Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns the characters and I certain plot points, I just own the manipulations.

Usual Pairings, AH/AU, probably OOC, Mature

This week's rec's:

ComeUppance by Goldenmeadow - strong content and difficult subject matter. Its def not for everyone, but she is brilliant and I have read it more than once which I don't do with many fic's.

Wide Awake by AngstGoddess003

Chapter 2- We're Going to be Friends

Fall is here, hear the yell
back to school, ring the bell
brand new shoes, walking blues
climb the fence, books and pens
I can tell that we're going to be friends

- We're Going To Be Friends, The White Stripes

~//~

I arrived in Forks a good month before school started which left me with plenty of time to fill and not enough to fill it with. I planned on going about my self-assigned tasks around the house as slowly as humanly possible but, despite all the time I had, I was still shocked and a bit disappointed in myself when I woke up the next morning and rolled over to see the clock on my bedside table loudly declaring in bold red that it was almost noon. I quickly hopped out of bed, grabbed my toiletries out of one my unpacked suitcases and scurried across my room en route to the bathroom.

I had just started to twist the knob when my mind caught up with my body and I remembered that I was not in Phoenix anymore. With Charlie's room across the hall from mine and us sharing a bathroom, I was going to have to make some accommodations. No more going from the bathroom to my room in only a towel and no more wondering around the house in my pajamas. Turning back to my suitcases, I grabbed a change of clothes and, glancing down at the girlie boxers and tank that I had worn to bed, my robe before heading to the bathroom.

I turned the water on as hot as I could stand on and stayed in the shower until the water started to turn cold. By the time I left the bathroom, hair blown dry, dressed and ready for the day, it was nearly one o'clock and I decided to go to the grocery store to pick up the items on my list in order to be finished shopping before it got too busy with the five o'clock just-got-off-work crowd. I grabbed the money Charlie had left for me, my keys and a sweatshirt before heading out. Busy! In Forks! I scoffed to myself as I started up my truck and drove to the store. Every citizen living within the city limits could be at the store at the same time and it wouldn't be busy. That wasn't true, probably, but I laughed again.

I had learned through years of experience that grocery store floors had a tendency to be dangerously slippery, for me at least, so took my time inside the store. I went down each aisle slowly and carefully, trying to not embarrass myself by falling or knocking anything over while committing the layout to memory for future use. I was meandering down my second aisle, scanning the shelves, when I felt my cart knock into something. Coming to a halt I was mortified to discover that I hadn't knocked something over, I had knocked someone over, a young girl to be exact.

Blushing with conditioned embarrassment, I rushed around the cart to help the girl up while professing my apologies. "Son of a bitch! Oh, Shit! I am so sorry. Fuck! I wasn't paying attention. So, so sorry. Crap! Are you okay?" I blurted out as I grasped her arm and helped her to her feet. I gasped as I clasped both hands over my mouth and blushed even further as I realized that I was cursing in front of, at, a child.

Without removing my hands I continued my apologies. "I am so sorry… I really didn't mean to…" I gestured to the cart, her and looked at the ground as I rambled on, not even forming complete sentences. I couldn't shut up. "… or the language. I was trying so hard… you know, cause of the slick floors… to be careful and then I knocked you over and…." No, I just could not.

I was so busy making apologies that I didn't notice the giggling right away. It took me even longer to realize that the rather grown up giggling I was hearing came from the young girl in front of me. I finally took my first good look at her and realized that she was, in fact, not a little girl at all. She looked like she was close to my age just teeny. I gave her a quick once over not only to ascertain whether or not she had sustained any injuries but to assess her appearance. Subconsciously sizing up the competition. A bitchy habit that all girls suffer from.

She was absolutely gorgeous. Girlishly thin and fine boned, but still possessed killer curves and a nice rack. She had short black hair that she wore flipped out in a spiky style, flawlessly applied makeup and perfectly tailored expensive looking clothes. She looked like a hip little pixie and she was rockin' the 'rock star chic' look. I felt shoddy and broke down next to her. Staring at the laminate tiles on the floor like I was an inspector, I mumbled one more 'I'm sorry' and finally, finally, shut-up.

"Really it's okay! No blood, no foul." Came a tinkling, bell-like voice. It was her turn to look me over, slowly appraising me while I, acutely aware of my sloppy appearance, squirmed uncomfortably. "You're new here." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah, I, um, just moved from Phoenix to live with my dad…" I got out before the child-girl cut me off.

"Chief Swan." My chin came up in shock and she giggled again. "Don't look so surprised. It's a really small town. Everyone one knows about the return of the Chief's prodigal daughter. You're the biggest news of the unusually slow summer, and summers here are pretty slow, soooooo you're a pretty big deal. I'm Alice, by the way. Alice Cullen. And you are Isabella."

"Just Bella."

"Nice to meet you, Just Bella." I nodded once, Back atcha. "I have a feeling you and I are going to be best good friends."

I giggled internally. "Like peas and carrots?"

Alice smirked at me playfully but her eyes held something else… was that approval? "Like peas and carrots." She nodded imperceptibly to herself. "So, have you met anyone yet?"

"I just got here yesterday. Sooooo, no. You're the first."

"Good. That gives me a chance to help you avoid making any awkward faux pas by telling you about everything and everyone."

With that, she proceeded to shove me behind my cart before pulling it, and me, behind her while she chattered away happily. Her basket was still sitting where it had fallen during her impromptu meeting with the ground so she swooped down and hooked her arm through the handles as we passed it. I was sure she had better things to do than follow me around a grocery store and I told her several times that she was under no obligation to take the town newbie under her wing, but every single time Alice rolled her eyes and shushed me. "Don't be absurd, Bella! I need to pick up a few things myself and I much prefer to have company when I shop. So really, you are doing me a favor."

So we shopped together… for two hours and, to be honest, I was glad for the company. With Alice by my side people were still looking at me but it was no longer with suspicion. Instead they were looking at me skeptically, wondering what a plain girl like me was doing keeping company with the striking faerie that was by my side. I really couldn't blame them for that; I was curious myself. If Alice noticed any of the puzzled looks shot our direction, she never let on as she bounded gracefully around the store, flitting from here to there like a hummingbird. Occasionally placing a random item into her basket as she helped me locate the items from my list and chattering away.

