At first, I was pretty excited to be getting a baby sister. I had been an only child for just over three years, and as much as I loved the attention, I wanted a girl to play with.

Then Alice arrived. In the beginning, it was awesome. I got to sit on the couch and cradle her in my arms. Mom and Dad even had a video of me whispering, "Look at the pretty baby" over and over in her dark hair.

But, as Alice and I grew up, I realized that maybe a little sister wasn't the best thing to wish for. She turned out to be an annoying, spoilt brat that got away with everything without even having to turn on the tears. Subsequently, I was punished for whatever Alice had done.

We were like this from the time she turned three and could finally talk. She was a late bloomer for everything, which made everyone pity her, especially my parents. They would give into her every want, which resulted in her maturity being seriously stunted. I mean, the girl slept with my mom until she was eleven, forcing my dad to sleep in a separate room for over a freaking decade. She sucked her thumb until she was nine. Hell, she didn't stop breast feeding until she was four! She was just…Alice.

So, I shouldn't have been surprised when she entered her freshman year, she was immediately the most popular girl in school. I had never been very popular, so I didn't feel that robbed, but it still annoyed me. She barely stepped on the school grounds before she made the cheerleading team and stole the attention of practically every guy in school. It wasn't fair.

I had to admit, Alice was the prettier one of the two of us. I was plain, she was gorgeous. My hair and eyes were the same shade of brown; my skin tanned and freckled from the summers I spent in California with my Grandma Marie. I was just brown Bella, the laidback nobody. Alice had black hair and tantalizing blue eyes that could suck you in. Her skin was so pale it was practically translucent, which made you look twice. Alice was beautiful, and she didn't really get that, so it made her even more intriguing. It infuriated me and impressed me at the same time. She could have been another one of those bitches that knew she was the hottest thing on the block.

My high school career was coming to an end, and I hadn't even dated anyone yet. It was mildly disappointing, but I had my eyes on a prize I knew I didn't have enough tickets to win. Jasper Whitlock was one of those popular boys that weren't a total dick head, not that any of those guys that he hung out with noticed me much anyway. He talked to me a lot. In fact, I could go so far as to say we were good friends, maybe even best friends. He moved here in the middle of our junior year, wearing cowboy boots, a hug belt buckle, and a plaid shirt. For a good two weeks, he was the punch line to every joke. I was the only person that talked to him without wanting to tease him. After he learnt his lesson, he instantly became popular. He had that southern charm that all girls would kill for. He was pretty good looking with a smile that revealed one dimple. Sometimes I wished he would have remained a cowboy so he maybe could have seen that I was into him more than I could tell him. I didn't want to push the guy.

Jasper and I were doing a Chemistry project together when Alice danced into my bedroom.

"Hello, darling sister," she greeted as she hopped onto my bed beside me.

Jasper quirked an eyebrow at me, grinning slightly, from the computer desk.

"Um, hey, Al," I replied. "What do you want?"

She smiled at me. "Dad's taking us to Seattle this weekend to shop!"

"Oh goody," I mumbled unenthusiastically. Alice loved to shop, I didn't. Another reason why I claimed she was adopted.

"C'mon, Bella," she whined, dragging out the "a" of my name. "Your prom is this year! You need to find a slammin' dress!"

I heard Jasper cough out his laughter at my sister. My cheeks boiled.

"Alice, can we talk about this later? I don't know if you noticed, but we're–"

"Oh, I noticed alright." Alice winked at Jasper. "Hey."

Jasper nodded at her. "Hey, Alice." He smirked at me when Alice gave me an excited grin.

I cleared my throat. "Well, if you wouldn't mind, darling sister, we'd like to finish this Chem project."

"Fine, fine," she sighed, hauling herself off of my bed. "Please come to Seattle? I promise I won't bug you anymore if you come to Seattle with me."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll come to Seattle with you, Alice."

She clapped her hands and grinned at me. "Thanks, Bell!" She scampered out of my room, singing She's Country as she danced down the hallway into her room.

Jasper's jaw dropped. "She likes country?"

I pursed my lips and nodded. "Yeah, she does. She was adopted from Texas, I swear to God."

"What's wrong with country?" Jasper asked.

"Everything," I told him with a grin.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"How about we agree to disagree," I decided. "I want this project done with."

Jasper nodded and we continued to work.

Two weeks later, Jasper and Alice were dating. I didn't cry, I didn't freak out, I didn't do anything. I should have been able to call that one as soon as the little She-Devil winked at Jasper. She was such a God damn flirt, and who was I kidding when I thought he wouldn't fall under her spell? Clearly karma wasn't on my side this year.

My other good friend, Edward Cullen, was the only one that noticed my sullen mood.

"What's up, buttercup?" he asked me the day after Alice and Jasper started dating.

I studied my apple carefully before taking a bite and shrugging.

He smirked at me. "Come on, Bee. You know you can talk to me." His smile became more pronounced. "Hey, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!"

I rolled my eyes and smiled despite myself. "You're such a dork sometimes, you know that?"

"The coolest dork you know," he corrected, nudging me with his shoulder.

"I don't know," I replied hesitantly. "Eric Yorkie's right up there with you."

