At least hypothetical for
me.

"Shit, Alice-"

I cut him off from dwelling on the fact I almost swerved into a blue Nissan Sentra.

"Two girls, one boy, no cup?"

He nodded, still shaken.

'Too many cooks in the kitchen. Have you ever noticed what happens with these
threeways? The uglier girl always gets stuck being like, the sexual gopher to the

prettier girl. The guy hones in on violating the Pretty Girl, and Gopher Girl is stuck
holding up Pretty girl's knee for wider penetration or else holding back her hair.

And all Gopher Girl can expect in return is a courtesy lick or two if she's lucky.

Neve Campbell didn't even get that much from that bitch Denise Richardson or
Matt Dillon in Wild Things."'

Jasper nodded with his hand on his chin, as if we were talking about the
impending rethawing of the Cold War. He wasn't through with the subject yet.

"Two boys, one Alice, no cup?"

I shook my head firmly. "Two boys equals simultaneous double penetration. What

do I look like - a double socket electrical outlet? It's quantity vs. quality for me."

Jasper wagged his finger vaguely while adding:"Threesome-ers are the consumer

equivalents of all-you-can-eat buffet eaters. They want to eat pizza and meat loaf

and battered fried mushrooms and garlic toast and soft serve ice cream all at one
sitting."

I cracked up with that description. "Exactly! I don't want to eat meat loaf with
pizza. Hell, I don't want meat loaf, period."

I gave him a quick wink as we grinded to a halt about a block away from the diner.

Jasper breathed in deeply. Now he understood how I could promise to get him to
the city an hour faster than most people.

We had spent the evening at his house reading, talking and kissing. He kept
mentioning he needed to make up for lost time - that he felt like he was Rip Van

Winkle and he woke up after a ten-year nap and missed out on so much when it
came to me. So, we started from the beginning and tried to work up from there

about my silly little life. He listened intently, even when his stomach grumbled

something terrible around 11:00 PM. I saw a way how to combine catching up
and taking care of his hunger pains.

"Let's go into the city. Come on. I'll take you to my favorite breakfast spot." Which

was no small thing to ask. It was already late, and the city was a good two and half
hours away.

But we were heading out the door not two minutes later. Bella and Esme were
side by side to send us off. As Jasper hugged Bella tightly while she whispered in

his ear, I couldn't help but stare. But then he hugged Esme in the exact same way:
tightly around the waist, swaying slowly to a silent beat. All these years, I always

saw his affection with Bella as romantic. But I could see it more clearly now; there

was love there, definitely, but I wasn't watching lovers. I was watching two people
who had weathered so much throughout the years, and survived. Together.

Suddenly, Bella was hugging me next. She leaned into my ear: "Take care of him.
And if you hurt him in any way, I'll totally drop kick that perfectly formed ballet

ass of yours."

I hugged her back: "Try to drop kick me, and I'll take you down. I'm not afraid to

scratch and bite if it comes to that. And thanks for acknowledging how perfect my

ass is."

Bella pulled her head back for a better look at my face. "Alice Brandon....I think

we are going to get along just fine." A slow smile spread over her face.

I was in.

--

"Watch your step," Jasper whispered into my ear as he guided me away from a

deep crack in the sidewalk by the small of my back. He was holding me close to
him as we navigated through the busy street and headed to Angelo's. After

opening the door for me, his hand went straight to the small of my back again as
he guided me to an empty booth in the back. He made me scoot in farther so he

could sit next to me, and then kissed my nose once he settled into my side.

"I thought we were going to your favorite breakfast place," he inquired as he
looked over the burger - laden menu.

"It is. It doesn't serve breakfast food, but I always end up eating here closer to
breakfast time than dinner." Angelo's was a sort of gathering place for everyone

who wasn't ready to go home after the last calls at the bar and clubs in the
downtown area. And for good reason - their unapologetic diner offerings were to

die for. Even though he looked doubtful, I ordered us both a Cheeseburger-With-

Pastrami-On-Top-Deluxe with a side of Onion Rings and a Triple Chocolate Malt
Shake.

"What?" I asked as he continued looking at me dubiously as the waitress walked

away. He shook his head slowly.

"Nothing. I just imagined a girl as small as you lived off water and sushi. Trust me,

this is a look of awe and admiration on my face right now."

He had never had a burger topped with Pastrami, but I wasn't surprised when his

eyes rolled back into their sockets as he chomped down into that first bite. I
handed him extra napkins without him asking. He'd need it.

"So, why did I change my route?" I repeated Jasper's question as I dipped my

onion ring into some ketchup. On paper, we both could have taken the fast track
on the social climb to high school prominence. Jasper was golden-haired and

beautiful and funny and a Track star. I had been a cheerleader and hung out with
all the social hierarchy up until eighth grade. But a funny thing happened along

the way once we hit high school. We both took a U-turn and took solo routes
instead.

"Yeah," Jasper answered after taking a big gulp of water; between the soup and

pastrami burger, he probably needed to douse himself with a gallon of the stuff.
"Why did Alice Brandon get off the speeding train she was on to all things Hilton?

Not that it bothers me, mind you. I couldn't love the current Brandon more, but I
remember you in middle school. You were pretty damn cute in that little

cheerleader outfit of yours, if I remember correctly. What made you turn your
back on it all?"

I had to think for a minute. "It wasn't a conscious choice really. In some ways, I

was pushed off once I didn't try out for cheerleading in high school and didn't get
the draw of sitting with a Dixie Cup in my hand at Tyler Crowley's house, bored

out of my mind." I shrugged my shoulders." It happened gradually, where what I
wanted and what was needed to stay on the speeding train were just two

different things. And at some point, I wanted to make a clean break. That's when I
cut all my hair off. Samson lost his power when he cut his hair, but I was the

opposite. There's something oddly liberating about becoming the angry Feminazi

dyke after having been the cheerleading captain the year before."

Jasper fingered my short locks as he smiled at me. Not a polite smile either - it

was a smile that was... adoring. "I hate to say it, but you are a piss poor militant.
You're too frakking cute to be angry. You're obviously smitten with me, so the

lesbian thing is out the window, and Feminazi? Well, I love me a strong woman
and quite frankly, there's nothing hotter than a woman who loves women. But

back to my point- why did you go the solo route? Anyone with half a brain can see

how utterly wonderful you are. Why didn't you fall into another group if the
cheerleading route wasn't working for you?" He watched me intently as I thought

about my answer.

"I didn't want to hang out with people just because we liked the same music. Or

shopped at the same store." I shook my head. "There's these lyrics to a song that
seems to explain it better than I can....how does it go again...." I bit my lip trying

to remember just the right lines I wanted.

I glanced up at the ceiling, too embarrassed to look his way as I rattled off the

lines:" Though my views may be wrong, They may even be perverted, He'll hear

me out, and won't easily be converted, To my way of thinking. In fact, he'll often
disagree--"

Before I could finish the last two lines, Jasper chimed in: "But at the end of it all,
She will understand me."

He knew the song. He knew the line that mattered most.

My head shot over in his direction, my mouth still gaping open. He didn't look

back at me, though. Jasper just put his arm around my shoulder as he rotated the
straw in his malt shake.

Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he uttered softly: "I swear, Alice. It's like I baked

you from scratch."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Good thing you are cooking this time."

His hand squeezed my shoulder slightly. "I even baked that part into you, Alice.
The part that doesn't know the difference between cooking and baking."

000000000000000000000

The sun was rising now along the horizon. We had gotten back to town a little

after five; we made a quick pit stop at his house, and then headed back to school
early. More privacy that way.

Jasper wanted to climb onto one of the rooftops to watch the sunrise. He helped
me up a ladder on the far side of the Science building and spread his sweatshirt

out on the ground for us to sit on.

"Can you share one thing with me, Alice?" He was giving me a very persuasive
smile while rubbing my arms lightly.

Oh hell. Was he going to ask me what I think he was going to ask me? I looked
down at his sweatshirt. It was hardly large or thick enough to make things

comfortable. And on the roof of the science building? Don't get me wrong, I'd
been ready to spring on Jasper since I hit puberty. And I didn't need candles and

rose petals on a silk-sheeted bed. But a place that wasn't littered with used

condoms and the janitor's collection of "Plumpers" porn mags would be a plus.

"Oh...no, Alice." Jasper began laughing as he scooped in for a quick kiss. Was my

face that transparent?

"When we do, if we do get there, I want it to be memorable because it's us

together, for the first time, and not because we humped like rabbits on a dirty
rooftop. I would never take the most precious thing you have to offer up here,

not like this. You deserve so much more than that. I would love to have you Alice;
believe me. I want that more than anything right now, but I can't do that to you

here. I respect you too much. You deserve better. But don't hold me to that

same thinking on our second date. I can barely stand it after a day; I'll be a mess
in a week."

My mouth dropped open slightly. ""You're going to make me wait a whole week?"

A mischievous smile danced along his lips. Could we plan the next date for after

school, in that case, I wondered?

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but I was wondering if I could be so lucky

as to see a little bit of this ballet dancing I've been hearing so much about? I know
you don't have your toe shoes on or anything." We both looked down at my

Converse sneakers. I scratched my head, thinking I'd probably prefer losing the V

membership instead of having to do a full ballet routine on gravel in ass tight
capris. He saw my hesitancy.

"Please, Alice. For me? You don't have to do any sort of grand gesture, I just want
to see what you can do."

But what started out as a makeshift tutorial turned into something else. Once I
started to do some Grand Jetes across the rooftop, Jasper totally lost his shit.

"Damnit, Alice! Why the hell haven't you gone out for Track? With the air you get

and your speed, you could kick ass in hurdles!" He shook his head, and blew his
hair out of his face. "Do it again. Please."

So, I did. Again. And again. And then again some more, because Jasper wanted to
see how long I could keep it up. But with each new set I pounded out effortlessly,

he got even more pissed.

"Seven years wasted, Alice. Do you know how bored out of my mind I was, every

week spending hours trapped on a bus getting shuttled back and forth to meets?

That whole time I could have been with you. Picture it, you and me in the back of
a dimly lit bus, all hot and sweaty after hours of running and jumping... I'm getting

all riled up just thinking about it."

Next he wanted me to see me "spin around and around on one leg" because he

had a hunch I'd be great in some other events too.

A Fouetté en tournant? I Can do it half asleep. I gave him a little sneak peek of the

damage I could do once I got my spin on.

"Damn, Alice, if you don't stop spinning soon, I'm nominating you to join the

Justice League as the Demented Dreidel." His threat made me lose my

concentration, and I fell out of the spin. I looked up, expecting him to be laughing
with me. But he was quiet. Sullen, even.

"What's wrong?"

He just shook his head, sat down on his sweatshirt, and pulled me onto his lap.

"What?"

Jasper wrapped his arms around my waist and then rested his head on my
shoulder. The sun was making the whole sky various shades of reds and pink in

that moment.

Beautiful.

"I don't know. It just hit me that so much time was wasted not knowing you. How
high school would have been so different if you had been around. Everything

would have been... better. Easier.”

I couldn't help but laugh. I turned around on his lap to face him as I put my arms

around his neck. I made eye contact with him before I continued.

“Silly Jasper. I was in the crowd the first time your band played at school lunch in
ninth grade and I clapped the loudest after your guitar solo. I was in the bleachers

when you made regionals for Track and screamed the loudest when you made it

to the finish line first. I held back tears when you read your essay in class in AP
English-the one you called "Burnt Toast."'.

His eyes widened in recognition.

"Hearing you tell about how your mom always took the burnt toast so you and

your sister could have the perfect slices...how that was a metaphor for her
mothering in general... it was beautiful. And beautifully written."

It just struck me right now. All the times he had been talking about a little sister?
He was talking about Bella.

"All the times you've stuck up for people like Eric who were about to get their ass

kicked, or diffused situations with a great one-liner from the back side corner of
the classroom? I've been there, Jasper. Here. I haven't missed a thing."

I grabbed his face with my hands and kissed him. This kiss between us didn't have

the urgency of yesterday, or the almost reverent nature of last night. No, this kiss
was solid. Jasper took the lead once I made contact. I could feel his lazy smile curl

up against my lips before he softly pulled on my lower lip.

"Alice," was all he whispered before his tongue stroked my lips and headed in.

Warm. Slightly salty (no big surprise). Soft. Wet. But most of all, familiar. As his
tongue gently tangled with mine, all I could think was how familiar this was. It was

as natural to be kissing Jasper Whitlock as it was to breathe.

That big, dumb grin made another appearance on my face when we finally pulled

away. His eyebrow raised and he pointed at me.

"Right there. What were you thinking about, right there?" He saw my eyes narrow
with calculation. "And don't edit, Alice. Tell me."

I had two ideas going on in my head at the same time. I gave him the lesser of the
two evils. And yet the lesser was still completely mortifying.

"I was thinking that I shouldn't trust a man who has the ability to do me balls
deep with his eyes alone. That's got to be trouble."

He laughed into my neck, his shoulders shrugging. "No one can say you don't have
a way with words, Alice."

He got it. But of course he would. Which only encouraged me.

"Seriously, Jasper, I think you just impregnated me with that stare."

I grabbed him tighter as he kissed my neck.

"Wow. That kiss just pushed me straight through my first trimester."

His tongue moved its way up to dangle my earlobe. I tried to inhale without

sounding completely obscene.

"Thanks, now I'm craving pickles and ice cream. And muumuus."

His mouth bit teasingly on the tip of my chin.

"I'm in labor now. Wait; no, I'm already crowning. "

I wasn't lying outright. I just omitted a certain detail behind that look "right there"
I gave him. The detail where for just a split second, when the sun hit his face just

so, and his hair fell over his eyes just right, and his smile curled up in such a way,

he reminded me of a fateful day on a schoolyard playground years ago. Where a
little boy who looked just-so etched his name onto a little girl's heart with a

simple smile. And returned to claim it years later....after the girl had given up
hope he ever would.

Who said fucking fairy tales can't come true?

Chapter 13- Edward by wtvoc

Driving up to school that third Saturday, I had a grim expression on my
face that mirrored the one of my father sitting next to me. I had told
him it was absurd to insist upon chauffeuring my ass to detention,

especially since I would most likely lash out by buying another car or
getting another tattoo like the last few times. He had glared and given
me his “the doctor is most displeased” look, yet still. Here I am.
Completing prison transfer request.

It felt like a prison sentence.

Especially when I had no idea what was waiting for me once I stepped

inside that library.

That glossy-haired, goatee’d, smarmy jerk had better not be there

again. I knew I’d never be able to buy my way out of trouble this time if
I strangled the bastard.

Pinching the bridge of my nose in irritation, I grimaced, contemplating

the events of the past few weeks that had gotten me into this FUBAR
love situation in the first place.

Because make no mistake about it.

I was in love.

I was in love with a girl that I didn’t really know.

I couldn’t figure out why she affected me like she did.

And I no longer cared.

I was tired of thinking.

My mind and my body were no longer on speaking terms as far as Bella
was concerned.

I was both dreading and looking forward to seeing her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All week after that first detention, Bella and I had no contact. My
father had made good on his promise to watch me like a hawk. He
wasn’t a bad guy- we just had a typical father-son relationship; I hated
disappointing him, but relished making him squirm. And the past few

years since… well. Our relationship was becoming progressively
strained. He thought I was too uptight with women. If only he knew.

My mother once told me that Carlisle was a depraved troublemaker in

his youth, but I didn’t really believe that. We both knew why he was
the way he was, and it had nothing to do with a troubled past.

Lately, he’s been getting worse.

As soon as I had gotten home that first Saturday, I discovered that he
had taken my CDs. All of them.

He said he’d release them box by box for every day that I sat in the
living room either studying, reading, or composing.

Well-played, Carlisle.

I was a little impressed.

So, I spent all fucking Saturday Night on my couch instead of trolling.
Since moving to Forks, I had at least gone out a bit, taking my Ducati
out and exploring the meager town limits, checking out the female

merchandise. In my travels, I had discovered a few secluded spots that I
could bring future fucks to, but that night, all I could think of was Bella.
How I wanted to take her somewhere better than the old water tower
or behind the Stop-n-Go for a quickie.

She might like that, Edward.

Why did that get me so hot?

Save it for the others. This town is just full of dirty sluts. Lauren and
Jessica, for example.

I hadn’t dipped into the pool of ladies yet, but it was only a matter of
time. Besides, it was so much easier to get laid when you acted cool
and mysterious, and I had managed to pull off the James Dean act

pretty well since purchasing my bike. Two weeks in a new place was
enough to make me start feeling major blue balls, though, and Bella
had come along just in time.

That’s why I couldn’t get her out of my head. I simply needed to get
laid.

And she was so fun to play with.

Nothing else was there; pure, unadulterated lust. I needed to fuck; that
was all.

I continued to seethe on the couch, staring Carlisle down every time he
passed me on his way to the kitchen. I knew he’d be going out soon,
and I had every intention of leaving once he did.

Wagner started to buzz from the kitchen.

Mother.

“Permission to go get my phone?” I drawled. I didn’t particularly want
to talk to her, but my ass really was starting to fall asleep.

He sighed. “Yes. Talk to your mother. But no one else.” His serious

tone made me want to laugh. As if I had anyone to-

Bella. I had gotten her number from Emmett earlier. Memorized it;
burned it indelibly into my brain.

Walking over to the counter, I hit “send” before the Valkyries stopped
chiming.

“Mother.”

“Hello, darling!”

She was drunk. I could hear laughter in the background.

“Are you being a good boy?”

“Are you being a good girl?” I retorted. Her laughter turned to cackling
and I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

“Listen, Mom. It’s been great catching up, but I’ve got a busy night of
sitting to catch up on,” I said, already bored with the conversation. She
sighed, warned me to listen to my father, and ended the conversation.

Carlisle wasn’t paying attention, so I pocketed my phone and made my
way back to the couch. Once there, I put the phone on vibrate and
waited for him to leave before putting Bella’s number in.

Messages.

New text.

Bella.

what are you wearing?

I felt the vibration on my leg two minutes later.

i was wearing panties, but i can’t seem to find them now

I smiled; I knew she’d play with me.

hmm. and i seem to have something yellow in my pocket.

you’d better not be sniffing them

why would I do that?

who knows how creepy you are?

i can still taste you. don’t need to smell them.

hmm. you should give me your drawers.

who says i wear them?

so you can still taste me, huh?

mm. i may not eat until we meet again.

what if i transfer schools?

poor me.

you could find a replacement.

perhaps.

there’s prolly a line forming for your hot dad. take one of his cast-offs

As if on cue, Carlisle appeared with a box on his shoulder. “Here you
go,” he said. “I believe this is the classical genre through Chopin.” He
dropped the CDs on the couch next to me. I felt two more vibrations
against my leg while waiting for him to leave.

“Just don’t get arrested, hmm? I’ll be home in a few hours. Please be
here,” he said.

Resisting the urge to act like a child and roll my eyes at his retreating
form, I instead pulled my phone back out, eager to see what Bella had
texted.

hello?

i was kidding.

I grinned and answered her.

you were playing with me

is that what this is?

yes. a game.

what held you up?

carlisle.

ooh, hot dad interruption. trouble?

of sorts. not supposed to leave the couch.

charlie disabled the engine on my truck & J can’t spring me.

Ahh; her father was another worthy opponent.

i could spring you out.

and then what?

i can think of some activities

don’t you tease me

you’re the tease

I know. you like it.

i do. i really do.

There was a five minute pause; what is she doing?

Bzzzzzzz.

Incoming pic message.

Fuck.

She had taken a picture of herself in the mirror; she was sitting on the

edge of her bed, leaning forward so that I could barely make out the
tops of her breasts underneath a black tank top.

And it looked like she had nothing else on.

fucking tease

watch your mouth

watch my mouth do what?

I toldja the dry blow is huge

i’m a big fan

me, too

I was sporting massive wood at that point. Making myself more
comfortable on the couch, I continued to send her text messages.

They were still innuendo-laced, but we eventually moved on to other

topics- her favorite authors, her hatred for Coldplay, how she wanted
to marry Simon Pegg.

It was interesting to me that I was carrying on a conversation with this

girl that I desperately wanted to fuck.

An idea started to form in my head that was so ludicrous that I had to
do it. I texted Bella “good night”, typed and printed something out on

my computer, and waited until I heard the tell-tale moans of Carlisle
and his latest fuck float down the hall.

Hopping into the Vanquish, I raced to Kinko’s and made 300 copies.
That should do it.

I’d have to do this late Sunday night.

I spent most of Sunday morning annoying my father. He wanted

composing? Sure. I came up with the most discordant, choppy run of
scales possible and pounded them out on my piano. Incessantly. It
became a battle of the wills as my father would give me annoyed looks
that said, “Really? At 8am?”

After about two hours of rather impressively persistent, atonal
renditions of chopsticks, Carlisle shot me a look before slamming the

door, peeling out of the driveway.

I win.

I started texting again.

you awake?

no.

i bet you’re cute when you’re asleep

actually I talk in my sleep

what do you say?

not sure.

can i find out?

ballsy

indeed.

still on lockdown?

worse. charlie’s making me patrol with him

really?

somethin about slippery slope and future criminal behavior

there’s crime in forks?

charlie caught clyde dexter in the tree outside my bedroom window a
few years ago

clyde dexter is my hero

:P

Well, shit. I had been hoping to play with Bella today.

I spent the day sulking and composing. By the time Carlisle returned, I
was in a right foul mood.

Later that night, I went to the school and broke in using Emmett’s keys.

Taking my copies, I hung up a dedication to Bella all over the place.

A poem.

She would know it was from me.

It was ee cummings.

may i feel said he

(i'll squeal said she
just once said he)
it's fun said she

(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)

why not said she

(let's go said he

not too far said she
what's too far said he
where you are said she)

may i stay said he

(which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she

may i move said he
is it love said she)
if you're willing said he

(but you're killing said she

but it's life said he

but your wife said she
now said he)
ow said she

(tiptop said he
don't stop said she
oh no said he)

go slow said she

(cccome?said he
ummm said she)

you're divine!said he
(you are Mine said she)

When Monday rolled around, I noticed with wry amusement as some
students would walk up to the golden sheets of paper with the obscure
poem printed on them, confused looks on their faces as they wondered

what it was for. Idiots.

Sometimes during second period, I received a text.

cummings.

Of course she recognized it. I responded.

you are divine.

you are mine.

For some reason, this unsettled me.

Hers?

No.

I wanted her, yes.

Did I want to be hers?

She’s just a girl like any other.

Sure, she’s hot. Beautiful. Adorable. Dirty. Clever. Witty. Sexy.

But- mine?

I don’t think so.

Edward Cullen is not to be possessed.

For the next few days, we continued to text each other, but I’ll admit- I
was avoiding her at school.

I knew if I saw her that I’d be done for.

My mind was worried by this turn of events.

What had started as a fun sex conquest was seeming more and more
like a typical high school crush.

No.

That Thursday, my English teacher, Mrs. Smith, called out for me to stay
back before going on to lunch.

Another cougar. I’d seen the lustful eye-fucking she always tossed at

me, but hell. I got it from older women all the damned time.

Hmm. It’s been a while since I’ve had an older woman.

Bella’s face flashed in my mind, but I ignored her pouty lips and
knowing expression.

When all of the children left, I saw Mrs. Smith walk over and lock the
door. She pulled her hair out of its bun and made her way over to me.

All too easy.

“So, Mr. Cullen,” she said, a sultry expression on her face. She’s hot, I
guess. For an older woman.

“We need to discuss your paper.”

Great. Quoting Hunter S. Thompson never went over very well.

“You have a thing for ‘fuck’, don’t you?”

I smirked.

“It says in your permanent file that you got busted for informing the
school via loudspeaker that ‘Miss Craft is a lousy fuck.’”

I laughed. “It was true.”

“Mm hmm. Is that how you get such stellar grades?” she purred. She

was leaning against her desk, watching me with hooded eyes.

“No. I get As because I know what I’m doing, and I do it well.”

She licked her lips, her eyes raking over me. “I’ll bet.”

I closed my eyes as she got near me. She pressed up against my body

and dragged me by my shirt over behind her desk.

“Would you like an A in this class?” she asked, her breath tickling my
ear. I leaned back as she went down on her knees, and my mind

started to wander.

What is it with these broads always wanting to blow me?

I felt the pull on my zipper, and looking to the side, I noticed Mrs.
Smith’s laptop, her webcam staring at me.

Creepy.

I slammed it shut and put my hands in my pockets, waiting for Mrs.
Smith to get it over with.

I felt my hand clasp around a wadded-up piece of fabric.

Bella’s panties.

I’d been carrying them around with me. I wasn’t sure why. Every time I
had tried to drop them on my dresser or at the very least keep them on

my fucking pillow, something stopped me.

They’ve been with me all week long. Every time I went to grab my keys
or my lighter, my fingertips would graze across the thin fabric and my
mind would wander.

Wander to the principal’s office.

Wander to her creamy thighs as I remembered burying my mouth in
the heaven that lay there.

Her cum face flashed into my mind.

Aw, fuck.

I can’t do this.

I’d dwell on why later.

I straightened up.

“Look, I’ve got to go. That paper deserves an A.”

I rather enjoyed the disappointed look of dismay on her face. I zipped
up, annoyed that I was glad this teacher never touched my cock.

As I exited, I turned and said, “Thank you, Jenny. I trust we can keep
this between us. I’d really hate for any compromising information
about you to surface.”

That pissed her off. She glanced at her laptop before saying, “What the
hell does that mea-“

“I have my ways. I’m sure this isn’t your first extra credit assignment.”

Smiling grimly, I slammed the door, stalking off to lunch.

What.the.fuck.just.happened.

I would have to analyze-

Shit.

There she is.

So beautiful.

Bella was walking with Jasper, and they did, indeed, appear to be

“together”.

I knew better.

She nodded her head toward one of the cummings poems, elbowing
Jasper and chucking her chin in my direction.

I briefly met her eyes with a smile and acknowledged Jasper’s warning

with a grin before practically sprinting to my car.

Reaching into my pocket for my keys, my hands grasped the thin cotton

fabric again.

Shit.

Fuck.

Why is this bothering me?

Dammit.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

Now I can’t get her out of my head.

I suddenly prayed that Mrs. Smith would keep her naughty little mouth
shut.

Bella tried calling me later that night, but I chose to ignore it.

I needed to think.

And I think… that I’m infatuated with her.

Well, this is new.

Shit.

What do I do?

It will go away.

Did I want it to?

Yes.

Yes.

No.

Fuck.

I ignored her all day Friday.

Maybe it would make spending all day Saturday with her easier.

I should’ve known.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So here I sit, approaching the third Saturday. I am amazed and shocked
by the turn of events. Carlisle was launching into a rather detailed and

boring as hell lecture about respect as he drove, but I’d been too busy
focusing on when exactly I had screwed the pooch with Bella.

Ignoring my father, I forced myself to remember the pain that was last
Saturday.

If I hadn’t ignored her-

If I had been ready to step off of my damned high horse-

Things wouldn’t be so fucking confusing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Walking through those double doors last week, I felt a sense of elation
coupled with churning, seething guilt. I had tried unsuccessfully to
forget that I was not able to “seal the deal” with that hot little teacher,

and I had gotten a little angry about it. Never being one to over emote,
I decided upon a more clinical approach to analyzing my actions, and I
instantly felt better.

The facts were these:

1) I met Bella.
2) I had fun sexytime with Bella.

3) I enjoyed playing with Bella.
4) Fuck. I actually liked Bella.
5) I freaked out.
6) I closed off.

7) I tried to bang a teacher. Again.
8) I was, and am, a complete tool.
9) Why?
10)

I like her.

11)

Shit.

You just can’t argue with science.

My only conclusion?

I felt like I cheated on her.

Aw, hell, Edward.

You have a crush on a girl. You tried to make it go away. It didn’t work.

I’m fucked.

So when I walked into that room on the second Saturday, I was fully
prepared to make up for my mental break by being sweet to Bella. Out
of character for me, certainly; but what other choice did I have? It was

her fault, really, for being so damned appealing and fun and lush and
playful.

How was I going to do this? I had never wooed a girl before. Usually,
all I had to do was give a smoldering look or make an incredibly lewd
suggestion, and the girl was there. Just fucking there. I realize that this
is unfair for other guys out there, but I don’t really care.

How would I accomplish this without giving her the wrong impression?
It’s not as though I had been behaving like any normal guy with Bella;
she brought out the best and the worst in Edward. I can’t just turn on

the charm because the charm isn’t there.

I sat down at a table, waiting for her to walk in. She’d probably be with
Whitlock; they were joined at the hip. How can I get her away from

him without seeming like a dick?

I was sitting there, gloomy and morose and hopeful, trying to
determine my course of action- when that Hale Bitch strolled in,

smelling of coffee and superiority. She made some pass at me, and I
don’t even recall what I said to her as I brushed her off. Emmett gave
me a withering look and I think I shot him an apology; right. He’s

hitting that shit. Whoops. Don’t piss off friends just because you’re a
sorry excuse for a human.

Ah, there she is. She flashed me a worried look; crap. What now? She
can’t possibly know. Smith would keep that shit quiet.

Pattinson strolled in, looking disgruntled at the turn life had taken for

him as per usual. Dean of Discipline? What the hell kind of title is that?
He looked about as intimidating as mall security. I knew Emmett had
gotten Karl to occupy the Dean, so I would be able to do… something.
Something intelligent and clever and fucking fantastic.

I started glaring again, still at a loss as to how to talk to Bella when a
tall, self-important-looking jackass strolled in. I had seen him on
campus before, walking across the quad like he owned the joint. He

was one of those guys who the girls loved to speculate about; just the
way he planned it. Trying to be mysterious or something.

Pattinson made some snarky comment implying “Jacob” didn’t need to

be there; what game is he playing?

I soon found out.

I wish I hadn’t.

Because now the game has changed.

I watched as Emmett and Rosalie left to go do God knows what; Jasper
was pleading with Alice to follow him like a love-sick pup; she followed,
trying to be reluctant, but I could see through that ruse.

That left three.

Bella was practically arguing with Jacob. To anyone there, it looked like
foreplay.

Shit. Foreplay? She was definitely… doing something.

The Jacob fellow was shooting me furtive, angry, obvious looks of

hatred; Bella kept glancing over her shoulder at me. Pleading me to
understand.

Understand what?

What the fuck is going on?

“He’s not like that,” she was saying. “Are you trying to purposely avoid
talking about what’s going on with you?”

Yeah, Jacob. What are you avoiding?