Except for a few breaks in the conversation as she read a label or mulled over a purchasing decision her steady stream of conversation continued effortlessly as she talked about Forks in general, the people that I would meet at school, her little group of friends and her family. I rather enjoyed that she didn't ask a ton of questions or require much input from me in order to keep the conversation going, and her happy and cheerful demeanor made her easy to be around.

By the time we were about to part ways at the front of the store, I knew all the facts about her- she had two brothers one of whom was her twin, they were all adopted, her dad's a doctor, and her mum's an interior decorator and caterer. She also managed to somehow rope me in to going shopping with her in Port Angeles the next day, the next day… at 7:30 a.m. My jaw hit the floor and Alice just shrugged. "I have a bit of a shopping problem."

Who the hell goes shopping that early in the morning? Alice had taken my phone from me and was busy punching away at it. "Alice, is there anything even open in Port Angeles that early in the morning?"

She held my phone up to her ear, nodded to herself, hit a button and handed it back to me before acknowledging me with another roll of her eyes. Bitch was stealing my trademark move. "Of course there is. I called you're my phone from yours so that we have each others numbers. I'll see you in the morning. Ta!"

She bounced off before I had a chance to back out and, in the time that it took to put my phone away, she had disappeared. I could call her and cancel but I had a feeling that not only would I still end up going with her, I would get tricked into doing something else on top of it; Alice was a force to be reckoned with. I had no doubts that she could convince the pope to eat meat on Good Friday or something equal to or harder than that. My imagination was seriously shot at this point. I dare anyone to try and resist Alice Cullen. I would certainly never bet against her. With her ridiculous pouting combined with her abilities to argue, guilt trip and simply up and disappear… the girl was good.

I shook my head and pushed my cart out of the store. Whipping my head at around at the sound of squealing tires, I saw a yellow car that looked much too fancy for Forks disappear around the corner. Somebody's compensating for something. Can you say mid-life crisis.

I was half-way to my truck when it began to not just rain, but pour so hard that I looked around expecting to see Noah loading animals, two by two, into his ark. I was freezing and soaked to the bone by the time I managed to get all of my groceries piled into my truck. It shouldn't have taken as long as it did, but some asshole had decided to park thisclose to my truck barely allowing me enough room to open the door and slip my groceries inside. How the fuck he or she got out of the car I hadn't a clue.

Once I was inside of my truck, I looked at my reflection in the rearview mirror and cringed at what I was. I looked like a drowned rat with my hair plastered to my head and water dripping off of my nose. "Fucking rain, fucking Forks and stupid fucking shiny, silver Volvo drivers!" I shouted out in the cab of my truck while pounding my fists against the steering wheel.

I wanted to be dry and warm. I missed Phoenix. And for some irrational reason, I missed Renee. I am the only home you will ever need. Bullshit!

I sat there in the grocery store parking lot, seething, for who knows how long until I shivering. With a sigh I started my truck and turned the heat on high before fighting with the clutch as I tried to get it into reverse. God damn sticky clutch! Arghhh! When it finally slipped into gear I glanced over my shoulder and started to backup. Because my day wasn't going poorly enough, jeeze Bella, melodramatic much, the sun chose that exact moment to come out and shine with a vengeance directly into my eyes causing my vision to be momentarily obscured by multi-colored spots.

I blinked rapidly to make the spots go away. I continued backing up only to suddenly slam on my brakes when I saw a flicker of bronze appear near the back of my truck from out of nowhere. Coming to a halt, my eyes moved back and forth between my rearview and side mirrors trying to find the bronze thing but saw nothing. The sun was just playing tricks on me. Laughing at myself, I finished backing out, shifted to first and headed home.

I spent the remainder of my day putting away groceries, cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom and getting the cabinets and drawers reorganized in a way that made sense. We had lasagna for dinner when Charlie finally got home from the station at eight and, after I washed the dinner dishes and put the food away, I went to bed. As I drifted off to sleep I prayed that Alice was kidding about leaving at such an early hour to go shopping.

~//~

She wasn't kidding. Somebody, somewhere hates me.

I was awoken the next morning by an entirely too exuberant pixie landed with a bounce on my bed. "Wakey, wakey Sleeping Bella."

I groaned and looked over at the clock squinting at the bedroom light that someone had turned on. "Alice it's six in the morning. I thought we weren't leaving until 7:30?"

"We aren't. Now get up."

"If we aren't leaving yet then I don't have to get up for another…" I paused as my sleep hazed mind struggled to do the simple math. "45 minutes to an hour. And how the hell did you get in here?"

"The Chief let me in. And you're wrong. You have to get up now if we are going to get you ready before Rose gets here."

"Get me ready?" I said, confused, before remembering the bigger bomb she had just dropped on me. "Wait, who's Rose?"

"I told you yesterday silly. Rose is my friend as well as my big brother Emmett's girlfriend and sister to my Jasper."

"Doesn't that seem a little, I don't know, incestuous or weird to you?"

"Nope." She popped the 'p'. I couldn't remember if I hated 'p' poppers or if it was just early morning wake up calls by bouncing pixies that made me surly, but either way I was irritated. "Now quit stalling and get up. You're wasting valuable time and if you get up and shower like a good girl the yummy coffee and scone that I brought for you will still be warm."

As she said the words 'coffee' and 'scone', I got a sudden whiff of the most heavenly gourmet coffee and something sweet that I could only assume was the scone. "Can I have the coffee first?" I asked opening one eye.

"Collateral, Bella. What will I have to insure that you get up and shower if I let you have it now?" Sensing her victory she stood up, pulled the covers back and handed me my robe. "Now skedaddle."

I reluctantly got out of bed and slipped on my robe glaring at Alice as I calculated my chances of snagging the coffee, running to the bathroom, locking myself in and never coming out. It was a beautiful fantasy. One that Alice just had to snap me out of.

"Not gonna happen, Bella. You'd never make it. I have two older brothers and both of them picked on me, so I'm pretty fast and very sneaky. Don't underestimate the sneakiness." She wore a smug expression as she took a seat on the bed and took a nail file from out of… wherever, I don't know her ass maybe, where the fuck did it come from… and started filing her nails.