Edward gave me an "oh-no-you-didn't" look before I started laughing.

"Okay, okay, you're the coolest dork I know!" I finally said through the laughter. "What am I then? I'm pretty dorky. I have the highest marks in English and History."

"You're just that girl that everyone wants to be or wants to have," Edward replied casually.

"What?" I asked with a scowl.

"Come on, Bella," he groaned. "Do I have to remind you of this every day? Girls want to be you, guys want to have you. You're popular, even if you refuse to admit it. The only reason the football team acts like a bunch of douches towards you is because they want you to notice them."

"Shut the fuck up, Edward."

"'Kay," he mumbled.

I knew that Edward liked me as more than a friend. And that confused the hell out of me. He was good looking; girls literally threw themselves at him. He wasn't on the football team, but he didn't really need to be. He was smart, funny, and easy to talk to. He was president of the school and in charge of all of the "fun" activities that went on at Forks High School. He was every guys role model and every girls desire to date. Maybe he was the delusional one. He could have anyone he wanted and he wanted to be with me.

Then maybe I was the delusional one. Maybe Edward didn't like me at all. It sure as hell didn't make any sense for him to. Sure, we'd been friends practically since diapers, but that didn't obligate him to want me as anymore than as a friend.

High school was fucking complicated.

I moped around for the next couple of weeks while Alice and Jasper snuggled on my couch while I watched the movies I rented and ate the popcorn I made for me. Yeah, life wasn't fair, but I was used to that. Or at least I should have been used to it.

Christmas came and went and Jasper and Alice decided that they were in love. Whoop-de-fucking-doo. Why we didn't host a party for it was beyond me. Fuck, Alice practically threw a party anyway. She phoned all of her cheerleader friends and gushed on the phone about it for three hours.

"Alice, I need the phone," I growled.

She held up a finger as she nodded. You're on the fucking phone, Alice! They can't see you! I wanted to scream. But I wouldn't. Because I was the older, more mature of the two of us. And I simply couldn't set a bad example for my fifteen-year-old sister.

Truth be told, I didn't need the phone. I just wanted her to shut the fuck up so I didn't have to be reminded that the guy I still crushed on was in fucking love with my younger sister.

"Please," I begged.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Okay, Rosalie. I'll call you later. Bella has to use the phone." She smirked. "Yeah. I know. See you tomorrow." She clicked the off button and handed it to me, popping her hip. "Who do you have to phone?"

"Em," I squeaked. I had expected her to leave the room. "Edward." I cleared my throat. "I have to phone Edward."

Alice quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "Since when do you phone Edward Cullen?"

"Since..." Fuck, she could really put me on the spot when she wanted to. "Since I... Since we started dating."

Alice's mouth gaped at me. "What!? You're dating now?" She squealed and hugged me. "Bella, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this to happen! I knew you and Edward would end up together." She clapped her hands happily before twirling out of the room, chanting, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it..."

I licked my lips and dialled Edward's number quickly.

"Hi, Edward? Yeah, it's Bella. We're dating now."

The next day at school, I hung out with Edward. People talked and smiled and congratulated us. Apparently the whole population of the school had been waiting for this day to come, and I hadn't even realized it.

Edward was absolutely ecstatic. Clearly he had been waiting for this day, too. I hadn't realized he liked me that much. I almost felt bad. He was still just a friend with me. He just had...kissing rights now. And believe me, I wasn't objecting. Edward damn near had perfect lips.

The point of my whole scheme was to maybe make Jasper jealous. I mean, if that was at all possible, considering he spent most of his time ogling my sister or being glued to her face. It was disgusting and it really brought out the green monster in me that rarely showed its ugly face.

So, Edward and I "dated" or whatever. It was pretty decent. I learnt more about one of my great friends and he soon moved up on the ladder and became my best friend with kissing rights. I could tell he was frustrated that I wasn't as enthusiastic about our relationship as he was, but I just told him I needed time to adjust to all of this, and he acted like he understood.

Then, a new girl moved to Forks. Tanya Denali. And she demanded attention. She was like the queen bitch of all the bitches in the world, and that made her posse grow quickly. Everyone was willing to fall in step behind Queen Bitch instead of fall beneath her haughty glare and her heavy choice of words. There were a few of us that didn't give a shit, like Edward, Alice, Jasper, and I, but we suffered somewhat.

Alice suffered the most because she was so popular. Tanya wanted to rule the roost and Alice was standing in her way. Alice tried to become friends with the bitch, but that was a no go. Tanya couldn't share the top.

That's when the rumours started.

"Did you hear that Alice cheated on Jasper with James?"

"Did you hear that Alice had a pregnancy scare?"

"I heard that she blew Mr. Banner to pass Bio last semester."

I saw red that day at school. Literally. I blacked out I was so angry. I woke up to Edward shaking my shoulders while I stared at the ceiling.

"What the hell was that?" Edward asked when I stood up.

"Didn't you hear them?" I grumbled. "They're... They're talking about Alice. No one has the right to say that kind of shit about her."

"There's not much you can do, Bella," Edward told me, smiling sympathetically. "Tanya pretty much has the entire school eating out of her hand. What're you going to do? Go old school and meet her at the playground at three?"

