All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Yes, they are all human.


Disappointed, Once Again

I woke up the next morning, and the first thing in my sight was the raindrops streaming down my window. Great, today is going to be a nightmare. I went to the bathroom, and almost screamed at the image reflected back. My hair was a haystack, and there were dark circles under my eyes. I rinsed my face, and tried my best to tame my wild hair. No such luck. I tied it back into a pony tail and got dressed. It was raining outside, so I put on a grey sweatshirt and jeans. Simple. Boring. Well, my clothing matched my personality.

I was about to go downstairs, when something caught my eye. I got a closer look and found out it was a picture of me and Charlie before the accident. Actually, it was taken the morning before the accident. He was so happy, so carefree. He complemented Renee perfectly. I remembered that very day two years ago.

Charlie and Renee were picking me up from school, and we were going to a restaurant in Phoenix to celebrate my good grades. We were driving down the freeway, and the radio was tuned to one of my favorite stations. My mom and I were singing along, while my dad was teasing us, saying we were off-tune. No one had a clue for what was about to come. The car started speeding, and my father tried to slam on the brakes. We were spinning out of control, until we were rammed into another car. The impact was devastating. The EMTs' that arrive shortly after say it was a miracle that my mother and I survived. My dad didn't have the same luck. I put the picture frame back on the desk where I found it.

"Miss you Charlie." A tear escaped, and I quickly wiped it away. Not today.

I went downstairs and saw Renee in the kitchen, drinking her morning coffee.

"Good luck at your job today, mom." I tried to sound enthusiastic, but it was hard. Renee is a kindergarten teacher, and she says she loves her job. Of course, she never stayed long enough for trouble to occur. Let's see how much she adores her career after she gets covered in dried paste and feathers. I kept that bit of information to myself.

I heard a car honking outside. I assume that would be Alice and Edward, so I grabbed a nutrition bar and headed outside. Alice got out of the silver Volvo her brother was driving and gave me another one of her hugs.

"Good morning to you too Alice." I giggled. She has a way of brightening up your day. She tousled my hair, and critiqued my outfit, disapprovingly.

"Are we going to school? Or are we having a reunion in the driveway?" Edward was certainly grumpy in the morning.

"We're coming! Good morning Edward. It's so nice to see you warm up to Bella," Alice retorted back. Her brother blushed pink, and I suddenly feel sorry for him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Edward," I slid into the backseat and put on my seatbelt. "It's really kind of you to give me a ride. Forgive us?" I was laying it on a bit thick, but I got him to smirk and that was a start. He drove away in such a manner that I was sure was at least thirty miles above the speed limit.

Alice kept me entertained by telling me about her life. I hardly even noticed we were at the school already until I saw a crowd of kids hanging around the parking lot.

I got out of the car, and found Alice already at my side. "So Bella, would you like to go shopping with me this week? I'm going with Jasper and Edward. Speaking of Jasper Hale, here he comes."

A gorgeous honey blonde guy was walking gracefully towards us. He was muscular, but lean. This must be Alice's boyfriend, he and her made an unusual pair. He picked her up with ease and kissed her on the nose. Like always when I see a sign of public affection, I blushed crimson red. I heard a low snicker behind me. I turned around and saw that it was Edward. He doesn't like me too much, does he? I sighed in frustration.

"Hi Jasper, I'm Bella." I held out my hand as I introduced myself. He shook it with a firm grip that left my hand slightly numb.

"Nice to meet you. Alice tells me she's excited to take you shopping." He rolled his eyes in disinterest.

"About that, Alice, I'm not so sure. Shopping isn't really my thing." Alice glanced at me, her face filled with hurt.

"But, I guess I could make an exception for you," I grimaced.

"Thanks Bella! I'll try not to drag you to too many stores."

I told my friends that I had to go get my schedule, but I'd sit with them at lunch. Alice was satisfied with that response, and showed me where to go. I walked into one of of the main buildings, trying to find the office. When I went inside, a tired looking woman was sitting at the front desk. Her school id told me she was Ms. Cope.

"Hi, I'm Isabella Swan. I came to get my schedule?" She looked up from the computer screen and understanding flickered in her eyes.

"Oh yes, we've been expecting you." She was digging through a pile of documents on her desk, until she had found the papers she was trying to find. She handed me a piece of paper, containing my classes, and a slip for me to have the teachers sign. I thanked her and made my way to Government for my first hour.

I went inside the small classroom, and up to the teacher. I handed him my slip, and he directed me to a seat in the back. Good, he didn't introduce me. We would get along well. The classwork in general was basic; I had already studied most of the material in my last school. That was a good thing, I wasn't behind too much. The teacher droned on and on, and most of the kids in the classroom weren't paying attention.

The bell finally rang after what had seem like an eternity. At first, I was startled at the screeching ring. A cute, baby-faced boy with washed out blue eyes approached me, nervously. "Are you Isabella Swan?" He asked curiously.

"Bella," I corrected. He was taken aback, maybe my voice was a tad icy. I gave him a smile to show that I was quite nice.

"Do you need help finding your next class? I can help you find your way around. My name's Mike Newton."

The school wasn't that large, I was sure I would be able to find all my classes without a problem. I had a feeling he wasn't interested in being pals with me. I decided to let him down nicely, and maybe we can be friends, if he didn't get too overly helpful.

"That'd be great, but I don't want make you late for your next class."

"It's okay, I don't mind. I have Physical Education next anyway."

"Same here."

