Disclaimer: Twilight and all of its beautiful characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Prologue

My life had always been predictable. It may not have been especially exciting, but it was predictable. I had plans. My plans were simple, yet very precise, and I worked hard to stay on the set path that would ultimately deliver my goal. I needed a full ride scholarship to a four year university, my ultimate goal being the University of Southern California. I wanted to be a journalist—the kind of journalist that travels the world and tells the stories that matter—and USC was the school for that. It had been my goal for as long as I could remember. My high school career up to this point had been simple; I focused solely on the goal of obtaining the good grades that I knew I was capable of to stay on the planned path. The most key part of that plan was attending West Beverly High because it had the highest test scores in the Northern Los Angeles greater area. It was also the only public high school in the area that a serious university like USC stood up and took notice of. It was all part of the plan.

But I had deviated from the planned path, and let myself get distracted. I let some new friends and a few good times sidetrack me from my strict schedule of school, work, the newspaper and homework. Now I stood in our little kitchen holding an envelope that held the power to permanently alter my plans.

As I stood there staring blankly at my name—Ms. Isabella Swan—on the envelope. I suddenly realized with absolute clarity that all of my plans didn't matter. Not in the least. What I stood to lose was far greater than the dream college or the dream career. No, I couldn't leave West Beverly High, and not because of its status, but because for the first time in forever I was right where I belonged. I was no longer solely focused on striving towards my future like my life would begin then, at some faraway, abstract date. I was actually living in the here and now. I was truly enjoying my life. I had real friends and a real support system, not just Angela and Charlie, but a whole group of people that genuinely cared about me. But far greater than any of that was the realization that I could lose Edward. My Edward.

Could this all really be torn away from me? Could my new life fade away? My hands shook violently as I finally tore open the top of the seemingly inconspicuous white envelope. I smoothed out the folds of the single page letter inside and took a deep breath as I fought a losing battle against the tears welling up in my eyes. In the moment that the words came into focus I knew that yes, it could all disappear.

Chapter 1
"The Class of Beverly Hills"

"Bells! That's the third time I've heard you hit the sleep button on your alarm. Time to get a move on!"

I groaned as I rolled over and looked up at my dad, blinking the sleep out of my eyes.

"The alarm wouldn't have a sleep button if I wasn't supposed to use it," I croaked out in a throaty voice.

"That may be, but unless you want to be late for school because you sat in traffic all morning, you better get to moving. Plus, I already made the coffee." He winked at me, obviously proud of himself for conquering the big, bad coffee machine without my help this morning.

"Uh-huh. You just want me to get up and make you breakfast. I see how it is." I teased back.

"That too," he laughed.

I loved my dad. Charlie Swan was a good man. I knew that it had been just as hard for him to raise a daughter on his own as it was for me to grow up without a mother. He never complained, though. We were all each other had, and we never took it for granted. For as long as I could remember, Charlie got up at the crack of dawn to take care of whatever household items needed tending to. He always made sure I had a good breakfast—even if it was just toast or cereal—and that I got off to school on time. I tried to help out the best I could now that I was older and better understood just how much pressure he must have been under. It seemed he appreciated my recently developed abilities in the cooking department especially.

Charlie worked as a landscaper. The work was hard and laborious, but he was good at it and it paid the bills. Landscaping jobs were always plentiful in the Beverly Hills area, as everyone tried to keep up with the Joneses.

I went through my morning routine, showered and got dressed in a simple short sleeve, sapphire blue button down top and my favorite pair of jeans. I decided to wear my long, straight brown hair down and parted to side; no doubt I would end up with it twisted around a pencil by the end of the day, but it looked nice enough for now. I never wore a ton of makeup, and maybe that was a side effect of being raised without any female influence, or maybe it was just me. I was simple person when it came to fashion and beauty, so I elected to keep it effortless with some mascara and rosy lip gloss.

"What do you have going on today, Dad?" I asked, as I walked into the kitchen ready to make breakfast.

