Dedication: I'll dedicate this to my best friend. I like her so I think she deserves to have at least a chapter dedicated to her.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

"You're a freaking po-lice-man 'CHIEF SWAN!!'" The rage and contempt seeking volumes not yet reached without a blow horn was not at all surprising to anyone who could hear it.

Even though she was used to it, every outburst of her mother still gave Bella the urge to strangle something. Preferably something named Renee. Bella was sure it wasn't just a rumor that some people actually needed alarm clocks to wake up. She of course hadn't had a use for one within her memory. Beeping would be a lot more pleasant than screaming.

"I'm sorry Renee- I tried, truly I did." Bella was even more bothered by the weak and spineless responses her father always produced. She could just picture him in the next room over attempting to shrink away from the conflict. Nothing could waver his love and adoration of his wife- not her hate of him, her constant outburst, or her loathing of her own life. At times Bella wondered why her mother still agreed to go to the therapy sessions. Apparently she still had hope.

"How hard is it to bribe a stupid school?"

Fantastic- Bella recognized what the argument was over. She reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her I-pod. She did not want to hear any more of this fight.

Last month she had applied for every private school on the continental U.S. whose deadlines had not passed yet. It had been stupid and desperate and now it was starting fights between her parents too. They really didn't need help with coming up with new things to fight over. But how could she have not wanted to get away after what happened?

She'd hated Forks ever since her best friend's mom died. Jacob was forced to grow up so fast after that she hadn't been able to keep up. Bella was too preoccupied with her parent's constant arguing to focus on being everything Jacob needed her to be. The last Bella knew Jacob was having a really hard time and had shut himself off from the world completely.

There was only so much Bella could do without tearing herself apart. She'd tried everything she could to help him. After months and months she came to the realization that she was just giving more and more to him and leaving nothing for her own sanity and growth.

That was about the time she started to view high school as a magical place. Bella was reasonable enough to know that her life wouldn't change much if she started to go to one of the smallest high schools in the U.S. Nevertheless, she still hoped. She hoped that maybe- just maybe she could find a friend that could fix everything for her. Hope was an infectious and contagious thing.

Everyone in her grade was much too familiar to have changed enough to be that person. Angela was the only person she could even remotely stand. The other girls would frolic around perfecting their hair and improving their fashion. Bella supposed it did give them something to do. She and fashion mixed about as well as the coyote and the roadrunner. Her mother was always the roadrunner who chased her wherever she went trying to force her into cute little girlie and disturbing objects. Bella was in serious need of some more dynamite.

That was why having a boy as a best friend had been perfect. He never needed to run off to fix his make-up. But Bella had long since gotten over that lost relationship. She could cope just fine on her own. With a few dozen books and her music she would be set for life.

Life did tend to get lonely though. That was why she had been so hopeful when her dad told her about the new family with five teenagers about her age was moving to town. She had thought that perhaps one of them could be that person that could put together the pieces of her life. That way, she wouldn't have to befriend upperclassmen to find new and different people.

As sheriff's daughter, she had been one of the first ones to meet them. The meeting had not exactly gone as planned or hoped for. That was of course assuming she wasn't hoping for looks of sheer hatred without any basis.

The Swans had entered the gorgeous Cullen home (mansion really) and every exquisitely beautiful member of the family had welcomed them with a warm and charming friendly nature. That is- every member except one. With more anger than anyone had ever directed at Bella in her life he had announced his need to use the bathroom and then left and never came back.

The rest of the Cullens had tried to pretend nothing at all had happened and Bella's mother had done the same. While Charlie sat there in complete oblivion, Bella had been in complete shock trying to figure out what about her could have been so repulsive. Her mind had been elsewhere so completely that she had no idea what any of the Cullen's names were or how old they each were. All she knew was that the people she had hoped to befriend her most turned out to be cold and terribly distant.

That had been the day Bella frantically applied to dozens of schools. Clearly, no one here could be her greatest friend so maybe she could find that person somewhere else.

Bella stared out at the mailbox at the end of her driveway. It's complete emptiness of any acceptance letter mocked her.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!

Shocked out of her reverie, Bella looked at her clock. With first shock then severe anger, Bella glared at it trying to make it turn back time. Eventually she gave up and began the process of getting ready for her first day at Forks High School. This would be a fun day.

Authors Note: So tada!!! My first thing to ever write for fanfiction! I am very happy about writing it. Let me know if reading it made you happy too. I can write more if you like it.

Don't worry though- not all the chapters will be this long. Think of this as a sort of introduction that is probably twice as long as any of the chapters will be. Or would you rather I write long chapters?

As I am so new to this, I am very open to suggestions. Please review!!