All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization. Twilight is Stephenie Meyer's. Starry Eyed Inside is Rochelle's.

thanks to the greatest beta-wife ever, Nic. she's the nutella to my... spoon. so i'm thinking i'll post every tuesday. ish.


The clock moved so slow it went backwards, I swear.

No one actually worked in study hall. Well, I did, but I'd been finished forever. I slipped my books into my bag and zipped it, poised and ready to go.

Final bell finally rang.

Thank God.

One week of school down, a zillion left to go. I slid out of my chair and joined the masses in the halls, grateful that last class had been a free period. It gave me a chance to do my homework so I'd be good to go for the weekend.

Alice joined me and together we stepped out of the drab and into the sun.

"You taking the bus?"

I nodded. "Yeah… your mom coming or are you going with El?"

"My mom." She squinted out into the parking lot, using her hand to shade her eyes.

Alice's mother worked from home. She made cakes and sold them for birthdays and quinceaneras.

My mother taught middle school, so I'd always gone home with her in years past. This year, though, we'd opted for the bus. It worked for her because by the time she got out of her school it would be too late to get me from mine. It worked for me because, come on, I was in high school now. The less parental whatever the better.

"She's making coconut flan today," Alice continued. "Want to come?"

I looked at her sideways. "Is the Pope Catholic?"

We threaded through the throng of warm, sweaty bodies, picking up our girls along the way.

"So what did we decide on for later?" Rose asked, reaching into my pocket for the gum she knew she'd find.

I shrugged, crouching to tie my shoe. "I dunno."

"Dunno what?" Angela drifted over, linking her arm through mine.

"What we're doing tonight."

A couple of buses came and went, including mine. I sent my mother a quick text, letting her know I'd be at Alice's.

Rose shifted impatiently from one foot to the other. "I'm not doing the movies again."

"I heard Eric and Tyler talking about a bonfire over on Hutchinson Island," Alice said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah… they said – "

The sound of bass approaching slowly caught my attention. I nodded absently at Alice, but I wasn't even hearing her. There were school rules about loud music on the parking lot. Maybe it was just a passing car…

"Really?" Rose was saying. "That might be fun…party… "

I faded back out, searching the parking lot more intently now. A shiny silver car pulled into a space at the opposite end of the lot with a black Jeep right behind it. The bass decreased a little, and the doors of both vehicles swung open. Edward and his friends began spilling out.

My heart kicked it into high gear. I tried to lick my lips but my tongue was dry too. Yikes.

I elbowed Alice but she'd already seen. She tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile and settled instead for folding her arms across her chest. Even Rose's party plans faltered a bit as she followed the line of our super subtle gaze. The boys drifted closer, desperately yummy clichés of popularity and coolness complete with fawning fangirls running interception.

"Why're they here?" I wondered aloud.

"Maybe they know someone," Alice said, looking back toward school.

We found out soon enough when this sophomore Jacob ambled over to Edward and they did some complicated looking handshake. I watched them walk away, back toward the cars.

As usual, I felt anxious and somewhat pukey. Seeing Edward made me feel awful in a way I thrived on, like it was a drug or something.

Rose was snapping her fingers in front of my face, an amused smile flitting across her lips.

"Anyways. We were talking about the bonfire on Hutchinson. I think we should go for sure." She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled at Eric Yorkie.

"Ladies?" He wiggled his eyebrows lasciviously. You had to love Eric. He was somehow both dorky and cool, the kind of kid who was on honor society but also knew how to fashion pot paraphernalia out of produce.

"There's a party on Hutchinson later?" Rose asked. I sneaked another glance at the silver car in the corner of the parking lot. Other kids were over there now too, goofing off and messing with the music.

"Yeah… why, you going?" Eric asked, ruffling his hair.

"We want to. How're you getting there?" Alice asked. "You only have a permit, right?"

"Brody."

"Can we come?"

Eric shrugged. "Whatever. We'll probably head out around eight or nine."

"Well which is it, eight or nine?" Rose huffed impatiently. She'd always been a major stickler for precision, whether organizing study notes or timing our arrival at parties. "I have to tell my mom when to drop me at Al's."

Eric grimaced. We were kind of at the mercy of his brother Brody when it came to rides. "I don't… we'll get there when we get there."

