Bella's POV

When we arrived, I hauled my suitcases upstairs. Charlie had a meeting to attend, so I was on my own for dinner. Fine by me. I opened the front door, keen on finding some greasy fast food. I stopped short at the guy standing in front of it, his hand poised as if to knock. I must've looked alarmed, because he backed away slightly.

"Hey, I was just gonna let Charlie know that my mom's making stew," his voice was low and gravelly. I liked it. He looked around my age, too.

I smiled slightly, "He's at a meeting."

"Oh." The guy nodded, putting his hands in his pockets.

He smirked at me, and I grinned right back. He was definitely a hot specimen; dark cropped hair, baby blue eyes… and those muscles peeking out from his t-shirt looked yummy. I could see him checking me out as well.

"I'm Bella." I decided to get the formalities over with. He smiled.

"James. We live next door." I stepped forward and extended my hand for him to shake. He took it, twisting it around and planting a soft kiss on the back of my hand. I chuckled.

"Think you're smooth, James?" He opened his mouth, flabbergasted. I shrugged.

"Yeah, a little." He finally said, amusement in his eyes, "Not used to being called out on it, though."

"Get used to it." I flirted and he smiled. "Hey, I was just going to get some food. Can you show me a good place?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Let me go tell my mom I'm going so she doesn't flip out. Usually Charlie comes over almost every night for dinner."

I laughed. Just like Charlie. James' mom must've taken pity on my father's inability to not burn a frozen TV dinner.

James and I walked to a tiny little diner before sitting down in a booth. I enjoyed his company. We made each other laugh very easily, and I could definitely see myself having some fun with him. I was excited to find out he was a senior, too.

Completely uninhibited, I told him about my past. He listened, serious. He even looked pissed when I talked about what Edward did. He promised to help me put the bastard in his place. I'd made a very, very valuable ally: James was the school soccer star, and apparently knew everyone there was to know. He walked me back home, pausing in front of my front door.

"Thanks for walking me home," I kidded, nodding towards his house that was only thirty or so yards away.

He laughed, "No problem, Miss Swan. I'll definitely be seeing you in school."

"Hmm, it'll be a shorter wait than that. Aren't you going to spy on me in my bedroom window?" I asked innocently.

He smirked."Oh, miss Bella, only if you ask."

I leaned forward, giving him a slow, light kiss. He smiled against my lips as his tongue traced mine. I leisurely wrapped my arms around his neck.

Kissing James was so calm and sweet. I pulled back, smiling at his glazed-over eyes.

"What was that?" he asked, breathless. He touched his fingers to his lips, both a question and lust in his eyes.

I paused, "I don't know. Being neighborly?" I smiled again, biting my lip, "Goodnight, James."

"Goodnight Bella." he said, dreamily.

I giggled as I watched him glide towards his house from the living room window. Being so impetuous was also a fairly recent development. Kissing random boys… my old self would've been horrified.

***

The next afternoon, I pulled the gigantic red truck into the crowded parking lot, scowling. Charlie had insisted on buying me this truck before I even had a say in it. Phil's now Major-league money was sitting pretty in my bank account, and I was stuck driving a huge, rattling beast because I didn't want to hurt my dad's feelings.

Oh well. Maybe it'll break down before the year's over. Or it could meet with an unfortunate accident. I smiled at the fantasy as I jumped down from the driver's seat.

I approached the Port Angeles outlets with more than a little bit of trepidation. In Phoenix, I had always had Laurent's advice on everything from fashion to how I wore my hair. I had developed a fashion sense of my own, but I definitely wasn't by any means a fashion maven.

I eyed the shops with anxious eyes. I'd never grown fond of shopping- I learned to see it as a necessary evil. And I needed new clothes before the first day of school. New, sexy, fuck-you-Edward-Cullen clothes.

If only they had a store labeled that, it would save me a lot of trouble.

I wandered into the Chanel store, pausing to peruse the display mannequins. I picked up a dark blue top, holding it up against me to see how it looked. I felt a tiny rap on my shoulder and turned around, startled. I looked down to meet a pair of hazel eyes a few inches below my own.

The girl standing before me looked like she walked out of a magazine. With dark hair falling in blunt strands just past her chin, she smiled up at me. I tentatively smiled back, wondering why she tapped my shoulder. Did she think I was shoplifting?

"Hi. I don't recognize you," she said in a friendly tone.

I opened my mouth before shutting it again. Did she go around saying this to everyone she didn't know?

She continued before I had a chance to respond, "Which means you're new in town. Hi, I'm Alice Wells." She beamed at me, extending her little hand for me to shake. I took it, smiling back.

"Bella Swan. And you're right, I am new. Well, I used to live here, but…"

"You escaped and came back willingly?" A new voice came from behind me. I turned to see a beautiful bombshell dressed just as well as the brunette in front of me. She was taller and curvier than her friend. I smirked at her.

"Half-willingly. My mom didn't like the attitude I was developing in Phoenix, so I'm back here for senior year." The blond smiled at me, apparently with approval. Alice walked to stand next to her. She scowled at her friend.

