Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to Ms. Stephenie Meyer. All references to and characters in the Twilight Saga belong to her.

You should know before reading, I have a tendency to let my mind wander with me and can get off on long tangents causing even longer chapters. Also, if you're overly attached to Edward the vampire and Bella the shy girl, this is not for you.


1. CONTRARY

BPOV

Patience – not one of my virtues. This was becoming very obvious as Charlie stared at me while I waited for Alice to pick me up. I stood in the doorway at our front door staring through the rain wishing it was already three-thirty in the afternoon instead of seven in the morning.

"Nervous?" Charlie asked. It wasn't until he mumbled his question and stared down at my feet that I realized I was tapping my toe.

"Oh no, just annoyed that Alice isn't here yet." I said smiling at my father.

Charlie and I had an easy relationship. I was very independent. He was very independent. I had come to live with him when I was fourteen, just before my fifteenth birthday and my first year of high school. I had been living with my mom in Phoenix until she was diagnosed with cancer and died shortly after. I handled the loss relatively well considering she was the only parent I really knew.

Moving to Forks, Washington with my father was a really big change for me. Meeting Alice Brandon on my first day at the new school definitely helped my transition even though our first words were not exactly friendly.

"You're sitting at our table." A trilling voice said looking down at me sitting at a lunch table. I looked up to see a pixie like creature with black spiky hair standing in front of me with her hands on her hips. Next to her stood a statuesque blonde with a look of boredom in her blue eyes. Before I could really respond, or get a grip on my thoughts, another blond walked up on the other side of the pixie wrapping his arm around her waist. He kissed her cheek then stared at me too.

My brain finally kicked in when I realized what she was basically telling me. "How can this be your table when this is the first day of high school?" I smarted cocking an eyebrow.

The three of them looked stunned as the two blondes turned to the pixie for her reaction. She huffed and crossed her arms.

"Well sit." I finally said as the three of them just stood there looking like idiots. The black haired girl slowly sank in the chair across from me. The other two followed just as slow.

"Name's Alice Brandon." The pixie said smiling at me. "This is Rosalie and Jasper Hale."

"Bella Swan." I introduced myself.

I was brought back to the here-and-now when Alice honked her horn. I whipped my head to see her yellow Porsche parked on our curb.

"See ya tonight Bells. Have a good first day." Charlie said waving at me.

I gave Alice a fleeting glare when I jumped in her sweet sixteen birthday present that her mother, Esme, had given her just six months prior to starting our junior year of high school.

"Oh you'll get it over. Looking this good takes time," she winked. "Plus you can act mad all you want but you know just as well as I do that you're not the least bit upset about prolonging the start of the school day."

Damn.

She was right. Of course I didn't want to start the day. School was a waste of my time. I slept through most of my classes and the ones I didn't sleep through, I practically taught. Alice, Rose, and I had already compared our schedules so we knew we had Trig, Spanish, and of course lunch together but other than that I was on my own. Jasper and Alice had some how managed to arrange their schedules identically, which really annoyed the shit out of me. The happy couple had been really obvious with their affections over the summer. Rose had it worse than I did; Jasper is her twin so whenever Alice was over at their house, she was trapped. Rose and I got really close over the summer when she would walk down to my house to escape the constant pawing going on at hers.

We pulled into the school parking lot and into our normal spot next to Jasper and Rosalie's BMW. At times I felt mildly out of place in their group. Obviously, their families had money. Esme is a famous interior designer on the west coast and is gradually expanding into the rest of the country. Rose and Jasper's parents are both lawyers based out of Seattle but do most of their work from their home offices, only occasionally venturing the three and half hour drive to Seattle. I on the other hand am the daughter of the town's Chief of Police. Our household income is substantially lower than that of my best friends to say the least. Even though they never make me feel out of place since I don't wear Minolo shoes or carry a Chanel purse, the "black sheep" feeling only comes around once in a while. Most of the time it hits when, the girls are trying to give me their barely used clothes. I have yet to accept.

I noticed from the minute I got in Alice's car that she was in an exceptionally good mood – bouncing around her seat a little more than usual. I assumed she was just excited to start the new school year and show off her whole new wardrobe for the year. By the time we were leaving Spanish for lunch she was actually really starting to bug me. Rose gave me a knowing look as we rounded the building to the doors of the cafeteria.

"So I have a surprise for everyone!" Alice practically screamed as Jasper held the doors for us.

This would explain her excitement all day.

"I've been hiding it all summer and it's been killing me!"

"Well spill." Rosalie said impertinently as we went through the lunch line. Judging by the look on Jasper's face, this was a secret he wasn't even privy to. I assumed it was something relating to clothes or something else I wasn't that interested in.

"Well…" she hesitated as we turned toward our table. I was staring at her so it wasn't until we actually reached our table that I saw the two strangers sitting there. They were both were beyond gorgeous. One was brawny, line-backer material, with dark curly hair and almost black eyes. The boy sitting next to him was running his fingers through his bronze hair, staring up at us with bright green eyes. I was pretty sure he was the most desirable creature I had ever laid eyes on – until he opened his mouth.

"These are your best friends?" he chided to Alice. I took heavy offense to it.

"Excuse me? And who the hell are you?" I said grabbing his attention forcefully.

"Guys…this is Edward and Emmett Cullen. They just moved into the old Newton place." Alice said pointing to the bronze haired boy first then to the other. Something wasn't right. How did Alice know who these boys were and where they were living? Was this her secret? New students? That didn't completely add up. I just looked at her.

"Um… Mom and I are moving in with them next weekend."

Step-brothers. Esme was marrying or at least going to live with their father. Shock crossed my face then anger that Esme made Alice keep this information from us all summer.