"Installing an outdoor fireplace over at the Newton's." I couldn't help myself as I started snickering.

"Well, just don't let Mrs. Newton get you alone again. That woman is a viper." Mrs. Newton was a well known Beverly Hills desperate housewife. Dad was too nice and too polite to put her in her place. The last time he had a job over there, she kept trying to encourage him to take his shirt off because he looked so 'hot' trimming the hedges. Poor guy had to practically push her off when she started fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt.

"Yeah, maybe I'll be lucky and she'll be out of the house getting one of those fancy manicures or something."

"Maybe."

We quickly ate our quick breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast together in companionable silence. As I was cleaning up the kitchen, Charlie began getting his things together to leave.

"Alright, Kiddo, I have to take off. You have a good day." He gave me a one armed hug goodbye, as my hands were fully immersed in the sink washing dishes.

"Bye, Daddy. I love you." Charlie slightly blushed as he always did at sentimental moments, but he hugged me a little tighter and gave me a sweet peck on the side of my head.

"Love you, too, Bells," he said softly.

"Good luck with Mrs. Newton." I hollered just as he was heading out the front door. I heard him laughing as he walked out to his truck. I watched him pull away in his white utility truck, towing his landscaping trailer, which proudly displayed his 'Swan Landscaping' logo on the side.

Once I finished cleaning up from breakfast, I gathered my belongings for school and headed out the door. I tossed my backpack into the old jalopy truck that my dad passed down to me when he got a new one for work. It was practically a tank and a god awful orange color, but I loved it. Plus it kept me safe from the crazy L.A. drivers during my commute. We lived in the Valley, and on a good day it was solid thirty minute drive for me to get to school. If there was an accident, it could take up to an hour. I planned ahead and usually ended up sitting in the school library until classes began.

Pulling into the parking lot of West Beverly High was like pulling into an alternate universe. Instead of your standard Honda Civics and Ford Mustangs that most teenagers drove, the lot was full of BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes, not to mention a hand full of exotic cars. I parked my truck in the farthest corner spot where no one else parked because the trees sometimes dropped sap.

I spotted Angela sitting on the front steps of the main school building with her boyfriend Ben wrapped around her. They were such a sweet couple; they never went overboard with PDA, but they were always holding onto each other and gazing at each other was such devotion. It was hard not to be in awe of their relationship. Most of the West Beverly student body seemed to thrive on playing coy games and starting unnecessary drama. Ben and Angela held their relationship above all of that. It was refreshing to see.

"Hi, guys," I said to alert them to my presence.

"Morning, Bella. Hey, did you hear that there is a new set of twins starting today in our class? A brother and sister, I think," Angela greeted me warmly.

"Nope. I'm sure they will be fully scrutinized by lunch though," I laughed.

"I hope they're nice. I heard they just moved here from the Midwest. People are nicer there, right?"

"Ang, I'm pretty sure people are nicer everywhere else," I laughed.

"Awe, come on Bells. You know you love us." I heard Jasper's low voice say from behind me.

"Hey, Jazz. You actually made it to school on time. What gives?" I teased.

"Got an early morning surf in. Best feeling in the world!"

"Mmm," was my brilliant reply, as the image of Jasper surfing in the soft light of the sunrise overtook my thoughts. Jasper was gorgeous. He had the classic California surfer vibe with his blonde hair, bright blue eyes, scruffy face, and crumpled clothes. It was impossible not to feel an attraction to him. But, I didn't date. Even if I did, Jasper wasn't really my type. He may have been insanely good looking, but he also didn't have a care in the world. He barely kept up a passing GPA in school and tended to party a little hard for my liking. He was a good friend though, and it didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes.

