Disclaimer

Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd play a drinking game every time reproduction was mentioned in this chapter!

"I think someone wants to talk to you," Bella whispered in passing, Angela's hand secured in the crook of her sister's arm. Beth's head shot up, eyes no longer focusing on the gray clouds overhead. Eric was making a B line straight to her position next to the bus, a determined set to his shoulders.

She cursed, flinging a pleading glare towards her sister who was already headed directly into school. It was a shame she didn't see it, but Angela smiled in assurance before she too did the same.

Bella, like Angela, would be staying at school while Beth's Biology group were set to go to Seattle for the long awaited field trip of the year. The Pacific Science Center, how exciting it was to be sitting on a bus for 4 hours to and fro to watch a science movie on Reproduction. Beth didn't really understand how it could be considered well awaited, she came from a time where everyone had a holographic screen in their hands and took vacations on Mars for Christ sake. But, she could acquiesce, kids always thought the smallest things were fun and exciting. Maybe teenagers were only slightly different in that regard. Especially when the trip so far away from the small town life they know, included all your friends from high school.

"H-hey, Eric," She cursed her voice for hitching. Leaning back onto the truck, Beth longingly shot a look at the students whose names begin with the first few letters of the alphabet, and as such got to board one of the three, bright yellow school buses that would be taking them to Seattle for the day. Three people boarding stuck out to her, namely because one bright, penny haired male had steadfastly refused to move his eyes from her figure since she and her sister had arrived in the parking lot. She made sure to pay him little to no mind, waving to a bubbly Alice Cullen whose smile was blinding even from across the lot. Her boyfriend...? Less so..

"Hi," he bagan, and reluctantly, Beth's eyes came back to meet him. She sighed internally, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. Mr. Banner, she overheard, just reached the letter 'M'. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Shooting the minor a deadpan look, Beth replied, "Yes." For a moment, he looked as though he fully expected her to say that she didn't mind and had opened his mouth rather excitedly to continue his question before he deflated like a helium balloon. "But ask anyways," she instructed.

"Did you let Mike down easy when he asked you out?" He rocked back on his heels, hands tucked into his parka pockets as he lost some of his confidence.

Beth shook her head 'no', "I was being honest. The thought of going to the dance with anyone younger than me is like, a huge turn off."

"Right," Eric snapped his fingers, "You like older guys..?" If he expected her to pick up where he left off, he was sorely mistaken. She didn't really feel inclined just then to go into the intricacies of why it was such an abhorib concept to date someone five times less of her senior. She shuddered just thinking about it. Nodding in agreement, she shrugged in reply.

Eric frowned, "So there's no way to get you to go to the dance with me?"

"Nope," she popped the 'P' and hearing Mr. Banner start with the 'S's, she grabbed her bag from the hood of the truck and tossed a half hearted wave over her shoulder at a disheartened Eric Yorkie, abruptly ending any semblance of a conversation. Bits and pieces of what that Blonde had said about her being a bitch, roamed through her mind. She very nearly turned around and apologized to the boy, if it weren't for the fact that she doubted it would have been sincere at all.

As she passed one of the full buses, the signature Penny boy hair flashed out of the corner of her eye and managing to keep her composure, she walked on and onto the bus with the other students whose names started like her own.

_____________________________________________________________________________

"I'm sorry for being rude all the time," A voice sighed beside her. Beth tensed just slightly, haunches rising at the familiarity of the voice she loathed to hear. To save herself the effort, she pretended even more to focus on what was presented before her. It was a conjoined twin, joined at the head, sitting in a jar of formaldehyde. Joy. Even Edward was more entertaining. Still, she refused to acknowledge him, even if he was here to apologize.

"Elizabeth?" He tried again, a minute later when she resolutely remained stationary, rereading and rereading the small plaque with fifteen words over and over again. Other students milled around them, sneakers squeaking on the bright white linoleum. The chatter was loud, not loud enough for it to be disturbing, but just so as to make her aware of all her schoolmates geeking out over the paper mache sculpture of a Vagina that hung over everyone's head as they walked on.