"Mom didn't want me telling everyone until Carlisle and his sons moved here." She said defensively.

"Take it easy, little one. We're not stealing your family." Edward said with a cocky grin. Apparently I was the only one annoyed by this bastard. Rose wasn't even paying attention. She had never looked away from Emmett. Jasper couldn't have cared less – new guys to hang with. He shrugged and sat down at the table. Everyone else following suit, me lastly.

"So I take it Alice has invited you sit at our lunch table." I said as I sat down. They both nodded. "Fabulous."

EPOV

Emmett and I were sitting at the table our new soon to be step-sister told us to meet her at, waiting for her to show up so we didn't look like a couple of homos eating lunch together.

Today is our first day at Forks High School. Neither of us thrilled about moving from Chicago to this small town on the west coast, but Carlisle had asked Esme to marry him on her last visit to the city and she agreed. He accepted a job at the regional hospital as their new surgeon and we moved two months later. We both like Esme a great deal. Her daughter Alice was a mystery to us until just two days ago when we arrived. A little too hyper-active for me but seemed likeable enough.

She promised to introduce us to her boyfriend, Jasper Hale, and her two best friends Rosalie Hale and Isabella Swan today at school. I was looking forward to meeting the girls – who knows what might happen; I am the new shiny object at school now.

Emmett and I immediately noticed Alice when she came prancing through the door; Jasper by her side and the two girls faithfully following.

"Holy shit bro…you see the legs on that one?" Emmett whispered practically drooling over the blonde. I assumed this one to Rosalie by Alice's earlier descriptions. She was pretty, I'll admit, but I've never been one to find the obvious beauties attractive really. They tend to know it.

The other one had to be Isabella then, Bella, as Alice told us she preferred. She looked annoyed for some reason. Alice must have told her about her new family already. Her long brown hair was hanging down one shoulder while she stared at Alice. Her eyes were a piercing brown that held my attention. Her figure not much bigger than Alice's or Rosalie's but yet seemed fuller. Probably because her jeans hugged her hips just right and her tight sweater showed off her…

"These are your friends?" Was the first thing I blurted out when Alice approached. I didn't mean for it to come off so harsh but I wasn't thinking all that clearly having just imagined Bella's tits…

"Excuse me? And who the hell are you?" Bella answered with just as must hatefulness behind her words as mine accidentally came out. I jerked my head to her and stared. My words were accidental. Her's were purely hate. She hated me and didn't even know me. Now I hated her for her quick judgment.

Alice went into the introductions and the story about Esme and Carlisle. Bella's face flashed with understanding and then anger over the situation. My annoyance over her little sentence was still there.

"Take it easy, little one. We're not stealing your family." I said, probably a little cocky, but I didn't care. She threw me a slight glare as she sat down across from me making some comment about it being their lunch table.

Emmett was hopelessly devoted to Rosalie before the lunch hour was even half over. He trailed her out of the cafeteria like a lost puppy. It was disgusting. I hadn't said much at lunch… in fact no one said much at lunch.

"See you at the car." Alice waved to Bella as they parted ways.

I was in no hurry to get to a class I knew I would sleep through so I took my time getting to the building.

When I casually strolled into the Biology lab, I noticed the only empty seat next to Bella.

Fabulous. This semester is going to be fun.

"You're Edward, right?" A strawberry blonde bounced up to me and wrapped her arm around mine. I glanced down. Another 'I know I'm hot' Barbie. I nodded and slightly smiled as I tried to hide my irritation at having to sit next to Bella all semester.

"Hi, I'm Tanya." She said as she followed me to what would no doubt be my seat in hell.

When I sat down Bella glanced up and rolled her eyes, whether at me or the overly attentive girl clinging to me, I wasn't sure. Either way it just pissed me off more.

"So Tanya, how are you?" I asked being overly friendly to a girl I wanted nothing to do with. Tanya seemed thrilled for my attention. Although I was just being nice – anyone would have asked her this question. Except maybe ice queen next to me – who was still glaring out of the corner of her eye. I carried on a polite conversation with the cheerleader until the teacher walked in.

Typical of me, I spaced out as soon as Mr. Banner started talking. I wasn't thinking about anything important – cars, sports, the girls at my new school, why Bella instantly took to disliking me, why it bothered me so much…

New thoughts, I demanded, but caught myself glimpsing at her from the corner of my eye. She was staring at me with a look of pained laughter.

"Mr. Cullen…" The professor's voice rang into my consciousness.

Shit. I snapped my head around to give him my attention. "Yes sir?"

"I asked if you would like to introduce yourself to the class." He said staring at me expectantly.

"Not really, no." I said and with that everyone turned to gawk at me. I smirked back at.

"It wasn't really a question Mr. Cullen."

"You phrased it like one, giving me the option to decline. I'm declining." I said defiantly. He stared at me for a minute then turned his attention to the girl sitting next to me – who I realized was trying very hard not fall out of her chair from laughing.

"Well, Miss Swan, looks like you and your lab partner have a little bit in common." Mr. Banner said then went back to whatever mundane thing he was discussing. Him saying that quieted Bella instantly and had my curiosity raging.

What could she have done that made him say that? I would have to ask my new sister tonight. Or I could just ask her…

"Hey…" I whispered; she slowly turned her face to my side of the table.

"What do you want?" she hissed, surprisingly forceful considering it was a whisper.

"What did he mean by that?"

"None of your business Cullen." She said then turned back to the front.

Well now that was just plain rude. I asked her a simple question and she refused to answer it. What a bitch. That was the only way to describe her. Rude, contrary, bitch.


I know… slow chapter. I promise it gets better – have to get the background information out of the way. Take it easy on the reviews (or don't...whatever).