A/N: Here's a little something to tide you over until I start posting my newest story in July. This story has been up on Wattpad for a while now, and I thought I'd share it over here. I'll apologize in advance for the errors as it's unbeta'd. A bit about this story: it's a teen fic and has been rated as such. This story will have alternate POVs. Edward's will be odd chapters, and Bella's will be even chapters.

I'll do my best to update twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays as long as RL doesn't get in the way.


EPOV

I scowled at the scenery that passed me by as my dad drove us toward his house in the middle of nowhere. Okay, so it wasn't really the middle of nowhere, but Forks, Washington was a small town surrounded by forests, and it always seemed to be raining. Within minutes of stepping off the plane in Seattle, I was already missing the warmth and sunshine of Phoenix.

A month ago, my mother had sat me down and told me that she had met some guy online who lived in Jacksonville, Florida and that she was madly in love with him. That being said, she told me that she was moving to Jacksonville, getting married, and that I would be going to live with my father for the remainder of my high school career. Needless to say, I had been less than pleased.

Now, there I was, riding in a car with my father who was practically a stranger. Sure, I'd seen him off and on over the years, but usually only for a week or two at a time. I had a feeling life in Forks was going to be rough.

"I figured we'd head over to the school tomorrow to get you registered," Carlisle said as we passed the sign welcoming us to Forks.

"Yeah, that's fine," I muttered.

"Okay, well . . . I'll drop you off at the house, then I have to go into work for a while."

I just nodded as I continued to stare out the window. Moments later, we pulled into the drive that led to my dad's huge house. I didn't understand why he needed such a huge house when he was the only one that lived there but whatever.

Once the car was parked, I grabbed some of my crap and followed him inside. I always felt like an outsider in his house. It was meticulously clean; barely a hint that anyone even lived there. Although, seeing as Carlisle was a surgeon, he probably wasn't there all that much.

I headed up the stairs,and made my way to my bedroom. I was surprised to see that it had been updated since the last time I'd been there. Instead of the crappy twin bed that I'd had for forever, there was now a king sized bed in its place.

"Hope you don't mind that I made a few changes," Carlisle said.

"No, it's fine. Much better than the old bed."

"Yeah, I figured as much. I . . . uh, had some help with the decorating," he mumbled as he set down the rest of my bags, a faint blush rising on his cheeks.

Interesting. "It's nice," I said and it was.

There was a cushy black couch underneath the large window and everything was accented in black and white.

"Okay, well. I gotta go. I'll be back around seven. I'll pick up some dinner for us. Pizza, okay?"

"Sure."

He gave me a little wave and headed downstairs and out to the Mercedes. I wandered around my room for a bit, putting stuff away and trying to figure out how the hell I was going to survive in Forks. Thirty minutes later, I was mostly unpacked and figured I'd give my mom a call.

"Hey, Mom, it's me. I've arrived in Forks, and it's cold and dreary. No big surprise there. Just give me a call back. Love you," I said to her voicemail before hanging up.

Not having much else to do, I wandered downstairs and into the living room. Carlisle had gotten a 50" flatscreen since the last time I'd been there, so I plopped down on the couch and began to channel surf.

A little after seven, I heard Carlisle's car pull into the drive. I made my way downstairs and found him entering the house with a pizza in hand.

"Grab some plates and we'll eat in the living room," he told me.

I fumbled around the cupboards until I found the plates, then headed into the living room. He had grabbed a cheese and pepperoni pizza, and I scowled as I stared at it.

"Help yourself, kid."

"Thanks," I muttered as I grabbed a slice and began picking off the pepperoni.

"You don't like pepperoni?"

"I've never liked pepperoni," I reminded him.

A look of dawning crossed his face. "Oh, yeah. I forgot. Sorry, Ed."

I shrugged and went about picking the meat off my pizza. I took a bite, shuddering in disgust at the taste of the pepperoni.

"You get settled in all right?"

I nodded. I hadn't brought a whole lot with me and mom was sending the rest of my stuff later in the week.

