Disclaimer: All rights go to Stephenie Meyer. I am not Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Okay, so this is my first FanFiction that I'm really actually happy with. Of course, this first chapter isn't quite as long as I'd like, but I still hope you read and review.

*Nessie's POV*

"Sweetie, you're not like other girls. If you go to high school, you might feel left out," my mother explained to me. I had been slowly trying to warm them up to the idea of letting me go to high school for my senior year. My dad had, of course, read my thoughts, but he never said anything until I decided I would bring it up. I looked to him now, hoping he would say something that might sway my mother. However, he continued to look at the ground, as though he were in deep thought.

"Mom, it's not going to be that bad. I'm done growing, so it would be pretty darn hard for someone to suspect that there was something different about me," I insisted. My mom looked up, like she was expecting someone to tell her what she should do.

"Wouldn't you rather start high school off with your father and I, along with your aunts and uncles?" my mom asked with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Please, mom, we have forever to go to high school together. I just want my first time to be independent. If I don't like it, you guys can always take me out," I continued trying to convince her. My mother and I are both extremely stubborn, which sometimes clashes. My father can be stubborn as well, but not as dramatically as my mother.

Finally, my dad looked up and began to speak. "Bella, dear, what's it going to hurt?"

My mother looked up at him, realizing she was overruled. She exhaled deeply, shrugged her shoulders, and plainly said, "Fine."

I beamed at my parents before running off to tell Jake.

Outside, Jake was phasing back into his human form. I saw his back peeking out from behind a tree as he slipped on a pair of boxers and shorts. As I was walking closer towards him, he looked up and saw me. He flashed me a giant smile and gave me a hug.

"What are you so happy about?" he asked, as though he didn't know. I had told him earlier in the morning that I was going to ask for my parents to enroll me in high school for my senior year. I wouldn't have been smiling if I hadn't succeeded in persuading them.

"I won."

"No surprise there, Nessie. It's pretty hard to say no to a face like yours," Jake said with a smirk on his incredibly good-looking face. I blushed at his compliment, along with my thoughts. I hadn't really ever started to think of Jake as "incredibly good-looking" until a few weeks ago. I shook the thought out of my mind, repeating in my mind, "He's your best friend. He's your best friend."

I knew that Jake and I would never be together. He was my best friend, nothing more. However, recently, whenever I saw him, butterflies appeared in my stomach. I would find that when he would simply compliment me, I was suddenly at a loss for words and stuttering like an idiot. The way Jake looked at me, I noticed, made him look as though he'd stolen stars from the sky and made them into contacts. I was positive that that meant nothing. We had been amazingly close best friends since I was a toddler. Whatever stupid, teenage girl feelings I had were sure to go away soon enough.

"So, what do you say to going for a quick run?" Jake asked, pulling me away from my all-too-confusing thoughts. I nodded, and we took off. Jake had phased into his wolf form already. Normally, once he had transformed, he was much faster than me, but right now it seemed as though he were slowing down so he could be right next to me. I looked over at him and smiled, almost shyly. He smiled back. Well, he would have been, if wolves could smile.

After running for about half an hour, we were both pretty hungry. My diet consisted of hunting once a week, while eating three human-meals daily. We went inside, where my mom was already finishing up pork chops, baked potatoes, and green beans. It smelled amazing, and I then realized that I was hungrier than I had thought. Jake and I sat down at the dining room table while everyone else in my family was preoccupied with something else. Grandpa Carlisle was reading a book on medicine (no shocker there), Grandma Esme was working on a new knitting technique, while Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper played an intense game of chess and Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett were off in their bedroom doing things I didn't want to think about, although I could unfortunately hear bits and pieces of it. My dad was playing the piano, and my mom sat next to him and listened. Nighttimes around this house were usually similar to tonight.

I looked up at Jake, whose mouth was full of food. I let out a short laugh. He swallowed his food and gave me a questioning look. "What's so funny?"

"You eat like a pig, you know that?" I joked. He smiled, shrugged, and continued eating.

Once we were finished eating, we decided to go outside again. The sun was just setting, and stars were beginning to peek through the clouds. It was dusk time, my favorite time. We lay down in the middle of the grass, which surprisingly wasn't wet from rain. Instead, the day had been unusually sunny for Washington. I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes. This was perfect. I was lying down next to my best friend in the entire world while the sun set. It was incredibly quiet, and all I could hear was Jake's breathing. I realized that I had a few weeks left of my summer bliss before I would finally begin my senior year, starting off at a real high school.

"What are you thinking about?" Jake asked me.

I looked over at him and smiled. "I was actually thinking about how I'm starting my senior year in a few weeks, and I'll be going to school with a bunch of normal people."

"Yeah, that's going to be great for you."

I quickly added, "The only bad part is I'll be away from you more than I'm used to." I hadn't meant to say this.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Jake assured me.

"Yeah, I know I'll be fine. I was actually worried about you. How will you cope?" I joked around, hoping he hadn't realized something off about me.

Jake chuckled, "That's true."

I suddenly realized that of course he'd be able to cope. We're best friends, not boyfriend/girlfriend. Get that out of your mind, Renesmee Cullen, I thought to myself. He doesn't like you that way. Then another voice argued with that thought. Maybe he does like you that way. Why don't you ask? The other voice responded. She won't ask because she doesn't want to take the chance of getting hurt.

