I don't own Twilight.

Review faster and I'll get these chapters posted sooner. I do have other stories on my spare account to write.

After school I go home right away, Alice had waved at me as I left and I couldn't help but wave back.

Opening the door I drop my keys on the side table and drop my backpack beside it, closing the door. The house looks empty, but the hairs on the back of my neck are pickling…something isn't right. Did Charlie not go to the next county like he said?

I take a few steps, opening my mouth to call him, something jumps out from the living room and I squeak in surprise.

"Hands up mutha fuckah!" Mitch shouts with that same wide goofy grin, hands in make-shift guns as he laughs. I can't help but laugh in relief and joy. It felt like months since I'd seen him. "I scare ya?" He snickers.

"Shut up." I jump at him and he picks me up and spins me. It's like we're kids again and he always gives me piggy back rides and spins till we're both sick. I didn't realize how much I'd missed him.

He sets me down and I stumble a little. "Are you crying?" He asks curiously. Suddenly I can feel my eyes stinging. "How come?"

I shrug. "Just missed you I guess." I swipe the tears from my eyes and smile. I'd missed him quite a bit.

He chuckles, but doesn't pick on me about it. He's too good natured for that. "It's only been a few days."

I nod and shove his shoulder. "Come on, you're only here for two days, let's order pizza and rent some movies."

"Hell yeah!" He flexes his arms and follows me out to my truck; I grab my keys on my way out.

We drink, we eat, and we talk. He tells me how everyone back home is doing, that mom still talks about how I wish I had stayed.

I talk to him about school, about Jessica being a total bitch and how strange the Cullen's seem. And I talk to him about Alice, to which he teases;

"Somebody has a crush! Somebody has a crush!"

Was it? I honestly had no idea…maybe?

We head upstairs when we hear Charlie pull into the driveway. Mitch takes the floor with several blankets under him for a mattress and nothing but a pillow for his head. He says it's too hot for another blanket, it's funny because I think it's freezing.

"Wanna shop tomorrow?" I ask, mumbling half the question into my pillows.

"Oh girl you know I'm allll about some shoppin!" He drawls, making me laugh.

I missed my brother.

The weekend feels like it passed to quick. And suddenly it's Monday and I'm hugging Mitch goodbye with a promise to chat online tonight and tell him how my day was.

"I wanna hear all about Alice." He hisses her name and laughs, hopping into Charlie's car. "Talk to you tonight!" He waves. I wave back until he's out of sight. Then I hop in my truck and head for school.

I had several new jeans and shirts from the shopping trip with Mitch, and a new book. The music is a low hum in my ears.

…

Its fourth period and lunch is over, I'm getting my book for bio when there's a tap on my shoulder. I look around to see Alice.

"I figure you could use this more than I could." She holds up that golden onion from last week. "It's fine. You could throw it out if you wanted. The smell always makes my eyes sting."

I chuckle and take it. "I think it makes everyone's eyes sting." I tuck it into my locker and pull out my book for class. "How was your weekend?"

She shrugs. "Uneventful, as always." She smiles. "Yours?"

"My brother and I had some quality sibling time." I close the metal door. It must be like a prison in there. "It was only days but I felt like I hadn't seen him in months."

Her head turns curiously, eyeing me from an angle. "I can't say I know how that feels. My brothers are always around. They go hunting sometimes but…other than that they're real home bodies." She giggles.

I smile; she turns and walks with me to class. I notice she has a good fashion sense, unlike me. She's wearing a cute baby doll dress that ends just above her hips, a small band of pale flesh showing before her dark jeans start.

Almost too cute to be human.

"Does it make you unhappy sometimes?" She looks up at me. I raise a brow in confusion. "You said you didn't like the cold. It's always cold here. Does it make you unhappy that you had to leave home to be here?"

I think about that. No…it's not that I'm unhappy. I'm just… "No," I shake my head. "I'm not unhappy."

Just lonely.

She watches me for a moment, she doesn't blink. It's like she's trying to put something together but she's not sure what yet. "So you like it here?"

"Not the rain, but it's nice to live with my dad again." Kind of…he's total boring but he's alright.

"You don't call him that very often. Do you?" She adds the end as a sort of forced after thought. …Or was that just me?

"No, usually just by his name."

She smiles again. "I'm sorry I'm being so nosy."

I shrug it off and smile a little more. "It's alright, I don't have many secrets. And even the ones I do have aren't very good." Talking to Alice made me feel like telling her everything about my life, why…I still had to figure that part out for myself.

