Disclaimer: I do not own any of Twilight's characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.

4 years earlier

"Edward, you're looking again." Jasper nudged and Edward turned to look away from his best friend who was looking at him in unabashed amusement.

"I'm not." He said before opening his book to read. It was a lazy afternoon and the class was stifling hot. He loosened his tie and took off his glasses. His face somehow looked different without them. There seemed to be a certain edge to him that would inevitably attract unsolicited attention. If it were a social commentary, he would most probably be the guy that people cannot help but notice, as he stood out so damn much. And it is precisely the fact that he knew what effect his looks had on people that he's decided to tone them down as much as possible. He liked peace. He loved peace. He enjoyed the idea of not being noticed when he didn't want to be noticed. And right now? It was one of the times that he wished his intentions weren't noticed.

Jasper leaned closer towards him knowingly.

"It's that girl, isn't it," He said, looking at the group of girls who were sitting by the park directly opposite to where their school was. Even from this distance, Jasper could hear the giggles and squeals (which quite frankly annoyed him), but, despite the hazardous noise pollution, he did notice that a girl stood out from the rest.

"The girl with the blue ribbon." Jasper childishly blew the page that Edward was reading. Edward flipped it back gracefully. Jasper's smile grew deeper, "Fine, go on pretending that you don't care, but I know her. Chelsea Pierce… daughter of one of my father's best business acquaintances… Very pretty girl… Innocent too. She loves ballet, loves painting all that sort…But since you're not interested, I obviously am ranting and should head off to meet her myself, shouldn't I?"

Jasper got up, took his tie off his uniform and was about to step out of the nearly empty classroom when Edward finally stopped him, "You know? I finally understand why Alice and you get along so well. The two of you are utterly unscrupulous when it comes to playing with people."

Jasper grinned and patted his best bud's back, "Only with you, Edward. If you were Alice, or me; you would see the fun in this. You're really good entertainment!"

"Really." Edward deadpanned.

"Absolutely! Come on, I'll introduce you to Chelsea."

"And that's...1000 dollars, thanks." Bella stretched out her hand to her stepbrother, Tom who was panting as if he had ran a marathon.

"I'm telling you….My girlfriend, sorry make that ex-girlfriend Eliza, is an extremely dangerous creature…." Tom started complaining after he caught his breath, "She found out about Louis, Miranda, Lexie (all of whom he had 'something' with) and insisted that I propose to her this instant or she'll set a hate club with me as her prime target."

Bella looked at Tom, torn between looking amused and sympathetic. She shook her head going for none, "Wow. That would be one big hate club. Now, 1000 dollars please."

"Bella…. Shouldn't you be more sympathetic to your older brother who happens to also be your boss?" Tom pointed that out with exaggerated disappointment, "After all, I'm covering your expenses and you're staying at my immaculate, highly posh and exclusive bachelor's pad that no girl has Ever stepped in." He was the sort who liked attention. And had often pranced on every drop of it.

Bella looked at Tom, unmoved, "Right. That's because I'm pretending to be you. I have this short crop, and looked perpetually malnourished so that I can play the boyish part, and all this is because of whom, my Dearest Tom?" She narrowed her eyes, emphasizing on the 'dearest' part as she looked at her stepbrother. She examined him properly. He had ridiculously good looks, but was unfortunately equipped with a lackadaisical attitude that, even she sometimes found it difficult to not get annoyed with.

For example: now. She had lost count of the number of girls Tom had been with, and had never once intended to listen to his sob story behind each 'bad break up'. Yet each time, Tom would make her listen to them. The way she see it, she really couldn't see a sob story behind each break up, since he was always the one running away when 'things were getting serious'.

Maybe, he deserved to be shot. Except his looks saved him, many, many times. And fine, he wasn't utterly unredeemable. He did make the occasional ethical choice, (that is, when he's not frolicking around with another girl), he could be a pretty decent step-brother.

"But….you do make a fine lad though!" Tom offered generously, examining Bella's elfish short crop and lanky build. Bella looked at him, "So, should I be grateful?"

"But of course," Tom smiled with a happy grin. He patted Bella's shoulder, "You're like those artsy dudes who could get a really hot girlfriend!"

"And I should be thanking you for that too huh."

"Oh, no need to stand on ceremony. We're family." Tom offered generously, aware that Bella was throwing lethal glares at him but that only made him more amused. He's known Bella for almost 3 years now. Yet, that has never stopped him from being amused at hearing her retorts.

It almost seems like yesterday that his dad had announced that he was remarrying and had brought his new mom and Bella in tow. He almost couldn't believe that the young teenage kid (actually just 1 year younger) in front of him was going to be a part of his family. He rather enjoyed being the only kid; he didn't need anyone fighting for his dad's attention.

But all that changed when Bella's mom passed away barely a year into their marriage due to a rare illness. Cliché as it was, his dad couldn't deal with Bella as she was too vivid a reminder of his lover. Therefore, he chose to abandon Bella, disowning her as his child. There was nothing that could be done to make his father change his decision, not even his uncharacteristic pleas.

So Tom had decided to be the guardian over Bella, which comes in well as he was fond of skipping classes. And she, being quite a good actress, could actually pose as a boy really well too, which if one were to piece the two together, meant that he could go frolicking with his 'flavour of the week' while his step sister could have a fine education – in a boy's boarding school…. Which now that he remembered, was a school full of presumptuous, young rich and beautiful kids who might, one day gamble away their family's inheritance…

Perfect.

"Did anything interesting happen today?" Tom asked as he slid the keycard to his private apartment that he had purchased with his own investments. Bella shrugged off her tie and slumped onto the expensive couch, dead to the world.

She only peeked a little when Tom brought out a plate of cut fruits and she opened her mouth wide out of habit. He rolled his eyes and dropped a slice of orange into her mouth which she chewed laboriously as she talked, "Yea, I scored distinction for Maths, Literature, English, Chemistry, Biology, Physics…and…."

"I thought I asked for interesting." Tom pointed out and Bella got up slowly. She stretched as she looked at anywhere but at Tom when she asked, "Tom, Do you know of a Chelsea Pierce?"

Tom raised his brow a little before continuing to chew his fruits. Bella rarely showed any interest in anyone. He flicked on the TV and absently replied, "You're talking about the really sweet looking, almost to the point of diabetic inducing pretty young thing, Chelsea Pierce? That Chelsea Pierce?"

Bella thought for a while, "Yea, That Chelsea Pierce."

"Why, what's up?"

"Curiosity kills." Bella said before turning her attention to the TV as well, her trail of thoughts were most definitely elsewhere. Narrowing his eyes a little, Tom bit his lip and glanced at his watch. His eyes lit up when he remembered something.

"You know… now that you've mentioned Chelsea. I actually have this stuffy posh event to go to that she happens to be there. And you're coming with me. I hate to appear alone in these sort of events."

Bella's face jerked away from the TV, "What…" She whined then paused as if remembering something from this afternoon's events. Calling after Tom's disappearing back; she shouted, "Fine, extra charges apply for my after hours labour."

Tom got out of his room, adjusting his tie as he looked at his stepsister in an exaggerated air of disbelief, "Bella, you do cost a bomb to maintain, you know that? I'm pretty sure you're more costly than my girlfriends altogether."

Bella shrugged nonchalantly, "Of course, I am. It's every penny well spent too. And by the way, You're graduating with flying colours in your exams transcript!"

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