When the bell rang, we parted ways and headed into our respective classes. Angela and I had English together first. We walked together happily chatting away about nothing and everything. Angela had been my best friend since freshman year. We had been paired up as lab partners in biology class and have been inseparable ever since. She was a very down to earth kind of girl. While she did come from money—like most every other student here—she never made me feel uncomfortable for having less. Her family was great too. Her parents were loving and always welcoming of me. Angela's youngest brother was Autistic, and she selflessly helped out with him as much as she could. She took him to and from school and entertained him when her mother's time was occupied by the other children. Angela was definitely an exception to the rule around here, and I valued her friendship greatly.

The morning flew by for me as I went through my English and Calculus classes. My third class was Drama with Mr. Brody. As I walked into the theater, I took notice of a new girl talking animatedly with the teacher in front of the stage. This must have been one of the new twins that Angela had told me about. She was cute and tiny, talking a mile-a-minute with a smile so big I thought her face might crack. She was a couple inches shorter than me, had soft blue eyes, and dark hair cut in an attractive bob. Her clothes looked expensive, yet different from what everyone else around here wore. They were more unique and expressive. I took my seat in the third row back from the stage. I loved theater, but I preferred to not be pulled on the stage for every demonstration. The new girl made her way to a seat in the front row. Mr. Brody introduced her briefly as Alice Cullen and then began class per usual.

Halfway through the hour, we were asked to pair up and read lines together. Since my usual partner, Eric Yorkie, was missing from class, I walked up to Alice and offered to work with her.

"Hi, Bella. It's so nice to meet you. I just love drama. Don't you? Oh my god! The teacher is hot! I may need to sign up for some private lessons. So should we get started? Which part do you want to read?" I was stunned silent by Alice's quick rambling. I quickly tried to collect my thoughts as I attempted to come up with a response to her many questions.

"Um…yeah, Mr. Brody is definitely known around here as the hottie teacher. And, either role is fine with me. You pick."

We spent the rest of the hour reading and helping each other out. After Alice had calmed down a bit, I found that I really liked her. She was hyper as hell, but she was actually really sweet. She was just another girl trying to fit in. I understood that. If you didn't fit in with the right clique at West Beverly, they never let you forget it. I had far too much experience with that.

"I really had fun working with you today, Bella. I'm so glad we got paired up." Alice said as we gathered our belongings after the bell rang.

"Me too. So what class do you have next?" I asked as we walked together out into the crowded hallway.

"I have an art class. You?"

"I actually have a free period. I'm on the school paper and usually use the next hour to write and edit. My friend Angela has art this period, though. Come on, I'll introduce you." We walked together toward the art building. All the way there Alice blabbed on and on about handsome Mr. Brody. As we neared her classroom, Alice suddenly tugged on my arm and halted me.

"Who is that?" Alice whisper-yelled at me with wide eyes. I knew that look. It was the same reaction that every girl had to Jasper Whitlock. Sure enough, Angela was talking to Jasper right outside the classroom door.

"Come on." I pulled Alice, whose mouth was still gaping open, over to meet my friends.

"Hey, guys. Everyone this is Alice Cullen, she's in my drama class. Alice, these are my friends Angela"—Angela smiled and gave a tiny wave—"and this is Jasper." Jasper had the cutest smirk on his face as he extended his hand to Alice.

"Well, hello, pretty girl." Jasper took her hand and gently shook it while flashing her a brilliant smile and turning on the Whitlock charm. I noticed they hadn't taken their eyes off each other yet, and they were shaking hands a little longer than was really necessary. I cleared my throat and grinned at Jasper.

"Anyway, Alice has art class now, so I thought I would introduce you," I said, redirecting my attention to Angela. She also seemed very aware of the sparks flying between Jasper and Alice. I realized Alice hadn't said a word since we walked up. Gone was speed-talking Alice; instead, she looked suddenly shy and a bit nervous.

"Well, we should probably get inside, so the teacher can get you set up at a workstation," Angela said sweetly. Alice just nodded absently.

As the girls walked into the building, I couldn't help but rib Jasper a bit.

"Someone's got a crush," I sang out. Jasper didn't say a thing. He just stared at the door like he was willing her to come back out. Interesting. After a moment, he whirled around and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Before I could get away, he was messing up my hair.

