A Million Shades of Grey

Chapter 1

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."- Lao Tzu

EPOV

"So I was wondering if you'd like to be my date for Friday's dance?"

Shit. "I don't do the whole- dating scene, Tanya."

And there it came. The face of rejection. She began to turn red in the face and stutter as she struggled to find words. Tanya Denali. She was the latest arrival in the desolate town of Forks. That was over a year ago. This town didn't receive many visitors, let alone permanent residents. New arrivals were dubbed new arrivals for a minimum of the first five years, if they didn't come to their senses and leave. Her arrival caused uproar; she was a New Yorker. She belonged on the cover of a magazine, not the local newspaper. Tall, strawberry blonde, athletic, flirtatious; she was everything these small town boys wanted in a girl. "I- uh. It's fine. Mike and Tyler had both asked me anyway. I'll go with one of them," she nodded her head while she spoke.

She turned around and started walking back over towards her posse standing across the parking lot. "He's gay—," she sharply whispered to them.

They looked over at me and started giggling. "No way—." "All the good ones are." "Who cares?"

Granted, none of it was suppose to be heard by me. Apparently, the fact I declined Tanya's offer to the dance made me gay. Another tidbit about Denali was the fact she was the epitome of shallowness. The student body had given her the status of Queen Bee, and my guess, it was reason enough for her to stay in Forks. That's right. The epitome of shallowness.

"Ignore them. Little Miss Perfect's just shocked because someone said no," Alice claimed, rolling her eyes.

"On the plus side, you won't have to come out of the closet. She'll tell everyone for you by the end of the day," Emmett joked.

I glared at him and Alice smacked him on the head with the back of her purse. "Ow—hey! I was just kidding," Emmett winced, rubbing his head.

Alice and Emmett Cullen were my siblings. We all attended the same foster care building when Carlisle and Esme adopted us. Emmett was the first to be taken in; he was barely two years old. Now, he had grown into a bear-sized football player. Emmett was the sarcastic one in the family. His history of pranks and other various jokes made him a prime suspect to accusation anytime Alice's things went missing. Alice was my younger sister. She was adopted four years after Emmett at the age of five. Alice was the eccentric and outspoken one who couldn't seem to stay quiet, ever. Carlisle and Esme brought me in years later. I was a few months away from my fifteenth birthday at the time. For the longest time, I never understood why they had gone to the trouble of dealing with me; three more years and I would have been released on account of being legal. When they had adopted me, I was rebellious, stubborn, and had no regard for anyone's feelings. It took two years before I began trusting my new family, and I discovered a new found appreciation for their efforts.

I looked away from their petty arguing and scanned the parking lot. Students stood in clusters besides their rustic cars. The same students, standing by the same cars, parked in the same parking slot, for four years. Change wasn't attributed with the name of Forks. It was the lack of change and mundane lifestyle which made living here a purgatory. My family and I moved here almost three years ago; we lost the title of 'latest arrival' with Tanya Denali's appearance. I preferred a fast-paced lifestyle with change and unexpected turns and twists. Forks was a road that made four lefts and ended it right where it began.

"Hey Cullen!"

I turned around to the familiar voice of James. He stood beside Victoria and Laurent while they smoked. Whatever time I spent with company, aside from my family, was spent with them. James was the head of the three musketeers. With blonde hair, blue eyes, and an average height, he could've blended in perfectly with the rest of the students; except for his cocaine addiction. Victoria, his—friend with benefits, was a tall red haired bombshell. She belonged with Tanya on the cover of a magazine at one point. Years of binge drinking had taken a toll on her health and physical appearance. Laurent, standing at a height of 6'5, was the guardian of their clan. No one ever told him this directly to his face, but it was more an unwritten rule. Laurent didn't have any serious addictions or problems; he seemed to stick to James like glue however. They were all drop-outs. Alice hated them all, as well as the rest of my family. They couldn't fathom why I spent my time with them. Esme and Carlisle adamantly insisted I refrain from involving myself with them.

