A/N - This story will have alternating POV between Edward & Bella in the future and is rated M for future chapters.

Forks, Washington - 1955

Edward

All I could think about was sleep. That was all high school inspired in me. Exhaustion. It was hell but there I was, practically napping with my eyes open. I stared without focus at a crack in the wall nearby, imagining pictures in the fractures.

The cafeteria was in a tizzy, a buzz with gossip and conversation. Not that that was anything new but the topic was. A new girl had started at our small little school that morning and she was all anyone could talk about. Their excitement was both predictable and boring. The only people who seemed unconcerned about her arrival were those sat around me. My friends. We were the richest kids in Forks; everyone knew it, we certainly did and a quiet, mousy, new girl held no interest for us.

She, I wasn't actually sure of her name, had moved to town with her dad. No mother. What was that about? I was sure the old chatterboxes in town were already flapping their gums about that one. But her old man was a cop; he'd been brought into town to be sheriff. I guess that elevated her status in some people's eyes. Not mine.

They were renting a house; some small, white clapboard structure from before the war. Everyone in town knew and it was decidedly on the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. There were no actual train tracks in Forks, Washington. It was more like the wrong side of Main Street. On one side, where I lived, where my friends lived, there was a mix of classic Victorians and new modern homes, like the one my family resided in. On the other side, her side, were renters, tradespeople, shopkeepers, servants. Your usual blue collars mostly. I tried not to think about that side of town. What was the point? I wasn't friends with anyone who lived over there.

As for my friends: Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and the few other kids we permitted to join us, we didn't cross Main Street unless it was to get loaded on cheap booze and ride the dirt road along the edge of town, racing the pristine cars our parents had purchased for us. Never for papers, of course, only for fun, for bragging rights. And that was the kind of shit that new girl's daddy was expected to put an end to. Well, not if we had any say in the matter. Drinking, racing, necking, smoking, and hanging out with our friends were the only things to do in Forks and no crusty lawman was going to deny us that privilege.

I caught Rosalie staring at herself in a gold compact, clearly admiring her own beauty as she powdered her delicate nose, fluffing her perfectly curled bangs. Her lips were blood red, immaculate. I never could understand how she managed to keep it looking so flawless with Emmett constantly kissing it off.

The man in question was seated beside his steady of over a year, an arm casually slung over her shoulders, quiet but possessive. Rosalie was head cheerleader, Emmett was captain of the football team even though he was only a junior. They were both in high demand with the opposite sex, social climbers mostly. I had known Emmett since birth, our parents belonged tot he same club, along with Alice's. Rosalie and her twin brother Jasper only moved to town in junior high but quickly established themselves within our little circle.

Alice and Jasper were a couple too. Sometimes I felt surrounded but dating didn't hold a lot of appeal to me, there were very few girls in Forks I would be willing to be linked with and even fewer that I would actively pursue. In fact, probably none. My parents had plans for me, I was going to go to Dartmouth and be a doctor like my father. A girlfriend really did not fit with those goals. I would have plenty of time for girls later and until then there were always the girls I occasionally took to the drive-in, they kept me occupied.

Glancing over at Jasper I noted the look on his face. He was painfully bored, much like myself. We really needed to get out; it was Friday. The whole group was going out. Beers and a race or two, that was what he needed to dust the boredom of school off of our shoulders.

Raking one hand through my hair I fumbled idly with my pen, a steel gray fountain, one of the nicest on the market and a gift from my father. He hoped it would encourage me to achieve in school. It didn't. But then again it was not as if I really had to work to do well at Forks Senior High School, the curriculum was severely lacking. My parents had discussed boarding school at one time but I had flatly refused. Why leave a good thing when I had it? And my friends, what about them?

The chatter around us died down to a dim roar, highly unusual for the middle of lunch period, and made me look up to see what was going on. For one brief, time slowing, heart stopping moment my eyes locked with a pair of gorgeous, wide, chocolate brown eyes. They were set in a pale, lovely, heart shaped face with pouty pink lips. Her hair was thick, mahogany, chestnut, rich and luxurious, swept back with a headband. She was enchanting. Without conscious thought to my actions I allowed my gaze to sweep over her form, dropping from her exposed neck to her saddle shoes. A lush body, full breasts pressed against a simple, fitted white sweater, which ended in a flouncy blue skirt but her posture belied nerves, embarrassment. And when she caught me mid-stare her cheeks flamed hot and pink. She quickly diverted her gaze, shuffling to a table with Jessica Stanley.

For one long moment I had no clue who she was and thought of gallantly rescuing her from those squares. How I could have possibly missed her up until that point? And then it struck me, she was the new girl. The new sheriff's daughter. My mood immediately darkened, all thoughts of making my move before all the other numbskulls around here evaporated. I would not be asking the likes of her out. What would people think? I shook my head, it was an impossibility, which really was a shame. My mouth practically watered as I imagined slipping my hands up under that sweater, coaxing her into laying back, letting me climb on top of her in my car, the pretense of a struggle, the sweet sounds of her kittenish mewls as I caressed her bare flesh.

I mentally slapped myself, knowing if I didn't stop that line of thought I would have a difficult time escaping the cafeteria and her presence unnoticed.

