2

Panic quickly overcame my body. Why was I freaking out? I asked myself as I tried to calm down. Breathe, I reminded myself. I didn't have a crush on him. Not yet anyway. What was I going to do? I could run back inside. Pretend I forgot something in my locker. That idea was quickly put to rest because I didn't have a locker yet.

What about the office? I could pretend to have questions and go to the office. But what if he was still standing there when I came back? That would be rude, to keep him waiting. But he probably would just leave. He would think I wasn't coming and just get in his car and leave.

Before I could work out an action plan, our eyes met. He had seen me. I couldn't walk away now. It would be too obvious. What's the worst that could happen, I thought. He would talk to me? That's what I wanted anyway. A simple conversation wasn't going to kill me. Pretending to be brave, I slowly walked to my truck.

Eyes were bearing down on me. I could feel the curiosity of all my peers as I approached my truck. Should I smile and say hello? Or should I just pretend to be irritated because he was leaning on my truck. Neither thought produced any communication. I just stopped, and looked at him, like an idiot.

"Bella Swan?" He asked. His teeth were white. So white, and perfect. And his breath, it smelled so sweet, like honey and lilac. My heart raced and I could feel my cheeks turning red. I could have sworn I had seen his lip twitch, as if to repress a smile, but it was too fast. It was gone.

"Hmm." I said, barely loudly enough that I could even hear myself.

"You left this in Biology." He said and handed me my book. Funny, I thought. I didn't even remember taking it out.

"Oh." I said, as I took the book from his hands. "Th-thanks." I stuttered. I didn't know what to expect then. That was it. What else could he possibly have to say to me? He should be walking away, I thought to myself, but he wasn't. And then something dawned on me.

"How did you know this was my truck?" I asked curiously.

"It's the only vehicle I had never seen here before." He said obviously. I felt like I was incompetent, and yet he still stood there. Did he want to have a conversation with me, because I had nothing to say. Think of something, I could hear myself thinking. Anything to get him to stay. But then I heard someone calling his name. We both looked over. It was the girl with the short black hair at his lunch table. She along with the 3 others, were all standing by the shiny, silver Volvo. I should have guessed. Beautiful people all driving a beautiful car.

"Edward! Come on! We want to go home." She shouted across the parking lot.

"Have a good evening." Edward said to me, and turned on heel and made his way back to his car.

I said nothing. I just watched him walk away. His movement was so fluid. I hadn't noticed it before. Graceful, like an angel. My moment of gawking was interrupted by Jessica's excited squeals as she ran up to me.

"What was Edward Cullen doing next to you're truck?" She asked.

"Just returning my biology book." I showed it to her. "I guess I left it in class." I said, not sure if I actually had.

"Did he say anything else?" She asked.

"No." I replied. Jessica looked just as disappointed as I felt.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." She smiled and left. I turned to get in my car and drove home. The drive home seemed a lot longer than in the morning. All I could think about was Edward Cullen. How had I forgotten my biology book? I hadn't even remembered taking it out. Did we even use it today? And did he actually want to talk to me? It seemed as if he did, before that girl interrupted us. I was annoyed. Why was I thinking about Edward? I didn't even know him. After much deliberating with myself, I decided I didn't have a crush on him, that I was just intrigued by him. That seemed to satisfy me and I quickly turned on the radio to try and find something to listen to, in hopes of distracting myself.

When I came home, Charlie wasn't there. I didn't have any homework, so I decided to make dinner. Charlie's food had not been particularly amazing since I had moved here, and I felt like a feast tonight. I ended up making fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn.

When Charlie got home, he was absolutely beaming at the smell of dinner.

"Thanks for making dinner, kiddo." He said eyeing all the food.

"I didn't really have anything else to do." I said.

Over dinner, Charlie questioned me about my day. I told him about finding classes, Mike and Jessica, and even Edward.

"Cullen?" He said through a mouthful of potatoes.

"Yeah." I said pretending to not be fascinated by him.

"His dad's a doctor. Carlisle Cullen. He is an excellent doctor. His wife is really exceptional too. And all their children, really well behaved." He said as he took another bite of potatoes.

"You know them then?" I asked, still pretending to sound disinterested.

"Well, of course. Carlisle being a doctor, their family is pretty prominent in this town. After all, I'm sure you've seen the kids' car. It's not exactly a secret that their family is rich." He added, but seemed unimpressed by wealth. "But they are good people. I've known Carlisle since they moved here."

If I kept asking questions, Charlie would catch on. Reluctantly, I dropped the issue and began clearing the kitchen. After everything was cleaned and put away, I went upstairs and opened my laptop. My mom, Renee, and Phil, her new husband, had gotten it for me at Christmas. Although my internet was slow here, it was better than nothing. I checked my email, and found it only contained one message from my mom. She asked how everything was going and if I was enjoying school. I typed back a quick reply and then logged off. I was tired. It had been a long day.

I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and changed into pajamas. I opened my door and yelled to Charlie that I was going to sleep.

"Goodnight!" He yelled up the stairs over the football game.