I was not a frequent a drinker, nor did I have any addictions. I actually opposed smoking anything besides cigarettes. Sometimes I didn't even understand why I associated myself with James. They were scum. They shoplifted when they could and got high when they had the chance. Legally, my record was clean. My reputation arose from my associations. My family knew I didn't like confrontation, but I wasn't afraid of it. I preferred that the people around me left me alone. It irked me when girls like Tanya and Jessica attempted to come and win me over. It was easier letting people think I would knock their lights out if they irritated me. "Are you coming or no?" Victoria called out.

It was obvious she had been drinking. Her voice was slurred and she couldn't seem to stand without swaying. I locked the car and started walking over to them before a hand shot out and suddenly grabbed my arm. "Edward," Alice pleaded desperately. "Stay. Don't you want to see the new student?"

I may have forgotten to mention that it was Tanya's last day being the 'new arrival'. The new girl was supposed to move in today. No one knew her name or anything about her for that matter, which was surprising. News spread like wildfire from Forks down to the La Push Reservation in less than twenty-four hours. I was somewhat surprised Alice hadn't managed to pull a measly first name from the front office. She was usually the first to be notified, and she made sure of that. "No thanks, Alice," I responded, pulling my arm out of her grip.

She clutched the end of the sleeve and refused to let go. "Alice," I warned.

My patience with my family was short lived. I refused to tolerate anyone's bullshit, and I could only tolerate so much of my family's attempt to provide guidance. "Alice," Emmett cut in for me, "let him go."

Out of everyone, Emmett despised my habits the most. When I first started smoking and spending my nights with James, Emmett was the one who put up the strongest fight. It was the worse we'd had. He hadn't spoken to me for almost nine months before he learned to there was no way around it. He insisted it was just a stage I was going through. I wasn't so confident. I had suffered through a tough childhood of neglect, and it had left a scar.

"Will you be home by dinner?"

She was pleading now. I stared at her wide eyed face for a moment; she wanted me to answer yes because it meant I wouldn't be out with them. "Alice-."

"Please?" She begged before I could finish.

I rolled my eyes and shrugged her hand off my jacket. "Fine. Fine, alright?"

She gave a small smile before looking across the parking lot until she caught sight of her boyfriend Jasper's car which had just pulled in. She said goodbye to me and skipped off to towards his car. "You know… you could stay in school today," Emmett suggested.

I groaned and turned to him. "Not you too Emmett," I muttered.

It was hard enough having one sibling harass me about my lifestyle choices. Although Emmett had finally accepted that my decisions were a part of my life, it hadn't stopped him from trying to deter me. "Just a suggestion," he defended, holding his hands up in defeat.

"Hey babe. Edward," Rosalie acknowledged as she walked up to us.

Rosalie Hale was Emmett's girlfriend; yet another girl who belonged on the cover of a magazine. Rosalie moved to Forks when she was only a toddler and had loved it ever since. She amazed me the first time I met her. Seeming to be the emblem of superficiality, she was, in actuality, a down to earth person. She preferred being under the hood of a vintage car then in front of a camera, and her strict hand was just what Emmett needed to control him. Rosalie and I were not the best of friends initially. She didn't agree with a lot of my habits, and my reputation had somewhat skewed her perception of me. Eventually, we began getting along to the point we could hold small conversations about trivial things, but nothing beyond that.

I nodded in acknowledgement and looked back towards James who was whispering something in Victoria's ear. "I'll be back by dinner," I told Emmett while turning around to head over to the others.

"—he was so fucked up, I left him there!"

Laurent and Victoria were keeling over in obnoxious laughter while James continued his story. There was cocaine as well as ecstasy pills spilled across the table next to the booze and various bottles of alcohol on the ground. Victoria's place was where we frequently went now; her mother had just passed away and, and since Victoria was eighteen, she had inherited the torn down house. Her mother was the infamous drug addict of the town, and Victoria had recently found a stash of ecstasy buried in the master closet. Now half of them were sprawled across the table and the other half ingested. "Come on, Edward," Victoria giggled. "Try some."

She was seated on James lap with her arms wrapped around his neck. "Yea Edward," James insisted. "It'll help you loosen up," he added smacking her ass.

