A/N: I know, I know, it's a day early from being August. Sue me. I can't give you a specific time for updates, so just keep checking your email for Story Alerts for those of you have signed up! And if you haven't yet, YOU SHOULD! (:

A special thanks to my pre-reader, itsyblue1214. I absolutely love her, even though I have never met her. She's nice, caring and is an awesome writer. Go check out her story, Love Comes Last. I promise, you won't be disappointed!

I also ask you keep her mom in your prayers. She's going through a rough patch right now.

Last but not least, hope you enjoy!


Chapter 1

Had Me At Hello

I was sitting in my living room flipping through my old high school yearbook when I saw him. It had been five years since I had last seen his face. I was overwhelmed with love and hatred all at once. It was Edward Cullen. He was wearing a black jacket, white button down under the jacket; it was the generic senior portrait pose. Those emerald green eyes were what really caught my attention, though. I would recognize those eyes anywhere.

I put my yearbook away, regretting bringing it out in the first place. There was a reason I never looked at the thing; I didn't even know why I still had it. I didn't want to think about Edward. He was so provoking with all of that messy bronze hair that always stuck up everywhere and his intense green eyes that made me forget everything when I looked at him. That body of his that was chiseled perfectly in every way possible. Yeah, that man was pure sex on legs. Now that he was on my mind, my thoughts floated to my life in Forks...

It was the first day of my junior year. I moved to Forks to live with my dad, Charlie. I wanted to give my mom some alone time alone with her new husband, Phil.

Charlie told me I was going to Forks High School and that my first day was in about a week. He had given me an old, orange truck to go back and forth to school, and spending money so I could get some new clothes. I really appreciated the spending money since all of my clothes were fit for the weather back in Phoenix. The weather in Forks was ugly; rainy, cold and wet. I wasn't sure I would be able to get used to it.

I loved the start of the school year; the new books, meeting the new teachers, everything was just... new.

I was ready for my first day. I was pretty excited, especially since it was a new school. I always was one to be eager about school in the beginning, then stop caring half way through.

On my first day, I drove to the school, almost getting lost. I still didn't know my way around Forks all that well. I got a little scared but I calmed myself down. I found the school and I ended up being the first car in the parking lot, and I immediately felt like an idiot. I waited until the parking lot filled up with a few more cars then headed to the front office.

It was easy to find. I told the lady in the office that I was new to the school this year, my excitement and nerves making my voice seem shaky. She told me she would help me out and tell me where to go. She asked for my last name, and then did some typing on her computer. She printed something out and handed it to me, showed me an aerial map of the school, pointed to where I was and then explained to me where I needed to go for my homeroom.

I followed her instructions, easily finding my homeroom. Feeling relieved that I successfully found my first class, I found a seat in the back of the room, waiting for the teacher to hand out the schedules. Once I got mine, I studied the map, trying to figure out where all of my classes were.

My homeroom teacher, whose name I never got, explained to the now filled classroom that we wouldn't need to come to homeroom for the rest of the semester. Right after that, the bell rang to dismiss us to our next class.

The rest of the day was pretty much a blur. I was able to find my classes fairly easy, considering it was my first day at the school. I heard people talking about someone named Edward Cullen throughout the day, saying things about how he was going to be the new starting quarterback of the school's Varsity football team. I gathered that he was on the Junior Varsity team the previous year and led the team to more victories than the Varsity team. It seemed a lot of people thought highly of him. I figured I would never meet him, which didn't bother me so much, since he was probably a jerk anyways.

A girl named Jessica who was in all of my morning classes asked me to sit with her at lunch. I agreed, since I didn't know anyone and I didn't want to sit alone. I was in the lunch line, getting the school's pizza and an apple, when I noticed Jessica get a little giddy.

"Are you OK?" I asked her, not understanding her odd change in behavior.

"Nothing, I'll tell you when we sit down," she replied shortly. Her face had turned slightly pink, and she had a goofy smile on her face. We sat down at a table near the exit of the cafeteria. She turned to me and started whispering.

"Okay, so you see that guy sitting over there?" she asked me, pointing to a table on the opposite end of the lunch room. I nodded my head, seeing a guy sitting at a table with four other people. "That is Edward Cullen. He plays almost every sport at this school and makes top grades."

I could tell by her voice that she was one of those girls. I couldn't blame her. He was gorgeous in every way possible. He had bronze hair that stuck up in every direction, emerald green eyes, an athletic body. I could certainly see why Jessica was so infatuated with him. She continued to talk mainly about Edward. Two more girls joined the table who also joined in on the topic.