"Stop, Jasper," I hollered through my laughter.

"I think I'm in love," he sighed dramatically, as I shoved him off of me.

"Well, it seems to be mutual. She was talking a mile-a-minute until she saw you. It's really not fair when you break out the Whitlock charm you know," I teased him.

"Don't hate on the natural sex appeal, Bells. I just give the ladies what they want."

"Whatever, Whitlock. Behave yourself. She seems like a nice girl. I don't have to tell you how rare those are around here. Don't go breaking her heart."

"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted me, walking away with a big grin on his face that clearly indicated that he had no intention of behaving at all.

I headed towards the small office we used for the school newspaper, The Blaze. I was the first junior to become editor of the paper. I worked with the Journalism teacher, Mr. Banner, during my free hour to make sure everything was running smoothly and on time. I was nothing if not efficient and driven by deadlines. Mr. Banner greeted me when I walked in and we immediately got down to business. We went over the various editorials and ideas we had for upcoming pieces. Together we assessed each of our writers' workloads and planned out their assignments for next month's paper. Since my free period was right before lunch, I often spent my lunch time hidden away in the office, working through until my actual Journalism class began the following hour. If Angela or Jasper were looking for me, they knew where to find me. I ate at my desk while I finalized an editorial I had been working on about teen drinking. Jasper would certainly get a kick out of it.

The rest of the day passed by in typical fashion. Mr. Banner and I delegated the new assignments in Journalism class for the next issue of The Blaze. I had a quiz in Anatomy and Physiology that was easy enough. In American History we watched a video on the Civil War, which put Jasper to sleep. It was probably for the best or he would have got me in trouble passing notes or finding other immature ways to distract me.

Finally, I walked into French class, my last class of the day. I noticed Lauren and Jessica huddled together, giggling like a couple of school girls in heat, which I supposed was exactly what they were. The entire female student body was in a tizzy over Alice's twin brother. I hadn't seen him yet, but after seeing Alice I could only imagine.

I avoided eye contact with both Lauren and Jessica at all costs. I had found that if I stayed invisible to them they made less of an effort to try and intimidate or harass me. They were stereotypical, superficial Beverly Hills heiresses. They didn't like me because I didn't wear designer labels, drive a fancy car, or feed their egos. They were also jealous of my friendship with Jasper. They may both bob his knob from time to time, but he would never actually hold a real conversation with either of them.

I took my assigned seat near the window on the opposite side of the room. This was my first year of French. It was definitely one of my more difficult classes, but two years of a foreign language were required for each of the universities I was applying to. I struggled with conjugating, where to put the accents, and gender nouns—the whole nine yards really. And forget actually speaking a lick of it. That was a whole other issue altogether. My enunciation was crap. I definitely did not parle any français. I had to maintain a solid A in the class to keep up my GPA, and while it was a bit difficult, I actually really did want to learn it. After all, French was the language of love.

Madame Wand turned on her overhead projector and began lecturing immediately after the bell rang for class to begin. Not ten minutes later, the door to the classroom opened. I took advantage of the teacher's distraction to catch up on my notes. I was scribbling like a mad woman in my attempts to not miss anything. I heard Madame Wand talking quietly with a guy. I looked up as she turned him to face the class and began to introduce him.

"Bienvenue. Je m'appelle Madame Wand. Class, please say hello to our new student, Edward Cullen." In that moment, I swore my heart ceased to beat and my lungs stopped working. This was Edward Cullen? No wonder the rumors were flying, and the girls were in such a state.

"Bonjour," the class rang out in response. I heard Jessica and Lauren giggling. Why wouldn't they? Edward was gorgeous. He was wearing a black polo with the top couple of buttons opened and dark wash jeans. He was tall with a strong build, very masculine. His bronze hair was in perfect disarray. His eyes were light and shining. I couldn't make out the exact color, blue or green perhaps? It was hard to tell from the distance. He had a strong jaw with a little stubble just like Jasper. And his smile, gah! His tentative smile was so sweet I couldn't help but return it. It made his face read like an open book. I could tell he was just little uncomfortable and trying to politely take in all of the unnecessary attention.

