I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Cheryl and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

BPOV- age 13

Ch. 3

I looked around our secret fishing spot and frowned in disappointment—Edward wasn't here. I had tried to call him on the walkie-talkies with no success. He also wasn't at his aunt and uncle's house. I had hoped he was here waiting for me so we could fish.

I walked to the edge of the embankment and looked out toward the beach. There were a few groups of people—some looked about my age, but I couldn't tell if one was Edward from here. I left my pole and the rest of my gear half-hidden behind a tree. I figured it would be safe here until I got back so I didn't have to drag it all around.

When I got to the beach, I glanced around. I saw Mrs. Cullen in her usual spot, reading a magazine. She gave me a wave, so I figured Edward had to be around. A group of teenagers were by the boat dock. I recognized Emmett first and then Tanya. I didn't know the blond boy and girl with them. I figured out the one with his back to me had to be Edward. He had shot up really tall since last summer. His hair was no longer bright red and was more of a dark auburn.

Tanya spotted me first and then whispered something to the blonde, who glanced over her shoulder at me before starting to giggle. Both of them were wearing bikinis, showing off their curves. I started to feel self-conscious as I was still as flat chested as when I first came here several years before. Mom told me to be patient, that my time would come soon.

The blonde gave me one more catty look before saying something to Edward with a large smile. I couldn't see his response, but I was contemplating walking away and not interrupting them. Edward looked clearly busy at the moment.

"Tommy, you're here," Emmett called out to me before I could make my escape.

I grumbled under my breath. There had been no love lost between the two of us. Emmett had only hung out with us the one summer I got hurt. The following year, he was back to ignoring us. At least Randell had moved away and hadn't come back.

"Shrek," I greeted him.

Edward turned around then jogged over to me with a smile on his face. I was momentarily surprised how cute he was now. I wouldn't be surprised if that girl was his girlfriend.

"You're a day early," he said.

"Um…no we always arrive on Saturday." I shook my head.

He looked adorably confused. "But today is Friday."

"No, it's Saturday," I insisted. I felt better he hadn't forgotten about me, but he'd only forgotten what day it was.

"Crap. I'm sorry, Bella. Do you want to go out on the boat with us?" he offered.

"The boat can only hold six," Tanya interrupted us, giving me a smirk. "Bella, I see some things never change." She pointedly looked me up and down.

I returned her smug look. "You're right, some things never seem to change." I rolled my eyes before ignoring her and turning back to Edward. "I can catch up with you later."

"Why? We can find something else to do," he offered.

"I don't think your girlfriend will be too keen on that idea." I glanced over his shoulder at the blonde, who was glaring at me.

"I don't have a girlfriend." His forehead wrinkled as he looked behind him. He turned back looking disgusted. "You mean her? That's my cousin Rosalie." He shuddered.

"Oh, well, she doesn't look pleased with me. I don't want to ruin your family bonding time," I told him.

"Please do. Rose and Tanya do nothing but whine and complain about everything. Did you know there are—heaven forbid—bugs here?" He snorted. "Besides, I see them way more than I see you, so this our time—they can wait," Edward insisted.

"Ed, let's go!" Emmett yelled.

"I'll catch you guys later." Edward gave them a short wave.

"But you promised." Rosalie pouted.

"I went out yesterday with all of you. Today, I'm going to stay with Bella," he said firmly.

"But—" Tanya started to ague, but Emmett said something quietly to her and she ended up glaring at me instead. She could sure hold a grudge for me not wanting to play with dolls.

"Want to go fishing?" I asked. "I left my rod at our spot."

"I wish. Somehow, I found my rod broken this morning, and no one seems to know how it happened. Uncle Carlisle promised to pick me up a new one on his way back from town with my birthday present," Edward explained, then his eyes lit up. "That's what we can do. When my gift is here, you can be the first to ride it with me. I had promised Emmet, but since I think he's the one who broke my rod and won't own up to it, he lost his chance."

"What are you getting for your birthday?" I asked curiously.

"My own jet ski. Since I'm fourteen now, I can drive one on my own, without an adult." He beamed.

"Wow." I was a bit jealous. It took me years to figure out Edward's family was very rich. It was never something we talked about, but I picked up clues every once in awhile.

"He should be here soon. Do you want to build a sandcastle while we wait?" he suggested.

"Aren't we a little old?" I glanced at the smaller children, playing in the sand.

"Naw, it will be fun," he insisted.

We found a spot and started to dig, and it was surprisingly quiet yet peaceful between us. I glanced at Edward and he seemed to be concentrating hard on the wall he was building. It seemed like something was bothering him, but when I asked, he brushed it off. He only looked up when two older girls walked by in small bikinis. I wondered, looking down at my rash guard, wondering if I would ever get a guy's attention like that.