“Don’t pretend you care now, Bella,” he said, pretending to be all huffy.
He stormed off.

“Jake, don’t…” she pleaded. The door closed and his squeaky shoes
made their way down the hall.

I sat there, stony-faced, wondering what she was going to do next.
She’s going to follow him.

“Edward, I-“ But she stopped at the expression on my face.

All emotion drained from my body. Something is not right.

Bella got up and followed the douche.

I was left alone.

As always.

After a few minutes, my body disobeyed my empty head’s plea to
remain the fuck in the library. I had to know. I already know; I need
confirmation.

Bella’s been fucking him.

And I interrupted that.

It all came crashing down around my ears.

Figures.

The one and only time I decide to pursue a girl- she’s already taken.

I saw a door close ahead of me. Teacher’s lounge.

Perfect.

Like a zombie, I walked in a trance toward the door. It looked dark,
forbidding. Just any other door.

The sounds coming from the room confirmed what I already knew.

It’s funny; you’d think the sounds of your heart being ripped out of your

ribcage would be a little less… orgasmic.

Bella. Bella’s cries of pleasure. They were too loud; forced?

How would I know? I had only given her a fucking dry blow. Who knew
what her real penetration pleasure sounds were like?

He knows.

And now so do I.

Well isn’t that fucking fantastic?

I should go.

I can’t.

Should.

I don’t know how long I stood there; I was staring at one of the
pointless cummings poems when the door ripped open. It was Bella.
Our eyes met; she probably saw their complete lack of life staring back
at her. She gasped and her mouth opened, but no words came out. I

looked over her shoulder and met gazes with that goatee’d jackoff; he
shot me a goofy, post-coital grin.

Dick.

“Edward! Shit! I can explain.” I turned and walked back to the library. I
could hear her following me, but I no longer cared to wait for Bella.

“It’s not what it… Okay, maybe it is. But… Dammit!”

“Bella, just-“ But I had no words left.

Screw this shit.

I found a comfy wall and leaned.

I did not move for the rest of detention.

I think she tried to talk to me.

Everything was underwater.

Hours passed, I think.

But all I can really remember is finishing my composition in my head; I’d

have to get this shit out as soon as I got home.

Carlisle picked me up, looking rather peaked.

I didn’t have one thing to say to him. No comments on his glow.

He raised one eyebrow in my direction, but said nothing.

We’re alike in that respect.

No comment.

And so passed the next few days.

I went to school that Monday in a nonresponsive, emotionless state. I
must have looked like a fucking statue. People were trying to talk to
me, and I didn’t even have the presence of mind to tell them to fuck

off.

All I could think about were Bella’s cries of pleasure.

I knew they weren’t real.

An affectation.

Why?

Stop thinking about it.

Can’t stop.

I didn’t even antagonize Banner.

On Wednesday, I decided that school was for shit.

I hopped onto my bike and made my way out to a secluded bit of wood
that I had found in my travels. It looked like a place where the local

teenage population probably gathered to drink stolen beers and have
boring, drunken sex. Perfect to suit my current mood.

Pacing back and forth through the dirt, I came to one conclusion for
Bella’s erratic behavior. She liked me, I knew it. We connected. You
don’t just find another person who reads the same shit and listens to

the same music that you do and not have a connection. And don’t get
me started on the sexual attraction.

She knows.

Somehow, she knew about Smith.

How?

I walked my bike back to the road, preparing to kick start my way back
to civilization. Somehow, I would fix this. I didn’t even do anything.

Well, not really. Nothing but act the way I always did. Apparently, to
get the girl- something had to change.

What am I going to-

Great.

Just what I need.

Whitlock was walking down the road on which I was preparing to
travel.

I can ignore him. Why don’t I ignore him?

Because, you dick. He’s the key to Bella.

Would he help me? Give me some insight? I didn’t know the guy, but
he seemed decent. And Bella spoke of him with love in her voice.

Sisterly love, but love. If I’m going to love Bella, I need to-

Love?

Yes, love.

Aw, crap.

I slowed down. I could see his eyes narrow; his too-long hair was in his
face, and he knocked it back with an impatient flick of his head.

Why can’t I leave it alone?

Morbid curiosity.

“Oh. Hi, Jasper. No Bella? Are you two finally done with playing
Flowers in the Attic? Because she’s-“

BAM

The fuck?

The fucker punched me.

Punched me right in my fucking face.

“What the-“

BAM

Again. He fucking punched me again.

It felt good. Like he knocked the fight back into me. The fight for Bella.

“Asshole.” His voice was harsh; full of pain.

“Yes.” He blinked a few times and cocked his head to the side.

“What?”

“I am an asshole. Thanks for that.”

He was taken aback; he wanted to grin, but a dark look crossed his face.

“The first step to recovery is admitting your denial.”

“I know. So what the hell was that for?”

“You know why.”

“I know why I needed it; why did you do it?”

He made a sound of disgust and turned to walk away; I chase no one,

much less no man, so I stood there, praying that the key to my salvation
would turn around. Which he did.

“I saw you.”

“Saw me what?”

“With Miss Smith.”

Fuck me in the goat ass.

“I don’t know what you think you s-“

“Look, don’t even try to defend yourself. You fucked a teacher.”

“No. I most certainly did not. Not at this school, anyway.”

“Well, you did something.”

“Look, I don’t know what you think you-“

“Cullen,” he huffed. “I have one word for you: webcam.”

Shit. I knew there was something creepy about that damned laptop.

“Are you hacked into the network?” I asked testily. This was good; this
was very good. I didn’t fuck Smith. He had to know that.

“Don’t change the subject. I saw you two. I didn’t really realize how
much of a dick you were, but I swear to God. If you go near her again, I
will kill you.”

“Jasper, look. I didn’t do it. I couldn’t. Would you like to know why?”

He crossed his arms and leaned back on one leg; he was going to hear

me out.

Fidgeting for a second, which I never, ever do- I pulled out that damned
piece of fabric from my pocket.

He looked amused for a second, but his grin turned to a look of disgust
as he asked me, “Those are Bella’s, I assume?” I sort of wanted to

punch him right in the snarky eyebrow.

“Yes. Your Best Friend Forever has done the impossible.”

“Oh? What’s that now?”

“She’s gotten the wizard to step out from behind the curtain.”

“You sure you’re not gay? Wizard of Oz references will not win any
points with me. The munchkins freak me out. Lose the references and
cut to the point, Cullen.”

At least he isn’t punching me again.

I could feel the throb on the left side of my face; definitely going to

leave a mark. It’s not the first time I’ve been punched over a chick, but
at least he’s not the boyfriend this time.

Wincing slightly at the throbbing in my cheek, I leaned against my bike,
ready to defend myself from the verbal assault that was sure to come.

“How long has she been fucking that Black guy?”

He laughed scornfully. “Quit making shit up, Cullen. Bella’s not like

that.”

Oh ho. He doesn’t know. The cards are stacked in my favor now.

“I beg to differ. Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think you
do.”

He didn’t like that. “No one knows her better than me.”

“Except Jacob Black. I’m assuming you don’t know her in the biblical
sense as well?”

He didn’t like that, either.

“Bella is not…” But as he trailed off, his eyes unfocused as he probably
remembered something Jacob-and-Bella-related. His eyes narrowed
suspiciously as he looked over at me, sizing me up.

“No. No fucking way.”

“I heard them.”

“When?”

“Last Saturday. I know you were busy having medical problems, so I

excuse your unobservant and very love struck issues. But make no
mistake about it- your friend is fucking Jacob Black. And it’s been going
on for a while. If there’s an injured party here, it’s this one.” I tried to
make my voice cold, but I couldn’t even muster the strength and

emotion for it.

“Right. And you found this out when, Saturday? The Smith Incident
predates the Black Debacle.”

Touche.

“Okay, so I had a moment of clarity. Look, I’m in love with your best

friend, and I think it’s mutual or at least heading toward mutual. Do
you wanna help me, or not?” Shit, I must be desperate. I never use
slangy compound words like “wanna”. I resisted the urge to bite my lip
while I awaited his verdict. I was taking a chance with that one; I could

see him thinking it over, sizing me up.

He came to some sort of decision, but he still looked hesitant. “Love?”

“Yep.”

“Interesting. You’ve known her what, two weeks?”

“Call it a bolt of lightning. Look, I don’t have time to sit here and wax
philosophic about my love life with you. I know what’s going on in my
mind and body, and that’s that I’m in love with your best friend. I said

it. I said it out loud. Remember? The first step to recovery is admitting
your denial.”

He shot me a look of approval, and it was decided. I felt the triumph

rise into my throat- he was going to help me out.

“We’re fucking pathetic.” Ahh, someone in the same boat.

“Alice Brandon?”

“What can I say? She makes me feel all warm and tingly.” He chuckled,

and for one brief moment, I saw it- the shiny beam of new love. How
sweet.

“So what do two extremely good-looking guys do to win the objects of
their affection?”

“Edward, my brother. Bella told me you play the piano. Can you sing,
too?”

“What the hell are you thinking?”

“Gold, new friend. Freshly mined gold. Have you ever seen 10 Things I
Hate About You?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Jasper,” I said, exasperated. I was pulling on an annoying pair of
suspenders and a stupid driving glove as I sat on my bike; the sounds of
hundreds of Forks’ peppiest poured out of the aging gymnasium. I had
never been inside of it; I wasn’t necessarily a school spirit kind of guy.

“Come on, Cullen. It’s Pep Rally Time!” he enthused, pumping his arms
out in that annoying “We’re number 1” V. His amazing “rock out with
your cock out” t-shirt flew up, revealing his predilection for boxer

shorts. I grinned; the guy really did work the independent thinker
image pretty well. Faded, checkered vans. Jeans with authentic- not
designer- rips in the knees. Aviators. Long-sleeved shirt underneath
the T. He’s what my mother would have referred to as “a tasty, tall

drink of water.” Ugh. Stop with the bromance, Edward; you’re into
chicks, remember? Hell, I had gotten to know him well in a short time;
in the past few days, it seemed that Jasper and Bella were not on the
best of speaking terms; I think he was pissed that she had kept a secret

from him. Hell, I was pissed, too. But for different reasons.

“Woo hoo. Go Spartans.” I was steeling myself for this ridiculous
Grand Gesture. Jasper had been pumping me for the past few days,

trying to get me ready for this. “Come on, dude. It’ll be amazing.
Chicks dig the grand gesture thing. Especially Bella. She gets all moist

for Heath Ledger every time she forces me to watch that chick flick;
she’s dragged me to Batman eight times, and I’ll happily pass that duty
along to you if you manage to pull this off,” he grinned, straightening

the collar of my dark gray pea coat as I shrugged it on.

“Thanks for the pep talk, coach,” I snarled. This was stupid. She wasn’t

going to-

“It’s not stupid. She’ll shit. And I will enjoy the wave of lust that
sweeps through that gym when you pull this off.”

“If the Man doesn’t come in and harsh my mellow first.”

“Ed, trust me. It’s been dealt with. Me and Emmett, remember?”

Emmett. Boy, did he fully support this plan. I think he simply liked the
idea that he was no longer going to be the biggest troublemaker in the

town of Forks after this shit.

“Are you sure Pattinson’s going to let this slide? What about Laurent?”

“Fuck, Cullen. We’ve been over this. Blackmail is a beautiful thing. Our
illustrious Dean O’ Discipline will keep the hell quiet. And since Laurent
thinks his disciplinarian is effective, he’ll let it go, too. Eventually.”

“Thanks. You instill so much faith.”

“I thought you didn’t care about getting in trouble.”

“I just got the last of my CDs back from Carlisle; I’d really like to not
have my piano confiscated this time.”

“Look, I need to go back in there. Remember; wait until the lame
teacher’s skit ends before you begin.”

“And you’re sure the pep band is with you?”

“Man, I own them. Those geeks worship anyone who can pick up
Guitar Hero for the first time on expert.”

“Alright, alright. Get in there. I’m ready.”

“You’re sure? You’re not going to puss out on me, are you?”

“Fuck you.”

“Thought so. Good luck, Cullen. She’s worth it.”

Fucken-A, she’s worth it. “I know. Go. I’m good.”

He ambled back to the gym, chuckling to himself as he propped open
the double doors for me, as planned.

I sat on my bike, waiting. I cannot believe I’m going to go through with

this.

How does one go from apathetic smartass grade-A troublemaker to a

lovesick, Grand Gesture-makin’ hormonal, teenaged fool in the span of
a week?

The teacher’s skit was ending.

Brace yourselves.

Lifting my ass off the seat, I revved the engine. The comforting thrum

of the bike between my legs was reassuring, sending a vibration
through my body that I allowed to relax me. Stubbing out my fifth
Lucky Strike in the last hour, I prayed that the grittiness in my voice
would not fail me as I did this. Exhaling the last bit of smoke from my

lungs, I cleared my throat, praying that the usual velvet would come out
nice and harsh for this.

Fucking Dramarama.

I saw the fat ass of a math teacher waddle off the center of the gym
floor. There’s my cue. It’s go time.

Squeezing the handle to action, I eased up and hit the throttle, rolling
toward the gym. It’s now or never.

I felt a few hundred sets of eyes on me as I roared into the gym.
Sweeping across the shiny floor, I hit the brake just as I sailed over the
stupid painted mascot in the middle. Go, Spartans!

The beginning chords from Jasper’s red Flying V started to blare over
the loudspeakers. I pulled out the wireless microphone from my
pocket, neatly knocking the bike’s kickstand down as I swung my leg
off. Emmett had better be in control of the PA system. I knew Bella

would be sitting near the floor, preparing to give a speech about the
Canned Food Drive.

She’s so generous with her time.

Focus, Cullen.

I did.

I focused on her.

Her eyes were wide and her jaw dropped. I’d never actually seen that
happen before; you always read about it, and I thought it was pure
bullshit until now. She’s even sexy when she’s shocked.

Risking a glance over my shoulder, Jasper’s head lifted briefly from its
rhythmic bobbing in time to his strumming to wink at me. Go get ‘er,
Tiger.

I saw the shocked looks of teachers as they gathered at the corner of
the gym; no one knew what to do. Principal Laurent had reached
Pattinson, but Pattinson stood there with his arms crossed, a bemused

look on his face. Seems like no one does anything without his say-so
around here; Whitlock was right.

The pep band was, indeed, going along with Jasper. He really did hold
sway over those geeks.

Shrugging out of my coat, I prepared myself for this ridiculous gesture.
Glove? Suspenders? Bella sure had odd fantasies. I blame Justin
Timberlake. And 50 Cent.

My eyes closed involuntarily as I began to sing. I winced slightly in pain;
the black eye Jasper had given me was still purple, the edges fading to
yellow. Good. It serves as a reminder that I need to stop acting like
such a tool if I wanted to get the girl.

Performing in front of this many people didn’t make me nervous;
performing in front of her was excruciating.

I was scared to see a look of rejection.

There’s no way I’d survive this if she turned away from me.

I opened my eyes and focused on nothing but Bella as I parted my lips,
taking a deep breath before I made with the serenading.

OK what is it tonight?

Please, just tell me what the hell is wrong

Do you want to eat, do you want to sleep, do you want to drown?

Just settle down, settle down, settle down...

Bella’s look of shock had not subsided, and she was leaning forward
slightly, her hair sweeping down and brushing her knees. She was
wearing a skirt, and I had to look away to keep my focus on the lyrics.

I'll give you candy, give you diamonds, give you pills

Give you anything you want, hundred dollar bills

I'll even let you watch the shows you want to see

Just marry me, marry me, marry me...

I had to grin at that last one. Once people put two and two together

that this was for her, they’d probably freak out. Always fuck with their
minds.

As I continued with the song, I noticed that a lot of the girls sitting out
there were throwing me looks of sex, but I wasn’t really paying
attention. The only thing I cared about was whether Bella was giving
me a sex look.

I turned and looked back at her, and she had finally moved. She was
raking me up and down with her beautiful eyes, biting her lip as she
watched.

And there it is.

I take back every bad thing I had ever thought about Fitty and

Timberlake. Stupid rap video aside, Bella did, indeed, seem to be
turned on by the suspenders and leather glove. Ridiculous. Adorable.
She was swaying slightly, not at all on beat with the song. She was

mesmerized. By me. By my audacity. By the next thing to add to the
Cullen file.

Fuck me. It was working.

Unfuckinbelievable. Jasper Whitlock is a goddamned genius.

As I finished the song, it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn’t going to
get out of this scot-free. Approaching my bike as Jasper played out the
final chords of the song, I realized we hadn’t thought this part through

well enough. I decided to walk my bike out, noticing the tire arc across
the worn floor. Whoops.

As the song ended, the gym erupted into tumultuous applause.

Suppressing a grin of triumph, I walked the Ducati outside, parking it
right by the door, and I waited for the fuzz to show up. Leaning against
the door jamb, I crossed one leg over the other, shoving my hands in
my pocket. Fuck. I forgot my coat.

“Mr. Cullen,” I heard the smooth voice of the principal call out to me.
Without even looking, I started walking toward the school. I heard him
say, “You too, Mr. Whitlock.” Uh-oh. Getting Jasper in trouble wasn’t

part of the plan.

The noise coming from the gym subsided as the two of us followed the

stiff forms of Principal Laurent and Pattinson toward the front office. I
resisted the urge to high-five Jasper because I don’t high five, but I
noticed we had matching idiotic grins on our faces. This was good.
Legendary. No way anyone would ever forget this.

Which I didn’t care about.

Well, I only cared if Bella would remember it as the single best moment

of her life.

God. I’m becoming such a freaking sap.

Pattinson held the door open for us troublemakers as we strolled into
the office; it was completely empty, considering the entire school was
down in the gym. I gave it until the end of the day before the entire
town of Forks knew what had transpired in there today.

Planting myself in the chair in front of Laurent’s desk that I’m sure
would become my best friend for the next few months, I leaned back,
turning my body toward Jasper and plastering a neutral look on my

face. I noticed Jasper doing the same. Two peas in a pod, we were.

“Gentlemen. I do not have words. What the hell-“ Laurent began, but
he really was at a loss. Poor guy. He probably thought putting us in

Saturday School would prevent such incidents. Good plan.

“Mr. Pattinson. What do you think? Is there a punishment worthy for
these two? Cleaning underneath the lunch tables for a month?

Conferences with their parents? What?” He was imploring; begging.
He truly didn’t want to have to deal with us. I suppressed a grin and
glanced at Jasper; I saw the twinkle in his eye as he subtly tilted his
head toward Pattinson; we were both wondering what the douche

would say.

He paused a moment, steepling his fingers up to his mouth before
beginning.

“I have something in mind, Sir.”

Nice. Keep it vague.

Laurent wasn’t having it. “Well, do share with the rest of us, Mr.
Pattinson. I’d like to know how harsh this is going to be so that I can

explain to Mrs. Evenson and Mr. Cullen why their sons are up to their
necks in manure.”

“I’ll deal with the parents, Mr. Laurent.” Pattinson was starting to get
uncomfortable; he’d better get his story fucking straight. The last thing
I needed was yet another Doctor’s Lecture on my Life’s Choices.

“Not good enough. I want to know, now,” Laurent groused. Fuck, man.
Let it go.

He wasn’t going to; I could see that now. Time to take one for the
fucking team. Good thing I had back up; I just knew that stupid fucker
wouldn’t be able to head Laurent off. Fucking Dean of Discipline, my

ass.

“Mr. Laurent,” I interjected smoothly. The two educators had been
having a stare-down, and the tension was palpable. Nice. Laurent

broke his gaze to meet mine. I suppose he looked threatening, but hell.
If I could stare down a burly marine suspecting me of messing with his
girlfriend, I could easily deflect this soft principal holding my college
career potential in a file.

“I think we can make all of this go away,” I continued, sitting up straight
and folding my hands in my lap.

“Go… away?” he sputtered. I was rather enjoying his look of confusion.
Jasper looked a bit edgy as he, too, sat up straight; I suddenly felt bad
that I hadn’t filled him in on Plan B; we were, after all, brothers in arms
here.

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice the sad, dilapidated state of the Forks
High Gymnasium floor.”

“Made worse by your motorcycle’s tires, no less.”

“Well, for that I do apologize. Not my intention. And honestly, if the

help staff had been more diligent, my treads would not have scuffed

the floor so easily.” Whoops. Not helping. Laurent glowered at me,
and I continued before I could dig myself into a deeper pile of shit.

“What would you say if I told you that I was my mother’s mother’s
favorite grandchild?” I asked, a lazy smile crawling up my face. Laurent
looked confused. Before he could interrupt, I said, “She left me quite a

large sum of cash when she passed away.”

He didn’t respond; just leaned back in his chair, arching his thick
eyebrow. His face wiped clean of any emotion, and I was impressed.

He knew what was coming, and he was going to accept my proposal.

Excellent.

“I’d say that Forks could use a large, anonymous infusion of cash to
install a new floor. Hell; new bleachers, too.” I was feeling
magnanimous. I was going to get the girl.

Bella. I allowed myself to be distracted by thinking of her. Luckily, I
already had Laurent in the bag and no longer needed to hypnotize the
man to bend to my will. He was mine.

“Mr. Cullen, as much as-“

“Totally anonymous. And Pattinson can still dole out his punishment to

me and my friend here.”

Laurent’s eyebrows could not possibly raise farther. He knew. Who the
fuck cares? What’s a few thousand dollars in exchange for my Bella?

“Mr. Pattinson, I’m sure you’ll deal with these offenders in any way you
see fit.”

Laurent put his head in his hands, and he impatiently waved us off. We
both rose and avoided each other’s gaze; it’s unseemly to smile in the
face of your enemy’s defeat.

We didn’t even acknowledge Pattinson as we sailed out of there.

“So. Chicken and waffles?” I had noticed Jasper had a thing for
breakfast foods.

“Absolutely.”

We ditched the rest of the day. No way I’d return to school after that.

No matter how much I was dying to know what Bella thought.

I’d have to wait.

Wait until tomorrow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, it is now tomorrow. We finally made it to school. Carlisle was
just rounding out his lecture; I noticed Jasper and Bella exiting a car and
that hot blonde mom getting out of it. I could’ve sworn she was

Rosalie’s mom? I watched as she gave a hug to Bella, looking for all the
world like she was saying goodbye to her daughter. Hot Mom gave the
same hug to Jasper, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Jasper had filled
me in on his and Bella’s sibling relationship, but I still found it
astounding. I wasn’t that close with anyone. But I got the impression

that Jasper was willing to share. I’m pretty sure Alice had something to
do with that.

I was suddenly very antsy; I didn’t want to get out of the car just yet. I
can’t remember the last time I felt so nervous. I practically jumped
when Carlisle placed his hand on my arm, asking if I was okay.

“Fine, Father. Be good. I’m going to detention now, and I promise to
live up to your lofty expectations,” I shot nastily to him. That was
uncalled for, I suppose. Nervous energy getting the best of me. I’d
really have to stop being so rude to him. He was doing his best.

He sighed. “Please, Edward. Just-“ He didn’t finish. Great. Now I feel
bad.

I climbed out of the car, silently closing it behind me. I’d deal with my
father later. Maybe it was time to grow up.

I was the last one to the door. Praying that it was just the original six
for today’s detention, I let out a deep breath and pushed open the
door, wondering what my reception was going to be.

I hoped she’d look at me.

I hoped she’d forgiven me.

I hoped she’d let me back in.

I hoped she’d let me kiss her.

And I really hoped that Jacob Black wasn’t there.

Chapter 14- Edward by wtvoc

“Bella, wait.” Why the hell is she running? It’s cute. She must suck in
gym.

I had opened those doors hoping for… something. Not this.

She was sitting in the front, alone, thankfully. I would have turned
around and walked right out if Jacob Black was here today.

I had plans.

I chose a seat that was near the back so I could keep an eye on things; I
noticed Emmett and Rosalie were sitting as far away from each other as
possible. Those two. Listening to him bitch about her all week should

have gotten on my nerves, but I found it way too amusing. He was
trying so hard to hide his infatuation. There must be something in the
water. Emmett, Jasper and I- free-spirited bad asses, all of us- were
being panty-whipped into submission by the Three. Morning, Noon,

and Night. Bella, Rosalie, and Alice.

Jasper and Alice were sitting next to each other, looking all cozy. J kept
shooting me furtive looks; he was worried about me, I could tell. I

marveled that I had managed to snag both a love interest and two
buddies in such a short time span; Edward Cullen must be growing.
Who’d’ve guessed it?

I was impatiently drumming my thumbs on the desktop, my mind going
crazy with agitation and worry. Why hasn’t Bella looked at me? Is she
completely unaffected by my fucking gesture? Because God. That was
definitely up there in the Annals of Creamed Panties. Jasper is a fucking

genius, and I am a fucking Rock Star for pulling it off. If she doesn’t at
least speak to me, I’m joining a monastery. I swear.

Why isn’t she fucking looking at me?

You chose the farthest seat from her, dipshit.

I know, I know.

Okay, so I’m kind of a chicken. I am afraid of rejection.

I have never before been rejected.

And I sure as hell ain’t starting now.

“Cream,” Pattinson cursed. What? His coffee needed creaming. I

thought he was reading my thoughts for a minute. He turned to
rummage in his bag, and I saw Bella get up and sashay over to his desk.

What the fuck?

I groaned silently. She’s wearing a denim skirt. Some sort of maroon-
colored, patterned tights, the kind that looked like they were knitted by

nuns in seclusion who had never seen a man before. Delicate; intricate.
Sexy as hell. Her button-up was white and I could see the damned bra
underneath; was that blue? Shit. Blue is much hotter than black. Fuck
all black lingerie, forever; blue gives me a fucking hard-on.

I wonder if she’s wearing matching panties?

Fuck.

Simmer down. She hasn’t talked to you yet.

She was leaning over Pattinson’s desk, whispering to him. Wait, is she
flirting?

I’ve never wanted to deck a guy so hard in my life.

I was jealous of the view he was getting.

Not that my back view was bad.

She turned around and dusted her hands off in front of her.

What the hell?

I saw her wink at Jasper.

Ah.

Must be the plan to get the jackoff out of the library. Nice.

Bella as a troublemaker is fucking hot.

She sat back down, smoothing her skirt beneath her. To be those
hands…

I needed to be those hands.

We all sat in silence.

Weren’t we supposed to be writing something?

My leg won’t stop tapping.

Emmett, seated at the table to my right, was wadding up pieces of
paper and throwing it into Alice’s hair; they of course bounced right off

the spikes and landed in Jasper’s.

He was too into whatever book they were looking at to notice. Ah,
young love. So fucking endearing.

Twenty minutes in. Whatever Bella did wasn’t working.

Ten more minutes.

Fuck.

I needed to make a move.

What can I do?

It’s her turn to respond.

I fucking sang in front of the entire fucking school, for fucking fuck’s
sake.

Pattinson drained his coffee cup. Any. Minute. Now.

A look of pain passed across his face.

A ha.

He looked like he was going to mumble something, but instead he shot
out the door like his ass was on fire.

Apparently, it was.

“Magnesium gets ‘em every time,” Emmett said smugly.

“Yo. Rosalie Hale. Love of my life and reason for my waking up every
morning. Would you care to please join me outside? There’s

something we need to discuss,” Emmett proudly proclaimed. Good for
him.

She looked shocked and very pleased; I got a sudden flash of what her

fuck face must look like. Not bad. A little vulnerable, and hella sexy.
Way to score, Emmett.

Jasper and Alice weren’t going anywhere. She had climbed up on the
desk facing him, her short little legs on either side of his lean body.
They were leaning into each other, their foreheads pressed together as
they read; it would appear that he had taken over narrator duties, and

he would occasionally lick the tip of his finger to turn the page with a
flourish. She’d grin every time he did it, too. Foreplay.

He blindly waved his hand at me behind his back as if to say, “Get to it,
Man.” Actually, if I could read his mind, I bet that’s exactly what he was
thinking. And I rather agreed.

Several things happened at once.

I stood up.

A low moan filled the hallway. I couldn’t tell who it was or where it
came from.

Bella shot up, tossed her hair over her shoulder-

And hurriedly rushed out the door.

“Bella, wait-“

And here we are again.

Go get her, idiot.

Get the girl.

Right.

Jasper was looking at me like I just pissed on the table.

Right.

I took off after her. I have long legs. I’ll catch up.

I saw the brown swish of hair as she made a break for outside. The
stomping of my shoes on the marble hallway echoed loudly back at me.
Pushing the doors outside open, I noticed that we were in the quad

area now, near the outdoor patio area. I hadn’t caught up to her, and
she wasn’t slowing down. She was headed toward one of those stupid
golf carts that the campus “security” was always tooling around in,

stopping every so often to harass one of the hot young girls on her way
to class. They were a total joke.

Bella hopped into the golf cart. Too bad there are no keys, Bella.

The fuck?

She was hot wiring the damned thing.

Gah.

She took off down the hill. Gees. Now I have to run.

She was headed down the road leading to the football stadium. Where

exactly does she think she’s going?

She veered off and took the dirt path that lead down to the field. I
decided to see if I could head her off by hopping down the cement

bleachers; huffing and puffing, I hopped the last few rows and landed
on the spongy track that was encircling the entire 100 yards; stopping
for breath, I leaned over, palming my thighs in support. Shit. I should
cut the fucking Lucky Strikes out of my diet.

Bella had stopped about twenty feet away from where I was silently
catching my breath; it seems she had stalled it. I eyed her warily,
wondering what her next move was.

She stepped out of the golf cart, taking cautious steps backwards as she
watched me. Why the hell is she running away from me?

Is she scared? Was the song too much? I mean, the lyrics did contain a
marriage proposal. Shit. What if she thinks-

She took off running again. Straight down the fifty yard line.

Bella, I groaned in my head. Just talk to me.

I ran after her again. It felt good… chasing after a girl, instead of the
other way around.

I caught up with her in no time. She’s a terrible runner. I grabbed her
arm, trying to get her to face me.

She wasn’t having it. She twisted out of my flimsy grasp and tried to
keep going.

But… she tripped. And fell forward. Quickly, she flipped around and
landed hard, right on her ass.

She looked up at me with accusatory eyes, burning with passion and

anger. Yes.

Seething emotion is good.

I leaned down and pulled her up by her waist.

She shook her head furiously, her hair swinging in her face. I reached

down to brush it out of the way, but she pushed my hand back.

I was going to start imploring. Wheedling. Begging her to hear me out.

She slapped me. Right on the face. I’m going to be battered by the
day’s end.