"What are you psychic, Alice?" I grumbled at her as I made to grab some clothes out of a suitcase since I still hadn't unpacked.

"That and your face is just so easy to read. Never play poker. Leave 'em. I already laid out your clothes in the bathroom." She finally looked at me as she blew some imaginary dust off of her nails. Dismissing me with a couple flicks of her wrist she returned her attention to her nails and said in a sing-songy voice, "Show-errrr!"

I scowled at her and made my way to the bathroom with a huff. I felt slightly guilty about my grouchiness when I turned on the water and found that it was already warm. I realized that Alice must have pre-heated the water for me and I felt just like the Grinch, my heart grew three sizes. Maybe not three sizes, but I was no longer wishing her a nice long stay in the depths of Hades, so it was an improvement.

I was forced from the shower by loud banging on the door and a harpy shouting at me. "Don't make me come in there, Isabella. Get dressed and get back to your room. Now. You are wasting valuable hair and makeup time."

I hoped she was bluffing, but, as I was unwilling to find out, I did as I was told… quickly due to Alice's continued shouting. I was dressed and halfway to my room before I even took notice of what I was wearing to realize that I didn't recognize the clothing. I stopped midstride and took a good look at the dark wash jeans and white top I was wearing. They looked practically brand new. I knew that that they weren't mine and they most certainly weren't Alice's because I couldn't fit one of my thighs, much less both, into a pair of her jeans. She seriously looks like she wears a size -2. Do they even make a size -2?

My already low self-esteem was taking a nose dive as I re-examined my interactions with Alice thus far. The critical way she evaluated me at the store. How she forced me into going shopping with her. Her getting up at some god awful, ridiculously early time just to come over to my house to dress me in someone else's clothes and now she was wanting to do my make up and hair. Was she embarrassed to be seen with me in public? Sure, I was more comfortable in a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt with a hoodie pulled over it, but was I that awful?

I knew that I was no Alice. I was nothing much to look at or in possession of any outstanding qualities to make up for what I lacked aesthetically; I was just Plain-Jane, averagely average, boring Bella. I knew exactly who I was and I had come to terms with it… mostly. I wasn't anyone's charity case and I wasn't going to be groomed until she felt I was 'acceptable' enough to be her friend. I had really hoped Alice and I could be friends but, hopes are like assumptions...

I walked into my room prepared for battle and armed with the most intimidating glare in my arsenal. I pinched the front of the shirt I was wearing between my thumb and forefinger, pulled it away from my body slightly and looked at her pointedly. "Alice, what the hell... who the hell's are these? They're not mine." My battle face was dangerously close to going MIA as my discovery that I wasn't good enough flashed through my head in neon lights so I looked at the ground. Weakling. My voice hitched embarrassingly and tears pooled in my eyes as I forced myself to say my revelation out loud. "Am I really so hideous that you have to put me in borrowed clothes and give me a makeover before you'll be seen out in public with me?"

Alice smile fell. Hopping off of my bed she rushed over to me, grasped both of my hands in hers and, with an imploring look said, "Oh, Bella! Of course not. How could you...? I can't believe you would think that. You are gorgeous." I snorted. "This is what girlfriends... well, this is what I do. I will make us paint each others toenails, go shopping and get makeovers and all that jazzy, girly stuff. And you have to let me." I raised my eyebrows and shot her a skeptical look. Why?

"No one else lets me play stylist anymore." Alice pouted adorably as she said it and I almost laughed, but I still had questions.

"What about the clothes, Alice?"

She resumed her seat on my bed, smiling now, as she recited her answer. "Mom sent me to Port Angeles to pick up a catering contract yesterday after I left the store, and I ended up getting there early, had some time to kill so I bought you a welcome to Forks present."

I didn't think she was lying, but she looked far too innocent for it to be the entire truth and then… she batted her freaking eyelashes at me.

Without even realizing it my anger had mostly dissolved, but I wasn't going to let her know that. "Don't bat those eyelashes at me, Alice Cullen. I am not Jasper or your Daddy. It won't work with me."

"But Bella, it works with everyone." Give in to the darkness. She beamed at me, but I stayed firm; I wasn't folding. Alice caved first; her face fell and she looked apologetic as she rattled off an explanation. "Really Bella, I was bored and there was a sale at my favorite store but they didn't have anything in my size and then saw that outfit and thought it would look good on you. I can't take them back since they were on sale so you are just going to have to keep them, I guess."

That mischievous little, loop-hole finding pixie… "I am paying you back, Alice."

"You can't. It's a gift."

"I hate gifts." I was whining and I hated whining more.

"I didn't know that so… you have to accept."

"Alice… Why?"

I saw the recognition in her eyes that she understood what I was really asking. It must have struck a nerve because she froze up, her hand in midair grasping the plug of the flat iron that she had been about to plug in. Her cheerful façade cracked, her delicate features clouded over with an emotion that I vaguely recognized but couldn't quite place and she drew her shoulders back defensively.

The petty part of me that I never acknowledged secretly delighted, I knew no one could be that bloody chipper all the time, but the empathetic part wanted to rush over and give her a hug even though I didn't understand what had happened. There was a third part, the pessimistic slinker, whose evil whispers poison my thoughts with indecision and doubt, that breathed into my ear, What's she hiding, Bella? Why would she be nice to you? What's in it for her? As hard as I tried to ignore that voice, the seeds of self-doubt it would sow found purchase. I refused to let them root too deeply, I would have answers.

"Why?" I asked again, my voice cracking and trailing off in confusion.

With a visible effort, Alice composed herself as she finished putting the plug into the outlet. She pasted her smile back onto her face, but it didn't reach her eyes and her shoulders were still tense. Her shifts in demeanor happened so quickly that if you hadn't been paying particular attention or weren't used to reading peoples body language, you would have missed it. My shrewd eyes missed nothing, but I kept my expression blank as Alice answered.

She feigned ignorance, sweetly asking, "What do you mean, 'why?'"

"I mean exactly that, Alice… Why? As in, why are you being so nice to me? Why are you going out of your way for me? Buying me things? You barely know me. People I have known for my entire life wouldn't go out of their way for me like you have and you have only known me for a few hours. I just want to know why." I narrowed my eyes at her. "What's in it for you?" Not only had the seeds rooted, they sent up shoots.

