A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I just borrow the characters. I promise to give them back. :)

Hey everyone, I'm back! For those of you that are reading this, I'm assuming you all are When We Were Young alumni and you're interested in it's prequel. If you haven't read When We Were Young, that's okay. Though, I do suggest reading When We Were Young first. It might clear up a few things.

So without further a do, I give you The Beginning!

Prologue

BPOV

I am so fucked. Seriously! What kind of a best friend am I? Alice and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember and what do I do? I go and fall in love with her brother! Seriously!

I suck.

Alice Cullen and I met when we were in kindergarten when our older brothers became best friends. Her brother Edward and my brother Emmett met in first grade. Alice is like my sister, how could I do this?

I'm a shy and quiet teenage girl in her sophomore year of high school and in love with her best friend's older brother who barely notices I exist.

Cliché, right? I know I feel like I'm in a goddamn 80's movie. Except Edward will never be standing outside my window holding a boom box like John Cusack in Say Anything.

So here I sit in the cafeteria, pretending to eat my lunch while I steal glances at the table where Edward and Emmett sit with the rest of the football team from across the cafeteria. Edward is tall, about six foot two or six foot three, and slim with broad shoulders. He has a head of messy red-brown hair that always is just perfectly messed up and incredible green eyes. His prominent cheekbones and defined jaw line could make any girl faint. Mmm… that jaw line, what I wouldn't give to just…

"Hello? Earth to Bella Swan!"

I snapped my head over to look at my two best friends. "Huh?"

"Could you stop staring at my brother for like three seconds and answer our question?" Alice asked with a roll of her eyes.

My mouth fell open. I didn't think anyone knew about my secret love of Edward. Especially not Alice. "What? How did you –"

Angela laughed. "You seriously thought we didn't know? Come on Bells, give us a little credit."

"Yeah, we're not stupid." Alice chimed in. "Anyone can plainly see the way you look at him."

I felt my telltale blush flood my cheeks. "Is it really that obvious?" I whispered.

Angela and Alice cracked up. "Uh, yeah!" Alice choked out between giggles.

"Like, everyone knows?" I asked them in horror.

"I don't think so." Angela shook her head.

Alice snorted. "My idiot brother for sure doesn't know."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god." I sighed and threw my hands over my face. "That would be so embarrassing."

"I think you two would make a cute couple."

I raised my head and stared at Alice in shock. "You do?" Angela just nodded in agreement as she sipped her milk.

"I totally do!" Alice squealed. "And he totally likes you too, Bells!"

"He does?" I asked in amazement. This was certainly turning out to be an enlightening lunch period.

Alice beamed and nodded.

"Well, what the fuck do I do?"

Alice giggled. "Leave it to me, Bella. Edward will ask you out by the Halloween dance. I guarantee it."

I laughed at her self-confidence. "Whatever you say, Alice."

I appreciated her willingness to help me but her quest was futile. Edward – the star football player and best looking guy in school – would never go for a plain, boring girl like me.

EPOV

Bella. Bella. Bella. Bella. BELLA. BELLA. BELLA! Why can't I get her out of my head?

I've been in love with Bella Swan for two years. Not that I could do anything about it. Her brother Emmett is my best friend and would kill me if I even so much as looked at Bella. Not to mention that Bella is way too good for me. She'd never go for a guy like me.

I looked across the cafeteria to where she appeared to be deep in discussion with Alice and their other friend Angela. God, she's gorgeous. Her long, chestnut colored hair – that always smelled like strawberries – flowed down to the middle of her back and her chocolate brown eyes could see right into your soul. She has a small button nose and gorgeous plump lips, the top of which is slightly bigger than the bottom one. She's tiny, only two inches taller than my not quite five foot sister. Bella is the sweetest, most beautiful, and surprisingly snarky girl I've ever met.

Just looking at her makes me want to take her in my arms, call her "sweetheart", and kiss her like I've wanted for two years. What I wouldn't give to feel those gorgeous lips on my…

"Edward, dude!"

I slid my eyes away from Bella and over to where Emmett was snapping his fingers in my face. "What?" I scowled at him for interrupting my Bella fantasy.

"Would you stop daydreaming about my little sister for a few seconds?" Emmett grumbled, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"Uh, what? How did –?"

Emmett threw me a look. "Please, man. You're more obvious than a lion in the zebra cage at the zoo."

I laughed at his ridiculous analogy. "So you're not going to kill me?"

"Not if you keep sitting on your ass." Emmett smirked. "So when are you going to make a move?"

I snorted. "I'm not." Emmett glared at me. "I can't help that she doesn't like me that way!"

Emmett cracked up. "If I know anyone, it's my sister and she's been pining after you for awhile."

I felt a smile light my face. "She has?" I chanced a look over to Bella's table and caught her eye. I smiled at her and an adorable blush flooded her cheeks as she smiled and dropped my gaze. "Soon," I turned back to a grinning Emmett. "Really soon,"

I mulled over the look on Bella's face when I smiled at her for the rest of the day. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Maybe, just maybe, Bella felt the same way.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Drop me a review and let me know what you're thinking. Love it? Hate it? I wanna know!

See you all tomorrow with chapter 1!

-Nikki