I opened my mouth to speak and was surprised when she grabbed the
collar of my shirt and pulled me down. She kissed me. She kissed me
hard. She kissed me with tongue. I could taste her high-pitched moan
in my mouth. My arms wrapped around her, pulling her to me.

Oh God, yes. Fucking finally.

My breathing came hard and quick. I had never felt this boiling blood,
this tingling that filtered throughout my body. Her tits were pressed
into my chest, and I could feel her trembling.

She pulled away and stumbled backward, and I inadvertently let go.
She took another step, then slapped me on the other side of my face.

She reared back to hit me again, but I grinned and stifled a laugh as I

grabbed her wrist, pulling her to me. You are divine.

Her eyes responded. You are mine.

I will never let go of her again.

Gently, I leaned down and pressed my lips to her throat. I peppered

her with kisses. She deserves to be worshipped like this. My dirty,
wonderful, smart-as-fuck little sexy goddess. Divine.

She started unbuttoning my shirt. Wait, here? Oh fuck, yes. Outdoors

is always a good idea.

She started kissing my chest, gently pulling out the tails of the shirt
from my waistband. I stilled, letting her take control.

It was her turn.

She lifted my arms one by one, pulling the shirt off, tracing her lips
lightly along the veins on the inside of my arm. She stopped on my left
wrist when she saw the tattoo there. Looking up at me, she raised an
eyebrow and kissed the dark ink. I shivered. Planting a kiss on my

hand, she started to walk around me, tracing her fingertips lightly
across my skin. A light breeze blew, and the combination of the cold
and Bella’s touch raised gooseflesh on my arms. It felt fucking amazing.

I felt her pause at my back, and then I almost lost it when I felt her lips
and tongue start nibbling along the taut lines of my muscles; if I had a
mirror, I’d no doubt see her following the long lines of the ink covering

my back. I’d probably have to explain the tattoos later. Good thing
they don’t turn her off.

I must’ve looked a fool just standing there, letting this beautiful and
small woman touch me in the middle of a field, and I could not have
fucking cared less.

Out of nowhere, I felt her warm palms press on my shoulders as she
made me kneel down. She walked back around and she was slightly
taller than me now. Looking down at me, I could still see the fire in her
eyes, burning me with intensity and desire. She grabbed my face and

brought her lips to mine, and I relished in her taste. Fuck. My pants are
too tight. I should take them off. Or wait for her to do it for me.

I grabbed her waist, crushing her to me. She started to wobble a bit, a

low moan escaping her mouth and tickling my throat as her tongue
sought mine, alternating with gentle caresses and furious lapping. I
lifted her up, her knees buckling a bit as I cradled her, bringing her
down to lay right there on the wide, painted, fifty yard line.

Kneeling over her, I paused for a moment to revel in her beauty. Jesus.
Ethereal. Her lips begging to be kissed. Her chest was heaving, and I
got even harder imagining running my tongue under that blue bra she

was wearing.

She snaked her hands behind my head, bringing me down to her. This
time, the kissing was harder, more furious. She was making up for lost

time.

Stretching out over her, I was careful not to put too much of my weight
on her delicate body, despite the fact that I wanted to cover her, to

hold her, to never let go. Possess every inch of her gloriously delicious
form. I was going to lose control.

I moved so that I was hovering over her, my elbows digging into the
spongy grass. Pausing for a moment, I licked her sugary lip gloss off of
my lips and looked at her. Just fucking looked at her. She was flushed

and delicious, her chest rising and falling below mine as she gazed back.
The moment carried. I almost didn’t want to stop looking at her.

Almost.

Before I could even consider my next move, I found myself inching
down, kissing her neck. Her throat. The hollow where her collar was
unbuttoned. Down, down down. Unbuttoning. Blue. Beautiful blue

lace. Shit. Unbuttoning. Her tits. Her breasts. Damn. The curves
swelled gently, gracefully. Such soft skin. To adore. Mine to adore.
My breath was hot on her skin, my tongue gentle as I kissed her lush
body. Down, down, down.

I had unbuttoned her entire shirt, the edges falling to her sides where
her arms were circled around my head, her fingertips alternating
between gentle massages and furious clenching through my messy hair.

The wind was whipping around us gently, cold and creating goose
bumps on her exposed flesh. I traced my lips down her stomach,
tracing the very soft curves on the sides down to the waist of her skirt.
She was breathing erratically, taking deep breaths to calm down.

Calm down? I’ll get her breathing hard and heavy. I kept my
downward path, glossing over the zipper and going straight for the
hem.

Now on my hands and knees, I prowled backward until I got to her feet.
Slowly lifting my head, I saw that she had lifted onto her elbows, her
luscious bottom lip between her teeth- pondering what I was going to

do. I smirked, placing my hands at her ankles. The sexy tights she was
wearing felt soft beneath my palms, and I traced my fingers along her
legs lightly, moving slowly. She was shifting beneath my touch,

trembling. Moving slightly with me. Ever-so-slowly parting her legs as I
made my way up her calves. Over her knees. My fingers now spread
out, palming her as my thumbs caressed her inner thighs. Up, up, up.

Holy shit.

They’re not tights.

They’re thigh highs.

Fucking thigh highs.

Amazing woman. She must’ve known we’d end up here today. Why
else do women wear thigh highs but to make me hard?

Harder.

Losing it.

I wanted to rip them off her legs.

With my teeth.

I ran my hands up her skirt and grabbed her by her hips.

Dipping in, I did it. I pulled on the edges with my teeth. She gasped.

Looking up at her with the knit fabric between my teeth, I almost

fucking came right there. Her back was arched, her head tossed back.
A ray of sunshine had broken through, lighting her hair and making it
look for all the world like I had my head between an angel’s legs.

I yanked my head back and let the thigh high go, the recoil of the fabric
hitting her leg with a satisfying snap. She jerked her head forward and
met my eyes with a look of lust so strong that I almost took her then

and there.

Not yet.

Grinning wickedly at her, I kissed her leg just above the edge and
started a slow trail with nibbling kisses. Tongue. Teeth. Up, up, up.

I stopped just short of her panties. Yep; matching blue.

Taking a deep breath, I got a noseful of Bella’s smell. God. I could smell
her in my sleep. That amazing, warm Bella smell. So much better than

I had remembered. Suddenly, I had to. I just had to.

No dry blows here.

I kissed. Traveling up, up up. Tracing my tongue along her inner thigh.
My pulse was racing as I got closer to her fucking taste. Licking up. Up
along the crease of her thigh and hip. I didn’t dare look in her eyes

now- I didn’t want this to go too quickly.

I heard something behind me.

Is someone out here?

I paused, listening. Maybe it was just the wind.

I suddenly became very aware of how exposed we were.

And while I didn’t give a fuck who saw me doing what… I didn’t want

Bella to be so… exposed.

I looked at her. Her eyes were questioning, pleading. Begging. Lusting.
Grinning apologetically, I got up on my knees, reaching for her hands.
Trust me.

She did.

She does.

Thank Christ.

I helped her up. Clasping her hand and never wanting to let go, I led
her off of the field.

Her head was down, but I could see a small smile playing on her lips.

Then she stumbled. Oh, Bella.

I leaned over and scooped her up in my arms. She squealed but looked
up adoringly at me. Gees. It’s almost unfair.

She reached up and stroked the side of my face; it felt fucking amazing.
Her touch. Grazing my unshaved face. She didn’t seem to mind the
scruff. Brushing her hand across my ear, she rested her palm on my
shoulder and used it to lift herself up a bit so that she could nibble on
my neck. Shiver. She started placing these little biting kisses on my

throat and across my jaw. Hmm. I think she rather likes me unshaven.

I am going to fuck her right now, I swear.

Striding across the rest of the field, we got back to the golf cart. Gently
depositing Bella in the side seat, I went to go check on it. Probably
stalled rather than out of gas.

She didn’t let go of my hand.

Jerking me back, she swiveled her legs out so that they were on either
side of mine, and a wicked grin lit up her face. Shit. Her shirt was still
open, exposing those beautiful breasts in that blue half-bra. I couldn’t

help it. I swooped down and kissed right in between them.

She arched. Arched right into my face.

I can’t stand it anymore.

I need her. I need to taste her.

So I flicked my tongue out. Ooh, front-clasp. Tilting my head slightly, I
popped that shit open with my teeth.

Planting a kiss right on the mark left behind by her bra, I glanced up and
saw that Bella was looking at me like a tasty, delicious treat. Her eyes
were intense, and practically the color of fucking dark chocolate.

Damn. Why does she have to taste so good? Why does she have to
fucking look at me like that?

She shivered, and I realized that it was pretty windy out here. I need to

get her back up the hill and inside the building. Silly Bella. What the
hell was she thinking, wearing a skirt on a day like today?

Mmm. The skirt. I’m getting distracted.

Leaning in, I planted a soft kiss on her neck. She sighed and leaned
back, probably wondering what I was up to now. And I had no idea.

I couldn’t do her on a golf cart.

Could I?

I sure could.

But I didn’t want her to get cold. I grabbed her head, enveloping her
neck and hair with my hands. Leaning in for a kiss, I lightly brushed my
lips on hers and felt and tasted her sigh in my mouth. She’s so soft, so…

feminine. Amazing that she can pull that off with her dirty little pirate
mouth.

Moving my lips gently, I kissed her. Kissed her like she would break.
Please don’t break. I need to keep you.

Continuing my soft but insistent kisses, I moved my hands down to her

shoulders, playing with the collar of her shirt. I could feel her breathing
pick up as I parted her lips with my tongue- tasting. Teasing. Running
my thumbs across her collarbone. Down the curves of her chest. She
gasped into my mouth when I cupped both her tits, flicking my thumbs

across the nipples. But no. She had goose bumps on her skin; I could
feel them. She needs to be warm. I need her warm and soft.

I separated our lips and leaned in to kiss her softly on the cheek. Re-

snapped her bra. Coming back to face her, I saw the disappointment
and fucking pleading in her eyes.

Not here, Bella.

I got down on my knees and buttoned her shirt back up. I could see the
steady rise of her chest as her breathing returned to normal. She sat
back up and looked away, biting her lip.

Oh, Christ. She thinks I don’t want her, doesn’t she?

I have never wanted anything more in my life. Just…. Not here. It’s too
cold for her.

But- I didn’t want to leave her hanging.

So I pushed her back.

I pushed her skirt up.

And I kissed her. Right on her soaking wet panties.

Fuck. The taste.

My hands were cold as I moved the thin material aside.

I couldn’t fucking help it.

I ran my tongue up her slippery pussy.

Mm.

Tasting, testing. Never better. Nothing is better than this. My Bella.
My girl. My fucking girl.

I wrapped my hands around her hips, bringing her up and forward. She
wrapped her thigh highs around my ears. I kept licking, lapping. She
was rolling her hips into my face, and I just couldn’t get enough. I

wanted to plunge my fingers inside of her, but they were so cold. No
way I could do that to her.

So I used my tongue instead. Plunged in. Her surprised gasp made me

harder than I have ever been in my entire fucking life. I risked a glance
up and nearly lost it. She was going to come. Going to come into my
mouth.

Yes. Do it, Bella. Do it for me.

And with a whimper and a sudden stilling of her body, she did.

She began to writhe, to shudder around me. I lost all contact with the
world as we rode out her orgasm. So fucking beautiful. Delicious.
Desirable.

You are divine.

With one last, long, languorous lap of her luscious skin, I gently
returned her panties to their original position with my teeth as her
thighs unclenched from around my ears. I had a sore neck now and
couldn’t have given less of a fuck; the most amazing sex had just

happened, and it didn’t directly involve my dick.

Amazing.

What is this girl doing to me?

I love it. Wouldn’t change it for the world.

I am a goner.

I kissed the spot right below her ear and adjusted her thigh highs. She

didn’t seem capable of doing anything, so I lifted her up to sit in the
seat.

Oh, right. This damned golf cart doesn’t work. I kicked it. Hard. I sat

down and started it up; sure enough. Works every time.

We drove back up the hill. I need to get her warm. Maybe with my
body. Where can we go that I can-

Nurse’s office.

Perfect.

The stupid little vehicle wasn’t fast enough. Bella’s shivering over
there. I kept glancing at her, and I noticed she was eyeing me in the

periphery, but not making actual eye contact.

What’s going on in that head of yours, Beautiful?

We pulled up to the doors again, and I hopped out before she could
move.

Actually, I don’t think she was capable of moving just yet.

The wind was really picking up. I needed to get her inside. Leaning

down, I kissed the top of her head and brought my arm under her legs,
easily swinging her up to my body, enveloping her in my warmth. She
brought her head down and grabbed the front of my shirt with her tight
little fist; practically running, I got to the doors which were propped

open and dashed inside.

I trotted down the hall, my long legs carrying us quickly to the front
office. I had never been inside the nurse’s station, but there had to be

a bed or cot in there, right?

It was locked.

And none of my keys worked.

Well, fuck.

I can always take her home.

Pattinson’d never know. Besides, I owned that bitch.

We passed by his office on the way out, and I saw a black cashmere
sweater laying on his desk. I swiped it and wrapped it around Bella’s

little body; she might end up smelling like him, but it was better than
her freezing to death because I can’t keep my fucking tongue in my
mouth.

Her head was resting in the crook of my neck, and I leaned my cheek on
the top of her head as we walked; I could smell her shampoo and traces
of her delicious pussy that I knew was all over my face. I just may never
eat again. For real.

Striding out to the parking lot, it suddenly hit me that I had been
escorted here by my father. Fuck. I forgot. And Bella got dropped off,
too.

Well, what the fuck.

And what the fuck?

Carlisle. Why the hell is his Mercedes here? Is he having a meeting
with Pattinson about my behavior?

How annoying.

I could always break in.

I headed toward the car.

And realized that I couldn’t break in.

Bella could get cut by the glass. And I can’t hurt her anymore.

Sighing, I leaned my head down against her forehead; straightening up,
she was looking at me with questions in her eyes.

Turning up one corner of my mouth, I was all set to apologize for my
lack of the ability to think things through when she started to part her
lips.

I will kiss you whenever you want, my love.

Her tongue flicked across my lips, and knowing that she was tasting

herself on me made me hard.

With a moan, she pulled my head down to her, and I pressed her up
against the side of the car. I dropped her legs. She wrapped them

around my waist.

God, I love making out with her.

Her hands were up in my hair; my hands were all over her hips and
waist. She was pressing herself into me, and I sort of hoped she was
rubbing her still wet pussy all over my clothes. Mark me. I am yours
now.

I pulled back, stopping our tongue fucking. Took a deep, calming
breath.

Not here.

We will have our chance.

But not here; not now.

This one will be different. Is different.

I rested my forehead against hers briefly, then pulled my head back to
look straight in her eyes. She needs to know. She needs to fucking
understand me.

Her intense eyes glowed with it. With that understanding I needed.

You are divine.

I smiled at her. Happily. No snark; no snide. No smart ass. Just Bella.
A smile for my Beautiful Bella.

“Come on, Love. Let’s go inside.”

Chapter 15- Bella by jandco

That was for…me?

That was for me.

Dramarama, suspenders, driving gloves…that could only be for me.

Around me there was cheering and yelling and the gym was filled with
that kind of high the entire school gets when there's a good fight or an
on-campus drug bust.

I watched in complete confusion while Edward and Jasper were
rounded up to go off to the office.

Jasper?

Of course Jasper.

How else would Edward know about my glove/suspenders fetish?

Since when did they start a Best Friends Forever Club, and where the

hell was I during the slumber party when they dished about chicks and
filed each other’s nails?

But…then… why the cryptic warning about Edward from Jasper earlier

in the week?

Edward glanced over his shoulder at me and I was frozen.

His mouth turned up at one corner.

"Divine," he mouthed silently from across the gym, then turned back

and said something to Jasper.

Mine?

Then they were gone.

I thought back over the poem…

You are divine

And you are mine…

He was going to bring me to my knees with this kind of shit….literally.

Then I started to notice the stares and I heard my name wafting in and

out of loud conversations around me.

I needed to get the hell out of there…but I was abruptly blocked.

"Jake…"

Shit.

I had successfully avoided him for the past week, and now he was up in
my face and I had to…deal with him.

Ugh.

"Are you like, with that jack off, or what, Bella?" he asked, trying to

sound hard, nonchalant…but I saw through him.

"What? No. Yes. I don't know…" I stammered.

I hated hurting Jacob's feelings.

I really hated it.

But not as much as I hated having to pretend to get off when we
messed around at school last Saturday…

And I felt guilty about hurting Jake…but not as guilty as I felt when I
envisioned Edward the entire time Jake was inside of me.

"Look, Bella, if you were messing around with that guy, you should've
told me. I don't want to be putting my dick anywhere near some place
that kid has been—"

"I didn't do him, Jake," I hissed in a whisper.

And I would've slapped him…if I thought he actually meant what he

said.

But he didn't.

He was just trying to figure out where he stood with me…which was
nowhere, anymore.

"Well, I'm gonna tell him to back the fuck up, because—"

"No—"

Jake raised his eyebrows at me.

"Look…I just—"

"I'm not in to double-dipping, Bella."

I stayed silent.

I wanted him to be the one to get rid of me. I wanted him to be able to
walk away from this with some kind of dignity—it was the least I could

do.

Jake shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back on his heels.

"So…then…last Saturday…I have to know…why'd you do it? I mean, if
you have this thing going with that prick…why'd you screw around with
me?"

Oh hell.

"God, Jake, I barely even knew him then. I barely know him now. And,
I dunno. I just, I mean- I wasn't gonna back out on you for some guy I'd
known for a week…"

And that was mostly the truth.

But there was more…more that I didn't tell Jacob.

For example, I didn't tell him I did it because I felt obligated…and I
didn't tell him I hated myself for it afterwards, and I didn't tell Jake I'll
never forget the look on Edward's face when he saw me with Jake--

because that look made my heart hurt…and I also didn't tell Jake that I
did it to prove to myself that I hadn't fallen for an impossibly
unattainable boy in the span of a week—and I proved myself
wrong…and I also didn't tell Jake that I knew he felt for me in a way I
would never feel about him. I didn't say any of those things to Jacob—

because despite the fact that I wasn't in love with him, I'd never want
to hurt him—and I'd done enough of that already.

I should've cut this thing with Jake off as soon as I knew he was falling
for me…but I never had a reason to.

Until now.

"That kid's a slut, Bella. Everyone knows that. He's a dirtball and God,
I'd just hate to see you get—"

"Please don't say that," I whispered, trying not to lash out. He was
hurt. He was grasping at straws…and worst of all, he may have been
speaking the truth.

Edward…well, he ran hot and cold with me.

One day he's sucking on my underwear, and the next he's ignoring
me…then dirty texting me.

Then he sees me with Jake, says nothing, even though I know he knew

what I'd done…then the next thing I know he's an improved, updated
version of John Cusack.

But…Jasper helped Edward.

And if Jasper saw something good and honest there, it existed.

Jasper would never help Edward get in my pants if he thought for one
second he was a douchefuck.

"Jacob…I have to give it a chance. I like—"

"Don't come back when he's plowing the cheer squad."

It felt like a slap in the face.

I never anticipated this thing with Jacob ending shitty.

"I won't," I said.

Jacob turned and walked away.

I blindly made it out of the gym and then somehow ended up in my
truck.

I sat with the keys clenched in my hand and replayed the entire thing in
my mind.

He really fucked up the gym floor…for me.

He really looked sexy in those suspenders….for me.

He really risked a lot doing this…for me.

And dang, he could sing.

And, I was fairly certain he wanted me.

The problem was I had no idea how to…what to…I mean…

Gah.

I've never had a boyfriend.

I've had sexual acts.

But…grand gestures and shit…I mean, this was relationship crap…and I
loved it, I really did. I just had no idea how to respond.

I mean, do I say thank you?

Do I just drop to my knees and blow him?

Is he like, my boyfriend now?

Am I his girlfriend?

Do I just…ask him?

Do people actually have that conversation?

What if I ask, and he laughs…or ignores me?

What if he changes his mind?

Because, really, this wasn't the first time Edward has made a public
gesture for me.

When he posted the copies of that poem, I thought for sure “he's
telling me something. He wants me, he's making it known”…then he
refused to so much as make eye contact with me at school.

Edward was playing games, and I loved a good game…the problem was-
it wasn't a game to me.

Who's to say this gesture was any different than the poems?

I could show up to detention tomorrow and be completely ignored. In
fact, it was likely.

It was also likely that I'd kick him in the throat if he chose to act like I
didn't exist again.

I dug my cell phone out of the glove box and dialed the one person who
never judged. The one person I could tell anything to…

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Bella?"

"Mom."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I just—"

"Is Jasper okay?"

"Jasper's fine."

"Good. No episodes lately, then?"

"Well, actually yes. He's gone and fallen in love with a militant pseudo-
lesbian who can't even make a pot of soup—from a can—and I have a

feeling she is about to seriously affect my current living arrangement,
and I can't even bitch about it because, well, it turns out she's the best
thing to ever happen to Jasper, so, he's been a bit excitable lately and
you know how that brings on the shakes in Jasper."

"Jasper has a girlfriend?" Renee asked, incredulous.

"Yes. No. I don't know, Mom…all I know is out of nowhere this

Feminazi from school turns out to be a ballerina and Jasper is seizing,
literally, over her, and I can understand why because she's not who I
thought she was. Hell, even I kind of have a crush on her and anyway,
she's good for him and I'm thrilled because this should officially mark

the end of “Bella blows Jasper” rumors, but- I'm not calling about
Jasper. I'm calling about me."

"Oh. Good. What's up?"

"Okay, so I've had this Saturday detention for like two weeks now—"

"What? Why are you in Saturday detention?"

"Making out with Jasper in class."

" Wait. I thought he had a girlfriend…and, do you two learn nothing? I
swear, sometimes I can still smell vomit in my carpet when it rains.
Why on earth would you—"

"He was just being a jerk, it wasn't intentional on my part this time,
anyway that's beside the point…I think I met someone that I…like."

"Is it this Jacob kid?"

"No, Mom, I didn't suddenly develop feelings for Jacob."

"You're sure?"

"God, yes, just—"

"Because I won't say I told you so, even though I did. It would be

completely natural if you did. You know, when you first told me about
what you were, er, up to with him, I wasn't thrilled. I worry about your
feelings and when you just offer something like that to a boy—"

"Mom—"

"Hear me out. I know I have no right to pull the Mom Card…so I never
do. And, Bella, I'm so glad you're comfortable with telling me

everything…but when you got yourself in to this arrangement, I knew
you'd end up falling for him…did he do something to—"

"Mom. I. Don't. Want. Jacob. I ended it with him. Because of
another guy. This call isn't about Jake, even though I feel like an
asshole for hurting him—"

"Ahhh…are you saying you reversed roles?"

"What?"

"He fell for you—you didn't fall at all."

"Correct."

"Hmm…well, you're definitely my daughter."

"I am. Listen, about this other guy—"

"Hmmm. Is he smart?"

"Yes, he can hold an intelligent conversation, but—"

"Does he treat you well?"

"Um…I think so? I don't really know what I'm doing. I don't know how
to treat him, much less know what to expect of him."

"What's his name?"

"Edward."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes, Mom, come on—"

"It's just you never hear of Edwards anymore and—wait. He is in high
school, right? I mean, he's not sixty or—"

"Gross. Of course he's in high school. Can we focus here?"

The thing about Renee is this: she is fabulous with advice, she is

nonjudgmental and she can always make me feel better…I just had to
walk her through helping me.

"Okay. You met a boy. You like him, which I have to say does surprise

me…he must be something special if you're actually engaging in
conversation with him. I mean, usually you're always saying high school
guys aren't wel- read or are—"

"Yeah, Mom he's great. I like him."

"Okay. And he likes you."

"I…think so? But he's always sending these insane mixed signals and—"

"That's men, sweetheart. It's what they do."

"Oh. Okay—"

"Has he said he likes you?"

"No. But he did drive a motorcycle in to the gym and sang to me.
While wearing suspenders."

It was silent on the other end.

"Mom?"

"I'm here. Just…getting a clear picture of this kid…let me
guess…gorgeous, foul-mouthed, sweet disguised in perversion and has
major issues with authority figures, probably due to extreme

intelligence …and is clearly smitten with my daughter."

"All true except for the last point. I'm not sure about that one."

"He drove a motorcycle into the gym."

"He did."

"He's yours."

"What do I do with him?"

"As a mother, I have to say run like hell. He's trouble. You're forbidden
from seeing him."

"Okay…how about as not a mother?"

It was quiet again.

"Mom?"

"What does Jasper think about this guy?"

"Jasper…helped him with the gym thing, I think. I think Jasper likes
him…"

Silence.

We were in new territory here.

Renee couldn't exactly tell me to go run around with a guy who drives
motor vehicles in to schools.

"Thanks anyway, Mom," I said flatly.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"You'll figure this one out. You'll do the right thing."

"I…don't even know what that is."

"But you will."

"Bye Mom, I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella."

I sighed and shut the phone…now she decides to dispense typical sage-
like mom advice?

After an internal debate over whether to wait for Edward and Jasper or
not, I started my truck and threw it in reverse.

I desperately wanted to see Edward.

Desperately.

I wanted to quote cummings and argue about bad music and smell his
shirt.

I wanted him to give me that cocky grin he gave and then I wanted him
to give me that lost, please-save-me look he didn't even know he gave
me.

And I wanted him to kiss me and make me feel the way only he could…

But I was scared.

Obviously, landing him physically wasn't the problem; I could most
definitely please him that way—I knew how to work the boy…the

problem was how do I go about keeping a guy like this?

What does a girlfriend do?

Does he even want a girlfriend? Because he was definitely playing both
sides of the fence.

The closest things I've had to boyfriends were Jasper, and that was just
friendship…and Jacob…and that was just sex.

How the hell does one combine the two?

And why the hell did he pull that crap on me out of nowhere?

He couldn't just…I mean, you can't just ignore someone for the better
part of a week and then decide to give them a Broadway show without
any warning.

You'd only do that if you were a master mindfucker…right?

And the more I thought about it, the more upset I got.

You want me or you don't—and I could completely understand if he
didn't—after the Jake thing…but still…he was the one that ignored me
all week…before I had my last round with Jake.

He plastered a public institution with dirty poetry—then acted like he
didn't know me.

He texted literary foreplay for the better part of a day, then refused to

make eye contact at school.

I was in my rights sleeping with Jake last Saturday, dammit…Edward
had declared or claimed nothing; all he did was post a few poems and

jack off to my texts, then refus to acknowledge my existence…so why
did I feel like I did something wrong, when it was Edward who was
clearly the game player?

Probably because of that look he gave me when he saw me with Jake.
That hurt, confused, disappointed, punched-in-the-gut glance he
gave…that's what made me feel like an asshole.

But that look was hardly fair to me.

I mean, if you're going to ignore me, ignore me.

If you're not, then kiss me already, and I'll be yours.

I just will.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

No one was home when I got there.

So, I waited for Jasper…who I had a whole other set of issues with.

I thumbed through his new Judy Blume collection, compliments of
Alice.

This Deenie may have been on to something with the wash cloth…I cut
Jake loose and if Edward was going to continue to be the master of all
that is mixed signals and twat tease, I may have to employ the old

washcloth in the bathtub maneuver.

Thank you Ms. Blume, Alice, and Deenie.

Eventually, Jasper walked in and gave me a shit-eating grin.

"Well, what's the verdict? Saturday detention for the rest of eternity?
Expulsion? Dry blowing Pattinson from start to finish?"

"You do realize dry blowing is for twelve-year-olds and people with
herpes, correct?"

"Don't knock dry blowing. We've been over this. And since when are
you and Edward Cullen engaged in a closeted bromance?"

"Since when did you start humping the town golden boy?"

"Since when do we talk about who I do or do not let near my vagina?"

He cringed, like I knew he would.

Any reference to my vagina made Jasper sick, it was a trump card—I

could get out of answering anything as soon as I busted out the V word.

I took advantage of his reeling and steered the conversation back to
where I wanted it.

"You helped him."

"I did. And you gotta admit, it was fucking genius."

"It was—wait. Don't side track me. What the hell is going on?"

"I'm in love. What can I say? I'm feeling sensitive and generous."

"What did he say to you, exactly?"

I needed to know if he snowed Jasper in to helping him. If he set us
both up.

Jasper hesitated.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? Quit with the Bros Before Hoes
bullshit, Jasper. You're loyal to me, in case you forgot. Spill it."

"Isn't it obvious? He wants you."

"Nothing is obvious with Edward."

"It was obvious to me, after I hit him."

Ahh, that explained the slightly purple eye.

"Why'd you hit him? Is this about your strange, cryptic Edward Cullen
warning earlier in the week?"

"I was wrong. He's fucking Mr. Wonderful in the flesh," Jasper said, too
quickly.

"You won't tell me why you hit him."

I was incredulous.

This was bullshit.

This was me and Jasper.

How was he gonna hold out on me?

"It's irrelevant," Jasper finally said.

I raised my eyebrows.

Jasper belly flopped on the bed next to me and absently ran his fingers
over the cover of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

"Can we focus on me, please, Romeo?"

"Look, you are clearly creaming your jeans at the sight of him, he wants
you back and he is now officially Jasper-approved. You're good to go."

"Look, Jasper, I'm going to take advantage of our bond and get deep on

you for a second."

Jasper tossed the book on the floor, rolled on to his back and looked up
at me.

"Okay, I'm ready. Go deep."

"I'm scared. What if he ignores me again, like with the infamous
cummings incident of Monday?"

"He won't."

I blinked at Jasper.

That's it?

That's my reassuring comfort?

I tried a different route.

"How long have you two been BFFing behind my back?"

"Long enough for me to know he's not bullshitting."

My eyes narrowed.

"Why are you being so vague? You're acting like you owe him some
kind of loyalty or something—"

"Back the truck up, sister mine," Jasper said, putting a hand up. "You

know I would never, ever let you get anywhere near someone who
wasn't completely deserving of you, so don't play that card with me.
Ever. But, fuck, Bell, that Jake thing threw me for a loop. I don't know
all yours and Edward's dirty, pornographic laundry and I don't want to

know. Quite frankly, all that bullshit between you two confuses the hell
out of me, and I've been rifling through your so-called mating dance for
a week. All I know is that he's disgustingly smitten with you, and you
are completely stuck on him. I helped him because I think that he'd

make you happy, and that's all I want for you. That's all I've ever
wanted for you."

"So you hit him?"

"We're talking in circles. I hit him because for whatever reason, he
needed to be hit."

"Well, did he say something awful about me?"