I shrugged, my face still contorting with anger. "I don't know, but I have to do something. Alice probably won't even make it through first period without bolting."

And I was right. Alice claimed to be sick and went home at 9:30. That was the final straw.

"Hey, Tanya!" I called at lunch. "Why do you come take a walk with me?"

She grinned at her friends before standing up, exposing her long legs and perfect breasts. She was wearing a pink mini skirt and black heels with a white, fitted t-shirt to top it off. It was fucking raining, for Christ's sake. What was she trying to prove?

As soon as we got out into the courtyard, the rest of the cafeteria followed.

"So, I've heard what you've been spreading about Alice," I started.

"What're you talking about, Swan?" she sneered. "I would never say anything about your sister."

"Whatever," I snorted. "Anyway, you can fuck off now. Get your plastic tits out of my family's business."

She gasped. "You stupid bitch!"

I rolled my eyes. "I am a bitch, I'll give you that, but I'm far from stupid. Who's the one that's only been here for a month and is already failing Math? Yeah, it's not me."

Tanya's mouth bobbed open in surprise and anger.

"Are you going to piss off?" I asked her.

"Fuck you, you whore," she screeched. "I'm the one in charge here, not you. Who do you think you are?"

"Who do you think you are?" I retaliated. "You just moved here. You're a junior. I'm a senior. It's clear who has seniority or whatever you were trying to achieve. Before you came here, no one cared. No one cared. I could be friends with a freshman and no one would say anything. A cheerleader could date someone that was in band and everyone would just go about their day and not say a thing. You wrecked Forks, Tanya. So, seriously, get off your high horse and fall in line."

People started cheering. It was like a movie where the geeky girl finally stood up for herself, except I wasn't really geeky and I wasn't standing up for me. I was standing up for my sister, and, even though she annoyed the hell out of me most days, she needed me.

Jasper gave me a hug after everyone left the area.

"Thank you so much, Bella," he whispered as he picked me up. "You were amazing. I'm sure Alice will be gushing about it for days now."

"Like she would ever talk about me to you," I said with a laugh. I knew how it went. I wasn't stupid.

"Oh, God, some days she won't shut up about you!" Jasper replied as he set me down. "I feel like I know you more now than ever, Bella. She really loves you." He smiled. "And if she loves you, then I love you, too."

My heart skipped a beat but without reason. It was obvious that Jasper and Alice were a far cry from being over with. Maybe I had already accepted that fact. But, in case I hadn't before, I embraced it then. Closure. Hmm. It felt nice.

"Well, um, thanks, Jasper," I answered shakily. "Are you going to talk to Alice? I mean, I could, but if you wanted to..."

"No, you go," Jasper told me with a smile. "You two should get reacquainted."

Edward was waiting by my truck. He was leaning against the driver's door, his arms crossed over his chest. I smiled as I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around him. After realizing that Jasper wasn't the guy for me, I could appreciate my boyfriend a lot more. Maybe even like him a lot.

"I saw you hugging Jasper back there," he murmured into my hair.

"Hmm," I hummed against his chest.

"I'm not stupid, Bella," he said. "I know you have feelings for Jasper."

I sighed. "I used to have feelings for Jasper, Edward. He's dating my sister. I've been over it for a while, I think. I just realized it now, though."

Edward smiled down at me and caught my lips with his.

"I really like you," I told him honestly. "I promise."

His smile grew. "I really like you too, babe. Now go help your little sister out."

I kissed him one more time before driving home and flying up to my sister's room. She was lying in her bed, sniffling, with the lights off.

"Alice?" I murmured as I entered the room. "You here?"

"Yeah," she replied, her voice full of tears.

I crawled into bed with her.

"Hey, you're okay," I told her as I pulled her to my chest. "I'm here for you."

She sobbed. "Thanks, Bella. But I don't think even you could stand up to her. She's just so..."

"I did stand up to her, Alice," I interrupted. "She's done. It's over. I swear."

Her watery eyes looked up at me. "Really? You did that for me?"

"Of course I did," I replied.

She gave me a tearful smile as she snuggled into me. "You're the best older sister in the world, Bella."

"Thanks."

"You know, I want to be just like you when I'm a senior."

"Why?"

She scoffed. "You really need to pay attention to Edward when he tells you you're popular, Bella."

I rolled my eyes silently.

"But, even more than that, you're kind to everyone. Everyone looks up to you. Everyone knows you, even though you act like you're nothing more than another face in a crowd of a million. You stand out, sis, whether you like it or not."

"Ditto, baby girl."

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wiped my snotty nose all over your sweater."

"Alice."


This is just a story that I came up with today. I seriously wrote this in like... less than three hours. At least. Maybe closer to two, to be honest.

Anyway, the inspiration is my youngest sister, Kat. She's the biggest brat in the world and some days I'm not above strangling her. But, this year, she started getting bullied by some of the girls in her class and it made me realize how truly protective I was of her. It made me realize how much I actually love the little stinker. (Cue "Aww"'s)

So, maybe this will make some of you guys appreciate your younger siblings as well.

Love,
Mary