Id never cared much for what people thought of me, so on the first day back to school when Edward Cullen and his group of idiots started the usual routine of picking on me I didn't say anything. I just kept my head down and kept on walking like any other day. I hadn't even noticed that somebody had started to walk next to me that I pulled my head back up and looked over.

"Hey Bella!" Jasper said with his usual smile.

Jasper was my adoptive brother and my best friend. He'd just been adopted into my family over summer right after seventh grade let out. So now here we were starting our eighth grade year together and he was voluntarily hanging out with dorky me.

"Hey Jasper," I said with a smile, "you know you don't have to hang out with me if you don't want to right?'

"Silly Bella," he said back shaking his head, "Im never gonna let you be alone. Its bad for the heart."

It was a day at lunch about a month after school had started that year and I had to go home early because I wasn't feeling good. I went home and slept until he got off of school and he came home with none other than Edward and his group of dopplegangers. I had stayed up in my room and fallen asleep until my door had opened and I heard somebody come in. I'd stayed under the covers because I thought it was Jasper but then I heard that stupid voice.

"So this is where you hide from the world these days Isabella?" He said softly.

I didn't say anything. I just faked a deep sleep and waited for him to go away.

"I know you're awake. You jumped when I opened the door."

"What do you want Edward?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"I personally don't want anything but Jasper sent me up to check on you while he served drinks. If you could be more like him people wouldn't be so mean you know."

At this I rolled over and got out of bed, slightly dizzy, and went to walk past him clad in my pajams which consisted of a black and red sports bra and a pair of black spandex that I had from the gymnastics I was in. Without saying a word I walked down the hall to the bathroom and calmly shut the door. I'd decide a long time ago that talking to Edward Cullen was something I wasn't going to do. I looked in the mirror and saw that I had purple rings around my eyes which wasn't unusual but it was how dark they had gotten that really caught my eye. Id not been sleeping as much as I would have liked. I didn't know why though.

I quickly pulled a brush through my hair and washed my face. Now that they knew I was awak I needed to get out there and pretend like they didn't bother me. I opened the door and took off down the stairs and into the back room of the house and blasted my music. This was my private domain. Here I could do anything my heart desired and never have to worry about anbody else seeing me. I streteched my body and was just about to start practicing my competition routine when my music stopped. I looked over and saw stupid Edward with my iPod in his hand looking through my music.

"You aren't allowed to be in here." I said in my usual soft tone.

"The other guys are upstairs watching something on tv in the rec room. I wasn't interested and was looking for something better to do when I heard the music. And so I followed it." He said still looking down at my iPod.

"That doesn't justify your being here." I said through gritted teeth.

"No. It doesn't. But the fact that I'm not insulting you and you're not noticing really tells me that you don't pay close attention." He said before chuckling and walking out with my iPod.

I let out a frustrated sigh and followed him through the house and up to my bedroom where he promptly sat on the bed and kicked his shoes off. He never put my iPod down but instead put on one of my playlists and layed back on my bed.

"Your room resembles mine in a lot of ways. It reflects your personality and not who you are to the world." He said in a soothing voice.

I hadn't realized that I'd been walking towards my bed until my knees hit it and I fell forward.

"You know Isabella Im very impressed with you." He said in an almost whisper.

I didn't answer. I just looked down at him.

"You never seem to care what people say no matter what it is. And because of that I've grown quite fond of you." He peeked up at me and I felt myself blush.

I still didn't reply and he let out a sigh and ran his hand through his copper hair.

"Im going to ask you something and I want you to actually consider what it is Im asking." He said quietly.

This caught me off guard and I just bobbed my head up and down in response.

"I want to start over. From the very beginning. No more bullying from my end and you'll get all the attention you deserve."

I was about to reply when Jasper came to my room and knocked on the door before opening it.

"Hey Bellsies dad and mom are gonna be home late tonight so could you help me make some dinner?" He asked in his now deeper voice after he'd gone through puberty that past summer.

"Yeah no problem just give me two minutes kay." I replied and he just smiled and left.

I got up off my bed where I'd perched myself and reached over for my dance warmups. They were also red and black but had silver writing with my name on them.

"Champ?" Edward questioned reading the back of my jacket.

"Yeah fir the past three years I've won every competition so my trainer had this jacket made." I said shyly before walking down the stairs.

Everything had been going so well, or so I thought. Two hours later my mom and dad came home. Dad slept in the spare room that night and I left my room to go cuddle up with my mom. Two days later I had everything of mine packed in boxes and was moving to Arizona. I never got to answer Edward because I had stayed home from school to pack and now my parents were splitting up and Jasper was staying with Dad. That year I won every gold medal and first place award in my gymnastics before I landed a double back tuck wrong and broke three different bones in my left ankle and foot. All at once my life had seemed to fall apart.