Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer always has and always will own Twilight—I own nothing, I just like to play around with the characters.

A few notes: This is an all human story, and I tried to keep the characters in character when I could, but I don't think I did the best job, so please cut me a little slack. Also, this is the first fan-fiction story I've ever written, so please be kind, but let me know what you think, what I can improve on, etc. I appreciate any kind of feedback! One last thing—I'm not sure if this chapter is too short or not, but it's late and I had to stop.

I fidgeted nervously in my seat as I waited for my very first college class to begin. I had arrived early because I hadn't been sure how long it would take me to walk from my dorm to my classroom. Turns out it didn't take as long as I had anticipated, and now I am sitting in an empty classroom with time to kill.

With a sigh I reached into my bag and pulled out my copy of Little Women, smiling slightly as the book fell open to one of my favorite spots. I quickly lost myself in the book, looking up only when people started filtering into the classroom.

People avoided the seat next to me and I found myself wondering for the thousandth time if there was some kind of invisible sign telling people not to sit next to me. But it didn't really matter. I don't enjoy the mindless babble and gossip people engaged in.

I much preferred being by myself with a good book than trying to make small talk with someone she didn't really like. I settled back to start reading again, seeing as there were 10 minutes before the start of class and the professor had yet to show up.

Suddenly a shadow appeared over my book and I heard a velvet voice ask "Is this seat taken?"

I was startled and when I looked up to see who had asked, my heartbeat tripled in speed. The perfect voice belonged to quite possibly the most beautiful face I have ever seen.

While I was trying to gather my wits about me so I could speak instead of sitting there gaping like an idiot, I heard a nasally, high-pitched voice say, "This seat's open."

Glancing down at the speaker who was in the row in front of them, I saw a blonde-haired girl who I knew lived on my floor in my residence hall. I looked back up at the angelic face and saw that he was completely ignoring the overly-perky bimbo who had just spoken.

I spoke quickly and softly, "No, nobody's sitting here."

He flashed me a crooked smile that did nothing to help my heartbeat, and I gave him a small, shy smile and then glanced down at the floor as a blush flooded my face.

I couldn't help but feel shocked not only that someone had sat down next to me but that it would be someone as gorgeous as him. He had emerald eyes that I could have lost myself in for days and bronze-colored hair that quite clearly had a mind of its own.

I was about to continue my eyes' journey down the rest of his body when his voice made my eyes snap back up to his face.

"My name is Edward Cullen" he said, and I would have happily spent the rest of my life just listening to him speak, but I realized that he was waiting patiently for me to introduce myself.

"I…Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella" I stuttered, feeling like an idiot.

The peroxide blonde in the row in front of us who had spoken earlier turned back towards us and said "Hi Edward, I'm Lauren. You know, if you ever want a study buddy, or just a buddy for anything, I would be happy to help you out with that."

Well I was trying not to laugh at how desperate she came across, Edward turned to her with his eyebrows raised and said, "You know what, I think if I want to study with anybody I would ask Bella first, seeing as I don't have a real strong urge to flunk the course."

At that point I really did almost lose it and I couldn't stop a small giggle from escaping at the look on Lauren's face. She looked positively shocked, and she glared at me before turning around with a huff and then she started shamelessly flirting with the guy next to her.

As soon as she wasn't facing us anymore, I let my laughter escape and I heard Edward chuckle also. The sound of his velvet laughter helped me calm down, because I felt the need to commit the sound of his laughter to memory.

Once I had myself under control, I turned to Edward with my eyebrows raised and he saw the silent demand for an explanation in my face.

He sighed slightly and shrugged lightly "I hate girls like that—it's gross how desperate and fake they are. Not to mention they think they can get whatever they want just with their looks."

I felt myself smile slightly as he said this, realizing that he wasn't shallow like all of the boys had been during high school. I quickly brought myself back to the present when I heard him ask me a question.

"So Bella, what is your major?"