"Edward, parlez-vous français?" Madame Wand asked, effectively drawing me out of inner admiration of the perfection standing before the class.

"Oui, un peu, Madame." When I heard him speak, I gasped. His voice was low and raspy. The sound I made was enough to alert him. His eyes locked on mine for a moment. His tentative smile morphed into a curious smirk until the giggling resumed. I looked over to Jessica and Lauren and realized my mistake instantly; I had drawn attention to myself. I felt my cheeks burn as looked down at my notes and tried to ignore the commotion around me.

"Fantastique! Your enunciation is perfect. You will have all of the girls of West Beverly swooning in no time. You may take the empty seat over by the window," Madame Wand instructed him. I felt Edward brush past me as he took his seat in the desk directly behind mine. My cheeks and neck burned even hotter at his close proximity.

A little part of me was jumping up and down because the gorgeous new guy with the sexy voice was sitting right behind me. Maybe I could get him to whisper sweet nothings in French in my ear for the rest of the semester. The rest of me, practical Bella, was pissed. This gorgeous guy was drawing unwarranted attention to me, and that could not be a good thing. I had never had such a strong reaction or intense attraction to someone before. Perhaps I could ask Madame Wand to move me; tell her I needed to sit up front to see the slides.

I didn't realize I had stewed about Edward Cullen for the remainder of the class until the bell rang, causing me to jump. So much for taking good notes today. I quickly gathered my things and headed towards the door without sparing a look in Edward's direction. As I started walking towards my locker, I heard the high pitched voices of Jessica and Lauren behind me.

"I know, right? Too funny. She, like, gasp-snorted or something when she saw him. It was awful! I would be so embarrassed if that was me." Angrily, I pulled open my locker and began to shove my books into my backpack.

"Like she even stands a chance with a guy like that. Did you see what she is wearing today? Does she shop at Wal-Mart, or what?" They continued to spew their condescending words as they shoved past me, well aware that I could hear them. I slammed my locker shut and turned quickly to leave; as I did so my bag flew open and my books spilled all over the floor. Anger, frustration, and humiliation welled up inside me. I blinked hard against the tears that were threatening my eyes. They didn't deserve to see me cry. I bent down to gather my books when I heard his melodic voice once again.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

"You sure?" I nodded not trusting my words again. I stayed focused on the task at hand. He knelt down beside me and picked up the remaining books and notes before they were trampled. We locked eyes as he handed them back to me.

"Here you go…" He left the statement open, clearly fishing for my name. All sense to respond had left me. I was speechless. Up close I could tell that his eyes were definitely green—the most beautiful moss green I had ever seen. He was even more striking this close and he smelled so good, too. I felt my cheeks flush once again with embarrassment. I dropped my gaze to my bag as I tried to compose myself and steady my voice.

"Um, thank you. You didn't have to do that. I really need to get going though. Um, bye." The words rushed out of me too quickly and pitchy. Further mortified by my needless rambling, I gave him a half wave as I quickly turned and practically sprinted towards the parking lot. I had to be at the library for my shift before long anyway.

French Translations:
Bienvenue. Je m'appelle Madame Wand.—Welcome. My name is Madame Wand.
Bonjour! —Hello!
Parlez-vous francais? —Do you speak French?
Oui, un peu.—Yes, a little.
Fantastique!—Fantastic!

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read the first bit of my little story. I hope you enjoyed it! Any ideas on what inspired this? It's glaringly obvious to me, but I am curious to hear your thoughts.

A HUGE thank you to my friends, Hibbleton78 and Holly1980, who held my hands while I worked up the nerve to share this with all of you. Hibbleton78 beta'd the hell out of this for me and Holly1980 made me a beautiful banner. They're both full of awesomeness!

Shout out to my fellow 'Muselets' for all their support! *mwah*