A tall, muscled guy with curly dark hair came over to where we were standing. He was grinning, and he was walking with a modelesque blonde girl that was too beautiful to be reality. The two of them should belong on the cover of a magazine. The girl gave me a cold stare, like she'd rather be anywhere but here, while her boyfriend was the opposite; he was thrilled.

"Why don't you go on ahead Newton." The guy gave Mike an intimidating frown, and Mike took it as a sign to leave.

"Hi, I'm Emmett McCarty and this is my girlfriend Rosalie Hale. You've met her brother this morning, Jasper."

"Hello, I'm Bella." I was scrutinizing why these two gorgeous people were talking to me. Well, Emmett was.

"Emmett, I have to go meet Alice at her locker. I'll see you later," Rosalie sneered as she pranced away. Her stride made her perfect for the catwalk, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one to have that reaction.

"Sorry about her. She's really nice when you get to know her. Need help finding the gym?"

No, I didn't, but he was offering, so I took his help and we walked together. Emmett was a nice guy, he reminded me of the big brother I'd never had.

He walked me to the girls' locker room, supplying most of the conversation, but still listening to my input. I agreed to sitting with him later at lunch, if we had no other classes together. I'm delighted that Emmett rescued me from Mike. I liked Mike, he was a sweet guy, but he wasn't interested in what I had to say, that was clear.

The gym teacher, Coach Clapp, announced that today was the start of their new unit of volleyball. That made me nauseous. I'm not the most graceful person, and I tend to hurt myself, or my neighbors' with the ball. This is going to be hell in the form of a ball. He told us to partner up to do drills, and I saw Mike jogging my way. There was a tap on my shoulder, and there was Edward Cullen, standing in the mandatory navy blue shorts, and a white and gold t-shirt.

"Need a partner?"

"Well, y-yes," I stammered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mike, dejected. I smiled back at him, apologetically.

We worked on basic drills, bumping and serving. I was thrown off guard when Edward started making conversation with me.

"Listen, I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. It was rude of me." He served the ball to me, and I caught it without a problem.

"It's fine. I guess I came off as incompetent. I just don't connect well with other people." I aimed the ball at his head, but he had amazing reflexes and the ball went soaring back at me. I grabbed the ball, and bounced it, trying to bump the ball in place.

"Why?" He seemed genuinely confused, and interested at the same time. I stopped what I was doing, to confront him. We locked eyes for a moment, and a electric shock went through my body. I wonder if he felt the same thing.

"It's a long story." I served the ball back to him, and looked down at the floor awkwardly.

"Bella, I'd like to get to know you better. Would you agree to having dinner with me tomorrow?"

I was puzzled. This morning he acted as if I was repulsive to his eyes, and now he wanted to go on a date with me? Edward was waiting patiently for my answer, a small grin taking form on his perfect face.

"Um, I guess," I mumbled. He smiled at me sheepishly.

We didn't talk much after that. I focused on hitting the ball to my target, Edward. A girl with wild, curly hair came over to Edward and threw her arms around him, protectively. I stared, not knowing what to make of the situation. A couple minutes later, Edward pulls the girl's arms off, and introduced her to me as Jessica.

"Pleasure," she jested. Her voice didn't reflect her words.

"Jessica is my girlfriend. Jess, this is Bella Swan. She's my neighbor."

Oh, so that's what I am? I was angry, he led me to believe that he actually liked me! He asked me out on a date, and I mistakenly accepted. The worst part of the manner was, it was all my fault. I was so stupid to think that I might stand a chance with him. After all the jerks my mother has dated, I haven't yet learned the truth about guys. I was sick to my stomach, and I wanted to scream out in irritation. I tried to control my temper, and my tears. Fortunately for me, Coach Clapp announced the end of class, and I rushed to the locker room to change. I ran to my next class, Biology II. Being one of the first ones there, I chose a seat in the back, close to the window. The bell rang minutes later, and the class settled down into their seats. Forks really was my personal Hell, because I knew who was sitting next to me without having to glance up.

"Bella, are you okay?"

I didn't respond. My eyes were fixated on Ms. Philips, the teacher and what she was trying to teach. She was lecturing the class about the phases of mitosis, and the terminology we were to study, but I hadn't heard a word.

"I hope you didn't get the idea that I was asking you out on a date. It's not that I don't like you, it's just I prefer that we stay as friends. I honestly want to be friends with you, Isabella." He whispered low enough that only I could hear what he was saying.

"Whatever Edward. I don't care, I don't plan on staying long enough to make any friends anyway, so don't bother," I hissed back. His eyes showed sadness, and a wave of guilt flowed over me. I pushed that feeling aside.

"If that's what you wish."

"It is." I put all my anger into those two little words. It worked, after I muttered my reply, he scooted his chair to the edge of the table, as if I had something contagious. More tears were building up, but I didn't dare blink. This is how it's supposed to be. The bell rang, signaling it was time for lunch. My appetite was lost, and I longed to go back home. I gathered up my materials, and headed to the cafeteria.


a/n: Thanks for all the nice reviews! I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter. Yes, Bella sounds really rude, but you can't blame her THAT much. As the story progresses, you'll understand what she's been through. No, Edward is not going dump Jessica for Bella. He's not that kind of guy. But YES, Edward and Bella will get together. When? That's for me to know and for you to find out. Also, I will do a chapter in Edward's POV, but this little fanfic is almost entirely in Bella's POV. Sorry for the long author's note :) The next chapter will be filled with drama, and possible Jessica-bashing.