Preface

EPOV

"Hey Edward." my sister knocked on my door with a small smile. "Can I come in?"

I looked up from my lap top and shut it quickly. "What? Sure, yeah. Come in." I said.

Alice looked at me weirdly and sat on my bed. "What are you working on?" she asked pointing to my lap top.

"Nothing." I shrugged nonchalantly. "Homework."

She nodded even though I could tell she didn't believe me. That's weird. Usually when I try to hide something she immediately tries to pry it out of me.

"What's wrong Alice?" I asked. "Is it Jasper? What did he do? I'll make him cry." I growled suddenly protective. Ever since Alice had started dating my best friend Jasper, I had become more protective over my baby sister. I mean, he's a year older than her. That's dangerous territory.

Alice laughed. "It's not Jasper! It's-" she crossed her arms and her bottom lip stuck out in a ferocious pout. I knew that look. She wanted something.

I groaned. "What do you want Alice?"

"I want to hang out with Bella." she sighed.

Bella was Alice's best friend. She lived next door and Alice went over there every weekend. But Alice's loyalty only goes so far.

Bella is probably the biggest nerd cliché to ever walk this earth. She's got thick framed glasses, wavy hair that puffs up, and a huge lack in style. The only thing missing is the braces. No, she got those off last month.

Anyway, Alice and I were popular. Bella was…nothing. She didn't have any friends and she sat by herself during lunch. So naturally, Alice was embarrassed to hang out with Bella in public. The only people that know that Alice and Bella hung out are us, and our parents.

"Then hang out with her." I shrugged. Alice stared at me as if I decided to join a ballet class.

"Edward, I can't hang out with Bella! No one will like me then!" she rolled her eyes.

"Then bring her to our table!" I exclaimed in exasperation. Alice was really starting to annoy me. What did she want from me?

"Are you kidding?" Alice exclaimed standing up now. "Tanya would eat Bella alive! I could never do that to her!"

"And yet you cant even admit you're friends?" I asked her in a very skeptical voice. Alice glared at me.

"Those are two completely different situations Edward!" she shouted at me.

"Okay. Okay. I just don't get it. If you want to hang out with her, then hang out with her. Wont she just be popular by association?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Sadly, no. I'm popular by association because you're my brother and I'm dating Jasper. Not to mention that I actually know how to dress well. You can't be popular by association if you hang with a popular by association." she looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes and then I understood what she meant.

"No Alice! No! Absolutely not!" I jumped up , and she began to bounce up and down.

"Please Edward? Please! If not for Bella's sake then for mine?" she pleaded.

"Alice! You're asking me to date your best friend so she'll be popular that way you don't have to be ashamed to be seen with her! Do you have any idea how sick that is?" I asked.

She held up a wad of cash. "I'll pay you. Fifty bucks every two weeks."

I grabbed the money. "Done." I started to count the money. "You know, you should probably call Bella that way I can ask her out."

Alice shook her head. "Oh no. You're gonna have to ask her out on your own time. At school. Tomorrow." she told me and snatched the money out of my hand. "When she starts going out with you, then I'll pay you."

Then next day at school during lunch, I walked up to Bella. She was writing in a notebook and looked the same as ever. She looked up at me as I approached. We stared at each other.

"Yes?" she asked.

I sighed. "Go out with me."

She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Then as if I couldn't be anymore embarrassed she laughed. "Is that a question or a demand?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "A question. Will you go out with me?"

She smiled and I thought she was going to say yes, but instead, she shook her head. "Sorry Edward. No."

Then she packed up her bag and started to flounce away. I stared after her in shock and then ran after her.

"Um, why not?" I asked her. She didn't look at me when she replied.

"You're my best friend's brother Edward. It's weird." she shrugged. I nodded.

"Okay." then I ran in front of her and stopped. "Now why don't you really tell me why you wont go out with me."

She sighed and crossed her arms. You know when she did that she actually looked kinda cute. Weird.

"Well, you're kind of a jerk." she said bluntly and I recoiled.

"Excuse me?" I asked. Should I feel insulted? Because I feel insulted.

"I've known you since I was two. You've never talked to me before. And Eric Yorkie?" she asked in a judgmental voice. I rolled my eyes.

"He threw the first punch." I argued and she shook her head.

"So you and your buddies decided to beat him 'til he was unconscious?" she asked angrily and I had no response for that. "Exactly."

And she just walked away. Alright, now I have to admit, my ego was shot after that little encounter. Almost all of me wanted to throw in the towel, but I knew that Alice wouldn't give me the money. So I would just have to be patient, I was going to have to show Bella that I could be a sensitive guy.

The more that I thought about it, the more sick it made me.