"Damn it, Rosalie, quit interrupting me!" she pouted. The blond, Rosalie, shrugged before grinning at me again. I smiled back.

Rosalie continued, "Well, I'm Rosalie and my hyperactive little friend here told me we had to go shopping today because there was someone we must meet." Alice nodded exuberantly.

I furrowed my brow. "And that someone is me?" I asked, perplexed. Alice nodded and Rosalie started to laugh at the dubious look on my face. "Are you sure?" Alice rolled her eyes.

"Bella, when I get feelings, they are never wrong. Rosalie, tell her." She poked her friend in the ribs.

"Ow! Fuck. Yes, she is our psychic princess." Rosalie teased her friend. I smiled half-heartedly before biting my lip.

"Um, well… sorry to disappoint?" I said, wondering what they could want. I'd never been good friends with any girls back home. I felt awkward standing around these two perfect girls.

Alice shook her head, "No, you don't disappoint. You're gorgeous, and we're taking you out to lunch." Again, the girl left me speechless. She took the top I'd been eyeing out of my hands, sighing dramatically, "After I help you pick out clothes. You do realize this is two sizes too big for you?" She shook it at me as if to emphasize her point.

I backed away, my hands up in mock-defense. Rosalie chuckled, "Bella, you seem too well-dressed for someone who would pick… that. Who shopped for you where you came from?" She asked, watching as Alice buzzed into the racks of clothes, presumably to find me a better outfit.

I shrugged, "Who says anyone helped me?" Rosalie raised a lone eyebrow. Busted. "Okay, my friend helped me. He had better instincts than I did about this stuff." Rosalie nodded, understanding.

Alice ran back to me, shoving six hangers' worth of clothes into my hands. I rolled my eyes before dumping all of the selected clothes onto the sales counter, asking the woman to ring me up. If there was something I hated more than shopping, it was trying on clothes. Plus, Alice looked too eager to make me try on everything in the shop.

Alice raised her eyebrows at my nonchalance and Rosalie chuckled. "Uh oh, pretty and rich. You'll never get rid of us now."

I giggled at their antics. How was it possible that I'd managed to make two friends here so quickly? Well, not make so much as be claimed by two friends. In addition to James, who was a yummy distraction. I mentally shrugged. Who was I to judge?

Maybe this is karma rewarding me for all of the years Forks fucked me over.

"So, where're we going for lunch?" I asked, winking at my new friends.

They made eye contact before each grabbing one of my arms in theirs. They led me across the street to a quaint little Italian restaurant. As we were seated, an elfish looking guy came up to the table. His eyes lit up when he saw us.

"Aw, fuck me, not Newton…" Rosalie muttered. Alice sighed.

"Hello ladies!" He said in a higher-than-normal male voice, wiggling his eyebrows up and down wildly. "What can I get you lovely female specimens today?" He squinted his pale eyes at us in what I guessed was supposed to be a sexy look.

I snorted, and Rose laughed into her napkin, making a honking noise. Alice, looking chagrined, smiled slightly at the waiter as she kicked both of us in the shins under the table.

"We'll have three cokes, thank you, Mike."

He nodded, dashing away to get the drinks. I laughed. "Who is that?" I asked, watching as he tore around the restaurant.

Rosalie snorted again and Alice sighed once more.

"Mike Newton. The thorn in our collective paw since freshman year."

Rose laughed, "He's a gigantic horn dog and tries to get with every girl on campus. And I mean every girl." I nodded, making a mental note to avoid the lothario.

"It's fine to be nice to him. He can't help the way he is." Alice reasoned as Rose and I cracked up again, "But yeah, he's probably so excited because he almost never gets to talk to us."

"Why?" I asked. Both girls gave me a "Duh" look.

"Because we are the most popular girls at Forks High, and seniors to boot. No one enters our inner circle without proving themselves first." Rose answered matter-of-factly. I must have looked apprehensive, because her face softened. "You're a special case, Bella. Alice and I almost never like any other girl. I can tell we're going to be best friends."

I nodded slowly, smiling slightly at Mike as he brought our cokes. After placing our orders, he scurried away again, adjusting his pants. Gross.

Alice looked concerned, "What's wrong, Bella?"

I decided to come clean. They'd hear soon enough, anyway. "I'm not sure if you guys will want to be my friend." They both looked surprised and pissed. Alice opened her mouth to object, but I continued on, "When I went to school here before, in middle school, I wasn't Miss Popularity. Hell, I was at the bottom of the ladder. And I was teased. A lot. Actually, they made my life a living hell. So when I found out I was coming back here, I kind of promised myself that I'd…"

"Get even with them?" Alice asked. I looked up. Both girls had devious smiles on their faces.

"Y-Yeah…" I muttered, surprised. Why were the two most popular girls still here?

"Bella," Alice reached across the table to touch my hand lightly. "It doesn't matter that some pricks picked on you during your awkward phase. We like you. Do you know how unusual that is? We usually can't stand to be around other girls for more than twenty seconds." I gaped at them as Rose nodded in agreement.

