hate him. I wish he would die. I hope he drives that shiny car right off a cliff. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Stick to his own kind - to the freaks.

"What does he mean, his own kind?" Jacob asked. "He doesn't know that Edward is a vampire."

"I suppose he means rich?" Bella said slowly, not sure of the answer herself. "That or he instinctively knows that Edward is different."

"What?" Bella demanded.

My eyes refocused on her face. She looked at Mike's retreating back, and then at me again.

"Newton's getting on my nerves," I admitted.

Her mouth fell open, and her smile disappeared. She must have forgotten that I'd had the power to watch through her calamitous last hour, or hoped that I hadn't utilized it.

"More likely the latter," Bella said, after all he had demonstrated that gift quite well during their last few encounters.

"You weren't listening again?"

"How's your head?"

"You're unbelievable!" she said through her teeth, and then she turned away from me and stalked furiously toward the parking lot. Her skin flushed dark red - she was embarrassed.

"You got that right," Jacob said.

"Well, no one asked him to watch me in Gym," Bella grumbled, her clumsiness was always a sore spot for her.

I kept pace with her, hoping that her anger would pass soon. She was usually quick to forgive me.

"You were the one who mentioned how I'd never seen you in Gym," I explained. "It made me curious."

She didn't answer; her eyebrows pulled together.

She came to a sudden halt in the parking lot when she realized that the way to my car was blocked by a crowd of male students.

I wonder how fast they've gone in this thing...

Look at the SMG shift paddles. I've never seen those outside of a magazine...

Nice side grills...

Sure wish I had sixty thousand dollars laying around...

"Um... Jacob do you want me to leave," Bella chuckled as Jacob was practically drooling at the description of the car.

"No, but I want you to get me into the Cullen garage sometime in the future," Jacob said.

"You do realize that's Rosalie's car..." Bella said smirking.

"Argh," Jacob groaned. "Why did you have to remind me of that?"

This was exactly why it was better for Rosalie to only use her car out of town.

I wound through the throng of lustful boys to my car; after a second of hesitation, Bella followed suit.

"Ostentatious," I muttered as she climbed in.

"What kind of car is that?" she wondered.

"An M3."

She frowned. "I don't speak Car and Driver."

"Come on, Bella!" Jacob groaned. "You should know that at least."

"Sorry," Bella shrugged, chuckling at his behavior.

"It's a BMW." I rolled my eyes and then focused on backing out without running anyone down. I had to lock eyes with a few boys that didn't seem willing to move out of my way. A half-second meeting my gaze seemed to be enough to convince them.

"Is that car really that special?" Bella rolled her eyes.

Jacob just stared at her incredulously.

"I guess it is," Bella mumbled.

"Are you still angry?" I asked her. Her frown had relaxed.

"Definitely," she answered curtly.

I sighed. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. Oh well. I could try to make amends, I supposed. "Will you forgive me if I apologize?"

She thought about that for a moment. "Maybe...if you mean it," she decided.

"And if you promise not to do it again."

"Don't hold your breath," Jacob chuckled.

"I know... that's never going to happen," Bella chuckled too.

I wasn't going to lie to her, and there was no way I was agreeing to that. Perhaps if I offered her a different exchange.

"How about if I mean it, and I agree to let you drive this Saturday?" I cringed internally at the thought.

"Oh... that works," Bella said.

The furrow popped into existence between her eyes as she considered the new bargain. "Deal," she said after a moment of thought.

Now for my apology... I'd never tried to dazzle Bella on purpose before, but now seemed like a good time.

"Oh great," Bella mumbled, blushing already. The thought of him actually trying to dazzle her was too much for her.

I stared deep into her eyes as I drove away from the school, wondering if I was doing it right. I used my most persuasive tone.

"Then I'm very sorry I upset you."

Her heartbeat thudded louder than before, and the rhythm was abruptly staccato.

Her eyes widened, looking a little stunned.

I half-smiled. It seemed like I'd gotten it right. Of course, I was having a bit of difficulty looking away from her eyes, too. Equally dazzled. It was a good thing I had this road memorized.

"What?" Bella said, snapping out of her daze... she liked thinking of them both being dazzled by each other... but still, "He's not even looking at the road!"

"But he has it memorized... that's just as good," Jacob laughed at her expression.

"That is not good at all!" Bella snapped, note to self, no dazzling in the car... um... while it's moving at least.

"And I'll be on your doorstep bright and early Saturday morning," I added, finishing the agreement.

She blinked swiftly, shaking her head as if to clear it. "Um," she said, "it doesn't help with the Charlie situation if an unexplained Volvo is left in the driveway."

"He's not going to take his car," Bella said, how little she understood him in this book.

Ah, how little she still knew me. "I wasn't intending to bring a car."

Bella blinked at that and then smiled, it was nice knowing they could think alike.

"How - " she started to ask.

I interrupted her. The answer would be hard to explain without a demonstration, and now was hardly the time. "Don't worry about it. I'll be there, no car."

She put her head on one side, and looked for a second like she was going to press for more, but then she seemed to change her mind.

"Is it later yet?" she asked, reminding me of our unfinished conversation in the cafeteria today; she'd let go of one difficult question just to return another that was more unappealing.