This is my first attempt at fanfic. So forgive me if it completely blows! I have a general idea where I'm taking it, but currently, I'm just playing it as it goes. I don't have a strict itinerary.

Background: Stepsiblings Alice and Emmett move to a new school, where Edward, Jasper, Bella, Rosalie, and others all attend.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight

APOV

I rolled out of bed. My neck was absolutely stiff. A 12 hour car ride was definitely not conducive for comfortable sleeping. My usually burst of energy remained latent as I groaned at the sound of my blaring alarm clock. I punched a fist into the little contraption on my nightstand.

I glanced around my room. Half my belongings were still stuffed away in boxes. I launched into the first piece of cardboard I saw.

Sweet.

By chance, I somehow managed to find all my designer denim on the first try. Put me on fucking Deal or No Deal, seriously. I grabbed the top pair, indigo cigarette jeans, and slid them on immediately.

Now, for shirts. I randomly picked out another box.

Shit.

I threw aside a copy of A Sun Also Rises, my favorite book that was resting on the stack of books in the box. I tried a few more times unsuccessfully. After a series of attempts, I managed to find my shirts and my makeup. I threw on a fitted black scoopneck, rinsed my face, smudged on some eyeliner and mascara, and grabbed a white summerweight cashmere cardigan. I brushed my teeth while throwing all my notebooks and pencils into an oversized black Prada tote. I slipped on a pair of white flip flops sitting by our front door before calling out at the top of my lungs:

"EM! Get down here!"

I heard him thunder down the stairs before I saw him barrel towards me. My step-brother, Emmett, had the frame of a football player or rather, a grizzly bear. His sandy curls flopped as he charged towards the front door. His dimpled grin seemed almost too excessive for this early in the morning.

Our looks only confirmed the truth; there was no way Emmett and I were actually related. His six-and-a-half foot frame towered over my diminutive five-feet. My delicate angular features were nothing like his strong rounded ones. He had tanned weathered skin while I was fair and porcelain-like.

It came as quite a shock to me when my mother announced her engagement to Emmett's dad. She met him on a business trip to Florida, no less. We packed up our penthouse New York apartment and traveled out to where his new job relocated him: Chicago. Emmett and I had grown accustomed to each other throughout their whole courtship and relied on each other during the move. Despite our differences, we got along well. He always emerged as my bodyguard, while I served as his voice of reason and personal stylist.

Emmett grabbed his backpack and we strolled out of our new house. We lived in the suburbs of Chicago in a relatively large house even in my opinion and I have some pretty hefty standards. And now, today was our first day of school at this foreign new suburban school. Nothing like the hoity toity single-sex private school I attended in Manhattan.

I hoisted myself up into the front seat of Emmett's black Jeep Wrangler.

"Ready, kid?" he said as he buckled up.

"Does it matter?" I replied grimly.

"Thought you might say that. Check the back seat."

I did. My eyes widened and I grinned for the first time this morning.

"Em! You shouldn't have!"

He smiled back at me as I snatched up one of a half dozen Red Bulls cluttering his back seat. I popped the can and took a large gulp. Ahhh, just the little energy boost I need to get my Alice energy back.

EmPOV

I stared in wonderment as I watched Alice start on her second can of Red Bull in five minutes. Usually, she was naturally a ball of energy. I felt today most of that energy would be forced.

I pulled into the school parking lot. It was only a ten minute drive from home. Alice chucked her second can out the window and grabbed two more to stuff in her purse.

"Take it easy with those. You're going to be crashing by lunch."

"I'm fine," she snapped.

She hopped out of the car and slammed the door shut. She skipped off to class with a quick bye. I felt a lot of stares on us. No doubt we looked like the odd couple. I stuff my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants and shuffled off to class.

My first hour was AP English. Fucking hell. Throw me a fucking bone here. It could have at least been a gym class. I sat down in the first empty desk. Everyone was chatting away with each other about their summer adventures. The boy next to me turned to face me. His copper hair was so disheveled even I thought so.

"So, you're new."

He didn't ask it. He simply stated it.

"Yup."

"I'm Edward."

"Emmett."

"Well, Emmett, watch out that girl over there, Jessica Stanley, is going to pounce on you within the next ten minutes."

He nodded his head towards a girl with brown hair and a thin face who was eying me with a little too much interest.

"Uh, okay." I wasn't so sure what to respond with.

"Just a heads up, bro."

He gave me a crooked smile and turned back to a blond boy sitting on the other side of him. The blond boy was in the midst of making a brunette laugh. Her long chestnut hair reflected the fluorescent lighting when she threw her hair back in laughter. Her brown eyes sparkled with intensity and her full lips were pulled back into a full-on grin. When she bent forward, I caught a glimpse of her cleavage in the V-neck green t-shirt she was wearing.

Damn. Hot.

She lightly rested her hand on the blond boy's hand as she listened to Edward talk.

Shit. Boyfriend?

Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find the girl, Jessica standing next to my desk, staring intently at me.

"Hi, I noticed you are new. I'm Jessica Stanley. I just wanted to welcome you."

"Uh, I'm Emmett McCarty," I said shifting uncomfortably in my desk.

"Where are you from?"

"I moved here from Florida with my dad's new wife and her daughter."

"Wow. Do you know your schedule? I could probably help you navigate your way around."

I quickly mumbled my classes to her.

"Oh! We have AP Biology together, too. I'll walk with you to Bio next hour."

"Thrilling."

She didn't seem to catch my sarcasm, because she ran back giddily to her seat when the bell rang.

I listened to the teacher drone on for nearly an hour about our syllabus this year and preparing us for AP tests and other useless information. School was never my forte. How I managed to get into so many AP classes was a mystery to me. I had a feeling that it had to do with my dad, though. He always insisted that I challenge myself. Apparently, that couldn't be done through athletics in his opinion.

When the bell rang, I immediately stood up hoping to escape before Jessica could walk me to my next hour. I managed to avoid her long enough to find Alice in the halls.

"Hey."

"Hi!"

Looks like she got her Alice back with the little help of some energy drinks.

"We have class together now, Em!"

"I know, Al."

We walked through the halls somehow easily finding our way around. Apparently, not easily enough though, because I recognized Edward already sitting down at a table with the blond boy. The brunette was no longer with them.

He recognized me and gestured for me to join them at the four person table. Apprehensively, Alice and I approached.

"This is Alice, my step-sister."

She smiled. Edward looked at her appraisingly and the blond boy nodded in acknowledgement.

"Alice, I'm Edward, and this is Jasper."

Jasper offered up a smile this time. We set our stuff down and took a seat.

"Hey! I couldn't find you after English!"

Jessica has somehow materialized next to the table. Edward and Jasper smirked knowingly. Alice's eyes widened in curiosity.

"Oh, sorry. I met up with my sister."

I gestured to Alice and she grinned.

"Oh."

Jessica slumped away dejectedly.

"Em, what was that about?"

Edward smoothly interjected.

"Well, Jessica, a girl from our English class, has taken the liberty to show your brother around today."

Jasper chuckled.

"You could have let her down easier, Emmett," Alice said concerned.

"Sorry, you know me, brash and sometimes insensitive when it comes to women."

Edward and Jasper laughed.

"It's okay. She's used to rejection by now," Jasper said before nudging Edward with his elbow.

"You're one to talk, dude."