"Umm…right now I'm thinking about elementary education, but I'm not completely sure" I admitted. "What about you?" I asked, not wanting our conversation to end, even though I still felt some slight shock that this Greek-god was really talking to me.

"I'm majoring in music. I love playing the piano…" He was going to continue talking, but the professor chose that moment to show up and start class.

The professor was going over the syllabus piece by piece, never mind the fact that he had e-mailed it to us a couple of days in advance with instructions for us to read it before we came to class. I wasn't really paying attention to him when all of a sudden a folded piece of paper appeared on top of my notebook where I had been aimlessly doodling.

I glanced up in shock and quickly realized the only culprit could be Edward, and I couldn't help giggling softly as I saw him stare ahead trying to look innocent, even though there was a half-smile on his face.

I unfolded the paper quickly and saw a note that said, Gosh, could this class go a little slower? So what do you like to do for fun Bella?

I let a smile flash across my face and wrote back, I like reading and listening to music. Oh, and is there a reason you decided passing notes like we're in middle school seemed like a good idea?

I re-folded the note and flipped it back onto his notebook. He read the note and quickly scribbled something on the paper and shoved it back to me. I thought he looked nervous all of a sudden, but decided that I was probably imagining things.

I opened the note and scanned it quickly. I'm hurt that you think my note writing is childish Ms. Swan. I would much prefer an actual conversation, believe me, but I don't think the professor's deaf, even if he is old and slow. But how about getting a cup of coffee with me after this class so we don't have to "pass notes like we're in middle school?" That way we can talk face-to-face like the adults we supposedly are.

I felt my breathing stop when I read the last 2 lines and I had to quickly remind myself to breath before I did something embarrassing like pass out. I mentally double checked my schedule to make sure my next class didn't start until 11:30 and this one got out at 8:30—which was 5 minutes from now.

I felt myself blush again and I wrote my answer to his question. Sure, coffee would be nice. He's probably just trying to find friends, I kept telling myself as I gave him the piece of paper, but that didn't do anything to help the redness that seemed to have found a permanent residence in my cheeks. I watched him out of the corner of my eye and felt my stomach get all tingly when he smiled as he read my answer.

Finally the torturous class was finished and I shoved my notebook back in my bag and then turned to look at him, suddenly feeling very unsure and nervous. He gave me that crooked smile. "Shall we?"

I nodded and blushed. We both stood and made our way into the aisle where people were crowded, slowly making their way out of the classroom. Edward grabbed my arm when I suddenly tripped and almost ended up sprawled on the floor. "Easy there. We don't want you falling in here—you'll probably get trampled on."

If I thought I was blushing before, if was nothing compared to the heat I felt flooding my face now and I could barely look at him as I mumbled my thanks. We finally got out of the classroom and the building and we started walking east by the river that ran through the middle of campus. Although it was the first week in September, it was an overcast day and actually quite cool. "So where are we going?" I asked.

"There's this little coffee place on the main road north of campus. They have amazing hot chocolate and from what I've heard people love their coffee too. I just haven't tried it—I'm not really a big fan of coffee."

"Hot chocolate actually sounds really nice. I personally hate coffee. And I hate getting hot chocolate from Starbucks—it always tastes burnt and the only other place that does a nice job of making it is McDonald's but they only make it in the winter, so…" I broke off suddenly, feeling like a complete idiot. "I'm sorry, I'm totally rambling," I said as I found myself blushing yet again and looking down at my feet.

"No it's fine. I like listening to you talk. And I definitely understand what you mean about the hot chocolate." He gave me a reassuring smile as I glanced back up at his face.

"And speaking of hot chocolate, here we are," he said as we came to a coffee shop that looked squeezed between 2 bigger businesses. He pulled the door open and motioned for me to go in first. The inside of the coffee shop was nowhere near as small as it looked from the outside, but it was warm and cozy as well.