I ignored the voices in my head and looked over at Jake, who seemed in deep thought. He saw me look at him from the corner of his eye. "What?" he laughed. His smile glittered while the sunset hit his face at the most wonderful angle. His perfect bone structure added to this irresistible mix.

Without thinking, I blurted out, "You're kind of beautiful." His smile was still on his face, but it was smaller now.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that," I quickly apologized, while my cheeks were burning and red.

Jake immediately shook his head, his smile bigger now. "Don't apologize. That just brought up old memories."

"What old memories?" I asked, truly curious.

"Your mom," he replied. "She said that to me once back when she was your age."

"Great minds think alike," I simply stated. "Why would she say that? Wasn't she with Dad?"

"Not at the time, she wasn't," Jake explained.

"Why?" I asked. I was beginning to sound like a toddler who wanted to know everything about how the world worked.

Jake looked away and took in a deep breath. "I shouldn't have said that. Oh well, you're just gonna keep bugging me," he began. "Well, your dad left your mom for a little bit after an accident. He was worried, so he thought her life would be better without him and his family putting her in harm."

"That's stupid. Dad protects Mom, and she protects him. That's just how it goes. They're a couple."

Jake's eyes were closed now. "I can understand his leaving now that I think about it. Sometimes people aren't ready for the truth or to be put in harm. He was just looking out for her. I mean, I would do the same thing if I were to be in his situation at the time."

"I would have been very mad if I were Mom. A girl deserves to have a guy tell her everything, be honest, protect her, and stay with her. All girls deserve that, in my opinion. He was right to protect her, but there are different ways," I argued.

"Some girls aren't ready for the truth," Jake stated. I wasn't sure what he meant by that exactly or where this conversation was headed.

"Maybe," I said. "Well, Jake, I'm really worn out. I'm off to bed." I jumped up off the ground, and so did he. I hugged him goodnight, and then I called towards the big house, "Good night," knowing they all would hear me. I could feel him watching me as I walked away, but I figured he was probably just making sure I got to the cottage safely. I turned around and smiled at him, wishing in the back of my mind that that hug could have been something more.

*Jacob's POV*

I know that Nessie's growing up. Don't think I haven't noticed it. I've noticed everything. She's much more mature than she was a year ago, taller, smarter, faster… Everything about her has changed. I've noticed the curves increasing, too. I don't like noticing it. In my mind, she's still a little girl. I can't come to the actual realization that someday soon she'll start dating. Once she enters high school, guys are going to be all over her.

Although she is my imprint, I've decided I'm going to let things work out naturally. If she ends up developing feelings for me, well, then we'll take it from there. However, I'm not going to tell her she's my imprint and have her feel obligated to be with me. I don't want that for her. I don't want her to feel pressured. That would just backfire. Of course, she will have some sort of feelings. Now, whether those feelings make her want to be my best friend or marry me… Well, I guess we'll have to see.

I watched her walk away from me and to her cottage that she lived in with Edward and Bella. I waited until she was inside. I then walked back into the main house.

Alice and Jasper were starting up a new game of chess, Rosalie and Emmett were arguing about only God knows what, and Edward was sitting on the couch, while Bella had her head in his lap with his fingers running through her hair. Carlisle was still relaxing in a recliner with a new book, and Esme had already finished her knitting pattern that she had just started not too long ago.

Although they had all heard me enter, no one really acknowledged it. Bella looked up at me and smiled, and that was about it. Usually Rosalie would make a snarky comment about me being a dog or whatever, but she seemed so busy with her arguing with Emmett that she didn't even bother.

I sat down on the couch opposite of Edward and Bella with Nessie still on my mind. She was always on my mind. I continued to think about how many guys would be flirting with Nessie and asking her to the movies. She would probably accept, having never been asked out on a date before. Then she would come home and tell me all about, and I would have to act like I didn't want to rip off whoever's head took her out on a date. I heard a light chuckle from Edward. Stop reading my thoughts, Edward. I'm glad they amuse you, but I'm not enjoying this at all.

"It's funny to me only because I've been in your situation," Edward claimed with a smile still creeping upon his face. I really wanted to rip his head off sometimes. "You can start a collection of heads then, starting with mine then continuing with whatever "kid" Nessie chooses to go on a date with." This stupid vampire was really enjoying this too much.

I looked over at Bella, who had her eyebrows together in confusion. "I can't stand when you guys do this: have your little one-way conversations so that no one else knows what you're talking about. It's really annoying."

"Yeah, well it's not my fault that your husband would rather read my thoughts than watch tv or something," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Edward, just leave him alone," Bella coaxed. I was glad that Bella was my best friend. She really still stuck up for me. She looked over at me and smiled.

"Are you shielding him or has his brain finally given up?" Edward asked with an annoyance lingering in his voice. Bella laughed and I mouthed thank you to her. I then continued to torture myself with the thoughts of Nessie's future.

Well, what do you think? Review, please. I respond to all reviews & if you would like a preview of the next chapter, say so in your review. Thank you very much. :)