"No. He thinks you're the modern day Aphrodite."

"Did he fuck someone else?"

"No…not that you could talk if he did. Jacob."

"That was different. That was—"

"Not my business. Edward's over that anyway, and by the way, this
isn't eighth grade. If you want answers, talk to him. Unless you want
me to pass him a note with a check ‘yes’ or ‘no’ box in it, this is out of
my hands."

"Are you abandoning me in my time of need?"

"Did you not witness the miracle I helped pull off in the gym today? I
guided that shit. You're hardly abandoned. Consider this your coming-
of-age, woman-defining moment, as it were, Bella. You'll figure it out."

"But…but, we get each other through everything—"

"You give me too much credit. You're stronger than you realize. Look, I
figured the Alice thing out all on my own…because I'm a big boy now. I

needed to do this one on my own too. You'll get it right, Bella. You
don't need me for this."

"Thanks, Renee."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Jasper’s face made the expression it always did whenever my mother
abandonment issues surfaced, which was not frequently…but still…it

happens, and Jasper and I would both be fools to think my Edward
worries didn't stem from Renee.

"Don't you fucking dare. I'm here, okay? You know that. I'm always

here. But…I can't make you long-term guarantees about Edward. He
likes you. A lot. He doesn't want to intentionally hurt you, that I can
guarantee you…but, Bell, I can't hold your hand through this one, and
quite frankly, that would be weird and a little too Cyrano de Bergerac

for me."

"Please?" I asked, only half joking.

"What do you want me to do? I can't blow him for you, too."

"Funny."

Jasper sat up and put a finger under my chin, making me look at him.

"You will be okay. I promise."

"What if I'm not?"

"I'll kill him for you in an execution style to be determined by you. My
vote it for guillotine, but it's ladies’ choice."

"Fair enough."

"I think so."

I sighed and heaved myself from his bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To figure out my coming-of-age moment."

"Ahhh…I'd offer you luck but you don't need any, I promise. Night

Bells."

"You're going to sleep already?"

"I'm going to see Alice…I'll call you if I get the shakes," he winked.

I smiled and went to the spare room to wallow.

It was Friday evening, which meant that I had overnight to find some
kind of resolve.

Edward was smooth—a grade-A, first-class, master-minded
manipulator.

If he wanted to play me, he would…and if I wasn't careful, I'd let him.

Was this latest gesture sincere?

I couldn't be sure of anything he did. I thought for sure after the
poems—I thought for sure that meant something, and I was wrong.

So was this revenge for the Jake incident? Because it had to be

obvious to him how desperate I was for him, and this would be a sure-
fire way to kick me in the heart.

I had a sick feeling that Edward could be quite calculating and spiteful

when he put his mind to it. I didn't doubt for a second that if it was
revenge he was after, he'd lose sleep over planning it elaborately to a T.

On the other hand…maybe if Edward was in love…maybe if he was
determined to have me, he'd stop at nothing for that, either.

Okay, Edward Cullen…if you want me, you're going to have to come get
me…because there was no way I was going to subject myself to public
humiliation in detention tomorrow.

If I went to him, and he blew me off…no, couldn't let that happen.

He may have put the ball in my court, but I was passing it right back

until I could be sure I wasn't setting myself up for a slick Edward trick.

If I was sure of anything, even if tomorrow Edward ignored me, or if he

grabbed my hand and ran…after our third Saturday, things would never

be the same.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Saturday dawned bright and crisp and I was determined.

I wanted him.

I carefully picked out an outfit- denim and thigh highs…what else would
go better with suspenders and driving gloves?

I barely heard a word Jasper or Esme uttered all morning. I was in a
haze of nerves and lust and quite possibly love.

If Jasper said Edward was sincere, then Edward was sincere.

The morning was slow and too fast and I couldn't even eat—hell, I could

barely breathe right.

I was about to throw myself at the altar of Edward Cullen.

He was going to make me or break me…I just had to shove my self -
preservation instincts aside and let him do what he would…which
sounded a lot easier than it was.

Jasper was the only person I ever really trusted.

Jasper was the only person I ever really made myself vulnerable to.

In all the time I spent with Jacob, I never really trusted him not to hurt
me…which is why our situation worked. I needed the physical stuff.
I'm no Deenie. But…I never felt close to Jacob, I never felt like he was

someone I should let my guard down for…the way I felt about Edward.

I sat in my desk, stone-faced and staring at the door.

Waiting for him.

I couldn't even bring myself to sneer at Holy Hale.

I actually jumped when Emmett plunked something down on my desk.

"It's your turn today," he said.

"What?"

"Pour this in Pattinson's coffee. Hey, you look good today. Use those
assets to distract him."

"What is it?"

"Magnesium. Won't hurt him as much as it'll hurt the school’s
plumbing."

"Ew."

"Just do it, Swan."

"So you can go get a sniff of Hale's pretentious pussy? I think not."

"No, so you can graduate from dry blow school and actually get to third
base with Cullen."

The mention of his name made my stomach tighten even more.

Cullen.

I snatched the magnesium from the desk and nodded stiffly at Emmett.

"Good girl, Swan."

He went back to pretending to hate Rosalie.

Finally, finally…he walked in, more beautiful and arrogant and perfect
than the image that replayed constantly in my head…and then he sat in
the back of the room.

I was in the front.

I could practically feel my heart crack.

Jasper had been wrong.

I couldn't believe I almost let him in.

Stupid.

Stupid.

Never again.

I'd alter Pattinson, but only because I couldn't sit in this room for eight
hours, just waiting for Edward to humiliate me or break my heart or

ignore me…or not ignore me.

So, when Pattinson started bumbling around for his cream, I gave him
some.

I marched up there, showed him some tit top, and just like that…I
pulled it off.

The magnesium took fucking forever, and the whole time I felt
Edward’s eyes burning in to my back.

If I turned, I'd cry, or get really turned on or fall more in love.

Then, finally, Pattinson's bowels of steel gave out and he took off like a
bat out of diarrhea hell.

"Yo. Rosalie Hale. Love of my life and reason for my waking up every
morning. Would you care to please join me outside? There's
something we need to discuss," Emmett boomed.

I tried not to pity myself.

Fuck, even McCarty and Hale could figure their shit out.

They left, and I quickly got up to get the hell out of there.

I heard Edward behind me…ready to attack or kiss…I wasn't sure, but I
couldn't let myself find out.

"Bella—wait—"

And I took off.

Determination terminated.

Just seeing him, just looking at him for a split second this morning made
me realize…if he didn't want me anymore…if he left, took off on me…I

would break.

He scared the piss out of me and I kind of hated him for it.

I kind of loved him for it, too.

Fuck you, Renee.

Fuck you for turning out a dysfunctional, coward of a daughter who
can't even…just…fuck you, Mom.

I ran and Edward followed…and I was scared and full of guilt and shame
and fear… and I just knew he was going to be the one to bring all of this
to the surface. He was going to be the person to force all the bullshit
out of me. He was the person I'd been fearing and waiting for ever

since Renee left.

He was my savior.

He was my demise.

So, even though I knew eventually he'd catch up and call me out, I had

to try to keep running…to take off on him before he took off on me…or
before he didn't, and I wasn't sure which of those was scarier.

And while I ran from him, it occurred to me that of all the advice Renee

had ever given me, of all the things she ever tried to instill in me…the
only lesson I ever really learned from her was how to run away when
things got scary.

Chapter 16- Bella by jandco

My legs were still shaking and my knees felt close to buckling.

He just…his mouth…and his hands and his hair and his taste, and my

taste on him and…I came. I came on his mouth; no bikini-cut yellow
underwear between us, no Jake between us, no sarcasm or double
meanings or anything.

Just him and me.

He led me through the parking lot and I clung to his hand like it was a
life saver.

Because it was.

Because after that, my earlier suspicions were confirmed…he was going
to make me okay.

He was going to purge me of my fears, he was going to take care of me

and I was going to let him, and when I sucked him and kissed him and
fucked him…it was going to be because I loved him.

And that realization…was huge.

We reached the door, and before Edward could open it, I shoved him
up against it and slid my cold, chapping hands under his shirt.

He jumped, and his eyes widened and one corner of his mouth turned
up.

His skin was hot against my cold palms, so I lay them flat on his
abdomen.

"You're fucking freezing. Get inside," he said.

Take care of me.

I leaned up on my tiptoes and he bent his head. Our lips moved
together and he made me warm.

My lips moved to his chin, down his throat, to his chest, where I kissed
over his shirt.

I wanted to love every part of him, to thank all of him for coming to
save me when I needed it most…and he didn't even know it.

His hands were in my hair and these low noises kept coming from the

back of his throat with each kiss and lick I gave him.

"Bella…we should…"

I kept sucking.

"You're cold…"

I kept kissing.

"…I don't want…anyone to…"

I bit.

He hissed through his teeth and laughed.

"Fuck it," he shrugged, then I was the one pinned to the door. He used
one finger to pull at the collar of my shirt, then he looked down it and

grinned. "You're fucking beautiful."

"You, too," I said quickly, pulling him down to me.

I heard the smack of his hands hitting the steel door on either side of
my head.

I ducked my head under his chin and continued working his neck.

Thank you.

I love you.

Save me.

Love me.

My arms wrapped around his waist while his hands stayed splayed on
the door to keep us steady and I just kept on consuming him, only just

now aware of the fact that I'd been starving for him.

I heard him kind of laugh and kind of groan, then he started murmuring

low, under his breath.

"…just settle down…I'll give you candy…" he sang, so deep and feather-
light, my heart kind of broke.

"…give you diamonds…give you pills…" I sang muffled, into his collar,
my lips turning up…he was fun to play with.

"…give you anything you want," he said, only this time he didn't sing it
and he didn't whisper it…he declared it.

And that's when I realized this idea of hope…this thing I had longed for
and didn't even know it, this rock, this something constant…had
materialized.

My salvation came in the form of a confused, beautiful, wickedly
intelligent, fucked-up kid who I'd known less than a month…yet I was
sure.

This was it.

And then I was crying and he knew it, despite the fact that I tried to
hide it in his neck.

"Hey," he said, lifting me up from under my arms and bringing me up to

his eye level. I couldn't meet his eyes.

"You. Me. Nothing else. It all melts away. Right here, right now."

I kind of nodded and his hands went to my face.

He gripped tightly and looked kind of confused, kind of horrified, and

kind of amused.

I nodded slightly and he took a step back, but kept his hands firmly on
my face.

His head cocked to the side and his eyes stared in to mine. He seemed
to be debating something.

"I'm taking you in now," he said, and then he did.

We walked down the hall silently and he never let me go.

I wanted him to know about Jake…I mean, he knew about Jacob, but I
wanted him to know the why.

Because all he knew was that I had slept with him, and Edward wanted
me anyway, which was more than I had any right to expect…but he did.

So, if he could cope with that, he could cope with all of me.

"I want to talk about Jacob," I blurted out, stopping in the middle of the
hall.

Edward stopped and looked up at the fluorescent lights.

"Are you fucking serious?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, here's my take on it. I want to rip his eyes out of his face
so he can never look at you again. I want to box his ears so he can
never hear you again. I want to break his fingers, because they touched
you. I want to make him swallow his own—"

"I don't mean talk about that…I mean…I'm not a slut. I didn't just—"

"I know you're not a slut. Not that it would matter if you were…as long

as I've reformed you," he grinned. "You don't have to tell me shit if you
don't want to. Like I said, all that stuff…it just, it doesn't matter. I'm in
too deep to ever walk away from you—"

I gasped.

He stopped.

"That's just it," I said, letting my fingers tangle tighter in to his.

"What? You don't want me hanging around? Too bad. I fucking sang

Dramarama for you. I'm building a new gym floor for you. You belong
to me."

I could feel myself actually fucking glowing.

Then I started to talk in a rush.

"I want you to never go away. My mother left to 'discover herself' and
never bothered to discover me. My father gave a half-assed attempt
and he does care, but really, let's be honest…he let me move in with

Jasper and Esme because it was easier for him to not have to parent me
on a daily basis. And I do have Jasper and Esme…but they're not mine.
Everything that was supposed to be mine…just walked away. So, God,
this is so lame and clichéd, but I have- I can't believe I'm saying this out

loud- abandonment issues."

My eyes were squeezed shut and I waited to hear the sound of his feet
sprinting away from me.

That sound never came.

"I won't leave. Not without you, anyway. And you should probably
know- our long-term plans don't include Forks. It's boring as hell here.
We can do better."

We?

We.

I liked it.

I opened one eye.

He was completely at ease. Actually, he looked more entertained than
anything else.

"You're very fucking silly," he said. "Open your other eye."

I did.

"You can consider me yours…and I won't leave you for, well, anything."

"Mine?"

All mine?

Somewhere to fit?

Somewhere I belonged?

Somewhere I was wanted and loved?

"Divine," he shrugged.

"My mother issues run deep," I warned.

"So do mine. My mom's an immature, cackling lesbian. Needless to

say, she left a long time ago."

I must have looked horrified, because he smirked at me.

"I'm okay with the lesbian thing, though I do admit I could never
properly get in to girl-on-girl porn because of it, and for that I feel
robbed. But, she is what she is…whatever the hell that is this month."

"Wow. So, you don't, like—"

"My biggest issue with my mother is the fact that she turned the Doctor

in to an anal, militant, man whore. When he isn't screwing barely legal
student nurses, which is all the time as he is desperate to prove to
himself, me and the rest of the free world not everything he puts his
dick in ends up homosexual; he keeps himself busy pretending to know

what the hell he's doing with me…which translates into playing warden.
Unfortunately for Dr. Cullen, I've inherited his wit…ten-fold. Our
relationship is a series of strategic moves in a never ending battle of
wills; when I'm feeling sympathetic to his pathetic lot in life, I let him

win. That isn't very often. On days when I am feeling generous, I do
recognize the fact that this whole set up wasn't exactly his dream,
either. Needless to say, I blame Elizabeth the Beaver Eater for our
dysfunction."

I was…relieved.

He might be more fucked-up than me, but he handled it. He was
capable, which meant two very important things.

One- he'd understand me. He'd get it, in a way no one else ever could.

Two- maybe, just maybe- I'd learn from him. At any rate, he'd be there,
and if I never learned a damn thing about coping with it, it wouldn't
matter anymore.

He'd get me through it.

And it wouldn't be like all those times when Jasper pulled me through,
because as my brother he was obligated…it would be because he chose
to stick around; it would be because I was his.

"Bathroom…take me to the bathroom," I said, yanking on his hand.

He didn't move when I pulled, he just ran a hand through his messy,
windblown hair and raised his eyebrows.

"Are you okay? Lesbian stories make you vomit or something?"

"No…come on," I said, running ahead of him, all free and bound at the
same time.

I felt buoyant and in love and safe as he chased after me down the hall,

letting me keep ahead, because we both knew he could catch me if he
wanted.

I burst through the bathroom door, laughing breathlessly and he

followed in after me, laughing, but not out of breath.

"I've chased you enough, Isabella," he said.

I took a step back and he took one forward.

I bit my lower lip and stepped back again.

He growled and stepped forward.

My back hit a stall door.

He raised an eyebrow at my predicament and took another step.

I fell to my knees.

"What are you gonna do down there?" he asked, looking down at me.

I tilted my head back to smile up at him, then my hands went for his
zipper.

He leaned forward and rested his palms high above me on the stall
door and stared down at me like I just offered him the Hope diamond
or a trip to Utopia…or love.

I reached in and pulled him out.

My eyes actually widened and he laughed.

I knew it was bigger than Jake's from what I felt during the dry blow and
the copious amounts of dry humping…but this…this I wasn't prepared
for.

"I…wow…"

"Thank you. I've been blessed," he said.

"Apparently, so have I," I said.

His laugh cut short into a hiss when I plunged him into my mouth.

None of that head teasing licking or kiss raining; I wanted to swallow
him.

"Holy shit," he breathed and his fingers stroked the side of my face.

I bobbed back and forth, putting one hand on his hip and wrapping the

other around the spare length I couldn't fit in my mouth.

His hips started to push forward, and I took more of him eagerly, but
then he suddenly pulled back a little.

"…sorry…I just…sorry…" he said.

Psssh…sorry.

I wanted more.

I put my other hand on his hip and yanked him closer.

"…fuck…oh, okay…" he said, and his hand went to the back of my head

and gripped tightly into my hair.

I started to taste those first little traces of cum mixed with my saliva
and it was so good…I wanted all of it.

His cock twitched.

He was going to give me what I wanted.

Edward put his hands on either side of my face and tried to gently pull
me back.

I didn't budge; I just kept sucking.

"…shit…I'm gonna come…"

I kept going.

"…move, Bella…I'm…"

Aww, how sweet.

He didn't want to make me swallow.

Too bad for him.

I wanted it.

"…seriously…I'm…fuck…"

I looked up through hooded eyes, keeping my mouth wrapped around

him.

His eyes widened, then narrowed when he figured out what I wanted.

His shoulders tensed and his jaw clenched hard.

"…all yours…" he uttered, then exploded hot and salty in my mouth.

A lot.

I heard two thumps on the stall door where his fist gently hit; other
than that, he was silent when he came.

His dick jerked in my mouth and I swallowed hard and rapidly, trying to

get it all, but I felt a warm trickle on my chin.

I slowly licked up and down his length until I was convinced he was
cleaned up. The entire time, he shivered and smiled above me.

He reached down and put his still semi hard-on back in his pants, then
lifted me up by placing a hand under each of my arms.

He smoothed my hair back and pressed his lips to my forehead.

"You didn't have to do that," he said, into my skin.

"I wanted to," I said.

He made a low noise and sighed, rather happily.

And I was happy, too.

He leaned back and wiped my chin with his sleeve.

"You're a messy eater."

"Only when consuming something delectable."

"You're going to kill me."

"Not if you kill me first."

"Are you implying I should be proactive?"

"I'm—"

I cut myself off at the faraway sound of police sirens.

It sounded like they were coming from the front lot.

My father's a cop; I notice these things.

"That's right outside. And standing still," Edward said, cocking his head
to the side, listening closer. "Is there anything else you want to
disclose? Wanted for homicide or grand theft auto or anything?" he

asked.

"I moonlight as a high school prostitute, but I'm stealthy. Sure they

aren't here for you?"

"Not entirely sure. Shall we find out?"

"By all means."

He took my hand and led me from the bathroom and down the hall,
hand in hand, laughing like the obnoxiously happy couple we were.

We followed the muffled voices to the library and quietly walked

through the doors.

My eyes locked with Jasper's, who was standing slightly in front of
Alice, who was tiptoe, watching over his shoulder.

And there was my father, cuffing Emmett's hands behind his back,
prattling off his rights.

Rosalie was standing in front of Emmett, her hands cupped around his
face.

"Dad?" I asked, making my way toward them. "There has to be a
mistake…" though I knew Emmett could possibly be in trouble for a
host of things…I had to try.

My father ignored me and kept talking in a monotone voice. His sparky
little deputy buddy was smirking at me and I then I was jerked back.

Edward had caught me by the waist of my skirt and pulled me back in to

him.

"No mistake, Bella," Emmett grinned. "I did it. And I'd do it again, but

thanks anyway."

"You are being charged with assault and battery on one Mr. Peter
Hale..."

And I let the rest tune out.

Peter Hale?

Rosalie's father?

My gaze fell on to Rosalie, whose hands were still locked on Emmett's
jaw.

And for a few seconds I didn't hate her. I couldn't.

I saw too much of myself in her expression…I knew that expression.

She was looking at Emmett the way I looked at Edward.

Like he was her savior.

Chapter 17- Carlisle by goo82

I sat on the stiff hardwood bench facing the sickly green lockers, hunched over,

my hand massaging the back of my neck gingerly.

It was the end of a twelve-hour shift, and I was fucking beat.

The emergency room had been packed full of nothing but a heaping case of
morons tonight. From drunk drivers, to the idiot who thought it would be cool to

see just how long metal could stay in a running microwave without blowing up.

He never did find out; the explosion had taken out his left eye with flying
shrapnel.

I used to want to be a doctor to help people- people who were helpless and had
nowhere else to turn. People who God had decided to play a cruel trick on and

give their four-year-old child leukemia, or a mother of three who wouldn’t survive

without a new heart. Those were the people who I had wanted to become a

doctor for.

Instead I was left with the people who should be winning Darwin awards; natural

selection at its finest.

So there I sat, so exhausted that I was only able to remove my shirt and shoes

before needing a moment to relax. Good thing most doctors just packed up and
left, opting to take showers at home.

Or maybe not.

I heard the door to the room open, but I didn’t bother turning my head; I wasn’t

in the mood for small talk. I needed to shower and go.

Edward needed to spend yet another Saturday in detention. At the rate his piss-

poor excuse of an attitude was going, I expected him to be adding detentions, not

subtracting.

“Good morning Dr. Cullen,” I heard a female voice purr.

I turned my head in the direction of the voice and my eyes met with Nurse Olivia.
She was a student nurse- pretty little thing- couldn’t be more than twenty-one.

Long dirty blonde hair that she had pulled into a low pony tail, pouty pink lips,
perky-as-could-be tits; she would definitely give a lot of guys stiff ones when she

had kids and whipped those beauties out in public.

She wore light peach scrubs- tight fitting, showing every curve in her amazing

body- they hugged her tiny apple bottom just right.

What I wouldn’t give to feel her wrapped tightly around my cock. I could feel my

semi-erect member twitch in agreement.

“Good morning, Olivia,” I said, still rubbing my neck.

I saw Olivia step closer out of the corner of my eye.

“Your neck bothering you?” she asked timidly as she ran a hand down her side

inconspicuously. I noticed.

“Yeah, long night.” I answered and continued to rub my neck.

“Here, let me do that,” she said, and I felt her tiny, warm hands touch the bare
flesh of my back.

I removed my hand, resting my elbow on my knee while my hands dangled
between my legs.

I could feel her kneading the tensed muscles of my neck and shoulders; it felt so

good, my head hanging lazily as she worked. She stopped for a brief moment,
then her kneading was replaced by feather light touches through the hair on the

back of my neck.

I knew what she wanted. It was what they all wanted and gossiped about.

Not that I was ashamed. There were worse things to worry about in life than

being too good in bed.

I figured Olivia had done me a great service by offering to release some tension.

That she wouldn’t have a problem helping me release it in other areas.

I reached my hand back, grabbing a hold of hers, sweeping my thumb over her

hand.

I heard her breathing speed up, and I knew I was in.

Slowly I stood and turned around, grabbing her by the waist and pulled her over

so that she was positioned against the locker.

“Olivia, thank you so much. That was really kind of you.”

“It’s no problem, Dr. Cullen,” she stammered, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of
red.

“Please, call me Carlisle,” I said as I leaned in closer to her, brushing my lips
against hers.

She acted as though her knees were about to give out, and I thought of the
perfect solution.

“Olivia, do you mind if I show you something?” I asked with a smirk.

“O-Of course not, Dr. I mean Carlisle.” She choked through her words, her body
already trembling in anticipation.

I truly was a pro at this.

Slowly, I kneeled before her as she leaned against the locker. I hooked my fingers

into the side of her scrubs pulling them down and helping her step out of them,
and I tossed them to the side.

I could actually smell her getting wet at the thought of what I was about to do to
her, and I thought I would give her a little preview of what awaited her.

I pressed my lips hard against her wet panties, sucking on her through the white
cotton that covered her. I heard a loud thud that I assumed to be her head falling

back against the locker.

She had had enough teasing.

I pulled the wet fabric down and off her trembling body and tossed it the way of

her pants.

This girl was a naughty little thing, for what stared me in the face was her naked,

clean-shaven core.

I licked my lips, ready to attack.

Gripping one of her firm, long legs I pulled up and rested it on my shoulder,

repeating the same action with her other leg. Her weight was now completely
resting on my shoulders as I kneeled before her, her juices dripping freely down

my chest.

Without any hesitation, I buried my face in her warm, awaiting arousal. Flicking
my tongue over her tender clit, she bucked her hips at each flick of the tongue,

her juices saturating my face.

Olivia was breathing heavy, making these small noises as if she was trying not to

be loud. I would make long strokes with my tongue licking her entire slit before
giving her a few flicks of the clit, just enough to torture the poor girl. But I wanted

to make her scream; every woman deserved a good fuck, and she was going to

get it.

I plunged a lengthy finger into her as she began to bounce her body up and down,

basically riding my mouth. I inserted another, curving them just so, flicking her clit
in my fingers at the same time. Soon she was unable to remain silentl. When I felt

her muscles clench and her screams echo the room. I pulled up and let her down
slowly, as I was sure she would need a moment to regain her balance.

“C-Carlisle, that was…”

“I’m not finished.” I said as I pulled her shirt off, seeing she opted to go without a

bra. Not that she needed it, as perky as she was. I attached my mouth to her

hardened nipple, sucking and biting.

I spread her legs as she held on to me and I teased and taunted her soft petite

mounds, inserting my fingers back into her, and allowing my thumb to graze over
her clit, I brought her yet again to orgasm.

Now that I had clearly satisfied her needs, it was time to satisfy mine. But I was in
somewhat of a rush.

The shower; kill two birds with one stone.

I quickly did away with my pants and boxers before I pulled her naked form over

to the shower. Once inside, I pressed her against the shower wall, turning on the
water. I continued to ravage her mouth as the water warmed, then I turned her

around so that she was facing the wall, pressed firmly between it and myself.

I placed my hand on her back as I used my other hand to pull her hips so that she
had her tight ass popped out for me. I positioned myself carefully, locating the

correct entrance before I plunged my hard cock into her warm awaiting pussy. A
gasp escaped her lips as my length filled her.

The warm water beat against my chest as I continued to pump harder and harder
into her. Her moans and cries each met with another thrust. I snaked my hand

around the front of her, flicking my fingers against her dripping center as I

pounded into her.

Soon enough, after much moaning, her walls tightened and I brought her yet

another mind-blowing orgasm, finishing soon after.

She took a few moments to catch her breath, and I decided to finish my shower.

I walked over to my locker, and toweled myself off; then I pulled on my boxers,

pants and a button-down shirt, leaving it untucked. I ran my fingers through my
hair, slicking it back.

I grabbed my coat and brief case, snatched my car keys out of the locker and shut
the door just as Olivia walked over to me and picked up her clothes.

“Wow. That- that was amazing, Carlisle,” she said, looking all dreamy-eyed. She
had that look in her eye like she thought this was going to be leading to

something more.

I had to kill that zombie with a head wound before it rose.

I leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek before walking to the door. I

stopped with my hand on the handle, then threw over my shoulder,

“I’ve had better, Olivia. And it’s Dr. Cullen.”

I was driving home now, thinking of my little tryst with Olivia, and I shook my
head.

I wasn’t always like this; cold and jaded.

I used to be a very loving and romantic man.

My wife- make that my ex-wife from hell- turned me into this bitter man whore.

I had met Elizabeth my senior year of high school. She was the most beautiful and
kind woman I had ever laid eyes on. She was so smart and funny and pretty much

amazing. We followed each other to college, decided to get married when I was a
resident, had a beautiful bouncing baby boy, and everything was perfect. She

seemed to be understanding of my career. She certainly didn’t mind the benefits
of being the wife to a world-renowned surgeon. It kept her very well.

She got to be a stay-at-home mother, lavished in fine things, in a pretty high

standing social circle, the ability to have a large house in a gated community, and
enough money to travel the world.

Life was perfect and she never complained at the long hours I kept, or the fact
that I was barely around.

I thought it was because she loved me and understood that I was doing this all for
our family so that I would be able to go into early retirement and spend my days

with her and our son uninterrupted.

She and Edward were my life.

But I was wrong. Oh I was so very, fucking wrong.

The reason she didn’t complain is because she had slowly been building a bank

account, saving money here and there to give herself a nice chunk of change to

make a life for herself.

Well, not just herself, but that of her and her lover Erica.

That’s right, my loving, devoted wife had also not minded my absences in her
daily life because someone else was filling the void.

I had come home from work early one day to surprise her; I liked to do little
things like that now and then to keep the spark alive. Apparently, the spark had

fizzled out long ago, because I walked into our bedroom to find Liz with a
beautiful blonde with her face between my wife’s legs, and it was very clear what

she was dining on.

After and only after Liz finished did she come to talk to me.

She told me that she and Erica had been together for years and that I was blind if I

thought she loved me anymore because I wasn’t around enough to love. That we
had grown apart long ago and she was happy now with Erica and wanted a life

with her.

When I asked her what about Edward, she told me that this was her chance to

start anew, and that Edward would be better off with me; that her life was too
much of a change and he needed stability. She wanted to have some time at just

being with Erica, and not being a mother.

It sickened me to think a woman could do that, but there it is.

I lost my wife the same day Edward lost his mother.

I always think that is why he is the way he is- the issues in school, the record

bigger than most law books. Nothing else made sense seeing as he was amazingly
smart.

It had to be also why he regarded women the same way.

Never getting too close, he never brought home girlfriends; never talked about

girls at all.

Hell, he didn’t even show interest in them.

I would know- I had tried to help him out in that area, thinking maybe he was
holding back because of what his mother did to us, trying to get him to loosen up.

I had my fair share of nightly guests, some close to Edward’s age. I offered more
than enough times to share or even let him have his choice.

Never once would he take me up on my offer.

I had even gone as far as to telling a few of the girls I had brought home to check

him out when they went to get their morning coffee.

Flaunting half-naked women around him did nothing.

I was now starting to think that maybe his problems in school could easily be

solved by getting his ass laid; maybe his attitude would lift then.

Who knows.

I pulled up to our house; Edward was sitting on the porch, his nose in a book. He

glared over the pages at me as the noise of the approaching car reached his ears.

Slamming the book shut, he opened the door and tossed his book inside before

making his way toward the passenger side.

“Good morning, son,” I said as he opened the door, slinking into the seat.

“You know, Carlisle, if you’re going to insist that you drive me to school, you
might want to make sure you’re actually on time,” he huffed broodingly as he

heaved himself into my car.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Edward.”

“Because that pertains to this particular situation, Carlisle.”

“I see you’ve been working on that sharp wit of yours.” Edward ignored my jab.

“And what was this one’s name?”

“Meaning.”

“Oh, come on. I know exactly why you’re running late. Who was it this time?

Mindy? Candy? Lucy?”

“Jealous, son?”

“Ah, yes. So very much, Father. I have always dreamed of fucking random
trainees. If only my balls would have dropped sooner.”

“I have offered to help”

“Because fucking my father’s sloppy seconds is even better. Thanks, but no

thanks, Carlisle. I would rather be gay.”