I crawled into bed and dozed off to thoughts of Edward Cullen. The rest of week was quite uneventful.

The only odd thing was Edward was not in class for the rest of the week. I pretended not to care, but I did. His siblings were there, so I just stared at them.

In between my absurd fascination with the Cullens, I was becoming good friends with Jessica and Mike. Mike invited Jessica and I to come watch him and Tyler play at the basketball game on Friday. I told him I would get back to him. Jessica, of course, said yes. She spent the rest of Thursday trying to convince me to come. I finally gave in and told her I would go.

I went to bed early on Thursday and awoke Friday to something I had never physically seen, except for in pictures. What was yesterday green mush was now covered in a sheet of snow.

"Bleh." I said as I made my way to the bathroom. I showered and actually attempted to do something with my hair. I made my way downstairs and found Charlie had already left. After I made a bowl of oatmeal, I checked the weather and saw that it was going to snow even more today. Half-heartedly, I pulled on my coat and mittens, grabbed my book bag and made my way to my truck.

I slid the whole way to school. Not going above 15 ever, I ended up being late to my first class. Mr. Mason wasn't mad. He was just "Glad you got hear safely." He said, as if he actually meant it.

The rest of the day was a blur until lunch. It was all kind of monotonous and then I was able to socialize at lunch. Mike was still being as friendly as ever to me, and this seemed to be irritating Jessica to no avail. It wasn't my fault. I supposed it had to do with the extremely good weather we were having. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the snow. Even the Cullens walked into the cafeteria with snow melting in their hair. It glistened off of them and I couldn't help but stare. But, more importantly, all of the Cullens were there. Edward was at school today. I felt my heart jump. This was getting ridiculous. I was so caught up with the Cullens, I didn't even hear Mike calling my name.

"Bella?" He asked impatiently.

"Huh? What?" I asked, sounding confused.

"I asked you if you were up to having a snow ball fight this afternoon in the parking lot?"

I looked at him, biting my bottom lip. Everyone else at the table seemed to be waiting for my answer.

"I don't know." I said cautiously. I hated snow. I hated cold. I hated every type of weather this town offered.

"Oh, come on Bella." Jessica said pleadingly.

"It's fun." Angela said, trying to sound assuring, although it sounded as though she was trying to convince herself as well.

"Yeah!" Tyler added across the table. "We won't throw snowballs at you too hard."

Him, Eric, and Mike all started laughing.

"Oh, please." Jessica said. "They have the worst aim."

I couldn't help but smile. I was being included in something and that felt nice. Why not? I thought. I glanced over at the Cullen table. They seemed to be enjoying it, and they didn't look like they enjoyed anything.

"Oh. All right." I said reluctantly.

There seemed to be a slight jubilation at the table for the rest of the period. I focused on eating my lunch and not the Cullen's for the rest of the time. The bell sounded and I made my way to biology, Mike in tow.

When I got to my seat, Edward was already there. He had his head folded down in his arms, so I tried my best to not disturb him as I pulled out my chair. I sat down, took out my book, and opened it to the chapter. I sat there, waiting for class to start, and the oddest thing happened. Edward Cullen lifted his head off the table and spoke to me.

"Hello Bella." He said politely. His voice was warm and inviting.

"Er, hi?" I said. It sounded like a question.

"I see you have your book today." He said smartly.

"Yes. The boy that sits next to me found it for me and returned it." I said back with a smile. He began to chuckle.

"That boy's name is Edward Cullen." He said.

"Thank you for finding my book, Edward." I said, as if I didn't know his name. He seemed to already know this.

"Are you pretending you didn't know my name before this conversation?" He asked. "Because I'm sort of a mind reader." He said, with a blatant smile on his face.

"Oh yeah? Then what am I thinking?" I asked.

He paused for a moment. "I don't know." He answered honestly.

I laughed. "You're not a very good mind reader, then, huh?" I said.

He smiled. "Maybe I'll figure you out."

I blushed, and he saw.

"Am I embarrassing you?" He asked coyly.

"No." I said blatantly. I lied. I hope he couldn't read that.

"So, what brings you to Forks?" He asked.

I paused for a moment. "Do you really care?" I asked dryly.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I care?" He asked, his tone sounding concerned.

"Because you've known me for about five seconds." I replied.

He laughed at my sarcasm. "What brings you to live with your father?" He asked again.

"How do you know I live with my Dad?" I asked. Was Edward in the FBI?

He laughed. "I'm not stalking you, if that's what you mean." He said coolly. "I just know your dad is Chief Swan and he's not married, and I've never seen you before. So I just wondered what brought you all the way to sunny Forks?" He said sarcastically.

"I just thought it would be a good idea. I've lived with my mom, Renee, in Phoenix all my life. I just figured, why not give my father a chance to put his two cents in on raising me?"

I waited for him to reply, but he said nothing.

"Is that all?" He said, almost as if he knew this wasn't the complete truth. Perhaps he could read my mind.

"She got remarried." I said reluctantly.