"I'm really sorry, again." Ah! Finally, he was leaving! By all accounts, she was supposed to be feeling very relieved, but for some reason her chest twinged, just slightly. And then her mouth opened as she turned to his broad retreating back.

"Saying sorry too many times eventually defeats the purpose of the phrase," moving onto the next feature, another fully developed formaldehyde fetus- this time without legs!-. She half wanted him to continue walking, and half wanted to talk with him, if only to absolutely obliterate his asshole nature. If only..

The sound of his shoes stopped, and she heard him turn back to her, "I guess it does," And then he took that as an invitation to stand next to her again.

For five minutes, this continued, the silence between them as they pretended to look through the different biological displays set up for Forks High's high school biology students. But just this once, the silence wasn't stilted, rather it was, dare she say it, comfortable. But Bella would never hear it from her.

"So, you're into older guys," He broke the silence, eyes still focused on whatever was in front of them. Despite the plaque saying it was a prostate gland, Beth couldn't fathom what her eyes were seeing.

She spun to him, "How do you know that?"

He gave a guilty smile, "Let's just say the rumor mill at Fork's high is very efficient."

Groaning, she recalled Eric also asking her something similar and sighed, she was beginning to think Mike Newton had an overly large mouth that didn't know when to close. Moving on, her steps quickened and Penny boy had no qualms with catching up to her, due to his substantial height of over six feet.

"How old are you exactly?"

Beth's eyebrows cinched, but she did her best to conceal her expression as she answered, "older than you, probably."

He gave a smirk then and ran a hand through his wild hair, "not likely."

Blinking, she looked up at him in wonder and would have asked him what he meant by saying that when Mr. Banner called everyone over to his spot beside the "theater" doors where everyone filed in to watch the long awaited informat movie about- you guessed it!- reproduction.

In all honesty, she should have put up more of a fight, or said more to him about his sudden interest in her again, having no desire to put up with his tomfoolery if he intended to ignore her again. And to be honest, she probably should have said something when he snagged a seat beside her in the bloody IMAX theater. But when the lights dimmed, sound began pouring through the speakers, a lilting British male narrated the whole movie, she became hyper aware of just whom she was sitting next to. She could almost feel his stare on the side of her neck, goosebumps erupting on the exposed skin as it trailed up to her face. Against her wish, she blushed, just slightly and glanced up at him as well. He didn't look away, his bright eyes almost glowing in the darkness, dim light from the screen illuminating the left side of his face.

Collective laughter broke the spell, and Beth tried to focus on what they were being taught, but for the life of her, even after the full hour had finished and the lights came back on, she could not remember even a third of what she watched. All she could recall was the feeling of Edward's eyes trailing along the side of her figure, taking her in. She didn't know if she liked that feeling. And despite herself, she couldn't tell if she hated it either..

Hours later, when everyone had returned to Forks and Charlie came to pick her up, they didn't go straight home. They made it just in time for Grandpa Geoffrey's 65th birthday at the Carver Cafe.

"Oh!" Grandma Helen cooed once she saw them, smooching Charlie's cheek with her bright red lipstick, "I'm so happy you guys made it!" She grinned, a corny happy birthday hat decorating her head, the elastic strap resting just under her chin. The cafe itself was decorated similarly, groups of balloons tied together on almost every available surface, bright, multi-colored streamers hanging down from the ceiling.

Bella, was sitting next to Grandpa Geoffrey in the boothe, well wishers and passers by reaching over the leather seats to give him a pat on the back. The man himself was the most joyous she'd ever seen him look. 65 looked good on him, considering he didn't look a day over 50 in his face. His only true give away was his gray hair, no sign of the brown hair Charlie and the twins all shared. His laugh lines crinkled around his eyes, teeth on display as he laughed at something one of his drinking buddies said in the booth next to them.

She smiled, Bella catching her eye before the other brunette eased herself from the booth just to drag her sister down next to her. She handed her sibling a red party hat, the elastic stinging Beth slightly once she put it on.

And right there, in all the excitement, she'd never felt more at home in her second life.