"Well, I figure we'll get you set up at the school tomorrow morning."

Again, I nodded. He'd already told me all of that.

Later that night as I was in my new bed, I found myself staring at the ceiling and listening to the howling of the wind as a storm blew in. I'd been in Forks less than twenty-four hours and I already hated it. I'd hated it when I'd come to visit, and I wasn't looking forward to living there.


"Come on, Ed, let's go. Our appointment at the school is in twenty minutes," Carlisle hollered up the stairs.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I headed down the stairs, managing to trip and smack my head into the wall.

"Fuck!" I muttered underneath my breath as I felt a headache begin to form.

I made my way out to the car and climbed in. Thirty minutes later, we pulled up in front of the pathetic cluster of buildings known as Forks High. I was not looking forward to starting my junior year of high school in a new school, much less this school.

Following Carlisle into the largest building, I gave the hall a sneer. It was so rundown. Nothing at all like my school back in Phoenix with its glossy floors and brightly colored walls. Carlisle opened the door to the office and in we went.

"Dr. Cullen! Come in, come in," an overweight woman with ungodly red hair said as we stepped through the door. "Oh, you must be Edward! I'm Mrs. Cope, the school secretary. Go ahead and take a seat and Ms. Jackson, the guidance counselor, will be right with you."

We each took a seat in some ugly chairs left over from the 70s and waited a few minutes before a matronly woman walked toward us. She introduced herself and led us toward her office.

"Here's your class schedule, Edward," she said, handing me a printed piece of paper.

I took it from her, quickly scanning over it. No honors classes or college-prep courses. I shouldn't have been surprised.

"Well, classes start in about thirty minutes, so here's your locker number and combination. You also need to have each of your teachers sign this slip, then please return it at the end of the day," she said, interrupting my internal thoughts.

Wait. What? I looked at her a bit bewildered. I was expected to start today? I didn't have anything.

"I . . . uh, don't have anything with me. I hadn't realized that I would be starting today," I said, feeling a bit like an idiot.

"Well, I'm sure we can scrounge up a notebook and some pens for you," Ms. Jackson said as she led us toward the door.

Ten minutes later, I was clutching a notebook, an old pen, and a pencil that looked like a beaver had gnawed on it. Carlisle had headed off to work, and I was left standing in the hallway. I felt like a complete loser. Slowly, after making sure no one was around, I pulled out the map that Mrs. Cope had given me. I saw that my locker was down the hall and around the corner so that was where I went.

It took a few tries to get the old lock open but once I had, I shoved my coat into it, thinking it was absurd that I had to wear coat in freaking August. As I was closing my locker, the school started to come to life. Footsteps could be heard echoing down the halls, voices bouncing off the walls.

I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before I became the sideshow freak. At least in Phoenix, the school had been so big that I hadn't been bothered. I'd been on the baseball team but hadn't been one of the popular kids, and I had been okay with that.

My morning went by extremely slowly. I was forced to introduce myself in front of the class in both English and History, cringing the whole time, but at least my Spanish teacher let me off the hook. By the time lunch rolled around, I was more than ready to go hide in a corner. Unfortunately, I wasn't that lucky. I was accosted by a bubbly brunette with huge hair while standing in the lunch line.

"Hi! Edward, right? I'm Jessica Stanley! We have English together."

"Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you."

She beamed at me. "Do you want to sit with us?"

"Uh, sure," I said despite the fact that it was the last thing I wanted to do.

After paying for my lunch, I followed her to a table near a window.

"Hey, guys! This is Edward. Edward this is Lauren, Mike, Eric, and Tyler."

I gave a small wave after setting my tray down and pulling out a chair.

"Where you from, Edward?" the guy named Mike asked me as I took a bite of an apple.

Swallowing my food, I answered, "Phoenix."

"Shouldn't you be more tan?"

"My mother's an albino," I joked.

"Oh."

