Disclaimer: All characters in this story, save one, are copyright to Stephenie Meyer. The following content is entirely for nonprofit writing entertainment. Please do not sue me! I'm not claiming anyone from the world of Twilight or New Moon or anyone else's works.Warning: This will contain spoilers for the sequel to Twilight, New Moon, if you have not read it yet!

Prologue: Unexpected

"Married? Oh my! Bella, when?"

I sighed softly, frowning at the sound of Angela's voice that had forgotten to whisper the response to the news, like mine had. As much as the idea hadn't appealed to me before, I found myself looking forward to a wedding now. Perhaps it was the stereotypical girl in me.

Even still, there was no secret now. Like a hawk, Mike's head snapped our way, eyes wide and alert.
"What? What am I missing here?"

I knew by the tone in his voice that he was hoping one of us would tell him that Angela was only talking about a member of my family I'd been informing her on. Right now I wished awfully that was the truth. Angel froze, then bit her lip and looked down at her lunch tray, ashamed at speaking so loudly.
There was a possibility it could have stayed at that. I could have lied and told him I was giving Angela news on a cousin or something. Unfortunately, this made a chain reaction. Jessica. The chatterbox. With ears like a homing device.

"What's this?" She looked at me with an expression that I couldn't sort between confusion and a frown. "Bella?" She paused, staring. "Are you and Edward getting married?

I suddenly wanted nothing more than to crawl under the table. My cheeks were burning as a dead give-away. I couldn't lie to that one.

"Well," I started. "He did ask me..."

Mike nearly flew over the table. "What?! When"
I knew my ears were searing now.

"You have got to be kidding me," I heard Lauren whisper. I didn't even want to see the look on her face.

"I...I don't know...not that long ago," I squeaked in response to Mike's question. I wanted Edward and Alice to be here, so badly, but the sun that was streaming in through the lunch room windows explained why they weren't in school. Though I loved it, I mentally cursed the sun. If it weren't for that evil orb Edward would be here, sitting next to me, and I never would have felt the urge to tell Angela about the proposal.

"So you are!" Jessica was nearly bouncing out of her seat. By now the rest of the table was whispering, as well as the ones closest to us.

"Darn it."

Jessica now looked puzzled. "What? Bella, aren't you excited? I mean, this is a wedding!"

The whispers grew louder. I could feel every face in the room staring at me.

"Jess...I have to go." I quickly stood up and made my way to the door, dumping my tray's contents in the closest trash can to the door. I could hear her calling after me.

I suppose it wasn't so bad, really. I had less than two months of school left. I could deal with the whispers from people I didn't know and Jessica's interrogations, right? The worst part was that I hadn't even given Edward a firm 'yes,' yet.

"Well, I suppose that's the answer, then," I murmured to myself as I walked down the hall and out the double doors in front of the building. I would have to find Edward as soon as possible and tell him, though I'm nearly certain he was sure of what it would be. Sometime his eyes were deceiving, though. I could never read them properly.

Biology next. I still had a few minutes left, since I'd taken off from the lunch room early. A sigh escaped me as I looked up to the skies. The normal ominous clouds were beginning to roll in again. I tried not to get my hopes it. The Cullen's never came in for the second half of the day if there had been sun, so I knew I wasn't going to see Edward next period. I'd even driven on my own today.
The thought made me glance over to the student parking lot. My truck sat there, looking almost out of place to me, since I'd been riding with Edward for the past...how long had it been?

"Huh." I smiled slightly at the thought and shoved the hands in the pockets of my jeans and strolled around they yard. Usually the ground was too soggy to consider walking this way, but the sun had dried it up well enough this morning. But then something caught my eye. Something else out of place.
In the parking lot, only two spaces down from mine, was a Silverado truck. It had a gold paint job on it that all but screamed the fact that it was brand new. It wasn't nearly as intense as Rosalie's convertible, but it still stood out. I'd come to recognize most of the vehicles in that lot each day. This one was unfamiliar. Either someone had purchased a new truck or there was a new face in the school. A student's parking pass hanging from the rearview mirror stated this. Though, it seemed odd that someone would transfer here with only two months of school left. Ah well.