"Well, it's kind of stupid actually, but don't get mad, please?" I nodded. I would try. "I don't have a lot of friends." I shot her a look of disbelief and her cheeks flushed a delicate pink. I started to call bullshit; she was so outgoing, perky and friendly that I couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to befriend her.

Shaking her head she said, "No, really. I am popular and know a lot of people, but outside of my brothers, Jazz and Rose, I don't have any real friends."

Grabbing me by my hand, Alice towed me toward the chair next to my desk so that she could finish getting me ready. I opened my mouth to protest because bitch was crazy if she thought that I was going to drop it. She shot me a look that dared me to defy her and I closed my mouth. She was fierce for such a tiny little thing, not to mention surprisingly strong.

She shoved me into the chair and handed me my coffee and scone, effectively nixing any further protests from me. I was distracted in the delightfully bitter hotness sliding down my throat and the yumminess of the scone. I was happily licking sugar crystals off of my fingers, all memory of our… discussion, confrontation, whatever it was, forgotten for the moment.

Because of this, it took me a moment to realize what she was going on about as she continued on with her story while clipping my hair up in sections before starting her torture session. I suspected that any resistance from me would result in the immediate cessation of her story, so I remained compliant throughout the whole process.

It wasn't lost on me that my desire to know why that had halted Alice's impromptu beauty session was now being used against me to restart said session, but I was going to get my answers even if that meant that she would get her way. Alice was sneaky like that and I was only beginning to learn it. I had seriously underestimated the sneakiness.

"We moved here from Alaska as freshman and it seemed like everyone knew everything about us before they had even seen us. They knew we were adopted which is why we were all in the same grade, that Edward and I were twins and they knew a-a-all about Carlisle and Esme coming from old money. Not that you would ever know it by meeting them, but everyone's assumptions were made long before we arrived.

"It was weird… not just having people know that much about you when you knew nothing about them, but that they would make all of these assumptions based on rumors and hearsay. Because of all of that and because we were the first new students in like six years, everyone had all of these hidden agendas but I didn't knew or even suspect it at the time. We were like the shiny new toys that everyone wanted to play with. Some more than others…" She muttered the last part to herself.

"Every year on the first day the school has a pep rally/welcome back assembly first thing in the morning. We were running late that day thanks to Emmett and his hollow leg." She chuckled at her private joke and then noticed my confused expression, "You'll see when you meet him."

"Anyway, the assembly had already started and it was fairly quiet while everyone waited for the principal, Mr. Bogner, to finish adjusting the mic… and then we walked in and every single set of eyes in the school were on us. It's not like we were the only ones to walk in late or anything, they were just smart enough to straggle in one by one so that they were hardly noticed. It was our own fault really.

"We probably could have attracted a little less attention, but no. We come walking in the door on the far side of the gym so that there is no one within like forty feet of us. Seriously, a spotlight would have been more discreet. I'm in the lead with my binder tucked under my arm and I had on the cutest light grey, relaxed fit, linen capris that I wore with this great pair of Betsy Johnson silk harem mules in grey with purple flowers and really intricate green vines beaded on them, hmmm, wonder if I still have those…"

Alice pinched her chin between her thumb and forefinger, thinking. About shoes! From freshman year!

"Alice! Focus…" I chastised. What is it with her and her god damn clothing obsession? Alice looked at me sheepishly. "Who the hell remembers what they wore the first day of school almost four years ago? I can't remember what I wore yesterday."

"If only the rest of us were so lucky…" she said under her breath with mock horror.

I rolled my eyes at her attempt at being funny. "I will pretend I didn't hear that. Go on…"

"Where was I?" I glared. She nodded to herself and continued. "Right. So, we go traipsing in to the gym, using the wrong door and looking like a flock of seagulls or something. Except with better fashion sense and a noticeable lack of '80's hair." Another attempt at humor. I glared again, turning the venom in it up a notch. Alice just giggled and continued on.

"I am the lead with Emmett and Edward flanking me. They are being their usual obnoxious selves, shoving each other as they bicker back and forth over who knows what…" She sighed but continued working away on me without missing a beat.

I was seriously starting to think that her comment about no one letting her play stylist anymore should be taken as a warning. The girl had a weird Rachel Zoe complex, except Alice was a better dresser. A sudden image of Alice saying, 'Make it work.' popped into my head almost causing laughter to bubble out of me, but I bit my lip just in time.

"I am mortified. I stop in my tracks and manage to give a shy wave, but the moron twins don't notice the fishbowl that we are in or that I have stopped walking until they practically fall over me. They finally stop their shenanigans when look up and see everyone staring. Edward uncomfortably stared at the floor with that little half smile of his, and Emmett had the biggest shit-eating grin, ever, plastered on his face as he gave a goofy wave that seriously made him look mentally challenged.

"I probably would have thought that it was pretty funny had I not been part of the Three Cullen Circus that we had become. Actually it's still pretty funny."

"So, the principal totally knows who we are and calls us over, makes us stand there, in front of the entire school, and introduce ourselves. I have never been a shrinking violet," I would imagine not. "but that shit was seriously traumatizing especially when you're a freshman and the new kid to boot. You should be allowed to ease into that shit slowly."

I had to agree with her, but I didn't see how this had anything to do with her having no friends and I said so.

"Hold on tight, Spidermonkey, I am getting there." She said, fiddling with my hair now. "That was our introduction to Fork's High, to high school. The rest of the day was just as bad. All day long we were mobbed by people as one group and then another tried to claim us for their own. I'm not talking about just the freshman class, grade was irrelevant, it was the whole damn school.

"It made me feel even smaller than I am since I nearly got trampled by the stampede of people that wanted to know my brothers, who were pretty great, by the way. If it wasn't for Em and Eds looking out for me, I would have been trampled a few times. At lunch we were snatched up by the popular crowd, the jocks and cheerleaders, to sit at the centermost table like we were on display or something.

They were nice enough, but it still felt a little bit like being in the middle of a shark tank just waiting for one of them to take the first bite so that the feeding frenzy could begin. People were talking over one another at us; all of them trying to out do everyone else in the effort to secure our attention. It was disconcerting; you couldn't keep up with your own thoughts much less any of the conversations going on around you.