"That's fine," Alice said quickly. "Thanks Eric."

He nodded, giving her ponytail a tug as he walked off.

Angela, who'd been quiet all this time, squeezed my arm. "What about your mom?"

"I'll just…I'm staying at Alice's. Her mom's more chill."

"You can probably stay too," Alice reassured her. "My mom won't mind. Eleazar usually goes to these things anyway so I'll just get him to vouch for us."

"Eight," Eric yelled suddenly, passing by in his brother's ride. "Be waiting outside."

During most of this exchange I'd been alternating between pretending to listen and trying to keep an eye on the going-on across the parking lot. Edward was sitting in the driver's seat now, one leg out the open door, talking to Jake. If he'd just look at me, I'd be set. Or… maybe I'd die.

"…so that's perfect," Alice was saying. "Now I don't even have to ask my brother for a ride. Good."

"Why are you so quiet? Still pining away for Edward?" teased Angela, jabbing me in the ribs.

"Can't help it," I sighed wistfully. "He's so cute he's almost… pretty."

"Well, maybe he'll be at the bonfire later."

That hadn't even occurred to me. "You think so?"

Rose blew a bubble."Maybe. If Eric's brother and all his friends are going, maybe Jacob Black and his friends are going."

Speaking of Edward and his friends, they were leaving now. Jacob bumped fists with someone riding in the Jeep and then got into another car parked nearby.

Alice's mother rolled up on cue, honking twice to get our attention.

As if we couldn't see her coming in her ginormous 1986 Caprice Classic.


"Ugh, why did I eat all that flan," I groaned, sucking in my stomach as I zipped my jeans.

"No, nena, you needed it," Mrs. Pena protested, lingering in Alice's doorway. "You're all too skinny."

"No one's too skinny, Mom," Alice muttered, smoothing her hair down. "And stop hovering."

"Don't be rude, Maria Alice," Mrs. Pena snapped, but she was all bark and no bite. They went back and forth like this all day. "Bella, are you sure you had enough?"

"I'm good, thanks."

She smiled and nodded, closing the door behind her as she left.

I was perfecting my "not trying too hard" look when someone blew their horn outside.

Rose peeked out the blinds. "Eric and his brother."

"I totally told him to call when he was on his way!" Alice whined, hurrying into her flip flops.

I grabbed my purse off the bed. "We did agree on eight."

"Not too late," warned as we left. "No drinking. No drugs!"

Alice pulled the door shut, locking it.

"What's the curfew this year?" I asked, practically vibrating with anticipation. I felt like a bird set free from its cage.

"Midnight."

The door opened and Mrs. Pena poked her head out. "And you'd better not be late."


Brody Yorkie drove an Explorer, which was good because he always had a ride full of people. His girlfriend was sitting up front next to him while the three of us squeezed into the back with Eric and this kid Adam. He used his fake ID to acquire a couple of twelve packs from the liquor store and then we were off, headed across the bridge to Hutchinson Island.

The bonfire was at some isolated little beach off in the cut. I'd grown up going to these beaches but I didn't think I'd ever seen this one. About eight or nine other cars were already parked in the lot. I didn't see Edward's car or even the black Jeep, but whatever. It was exciting enough just to be out of the house.

We filed out and waited for the boys to grab the beer, then walked single file through the path leading to the sand.

A large piece of canvas had been tied to a couple of trees, creating the illusion of shelter for the growing number of cases and coolers. Someone had brought a radio, and music –it sounded like reggae – spilled out, soft because the wind kept catching it and diffusing it down the beach.

Jessica and Lauren jogged over almost immediately, their flip flops kicking up little sprays of sand.

We stood in a little circle, comparing notes on who was already there and who was supposed to come. The wind kept blowing my hair, making it stick to my lip gloss.

Brody let us have some of his beer and then he wandered off, leaving us to our own devices. We ended up with Eric and Adam near the fire, playing thumb war and acting stupid. After awhile someone started chanting, startling me out of my little world; the keg had arrived, apparently. I shuddered, imagining my father somehow finding out and breaking up the party. I'd be grounded until college.

Alice's brother Eleazar came with his friends, rolling his eyes at us as he walked by. I resisted the urge to tell him to just get used it; this was our scene now, too. I hoped, anyway.