"Mhmm." He said, but not in an I knew there was more kind of way. "And you don't like him?" Edward asked.

"No. It's not that. It's just that, Phil's a ball player. He travels around a lot, so she follows him around the country. And I the way I see it, why make her choose between me and him? I know she loves me, so I just figured I'd come live with Charlie." I said.

He began to twirl his pencil in his hands. He looked back at me. I noticed his eyes weren't black anymore. They were a dark honey color. They were beautiful. I was curious about that. But I lost my train of thought as he spoke to me again.

"It seems as though you're sacrificing quite a bit." He said, still showing off his ability to maneuver the pencil between his fingers effortlessly.

"No. I don't mind Forks." I said. I really didn't. I just wasn't partial to the weather. And so what if it didn't have any book stores or decent shopping in a 30 mile radius? There were worse things.

We sat quietly for a moment. I wondered what he was thinking.

"So, I hear you are joining in on a snowball fight after school?" He asked, interested.

"That's correct." I said, sounding slightly proud I was invited in on something.

"Do you enjoy the snow?" He asked.

I thought momentarily. "I don't know. I've never physically seen it until today. Phoenix is pretty limited on snowfall."

He chuckled.

"What about you? I see you and the kids you sit with at the lunch table were playing in it today." I said, pretending to not know they were related.

"Yeah. They are my brothers and sisters. I'd say we enjoy the snow. The heat is nice every now and then, if you're planning on getting a tan." He glanced at his skin. It was so white, so pure. Just like the snow outside.

"I completely understand. I looked quite out of place in Phoenix compared to most of my peers." We both smiled. Considering the fact that it was sunny in Arizona about three-hundred and sixty days of the year, I looked like I was albino. My skin was pale, extremely pale. I didn't even have the excuse that it was because I had red hair and blue eyes. My hair was dark brown, just like Charlie's. My eyes though, like my mom's. I was thankful for that. She had the prettiest chestnut eyes. They were one of the few things I liked physically about myself.

Mr. Banner came in and class began. Edward didn't speak to me for the rest of the hour. As the bell rang, we both got up slowly and began walking to the door.

"You and your family could join us, this afternoon, if you wanted to." I said, trying to convince him to come.

"I don't think so he said." He glanced at Mike as he walked up to me. "Have a good weekend, Bella." He said as he flashed me a smile and walked out of class.

I was slightly disappointed as Mike and I walked to gym. We were playing basketball; Something I was quite terrible at. I could hardly walk without incapacitating myself. How was I supposed to dribble and run at the same time? Luckily, my team seemed to know I was incapable of anything athletic, and they only made me check the ball after we scored, which actually occurred quite frequently, because Mike was on my team and on the school's basketball team. We won by a landslide, thanks in part to the fact that I wasn't actually playing.

After gym was over, I changed and Mike met me outside the locker room. We walked to the parking lot and I saw Jessica. She waved at me and before I knew what happened, I felt something cold and wet splatter me. I looked over and Mike had been hit square on the shoulder with a snowball. I looked in the direction it came from and saw Tyler simply beside himself. Mike dropped his book bag and ran to collect himself some snow. Jessica and I began to giggle and ran to my truck for cover. I threw my bag in my seat and followed Jessica back out to where Mike and Tyler were. I glanced over to find Angela was running up to me and Eric had joined Tyler and Mike already.

Snow balls were flying from everywhere. People were being hit who weren't even involved. I tried to hide behind Jessica when Eric threw a snowball at me, but Jessica moved and I got hit in the leg. I began to laugh and dove into the snow to make my own snowball.

I threw it back at Eric, but my distance and aim were completely off and I ended up hitting Angela.

"Oh no you didn't!" She screamed and began making her own. I ran trying to find protection behind a car, but I was attacked from behind. Mike had hit me with a snowball and was laughing himself silly.

This was fun. I thought. The snow wasn't half bad.

As I made my way around the vehicle to find more snow, I glanced up to see Edward staring at me. He was beside his Volvo and he had a smile on his face. I waved and suddenly I felt as though I had something to prove. I made a snowball as quick as I could and very stealthily, I ran up behind Tyler and hit him square in the head. He turned around and I began screaming and running away. I only wish I hadn't.

My foot caught a patch of ice and I went flying across the parking lot. To tried to catch myself as I fell, but it was all in vain. I saw the pavement before me and then I felt the hard, cold ground against my head. It was a moment before I could register the pain, and then I smelled it. My blood. I was bleeding, and I could feel the warmness around my head. As I lay on the cold ground, I heard Mike, Jessica, and Tyler screaming my name. But that wasn't the voice that brought me back to consciousness. I heard the most beautiful voice I had ever heard.

I opened my eyes and saw Edward was leaning over me. He had a look of concern on his face and I felt his hand touch mine. It was very cold. As cold as the snow.

"Bella! Bella, are you all right?" He said, his voice trying to remain calm.

I looked at his eyes. Something was very wrong. They were black again. But I could have sworn earlier in biology they were the color of honey.

"Did you get contacts?" was all I could manage to say before I closed my eyes again.