"We've got your back," she said, seriously.

"Uh, okay. Well… wow." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Tell us what happened, and who did what." Alice said, sitting back in the booth with a determined look on her pretty face. How she managed to look like a fierce mafia boss while looking so cute, I'll never know. I paused. What if Cullen was dating one of these girls? They noticed my hesitation. "Come on, Bella. Seriously. Neither one of us was here till freshman year, and we're both dating people who've been here since sophomore year. So don't worry." Alice assured me.

I took a deep breath, "Okay. Well, a lot of girls picked on me. Lauren Mallory was the ringleader of them. They would knock me down, trip me, wreck my stuff and make me cry in front of everybody…" I looked up to see both girls with murderous looks on their faces.

"It's alright, Bella. We know her. She's still a huge bitch. It's nice to know we have another reason to hate her now." Rosalie winked. I laughed.

"Go on." Alice urged.

"Well, besides those girls, there was just one guy. For over two years, from elementary to middle school, he made my life a living hell. He was king of the school. He humiliated me on a daily basis. He thought he was God's gift and made me miserable enough that I had to move away."

Rose and Alice exchanged a loaded look before they said in unison, "Edward Cullen."

I scoffed, disbelief on my face, "How'd you know?" They both shrugged.

"Bella, Edward is the most popular guy at school. He's gotten into every hot girls' pants… with the exception of ours, of course." Rosalie grinned, "He's more chill now, but I've heard stories about him being a dick back in the day. Apparently he cooled it down by the time Alice and I moved here. He's still a pompous ass, but he's not a complete douche."

I nodded, interested. "Who told you about when he was mean?"

Alice smirked, "Jasper Hale. He's been Edward's best friend for as long as we've been here." My mind perked at the sound of the name. Alice noticed my new expression.

"Did you know him? Was he bad, too?" she asked. I shook my head, letting the memories surround me.

"No," I answered, "He never participated, but he never stood up for me, either." I looked down at my hands, depressed at the memories, "…No one did."

Mike came by and gave us our orders with a flourish, winking so much it looked as if he could be having a mild seizure. Rosalie glared until he reluctantly went away.

"Jasper didn't defend you? What a tool." Rose mused, stirring her pasta. I shrugged.

"You know, Bella." Alice began, conspiratorially, "Edward and Jazz have a weird relationship. Edward has this dominating sort of personality. Every girl Jazz has dated or fucked? Edward was there first. And Jazz never seems to mind letting him get everyone and everything first. If you walk into school and ignore Edward and pursue Jazz, it'll bug the fuck out of Cullen. Maybe even split up the wonder-pair."

I nodded, intrigued as I chewed my own ravioli. "What's Jasper like now?" I asked, hoping to sound innocent. Alice laughed.

"He is a Grade-A hottie, Miss Swan. Even I think so." Alice said. Rose laughed, elbowing Alice. I frowned, confused. Alice went on to explain, "I'm a lesbian, Bella."

"Ohhh." I said, smiling.

Alice wrinkled her petite brow. "What?" she asked.

"You think I'm pretty! It's just more flattering now." I teased. Alice threw back her head and laughed as Rosalie giggled.

"Are you two…?" I trailed off suggestively. Being friends with Laurent had made me completely uninhibited when it came to sexuality.

Rosalie choked on her coke. "No!" she sputtered, almost spraying me with soda. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Rose is straight. She's got her eye on Forks' star football player, Emmett McCarty. I've got a casual thing going on with another cheerleader, Angela. She's a real sweetie, you'll meet her later." Alice smiled, "But… sometimes we do have make-out parties. With Jell-O shooters, hot tub, all that jazz. Usually boys show up just to watch what they can't have." Alice's expression turned contemplative, "Cullen shows up almost every time. Drives him nuts that I won't do him and that Rose won't jump on his junk. I bet seeing you there would drive him wild." She gave me a playful wink.

"Sign me up!" I exclaimed, making several tables look over in irritation.

We all made eye contact before breaking out into laughter again. I couldn't believe my luck. Not only did I have a concrete plan in place to make Cullen my bitch, but I had two amazing little vixens along for the ride. This year was most definitely looking up.

We paused in our laughter as Mike approached with the check, which Alice promptly scooped up. She read it and immediately smacked her forehead with her palm, handing it over to Rose. Rose wrinkled up her nose in disgust.

"What? Did they overcharge?" I asked. Rose gave me a "There are no words" look before handing me the check. Mike had scrawled across the top:

Have a good day! I RSVP YES to the close encounters of the SEXY kind!

"It's like… he's part crazy… part nerd… and part pervert." Rosalie muttered.

"The worst possible combo, I agree." Alice said.

I just motioned for the pen before writing a note back. I showed the girls, who began howling with laughter. We clutched onto each other as we left the restaurant, leaving cash on the table next to the bill with my little note on it.

Mike: Do NOT take us to your leader.

XOXO, the Forks hotties