She squealed before leaning in to give him a kiss. I looked away from them to Laurent who was too drunk to notice. He seemed minutes away from passing out after having too much booze for the day. It was an average day for us. The smashed clock read 5:54, and I'd told Alice I'd be home for dinner, which was at six. I dropped my cigarette in the ash tray by the door and grabbed my jacket. I unlatched the door and turned back to James and Victoria. Victoria's shirt had ended up halfway across the room, and they were now sprawled out on the couch while James fondled her breasts. I slipped my jacket on and pulled the door shut behind me. This was how every day ended. More than half the time, I left as the sober one, Laurent continued drinking till he lost consciousness, and James and Victoria would either make the effort to move to her bedroom or just get started on the couch.

I rolled down the windows on the drive home to air out the smell of smoke. Esme always figured out where I had been during the day by the scent of my clothes. The rest of my family didn't even bother going near my car because of its smell. If there was anything I cared about, it was my car. It wasn't filthy, but I was desensitized to the smoke. I pulled into the driveway at a quarter past six. It was better than not showing up at all. I got out and locked the door before heading inside.

Emmett and Alice were laughing at the table while Esme scolded them. "Hey," I raked a hand through my hair and my stomach grumbled at the sight of food. It was one thing Victoria's house lacked, decent food.

"You're home early," Carlisle commented.

"Yea, Alice insisted," I said, ruffling her hair.

She smiled up at me and mouthed thank-you before turning back to argue with Emmett. "I would ask how school went, but—"

"Carlisle," Esme interrupted. "He's home now, and that's what matters. You must be starving, darling. Go wash your hands, and for heaven's sake, go change," she said lightly pushing me towards the stairs. "You smell like you've been over that—woman's house," she guessed giving me a disapproving look.

I didn't bother answering and jogged up the stairs instead to go change. It broke Esme's heart that I spend my time with James, but she believed me when I told her that I didn't engage in their activities. Esme was the one who had taken a stand for me from the beginning; she was a second mother. I had nothing but utter respect and love for her. I headed back downstairs as the others were finishing up their meals. A large plate full of lasagna was set on the table and I immediately sat down and dug in. "Does the whore not have any food at home?" Alice questioned.

"Alice," Esme scolded.

"Please mom," Emmett defended, "you know that's what she is. You just don't like to use the word."

Esme rolled her eyes and Carlisle chuckled. "So Edward," Carlisle began, "is the car working okay now?"

My brakes had been making loud screeching sounds for the past few days. I continued driving it until Carlisle found out and send it to a shop. "Yea, it's working fine. Thanks Dad," I answered with a full mouth.

"Edward, chew your food," Esme called from the kitchen.

Carlisle leaned in towards me. "Ears like a hawk," he whispered.

I chuckled and swallowed my food. "Oh! The new girl!" Alice suddenly burst out. "She's really nice Edward, and pretty. Her name's Isabella Swan. She just moved here from Chicago! Can you believe it? I invited her this Friday."

Isabella Swan. The new girl. It was fitting. "Don't you already have 50 people more than you planned invited, Alice?"

Alice was having one of her famous parties at our house this Friday. Carlisle and Esme would be out of town, and it was the perfect opportunity for her. She hushed me and fiercely whispered, "They don't know that. Keep your kisser shut."

I stood up and set my plates down in the sink. Alice trailed behind me and continued discussing her plans. I tuned her out half the time, but her last few words caught my attention. "I was going to have you meet her. I think you'll like her," she insisted.

I paused for a moment and turned to look at her. "No thanks, Alice. You know I don't like meeting your little friends," I explained heading up the stairs.

She opened her mouth to argue, but I had already made it up the stairs and into my bedroom.

A/N: This chapter was an introduction to Edward's life. I would've combined it with chapter two, which I also have written, but I wanted to find out if you all liked his character first. Which leads me to my next question, what do you think of Edward? Do you like him, hate him, feel bad for him, curious?

Typically I send out a sneak peek for every review. Sometimes I may not, but I almost always do if the updates are far in between.