I don't know how long we worked on the sandcastle before Mrs. Cullen walked up to us. "Edward, your uncle just called. He's at the boat launch with your jet ski," she told him with a wink.

"Awesome, let's go!" he exclaimed, standing up, not bothering to brush the sand from his legs.

"Don't forget life jackets," Mrs. Cullen reminded us.

"We won't," Edward promised.

We grabbed them off the back of the golf cart as we hurried down the road. Dr. Cullen was backing down the launch when we got there. Dad was standing knee deep in the water, guiding him. Edward's brand new green and black jet ski rested on the trailer, ready to go.

"Sweet," Edward exclaimed, splashing into the water.

I paused long enough to slip on my life jacket. By the time I followed him into the water, Edward was already on his new toy, bobbing in the water. Dr. Cullen got out of his SUV and stood at the edge of the shore.

"Remember, to follow the rules. If I catch you breaking them, you lose it until next summer," Dr. Cullen told him.

"I know…I know." Edward nodded his head.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dad asked me as I waded up to the jet ski.

"Edward promised me first ride," I said.

"I don't know —" He frowned, dashing my hopes.

"Please, Daddy?" I stuck out my lower lip.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Calling me Daddy doesn't work, you know that."

"I'll be careful," Edward promised. "Please, sir?"

Dr. Cullen spoke up. "Charlie, you can trust him. I was out with him yesterday. He knows how to handle the jet ski."

Dad sighed. "I want to be able to see you from the beach, at least for today, before you go farther out in the lake."

"Yes, sir," Edward agreed.

"Thank you." I moved closer, trying to figure out how to get on from here.

Edward reached over to offer me a hand, but the jet ski started to tip, making me lose my balance, and I landed butt first in the water. The adults chuckled then Dad moved closer to me.

"Edward, lean the opposite way," Dad instructed as he gave me a lift aboard.

Once I was settled in my seat, Edward started up the engine, and we idled away from shore. We were several yards out before he started to pick up speed. I squealed with delight and grabbed on to the side as we bounced over the waves from other boats. I think I spotted his cousins when he headed for them. He pulled alongside of them, then turned sharply, showering them with water. Tanya and Rosalie shrieked while Emmett cursed. The other boy, who I assumed was Jasper, flipped us off. Edward slowed so that we coasted a few feet from them.

"You're so immature, Edward. I'm telling," Tanya complained.

"It's only water. If you tell on me then I'll tell on you for not wearing your lifejacket," Edward retorted.

"It's right there." She kicked it with her foot. "I can't get a good tan with it on."

I hid my scoff by turning my head. She wasn't tanning, her back was bright pink. I wondered if her cousin bothered to tell her.

"Hey, I thought I was getting first ride," Emmett said.

"You lost the right when you broke my rod," Edward answered him.

Emmett defended himself. "I told you it wasn't me. Why would I?"

I noticed the smirks Tanya and Rosalie exchanged with each other. Rosalie caught me looking and raised an eyebrow over her sunglasses, challenging me. But I decided to play nice instead of their game—at least for now.

"Tanya, do you have sunblock with you on the boat?" I asked.

"No, you should have thought about that before. But don't worry I'm sure your boy's shirt will protect you," she said condescendingly.

I ignored her. "It's not for me, but for you. Your back is starting to burn."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed.

Edward glanced her way and his eyes widened. "She's not lying, Tanya. Your back is redder than Jasper's shorts."

"What?" she exclaimed, leaning forward and moving her head back and forth, trying to see over her shoulders.

Rosalie lowered her shades and grimaced. She reached out a hand to touch Tanya's back. Tanya yelped in pain when Rosalie made contact.

"That looks bad, we should get to shore." Rosalie glanced over at Emmett, who sighed and nodded.

"Tanya, would you like to borrow my boy's shirt until you get back?" I offered, and she flipped me off.

"Well, that's not very ladylike. I was only trying to be nice." I tried not to show my amusement at her pain.

"Whatever…Emmett, what are you waiting for?" she snapped.

Emmett rolled his eyes and started the engine. They drove off, leaving us behind, bobbing in their wake. I instinctively reached out and grabbed Edward's waist, so I didn't fall off.

"By the way, I'm pretty sure it wasn't Emmett who broke your rod. My bet is it was either Tanya or Rosalie with how they reacted to you blaming him."

He twisted to look at me better. "Why would they?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. Tanya seems to have held a grudge ever since I wouldn't play dolls with her."

Edward thought about it for a moment before nodding. "She would make more sense than Emmett.

Days

Later that afternoon, we walked along the path, side by side, so I could get my things. My hair was damp and falling out of my ponytail, while Edward's had a wild crazy look to his. This morning's weirdness was gone, thankfully.