There weren't too many freshmen but there were a lot of older looking kids, some of whom I recognized from Jensen Beach. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces though too, and every time someone with loud bass pulled up outside I tensed up.

Eric was trying to convince me to do a keg stand – hell no –when Alice suddenly pinched my arm. "Look!"

Immediate butterflies. Edward and his friends, including Jacob, were walking through the path and onto the beach.

I tried to chill and focus on the people around me but it wasn't working. I was on Edward frequency now. Great.

Eventually I stood up and brushed the sand off my behind. "I'm going for another beer. You want to come?" I asked the girls.

Rose nodded, extending her hand so that I'd pull her up. We trudged through the sand, talking quietly.

Voices floated over from the shadows. Edward was chatting up some girl nearby. I looked at Rose and made a face. She snorted, ducking down to grab the beers and open them with the opener hanging off the handle of the cooler.

Frankly, I wasn't surprised. You didn't stay single, looking like Edward Cullen. That would be a waste and God knows I didn't have the cojones to talk to him.

I gulped down half my beer on the way back to our friends.

"So I guess you're not going to talk to him," Rose said, sinking back to the sand.

I sat beside her, peeling the label off my bottle. "That's right."

Jessica poked her head in."What's right?"

"Bella's not going to talk to Edward because he's talking to another girl back there," Rose jerked her thumb in the direction of the coolers.

"Bella's never going to talk to Edward because it would be social suicide," I corrected, downing the rest of my beer.

Jess smiled sympathetically as I lay back.

"Ugh, you're going to have so much sand in your hair," Alice complained, trying to yank me back to a sitting position. "It's gonna be all over my bed…"

"That's okay" I sighed, welcoming my happy beer buzz with open arms.

Moments later, Alice placed a towel – I had no idea where it came from – underneath my head. I put my hands behind my head and stretched my legs out, gazing at the cloudless night sky.

My dad used to show me the constellations when I was little. I scanned the sky, searching for the ones I knew. Big Dipper, Orion's Belt, Edward's face…

Edward's face upside-down, actually.

Panic. Confusion. What kind of beer did Brody buy?

I blinked twice, but no –Edward was really standing there, his clear green eyes ensnaring me as I stared wordlessly back.

"Bella?"

How the heck does he know my name?

"Yeah?" Realizing how ridiculous I looked, I sat up, trying to look normal as I shook sand from my hair.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

I looked at the girls –no help there –and scrambled to my feet, wondering what he could possibly have to say to me. Maybe he remembered me from Rose's party?

My mind raced and my heart galloped along and my mouth felt dry, despite all the beer I'd chugged. Ugh, the beer. It was making me feel too full. I definitely needed to wait awhile before having more or I'd start feeling sloshy.

We walked along silently until we got to the intoxication station. He reached into a cooler, handing me a beer.

I took it. Don't judge me.

He opened his and handed it to me, switching them out. "So, listen. A friend of mine likes you."

I stared back dumbly. "A friend?"

"Yeah – you know Jacob. Jake. He goes to your school."

"I know who he is, but I don't, like, know him," I said, averting my eyes lest I get burned by the hotness.

"I know. That's why I'm letting you know." He took a sip of beer, his eyes smirking at me as he tilted back his bottle.

I wondered, for the umpteenth time, if he knew I was crushing on him. And if he knew he was crushing me right now with this Jacob talk.

"Oh. Well… no." I started peeling my label again.

"No what?"

"No, I'm not interested." I couldn't look at him. I'd get distracted by his face.

"Seriously?" He sounded surprised.

I took a deep breath and looked up, finally.

"Seriously. But, thanks." I shifted onto my other foot, starting to turn so I could make my exit.

"You know what they say," he began, and there was such mirth in his voice I paused.

I glanced back at him. "About what?"

"About peeling the labels," he continued. I lowered my eyes and saw I had indeed peeled the whole thing off.

"No. What do they say?" I asked.

"It's a sign of sexual frustration," he winked, grinning widely.

My mouth dropped open and he started laughing, knocking my arm playfully. "I'm just teasing. They do say that though…"

My insides turned to goo as soon as his hand made contact with my skin. So glad I wore something strappy.

I smiled, trying not to look as loopy as I felt. "Ok well… if you're done teasing me, I'm going to head back."

"Aw, come on now."