"By the end of lunch the guys had made some friends with some of the football players and I was being dragged all over the place by a group a 'Plastics' wannabes. I didn't really resist because it's not like I was going to tag along with my brothers and their loud-talking, burping, farting, manners-lacking brethren. Not unless I wanted to be confused with one of the many groupies trailing after them everywhere they went, that is.

"My brothers have always attracted the attention of the opposite sex, as well as the not-so-hetero-minded members of their own, so I was never surprised by seeing girls lusting after them, but this was beyond ridiculous. The school was practically overflowing with estrogen and other fluids. In fact, I think they had to call the janitors in early that night just so they could disinfect all the chairs."

"Ewwww, Alice!"

Alice raised her eyebrows at me and said, "Can I finish? Can I please finish? Okay, I'll finish", before continuing on.

"The day finally ends after what felt like seven years instead of hours, and I went home feeling like the day was a total success in spite of the iffy start. I had so many new friends and all the girls had given me their numbers along with promises to 'get together' and 'hang out'.

"It took me a few days to realize that all of the 'getting together' meant 'hanging out' at my house. I also didn't realize that 'getting together' was apparently 'girlspeak' for trying to get together with your brothers and 'hanging out' meant hanging out of your clothes and trying to look cute while stalking said brothers.

"I was willing to ignore it at first because we were new. I thought that maybe after the novelty wore off things would change. I guess I hoped that they would get over my gorgeous siblings and get back to hanging out with me. It wasn't until the party after the third week of school that I realized that the situation wasn't going to change.

"Mum and dad had to attend a conference in Chicago that weekend so the boys, meaning Emmett," she rolled her eyes and wore the same 'Emmett will be Emmett' expression that I had noticed yesterday, "although Edward wasn't too averse to the idea for once, decided to throw a party on that Friday night. One of the seniors had a fake ID and offered to supply us with the booze if we, meaning Mommy and Daddy C., supplied the cash. Naturally all of my so called 'friends' came.

"Each time one of them showed up it was the same thing, 'Alice, there you are!' kiss, kiss 'Are your brothers here?' or 'Did I just see your brothers over there?' followed by 'You should introduce us.' Once the introductions were over with, none of those girls wanted to talk to me anymore. For the rest of the night my 'friends' hung out in my house, drinking my booze and avoiding me.

"Towards the end of the evening I went in search of another drink when I overheard Lauren and Jessica, Forks High's easiest lays, talking about me in the kitchen. They said some not very nice things about me and implied that I wouldn't even be worth knowing if it wasn't for my two hot brothers. I was crushed but, to be perfectly honest, after everything else that happened that night I wasn't that surprised. Not that I was going to let anyone see me cry.

"As I attempted to get upstairs to my room, two drunken, stumbling oafs, not my brothers, slammed into me, sending me tumbling into an end table before ending up on my ass on the floor. That was the straw that broke the camels back.

"Until then, I probably could have found a way to forgive the skank twins. In my mind, Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb not noticing me confirmed everything those two whores had said about me. So I am sitting on the floor and just as I was about to burst into tears I hear… gah, I can't even describe what his voice sounded like, it was like butt-ah with just a hint of the sexiest southern twang ever. Mmmm! Absolutely panty moistening."

I blushed.

"Its just schmexy stuff. Get over it, Bell. So, this voice whispers in my ear, 'Need a hand?' Next thing I know, two strong, not to mention warm, hands wrap around my waist and lift me to my feet. As soon as I am standing, he tilts my chin up and I am staring into the clearest baby blues you have ever seen. The face wasn't bad either, once I got around to looking at it.

"He wiped away a tear that had escaped, smiled and I remember thinking this is it, he is it for me, this is the one. I would have let him do anything, and I mean in-e-thing-at-all, to me, but gentleman that he is, he simply saw me safely to my room."

Alice was done fixing me up and had moved to sit on my bed as she finished up her story. Her voice had gone all dreamy as she talked and she had the softest smile on her lips, but it was her starry-eyed gaze that gave it away- this must be when she met her Jasper.

"I had scraped my shin during my altercation with the table so he helped me bandage it up. I somehow ended up telling him about the conversation I had heard and he didn't try to console me which was nice. He did tell me that the same thing happened to his stepsister, Rose, when they moved to Forks even though they were only in like the sixth grade.

"He said that Rose could be a little bit standoffish because of it, but that I should talk to her about it. I think that he thought both of us could use a friend. He got my number for Rose, of course, and after making me promise him that I would lock the door behind him, he left."

The dreamy, starry eyed thing lingered for a moment longer and then she sobered.

"The reason I told you all of this is because… I guess when I found out that I was the first person you had met in Forks I saw the chance to make a friend based on my own merit and not because they wanted something from me." Alice frowned and then paused briefly, considering. "I guess in my quest to not get used, I ended up using you. I am so sorry, Bella. I really do like you. I actually have this weird feeling that we are meant to be best friends… as stupid as that sounds."

The tears in my eyes were evident in my voice when I spoke. "Oh, Alice! I'm sorry. I like you too and I don't feel used at all, manipulated maybe…" Tears sparkled in her eyes now. "Kidding. You know- funny-ha-ha. I'll keep the clothes, this once, because your heart was in the right place, but don't do it again."

I should have been mad, but I wasn't. I could understand her reasoning. She was the only person I knew in this dreary place and I honestly liked her. So wasn't I using her in a way as well?

I had only had a couple of girlfriends in Phoenix, the first girlfriends I had ever had, but I knew less about them after three years than I did about Alice after less than a day. It felt like I had known Alice my entire life and I could tell her anything. It was weird how much I felt I could trust her, felt I could tell her anything.

"So, what's next?" I asked. Just like that Happy Alice was back.

She hopped up off the bed and started jumping up and down, I swear I am calling Energizer tomorrow about using Alice as their new spokesperson, I bet she could even pull off a tail and bunny ears if they are stuck on the whole 'rabbit' thing, while clapping her hands in front of her chest. "Oh, goody. You just made this all so much easier on yourself." She finally handed me my coffee and scone that we had both forgotten about in the midst of things and did a few last minute touchups.

