6

Bella POV:

On Saturday afternoon, I get ready, and while I'm putting on my shoes, the doorbell rings. I fling the door open, and Jess and Angela stand there, grinning expectantly. Jess fidgets impatiently. 'Coming...' I mumble. 'Bye, Blaize!' I call, slightly louder. Blaize appears at the top of the stairs. 'Byeee, have fun!' I close the door behind me, shivering slightly at the cold.

On the way to Port Angeles, Jess won't stop babbling. 'Guess who asked me out, Bells! You'll never guess, not in a million years!'

'Mike?' I say dryly. Jess bubbles, ignoring my tone. 'Yep! How on earth did you know?' I watch the dashboard, and the speedometer increases by 20mph.

'Umm... Jess?' I start.

'So, Angela, you got a date yet?' Jess asks. Angela nods, and says, 'Eric.'

Jess explodes. 'Woah, really? And you, do you have anyone yet, Bells?'

I shake my head. 'I don't dance...'

At Port Angeles, Jess and Angela sift through the racks of dresses in the shop. After what seems like decades of hmm's and not sure's and umm's, Jess holds up two dresses. One's black and strapless, the other an electric blue.

Personally, I have no idea how to decide between these kind of things, but I nod at the blue one, 'Go for that one.' Her eyes light up. 'All righty!'

Angela, on the other hand, almost instantly falls in love with a pale pink dress, and now I sit by her as she tries on matching heels. I stand up, and my knees click. 'Ow. Er, Angela?' She looks up at my momentarily. 'Is it okay if I pop to the bookstore quickly? I'm running low on books.'

Angela nods. 'I'll tell Jess. Meet you at the Italian Restaurant in a few minutes!'

I dart out of the store, and make my way to the bookshop. Absorbed by the many choices, I don't realise the time. Shoot. I quickly purchase Wuthering Heights and begin to hurry back to the Italian Diner that we'd agreed to meet in.

And then I hear jeers and the sound of clinking beer bottles. Glancing over my shoulder, I see a few men, trailing behind me from a distance. My pace quickens, and so do the footsteps. Soon, I realise I haven't been paying attention to where I'm going. I'm facing a dead end. Heart thumping, I turn around and try to recall all the self defense I'd been taught. 'Hey there, Honey,' a voice calls.

I put on bravado as best as I can. 'Get away from me.' My voice betrays me slightly, coming out with a slight wobble. Damn it. I think about doing a knee to the groin, then making a run for it.

'Don't be like that,' the man coos. As I stand my ground, I hear the sudden revving of an engine. Headlights whirl as a car swings round the corner.

'Get in,' a furious voice commands. Hastily obeying, I dash into the passenger seat, fumbling for the seat belt. Through the windscreen, I see Edward stalk out of the car. With his back turned to me, I can't see what he's doing, but a fearsome growl rips through his teeth. The men cower away and Edwards storms back to the car. Tires skid as he reverses and fishtails out the alley.

'Please distract me. You have no idea how close I was to ripping their throats out,' he seethes. 'If they hurt you... I could hear their thoughts - what they were going to do to you - in my head.' He groans suddenly, before I have the chance to speak. 'Why...' His hands leave the wheel momentarily to tear at his scalp in frustration. He starts to speak, low and fast, and I barely manage to distinguish what he's saying. 'I shouldn't be doing this. It's not right. I-argh!'

I reach over and place a hand in his, ignoring the electricity sparking through our contact.

Edward stiffens. 'What's wrong?' I ask.

Edward groans again. 'Everything. I shouldn't be here, right now. I shouldn't be here, talking to you, and you shouldn't be here either, but you are!' The words come out, rushed yet not jumbled. He continues his rant, a constant stream of stressed words. 'I don't know why I did it. I shouldn't have tracked you here. I could've left you. I could've killed you myself. But I didn't. I could've killed you on that day, in the bus. The blood, your scent, the smell. Your life, hanging by a thread. But I chose not to kill you. Why?' He asks himself, a look of genuine distress and puzzlement on his face. 'Myself, your guardian angel.' He gives a hollow laugh. 'I shouldn't be worried about you. You come and you go. I can choose to ignore you, but for some reason, I don't. You should stay away from me. I should stay away from you. We shouldn't be friends.' Lips pressed together creating one thin line, he stares at the road ahead, unspeaking.

Edward POV:

As we sit there in silence, Bella asks, 'So... where are we going right now?'

I reply in a steely voice, 'I'm taking you back home.' As we turn onto her road, I swiftly reach over to undo her buckle. I sense Bella's surprise as I, unexpectedly, even to myself, lean over towards her. My lips graze her soft cheek quickly, and the red blush which flushes up her neck reminds me of the fragrant blood throbbing through her veins. Touching her face gently as a parting, I make sure she makes her way safe inside the house before reversing out of her road. I sigh to myself quietly. If only she knew...

Bella POV:

Charlie sits on the couch, watching TV. 'Hey Bells,' he greets me. 'How was it?'

'Pretty good,' I say. 'Jessica and Angela found some really nice dresses. And I bought a book.'

'Of course you did,' Charlie groans in a mock-teasing manner. 'Are you sure you don't want to go to prom?'

'Fairly sure, Dad, I mean...' I gesture to my legs indicating my balance problems.

'Ah.'

'Anyways I'm gonna go upstairs and find Blaize now...'

'Sure thing. She got home not long ago. Goodnight, Bells.'

'Night, Dad.'

I leave Charlie to the couch, and hurry upstairs.

Once I reach my room, I immediately get a call from Jessica. I press accept, and instantly she starts shouting at me. 'Bella! Where the hell are you?! It's been more than an hour!'

I say, 'It's okay. I'm fine, I just ran into Edward.'

The speaker goes silent for a moment. 'Edward Cullen?'

'Yep.'

Her voice interrupts me as I open my mouth to speak. 'By the way, we kinda already ate while we were waiting. Wait. Are you with Edward now?'

'That's fine. He dropped me off home, I'm at home now. Call you later, okay?'

'Okay...' Her voice is suspicious. Then the line goes dead.