I rolled my eyes at his obliviousness to my joke. A peel of laughter from across the cafeteria caught my attention,and I turned my head and found the source. It had come from a gorgeous brunette.

"Don't bother, man. She won't look at you twice. She doesn't think any of us are worth shit," Mike scowled.

"Who is she?"

"Bella Swan," Lauren said with a sneer. "All the Swans are adopted or some shit, yet they're all dating each other. A bit incestuous if you ask me."

"Except Bella," Tyler injected. "She's the only single one in the group. Rosalie, the hot blonde, is with the big guy Emmett. Alice, the little one, is hooked up with the other guy, Jasper."

I raised an eyebrow at that information. Even in Phoenix the dating adoptees would have drawn attention. I couldn't help but continue to stare at the table, particularly at Bella. She was stunning and something about her drew me in.

"Give it up, dude. You don't have a shot," Eric told me.

"Yeah, I hear ya," I mumbled as I turned my focus back to my table.

"Did you leave a girlfriend back in Phoenix?" Lauren asked as she leaned across the table, putting her tits on display.

"No."

She gave me what I think was supposed to be a seductive smile. "Well then, perhaps we can hang out sometime," she suggested.

I swallowed back a grimace at the thought. "Maybe," I replied not wanting to commit myself to anything.

The bell rang indicating it was the end of the lunch and as I gathered up my garbage Jessica leaned over to whisper to me.

"Lauren's a bit of a slut. Avoid her if you can."

Great. "Thanks for the heads up," I whispered back.

"Of course. That's what friends are for," she said as she linked her arm through mine. I was a bit uncomfortable with her affection and gently extracted myself from her. She walked with me to Biology then headed off down the hall. I opened the door to the classroom and headed toward the balding man at the desk.

"You must be Edward. I'm Mr. Banner," he said as he signed the slip of paper I gave him, before handing it back to me. "Let me grab you a book then you can take a seat at the second to last lab table."

In the time it took for him to get me a book, the class had started to fill up with students who were all staring at me. Once I had my book in hand, I made my way toward the table he'd assigned me to. I kept my head down, trying to avoid the curious looks when I tripped over someone's backpack and made a fool of myself.

My cheeks were red and hot as I sat down at my table, and I wanted to die of embarrassment. Opening up my notebook, I wrote down the date and drew some scribbles in the margin. Anything to avoid looking at my peers. It wasn't until someone sat down next to me that I lifted my head.

My breath caught in my throat as I saw that Bella Swan was sitting next to me. My heart began to pump furiously and my cheeks heated up in a blush. If she said anything to me, I'd probably die. Or at least make a fool of myself.

She'd angled herself away from me and was busy getting her stuff out as Mr. Banner began class. After fifteen minutes of lecture, he started handing out worksheets and cases of slides.

"I need one person from each table to grab a microscope," he said.

Moving quickly, Bella got up and grabbed a microscope from the back of the class and set it in the middle of our table. I took the the sheet and slides that Mr. Banner handed me and waited for his instructions.

"Okay, folks. I want you to look at these slides and correctly identify them. You may begin."

With trembling hands, I set the first slide on under the microscope. I hoped like hell that Bella didn't notice how nervous I was.

I took a quick look at it and knew immediately what it was. I'd done the same lab back in Phoenix.

"Prophase," I mumbled and went to write it on the sheet.

"Am I allowed to look or are you doing this lab on your own?" she snarked from beside me.

"Sorry," I mumbled as she took a turn, moving out of her way.

"Prophase," she agreed before grabbing the next slide at the same time that I did.

Our hands brushed and it felt like lightening had hit me. Quickly, she yanked her hand away. I took a glance at her face and she looked … almost scared. Which was ridiculous. I mean, why would she be scared of me?

We spent the rest of class staying out of each other's way and as soon as the bell rang she booked it out of there. Good thing my self-esteem was all ready low or that could've given me a complex.

Taking my schedule out of my back pocket, I realized I had gym next. I trudged across the school grounds to the gymnasium and found Mike, Eric, and Tyler hanging around.