“Well, then. That is one less thing you can blame on me and add to your mother’s
list.”

“Touché”

I watched as Edward sulked his way into the building. I was going to have to do

something with that boy; he was far too anal for being so young.

I shook my head.

I was about to start my car up when the woman standing next to the car in front

of me took a step and tumbled forward on her hands and knees.

Granted, that was normally a position I like to see women in, but this one seemed

to be hurt. Being a doctor, it was my duty to make sure she was alright.

Not to mention get a better look at that body of hers.

I stepped out of my car and headed over, reaching her as she attempted to stand
up.

“Here, let me help you.” I reached down, grabbing on to her upper arm and lifting
her up. I noticed that it was Esme Whitlock, one of my newest and soon-to-be

favorite patients.

“Dr. Cullen.” She said, her eyes growing as wide as saucers once she saw who was

helping her. “What are you doing here?”

The beauty standing in front of me knew who I was. She was small; she looked
like a spinner. She was wearing a dark charcoal pleated skirt that fell above her

knees with a light pink V-neck sweater that showed an ample amount of cleavage.
The pink brought out the honey colors in her hair. Her eyes were an amazing

shade of brown, lips a beautiful, pouty pink.

“My son attends school here. He has detention this Saturday, and probably every

Saturday after that.”

“Ah, my son Jasper is here as well, and most likely every one after that.” She gave

a small laugh.

“Dammit,” She said as she lifted her skirt a little to check the damage to her

knees. “Figures. Just perfect.”

I leaned forward to see that she had done a pretty good job on her knees; blood

was trickling down her smooth ivory skin.

“Why don’t we go and get you cleaned up?” I said, gripping her hand and leading

her towards the school.

“This is so typical. What a great way to top off my already shitty morning,” she

huffed.

“Well then, you should be lucky I was here. I know just how to make it better.”

I knew how to make her forget the pain in her knees, alright.

We made our way through the double doors and down the darkened hallway to

the nurse’s office. My arm was snaked around her tiny waist, offering support so

that she didn’t have to put too much weight on her battered knees.

“Ah, here we are.” I said, arriving at the door to the office.

A quick flick of the handle revealed it to be unlocked.

“Ladies first,” I said, stepping aside and allowing her to enter the room before me.

I took a quick glance to my left and then my right; no one seemed to be in this
section of the school.

Good.

For what I was about to do would surely require some privacy.

I stepped quickly inside, locking the door behind me and flipping on the small light
on the counter. I didn’t want to draw any attention to the room with the bright

overhead fluorescent.

“Now Esme, if you would like to take a seat up here, I will be more than happy to
get you all cleaned up,” I said with a smile.

I watched as she attempted to lift her small frame onto the table.

Tsk Tsk Tsk… she would need some help.

I walked over to her and placed my hands on her waist slowly, pressing myself
against her, gently and slowly dragging her body up mine as I lifted her onto the

table.

Every wonderful curve pulled across my body, leaving a small trail of her scent

behind no doubt. A scent I would gladly be doused in.

“Now, let’s see what we can do for those knees,” I said after she was safely

seated.

I riffled through the drawers finding some large bandages, some gauze and some

antiseptic spray.

I turned around. Placing the things next to her on the table, I ran the gauze under
some warm water and placed my hand so I was holding her toned calf. I slowly

and softly wiped the blood off her long luscious legs and knees. Once I was sure
they were clean, I grabbed the antiseptic spray and looked up at her.

“This will sting a bit,” I said, and she simply nodded.

I applied two squirts of the foul-smelling stuff onto her knees and she gasped in

obvious discomfort.

I don’t know what it was about this woman, but every single noise or movement

was making my cock twitch in excitement.

“Here, let me blow on those.” I kneeled down in front of her and while

maintaining eye contact, I slowly blew cold air across her scraped knees.

It had the exact reaction I desired.

Esme’s held tilted back and she closed her eyes as she bit her lower lip.

“Does that… feel better, Esme?”

“Mmmhmmm,” she moaned.

I had her right where I wanted her.

I slowly began to blow cold air on to her knees again, only this time I allowed my

hands to trail their way up and under her skirt. As I did so, I slowly pushed the
fabric up further as I continued to blow cold air up her thighs.

“Carlisle, don’t stop,” she purred.

Her wish was my command.

Once I reached her hips, I was surprised to notice my naughty little patient had

forgotten to wear her panties this morning, and she was dripping all over the
table.

“Esme, now we can’t have this. You’re simply making a mess all over the table,” I
said, scolding her.

“I’m so sorry, Carlisle.” Her cheeks were turning bright red.

“Not a problem, my dear. I’ll clean it up; it would be a shame to waste it.”

And with that, I buried my face in her warm, awaiting cunt.

Her legs opened for me as I lapped up her juices that were overflowing.

“Ung…Carlisle. Oh God, yes- right there.” She moaned, gripping my hair and
shoving my face further into her warm, wet folds.

It wasn’t long before the tremor of her release racked her body and she was out
of breath. I simply smiled, making sure I hadn’t missed any of her sweet nectar. I

placed a kiss on her bare lips and scooted up her body.

“Now Esme, I’m going to make you come again, do you understand me?”

Her eyes went wide and she simply nodded.

“Now, hop down from that bed and turn around.” She looked at me, confused.

“Doctor’s orders,” I said sternly.

She followed my directions and hopped off the bed, turning her back to me.

“Good girl,” I said.

I placed my hand on her back as I snaked my arm around her waist. I pushed on

her back, making her understand that I wanted to lean her chest on the table but
to keep her ass popped out for me.

“Now, I’m going to take your mind off of the pain in your knees.” I whispered in
her ear as I undid my pants, letting them and my boxers fall to the floor.

My thick, hard erection twitched in anticipation to be buried in her once- again
sopping wet center.

I pushed that offensive skirt up her ass, reveling the roundest, firmest ass I had
ever laid eyes on.

I couldn’t help myself; an ass that fine deserved a little love tap.

So I brought my hand down on her tender flesh; the sound of my skin on hers

filled the room, followed by a tiny squeak.

“Like that, did you?” I asked, and once again she was at a loss for words.

I couldn’t take it. I needed to be inside her.

With one swift movement, I plunged my throbbing cock deep inside her awaiting
core.

Once I had filled her completely, I leaned forward and whispered.

“The doctor is in.”

Esme finally found her voice and screamed.

“Fuck me, Carlisle.”

“With pleasure,” I cooed.

I started to pump myself into her slowly before picking up speed. Soon she was

meeting every thrust.

That perfect round ass was slapping into my thighs, filling the room with sounds

of passion.

Skin on skin. Grunts from me, moans and cries from her.

“Harder, Carlisle,” she pleaded.

“Call me Doctor, Esme.”

“Doctor. Please, Doctor. Harder.”

“That’s my good girl.” And with that, I used all I could and pounded into her

throbbing center.

I could feel her wall begin to tighten, her wetness covering my cock, dripping

down her legs; she was going to come for me.

I reached around with my fingers, finding her tiny pearled nub; I started flicking it

as I thrust into her over and over.

“Yes, yes, oh my God yes, Doctor. Harder. Fuck me. Don’t stop fucking me.”

And with that, she let out one final cry and her walls closed down completely,

milking me to my own release, my dick pulsing inside her, filling her.

We each were out of breath, and I pulled out of her once I was finished.

I leaned down, pulling up my boxers and pants, buttoning them. I leaned forward,
placing a kiss on one of her perfect ass cheeks before I pulled down her skirt. It

was a crime to cover something that perfect, but I had to.

I pulled her up and turned her around to face me, cupping her cheek and tracing

her lower lip with my thumb. I leaned in and placed a passion-filled kiss on her
lips.

“That was amazing,” she said.

“It was,” I agreed.

“Well, I guess I should be going,” she said, looking up at me through her lashes.

“I guess so.”

She picked up her belongings and headed for the door. When her hand touched

the knob and started to turn, I stopped her.

“Oh, Esme.” She turned to look at me.

“Call my office and schedule an appointment.” I said nonchalantly.

“Why?” she asked, looking confused.

“I think you need to have a check up, you know, make sure everything is healing
just fine.”

“Alright, Doctor.”

I walked up to her and leaned into her ear.

“It’s Carlisle to you,” I whispered.

She bit her lip and gave me a small smile before walking out the door.

I watched as she left, her hips and that perfect ass swaying behind her.

I will be giving a whole new meaning to the term “check-up” when I see her

again.

Chapter 18- Esme by twilightzoner

I sat in my car in the school parking lot after dropping Jasper off. I kept looking in

my rear view mirror. I didn’t want it to be obvious that I was waiting for Carlisle,
but I couldn’t deny that’s exactly what I was doing. It was bad enough I had to

make up a reason to drive Jasper to school today, let alone loitering here like a
love sick fool, or at least a lust sick one.

But last week- oh my God- last week had been incredible. I’d scrape the skin off

my knees with my own fingernails for a repeat performance. Hell, I might even
gnaw my own arm off. It had been so long since I’d had a real man.

Let’s face it - Aro was never going to get me off. He called me his “porcelain doll”,
and that’s exactly how he treated me - like I was some kind of fucking Madame

Alexander creation who might break if she was played with too carelessly. All I
needed was a crinoline and a shepherd’s crook and then he could keep me on the

shelf forever just where he wanted me. Oh, he’d take me down once a month or

so to lift my skirts and gently fuck me to sleep. And then he’d have everything he
ever wanted – younger, more fashionable women whenever he pleased and

sweet little me waiting chastely at home.

Jasper thought I was blind when it came to Aro and other women. I wasn’t – I just

didn’t care. After I realized that Aro only wanted me as one of the showpieces in
his “art collection,” I gave up trying. I would never be satisfied by a man who

treated me as delicately as I looked. The more Aro looked outside the marriage,

the less he bothered me. And it gave me hope that someday I could get away.

Christ, it was my own fault. I knew I didn’t love him when I married him. But he

wanted me so desperately, and had for so long; somehow I believed it would be
enough to make it work. At least I had liked and respected him then. So when

things had gotten really bad for us financially, and it looked like I was going to lose

our house, Aro had seemed a reasonable alternative. And honestly, I’d have
married O.J. Simpson to keep a roof over Jasper’s head. The only remaining

option was far worse.

Crawling back to my parents was unthinkable. They had more money than God,

and they would use it to control and manipulate not just me, but Jasper as well,
for as long as we lived. It had been bad enough having to stay with them while I

went to college after Jasper’s father ran out on us, giving them the opportunity to

resume the fucked up morality lessons of my childhood. Just because those
lessons had taken root in my brain, didn’t mean I was willing to expose my son to

them. I couldn’t wait to get us out of that gilded cage. I’d have worked three jobs
if necessary in order to be independent of their money. Hell, I would rather have

sold myself than go back there. Come to think of it, that’s just what I’d done.

I kept sane by thinking of Jasper, and Bella, too. Going back to my parents’ would

have been the end of Bella’s time with us. They would never have accepted

someone as lowly as the police chief’s daughter, whose mother caused a scandal
by running off with a younger man. And the idea of Jasper and Bella sharing a

room, or, God forbid a bed, would have caused cardiac arrest. In fact, Jasper and
Bella were as close as a brother and sister could be, and that situation should be

cherished, not discouraged. I couldn’t love Bella more if she was my own

daughter. So for the two of them, I’d put up with anything. And I’d smile. I’d be
that porcelain doll.

Except Carlisle hadn’t treated me that way. There had been nothing gentle about
the way he’d taken me. The way he’d assumed control of the situation last week-

practically carrying me off to the nurse’s office, tossing me up on the table and
sinking his head between my thighs- was the most erotic thing I’d ever

experienced. At least until he bent me over, swatted my ass and plunged into me

from behind. I thought I might come right then and there. It made me wonder
whether he could see into my secret soul. Could he tell what I really wanted from

a man?

When we parted, I wasn’t terribly sure he was saying he wanted to see me again

or if he was just being the polite post-coital doctor when he told me to make a
follow-up appointment at his office. I mean, let’s face it- Carlisle Cullen had a

reputation as the biggest man whore in town. Now I understood how it he

earned it. It was entirely possible that if I showed up at his office this week, he’d
have forgotten about me already.

I threw caution to the wind. After all, I was just following his medical advice. And
I obviously didn’t want any scars on my knees. I called and made an appointment

for 4:00 Wednesday afternoon. As long as I was planning on seeing the good
doctor, perhaps I would confess my secret.

I dressed carefully, deliberately. I arranged my hair up on my head, a few loose

tendrils escaping for effect. I wore a frilly white feminine blouse, not too low-cut,
with a rather modest blue skirt. It was form fitting, but not too tight. I looked

ladylike and conservative – other than the shoes – black stilettos. They screamed
“fuck me” in huge neon letters.

I walked into his office ten minutes early. There was no one there – no
receptionist, no patients; no one. I’d been forgotten. Mortification was setting

in, and I turned to the door to leave. That’s when I heard Carlisle call my name.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” he asked in a husky voice. “Not without seeing the

doctor, surely.”

I turned around, trying to keep my breathing even. He was even better-looking

than I remembered. I smiled and said, “Hello doctor.”

The look in his eyes said it all. He definitely wanted me, and if I wasn’t mistaken,

he was already starting to get aroused. He took me by the hand and led me
through the inner door. I was surprised when we entered what was clearly his

private office rather than an examination room. Well, no pretense here, then.

The office was large and luxurious. There was a thick oriental rug covering most

of the floor and an oversized mahogany desk that dominated the room. I heard

Carlisle close the door behind me and the not so subtle click of the lock. He came
around to my side and appeared surprised when I sat in one of the chairs facing

his desk.

“I have a question, doctor – a medical question,” I announced nervously.

Carlisle took a seat at his desk and with a smile of anticipation on his face, said,
“Do go on, please.”

“Well, it involves . . . a friend of mine,” I lied.

Carlisle grinned wider. “I see. And what is your friend’s name?”

“Um . . . Jane.”

Carlisle appeared to be suppressing laughter now. “And what is . . . Jane’s

problem, if I may ask.”

“Well, um, see Jane had a rather . . . repressed childhood and she has

consequently developed certain . . . preferences, and she’s worried that they
might not be quite . . . normal. She’s afraid to discuss them with the man she’s

interested in, because she doesn’t want him to be . . . disgusted or just turned

off.” I thought I was doing quite well with this so far.

Carlisle’s amused expression had been replaced by one of evident intrigue. “I’m

afraid you will need to be more specific with respect to . . . Jane’s predilections, in
order for me to advise you . . . er . . . her… adequately.”

I stared at my hands, took a deep breath, and blurted it out. “Jane has a very
deep and . . . unfulfilled desire to erm. . . submit.” My voice had trailed off to a

whisper.

When I looked at Carlisle’s face, I gasped softly. He wasn’t amused or intrigued

anymore – his eyes were smoldering and he was looking at me with undisguised

need. He assessed me a moment longer before ordering, “Stand up.”

I stood nervously while Carlisle’s eyes leisurely raked my form. “Take your clothes

off,” he commanded harshly. “Except your shoes,” he amended.

I began to shakily unbutton my blouse, removing it and tossing it on the other

chair. I reached behind my back to unclasp my lacy white bra and slipped it slowly
off my shoulders before placing it on top of my discarded blouse. Carlisle was

starting to breathe noticeably harder as he stared with candid admiration at my

full breasts.

“Turn around before you take off your skirt. I want to see your ass as you bend

over,” he demanded roughly.

Just the aggressive tenor of his voice was making me wet. This. This is what I’d

always wanted. What I needed. I unzipped my skirt and slowly lowered it down
my legs, arching my back as I bent slightly to gracefully step out of it. I dropped

my skirt on the chair. As usual, I hadn’t worn any panties. I only bothered when I

was with Aro. I didn’t move, awaiting Carlisle’s next command.

“Now, turn in a circle, slowly. I want to look at you.” His voice was guttural now.

I did as I was told, thanking the stars that I exercised religiously and had a child
when I was still young enough for my body to recover. It was a struggle, but I

managed to keep my hands motionless at my sides. I had never felt such intense
scrutiny and had never been so aroused.

“Come here,” he directed.

A shiver went through me as I anticipated his touch. I approached slowly, keeping

my eyes primly downward. I saw his rigid cock- his arousal obvious through his

pants- twitch as I neared.

“Very good, pet. Now, get down on your knees and keep your hands behind your

back at all times.”

I complied, wanton desire coursing through me.

I gasped as Carlisle reached out and pinched my nipple hard, sending a jolt of
pleasure down my body. Ah, the advantages of being with a doctor, who

obviously knew the lengths he could go without delivering actual pain. I realized I
could trust Carlisle not to cross that line and relaxed perceptibly.

“You must always keep your legs spread for me, my sweet,” he explained. My

knees inched apart obligingly. I was sure he would be able to see how aroused I
was, since I could feel the moisture beginning to drip down my thighs.

“My, my, you are a responsive little thing,” he observed. “Now, unfasten my

pants so I can deal with you as you deserve.”

My hands moved forward and Carlisle quickly gave my other nipple a punishing

pinch, causing me to whimper in response. Once again the pleasure radiated
throughout my core. How did he know?

“I didn’t tell you to move your hands, now did I, pet? Now hurry, I’m getting
impatient.”

Comprehension dawned on me and I eagerly leaned over his legs to get my teeth
around his belt strap. His hands roughly kneaded my breasts, distracting me as

my mouth went to work. After a couple of minutes of fumbling, I managed to

unfasten the belt and clasp and lower his zipper. I leaned back in triumph.

“Very good, my sweet.” Carlisle stood and his pants pooled to his feet. First he

removed his cashmere polo; his pants, shoes and socks followed. “Now, you take
care of the rest,” he insisted.

Once again I used my teeth to lower his boxers, moving from one side to the
other, earning a sharp gasp from Carlisle whenever I brushed against his cock.

Once I got them down below his knees, he kicked them off.

He reached under his desk with his foot and dragged a small padded footstool out

from under it. How convenient. Or did our good doctor have a thing for short
women?

“Kneel up here and suck my cock,” he directed. Ooh, this was going to be fun.

I positioned myself and damn if that stool wasn’t the exact right height. I began

by licking my tongue up his impressive length, stopping to gently rake my teeth
over that sensitive spot near the head. I was rewarded when I heard Carlisle’s

sharp intake of breath. After a couple of minutes of teasing, Carlisle growled in

frustration.

“I didn’t tell you to lick it like a lollipop - I said suck it!”

“Yes, doctor,” I responded contritely as I smiled inwardly. He had no idea what he
was in for now. Admittedly, it had been a long time, but oral sex was a lot like

riding a bicycle. And I was the Lance Armstrong of fellatio.

I took him in my mouth and slowly inched my way down his cock. I could

practically feel his sense of stunned delight as I took in more and more of him. I
broke the rules a bit, putting my hands on his thighs to steady myself, but I was

pretty sure there would be no complaints. Not unless his guttural exclamation of

“holy shit!” counted.

As I began moving up and down his length, his expressions of pleasure became

more violent, loud moans and animalistic utterances tearing from his lungs.
Finally, he grabbed my head and began thrusting, eagerly fucking my mouth,

before coming with a final wrenching groan.

Carlisle practically fell back into his chair, murmuring “holy shit” again. He

reached down and lifted me into his lap, curling me into his arms. To say he was
at a loss for words would have been an understatement.

“Oh my God . . . that was . . . I’ve never . . .” he trailed off, still gasping to breathe.
And that was the ironic thing about being submissive – it seemed to empower me

all the more. I reveled in the sensation.

“Esme, my sweet, I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he admitted. “But, by God, I

simply didn’t have the will to stop you.” He began trailing kisses along my face,

while his hand explored the contours of my body. When he reached between my
legs and felt the wetness, another deep groan escaped him.

“My God, you are . . . exceptional, aren’t you? I thought I would need a few
minutes to recover from that, but you make my body think it’s seventeen again.”

Carlisle stood up, lifting me with him, and laid me gently across his desk. He
thoughtfully moved the chair and propped my stiletto clad feet up on the arms

while he stood between my legs.

“Now, lift your hands over your head so I can examine you properly, pet,” he

instructed me.

“Yes, doctor,” I obeyed meekly, trembling with anticipation.

His hands began to roam freely over my body, tracing from my neck to the mound

of my sex. They returned to my breasts and he fondled them roughly, testing
their weight, twisting and tugging on my nipples. I moaned helplessly.

He continued the torment while bending over to kiss me passionately and

expertly. It’s a good thing I was already on my back, because I’m pretty sure I
would have swooned otherwise. His mouth moved slowly downward, and I

gasped when he captured a nipple and began teasing it, alternating between the
delightful friction of his lapping tongue and the piercing pleasure of nipping teeth.

My hips bucked involuntarily, discovering his swollen cock, thick and hard,

pressed against my wet folds.

“Easy now, my sweet, none of that,” he chided. “You must wait on my pleasure.”

I whimpered in frustration and Carlisle chuckled lightly. Once again his hands
began exploring my body as I helplessly writhed beneath them. When he lightly

stroked the soft skin of my thighs, I gasped audibly before a low moan escaped
me.

Carlisle’s movements ceased and he leaned over me. “Look at me, pet,” he
demanded.

I levered my eyelids up and gave Carlisle a melting look. I was wholly his now, and
the expression on his face told me he knew it. He kissed me softly once again.

“Tell the doctor what you want,” he directed gruffly, leaning over me with his

hands placed on either side of my body.

I shyly lowered my eyes and started to speak, but he stopped me. “Look at me!”

he repeated.

I blushed as I met his relentless gaze, saying weakly, “I want you to fuck me.”

“Now,” he continued patiently, “how do you ask?”

“Please fuck me,” I ventured.

“That’s almost right, my sweet. But we’re not quite there,” he teased, running his

fingers in feather light circles across my belly.

“Please fuck me, Doctor,” I choked out.

“That’s right, my good girl,” he crooned. “Now remember, pet, you’re not
allowed to come until the doctor orders. Spread your legs wider.”

I complied and then felt the tip of his cock at my entrance before he sheathed
himself inside me, filling me completely. Our moans were simultaneous this time.

He began moving slowly inside me.

“So tight, so fucking wet,” Carlisle groaned, as he continued to tease me with his

leisurely movements.

I needed more. “Please, Doctor,” I pleaded.

“What is it, my sweet? What can the doctor do for you?” he gasped out between

lunges.

“More, faster, please Doctor,” I begged.

“Ah, my sweet Esme. I do so love to hear you beg.”

He began moving with more urgency, drilling into me, perspiration coating his
body. I could feel the burgeoning pressure inside my core. If he would only touch

me, I would detonate.

“Not yet, Pet,” Carlisle panted raggedly, plunging ruthlessly inside me, one hand

holding me steady at the hip and the other squeezing my breast. I was getting
desperate with need now, my head thrashing back and forth, my cries and moans

continuous.

“Doctor, please!” I screamed. “I need, I need . . .”

“Tell me what you need,” Carlisle grunted between rhythmic thrusts.

“I need to come. Please let me come,” I entreated shamelessly.

“All right, my love. Since you’ve been such a good, responsive girl.” His thumb

began circling my clit and that was all it took. The most forceful orgasm of my life
overtook me, an explosion of brutal pleasure, and I shrieked in release.

Carlisle appeared just as affected, groaning uncontrollably against my neck as he
collapsed on top of me, his climax and its aftershocks seeming to last forever as

my inner muscles continued to spasm around him.

After a moment, Carlisle peppered a few kisses on my neck and shoulder before

dragging his nose downward until he stopped between my breasts. His hands

plumped my breasts inward and he inhaled a few times, seeming to take comfort

in the feel of my soft flesh pressed against his face.

“Esme, my sweet Esme,” he chanted against my skin, while I stroked his hair and

basked in the afterglow of our encounter.

Carlisle stood and pulled out of me. I felt the loss immediately, although why I

had to suppress a sudden urge to cry was beyond me. I chalked it up to the
knowledge that this would be the last orgasm I would have in a long, long time –

at least with a partner.

I started a bit when I felt Carlisle cleaning me up with some tissues he’d taken

from the box on his desk. Then he put his hands under my arms to lift me off the

desk. I expected him to set me down and reach for his clothes, so I was surprised
when he sat and then tucked me into his lap again. My feet, still wearing my

stilettos, dangled off the arm of the chair. I was going to have those fucking shoes
bronzed, without a doubt.

“It’s funny,” Carlisle mused, seemingly talking to himself, “all these years, all these
aggressive women throwing themselves at me, even my ex-wife. And I’m finally

discovering what’s been lacking.”

“No more desks and tables – next time I want you in a nice, large bed,” he
murmured, now clearly addressing me. “Preferably a four poster so I have the

means to properly restrain you . . .”

My heart began to pound, and not just from the idea of Carlisle tying me up,

which was exciting enough to make me come again right there. Next time? What
did this mean?

“Until then, my sweet, do not forget that this belongs to me now,” he

admonished me while he rested his hand on the mound of my sex. “No one else
is to touch it – not even you if I’m not present. Do you understand?”

I didn’t really. It was a nice thought, a wonderful thought, perhaps the best
thought ever in the history of the world, but not very practical. I hated sleeping

with Aro and was happy that he so rarely sought me out. But I didn’t quite see
how I could cut him off completely. Could I?

“But Doctor . . .”

Carlisle interrupted. “Call me Carlisle now, sweetheart.”

I began again. “Carlisle, I am married, you know.”

He frowned with displeasure. “Yes. I think we’ll need to do something about that

. . . Now, go get dressed. I want to watch you.” He gave me a thorough kiss

before helping me to stand, making sure I wouldn’t wobble before letting go of
me. Then he sat back down and directed my movements.

“Turn around so I can see that fabulous ass of yours, and make sure you put your
skirt on last so I can reap the utmost enjoyment from the experience.”

I gave him a good show with my strip tease in reverse, arching my back and
bending over far more than necessary to don my skirt. I heard him groan in

response. As I turned around, he was pulling his boxers up over his reanimated

cock.

He grinned sheepishly. “Do you see what you do to me?” He finished dressing

quickly and approached me, gently running his fingertips down my cheek and
giving me another devastating kiss.

Carlisle grabbed his briefcase and keys before putting his arm around me to walk
me out. We slowly made our way to my car, where he put his briefcase down and

wound his arms around my waist.

“Now, my schedule for the rest of the week is horrific. Will I see you Saturday

morning at the high school? Perhaps we can . . . plan something then,” he

suggested.

“Yes, I’ll be dropping Jasper off at 8:00.” I previously had no intention of driving

Jasper to school Saturday morning, but that all changed instantly.

“Good. I’ll expect to see you then. Make sure you wear these shoes again - I’m

very partial to them.” His hand slid down my stomach and briefly tweaked the
flesh between my legs. “Until then, remember, this is mine,” he whispered

fiercely. I shivered at the possessive tone of his voice.

And with a final mind-blowing kiss, he opened my door for me, saw me safely

inside my car, and walked away.

And now here I was, nervous as hell and waiting for him like a teenager with a

crush. So many feelings were coursing through me – apprehension, excitement,

and some small part humiliation, to name a few. I needed to get out of here
before I made a complete fool of myself.

I started the car and checked the rear view mirror in preparation for pulling out.

That’s when I spotted his Mercedes. Oh shit!

Carlisle gave me a meaningful look as he pulled into the parking space one over

from mine. After his son disappeared inside the school, he walked over to my car
holding a box in his hand. I lowered my window.

“You’re not leaving, are you my pet?” he asked diabolically, before reaching
through the car window and grabbing my breast, rolling my already hard nipple

between his fingers.

My head fell back and I moaned involuntarily. My God, this man owned me, body

and soul.

“And have you forgotten your instructions so soon? I’m disappointed in you. It
seems you need some . . . incentive to reinforce my lessons,” he said gleefully.

My eyes flew open and I looked at him in question. “Lessons?” I asked
breathlessly.

“I thought I was very clear that whenever I’m around your legs are to be spread
for me. And yet here you are, sitting like a nun,” he explained, shaking his head

disapprovingly. “I’m afraid it makes me want to do something rather extreme to .
. . chastise you.” His smile was pure evil.

My knees flew apart.

“That’s better, my pet, but too late I’m afraid. Still, let’s see if you’re wet for me,”

he said, his voice practically a growl.

He snaked his hand up my skirt and emitted a hungry groan when he reached his

target. I was already wet with excitement when I’d left the house this morning.
By the time Carlisle showed up I was drenched in moisture. My head lolled on the

back of the seat while his fingers ruthlessly explored me.

“Ah, my God, you’re soaking wet, my sweet. Your responsiveness pleases me

very much indeed. I’m afraid I’ll have to teach you never to deny me this pleasure

again,” he added gruffly.

“Now, I have a present for you, my sweet Esme.”

He dropped the box he was holding in my lap. I looked at it curiously before
tentatively lifting the lid off. I pulled back the tissue paper and reached in to find

what appeared to a black velvet blindfold and some fur-lined . . . handcuffs? My
heart thumped madly in my chest.

“Esme, I want you to follow me in your car. Is that understood?” he asked.

“Yes, Carlisle,” I responded obediently.

“Call me Doctor now.”

Chapter 19- Karl the Janitor by guineapigbarbie

Fucking kids.

Aretha wasn't shittin' when she sang about R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

That's something these little punks are severely lacking. Sticking gum under

chairs, breaking locker doors, touching my mop bucket with their pervy sex
fingers.

Ugh.

Those Ron Jeremy wannabes either have their hands up some girl's skirt or down

her shirt.

It’s not like the girls are any better. They use their lips like metal detectors,
searching for the roll of quarters stuffed down some guy's pants.

This whole school is a giant cesspool for swapped saliva and nuclear spunk.

And who’s here to clean it up?

Me.

The janitor.

Fanfuckingtastic.

It wasn't long ago that I was walking these halls as Forks High royalty.

A football god.

Party king.

Pussy connoisseur.

A position, might I add, that I took very seriously.

While quantity is never a bad thing, quality is what's key. So, even though I might

have dipped my dick in the female pool a good, oh, I don't know, thirty times, plus
or minus a handful, not every chick got a chance to get Rickrolled. What can I say,

I’m no stranger to love.

Still, those were the best four years of my life.

After I graduated, I was offered a football scholarship to the local university. I

thought it would be cool to play with the big dogs, but taking the nine hour’s

worth of class a semester that was required by the team didn't really interest me.

Not to mention, that was never my dream.

The smell of blood and sweat. The feel of a skull cracking under your fist. The

sound of a rowdy crowd. The cage was calling my name.