I shook my head, turning back toward the bonfire, my label-less beer clasped between my hands.

"So, why won't you give my boy a chance?" he asked.

"Because I like someone else." As soon as the words left my mouth I cringed inwardly. Whoops.

"Oh yeah? Okay."

I kept my eyes straight ahead, noting that my friends were trying very hard to appear as if they weren't totally checking us out.

And then he was gone, poof into the night like Keyser frigging Soze. I shook my head, and started back across the sand to my friends. The music had changed now, something acoustic and yearning. It sounded like I felt.

"What did he say?" Rose hissed, nearly knocking my knees out in an effort to get me back on to the sand. Alice, Jess, Lauren and Angela crowded into the huddle.

"He was putting in a good word for Jacob Black," I confided, rolling my eyes.

"Jacob?" Jess repeated in disbelief.

"Yep."

Rose gestured impatiently."So what did you say?"

"That I wasn't interested. And then he asked why and I said because I liked someone else." I tried not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

Alice hit my arm. "And what did he say?"

"Let me start from the beginning."


The following Monday I was with the girls at our usual lunch table when Alice jabbed me with her fork.

"Uh, thanks," I mumbled, picking a grain of her rice from my shirt.

"Jacob Black is coming over here," she said under her breath.

Oh crap.

Forcing a smile, I looked up right as Jake came to a stop.

"Hey Bella."

Okay, so he was gorgeous. I should've liked him; I wished I did. But I didn't. Couldn't.

"Hi Jake."

He nodded toward our table and I pushed my bag to the floor.

Instead of just sitting down he spun the chair and sat so that he was facing just me.

"You going to the soccer game later?" he asked. All warm dark eyes and tanned skin, I thought again that it should be easy to be attracted. But I wasn't.

"Yeah, probably. If I can get a ride home." The words slipped out before I could stop them and instantly I regretted speaking. Great. He was so going to offer me a ride home now.

"I can give you a ride."

I paused, glancing over his shoulder. Alice and Rose were behind Jake, nodding emphatically.

"Um, okay. I just have to…call my mom and tell her."

"Cool." He shot me a brilliant smile and eased out of the chair, returning to where his friends sat.

Alice scooted closer. "He's so cute, Bella!"

"Yeah, he is. But I don't feel anything for him. He's so nice… I don't want to give him the wrong idea," I lamented. "Why did he even ask me? Didn't Edward tell him I wasn't interested?"

"Oh for heaven's sake, stop. You agreed to stay for a game we're all going to anyway, and you're getting a ride. That's it. Besides…." Rose trailed off.

"Besides, what?"

She eyed me sideways. "Besides, he's one of Edward's friends, right? Maybe this is just what you need to get a foot in the door."

"Rose! I can't do that! That would be so, so shady. And anyway, Edward isn't going to go after a girl his friend likes," I sighed. "Even if he wanted to, which he obviously doesn't."

Rose stood up, crumpling her brown paper bag into a ball before tossing it into a nearby recycling bin."You never know. Anyway. Go call your mom before you forget."

Final bell found me by my locker, where I'd stopped to grab a few books I needed for homework.

Angela appeared next to me.

I wrinkled my nose. "Did you have yearbook just now?"

She smiled apologetically. "I smell like chemicals, don't I?"

We meandered down the hall and down toward the field, where Rose and Alice were already on the stands.

Angela actually had to take pictures of the game for yearbook, but the rest of us were just there to ogle.

Coincidentally, the first game of the season was against Martin County.

"Doesn't Edward play for them?" Rose asked, already knowing the answer.

I pursed my lips. "Yep."

Alice leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. "Isn't that him right there?"

"Mhm."

Jake looked over and waved.

I waved back awkwardly.

"This is classic," snorted Rose. "He really likes you."

"It's wonderful," I muttered sarcastically. Seriously, what were the chances?

"Oh come on."

"Okay, it's a little ironic."

"Let's just hope Edward doesn't have any qualms about messing around with a girl his friend likes," she continued.

"Ugh, will you stop? Edward Cullen is never going to look at me like that."

"Then why is he looking at you right now?" Alice asked.

I nearly gave myself whiplash, I looked up so quick. It was true; Edward kept glancing over Jake's shoulder at us as they talked. Then Jake looked.

"I don't even want to know what they're talking about right now," I groaned.