One hour and one confession after I got out of the shower, we were finally ready to descended the stairs. I was emotionally exhausted and seriously questioning my sanity for allowing her free reign when making me over. My name is Bella Swan, not Bella Barbie! I had been poked, prodded, exfoliated, moisturized, and, from the feel of it, spackled with makeup while my hair had been gooed, blow dried, straightened, curled and shellacked before she had declared me done and allowed me to see the final product.

I looked exactly like me just a slightly better version- my eyes were more defined, my mouth poutier, my brows perfectly arched, and my hair a bit fuller and wavier. I don't know what I had been expecting. That's not true, it took so freaking long and she used so much shit on me that I truthfully expected to look like a clown. Considering that, I was pretty pleased with the results. The girl knew her shit, which shouldn't have surprised me because she was flawless every time I saw her.

Sure it was only my second time seeing her, but she was here before six am and she was just as perfect today as yesterday. Something about that struck me so I decided to follow the thought. If it had taken the better part of an hour to make me look practically the same, and she showed up looking amazing… I looked over at her. "Alice, what time did you get up this morning?"

"Hmmm. I don't really remember." She had a contemplative expression. She was lying. She had gotten up way too early. Even though I knew that she was feeding me a line of bullshit, I decided to just let it go. Well, not totally. I had to let her know how much I appreciated it, but I didn't want to have her just blow the gesture off.

In the end, I settled for a simple and quietly spoken, "Thanks, Alice." Alice acknowledged it with a small smile and a slight bowing of her head as she walked past me and out of my bedroom door.

Charlie was just getting ready to leave when we got downstairs. He seemed more chipper than usual as he looked from Alice to me and then back to Alice again.

"Looks like you got her out of bed and survived it, Alice. She can be a bit… let's just say she's not a morning person." Shifting his focus to me again, he took in my appearance and I saw what I thought to be paternal pride flicker in his eyes. "Morning, Bells! You look nice. So, you didn't tell me that you met Alice here yesterday."

I inwardly grimaced. I didn't even think of mentioning it to him, I never would have with Renee. My first reaction was annoyance, if he wanted me to tell him every time I met someone it wasn't going to happen, but then I saw the love and eagerness to be a part of my life in his eyes and I softened. I should have told him about my plans today if for no other reason than to keep him from worrying when he got home and saw my truck was here but I was no where to be found.

At the same time, I felt a pang of worry that Alice would think I was hiding our acquaintance so I snuck a peak at her and was relieved to see that she appeared unfazed.

"Sorry, Char… Dad. I didn't even think to mention it. Ren… I am just not used to running things by someone else, I guess. So, yeah. I bumped into Alice at the store and we hit it off and she invited me to go with her to Port Angeles and since I had to go soon anyway, I agreed." I was rambling, not knowing what to say or what was expected of me. Thinking about it, as I paused, I quickly added, "If that's okay with you?"

Alice piped in with, "I didn't actually invite her, Chief. I pretty much forced her."

Charlie chuckled and looked at Alice warmly. She had already charmed him, it seemed. "Of course it is, Bells. You don't have to run everything by me. You're a big girl. I trust you. Just try to give me an idea of your whereabouts so I don't worry." I nodded solemnly. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here."

He handed me a plastic card. "A visa? Dad, I can't take this. I have some money of my own. It's not much, but…" Charlie cut me off.

"It's prepaid, Bells, and you won't be spending my money. Phil had it shipped to the station overnight. He said he felt badly and wanted to make sure that you still had some spending money since you were forced to quit your job and job options around here are slim. He also said not to throw it away as it's refillable."

He winced when he was done speaking, no doubt waiting for me to throw a fit. He knew how much I hated gifts and/or handouts, and he had to be aware that my dislike for Phil was even worse. I can only assume that he had to know how poorly I would receive a handout from Phil. I started to speak, but was once again cut off by Charlie.

"Before you freak out, I think you should know that Phil insisted. I tried to tell him it wasn't a good idea, but he said that you didn't exactly own the appropriate clothing for the Pacific Northwest. He also said that he was the reason you were sent up here and that he felt it was unfair that you and I get stuck with the financial burden. It was a shit move shipping you off and it this money thing was a bit offensive but I got the impression that he didn't mean it that way. I hate to say it, but Phil seems like a pretty decent guy and like he wasn't exactly thrilled with Renee's decision."

The long speech from Charlie, while impressive, only slightly calmed my ire. "Well, that didn't keep him from going along with it now did it?" I snapped. Charlie raised his eyebrow as he watched me slip the card into my pocket. I shrugged and said, "It's the least he could do. And sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. You're right."

"It's okay, Kid. Just don't let it happen again." I nodded. "Well, I'm off. The good people of Forks aren't going to protect themselves… You girls have fun today. Be safe and don't forget to call if you are gonna be out late."

Neither of us being comfortable with displays of affection, Charlie didn't give me a hug when he left. He simply said goodbye. He reached out to ruffle my hair but was stopped by Alice saying, "Chief, if you value your life, you wouldn't do that."

Fear flashed in Charlie's eyes and he pulled his hand back like there was a herculean tarantula/black widow/brown recluse/scorpion hybrid on my head. There isn't, is there? Cause that shit is seriously scary. My six foot two, physically fit, in the prime of his life, police chief of a father just got smacked down by a raven haired, and pale skinned Smurfette! Charlie is afraid of a girl! I tried to cover up my giggles by coughing, but judging by the redness of his cheeks, Charlie blushes almost as much as I do sometimes, and the speed with which he fled the house, it didn't fool him.

~//~

Charlie barely had the door shut when my poorly disguised giggles became a full on, bellyaching, rib cracking laughing fit that had both Alice and myself doubled over. By the time we managed to somewhat contain ourselves, we were both clutching at the cabinetry to keep ourselves upright.

Another wave of laughter overtook me as I gasped out, "Oh…my….G-a-a-awd! Ha, ha, ha, ha… Did…ha, ha…you…see his…. he, he, ho… see his… face?" She was laughing so hard that she barely managed to nod.

Eventually we composed our selves and Alice announced that it was time to roll, "We ride."