"Oooh, I would love to go out with him!" said one girl.

"Oh, shut up, Angela. You know Cullen only hooks up," said the other girl.

"Hmm, sounds like you would know, Lauren," Angela retorted.

"Edward Cullen and I share a special bond," Lauren replied simply.

"What? That you both have been in your pants?" Angela shot back. Jessica and I both started laughing. I liked Angela; she was snarky.

Lauren's eyes snapped to mine. "You, what are you laughing at?" She was being rude, trying to start something; I was never one for confrontation.

"Oh, lay off." Jessica came to my rescue. "Do you really have to be a bitch to everyone?"

Lauren backed off and sat quietly until the bell rang. Angela and Lauren continued their conversation about Edward. I smiled and laughed at a few jokes they made and I occasionally commented on something one of them said.

When the bell rang shortly after that, Lauren left the table immediately, Angela did the same not long after. Jessica kept incessantly babbling to me until she had to leave for her class. By the time I got to my sixth period, every seat in class was taken. Or so it seemed. I looked around, scanning the room, thinking it would be just my luck that the class was over scheduled. Finally, I found the last empty seat in the class.

As I was walking toward the seat, I realized it was next to none other than the Edward Cullen.

I slowed my roll, taking said seat gingerly. The teacher started class. He handed out a syllabus with the supplies we would need for the course. He said his name was Mr. Banner, and he started explaining what he would and wouldn't tolerate.

I felt a pair of eyes on me and looked toward the middle row and up a few seats. A guy with blonde hair and blue eyes was staring at me. I had no idea what his name was, but his face looked familiar. I heard a groan come from Edward. I looked over at him, a little confused, so I gave him a quizzical look.

"That's Mike Newton. Don't pay him any attention," he informed me, while looking at Mike. "He's nothing but a dog."

"Well that's good to know. Anything else you want to tell me?" I asked coyly. I was flirting a little but it was so hard not to, considering I was within such close proximity to an attractive guy.

"I'm Edward Cullen. You must be Bella Swan." He introduced himself to me. "I hear you're new this year."

"News gets around fast," I said.

"Small town," Edward explained, with a smirk. Maybe he was flirting back. "Do I smell bad?"

Confusing clouded over me quickly. What kind of question is that? "No, why?" I asked nervously.

"You sat down so slowly and you seemed like you were trying to keep you distance from me. So, I was wondering if you didn't like the way I smelled."

I felt my face get hot, suddenly embarrassed. "Sorry, just being in a new school and all. I wish I had gotten here sooner so I could have picked my seat. Not that sitting next to you is bad, I just-"

Edward laughed lightly. "It's OK, I understand. I was just giving you a hard time. But I liked the shade of pink your face just got."

I felt my face get even warmer. He was flirting with me very well.

"So what made you move to the rainiest place in the USA?"

"I wanted to give my mom some time alone with her new husband. I also wanted to spend some time with my father. I haven't been able to have that much of a relationship with him."

"Do you miss your mom?" he asked.

"Of course, she was my best friend. She was my only friend," I explained. I suddenly realized that I made myself sound like a total loser. I could feel the heat creeping up my face once again. "I'm sorry; I don't usually talk this much to anyone. I'm not the most sociable person."

"You're doing fine in my opinion. Where did you move from?" he continued with the questions. If it was anyone else, I would have been short with them. But Edward was different. He was... well, I really didn't know what he was.

We talked for the rest of the class period, since Mr. Banner didn't have anything prepared for the class to work on. Edward kept asking me questions about Phoenix, my mom, her husband, and what I liked to do in my spare time. When the bell rang, I was slightly disappointed. I wanted to keep talking to Edward. I wanted it to be my turn to ask him questions.

Edward rose from his chair, casually slinging his backpack onto his right shoulder. "Looks like I'll see you tomorrow, Bells." He left the classroom, giving me a slight smile, before I could say goodbye.

I walked to gym, my last class of the day, by myself. It was fine by me; I didn't care to talk to anyone at that moment. I couldn't keep my mind off of the conversation I had just had. I wasn't sure what it was, but it had me excited for biology for the rest of the year.

Since it was the first day of school, there was no dressing out for gym. The coaches handed out papers for parents to sign for uniforms and a release form. They also gave us a piece of paper stating that we had to purchase uniforms supplied by the school. That fact made me happy, considering I didn't dress like most girls and I didn't want to feel intimidated by everyone else. I liked to blend in; it was my thing.