"Shut up, this is good. A few months ago we weren't even on their radar," Rose said.

The whistle blew and both teams got into position to play. Jake snuck one more glance in my direction before trotting over to his spot as goalie.

We won by a very slim margin. This was no small feat; our varsity team was excellent but Martin County's was usually better. The teams lined up to shake hands at the end.

The bleachers slowly began to empty. Rose, Alice and I slid off and made our way to the edge of the parking lot to wait for their ride.

Typically Floridian, it was still really warm. I fanned myself with a folder from my backpack, hoping Jake would show up before the mosquitoes came out.

Eleazar pulled up eventually.

"Call me as soon as you get home," Alice said, getting into the car with Rose.

Jake ambled over. "You ready to go?"

"Sure." I felt sort of shy all of a sudden. "You um… you played really well today."

"Thanks. It was a close one," he said.

I nodded, not really having anything else to say.

Edward sauntered over, opening the trunk of his car by remote and tossing his stuff in.

"Like the game, Bella?"

"Well, yeah. We won it," I snarked.

He looked at me, all raised eyebrows and cocky grins.

"She makes a good point," Jake laughed. "You going to Carmen's later?"

"Yeah, probably with Emmett."

Jake nodded, motioning for me to get into the car.

I got in somewhat reluctantly, anxious to get away from Edward but also sort of wishing it was his car I was getting into.

Jake threw his car in to reverse, all the while fiddling with the car's stereo. I had to admit it was a really nice ride, some sort of souped up SUV. His father owned a dealership in Ft. Pierce so it wasn't all that surprising.

We chatted amiably the whole way home, our conversation punctuated by my frequent laughter. He had an amazingly sharp, witty sense of humor and I found myself sincerely hoping we could be friends –I definitely enjoyed his company. Just not, like, in that way.

I directed him through my neighborhood, dreading the moment when he'd asked me out –the last thing I wanted to do was hurt his feelings.

"Nice, you live pretty near the beach," he commented, parking in my driveway.

It was true. We weren't exactly rolling in the dough but we lived in a well kept neighborhood not too far from the ocean.

"Yeah… I can hear the waves at night sometimes."

He nodded, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, looking sort of contemplative.

I made moves to get out, not wanting to end up in Awkwardville.

"I'm glad you let me drive you home, Bella," he said suddenly, smiling shyly.

I swallowed. "Thanks for giving me a ride. I…had fun, actually."

"Me too. If you ever need a ride, you can call me."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Jake," I began, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah?"

"Edward talked to me the other night at the bonfire, about…you…and…me," I stammered.

He nodded slowly. "He told me what you said."

"He did?"

Jake chuckled. "It's all good if you just want to be friends, Bella."

Despite my relief, I felt my face grow warm. "Why didn't you ask me yourself?"

"I didn't know he was gonna do that. We were goofing off and I mentioned it, so…" Now Jake's face was red.

"Oh."

"He said you said you like someone else."

I nodded.

"May I ask who?"

If my face was warm before it was in flames now. "No way."

Jack coughed, obviously trying not to laugh. That made me laugh, which only made him laugh harder.

"You're so red right now it's painful."

"Shut up," I giggled, covering my face.

"Do I know him?" he asked after a minute.

I bit my lip and unbuckled my seatbelt. "Maybe."

"All right, I'll leave it alone."

"Thanks," I said gratefully, opening the door. "And, thanks again for the ride."

He waved me off. "No problem. It's sort of on the way."

I doubted that, but I appreciated the thought.

"See you tomorrow, Jake."

He smiled, honking once as he pulled away from the curb.


So that's how Jake became my ride.

To every place.

Turns out he did live pretty near me, after all, so after talking to my mother he started driving me to school.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" I asked after soccer practice Thursday.

"Probably going to Carmen Vega's to chill."

"Oh, okay." I stared out the window. "She the one with the pool table?"

"Yep." I could feel him looking at me. "Wanna come?"

"Can I bring a friend?"

"Bring whoever you want, Bella. I'll come around nine."

"Sounds good." I said, a tingle of anticipation rippling through my midsection.

Because let's be real. If Jake was going to Carmen Vega's chances were… so was Edward.


songs

walking on the moon - the police

garden grove - sublime

rainbow country - bob marley

echo - incubus