"Aren't we going to wait for Rose?" I asked as I followed her outside, locking the front door behind me. Surely she wouldn't just leave her friend behind.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, it's just gonna be us today. Rose called while you were in the shower. Something came up."

"I hope it wasn't because of me coming along." We were almost to the silver car parked at the curb in front of my truck.

"Don't be absurd, Bella." Alice snickered and shook her head. Then she checked that the coast was clear before leaning towards me, covering her mouth with the back of her hand and conspiratorially and stage whispering, "Actually, Rose got caught out with Emmett last night. By 'out' I mean naked in the hot tub, and by 'with' I mean… with." Alice waggled her eyebrows at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Apparently they were having themselves a little hoedown at the old Hale place and decided to hold the rodeo portion of the evening in the hot tub." My eyes grew wide and my jaw dropped. She paused to take in my reaction and then smirked as she added, "Rosalie ain't goin' anywhere's for a while. Bitch is on lockdown and so is Emmett."

"How pissed were your parents?" Charlie would have been livid. Renee would most likely have held up a scorecard and then given tips for improving the performance.

Alice snorted. Delicate, waifish Alice snorted. And then did her best southern society matron impression. "Shame on you, Ms. Swan. You know Mummy Hale, uppity social climber," she muttered the uppity bit, "would never risk word of Rosalie's indiscretion getting around. Why it could tarnished the Hale name."

Alice had a delightfully evil and fully self-satisfied grin on her face, think Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick, as she revealed her next little boot stomping tidbit. "Emmett ain't gettin' any. You see, our little Rosie has a bit of a temper and it seems Emmett earned himself a thrashing… or not as the case seems to be.

"While she was mounted up, gettin' her ride on, Emmett totally saw her parents coming up the drive, but was pretty close to finishing his 8 seconds. He didn't want Rose hopping off before he heard the buzzer so he didn't say anything. Ma and Pa Hale-Whitlock followed the smoke signals and arrived just in time to witness the gun blastin', boot stompin' Yee Haw!"

We were buckled up and on our way to Port Angeles as Alice finished her story. My eyes were now bugging out of my head and my mouth was still hanging open. I didn't know how to react. I started with incredulity. "You have got to be kidding me?" Alice shook her head; her grin was still in place. "That is the kind of shit you see on television, it doesn't happen in real life."

Alice kept her eyes on the road as she brought her flattened hand up beside her, palm facing forward and said, "God's honest truth."

"That is… I just… That would be fucking mortifying! Won't Rose be pissed that you told me?"

"Emmett and Rosalie aren't exactly discreet about their sex life except when it comes to the parentals, so it's doubtful. She might act huffy about it at first, but secretly she will be happy that you know who owns Emmett."

I was starting to get a little bit, scratch that… I was getting a lot nervous about meeting Rosalie.

~//~

Alice was either psychic or she could read minds because the next thing out of her mouth was, "She sounds like a possessive bitch, doesn't she?" I nodded. "She is." Thanks, Alice. Way to make a girl feel better about meeting your friends. "But don't let it put you off. She'll love you. It just takes a little time for her to warm-up to people, but once she does she is a great friend. The ice queen thing is just front; it's her way of feeling people out, seeing what they're made of."

I gave a premature sigh of relief and Alice continued in a rush, "I am not saying she isn't going to put you through the ringer because she will. Just take it with a grain of salt, toss a little sass back at her and you'll do fine. So, who's Phil?" She asked the question casually and then must have seen the look on my face because she quickly added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I was just curious. You just looked so pissed off when Charlie brought him up that I thought maybe it would help to talk about it. It's really none of my business though, so… Sorry."

I took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. Just as I was about to speak Alice stole a sidelong glance at me and giggled. "What's so funny?" It came out a harsher than I had intended and I internally cringed before sneaking a peak at Alice.

She stared intently at the road ahead of us, all trace of amusement gone. "I wasn't laughing at you. It was nothing, really. It's just, you pinched your nose and I've never seen anyone else do that besides…" Alice bit her lip trying to decide whether or not to continue. "Edward does the same thing and it surprised me, was all."

"Oh." I felt a little stupid for overreacting. I probably owed her an explanation; it only seemed fair. We were just getting to know each other, yet Alice was giving herself so freely that it made me feel miserly. I couldn't help but worry that our friendship would be over before it really got a chance to get started if I continued to hold her at arms length. I didn't want to go through another year without a friend, especially in this desolate and boring place, so I decided to bite the bullet, take one for the team, etc.

"I guess I owe you an explanation." Alice started to protest, but I held up my hand to stop her. "No, Alice. It's only fair and regardless, I should probably talk to someone about it. I'm gonna give you the Reader's Digest version for now 'cause I don't have it in me just yet to go into all the dirty details. I'll tell you eventually, but I just need a little time. Is that okay?" Is that enough? That's what I was really asking.

I don't know if Alice heard my unspoken question, but she nodded and I continued anyway. I prayed she wouldn't judge me because of Renee. "Yesterday I told you a little bit about how we moved around a lot. Well, the reason we moved around so much was because of Renee."

Alice listened patiently, only interjecting once or twice, as I gave her a quick rundown on how Renee went through men like other people went through socks, wasn't really there for me as I grew up and how I was had to play the role of mother to her. Then I told her about Phoenix and Phil coming along, before finally getting to the part about how I ended up in Forks.

"Two days?" Alice cried in outrage. "They only gave you two days after telling you before they shipped you off? That's bullshit!" I shrugged my shoulders and continued on. It was what it was and I couldn't do anything about it then or now.

"I spent my entire shitty childhood reminding myself that I just had to hold out until I was eighteen and then my life would be my own. You would think that I wouldn't be upset about her sending me away, but I am. It's yet another life-altering decision that she made, because of a man, without taking me into consideration. She gave me away just so she could follow another boyfriend across the country without having to feel guilty about leaving me alone. I was a ball and chain dragging her down, apparently.

"On top of it all, Alice, she got married yesterday, one day after I left. She didn't even want me to be there when she got married. And Phil just allowed all of this to happen. What kind of person does that? He just let her get rid of her only child to follow him around. She hasn't even called me."

"So that's why I have such an issue with Phil." I finished lamely. It had taken no more than ten minutes to get through it all; I gave her the really condensed version.