The girls from lunch were in my gym class so I sat next to them. I wasn't really comfortable sitting next to them. They all were prettier than I was, and that made me feel like an outcast. Jessica reintroduced me to the people we were sitting with. The whole time I with them, Lauren was shooting me nasty glares. It made me feel unwelcome.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the first day. I was glad to be out of there, not to mention away from Lauren's nasty looks. I got in my truck and drove back to Charlie's house – I mean, my house.

The cruiser wasn't in the driveway, meaning Charlie was still working. Since I had moved, my personal chore was to get Charlie's house in order. His place was a mess: dirty dishes everywhere, weeks of laundry piled up, not to mention emitting a horrible odor I couldn't begin to describe. The house was so dusty I was sneezing wherever I went.

The days Charlie spent at work I busied myself with dusting, vacuuming, doing laundry and attempting to do all of the dishes. Some of the dishes were so crusty I had to throw them away.

I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. It felt good to get out of the cold and the rain. The house was starting to smell better. I pulled out the vacuum and re-vacuumed the whole house. I figured it would need it every day for a little while. I didn't want to walk around sneezing all the time. I only had a few dishes left that would need an intense soaking and scrubbing so I filled up the sink with hot water and soap before starting another load of laundry.

I didn't know if Charlie was just too lazy or didn't know how to work the washing machine, but from the foul odor his clothes had, it seemed like they had been there a very long time. I washed them in smaller loads than I normally would, just to make sure they were clean and stink-free.

I pulled out some chicken from the fridge to cook for dinner. Cooking was something I really enjoyed doing; it relaxed me.

I spent the time it took to cook dinner to think about my first day at my new school. Some people were nice, which was a change from Phoenix. I wasn't very well-known back home, which didn't bother me. I liked being invisible. In Forks I was very much visible. I suppose it was OK for people to notice me. It was a big change for me but I couldn't see my status at school changing, whether I wanted it to or not. Jessica was very eager to be my friend. She was nice, but I wasn't sure if I liked her yet. I liked Angela and her snarky attitude; plus she made me laugh. There was Mike, the guy that Edward had referred to as a "dog." I hadn't really spoken to him yet. Judging by the way he had looked at me, I thought I was better off staying away from him. Then there was Edward. He was nice, gorgeous, very inviting and had a happy atmosphere about him. I could see why Jessica was so infatuated with him.

I was putting dinner on the table when Charlie walked through the door. He hung his belt on the hook by the door and sat down at his place at the table. As we ate, we talked about each other's day, how they went and what events stuck out most. Charlie asked me if I met anyone I liked at school.

"Jessica Stanley, Angela, I didn't get her last name, and Edward Cullen. They all are nice," I told him.

"Jessica is a nice girl," Charlie began. "But she can get a little wild. I've never had a problem with Angela. Her family are good people. Cullen is a good kid. His dad is the Chief of Surgery at the hospital."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yep. His dad is very well respected for what he does. He's a very good surgeon," Charlie said. It seemed like he was quite fond of the Cullen family.

"Are you friends with the Dr. Cullen?" I asked.

"Not really," Charlie said. I was slightly saddened. I hoped that he was friends with Dr. Cullen so I would have the chance to see Edward more.

"Although," Charlie continued. "I am very surprised by his children."

"Why is that?"

"I thought when Dr. Cullen and his wife moved here two years ago that I would have trouble with their kids, seeing as they have three teenagers. But they've raised their kids well. I have never had a problem with any of their kids. All are very good at school and sports, especially Edward."

"So I've heard."

"He's talked about a lot at school?"

"Basically. Jessica couldn't keep his name out of her mouth," I told him, finishing my last bit of food.

Charlie laughed. I picked up his plate and began cleaning up the kitchen. Charlie finished telling me about his day. It was a slow day; he ended up playing cards with the guys at the station. I finished up the kitchen, telling Charlie that he had papers to sign. He signed them and attached a check for my uniform.

Charlie retired to the living room and I continued with the chores I was doing earlier. I was able to finish the old laundry but I unfortunately threw away two more pans before calling it a night. I asked Charlie to get his laundry from the last week and a half so I could get started on it after school.

I climbed into bed and drifted off into a dream about Edward Cullen...

The first day I met Edward Cullen was the best day of my life. He was nice, charming, and he had me at hello.


A/N: The next few chapters will be in the past, so you don't get confused. Bella is in Present day, where she is 22, going back on memories from when she was 17.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are better than Angela's snarky attitude.