I don't own anything from Twilight or any of the Characters. That's all Stephenie Meyer's wonderful work. I just play with them a bit.

Enjoy.

The next day was better.. or worse. It was better because it wasn't raining yet, though the clouds were dense and opaque. It was easier because I knew what to expect of my day. The boy from my English class, Mike, came to sit beside me in class and walked me to my next class with Chess Club Eric glaring at him all the while; that was flattering. People didn't quite look at me like they had yesterday. I sat with a big group at lunch that included Mike, Eric, the girl from yesterday whose name was Jessica, and several other peoples names and faces I now remembered. I began to feel like I was treading water, instead of drowning in it.

It was worse because I was tired: I still couldn't sleep with the wind echoing around the house. It was worse because Mr. Varner called on me in Trig when my hand wasn't raised and I had the wrong answer. It was miserable because I had to play volleyball, and the one time I didn't cringe out of the way of the ball, I hit my teammate in the head with it. And, it was worse because Edward and Emmett Cullen weren't in school today.

All morning I was debating on what to do when I saw Edward in Biology or Emmett in Gym. Part of me wanted to embrace the fact that the two hottest boys at Fork High School were being genuienly nice to me. But, the other part was curious as to why they were being so nice to me. I knew I was pretty, that was obvisious from the looks most of the boys here have been giving me. But, for the Cullens' I was plain. While I lay sleepless in my bed, I imagined possible scenarios with both of them. Confronted them and asking them what they wanted. But, I didn't want to become the outcast on my second day because I was a bitch to Edward and Emmett.

That night was a hard one for me. I had gotten home a few minutes late, due to traffic and Charlie wasn't very happy about that. "Bella," he growled when I stepped through the door. He was sitting at the kitchen table, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "What did I tell you about being late?" I opened my mouth to reply, but he was in my face before I could utter a word. His fist came across my mouth and I stumbled back. The copper taste in my mouth only got stronger when he repeated the action twice more.

I wanted to cry, but I knew if I did, he would only hit me harder. When his rage was gone, he started doing things that fathers should never do to there daughters. His hands brushed over my boobs and he smiled, sickeningly. I stood there, shaking and on the verge of tears as his hands began to explore my body. This was a normal thing. He always did this. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, baby girl. But, you need to obey my rules." His hands touched and prodded my body. Places you would never want your father to touch. He brought his lips to mine and kissed me as softly. "Do you like it when I touch you?" My body was shaking uncontrollably. I nodded weakly. He let me go.

"I'm ordering pizza. Go clean yourself up."

I did as he said, cleaning up my mouth and the blood. My lip was busted. I took a shower, then rushed back to my room. I didn't come out after that. I laid on my bed and cried all night.

The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school. In Gym, which I found out that Mike also had with me, the kids on my team learned not to pass me the ball and to step quickly in front of me if the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I happily stayed out of their way.

Edward and Emmett Cullen didn't come back to school.

Every day, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullens' entered the cafeteria without them. Then I could relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited, and I had agreed to go, more out of politeness than desire. Beaches should be hot and dry.

By Friday I was completely comfortable walking into my Biology and Gym classes without worrying about Emmett and Edward. For all I knew, they dropped out. I tried not to think about them.

My first weekend in Forks had passed without incident. Charlie was never home, he was always fishing with Billy and Harry. I cleaned the house, got ahead on a lot of my homework and wrote my mom a email telling her that I was perfectly fine here. Which wasn't a lie. Even though Charlie was abusive, I was a lot happier to here with him then in Phoenix with her and her.. husband. What he had put me through was a lot worse than what Charlie will ever do. I winced at the memory.

The rain stayed light over the weekend, quiet, so I was able to sleep. People greeted me in the parking lot on Monday. I didn't know their names but I smiled back and waved anyway. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat beside me. We had a pop quiz. It was straightforward, very easy. All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point.

When we walked out of class, the air was full or swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other.

"Wow," Mike said. "Its snowing."

I looked up at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face. I smiled slightly and ran outside and into the snow. I beckoned Mike to come join me and he did in no time. I picked up a handful and balled it up, then threw it at Mike. He acted shocked, but when I bent down to get more snow I felt a trail of coldness going down my back. That's when we started having a full blown snowball fight. It was our lunch time, so we didn't have to worry about being late for our next glass.

I threw a snowball at Mike's face and giggled when it slide down slowly before plopping onto the ground. I felt a snowball hit the back of my head and I raised an eyebrow. I didn't know anyone else was out here. Then there was a musical laugh and my heart stopped. Without even turning around I knew one of two people it could be.

I turned slightly to find Emmett Cullen with a huge smile on his face and another snowball in his hand. He threw it at me and I threw one at him. After a few minutes I started getting cold, maybe from my soaked clothes. I started to head in when I heard footsteps behind me. "Hey Bella," Emmett said, matching my pace. I looked beside me to look at the perfection that went by the name of Emmett Cullen. There were white specks in his brown curls and amusement in his amber eyes.

I found it amusing when right away it started raining, washing away the snow.

"Its too bad about the snow isn't it?" Emmett asked. I headed to my locker to get the extra pair of clothes that always packed. Sweatpants, a white T-shirt and a hoodie. "Not really," I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be disappointing like most of the student body probably was. "You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question. "Or the wet," I said, beginning to unlock my locker. "Then what was that snowball fight all about, Miss Swan?" He was smirking. I shrugged and grabbed my sweatpants. "A once and a lifetime thing."

"So, Bella.. you have a crush on my brother don't you?"