The bell rang and I knocked me out of my daydreaming. My next two classes were uneventful, except for the constant stares and whispers. Angela kept murmuring apologies to me over the lecture. I sighed and just continued to tell her it was fine. The bashful look she gave told me she didn't believe that.

By the end of my last class I was happy to see that the looks from others were happening less and less. Not to mention my suspicions were confirmed. I might have been eavesdropping a little, but I was nosey.

"Did you see him yet?"

"No. Is he a looker?"

"Oh yes."

"Did you catch his name?"

"No. Nikki's in his last class though. I'm sure she'll get it."

Just from following the two girls down the hall I was now knowledgeable of the fact that there was indeed a new student, a senior, and he had arrived some time during lunch. He already seemed to have most of the girls in a flutter. Curiosity was getting the best of me and I couldn't help but wonder if I could catch a glimpse of this mystery person while walking out to the parking lot. The gold truck was still there, complete with a few lingering boys admiring it.

Maybe I'd just sit in the cab of my own truck and watch to see-
"Ah!" My books flew out of my arms and across the grass.

"Dang! Bella! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking were I was going!"

"Er...it's fine, Tyler." I watched him scrambling on hand and knee to pick up the books and the loose papers that had escaped some of them. Fantastic. It seemed like he'd finally gotten over the incident with the van and taking me to prom and...everything. Knowing my luck this would trigger it again. Pretty soon he would be wanting me to have his children in apology, somehow.

He handed the books back to me, still muttering 'I'm so sorry's left and right.

"Really, it's fine. I knew I'd made it through the day too unscathed, anyway." I quirked a smile to him.

"As long as you're not hurt. I mean, wow, I'm not usually such a klutz."

It was rather humorous to hear someone else calling themselves a klutz in my presence.
"I'm alright, really. Relax."

"Are you sure? I mean-"

Tyler's voice stopped in mid sentence and he shifted to look at something behind me. Turning to see what was out of my view, I came face to face with a ragged brown cowboy hat, making me jump in surprise.

The male beneath it stood up the rest of the way, now holding out one of my escaped papers that'd he'd just picked up. "Miss? This yours?"

I stared in awe. He was taller than me, possibly taller than Edward, so I had to look up a bit. He was indeed attractive. Long blonde waves of hair escaped from beneath that hat. I'd guess him to be eighteen, or at least close to it.

"Miss?"

"Oh!" I blinked at him and took the paper back in the top book, not paying attention.

"Thank you."

"Not a problem." He smiled, flashing nearly unnaturally white teeth.

I frowned when I saw the pale tone of his skin, milky white, even if stretched over firm muscles that you'd have guessed to be gained from hours in the sun. My heart stopped for a moment, skipping a beat in fear.

"Is there a problem?" He tilted his head a bit, causing a few of those curls to fall over his shoulder.
"I...no," I whispered, looking up into a set of radiant burgundy eyes.

This was not good. This was not right at all. I thought of James' eyes, and Laurent's...but more James'. I would never forget the way I felt like that hunter's eyes were boring into my soul. This stranger's were exactly the same.

"Bella? Do you two know one another?" Tyler frowned. "Bella, you look a bit flushed."

"No." I muttered and stepped back, not sure if I was responding to Tyler or the situation in front of me.

The new student's smile began to fade and he looked at me closely. "Ma'am?" His southern draw was unique and somehow added to his 'charm'

"Bella?" Tyler whispered my name again. "Do you need to sit down?"

"Bella?"

Wait. I froze. That voice was different. I looked in the direction it came from, then exhaled slowly in relief as I saw Edward walking over, his arms crossed over his chest. He was looking at the stranger with a mix of confusion and irritation. I could see the muscles in his jaw tense as he held his tongue. "Is everything alright here?"

I looked back to the student to see his reaction. He was looking at Edward, but seemed to now be grinning a bit. "Yes indeed. Just helping the lady pick up her books"
With that, he gave me one more passing glance and walked off to the truck that I know also confirmed was his. I could have sworn I heard him chuckle as he passed us.