"I'm a little surprised you're talking to me." It seems like I'm the popular item here…but back at home Alice would have been at the top of the food chain, I would have been several links down almost at the middle.

"Why is that?"

I shake my head again. "Never mind, I'm just being a dork." I chuckle; she giggles and looks up at me again. I can't help it, "Did you get contacts?"

She seems to freeze, and for a moment it's like she's a painted statue in a museum. "…What?"

"Contacts…you're eyes seem to go from gold to black." Was I stupid to say that?

Alice smiles and a plume of laughter leaves her lips. "Yeah, I felt like a change." She chuckles a little. She sounds nervous…why? Were contacts bad or something suddenly?

Between black and gold I would say gold made her seem even cuter.

Whoa…what?

My phone buzzes as I make my way to last period. Mitch is written on the screen in shiny gold letters, he must have fiddled with it while I wasn't looking. I slide open my phone.

Well?

Well what?

How's your crush?

It's not a crush.

Sure it isn't.

Shut up.

Lol I luv u 2!

I roll my eyes as I enter my classroom.

It was raining…that was a huge shock. Not. I go to my truck and flip open my phone, texting Mitch that I'll be home and able to chat online soon.

I can feel eyes on my back. I turn, Alice is walking over to me, or rather dancing over…she steps with the tips of her toes…like a ballet dancer.

I send the text and smile as she gets closer. "Hey."

"Hi." She glances around, she looks worried. Suddenly her tiny hand is on mine and she's gently tugging me to the side.

"Alice."

"I just wanted to know if I can come over for a study party." She giggles, she almost fools me, there's something she's not saying.

"Are you okay?"

She nods, still looking around. Her eyes are still gold…but they're darker now. "Of course why wouldn't I be?"

I shrug. "You're acting kinda strange."

"Am I, sorry. I'm just not used to coming up to people and asking for study time." She smiles. "It's not very often I want to make a new friend." She sounds almost sad…I made a note of that.

Suddenly there are screams and the telltale screech of tires on wet tar. I look around quickly. Tyler's van is out of control, it slides and bashes into my truck, almost knocking it over. But then it's quiet as I stare open mouthed.

The door window is hopelessly smashed to bits, the windshield has several long cracks and the side mirror is demolished. My headlight is ruined…this would cost quite a bit to fix up.

"Holy shit." I mumble.

"I can give you a ride if you want." I glance down when I hear Alice's small voice; she's staring straight ahead at the teen still trying to get his bearings.

My eyes narrow…something was going on. "Did you…did you see him or something?" Her voice…it sounded like she wasn't shocked at all, just relieved.

"Not at all." She looks up at me and smiles, it's brilliant and blinding. "Come on, I'll give you a lift." I nod, shifting my backpack on my shoulder and pulling out my phone, texting Mitch again that I have more to tell him.

I hear Alice calling a tow truck. I should be thankful…I feel thankful. If she hasn't pulled me aside I'd be crushed to death…my brain may have squeezed from the top of my skull.

I hear the ambulance as I climb into Alice's car. I swallow my nerves and buckle myself in, my bag between my knees. I couldn't think of anything to say. "Thanks Alice…for the ride and calling the tow truck. And pulling me aside to talk to me." I didn't ask why, but the way she seemed to stiffen when I said anything about what happened made me wonder…

Alice walked me to my door. "Are you okay?"

I nod. "I'll just call my dad and talk to Mitch. Thanks again."

She smiles sweetly, a candy lipped smile. "You don't have to thank me Bella; anybody with a good heart would have done the same thing."

I got that feeling again…like she knew something I didn't. "I guess you must have a big heart."

She frowns just a little and shrugs. "I wouldn't be so sure," she forces a smile. "But maybe."

I blink, unsure of how to respond, but suddenly her eyes narrow and her head turns to her right, she's waiting for something. I follow her line of sight.

I hear it before I see it. And then it's flashing down the street…a silver sleek sports car and Alice glares at it as it streaks by in a blink. The glare is strange on her usually bright face. She looks at me for a moment and smiles again. "I have to go. But if you're up for that study party for you and me, I can be back in about an hour."

"Whatever you want to do is fine." I found myself saying it but I didn't really hear it…her eyes sparkled with glee and her brilliant teeth flashed.

"I'll be back in an hour." She hops down the steps and dances back to her car, I wait till she's out of sight to enter my house and bound up the stairs (tripping twice) and flinging my backpack across the room. I sit down in front of my laptop; I shoot Mitch a quick test before firing up my computer.

Not three minutes later my web chat is open and Mitch is watching me curiously. "What's so urgent?" He chuckles.

"You are not gunna believe what just happened to me."