We walked into the gym together where I handed my slip to Coach Clapp and was told I could sit out for the day, but I'd need to dress for gym tomorrow. Glad not to have to participate, I sat in the bleachers and watched as an intense game of badminton began.

The rest of the afternoon went by, and I noticed that I had classes with most of the Swans at one point or another. They seemed a bit standoffish, and I noticed tha rarely anybody spoke to them. I wondered if they were standoffish on purpose or if people at Forks High were just rude.

Finally, the last bell of the day rang and as I walked to my locker, I realized that I had no idea how I was getting home. After struggling to get my locker open, I grabbed my coat, and headed outside. I pulled my phone from my pocket and gave Carlisle a call.

"Dad? It's Edward."

"Hi, son. How was school?"

"Meh."

"Sorry, Edward. I've got to go. An ambulance just pulled up," he said before hanging up.

I stared at the phone in disbelief. How the hell was I supposed to get home? Carlisle's house was in the middle of the woods; a good fifteen miles from the school. Huffing out a sigh, I adjusted the books and notebook in my arms and began to walk toward the direction of his house.

An hour and a half later, I was pissed the hell off and lost. I had no idea where the hell I was, just that I was surrounded by woods and rain was starting to fall. I zipped my coat up against the rain and wind and trudged on. As I walked around the bend of the road, a car came out of nowhere, splashing water and mud all over me.

"Shit!" I screamed into the wind.

Pulling out my phone, I tried Carlisle yet again. And again, it went to voicemail. I realized that he was an important doctor and all, but you don't just leave your kid to walk fifteen miles home after their first day of school.

Seeing a large rock on the side of the road, I made my way over to and sat down regardless of the fact that it was wet. My feet hurt, I was tired, cold, and wet. And very, very angry. After sitting for a few minutes, I stood up and began my walk again. I wanted to get home before it was dark. Hanging out in the woods at night was not my idea of a good time. I'd walked a good twenty minutes or so before another car came barreling down the road before pulling up next to me.

"Hey! You're the new guy, right?" a guy asked from inside. I peered through the rolled down window and saw one of the Swan kids behind the wheel.

"Yeah."

"Need a ride?"

At that point, I was willing to take a ride with a serial killer than keep on walking lost in the rain.

"Thanks," I said as I climbed in, feeling bad that I was getting water all over his jeep.

"I'm Emmett Swan."

"Edward Cullen."

"Whatcha doin' wandering around on this road?"

"I got lost walking to my dad's house," I explained.

"Yeah, you did. Your way off the path. You shoulda taken a left at the fork in the road about three miles back," he told me as he turned the car around.

"Oh. What brings you this way?"

"We live down that way," he said, jabbing a thumb toward the direction I'd been walking.

Emmett spent the five minute ride talking about Forks and himself and his girlfriend. I didn't have to say anything, which was nice because I sucked at making small talk. We pulled into the drive, and I thanked him for the ride.

"No prob, kid."

By the time Carlisle arrived home, I'd finished my homework was heating up some soup.

"Hey, Edward," he said as he came into the room.

I grunted a hello, still pissed at him for leaving me like that.

"We didn't really get a chance to talk this afternoon. So, I take it you survived your first day of school."

I plopped down in a chair at the kitchen table and began to blow on my soup.

"It was fine except for having to walk home in the rain. Didn't help that I got lost."

Shame washed over Carlisle's face as he listened to me. "Oh, Edward. I'm sorry, son. I didn't even think about getting you from school. We had a bad accident come in, and it completely slipped my mind. I have tomorrow off. We'll go get you a car after school."

He was going to buy me a car? Mom had always said that Carlisle used to try and buy her affection with expensive gifts, but I really did need a car. He obviously couldn't be relied on to pick me up.

"That's fine."

Done with my measly dinner, I headed up to my room where I turned on my iPod and lost myself in some music.


a/n: Well, I'm eager to know what you thought. Once again, I apologize for the errors.