Review, please? I feel like Im writing to nobody here..

"What actually happened?"
"I heard they got suspended."
"Are you kidding? The Cullens are too 'responsible'"

It should have upset me, I know, to hear the comments spread throughout the campus, but even after all that had happened these past couple of days, it was Alice they were talking about. And Emmett.

The Cullens had returned after a week of being M.I.A to a school full of rumours. They didn't seem to mind much, but then again, they'd never really been popular. They blended in fairly well, but there was something... off about them that i'd never really fully grasped until now.

"Bella!" Alice cried as she saw me walking to my next class. I pretended not to notice her, but when she finally caught up to me, she pulled on my shoulder, forcing me to acknowledge her. "Bella, what-?"

"Where the hell did you go?" I asked harshly under my breath. "You left me with some german girl who smelt like she hadn't showered in a month. What the hell, Alice?!"

I kept walking, avoiding looking at her. It was hard to stay mad at her, but I was pissed off. More than pissed off, I was furious. And scared. They'd given me no answers, I had no where too look, and the only thing I could do, not that I could help it, was dream about that morning over and over until my german roommate, who I didn't even know the name of, tried to smother me with a pillow in her attempt to get me to stop screaming.

Alice didn't have her usual smile on today, but that may have just been my mood.

"Bella, if I could have helped it-"

"You didn't even say goodbye, Alice." I told her. We were at the room of my next class now, and I'd had enough. "You left without telling me anything. I know you know that I'm not as stupid as to believe I was bruised all over from falling out of bed, so don't give me that. Whatever bond Edward has over you has no relevance to the fact that you didn't tell me anything."

And with that, I walked into the room.

It was unfair of me to blame it on her, but she didn't know the nightmares, she didn't know what it was like seeing that red hair flow in your dreams, or the teeth, or the hands...

A cold shiver sprung down my spine.

My class was biology, and I assumed correctly that Edward was back, but I'd never even thought that he might want to talk to me. As I walked to my usual seat, he halted me, waving me over with one finger as if I was a kid in trouble, and as I moved towards the front of the desk, he gave me a forced grin.

"Do you want to sit with me today?" he asked, gesturing to the empty seat next to him. "I saved it just for you."

I lifted an eyebrow and shifted my weight. "You usually sit by yourself. That seat wouldn't be taken even if you didn't want to coax me into something."

His expression turned amused. "Coax? What could I possibly be trying to coax you into?"

After a moment, I just sighed and started to continue my journey, once again, to my seat.

"Stop, wait. Please?" he asked. "I promise to be nice."

"Why do you want me to sit with you?" I asked. "You hate me."

He was stunned by my comment and looked at my questionably. "Why do you think that?"

"Because you never say anything, and when you do that, you death stare me like I'm some sort of super villian trying to take your family away."

"You aren't far off," he said approvingly, but then, as if realising what he said, quickly continued. "But my family seem to like you, so I won't critic their judgement. I thought we could try and be... friends."

I had to laugh. Edward Cullen wanted to be my friend, when I was sure he was the one telling the others not to say anything about that morning. Well this was just too funny.

"Friends?" I laughed. "Why bother?"

He smiled a little too devilish. "It turns out that I just can't seem to keep you out of trouble."

I knew what that meant, but he didn't think I knew. He was still under the full impression that I thought I'd hit my head, as far as I knew.

On my newly sparked quest for answers, I sat down and sorted out my books.

"And I'm worth saving? From all this trouble?" I asked, preoccupied with stacking my books neatly to the side of the desk.

He didn't answer for a moment, and when I got sick of waiting, I glanced in his direction to stare deep into his eyes. He stared at me for a long second and then sighed.

"I suppose you are. But there's more than one way to save a person, just remember that."

"Why so solom?" I asked, leaning away from him as subtly as I could. Maybe Edward Cullen wasn't the best person to be friends with, not if thought like that all the time.

But Edward simply shrugged his shoulders, his face lit up with a crooked smile. It was so beautiful...

Stop it, Bella. Get a grip. I wanted to slap myself, and settled for slapping myself internally.

"Just letting you know how it is. But I guess it's too late for you now."

"It is," I said stubbornly. "You aren't going anywhere."

This time, his smile turned sad. "No, I'm not."

I wanted off this conversation. It was getting too weird, and I could tell it was filled with numerous meanings on his side. I wanted to change topics, but the one I wanted couldn't be discussed yet. That would put me right back to square one.

"Okay," I said finally, "If we're going to be 'friends', what does this entail exactly?"

He frowned, thinking. "Well, I suppose, if you're up for it, we could go and get coffee at lunch?"

"Okay?"

Professor Varner entered the room just then, calling out for the room to be hushed. Edward leaned over to whisper to me casually.

"I'll meet you at your room after class then."

I had no reply. But that inner voice I'd slapped down was suddenly dancing with the butterflies in my stomach.