"Shall we?" Rosalie asked, standing, giving me a perfect reason to leave. I shrugged, stood and waited eagerly.

Our group exited quickly, barely glancing around us, the new girl watched our retreat with inquisitive eyes. The girls around her all leaned in conspiratorially likely filling her in on all the Forks gossip. At least she would know where she stood then.

It was raining, of course. Emmett draped his letterman jacket over Rosalie's slight shoulders before tucking her into his side, escorting her through the doors to the courtyard. Jasper in turn offered Alice his hand which she daintily accepted, dark ponytail bobbing behind her as she sashayed ahead in one of those tight pencil skirts she always insisted on wearing. But as we made it outside she dug around in her tiny red, satin purse and withdrew a pack of cigarettes, offering us each one. No one refused.

I needed a break, some time to get my head back in the game before Biology. Banner was on my case about the science fair and I was completely uninterested in the additional workload.

"So who's driving tonight?" Jasper glanced around.

"Me," I grinned, cocky, hoping for a chance to kick Jasper's ass again. He rolled his eyes.

"And me," Emmett added, turning to Rosalie. "Pick you up at seven?" She huffed but it was only for show.

"Fine." Snubbing out her smoke on the concrete wall behind us she looked over at Alice who was reapplying another coating of lipstick, coral pink. "Do you want to come over after school? We can get ready together." Alice's response was to squeal in delight, bouncing up and down in her black kitten heels and clapping her hands. Sometimes she was so juvenile.

With that we all dispersed, each heading to a different class. "See you in Latin, Ed!" Emmett called and I offered him a wave as I made my way to the science building. I was impressed, I had stopped for a smoke and I would still be early. I only hoped that Banner wouldn't be there to corner me.

In class I settled at my lab table. I had been seated alone since the beginning of the semester and while it could be tedious at times I was quite capable of handing the assignments on my own. I rather liked not having to interact with other students, especially less desirable ones. So many of our classmates were utterly and astonishingly dull; they had nothing to say, did nothing interesting, and didn't have the money to be involved in any of the same activities as I and my friends were.

Sighing I resigned myself to yet another boring lecture on some topic I had grasped while still in junior high thanks to the multitude of medical books and journals present in my home. My parents always encouraged me to explore and as such I was incredibly well read for a person of my age, once more separating me from many of my peers. I looked forward to college, to attending an ivy league school, to the rich fulfillment that accompanied being with like minded people of similar backgrounds and upbringing.

The room was relatively silent as only a few other students had begun filing in from lunch. My thoughts wandered away from me, bringing me back to the crowded room, to catching the new girl's eye, to her blush. I had to wonder where else she might blush. Would it start in her cheeks, slide down her neck, linger on her collarbones? Would it go lower? And because I was thinking about her I couldn't help but over hear the rushed whispering of her name on the other's lips. Isabella Swan. That was her name.

She was in my class. Advanced Biology. That was unexpected. And even more so was the fact that she was walking on Mike Newton's arm, a smug grin plastered across his disgusting, greaser face. Mike's parents owned a couple of stores in town, rented houses, that kind of thing. It made him think he could run with the big kids. He couldn't, the guy just couldn't keep up, but that didn't stop him from trying. It would almost be flattering if it weren't so utterly annoying.

As she handed Banner a slip of pink paper, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, one shoe scuffing it's mate, I realized that my table, my small haven was about to be interrupted. By the new sheriff's daughter. She would be in my face everyday. He could use her as a spy! But the seat next to me was the only one free. I was trapped. Why couldn't she have taken Earth Science like most of the other girls in our year? They built their own planetariums, they tied science into home economics, made it useful. No, she had to be there, getting in my way, butting in where she most certainly did not belong. So I didn't move my stack of books, she would have to ask me to, or they were going to stay right where they were. I was not putting myself out for the new girl, no matter how good she looked in a sweater.

Taking her seat the scent of strawberries and cream washed over me. She smelled like a cool summer afternoon, sat on the patio, enjoying the sunshine and sipping lemonade. It was heavenly. It was completely unacceptable.

Placing her belongings on the table in front of her she tried to maneuver around my things, biting her lip, staying quiet. But finally with a deep intake of breath she rushed, "Would you mind if I moved these over just a little? I'm sorry," she apologized, teeth still clinging to the ripe flesh of her mouth, her cheeks burning. I was immediately hard.

With a gasp I snatched up my books and quickly, strategically covered myself from her or anyone else's curious gaze. But that was my only reply, I was otherwise completely silent, ignoring her existence. She turned away, allowing her hair to cascade down as a curtain, blocking her from my view. I checked again to see if she was looking and she wasn't. In fact, she never even cast me another glance, as if I were some pitiful thing, beneath her. That was a laugh. The new girl was a frigid bitch, a snob. I gripped the edge of the table, my free hand balling into a fist. I would have wagered she was a tease too and maybe a gold digger after the way she had shamelessly been touching Newton, flirting with him. I resolved to warn my friends about her later that evening and be done with the entire thing. Miss Isabella Swan was no good, that much was obvious.

A/N2 - Thanks for reading! I know it's short but I think this will have a lot of frequently updated shorter chapters in the future. The next couple are already complete in fact. Reviews are love!

Disclaimer - I do not own Twilight or the characters within, just the idea of this story.