As we got closer, I started to hear giggling. My steps slowed as I realized our spot had been found out. I exchanged a look with Edward and he frowned. We peered around the tree and only to see Emmett and Rosalie making out. My mouth dropped open, but before I could say anything Edward's hand covered it and he yanked me around the tree.

"What was that?" Rosalie sounded panicked.

"It was probably an animal." I heard Emmett say.

"A bear?!" Rosalie screeched. "I told you I hated the woods."

Rosalie ran past, tripping in her flip-flops. I started to giggle, and Edward started to laugh quietly. Emmett appeared and spotted us instantly, and then scowled.

"Rose, come back. It's not a bear. It's just a couple of rats," he called.

"Oh My God!" she screamed.

"Not real…ugh never mind." He glared. "Really? You're a peeping Tom now."

"Hey, this was our spot first," Edward said defensively. "We've been coming here for years."

"Years?" Emmett's eyes widened. "You two have been coming to this make out spot for years? No wonder my parents said you two aren't allowed to sleep in the tent anymore."

"We can't sleep in the tent anymore? Why?" I asked, looking at Edward.

Edward appeared flustered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Um…because... we're older and…uh you know…they think we'll birds and the bees" His voice cracked as he rambled.

"Dude, pretty sure birds and bees is a noun not a verb." Emmett snickered.

"Actually, it's a metaphor for…Oh!" I exclaimed as I figured it out.

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" Emmett teased.

"But…we haven't even kissed…aren't you supposed to kiss first…I haven't kissed anyone, let alone..." It was my turn to ramble.

"Well don't look at me. I haven't kissed anyone. I don't know." Edward looked flustered.

"Oh, man this is priceless." Emmett was laughing so hard he struggling to breathe. "I gotta tell Rosie."

"You mean your kissing cousin." I wrinkled my nose.

Emmett stopped laughing abruptly. "She's not my cousin."

I glanced at Edward, confused to how that could possibly be. I was an only child of only children so I didn't have cousins.

"I'm related to them both. But they're technically not related to each other since they're from opposite sides of my family," he explained.

"Oh." I understood.

"That would be all sorts of wrong." Emmett shook his head. "If you guys aren't kissing in the make out spot, what are you doing?"

"Fishing." I pulled my rod out of its hiding spot and held it up.

"Fishing," Emmett repeated, looking amused. "You disappoint me, cuz." He shook his head and walked away.

"So you never kissed anyone?" Edward asked curiously.

I shook my head. "You haven't either?"

"No…have you…I don't know, been curious about it?" He looked very nervous.

"A little," I admitted, which was a white lie. I had been increasingly more curious, especially after seeing him today.

"What if we were each other's first kiss?" he suggested. The tips of his ears turned pink, probably matching my cheeks.

"Okay…" I bit my lip and placed my rod down.

"Okay," he parroted, taking a step closer to me.

I rocked back and forth on my feet as his eye flickered to my lips then my eyes. I didn't know what to do with my arms, so I held them stiffly to my side. He leaned in so I copied him, and our noses bumped. Simultaneously, we both twisted our heads and we crashed foreheads. We tried a third time, and this time, I stayed still as he moved.

Our lips brushed, then lightly pressed together. I felt a fluttery warm feeling in my chest and I grew lightheaded. I raised up on my toes and leaned into him. The kiss ended abruptly, and I took a deep, needed breath.

"That was…" I searched for the words to describe it. Nice wasn't good enough.

"Weird." Edward spun around.

My heart sunk and I felt deflated. "Weird," I mimicked.

"I…we should go before we're late for dinner and my aunt gets mad," he stated, not looking at me.

"Right. I need to grab my stuff." I reached for them.

When I stood up, I found myself alone, and Edward had vanished. I went to the trail and found him out of sight. I didn't bother calling out to him since I knew he was gone. I blinked back treacherous tears. I hated that my eyes decided to betray me.

I went back to Dad's cabin, not wanting to go to the Cullen's. After I put my stuff away, I took a shower and crawled into my bed. It wasn't too much later that I heard the front door open.

"Bells, are you here?" Dad called anxiously.

"Yes," I answered.

I heard him come to my doorway, but I continued to stare at the wall.

"Is everything okay? Edward didn't know what happened to you, and we got worried," he asked.

"I didn't feel well, so I came here to lie down," I told him.

"Do you want me to get Carlisle or Esme?" he offered, sounding concerned.

"No. It's my time of the month and it's cramps. I just need to sleep," I lied.

"Oh well—" Dad sounded flustered. "I'm going to tell the others I found you and you're all right. Are you sure I can't get you anything?"

"I'm fine." I nodded my head.

"All right, get some rest." He shut my door.

Days

The next day, Edward avoided me by going off with Emmett and Jasper. So the following day, I went fishing with my dad and didn't see him. By the third day, he showed up and we spent the day on his jet ski. He even let me drive it when no one was looking. We never talked about the kiss, and by the end of the second week, it was like it had never happened.