I wanted- scratch that- needed to be the Ultimate Fighting Champion.

I spent six months working out three times a day and living off of Creatine,

protein bars, and every ball-shrinking steroid I could find.

It was all starting to pay off, too. I spent a couple of years fighting in some local

cage matches, trying to get my name out to the public, when I finally scored an
opportunity to fight in a UFC-sponsored match.

I had become Karl the Krusher.

Unfortunately, my rise to the fame, fortune, and bitches was put on a small hiatus
when I slept with whatever-her-name-was, the girl who holds the “Round 2” sign,

and I obtained a rather painful groin injury. Not to mention something that's red,

itchy, and burns when I piss.

Heed my warning- stretch before trying the Indian Headstand, and if you think
she's spunky, cover your monkey.

So here I am, doing the same thing I did eight years ago- smoking a joint behind
the field house and contemplating how many hours I can disappear for before

anyone realizes I'm gone. At least now I'm getting paid to do this.

The field house also had the best view of the track, which at this moment was

occupied by forty girls in tight shorts and an array of colored sports bras.

It was like a smorgasbord of perky, bouncing Skittles.

I wouldn't mind tasting that rainbow.

Girl’s track practice was always the highlight of my Saturday. It was a break from

the monotony of pushing around a trash can and pretending to be busy.

Although it seemed like things were going to be different these next few

weekends, due largely in part to the Screw Crew currently occupying Saturday
detention.

I had no plans to get involved in their if-you're-horny-and-you-know-it-clap-your-

hands game, but McCarty needed my assistance and I needed his stash.

He was the only decent guy around here, anyways. Totally misunderstood. A
diamond in the rough, so to speak. He reminded me a lot of myself when I was his

age. We both have the four fundamental A's of an A game; Assertiveness,

Abrasiveness, Arrogance, and Abs. Never underestimate the power of the Abs.

Not to mention, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I happened to lose a few
master keys to the school, and he happened to lose what looked like a Ziploc bag

of parsley into my left pocket.

When in Rome, you do like the Romans, and when in high school, abuse your

power to dick over the administration that suspended you for mooning the Fine
Arts class whilst enjoying life Bob Marley-style.

It's a win-win.

I moseyed down the north hall toward the small room labeled “Supply Closet”.

After unlocking the dead bolt, jiggling the handle, giving three hard thumps with
my fist right above the lock, doing the hokey pokey and turning myself around, I

finally got into the cramped, dark room.

A metal chain hung from the ceiling connected to a single light bulb. One quick

tug illuminated the space. I grabbed for the black strap resting on the second level
of the metal shelf. Strapping it around my waist tightly, I began it load it with the

things I needed for the day.

Though it might not contain a bat-grappling hook or batarangs, my utility belt was

fully stocked with Raid, a spray bottle of Ammonia, and a two-way radio that I
used to talk to my friend Bert, who spent his Saturday at the 7/11 watching the

hot dogs rotate. He was the closest thing to a side kick (minus a cape) I could find.

Come on, Bert. To the mop bucket.

I filled the large yellow Rubbermaid tub with hot water before adding some

bleach, and slipped a few "Caution Wet Floor" signs into the side of what I like to
call the Chlamydia Cleaner on wheels.

I hardly ever used the signs unless it was to place it next to a kid’s head after he
slipped on the giant puddle in the middle of the cafeteria. Someone needs to be

there when they make a stupid mistake like walking, talking, or breathing.

Before I could hit the dusty trail, I turned toward a pile of papers on the top shelf.

I pushed past the expired parking tickets and non-winning scratch-offs and found
my little brown piece of heaven in this hell on earth.

A handle of Old Forester.

I filled two steel flasks, slipping one into my back pocket and another into my belt.
It should be enough to get me through the day, or at least pass out and not

remember it. I just hope I'm clothed this time.

Making my way toward the men's restroom, I could hear a few suppressed giggles

and hushed whispers. I peeked through the window in the door and saw two kids
blatantly flirting with sideways glances and "fuck me six ways to Sunday, please"

practically tattooed on their foreheads.

I recognized the brunette immediately. She was the chick who apparently didn't

frequent any stores that sold bras. Rain, sleet, or snow- she was usually there, and
usually braless. Her nipples were like Fonzie's double thumbs-up of approval.

Heyyyyy!

And man, were they inviting. One word- motorboating. I would motorboat those
breast until the cows came home. After a quick fantasy involving me, the

brunette, a cow, and things being "milked", I focused on the guy sitting next to

her.

His hair was in a neat disarray,-so he probably spent hours trying to make it look
that unkempt- and his clothes had a vintage feel- meaning he bought it from the

Abercrombie and Fitch "we printed this shirt last week but faded the writing so it

looks cool and old school, we swear" collection.

I couldn't hear their conversation through the thick door, so they could have been
discussing Newton's Third Law of Relativity or pro/conning edible underwear.

Who am I kidding? There is no con.

Throughout their pow-wow, one would stop and point to their cheek or neck and
the other would kiss it, but as their game continued, you could see the small

pecks were becoming more urgent and needy. That was until the girl pulled out all

the stops by grabbing the hem of her sweater, pulling it over her head, and
revealing to the world and the cold auditorium the thin white tank she wore

underneath.

Houston, we have nipples.

I wanted to run in and high five the dude or maybe give him a pep talk about

keeping his eyes on the prize because he looked like a deer in headlights, but this
was becoming painful to watch, in more than one way.

I adjusted the front of my now tight jeans and yanked the flask from my back
pocket. I gave it three long pulls before recapping it and placing it back into its

hidey hole. I took about four paces from the door before I swiftly ran the mop
over the floor, not worrying about moving the bucket or even stepping out of the

way, I just went around everything. The floor had a constant sheen of filth that no

matter how hard you scrubbed- or in my case pretended to scrub- it was never
coming off. There was no point fighting it.

Placing the mop in the wringer, I squeezed out all the dirty water before my eyes

wandered back to the door to the auditorium.

What. The. Fuck.

The girl was doing some Crouching Tiger, Hidden Penis move between the guy’s
legs. Her hands were rubbing alone his inner thigh and her nose and mouth

moved around his zipper. I don't know if she thought that if she blew on his
crotch his junk would blow up like a balloon, but it was certainly making things

grow larger in my pants.

My only option was to take things into my own hands. Literally. It wasn't an ideal

situation, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade…and hope that the
person next to you is someone who life gave vodka.

Before I could really get into the rhythm of the things, two kids entered the room,
blocking my view. Well, actually one kid was blocking my view and the other one

grabbed my attention.

The blond leggy girl was hard to miss in the halls even when they were crowded.

It was like the parting of the Red Sea when she walked through. Not to mention,
she was a regular here on the weekend. A couple of Saturdays ago, she was

making preparations for Homecoming Week. Her little gofers worked to the music
of the clicking of her heels. I watched then hang dozens of posters decorated in

glitter glue and bright paint. All that was missing was the colored macaroni and
popsicle sticks. I could just imagine her minion's tear-soaked cheeks as they

bandaged their fingers so they didn't bleed onto the poster while she screamed at

them to redo their bubble letters because they weren't bubbly enough.

Emmett really had his hands full with this one, and I'm guessing that's why he had
enlisted me for help. I was paid off for the month. My responsibility was to keep

Pattinson distracted and to keep Emmett well-informed if any other teachers

roamed the halls.

This was a fairly easy task. Few teachers visited the school on the weekend and as

for Pattinson, an overflowing toilet or two would aggravate him for hours.

That was no fun, though. Everything aggravated Pattinson. You had to hit a nerve

to really set him off, and there was only one way to do that.

I left the bucket where it was and headed over to the main offices. I passed the

A/V room, a bunch of classrooms, and the front office before finding the one I
was looking for.

The door had no window, nothing that differentiated itself from the rooms
around it except for the metal plate that read MR. PATTINSON. The door was

locked, so I whipped out my handy dandy key ring and let myself inside.

It was no larger than my supply closet. A small wooden desk covered in blue file

folders and papers that were probably really important were spread all over. A
three drawer file cabinet sat in the corner while a student’s chair occupied the

other. The walls held no pictures or inspirational posters, and the desk wasn't
covered in pictures of his family. The only personal thing in the room was a white

mug that said "Jesus Is Coming…Look Busy", filled with cold coffee.

Jackpot.

I dug in a small pouch on my belt and retrieved my fingernail clippers then took a

seat in his large leather chair and propped my feet up on his desk. A few years

back, I had discovered Mr. Pattinson’s phobia of fingernail clippings. Sitting in his
office after turning the bed of my truck into a swimming pool during Senior Skip

Day, I watched Pattinson cringe every time I chewed off a nail and spat it on the
floor. As soon as I left, I heard the sound of the vacuum cleaner. Sure enough,

Pattinson was on his hands and knees with his mini Dirt Devil, vigorously
scrubbing the carpet where I had flung my fingernails.

My nails had begun to grow out, seeing that the only time I ever cut them was at

work. Bending over his desk, I snipped at each fingernail, letting the clippings fall
around his mug and papers. I only cut from one hand because I planned on

leaving the others on the toilet lid in the teacher’s lounge bathroom. After I put
plastic wrap on the seat first, naturally.

I arranged everything back in his office exactly how it was and made sure to leave
the door unlocked when I left. I'm almost positive some kid will get blamed and

probably suspended for this on Monday. Oh well. He can thank me for his new
rebel reputation and for getting him laid by the cheerleader who stands at the top

of pyramid.

She never wears bloomers. Fucking toe touch tease.

I downed the rest of the bourbon in my flask as I proceeded to reunite with my

trusty bucket. I didn't plan on cleaning anything else today but as the alcohol was

starting to work its way to my brain, I thought it might be smart to have
something to balance on. After chucking the now empty flask into a compartment

on the side of the bucket, I placed the mop handle under my armpit like a crutch
and wheeled myself down the hall.

As I stumbled past the awards case by the library, I was brought to a screeching
halt. The State Championship trophy won by my senior football team had been

pushed to the back corner, only to be replaced by plaques from the
Environmental Club and Quiz Bowl team.

Great. This place is like a Ralph Nader training facility.

Shaking my head, I turned the corner, ditched my shit, and walked into the
library. I assumed the kids were running amuck around the school because

Pattinson was off somewhere with his Suck Me Off Suzie doll, which went missing

from my supply room and miraculously appeared deflated under his desk two
days later. So, when I saw him passed out in the front, I wanted to kick his ass for

getting into my Old Forester too. Thankfully, when I lifted his head, he didn't smell
like booze.

My shit was safe and Pattinson could live to see another day.

I reached for my flask and gulped down as much as I could before feeling like
tilting my head back any farther would make me fall backward.

When I turned around to rummage through some old National Geographics

hoping for some prime Ethiopian tits, I saw the little black-haired carpet muncher
straddling a guy's lap and saying things I'm pretty sure would get her arrested

anywhere but the Bunny Ranch.

It caught me off guard, seeing as she had a reputation fairly similar to mine. She

was a pussy pimp, or pimpstress in her case. Some of the guys were dicks to her,
only because they could never get her, or they were afraid she would get to their

girlfriend first. I say if some woman wants to go at it with my woman, the more
the merrier.

Save a dildo. Ride me.

As she moved her head to the side, I got a good look at the punk she was
mounting. I had run into him a few times in the parking lot and outside the field

house. Our exchanges were usually brief, a head nod or questioning glance. It

never failed though, he always seemed to be sneaking around like some animal.

Now I blame my niece for the fact that every time I see him I want to say, "Swiper,
no swiping!".

I watched as his eyes moved from her boobs to rolling in the back of his head as
she rubbed circles above his ears. I waited for his leg to start shaking like a dog

but my impatience and third hard-on of the day were getting the best of me.

I rattled the flask in my right hand, disappointed by the faint sloshing noise. Since

there was a shortage of booze and Nudie Pornographic Material in the library, it
was time to head back to the Batcave. I anchored one foot on the bottom of the

tub and rode it down the hall like a skateboard, only running into the wall twice.
Who says playing Tony Hawk video games all day never plays off?

As I rounded the final corner, I received a few glances from the guy's track team
as they walked through the side door to the practice field. I heard one of them

mumble something that sounded like Karl the Flusher, but I was too focused on
running them down like bowling pins to care. I knocked down the captain, so I

mentally gave myself ten bonus points and continued to roll my way past them.

I coasted up to the door, parked my sweet ride, and unlocked the door to my lair.

Retrieving the CD player from the corner, I plugged it in and skipped to number
seven. Extreme's "More than words".

In the process of trying to stand up, I tripped over my own foot and had to use the

wall to try to steady myself. I let my back slide down the wall until my ass reached
the floor. It was cold and uninviting like this whole damned school. I sat there and

sang myself to sleep, willing that I would wake up to anything but these fucking
kids.

Chapter 20- Emmett by bittenev

Purple Haze all in my brain
Lately things don't seem the same

Actin' funny but I don't know why

'Scuse me while I kiss the sky.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I mumbled, pushing the stop
button on my stereo system before flipping the switch to radio.

I turned up the volume and let Justin and Fitty tell me how She’s fine as
hell, she about the dough; She doing her thing out on the floor.

For the past six days I’d been subjecting myself to the guitar riffs of my girl’s
music. Marley I was fine with; after all, the line “let’s get together and feel

alright” had new meaning after last Saturday’s detention. I was definitely doing
some fine ass feeling.

But what turned into one song turned into two and then another artist and now I
had a whole damn stockpile of her CDs that she shoved in my hands and begged

me to listen to. I wasn’t fucking pussy whipped, but I knew which fights to pick

with Rose and which fights to let slide.

If making her happy meant listening to her music, then I’d listen. Didn’t mean I

had to enjoy it. Hendrix, The Doors, Zeppelin, The Who. They were all weird
names and confusing as hell. They did, however, look great when they were

written on thin cotton and stretched across Rose’s chest. She had a thing for old
band tee-shirts and I had a thing for her tits. It was win-win.

A lazy grin spread across my face just thinking about her. The past six days may
have been hell on my ears, but they were fan-fucking-tastic when it came to my

heart. Rose and I spent every day after school together. She was still hesitant to

shed her “hoity-toity bitch” persona, but I was noticing little changes.

She wasn’t wearing as much make-up and her hair hung naturally down her back

instead of falling in perfectly curled waves. She was wearing jeans to school,
which, for the average person, may not seem like a lot but to Rose- the girl who

only wore skirts or designer pants- it was a lot.

We still nagged each other in the hallways, but that wasn’t going to change

anytime soon. I think we were both so used to railing on each other that it kind of

became our thing. She bitched and complained and told me I was an ass and I
told her that she was the best, most annoying prude I’d ever fucked. People

didn’t pay attention when I smacked her ass or leaned in to kiss her cheek
lovingly- they just kind of accepted it for whatever it was.

The best part about the past five days had been her eyes. There were no more
glazed-over, worried, anxious glances. She seemed to be happy. This meant two

things. One- Daddy Hale was leaving her alone and hadn’t touched her and two- I

made her happy, me. Emmett McCarty made Rosalie Hale happy. I made her
laugh and I made her forget about all the fucked up shit she had to deal with at

home. That fact alone made my lazy grin stretch even bigger because, well…she
made me happy.

With a huff, I stood up and walked back over to my radio and flipped the switch

back to CD. I cranked the volume and let the words of Hendrix beat against my
ears. After all, I’m in love and what do you do when you’re in love? You do shit

you don’t want to do, just because.

I sat down at my desk and powered up my computer. I spent the next fifteen

minutes checking the stocks and responding to emails with various brokers before
heading downstairs for breakfast. I could smell the bacon wafting up the stairs

and my stomach growled.

“Good moooorning, sweetheart. How’s the champ this morning?” my mom
crooned.

She was always dwelling on my athletic abilities. The nickname started back in
pee-wee football when I was six and already showed a promising career in ruling

the field. She never let it drop. I never corrected her, though; she was my mom
and so help me, I loved her more than myself. Any woman who makes rice

krispie treats every Saturday for her son- just because- is pretty damned

wonderful.

“I’m great, mom. What’s for breakfast?” I asked as I walked over to the

refrigerator.

“Bacon, cheese, and tomato omelets, whole wheat toast and your protein shake.”

She flipped the omelet out of the pan and set it on a plate in front of me before
walking over to the toaster.

She was always spoiling me, always doting on me and my dad. She always made
sure that we had large breakfasts and gourmet dinners. I never really thought

anything of it. I mean, I knew she was smothering, but I didn’t care. A lot of the

kids my age had parents who either hated each other and were divorced or hated

each other but stayed together, anyway. No wonder we’re all so fucked up. How
can we understand relationships when we know our parents are married but

sleeping around with other people? I was thankful that my parents were happy.
At least, they sound happy at 2 am whenever I hear them banging in the next

room. Nasty, I know, but at least I know they’re content.

“So. Do you have any plans after school today?” my mom asked as she buttered

my toast.

“Umm, yeah. I think I’m going to hang out with some friends. Why?”

“I was just wondering,” she shrugged. I looked at her face and could tell she had

something more to say.

Wait for it, wait for it.

“I only ask because…well,” she hesitated.

Yep. That’s what I thought.

“You see, one of the ladies at the gym mentioned seeing you with a pretty girl
downtown a few days ago…” she never finished her statement; she just trailed off

and I knew she was waiting for me to talk.

Well, it looks like I’m telling her about Rose. It’s not like I didn’t want her to know

about her; I just wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon. I’d been pretty damn
good at hiding our “fuck buddy” sessions up until this point. And now, after six

days of being with her as her…I don’t know…her “boyfriend”… it all comes out

because some gym rat saw us together and couldn’t keep her trap shut.

Sometimes I hate this fucking small town.

“That was Rose, mom. She and I are sort of dating.” I kept the tone of my voice
casual because I knew if I didn’t she’d jump to conclusions and freak out.

“You have a girlfriend!” She squealed.

So much for not freaking out.

“She’s not really my girlfriend. I mean, we haven’t really discussed it,” I said,
shoveling a huge bite of cheesy omelet in my mouth.

I was being honest. We hadn’t discussed it, haven’t really have a chance to. I
mean, sure we were together every day, talked every night before bed and had

the best fucking sex imaginable, but we hadn’t actually sat down and discussed

the title of our relationship. She hadn’t even said she loved me yet. Not that I
was pressing her to. I knew she had issues to work through, and I was going to

stay by her side until we figured it out.

“Are you going to bring her by sometime? I’d love to meet her.” My mom’s wide

smile stretched across her face and I couldn’t help but notice the dimple on her
left cheek; the same dimple that I had inherited from her.

“I’ll talk to her okay. I can’t promise anything.” I picked up my shake and downed
a big gulp, washing down the rest of my toast.

Thankfully, my mom let the subject drop and I was able to finish my breakfast in

silence. I grabbed the few books I’d need for school, my cell phone and keys and
headed out the door.

I climbed into my jeep and cranked my music up before peeling out of my

driveway. I sped down the leaf-covered road and bobbed my head to the beat of
the music. I had to clear my head. All this thinking about Rose meeting my

parents had me freaked out. Not because I was worried they wouldn’t like her. In
fact, I knew they would. It’s just the asking that had me nervous.

Before I knew it, I was pulling into the school parking lot and whipping my jeep
into my parking spot. Yea,h I have my own spot. Everyone knows it’s mine and

no one fucks with it- they know better. I was climbing out when I saw Rose pull

into the spot right next to mine. Ever since Saturday, she’d been parking there
and for some lame ass, “I’m in love” reason, it made me grin.

I watched her long stems step out of the car first before the rest of her. Damn, I
love those legs.

I continued to trail my eyes up and took in her appearance, playing close
attention to her face, her eyes particularly. It had become routine for me during

the week to make sure they had that sparkle, and not the haze I’d grown to hate.
I felt my shoulders relax instantly as soon as I saw them. They were the prettiest

shade of blue and they looked happy.

“Hey, baby,” I said, kicking my door shut as I walked around my jeep.

Her full lips pulled up into her pouty smile as she looked me up and down. “Hey,”

she said easily as she flung her bag over her shoulder. “I tried calling you this
morning but you didn’t answer.”

“Really?” I pulled out my cell phone and sure enough, there was a missed call. “I
must have not heard it. My mom was yapping in my ear all morning.”

“Did she make you breakfast again?”

“Baby, I’m a grown man. I need a good meal to start my day and my mom knows

this.”

“First off- you may be big, but don’t go calling yourself grown up.”

“So you think I’m big?” I teased, avoiding her jab. I knew damn well what she
was talking about, but I couldn’t resist a conversation that could be made sexual.

She rolled her eyes at me and kept walking. “You know what I’m talking about.

Don’t you think it’s about time you started fending for yourself?”

“Hey, I’m not going to refuse a good home-cooked meal. If she keeps cooking, I’ll

keep eating.”

“Whatever,” she shrugged. “What was she yapping about anyway?”

Her question caught me off guard and it took me a second to respond. Up until
this point Rose had kind of avoided any talk of my family. Besides, of course, her

comments about being a momma’s boy and spoiled beyond reason, she hadn’t

asked anything else. I had a feeling I knew why that was but I never pressed it.
Like I said, I loved her enough to wait until she was ready to take bigger steps.

“Are you going to tell me, or are you just going to stand there rubbing your neck?”
I hadn’t even noticed that I’d stopped walking.

Fucking own up, McCart,y and say something.

“Yeah, she…she asked about you.” I said simply.

I stared at Rose and watched her eyes go from confusion to shock. “Did you tell
her about us?”

As soon as she asked the question I knew it had a double-sided answer. If I said
yes, she could be pissed that I hadn’t told her about it. That I hadn’t said, “Hey,

Rosie baby- I think I’m going to tell my mom about us and our relationship. Is that

okay with you?” And if I said No, she could be pissed and think that I didn’t want
to tell my mom about her. Why are girls so damned complicated?

I cleared my throat, looking to stall a bit more, but then I looked at her face. She
was just standing there with her hands on her hips, looking so fucking pissed and

excited all at the same time. All I wanted to do was grab her and kiss those
pursed lips, but I knew that would only piss her off more. Instead, I clung to the

excited expression she had and decided to just tell her.

“Some gym rat saw us together downtown and told my mom. She was curious, so
she asked me about it,” I said casually. I started walking again but noticed that

she hadn’t moved. I cocked my head to the side and turned around to face her.

“Are you coming? I know you hate being late.”

“Oh shut it. And don’t try using things like ‘being late’ to motivate me,” she said,

crossing her arms in front of herself. “I know you’re not done, so talk.”

Again, I’m not pussy-whipped, but I knew which fights to pick with Rose. I could

fight this one and keep my mother’s desires to meet her quiet. That way I could
avoid the whole “we’re getting serious, it’s time to meet my parents”

conversation, but I didn’t want to. In all honesty, I wanted to have that

conversation. I wanted it more than I thought I would and it scared the shit out of
me. Then again, wasn’t that normal? Wasn’t it normal to want to move forward

when you loved someone?

Looks like I won’t be fighting this one.

“I told her we were dating and she wants to meet you.” I watched her face
carefully and prepared myself for more questions. but they never came.

“Oh,” she said quietly as she looked down. Her eyes dashed everywhere as if she
was thinking hard about what I’d just told her. Finally, she lifted her head and

looked at me.

“We have to hurry. I don’t want to be late.” She gave me a quick smile before

adjusting the strap of her bag and walking away. I kept my eyes trained on her as

she walked into the building and disappeared.

What. The. Hell.

I would have preferred a damn fight compared to that. I was used to the fighting.

Used to the smart ass quips and comments that made my toes curl and my dick
throb. That, however, was complete bullshit.

I heard the bell ring and cursed under my breath for being late, again. No doubt
I’d get another round of Saturday detentions and they probably would not be in

the company of Miss “Oh” and her “I don’t want to be late” crap.

I walked into the school and headed straight for the one place that could improve

my mood- the cafeteria.

“Gladys? Wanda? Where are my two favorite ladies?” I called out as I leaned over

the serving counter.

“Mr. McCarty, shouldn’t you be in class?” Gladys asked in a disappointed tone as
she walked out from the kitchen. The contradicting smile on her face showed that

she was anything but disappointed to see me.

Gladys was the sweet one. The one who you couldn’t say no to. She’s even been

known to make dickhead Black eat his peas.

I flashed my wide, dimpled grin that always got me out of any situation and

waited for the giggle I knew it would follow, which it did.

“Gladys! Are you letting that dear boy charm you again? You know what

happened the last time. He nearly cleared the entire case of ice cream

sandwiches.” The face that matched the southern voice stepped out behind
Gladys and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“I love you, too, Wanda,” I said, giving her the same grin I’d just given her friend.

“And I told you I’d pay for those ice cream sandwiches. It’s not my fault you both
refused.”

Wanda was the tough one. The one that wasn’t afraid to smack your hand if you
reached for something out of turn. She constantly corrected our speech and had

been known to fix your clothes if they were hanging too low.

“I know, I know,” she said waving her hand at me. “Nah quit batten your lashes

and tell us what you want.”

“Can’t I just come visit my two favorite lunch ladies?”

“O’course you can,” she said, smiling. “But you coming here and being late for

your class is going to get you in trouble. I’d hate to see our school champ be held
back from playing an important game on account of us.”

I smiled at the little nickname they had for me. The fact that it was the same one
my mom used made me laugh. Ever since freshman year, they’ve had a spot in

the stands, watching every game I ever played. School pride, spirit and all that
crap rang true for them. They were practically the school’s second mascot.

“Here, sweetheart,” Gladys said, handing me a cookie. “Why don’t you head into
the attendance office and see if Ms. Seymour will write you a note.”

I turned to walk away but stopped when I remembered something. “Hey,

Wanda? Will you--”

“Save you some extra Jello?” she finished for me. I opened my mouth to speak

again, but she continued to talk. “It’s strawberry. I know it’s your favorite and I
already have three cups set aside.”

“Thanks.” I gave one last dimple grin and waved goodbye to my two favorite
lunch moms before heading down the hall.

I made my way to the attendance office, feeling slightly better than I had a few
minutes ago about the conversation- or lack thereof –that I had with Rose. It was

still bugging me. I knew there was only one thing to do, and if it required me

picking a fight then I’d be picking a fight. Maybe I’ll get lucky and we’ll get to
make up later.

For now I had to ignore my frustration and pull some good old Emmett charm to
buy my ass an excusal note to class. I plastered on my million-dollar smile and

strode into the office.

The overpowering smell of flowers hit me and I knew Ms. Seymour had a new

perfume. No doubt she purchased it from some late night infomercial that
promised the floral scent would make men beg you to take them home where

they would gladly accept your weird

Precious Moments obsession and drop their pants, ready to give you the best

night of your life.

“Mr. McCarty, I see you’re late yet again.” Ms. Seymour said casually as her

hands fluttered over her hair, obviously checking to make sure it was all in place.

The fact that she must have used an entire fucking can of Aqua Net to keep her

coiffure in place must have slipped past her.

“Are you wearing a new perfume, Ms. Seymour? Because it smells like roses in

here.” I made an over-exaggerated motion of smelling in and smiled down at the
middle aged woman sitting behind her desk.

I’d seen enough older ladies eying me over the years to recognize the look when I

got it. Ms. Seymour was one of the worst. I knew she had a wild imagination just
by the way she looked at me. She was staring at my shirt that stretched over my

wide chest and arms, no doubt reliving one of her romance novel fantasies.

I might as well give her something good. Silently laughing to myself, I flexed my

arms and leaned forward on the counter, making sure to tighten my pecs in the
process.

The unmistakable gasp of air came from her mouth and I continued to smile down
at her.

“I’m sorry I’m late. My momma needed some help at home and I couldn’t say no.

Surely you understand.”

I watched her eyes glaze over as she watched me, taking in every curve of my

muscles. She shifted for a minute in her seat, as if she couldn’t get comfortable
and eventually shook her head out of the daze she was in.

“Of…of…of course I understand. You’re always so…willing to help.” She smiled.

“That’s me, always willing.” I said, chuckling. “Do you think that maybe you could

write me a note? That way Miss Smith doesn’t get angry.”

“That’s not a problem. I’m always more then willing to help in anyway.” She

looked up at me one last time before handing me my note.

Now, I’m a guy and I’ve been known to tap a few cougars in my day, but this was

pushing it, not to mention fucking nasty. There is, however, nothing wrong with

letting them look. At least I’ll always have an out if I’m ever late again, which of
course I would be.

“Thanks, Ms. Seymour. Have a good day.” I winked before flexing my arms one
last time.

“Oh I will Mr. McCarty, thank you.”

I stepped out of the attendance office and tossed my head back to laugh. That

broad had no shame and I didn’t even want to think about what she meant by her
comment. I shook my head, dislodging any thoughts that could even go that

direction and pulled out my phone as a distraction.

I knew she’d have hers on and there was no way I was waiting until fourth period

to talk about this. I flipped it open and started texting.

Oh?

I typed quickly, pressing send. It didn’t take very long for her to respond;

something told me she was waiting for it.

Yes. oh.

I rolled my eyes and quickly typed back.

Not what I was expecting

What were u expecting?

Something other then oh

Don’t be such a dick Em

U like my dick and will u just answer my question

What question?

Now u r avoiding.

Fine, what did u want me to say?

I took a deep breath and blew it out while I stared at my little screen. I knew

what I wanted her to say but I wanted her to want it.

That u want to meet her

My fingers hovered over the send button, debating. Grow a sack, McCarty, and

just tell her. I berated myself before finally giving in and pressing “send”.

I waited for what seemed like an hour as I paced back and forth outside of my

classroom. I was just about to text her again when I heard the beep.

Ok I want to meet her

R U sure?

Stop questioning me before I beat your ass

I like when u r rough

I know you do

I love you Rosie

I know

C u in class

I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and all I could do was smile. I shoved my

phone in my back pocket and swung open the door of my classroom, fucking
aching for fourth period to get here.

……

“So what exactly did you tell her about me?” Rose asked, looking in the mirror for

the fifth time as we drove to my house.

“I just said we were dating.”

“That’s it?” She flipped the visor shut and turned to face me.

“I didn’t really know what else to say. Something told me that saying ‘actually,

Rose was my fuck buddy and somewhere along the line I fell in love with her’
wasn’t such a good idea.”

She dropped her head back on the headrest and laughed happily, the sound filled

my car and I was pretty sure it was the best damned sound there was.

“Yes, it’s good that you didn’t tell her all of that. After all, I’m supposed to be

winning her over, right? Somehow, I think her knowing that I love when you bend
me over the table wouldn’t be the best way.”