The conversation flowed between us easy and naturally as we talked and joked around. He hadn't been lying about the hot chocolate either. It was amazing—soothing, warm, and rich without going overboard. He told me about his sister who was, as he put it, "really sweet, but hyper enough to be in an energy drink commercial." He told me about his older brother and his parents, and I could tell just from the way he talked about them that he loved them.

He asked me about my family and I told him briefly about my parents Renee and Charlie and that they were divorced. The time flew by and all too soon it was time to start walking back for our 11:30 classes. "What building is your next class in?" He asked as we started walking back.

"Wells Hall."

"You're kidding. So is mine."

"What class are you taking?" I asked curiously.

"STT 201—Statistics 201," he replied. "And you?"

"STT 200—basically the same as yours but without the computers."

"Well that's neat. Maybe we can study together."

"Well, you might be able to help me, but I don't think I'll be able to help you much," I said laughing.

"Here's my stop," he told me as we reached a classroom. Mine was right down the hall from his.

"So I guess I'll see you later," I said, trying not to let the disappointment I was feeling creep into my voice. I had been having a great time with him and I didn't want it to end. I gave him a smile and was about to continue down the hall when his voice stopped me.

"Bella, what hall are you living in?"

"W…what? Oh, umm…Wonders. Why do you ask?"

"Well I was thinking maybe I could walk you back to your hall if you lived close to me."

"Oh," I stammered, feeling stupid. "So where are you living this year?" I asked, my fingers crossed mentally in my head.

"I'm in Case," he said with his crooked smile and I couldn't help the grin that grew on my face when he said that.

"So you're in the hall right next to me. That worked out quite well," I responded.

"Then I'll see you after class I guess." As I walked into my math class I could feel the grin that was on my face. My statistics class seemed to fly by as the teacher quickly skimmed through the syllabus and started lecturing about the first chapter. I could tell it was going to be a tough class but the professor seemed nice and willing to help students, which was a big change from my high school math teacher Mr. Varner.

The class actually ran a little late because our professor was telling us about an i-Clicker that we needed to purchase. I hastily scribbled a note on my syllabus as a reminder to pick one up at the bookstore, all the while hoping that Edward hadn't gotten sick of waiting and headed back without me.

I still couldn't get over the fact that someone as perfect as Edward actually seemed to like me—even as a friend. My worries were laid to rest as I exited the classroom and saw Edward casually leaning up against the wall. I smiled, suddenly feeling shy all over again as he smiled and came up to me.

"Sorry that you had to wait. Our professor was telling us about something we need to pick up at the bookstore."

"Don't worry about it Bella. I didn't mind waiting—truly."

I felt my face flush and I glanced down, feeling grateful for the cooler air as we walked outside that helped cool my cheeks. We chatted about our classes and he made me laugh as he told me about his professor who had not only spoken in monotone throughout the whole class, but who also had had spit flying out of his mouth through most of his class. "I swear, I'm going to need some kind of shield to protect me," he declared, sending me into another fit of laughter.

"Okay, well if I don't see you beforehand, I'll see you before math tomorrow," he said.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said. As we headed into our separate residence halls I had a strong urge to start doing a happy dance, but I restrained myself. When I got to my floor I could see my 2 roommates in there and I smiled. We had all bonded instantly and I knew we could tell each other anything. Alice was working on her laptop bobbing her head to the song that was being played throughout the room, and Rosealie was hanging up some of her clothes and re-arranging her portion of the closet.

It helped that we were so close, because otherwise my self-esteem would be flat on the floor every time I walked into the room. They were both gorgeous, even if they looked like polar opposites. Alice was short with black spiky hair and almost elfish features—in my head I often compared her to a little pixie. Rosealie was the complete opposite—she was tall with long blonde hair and a figure that most models, or any girl for that matter, would kill for.

I couldn't help but envy their natural beauty as I thought about Edward—how could he ever possibly be interested in me, when at best I was average-looking? Brown hair, brown eyes, average height and weight. I shook my head to rid myself of those thoughts and took a step inside the room, preparing to spend some time with my best friends.