Each year, on the day before we leave, Edward and I always exchanged birthday presents. We met up at our spot before dinner since the last night was always supposed to be with our own families.

"Here." He held out a bag to me. "It's kind of a joke gift, but I think you'll like it."

"Thank you." I handed him the wrapped CDs I had for him. I knew he liked indie bands, and I had found a few from Arizona, where Mom now lived.

I opened the gift excitedly, not sure what to expect since he said joke. But when I pulled it out and looked at it, I felt like I was smacked in the face. It was called My First Kiss, a fake pair of lips to practice kissing on. The name Brent was crossed out and replaced with Edward. I didn't know if I was more hurt or angry.

"This was supposed to be funny? You're a jerk!" I yelled, throwing it at him. It hit him in the chest before tumbling to the ground.

"Bella…" He bent down to retrieve it.

I took off running, not wanting him to see me cry. I heard him calling behind me, but I kept on running as hard as I could. I knew I had the advantage since I was on track team and he didn't do sports. I flew into the house, startling Dad.

"I want to go home now," I announced.

"What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Edward?" Dad didn't move from the couch.

"Edward Cullen is the biggest jerk in the world…no, the universe," I stated.

"What did—" Dad was cut off by Edward.

"Bella!" he shouted from outside.

"I'm not here," I begged Dad, then ran to my room.

Dad knocked on my door after a few minutes, then entered. "I talked to Edward. He told me his side of the story. How about you tell me your side. I'm thinking some wires were crossed."

"No wires were crossed." I huffed.

I started to explain everything that had happened over the last two weeks. Dad was quiet and kept a blank face. When I was done, he handed me a tissue and patted me on the back.

"Bells, I know you are hurt and feeling confused, but I think you should hear the boy out," he told me.

"You're on his side?" I felt betrayed.

"No, I'm on yours. That's why you need to listen to him. He'll back soon. He promised me what you opened wasn't his gift to you. He went to get the real one to prove it to you."

"Then who would…" I stopped as I tried to figure it out.

"He thinks it was Emmett, upset that the two of you ruined his moment kissing Rosalie. Edward says he is the only one who knew that neither of you kissed anyone before," Dad explained.

"I guess I should've let him explain before I ran." I bit my lip.

There was a knock on the door, signaling Edward had returned.

Dad stood. "I'll be in the kitchen, starting dinner, while you talk to him if you need me."

"Don't burn the house down." I managed to smile.

"Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor." He chuckled, ruffling my hair.

I stepped out on the porch, and Edward heaved a big sigh of relief. I took a seat on the top stair and he sat next to me.

"Bella, I swear that wasn't from me. Emmett had to have changed it." Edward started speaking right away. "This was supposed to be your gift. I found it hidden under his bed." He thrusted a Furreal cat at me.

"I knew you always wanted a cat, but your mom was allergic, and your dad wouldn't have time to take care of one. So, I figure an electronic one would make you laugh, which is why I said it was a joke." He rushed to explain.

I looked down at the toy in my hands. "This is very sweet, thank you. I'm sorry I got so mad before," I apologized.

"I can't say I blame you when I saw what it was. But, why would you think I'd do something so mean?" He frowned.

"You said our kiss was weird and then you ran off and I didn't see you for two days. I thought it was your way of telling me I was a bad kisser," I admitted.

He shifted uncomfortably. "It wasn't bad. It's just—" He looked away into the trees. "I wasn't expecting to enjoy the kiss as much as I did. You're my very best friend, and I don't want to lose you. I realized we were heading down a path that could only lead to disaster."

"Why would it have to be a disaster?" I asked, feeling a twinge of hurt.

"We only see each two weeks a year, how could we be more than friends?" he asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged.

We sat in silence for a few moments until his phone dinged with a text.

"I need to get back." He stood. "I'll see you next summer."

I rose to my feet. "Edward?"

"Yeah?"

I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for my cat."

"You're welcome," he said softly.

He hesitated for a moment, then kissed mine back. I stood on the steps until he was out of sight.

A/N: Their first kiss wasn't perfect. But keep in mind they're still very young. The fake lips aka My First Kiss practice lips, was a prompt from Twi-fic plot bunny farm posted by Hilary. Can you blame Bella for being upset to get after she thought Edward hated the kiss.

In case of any confusion, Emmett and Rosalie aren't blood related at all. Tanya and Rosalie are two peas in pod though, aren't they?

I would like to thank whoever nominated me for what we are reading this week on Lemonade stand two weeks ago. And I apologize for forgetting to mention it last week.

Thank you for the love and thoughts you have given me!

Ages: Bella and Tanya -13, Edward-14, Rose and Jasper- 15, and Emmett - 17