“Rose, you have to stop talking dirty, baby, or I’m not going to make it home,” I
said, eyeing her. “It’s been a long two days.”

“Well, it’s going to have to be three, because there is no way in hell I’m doing

stuff in your parent’s house.”

“Come on, she won’t hear us. I swear I’ll be quiet.” I begged.

“You’re not the one I’m worried about.”

I had to admit, it was true. Rose was one loud-ass screamer and I loved it. Lord,

just thinking about it made my dick hard.

“Maybe we’ll just have to get creative.” I smirked as my mind started strategizing.

She didn’t get a chance to snap back before I pulled into the driveway.

“You ready?” I asked her, smiling in encouragement.

“No. Yes. Maybe.” She let out a huff. “Let’s just go, okay?”

I smiled at her, laughing, and got out of my jeep. I wasn’t sure if she wanted me

to hold her hand or not but she answered my unspoken question by putting her
arm around my waist.

I pushed my front door open and was immediately hit by the smell of fresh baked

cookies.

“Mom! Where are you?” I yelled at the foot of the stairs.

“I’m in the kitchen, sweetheart. And I made your favorite- chocolate chocolate

chip.”

“Of course she’d have cookies waiting for you.” I heard Rose mumble.

“She keeps cooking, I’ll keep eating.” I repeated my statement from earlier.

A tightened my grip on her shoulder and led her into the kitchen. As soon as we

entered the room my mother looked up. Her whole entire face beamed when she
looked over at Rose.

“You must be Rose. I’m so happy to meet you.” My mom quickly walked toward
us and wrapped her arms around Rose. “I would have made myself more

presentable if I’d known that we were having company,” she said, turning to me

and glaring.

“You look great, mom. Always do.”

“He’s always the charmer, isn’t he?” she asked, looking at Rose and smiling.

“He sure is. I’m pretty sure he could get himself out of anything.” She laughed.

“Well, let’s not test that theory.” My mom said, glaring at me. “Although, I’m
sure you’re right.” She leaned in, whispering to Rose before looking back to me.

“So Rose, tell me a little bit about yourself.”

“Um, let’s see. I like photography. I’m really into music, even though your son

thinks my taste leaves a little to be desired.” My mom started laughing but
continued to listen as Rose talked. “I try to be involved in school stuff; I figure it

can only look good on my college transcripts.”

“Did you two meet at school, then? Of course I assumed you did.”

“Yeah mom, we met at school. Rose was in my junior year English class.”

“Well, that’s nice.”

The three of us- well, really the two of them, meaning Rose and my mom-

continued talking for the next hour. I had to admit, it felt damn good to hear
Rose talking openly and just being herself with someone other then me. On more

then one occasion, I found myself grinning like a fucking fool but I didn’t bother to
wipe the smile off; Rose was happy and that meant I was happy. I was just about

to whisk her away when my mom decided to acknowledge me.

“Emmett, sweetheart, will you take the trash out? I told your father to do it

earlier today but he didn’t remember.”

“Uh,” I glanced at Rose to make sure she was okay with me leaving her alone. Of
course my girl just smiled at me and nodded her head, signaling it was fine. I gave

her a smile and a raise of the eyebrows, showing how impressed I was and
grabbed the trash bag.

When I walked back inside, I could hear Rose and my mom laughing from the
kitchen.

“Something funny?” I asked walking back into the room.

“I’m just telling Rose some stories about you, that’s all.”

“Mom,” I warned, “what did you tell her?”

“Don’t worry, Em. Most of it was stuff I already knew,” Rose said, patting my
shoulder while giving my mother a knowing eye. The knowing eye that meant

“don’t worry, I won’t tell him you told me.”

I almost felt embarrassed, and that thought alone pissed me off. I don’t get

fucking embarrassed, I don’t. Believe me, plenty of people have tried and they’ve

all failed. Suddenly I wanted it to just be me and Rose alone, so I took this
moment as my chance.

“Let me show you around.” I grabbed hold of Rose’s elbow and pulled her out of
the kitchen.

“It was nice meeting you, Rose. I’m sure I’ll see more of you!” My mom yelled
out as we left the room.

I continued to guide us up the stairs and Rose still hadn’t said anything. I looked
back over my shoulder and she was looking at the pictures that lined the wall.

“Your mom’s great. I can see where you get your sense of humor from,” she said

with a laugh.

“My mom wouldn’t say half the stuff that comes out of this mouth, but she is

pretty funny.”

“You’ve got a point. Still, she seems pretty great.” I could hear the sadness in her

voice as she spoke. I stopped outside of my bedroom door and faced her. She

was staring at the floor so I placed my hand under her chin and forced her to look
at me.

“Hey, you don’t need to be sad.”

She smiled weakly, but her eyes still scrunched up a little at the corners. “Thanks

for bringing me here. I know it’s got to be a little awkward taking that step but
just…thank you. I’ve only been here for what, an hour? And I love everything

about this place. The smells, the sounds, the way I feel safe. Iit feels like a home,
and your mom-

“My mom loves you. I can tell. I’m so lucky to have two great ladies in my life.

And don’t smack me for being a pussy, I’m being honest.”

Her lips pulled up to a smile and she placed her hand on my chest. “I won’t smack

you for that. Unless, of course, you want me to...” her voice drifted off with
implication.

“I thought you said no messing around at my parent’s house.”

“I did. But that doesn’t mean I can’t change my mind,” she said, looking up at me.

“Well in that case, get your fine ass in my room.” I opened my door and swatted

her as she walked through the doorway.

……

Two sore wrists and a fucking great work out later, we both lay on my bed
listening to one of the CDs Rose had given me.

“I still can’t believe you don’t like these guys?”

“I’m not saying that they aren’t good, it’s just not my thing.” I shrugged. “I can,

however, appreciate the talent and skill they have.”

“Halle-fucking-lujah, at least we can agree on that.” She laughed, nuzzling her

head into my chest. After a few minutes, she propped herself up on her elbows
and looked at me. “Hey do you want to go downtown and check out one of the

local galleries with me tonight? There’s a great exhibit I want to see.”

I could have said no; in fact, if it were any other girl I would have, but it wasn’t
any other girl, it was Rose. And I knew what stuff like this meant to her, what it

meant for us to be doing things like this together, so of course I agreed.

“You do realize I don’t know shit about art, right? Stocks, Bonds, whether or not

crude oil has gone up or down, that shit I know. But when it comes to art, I know
nothing.”

I watched her face scrunch up in confusion and she eyed me curiously. “Don’t

worry, I can teach you about art. And what are you talking about stocks and
bonds for?”

I pulled my eyes away from hers and looked up at the ceiling. I hadn’t told Rose
yet about my fascination with the stock market or the simple fact that I was

pretty much loaded because of it. It wasn’t that I didn’t want her to know; it just
never came up and I figured it wasn’t something you just randomly say one day.

Plus, up until recently we were kind of on a need-to-know basis with each other.

She had her shit, I had mine.

“I like to dabble in the stock market,” I finally said, still staring at the ceiling.

“Dabble, like how?”

“Like…I trade, I invest. I have a few brokers who I work with, that kind of stuff.”

“Do you make money doing it?”

“Yes.”

“Can I ask you how much?”

I lowered my eyes and lifted my head a little so I could look right at her when I

spoke. “Enough so that once we graduate, we can leave this place.”

She didn’t ask anymore questions and she didn’t question the “we” part of my

comment. Instead, she just dropped back down to her stomach and let out a
quiet sigh. We sat in comfortable silence until I heard Rose’s phone started

ringing.

She shifted from my side and grabbed her cell out of her purse.

“Hey, Ali,” she said, smirking as she plopped down next to me. “Yeah, sorry about
that. Something came up. Uh-huh. Really? Ok, sure. I’ll call you later. Bye.” She

flipped her phone shut and tossed it back in her bag.

“You mean chicks can actually have a phone conversation what doesn’t last an

hour?” I laughed.

“When it doesn’t involve the idiocies of men then yes, it’s possible.” She rolled
her eyes and looked over at my clock. “Hey, I’d better get going. Can you drop

me off back at school so I can get my car?”

“Yep,” I nodded. “What time do you want me pick you up tonight, anyway?”

“It all depends. Do you want to have dinner first, or do you want to go straight
there?”

“Dinner first.”

“How’d I know you were going to say that?” She laughed, “Okay, so pick me up at

seven. Sound good?”

“Perfect.”

On the way out the door, my mom and Rose shared another hug and again, I felt

myself grinning like an idiot. At least I knew that they liked each other and that
was a big enough hurdle to cross.

I couldn’t even think about meeting Rose’s parents. She mentioned briefly that
her mom was still around but had faded into the half-woman she used to be after

her dad started drinking. And her dad, well… just the thought of him made my
blood boil. I instinctively tighten my fists whenever I think about him and have to

fight back the desire I feel to punch something. Hopefully, I never have to meet

him; any man who would hurt his daughter isn’t worth the energy.

I dropped Rose off at her car and I promised that I’d swing by later to get her. She

seemed a little hesitant at first but after I told her that’s what boyfriends do, she
agreed. I went home and spent the next few hours putting in a good workout and

showered quickly before it was time to leave.

Saying goodbye to my mom, I practically floated to my damn jeep. I quickly

backed out of the driveway, anxious to have a first “official date” with my Rose.

When I was about a mile or so away I grabbed my phone and flipped it open to

call her. It took her a while to answer and I almost hung up, thinking I had the

wrong number.

“Hi,” she finally answered, whispering into the phone.

“Hey, baby. I thought for a second you were going to stand me up and not

answer,” I laughed.

“No, of course not,” she whispered again.

It took me a second to realize that she was, in fact, whispering, and I couldn’t
understand why.

“Rosie, is everything okay?

“Umm yeah, I think. I just-” The quiet tone of her voice was cut off by someone

yelling in the background.

“ROSE! Where are you?”

“Em, I think I should go,” she said quickly.

“No, wait. What’s going on?

“It’s nothing I-”

“ROSE, you fucking failure, answer me!” The voice was slurred, getting louder

and just hearing it made my heart pound.

“Rose, baby, is that him?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

“I’m in here, Dad. I’ll be out in a second.” I heard her yell before whispering back

into the receiver. “Look Em, I’m not sure if now’s a good time to-”

“Is that him?” I repeated for a second time, even though I knew the answer. I

didn’t wait for her to respond before I pressed my foot down on the gas petal.

Rose started talking again but I couldn’t hear a word she was saying. Her voice
was drowned out by the sound of banging in the background and more yelling.

My stomach dropped and panic set in. I started taking deep, long breaths in an
attempt to calm myself as I sped through her neighborhood, desperate to get to

her before he did. The loud music of my car faded into the background and my
ears started to ring. It wasn’t until I heard her say his name and I heard his crystal-

clear response through the phone that I froze.

“Dad, please,” she pleaded.

“You walk around here, th-thinking you ooown the place,” his voice slurred. “P-

perfect daughter you are. You’re a fffailure!”

“Dad, let me go,” The sound of her voice faltered but I could still hear the strength

behind it.

“You listen to me-”

“Dad please, I’m sorry I-”

“Failure!”

“Dad, please-”

Their voices became muffled but I could still hear her constant pleading and her

dad’s yelling, then the phone went dead.

I dropped my cell onto my lap and whipped around the last corner onto her

street. I didn’t slow down as I approached her house and I didn’t bother pulling
into the driveway. I pulled over the curve, stopped in the middle of her yard and

jumped out.

I didn’t close my door, I didn’t turn off the engine, and I didn’t even fuck with

radio. Instead I ran across the yard, my feet sliding in the mud as I walked

through the flower bed. I didn’t stop when I came to the door, I just pushed it
open.

I stood in the middle of her foyer and frantically looked around. “Rose!” I yelled,
feeling my throat constrict. I was so tight and tense that I was surprised I could

even speak. Suddenly I heard a loud bang directly over my head and looked up at
the ceiling. I ran for the stairs and took them three at a time, smearing my muddy

shoes all over the pristine white carpet that lined them.

“Rose!” I yelled again, praying to God she could answer me.

I walked down the hall and threw open two doors before I got to her room. I

stood in the doorway breathing heavy, feeling like I was going to bust out of my
skin. Rose sat on her bed, leaning back with her arm in front of her defensively.

The shoulder of her white shirt was soaked wet with a brown liquid.

I took one quick step forward and an enraged growl rang through the air. I didn’t

even realize it was coming from me until Rose’s dad spun around. His bloodshot
eyes glared back at me with anger and confusion. Without hesitating a second, I

grabbed his raised arm and pulled him back, ripping him away from her.

“Get off!” I yelled.

He fell toward me, obviously unstable on his drunken feet and I could smell the

liquor on his breath.

“Get out of my house,” he snarled back at me, waving his hand.

I didn’t think; I couldn’t. My mind was filled with concern for Rose and hatred for
this person she called her father. I pulled my arm back and snapped it forward,

putting all my weight behind it, and smashed into his face. I immediately felt a
searing pain shoot through my knuckles but ignored it as I pulled back ready for a

second blow. The second one was even stronger then the first and it sent him

flying backward onto the bed next to Rose.

She jumped out of the way and looked down at his now bloody face. Her entire

body was shaking and the sounds of her sobs rang in my ears.

“Don’t you EVER touch her again, EVER!” I yelled, hovering over him.

My heart was racing as the adrenaline coursed through my body. I wanted to hit
him again and again and again but as I pulled my arm back, Rose stood up quickly,

stopping my motion.

“Don’t,” she sobbed.

I took a deep breath and looked at her.

“Get your things. You’re leaving with me,” I commanded, keeping my jaw

clenched tight in an attempt to hold back my anger.

“Emmett, I can’t leave, he’ll-”

“Get your things, Rose; I am not leaving here without you.”

She stood in silence, her tear-stained face torn with her indecision.

Not wasting another minute, I walked over to her closet and grabbed a bag from
one of the hooks. I pulled open the drawers of her dresser and started filling her

bag with random articles of clothing. I was only on the second drawer when I felt

someone’s hand on my shoulder. I spun around with my fists raised, prepared to
strike but stopped as soon as I saw who it was.

Rose dropped her hand from my shoulder and placed it on my chest. She didn’t
say a word; she only nodded silently. I stepped aside and held her bag open while

she rummaged through her drawers for a few extra pieces of clothing.

When she was finished, I zipped the bag shut and flung it over my shoulder before

wrapping my free arm around her. I noticed she winced slightly under the weight

of my arm on her shoulder and I knew she must be hurt. I bit down on my tongue

and forced my feet to keep moving away from the person laying passed out and

bleeding on her bed.

Without saying a word, we walked down the hallway and down the steps. The

music from my car was still blaring and only grew louder as we walked outside.
Very carefully, I helped her into my jeep and buckled her in before getting into my

side. I shoved the gear into drive and slammed down on the gas pedal, spinning
the back wheels, kicking up mud behind us as we sped away.

……

I pushed open the hotel room door and walked in, never taking my arm off Rose.

I tossed the key on the table and flicked on the light.

“Sit down, baby. I’m going to go get some ice.”

I hadn’t asked her what he did to her, but I knew she was hurt. The way she hung

her shoulder was an obvious sign. I grabbed the ice bucket off the table and
walked down the hallway to fill it.

When I came back into the room, Rose was sitting on the bed, staring off into
space. When she noticed my presence she turned to look at me.

“Em, I can’t stay here. If I don’t’ go home, he’ll-”

“You’re not going back there,” I said, cutting her off. “I refuse to let you stay in a

place where you aren’t safe.”

“I’ll be fine. He just had a lot to drink tonight and-”

“Don’t make excuses for him. I don’t care what you did or what he thinks you’ve
done, it’s bullshit and you know that. He’s your dad, Rose, your dad. And he’s a

drunk.”

She sat for a minute, thinking over my words and started nodding her head.

“I know,” she whimpered. “If you hadn’t been there, I don’t know what…wh-

what…”

A sob ripped from her chest and she covered her face with her hands. I walked

across the room and sat down beside her, pulling her into me. I ran my fingers
through her hair and along her cheek, trying to calm her as best as I could.

“It’s going to okay,” I assured her.

“How? How is any of this going to be okay? He’ll press charges, Em. I know he

will.”

I knew that Rose was right. It was one of the facts that churned over and over in

my head throughout the entire silent car ride. He would press charges and I’d get
arrested and I didn’t even fucking care.

“I know,” I agreed, “and I don’t care. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“I know you would,” she said in an almost laugh.

I always loved the sound of Rose’s laugh, but at that moment it was the best
fucking thing I had ever heard. It meant she was going to be okay, we were going

to be okay. I took the brief lightened moment to find out the extent of her
damage.

“Are you hurt at all?” I asked, knowing what her answer would be.

“My shoulder and collar bone. He hit me with his bottle, must have emptied half

of it on me.”

That explained the wet shirt. I got off the bed and walked over to the table,

wrapping some ice into a hand towel. When I turned around, Rose had scooted

back further on the bed, resting up against the headboard. She was unbuttoning
her shirt and I watched as she tried to pull it off of her shoulders.

She winced at the odd angle of her arm and I hurried to her side to help. Very
gently, I pulled the shirt back and off of her shoulder.

“Fuck,” I gasped.

It was already purple and swollen and I knew it was only going to get worse.

“Baby, you may have to get this checked out.” I said, gently placing the icepack on
her shoulder.

“It’s okay. I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“If it gets worse, you have to promise me you’ll go get it looked at.”

I should have promised that I’d take her but I had no clue where I’d be tomorrow

after her dad reported me, so I settled for making her promise. She must have
understood what I meant because she nodded her head and agreed.

She curled her body against mine, wrapping her arm around my waist as I held
the icepack against her shoulder. We sat in silence, not saying a word or even

needing to. I had no clue what would happen tomorrow, but thinking about it
was the furthest thing from my mind. Rose was safe here, with me, and that’s

what mattered.

I reached over to the nightstand and turned off the lamp before pulling the
blanket over us. A few lights from outside shown through the open slit in the

curtain and cast a faint glow though the room. I turned my head down and
looked at Rose ,who had her eyes closed. I sat for I don’t know how long and

watched her; watched every flicker of her eyelid and watched every breath that
came and went. I figured she must have fallen asleep at some point, but then I

heard her breath catch as she opened her mouth to speak.

“I love you, Emmett,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” I said back, pulling her even closer.

“I know.”

…….

We woke the next morning to the sun shining through the window. Leave it to
good ol’ Forks to have a rare beautiful sunny day, even though it was probably

twenty degrees outside.

“We’d better get ready,” Rose said, sitting up slowly.

“Okay. Why don’t you shower and I’ll get us something to eat.”

Rose nodded and silently got up, grabbed her bag and disappeared behind the

bathroom door.

The rest of the morning was spent in silence. We held hands whenever we
weren’t eating and never left each other’s side. When it was time to leave I

pulled her close to me and slipped the hotel key into her back pocket.

“The week is paid,” I said, knowing that she knew what I meant.

Rose lifted her head and looked at me before placing her lips against mine. I
sighed into her mouth as our lips parted and we tasted each other. My tongue

slid along hers gently as I tried to show her anything that I hadn’t already said.
My love for her was endless, and I knew she knew that, but something in me felt

desperate to make her feel it.

When we finally pulled apart I smiled down at her, and took her hand in mine.

The drive to school didn’t take long and I started thinking over ways to get out of

yet another stupid fucked-up detention. I was always the guy to get us out of it
and as much as I wished I wasn’t, I knew it was the only way. Nobody else could

pull off half the shit I did. Thank God I was a boy scout back in the day and

therefore knew the motto “be prepared.” And prepared I was. I always had a
stockpile of drugs and paraphernalia. No doubt I’d find something that could

work.

We pulled into the parking lot and I looked around to make sure we were. Last

thing I felt like dealing with right now were questions as to why Rose and I were
driving together.

“I’ll see you in there,” she said with a smile, pushing open her door.

I watched her walk inside before leaning over to search my glove compartment

for something to distract Pattinson. It only took me a second and once I found

the small vial, I knew I was set.

I walked into the school and down the long hallway that led to the library.

Pushing the double doors open I plastered on my “school smile” and walked in. I
took a second to scan the room and found someone to pawn the responsibility off

on. Swan was sitting at her desk, staring blindly at the door and I took it as a sign.

I took a few long strides over to her and smacked the vial down, making her jump.

"It's your turn today," I said.

"What?" She looked up at me like I had two heads and was speaking a
foreign language. I knew I’d have to explain myself and I also knew that

the chances she wouldn’t do as I told her were high. So I stuck with
what all chicks can’t refuse. Command with a compliment.

"Pour this in Pattinson's coffee. Hey, you look good today. Use those
assets to distract him."

"What is it?"

"Magnesium. Won't hurt him as much as it'll hurt the school’s
plumbing."

"Ew."

"Just do it, Swan."

"So you can go get a sniff of Hale's pretentious pussy? I think not."

I almost laughed in her face. She had no clue what she was talking
about and who was she to comment on my relationship? She and
Cullen had all their shit messed up and everyone knew it.

"No, so you can graduate from dry blow school and actually get to third
base with Cullen."

She tensed as soon as I said his name and I knew I had her. She
snatched the magnesium from the desk and nodded silently.

"Good girl, Swan,” I smiled as I walked over to my desk and took a seat.

I kept my eyes trained on Rose as we waited for the magnesium to kick
in. It seemed to take for-fucking-ever, but once it did, Pattinson was
out of the room so fast you would have thought there was a fire.

"Yo. Rosalie Hale. Love of my life and reason for my waking up every
morning. Would you care to please join me outside? There's something

we need to discuss.”

Rose looked up at me and a smile played on the edges of her mouth.
Without saying a word she stood up and held out her hand.

Together we walked through the halls, hand in hand; the same halls
that just a day before we walked through separately. It all felt surreal
because I was so used to playing a game, playing our parts and keeping

my love for her a secret. But not anymore. I wouldn’t go another day
pretending. I’m going to walk down these halls when they’re crowded
with people and I’m going to fucking kiss her and tell her I love her God-
awful music and her thin cotton band tee-shirts and everything about
her that made her her. Because that’s what you do when love

someone and when they loved you. And she did, she loved me.

I don’t know how long we walked around but we just kept walking until

we heard the sirens. I felt her tense up next to me and I brushed my
thumb across the top of her hand, trying to reassure her.

Without saying a word we headed back to the library and made it just

as Chief Swan walked in. I looked over at him and gave him the “you
found me” smile. He simply nodded his head and walked toward me.

I didn’t pay attention to what he was doing because as soon as he

moved, Rose spun around to face me. Silent tears streamed down her
face and she looked into my eyes with so much love that I thought my
fucking heart was going to explode.

I kept my eyes locked with hers and gently brushed away her tears.
“It’s okay,” I said, softly breaking our silence.

She nodded her head and blinked back more tears that were
threatening to escape. I felt someone come up behind me and pull my
arms behind my back. As soon as my hand left her cheek, she placed
both her hands on my cheeks, cupping my face.

It wasn’t until she moved that I noticed Alice and Jasper standing
behind her, watching. Alice was peeking out from over Jasper’s
shoulder with a look of complete confusion on her face.

"Dad?" I heard Swan speak up as she walked in the room and saw what
was going on. "There has to be a mistake,” she started to say.

"No mistake, Bella,” I said smiling, still not taking my eyes off of Rose. "I
did it. And I'd do it again, but thanks anyway."

Chief Swan cleared his throat and started reading off my rights, and all I
heard was “Being charged with assault and battery on one Mr. Peter
Hale..." and the rest was a blur.

With my hands behind my back, I was led outside and escorted to the
cruiser. I lowered my head and climbed into the back seat, squeaking
against the vinyl. I waited as Chief Swan and the other deputy climbed
into the front seat and looked out the side window. There standing on

the top step watching me was Rose. I smiled at her, hoping she’d know
I’d be okay and felt my heart soar when she smiled back.

Chapter 21- Charlie by dollegirl

The drive home was the same as it always was. Turn left here. Stop for twelve

seconds at the Maple St. stop light. Wave to ‘ole Roy as I passed the tobacco
shop. Everything was practically automatic. It was a drive I had taken a thousand

times over and could probably do with my eyes shut.

Big surprise there, Charlie. You’ll never change.

Renee’s words echoed in my head as I rounded the corner to my street and killed

the lights. I’d been up since four this morning, taking a few hours for a little
fishing before heading into work at seven. I looked at the clock on the dash

before killing the engine, seeing that it was a little after six now. I only had a few
minutes to drop off my fish before heading back over to Forks High School for the

second time in as many weeks. Sue, the librarian, had called me yesterday and

said she had found “something of interest” and wanted me to take a look. I didn’t
have anywhere else to be on a Friday night, as there weren’t any good games on

TV.

My last visit to the school had been to arrest Emmett McCarty, not that I had

really been surprised when I received the call. I had been waiting a long time to
bust that kid, but it always proved to be difficult when there was no evidence. I

don’t know how he did it, but he was one slick bastard. Although the call had not

been surprising, the charges were. To my knowledge, McCarty had only ever
made empty threats of violence, but never acted.

Assaulting Peter Hale? Everyone knew that Peter was a drunk, but it had never
once crossed my mind that he was a user, too. At first I had assumed it was a deal

gone south, but I had no idea that son of a bitch was slapping his own kid around.
McCarty was grinning like a fool when I was reading him his rights, standing proud

and keeping his eyes on Rosalie.

Bella had been none too happy about the arrest. Her face said it all before she

even opened her mouth. She had tried to tell me it was mistake, but McCarty

stood a little taller and said there was no mistake. He did it and he’d do it again.

I didn’t need to hear anymore to know the boy had fought for his girl. He

remained tight-lipped the entire ride back to the station, offering nothing in the
way of his defense. The grin stayed in place even after I locked the cell. He

merely nodded to me and laid down on the bed, his arms placed under his head, a
look of satisfaction in his eyes.

One would have thought he had just won the lottery instead of sitting in jail. No

matter what I had thought of the kid before, I couldn’t help but smile a little
myself, careful not to let him see. The law was the law and there was nothing I

could do about that.

It didn’t, however, stop me from buying him a steak dinner from The Lodge that
night. It had been a silent exchange between two men, my end silently telling

him that although he had acted like a man standing up to that piece of shit on
behalf of his girl, that didn’t excuse his other alleged extra-curricular activities.

“Get your shit together, McCarty,” I had told him before completely releasing the
styrofoam container and walking away.

Fishing this morning had not been a complete waste of time and proved to be

productive. I’d caught my limit and then some that ended up being catch and
release. I angled out of the car and stretched my arms over my head.

I walked around to the back of the cruiser and popped the trunk, grabbing my
gear. My eyes flickered to the oil spot on the opposite side of the driveway. It

wasn’t really a surprise that Bella wasn’t here. She only came to “home” a few
times a week. The rest of her existence was spent with her other family: Esme

and Jasper. I was grateful that she at least had somewhere to go and had turned

out to be a pretty decent kid despite the lack of two parents living under the same
roof.

Esme had been the step-in parent, giving Bella the mother she always needed and
deserved. I didn’t really know what to do with a girl in the fatherly capacity. I had

discovered early on that Bella had very little interest in gun safety techniques or
de-boning a fish. She couldn’t even put a worm on a hook without squealing.

The day she had come home from school in the fifth grade with the sample box of

tampons and a pamphlet on menstrual cycles, I had sent her straight over to
Esme’s. Discussions of the female reproductive system were just not

conversations I really wanted to have with anyone, let alone my daughter. I had
never been able to “talk” about sex. Going through the motions was one thing,

but forming it all into words was entirely different.

It wasn’t that I didn’t love my girl. I did. She was the best thing to come out of

that short mess of a marriage with Renee. But our father/daughter relationship

was complicated. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt when she did come
around, realizing how much I really did miss her.

I wish I could have been more for her growing up. Hell, I wished I could be more
for her now. But she needed things I couldn’t give. She needed a female role

model since the one that brought her into this world wasn’t really there for her.

Renee.

Even when I think about it now, I kick myself for being so stupid by thinking that I
could have ever made her happy. Our romance had been the wildest ride of my

life, but I had been such a fool. You can take the girl out of the big city, but you

can’t take the big city out of the girl.

Renee had moved to Forks from Phoenix our senior year. She was anything but

typical for this town. Everyone knew her name before she even arrived. Guys
were prepping to impress her before she stepped foot in the halls. Girls were

torn between hating potential competition and making a new friend.

New kids didn’t come along often in Forks. In fact, they didn’t really come along

at all. Renee was the first one since Reggie Johnson in the second grade. At least

Reggie had a chance coming in at such an early age. Breaking the constant that

was life as we know it in a small town was a big deal.

The second her long legs crossed the threshold, my world was turned upside

down.

I feigned indifference, annoyed at my overly eager peers and their zealous

behavior. Inwardly I felt just as eager, wanting to play with the shiny new toy and
take it apart piece-by-piece to find out just what made it tick, but I was

determined to not be “that guy”. This girl was not some small town ringer with

any sort of predictability.

She walked through the halls with an air of confidence and knew exactly what

buttons to push as she batted her eyelashes and sashayed her hips. She made no
secrets about what she wanted and it was obvious that Forks was not a part of

that. She was staying with her aunt only until graduation.

We had a few classes together, one of which she sat directly in front of me. Turns

out that algebra was my favorite class that year, but my near failing grade sang a
completely different tune. She always smelled so good and thank God she was a

hair flipper so the scent never totally went away.

She always wore this white sweater. She would complain about the cold and how
she hated the rain and she never took the damn thing off. Until she got to

algebra, that is. I knew exactly what she was doing and God help me I loved it.
She would wear these little dresses with no sleeves that showed more skin than it

covered. Her tanned skin was flawless and smooth. Girls in Forks were pasty
white, but not Renee. She had bright blue eyes and sun-kissed hair that despite

the overcast weather never ceased to shine.

She always made a point to address me when she would walk into class.

“Hello, Charlie,” she’d coo, taking off her sweater and laying it carefully across the
back of her chair. She would sit and twist her body to the side ever-so-slightly to

cross her legs. When class was over she would take her time getting up and
putting her sweater back on, effectively blocking the aisle from anyone passing

through. She would bend over to pick up her purse, her skirt riding up and leaving
very little to the imagination.

It was painfully obvious that her looks were anything but unfortunate, but it was

her greeting and that little white sweater that threw my libido into overdrive. I’d
dated girls from home plate often enough, mostly just for something to do when

there weren’t any games going on, but none of them affected me the way Renee
did.

And it bothered me because I didn’t want to think about girls. Girls were a
distraction. I was leaving for POST right after graduation in May. I had taken and

passed the Civil Service Exam only a few weeks earlier and was going to join the

Forks Police Department like my father. I would be gone for six months and
needed all my focus.

I could think about girls when I got home. They’d all still be here in six month’s
time. All of them except Renee. While the other girls would stay and make pies

and get ready for marriage and babies, Renee would doing none of those things.

She would be gone. So it didn’t matter anyway, she was a temporary fixture in a
circle of constant. It didn’t mean that I couldn’t sit back and enjoy our little game,

though.

Renee and I fell into a comfortable pattern of acknowledging one another day

after day, week after week. Conversation gradually increased, but by no more
than a few words at a time. Instead of a nod, I began to reply with, “Fine, how are

you?” It wasn’t much, but better than what the other jerk-offs were doing. It was
embarrassing to watch the same guys from the locker room making outrageous

comparisons of whose testosterone levels were the highest only to watch them

drop the second they encountered her. They were all pussy-whipped without
actually having been in her pants.

She rejected them all. I was glad. And I hated that I was.

It was the Friday before the Super Bowl and the halls were all abuzz about the

game on Sunday. The Redskins were playing the Broncos and were the favored
winners, of course. I was sitting in algebra that afternoon, but unlike any other

day, I furiously scribbled out stats on a scrap sheet of paper during Algebra,
carefully considering my picks and wagers. Tom Barlow said he needed it by the

end of the day if I wanted in. Of course I wanted in. It was the goddamned Super

Bowl.

I didn’t see, but rather felt, when she entered the room. I tried to ignore it and

continued to make my picks. She was stopped at her chair like she always did, but
she didn’t move to sit. I looked up through my lashes, determined to finish what I

was doing.

She still didn’t sit. I couldn’t remember the damn player’s names. I raised my

head slowly and looked at her. She smiled and said, “And hello to you too,

Charlie.” She took her sweater off and laid it across the chair.

She sat down. But she didn’t cross her legs. She turned sideways in her seat to

face me.

Our eyes held for what felt like forever and my heart was ready to beat right out

of my chest. She was breaking the routine. She wasn’t supposed to do that.

“Flowers are nice, but they have to be bright, I don’t eat meat so the Lodge is

definitely out and although I like movies it can’t be anything scary or with too
many guns. Oh, and 6:30 would be perfect,” she said, sweetly slipping a piece of

paper onto my desk before turning around in her seat.

That was the beginning of the end. I should have crumpled it up. I should have

tapped her shoulder and handed it back to her. Plenty of should-haves, but the

end result was always the same. I looked. And by looking, I accepted and sealed
my fate.

Her damn address, the “i” in the street name dotted with a little heart.

Looking back I kicked myself for losing my focus on football and getting excited

over a scrap of pink paper with purple ink. If I had just finished that damn sheet
with my picks and given it to Tom like I did every year, life would have gone on

like it was supposed to, like it always did. It would have been predictable and
comfortable.

I didn’t do anything the same anymore after that day. I even missed the

Superbowl. I never missed the Super Bowl. That year I did. And I did it for a girl.
I thought I’d never hear the end of it from my old man. He told me that no

woman was worth that.

I disagreed, against my better judgment. I stood up to my dad for no reason

other than this crazy sexy girl that had me completely wrapped around her finger
the second she laid purple ink on my desk.

I had spent everyday after that one with Renee. I had never felt more alive than I

did when I was with her. I had never met anyone quite like her. Everything was a
game. She was always pushing the boundaries, seeking out any and all

loopholes, bending and breaking rules. She was a free spirit, tumbling this way
and that, not having a care in the world.

I wanted her to care. Sometimes I thought she did.

I wanted to give her a reason to stay. Sometimes I thought she would.

I wanted to be that reason. Sometimes I thought I was.

We’d had such little time, though. Graduation was getting closer and both of us

would leave to go our separate ways. We never talked about the future. It was

only ever about the moment. Adventures were never planned, they
just…happened.

I was never one for illegal activities. I came from a long line of cops, I was taught
to fear and respect the law. I always threatened to walk away when she started

in with one of her games. She knew I wouldn’t. She would always say, “You’re
not a cop yet, Charlie.” And then she would explain to me why we weren’t really

doing anything wrong, why it was completely harmless.

The warning bells would sound off so loud it made my head feel like it was going

to explode. She would look over her shoulder to see if I was coming, her eyes

sparkling with the anticipation, the thrill. She would give me a wink and look
forward again, leaving me where I stood. My brain screamed for me to stay

there, to walk away, but my body never listened. My feet would push forward of
their own accord.

Graduation came all too soon and we said our goodbyes. I left for POST the next

day.

No contact for six months. No distractions. I was back on track.

I was home by Christmas, a fresh-faced rookie cop. While out running patrol one
night, a sporty little red car zipped by, easily breaking the speed limit with little

effort.

It was Renee. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I never

thought I would see her back in Forks. She was in town to see her aunt and to let
me write my first speeding ticket.

Just another adventure. She stayed until just after New Year’s. I woke up to an

empty bed and a short note with no forwarding address or number.

Gone again.

The groundhog didn’t see his shadow that year. Winter ended and spring arrived,
along with Renee. It was a Thursday, my day off. I walked out of the house and

saw that she was sitting on the hood of my patrol car, an obvious trail of tear
stains on her cheeks. The start of another adventure that just…happened.

She was pregnant.

We went to the courthouse and got married. No more empty beds. She was

staying.

I didn’t have a lot of money saved up just yet, but enough to get us a room up in

Port Angeles for a honeymoon. Most of the night was spent in the bathroom
holding her hair back and wiping her forehead with a cool rag. I whispered

promises in her ear that it would get better. We were together and that was all

that mattered. I would do everything I could to make her happy.

A week after our nuptials, my grandmother passed away. She had left me her

house in the will. We had been living with her Aunt Vivian. The house was small
but better than that. For the first time since Christmas I saw Renee smile. It was

small, but it was a start.

We had never talked about going anywhere else. There was no reason to. I was

working full time with a steady income. With the house and a baby on the way,

things were looking pretty good. We were settling like we should. No more fun
and games. No more adventures. This was our life, our future. I could make her

happy. She would stay.

Bella was born in September. Renee didn’t “take” to being a mother right away.

It was hard for her. Her friend, Esme, came over and helped with everything she
could, even though she had a little one of her own. I was working long hours and

unable to be home like Renee wanted me to be. She didn’t like me working

nights. She wanted to go out like we used to.

I never wanted to wake her when I got home. The baby would keep her up at

night, so I started sleeping in the rocking chair in Bella’s room so Renee could
sleep. Esme showed me a few tricks to pacify the baby in case she woke up in the

night.

I was getting better at being a cop and already up for my first raise when Bella

was six months old. We were finally able to purchase our first car. Mostly, Esme

had driven Renee around during the day and when I was home, we would take my

cruiser. It wasn’t anything new and wasn’t in the best condition for long distance
trips, at least nothing further than Port Angeles.

My old man got sick when Bella was a year old. Cancer. He was gone a few
months later. I was sworn in as Chief of Police a week after the funeral, forcing

me to have more time away from home.

Renee’s aunt had moved away and she no longer had family close by. She had a

few friends, but said the women of Forks were too boring for her. I came home

frequently to more applications for other jobs and notes saying that Bella was
with Esme. I would sit up in the chair and wait for Renee, just to make sure she

got home all right. The drive from Port Angeles could be a little tricky in the dark.

Sometimes she didn’t come home at all, though. She had made some new friends

and would stay with them for a few days, mostly to coincide with the schedule of
whatever classes she was taking at the time. I asked her to write it down, but she

always forgot.

Renee liked to try new things, even in the bedroom. I didn’t know where she was

learning about those kinds of things, but I was never very comfortable with what

she wanted. Sometimes I would get that feeling like she was going to leave, so I
would try.

My hours at work were starting to steady out. It was like clockwork. I left every
morning at 7:00 and pulled into the drive at 6:13. Crime was low in Forks, so I

was rarely called out. It was nice not working nights anymore so I didn’t have to
miss any games. There was almost always one on. Bella was a pretty content

child at three and would play on the floor by my feet. Renee wanted us to go out,

but would usually just read in her room.

Saturdays were spent down in La Push, fishing or watching the game. Sometimes

Bella would go with me to play with Billy’s kids. Other times she was with Esme.
Renee didn’t like La Push.

When Bella was four, I lost a poker game with the guys at work. I had to grow a
mustache as payment. I thought it looked pretty good and kept it. Renee hated

it.

My baby girl turned five and was going to kindergarten with her friend, Jasper.

Esme had a little party for both of them. Renee had a headache and didn’t make

it. The kids were each given a backpack filled with pencils, crayons, coloring
books and a lunch box. Bella was really excited about the bag. She put it on and

didn’t want to take it off. The party ended and we drove home. There were
suitcases on the front porch that were full, just like Bella’s new backpack.

Renee came outside. Bella asked her if she was going to school too. Renee sent
Bella to her room. She was wearing one of her dresses and the little white

sweater. She said nothing as she handed me the packet of papers and a pen.

Purple ink.

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t say anything. I had known all along, just like I did

in high school, that Renee would never stay. I just didn’t want to admit it. It had
been much easier to pretend and accept what I had at the moment.

She said there was more to life than Rainier tallboys and small town heroics. She
looked right at me when she said I had to know she would never stay. She knew it

and I did, too.

She said I wanted her to be something she wasn’t. She was destined for different

things and Forks was suffocating her. If she were to stay I would be holding her
back. Esme was practically Bella’s mom anyway, she had argued, so it wouldn’t

make that much of a difference to her. Life would continue in Forks just as it
always did, everything would be the same, just as it always was, just like I always

was.

I signed the papers and handed them back. I carried the suitcases to her car and

placed them in the trunk. She drove away and never looked back.

She surfaced from time to time in Bella’s life, but was never a constant. She
missed everything. And she never said she was sorry.

Bella never really complained. It didn’t stop me from seeing the hurt she had
when Renee missed birthday after birthday or didn’t return her calls. Life went

on without her, just as she had said it would.

My thoughts came back to the present as I made my way to the school. I

wondered how life might have been different if I had re-married. Not only did I
know most of the women of the town since childhood, but being the Chief of

Police afforded me peeks into their lives. To say it would make it awkward on the

dating scene would be an understatement. I knew all about them.

Except Sue.

I almost laughed aloud at this epiphany. I had known Sue my entire life, and yet I
didn’t know her. We had never really talked in high school and I had never pulled

her over. We exchanged pleasantries in the grocery store and minor chit chat,
but other than that, I didn’t really know her.

I wonder if she likes blueberry pie?

Shaking my head at this thought, I pulled into the school parking lot and got out. I
walked through the doors and nodded to Karl, the janitor.

What the hell is he doing riding his mop bucket?

Karl was strange.

I made my way to the library and walked in. I could see her standing next to one
of the book stacks, conversing with a student. She was smiling and nodding at the

excitable young man and whatever they were discussing. She looked up and saw
me. I smiled and raised my arm in a wave.

“We’ll talk about this next week, Ben,” she said, interrupting the young man.

“But Miss Clearwater-“ he started.

“No ‘buts’. We can talk about this later. I have an appointment with Chief Swan.”

Her voice was soft but firm. I watched as she wrapped her conversation with the

student and realized that I had seen Sue many times over the course of time, but I

had never really seen her.

Her long dark hair was pulled back with a hair clip thingy. She had almond-shaped

eyes so dark and deep and big. Her russet-colored skin was flawless and perfect.

She had never married, to my knowledge. Her body was fit and slim, the red

dress suit unforgiving of imperfections, had she any.

From outward appearances, she had clearly taken very good care of herself over

the years, not letting herself go one bit.

Sue was very pretty. Has she always been this way? I felt foolish for not noticing

before and embarrassed for noticing it now. The heat was rising in my cheeks and
I turned away, feigning interest in the title selections before me.

A finger tapped my shoulder. I spun around in surprise. I hadn’t even heard her
approach. She jumped back a little and blushed.

“Oh,” she giggled. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, no…you’re fine.” I smiled and she smiled back. She raised her hand,

motioning with her thumb over her shoulder.

“Um, my office is this way if you want to come back. I don’t want to keep you,
being Friday and all,” she said. “You probably have plans or something….”

She trailed off with her final comment, looking to the side.

“My only plans so far include you and illegal activities,” I said without thinking.

Her eyes widened.

“No! Wait…I mean…that is…oh, shit….damn…sorry for swearing….” I fumbled

with my words, clearly unable to re-phrase my previous thought gracefully.

She let out a small chuckle and motioned with her head for me to follow. “Come

on. Walk with me.”

I had only had a moment to appreciate the view from the front, but being a few

steps behind her allowed me to appreciate the back. I was glad she couldn’t see
me at this point. I was shamelessly ogling every last part.

Feeling like a jerk, I decided to try some light conversation.

“So, you still have those little weenie dogs?” I asked.

“Leah and Seth? Oh yes. Leah is a little stubborn and moody. She’s very difficult
to work with. But Seth is eager and willing to learn anything I want to try. I’ve

been working very hard with him. I think I might have a chance to get him into

one of those dog shows real soon.”

“Oh yeah? Does he do any tricks?”

“Several,” she said with her head half turned. We stopped in front of a door
situated directly behind the main desk. “You should stop by some time to see.” I

smiled.

“Yeah, I might just do that,” I agreed politely, meeting her nice, dark eyes.

She blushed and turned to unlock the door. Pushing it open, she ushered me

inside and closed it quietly.

The office was small and cramped, but just enough room for two bodies.

“I found this in the stacks lodged behind some books. I was going to turn it into
the office, but curiosity got the better of me so I decided to check it out first,” she

said.

She grabbed the remote off her desk and pushed a few buttons. The once blank

screen came to life.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

I gulped. Loudly. The acts taking place right before my eyes were visual
reminders of descriptions Renee had offered of things she had wanted to try. The

bodies were tangled in ways I never thought physically possible.

It was obvious the footage had been recorded from a security camera. I leaned
into the screen, squinting my eyes to get a better look at the faces.

“Wait, is that…” I started.

“Yes, it appears so,” she answered.

“And isn’t that…” I pointed to the screen.

“Uh-huh,” she said.

Sue and I were side by side. Our arms were practically touching. The tension in
the air was suffocating. It was difficult to tear my eyes away from the train wreck

playing before me, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Sue was feeling as

uncomfortable as I was. I shifted my gaze and looked at her out of the corner of
my eye.

Her gaze was fixed on the screen. Her demeanor was calm, but her body
language was telling me a different story. We shifted our feet at the same time,

our arms accidentally brushing. We both muttered apologies and went back to
watching.

I cocked my head to the side as the couple on the screen assumed a new position.

“Did he just…” I trailed off.

“Yup,” she replied.

“But how…”

“I don’t know.”

“Wow.”

“Indeed.”

She shifted her feet again and stumbled into my side. I felt her body weight
against me and I wrapped my arm around her waist.

I hadn’t held a woman in a long time. Not in a sensual way, at least. I had held a
few as I dragged them off to a cell after drinking too much or threatening their

asshole ex-husband with a shot gun, but nothing intimate.

It felt….familiar and nice.

It kind of scared the shit out of me. Sue smelled really nice and felt even better.

I didn’t want to let go, but my nerves were getting the better of me. I could feel

my arms trembling ever-so-slightly.

I turned my head to the side and our gazes locked.

The girl on the TV was screaming “yes! yes! yes!”.

Sue licked her lips and leaned forward a little. I leaned in, too.

The woman in the background begged for more, pleaded for release from her
companion.

It had been too long since I had kissed anyone. I didn’t even give Bella pecks on

the cheek anymore. I was pretty sure the mechanics of it all hadn’t changed, just
like riding a bike.

I really wanted to kiss Sue.

It became too much and I leaned in to meet her lips with force. A little too hard

perhaps, as we bumped noses and clanked teeth, but God did it feel good.

I wrapped my arms around her tighter, shifting one hand up into her hair. I

fumbled with her hair thingy, but managed to pull it out so her hair was free.

It was so soft.

The kiss that began awkwardly was pretty damn good. It felt so good, so right. I
pulled her body even closer to mine and accidentally pushed the gun resting on

my hip into her.

She moaned, then opened her mouth and her tongue slipped out gently.

Shaken back to reality, I pulled away and let her go. Both of us breathing hard,

she looked at me with a look of hurt and confusion.

“Sue, I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…I just…I don’t know what…the video…”

For the second time that evening I was failing for a decent explanation and at a
loss for words.

She took a step back and smoothed her skirt, obviously uncomfortable.

“It’s ok…I mean…it was stupid…you’re right….the video…it was just….God, this is
embarrassing.”

She turned to leave, her hand on the doorknob. I watched her walk out, an all-
too-familiar scene with a different character.

You’ll never change.

The hell I won’t.

“Sue! Wait….”

She stopped and turned slowly.

“Yes, Charlie?”

I watched her carefully for a moment, attempting to sort through my feelings as

fast I could. It had been so long and I didn’t want to screw this up. This was a

now or never moment.

I chose now.

Chapter 22- Sue by acireamos

My head was spinning; whether from the video, the kiss or the fact that his
holster was pressing into my ribs, I couldn't tell. We were a little clumsy when we

started kissing, both of us being out of practice, but we figured it out. His
mustache tickled my lip as his mouth worked over mine and I shivered as this one

sensation sent tingles racing through my body. Mustaches were just one of my
Charlie-related weaknesses. My propensity to drool and act inappropriately when

in the presence of uniformed men was another. The chronic police scanner

monitoring was my only source of excitement outside of work besides training my
purebred, AKC-registered Miniature Dachshunds. And while they were sweet

dogs, they were not a good replacement for a man.

I wanted to kiss whomever it was that had made those videos. Their invasion of

everyone's privacy was my opening with Charlie. All these years of waiting,
watching that flighty, no-good flower child Renee love him then leave him had

been devastating. I had developed a crush on him when we were teenagers and

it never dissipated. Watching him mature, join the force, and deal with raising a
daughter on his own after Renee left had only made him that much more of a

hero to me. I left Forks and went to college thinking that I would get over him
and find someone of my own. But it hadn't happened. After graduating with my

Masters, I wasn't sure where to go and then the librarian at Forks High had

retired. So I went home. My chance never appeared though, until today.

Now it was my turn with the uniformed man of my dreams. Here we were back at

Forks High, making out in the library. Just like I had wanted to do twenty years
ago. And it was way better late than never.

But then he pulled away, stuttering and apologizing and my face flamed in
embarrassment. I had to leave, to get out of my small office before the smell of

starch that was emanating from his pressed uniform overwhelmed me and I took
him by force. He'd have to handcuff me to get me to stop. Oh God, his handcuffs.

Right. Get away from the desk and the man that is obviously regretting kissing

you. Good work, Sue. Now you can relive this nice moment of rejection while
watching recorded episodes of the Dog Whisperer. Alone.

My hand was on the door when I heard Charlie's voice behind me, asking me to

wait. I took a deep breath but my voice still shook a little when I responded.
"Yes, Charlie?"

I wasn't at all sure what I wanted him to say. What if he said he didn't feel that
way about me or that he was sorry he had done it? That was not going to help my

embarrassment.

He was rubbing the back of his head, his shirt pulled tight across his chest. Don't

look at his badge, Sue. Drooling is not attractive.

"Sue...look...I don't know...it's been so long...and I just....your hair is so

pretty....and the moans...it felt so good...I'd like to....you know I can't....but I

want...."

As I watched him stumble through his speech, I thought I knew what he was

trying to say. At least I hoped I knew. If I was wrong, this was going to go from
awkward to excruciating.

"What the..."

His words were muffled by my lips, as I pressed myself against him. Please don't

push me away again. I'll have to move to another town.

He hesitated before groaning and tentatively putting his hands on my waist, his

fingers slipping under the hem of my jacket to rub my skin through my blouse. I
shivered, and closed my eyes. Oh, thank god he wasn't pushing me away. I ran

my hand up his arm and around the back of his neck, the other hand hooking onto

his gun belt. He smelled so good- starch, clean laundry and a spicy fresh scent
that could only be his aftershave. My desk was only a few feet away, and I walked

us toward it. He got the idea and sat down on the edge of it, pulling me in
between his legs.

My shirt was untucked and his warm, calloused hands were sliding up my back,
our lips never having separated. I felt like a teenager, that rush of hormones and

lust and love. I giggled at the fact that we were making out like a couple of kids

and he looked up at me questioningly, his lips pink now with the remnants of my
lipstick.

I shook my head, smiling down at him. "It's nothing. It's just, I feel like a kid or
something. At least we don't have to worry about getting caught and getting

grounded."

"True. We are a little past that age. Are you sure about not getting caught,

though? It wouldn't look very good for me if Bella hears I have been found

getting familiar with the school librarian."

I laughed, "Yep, it's only little old me. And the worst I can do is shush you."

"Oh really? I have to be quiet?"

Nodding, I replied, "You might even say you have the right to remain silent."

His eyebrows shot up and a slow smile spread across his face as he put his hands

up.

I continued, pushing him back down on my desk and crawling over him, straddling

his lap. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." I

threw my jacket on the floor and started unbuttoning my shirt. "You have the
right to speak to an attorney." My shirt followed my jacket down on the floor and

his hands reached for my breasts, still covered in my nicest, laciest bra. "And to
have an attorney present during any questioning."

I gasped as his fingers brushed my nipples, bringing them to stiff peaks. One
strong hand pulled me down to his chest, and he nuzzled in my cleavage before

speaking. "I think we got this, no attorneys needed."

His mouth was back on the skin above my bra, nipping at the sensitive skin. My

hips jerked instinctively, rubbing up against his very sizable bulge. "Oh, Chief. Is

that a firearm you're packing, or..."

"Uh, well. I am but that's not it."

I think I just died.

I stood, unzipping my skirt and letting it drop to the floor. He let out a strangled

groan when I unhooked my bra and slid my panties down my legs, kicking off my
shoes as well. The room was a little cold, the air conditioning vent right above my

desk and I shivered, my skin covered in goose bumps and my nipples standing at
attention. I climbed back on top of him and the desk, my fingers working on his

belt. He ran his hands up and down my arms, trying to warm me up, but every

time his thumbs brushed against the sides of my breasts I shuddered. It was

quiet; the only sounds were the shush of the air and our breathing, which was

quite heavy, and a little erratic.

His belt finally undone, I started on his slacks. Wrenching down the zipper, I

shoved his pants down to his hips. Just far enough for what I needed. He started
to sit up, but I pushed him back down on the desk again, grabbing his hat from

where he had sat it earlier and put it on my head.

"I'm in charge this time, Chief."

He chuckled. "Ok, Miss Clearwater. You seem to be in control of the situation."

And I was.

I reached into his boxers, wrapped my fingers around him, and slid my fingers
from root to tip. He was hard and soft and so warm. Instinctively, I leaned down

and pressed a kiss to the tip before sliding my swollen lips around the head. I

hadn't done this in while, but it's like riding a bike, right? Mechanics don't
change. I hope.

He wasn't joking about packing. Not that I cared how big he was, but let’s just say
he was definitely not carrying a 9mm. More along the lines of a Magnum.

His fingers wound into my hair, softly brushing it back so he could see my face. It
felt so good I hummed in happiness, and his hands twisted tight in my hair, pulling

hard.

"Oh shit, Sue. Sorry, I just..oh, God."

He was watching me intently, his arms tense but never pushing or demanding.

After another minute though, he was pulling me up and away from my task.

I pouted. "What's wrong?"

"Come on up here, let me take care of you first."

Following his orders now, I started to crawl up his body. He pulled my hips up to

him, his mustache tickling as he nibbled at my inner thighs. I giggled and

squirmed but he didn't stop. Not that I wanted him to.

I gasped when he nuzzled in between my thighs, my whole body jerking. He

grabbed my hands, holding them to my sides, leaving me pleasantly trapped. I
rocked my hips as he dove in, his tongue seeking out my clit. And boy, did he find

it. My thighs were trembling as he licked and flicked and sucked at my tingling
flesh. I started whimpering as I got closer to climax, and pushed down on to his

face. The feel of his mustache on my bare skin was intoxicating, scratching but

soft. Good thing I got waxed this week, in anticipation. I wouldn't have been able
to feel it before.

My cries were louder now, and Charlie kept up a steady rhythm that quickly led to
my release. The shaking slowed as he kissed me tenderly on my reddened skin

where his mustache had left its mark and he released my arms.

I smiled down at him between my legs and pushed back down his body, over his

trim torso. He had stayed very fit for a small town cop.

Once my hips hovered over his, I settled down, his cock sliding in like it belonged

there. We both sighed and then laughed. And then started moving. He thrust up
into me as I rode him. We hadn't even taken his shirt off, and I ran my fingers up

the pressed placket before gripping his badge in one hand and his shoulder in the
other for leverage. Meanwhile his hands were roaming all over my body,

brushing the curves of my breasts first, then my bottom, tracing the bones of my

hips and dragging up my back to twist in my hair. It was like he couldn't get
enough of me and I loved it. He started groaning my name and I guessed he was

close. I leaned back, changing the angle and his fingers came to rest on my
nipples, tugging and pinching the swollen tips.

I hoped he would last until I could come again, but you never could be sure. He

seemed intent on sticking with it, so I focused on myself and the feeling of him

gliding in and out. It was so amazing I didn't want it to end, but it was going to,
and soon. And really, really well.

My breath quickened as my release neared. I felt my whole body tighten and
then seem to explode, riding out the shaking and I brought Charlie with me as my

body convulsed around him.

I dropped down onto his heaving chest, my own breathing erratic. His arms

wrapped around me, and he kissed my head, laughing softly.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking you look a lot better in my hat than I do."

I laughed with him. "I don't know about that Chief. You are pretty impressive

yourself."

He blushed, "Well, if you say so."

I stood up and reached out a hand to him, helping him to stand before picking up
my clothes and starting to get dressed. He straightened out his clothes tucking

his shirt back in. I was just buttoning my shirt back up when I heard the door

handle start jiggling.

"Miss Clearwater?" It was Ben.

"Damn it." We both spoke at once and I looked up at him smiling.

"I'll take care of it. He's the President of the Future Librarians of America here at

Forks High."

"Future Librarians of America?"

"It's a small club. Ok, a very small club. It's just Ben and me."

He was laughing now, trying to cover it up. "Really? Sounds interesting."

"Don't laugh. He's very enthusiastic about information."

"Sounds like it."

"Miss Clearwater, I was wanting to talk to you about the difference between the

Dewey System and the Library of Congress call number system. I know we use
Dewey here, but I feel like..." Ben's voice cut off when I opened up the door and

he saw Charlie standing behind me.

"Oh, hi, Chief Swan. Um, Miss Clearwater, do you have time to talk now? I feel

like we should discuss the call number system we are using. Dewey is old news
and we should definitely think about LC." He was nodding as he spoke and I

smiled at him.

"Ben, we can talk about this at the next meeting. It's not something that needs to
be dealt with this second, okay? Don't you have plans tonight?"

"No. I know you usually work with the dogs on Friday nights, and I thought
maybe we could talk."

I was embarrassed that Charlie was hearing this. I didn't want him to think I was
boring.

"Actually Ben, Miss Clearwater and I were just leaving to go to dinner. You can
catch up with her on Monday."

My head swung back toward Charlie, a shocked expression on my face that
matched Ben's.

"We are?"

He nodded and put his arm around my waist. "Let's get going. I worked up an

appetite today."

My face flamed and I had to look down. Ben cleared his throat and turned to go.

"Okay. Have a good weekend. Nice to see you, Chief Swan."

"Bye, Ben."

"So, are we going to dinner, or was that just to get rid of Ben?" I tried to keep the
tremor out of my voice, but it was there.

"Well, I was thinking we could go to the Lodge, maybe. And then we could go
back to the house. Unless you just want to go home tonight?"

"No!" Calm down, Sue. "I mean, no. I do need to stop and let the dogs out, but
we could go right after that, if that's okay with you?"

"Sounds good. I haven't seen the pups in a while. Be good to see them."

I was glowing now. The fact that we had just fucked on my desk was totally

eclipsed by his interest in my dogs. They were my life now. Hopefully he would

be part of my life now, too.

I beamed at him. "Let me just grab my bags and then I will be ready to go."

He followed me in the cruiser to my house, parking in the driveway next to my

car. We walked up to the door together, our hands intertwined. The dogs were
frantic, waiting for me to get inside. I put my purse up on the counter and got

their food out, and when I turned around I saw Charlie heading out the back door
with them, talking to them the whole way.

"That's a good boy Seth. What a good boy you are! Now, come on Leah, you
know you need to go outside, don't be stubborn now." I almost cried, watching

him with them.

Once they had come back in and eaten their dinner, I got them settled and we
were ready to go.

"Those are good dogs you have there, Sue. Good dogs."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me. They are like my kids. Well, not my kids you

know, but..."

"It's okay. I understand." He leaned over and kissed me before buckling his seat

belt. "Now, let's go eat some steak."

We talked all the way through dinner; neither of us were particularly outgoing,

but with each other it was easy. We always found a topic and whether we agreed
on it or not, the conversation never stopped. He offered to take me fishing over

the weekend and while I wasn't an avid fisher, I would go to be able to spend time

with him. I could always bring a book to read. When the waitress brought out
the dessert tray, Charlie looked at me, a half smile pulling at the corners of his

lips.

"What do you think? Did you want anything?"

I shook my head, "I am so full now, I couldn't eat anymore if I tried."

"Ok, well, let's head out then." He grabbed the check before I could even move

my hand, leaving enough cash for our meals and probably a pretty big tip behind
as we left.

In the car he was quiet, but he kept his hand on my knee the whole way home.
We never discussed where we were going so when he pulled into his driveway, I

was a little surprised.

He turned toward me, pulling me into his lap. "I hope I am not being

presumptuous, Sue, expecting you to stay over. It's just that I don't want to take

you home yet."

I looked at him, and smiled. "No, not presumptuous. I don't want to go home

yet."

Our lips met and I sighed happily as our mouths moved together, tongues tasting

and teeth lightly scraping. He pulled away smiling.

"Now, you better get be waiting on the porch by the time I get there or I may

have to get the cuffs out." He smirked suggestively and patted me on the bottom,
hard.

Oh dear God. I couldn't tell if I wanted to scamper up the steps to get there first
or deliberately be slow.

"Oh, really? What if I go slow on purpose?"

"Well, then you are definitely getting cuffed tonight."

Better late than never, they always say.

And that’s where it left off. One Saturday’s worth of detention to go.