Alice's face softened a little bit and she spoke tentatively, "You seem like you still really love Renee. What was your relationship like with her?"

I gave her a pained smile and squinted as I tried to find the words to explain my relationship with Renee; it was complicated. "You know how you have that one friend that just pisses you off and you can hardly stand them half the time but for some reason you are fiercely loyal to each other, closer to them than anyone else on earth and you know that they will always be your best friend even when they hurt you and you can't stand look at them much less talk to them?" Alice nodded with a smirk. "That's Renee and I."

"Edward and I are like that, only he's never done anything that bad." Alice smiled at me and I smile back honestly. She understood, maybe not totally, but still… it was nice.

~//~

The atmosphere inside the car was heavy. I looked around me as I tried to come up with something to say to lighten the mood and I finally took notice of the cars interior. "Sooooo, I didn't picture you for a Volvo type of girl."

"I'm not, but my car doesn't have much trunk space. This is Edward's car."

"Won't he be needing it?"

"Nope." There she went popping her 'p' again. Alice smiled as she continued to maneuver the car down the windy road.

I looked out the window and noticed the landscape that was passing us by much too rapidly as I glanced out the window. "Alice!" I shrieked. "How fucking fast are you going? Are you trying to kill us?" Sure, I wasn't exactly thrilled with being in forks, but I was just being overly dramatic the other day at the airport; I did not have a death wish.

Alice rolled her eyes at me and shook her head. Bitch was doing, I glanced at the speedometer, nearly 100 mph and rolled her eyes at me. "Relax, Bella. I always drive like this. Did you want to get to PA today?"

I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands on the leather seat. "Yes, but I would prefer to not have to call your parents, whom I have yet to meet, and explain to them why my father has you locked up in one of the jail cells down at the station."

"Radar detector, Bella. It's got a three mile radius." She has an answer for everything, doesn't she?

"The roads are wet. We could spin out of control and die." I was not giving up that easily.

"Great tires, traction control and Volvos have a full steel roll-cage. I am pretty sure that they have the highest rollover crash rating too." Damn it all to hell. I think she might be right. Still...

"Yeah, but I bet your brother," for some odd reason I could not bring myself to say his name, "would be awfully mad if you wrecked his shiny Volvo."

"He'd get over it. Besides, I drive way slower than him." I glared. "Okay, Grams. I'll slow down some. We're almost there anyways." Alice was true to her word. She slowed… some. 85 mph. I would take it.

"It's barely been thirty minutes. That's half the time it normally takes."

"I know. I was going twice as fast as the speed limit. Do the math, Brain."

"If I am Brain that makes you Pinky."

"Zonks!" I laughed at her and the lighthearted mood from earlier returned.

As the trees gave way to houses and then storefronts, Alice's story popped back into my head and I chuckled quietly. She drove like a bat out of hell, had way too much energy and really liked to shop but even I had to admit the girl was funny.

"So, Alice? You certainly used a lot of western euphemisms in your little story earlier. Come up with them all on your own?" She used a ridiculous amount of them, truth be told, and she didn't look like the horse or farm type. Too dirty. Plus, I didn't think she would caught dead in cowboy boots; I didn't think the 'western' look was in vogue anymore.

Alice didn't even look phased since she continued smiling as she answered me. "Nope. As soon as I found out I turned my television to CMT and downloaded some episodes of Bonanza onto my laptop. I practiced that god damn speech all night. It was some funny shit though, so it was worth it."

I nodded. Only Alice would research and rehearse a speech like that.

We pulled into the parking lot at the mall and Alice quickly found a parking spot… way in the back. "Alice, you know that there are parking spots open a little bit closer to the building, right?" The parking lot was practically empty.

"Yes."

"Okaaaay. So, we are parking in Siberia because….?"

"This car is Edward's baby. I would rather total the God damn thing than take it back to him with a scratch on it. Let's go." With that, we got out of the car and Alice dragged me with her towards the mall. We got to the doors just as they were being unlocked and Alice rushed inside.

Twelve plus hours, two blisters, countless shopping bags and three trips to the car to get rid of said shopping bags later we were finally pulling down my street. I had called Charlie earlier letting him know that I would be home around eight.

When Alice pulled up in front of house, Charlie turned on the lights in front of the garage and opened the front door. "You girls need help?"

"Nah, I think we got it Chief." Alice replied with a smile.

"Okay. Let me know if you change your mind, and I told you earlier that you can call me Charlie, Alice."

"I know." She gave him another smile. The girl was definitely a charmer. "Chief's just shorter."

Charlie laughed and walked back in the house. I rolled my eyes at the two of them. Alice caught me and asked, "What?"

"Oh, don't give me that innocent look. You have my father wrapped around your finger. He's too old for you and you have a boyfriend." It was her turn to roll her eyes a t me.

"Oh, please. It's not my fault if parents love me. And as far as your other little comment goes… it's wrong on so many different levels that I am not even going to dignify it with a comment." She said it with her nose in the air all superiorly.

I laughed and took the handful of bags that she handed me from the trunk. "Go put these in your room and then come back out. I think you have a few more."

I couldn't remember having ever purchased that many items, but I did as I was told. I tossed the bags on my bed and then went back out to the car only to have another armful of bags thrust at me. Alice shut the trunk and made her way over to the drivers said before I knew what was happening. I was too busy staring at the bags I was clutching trying to remember going to Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch and wherever else the other bags that I couldn't see to read were from.

"Okay, I'm off. It's supposed to be hot tomorrow, so everyone is coming to my house to go swimming. Be there at ten. Ciao!"

Before I could agree to go or ask about the bags, she was gone. Oh, well. I would just return any of Alice's bags, because they certainly weren't all mine, to her tomorrow. I trudged into the house and upstairs to my room. Exhaustion from a day of shopping with Alice was weighing me down and growing heavier with every step I took.

By the time I emptied my arms of my second load of bags, dropping them to the floor this time, I was done. I shoved aside the bags from my first trip upstairs that I had tossed onto the bed, making just enough room for my body, and then collapsed face first onto the soft mattress. I was out before my head had even hit the pillow.

Sometime during the night, I became vaguely aware of my shoes being slipped off before I felt the weight of a blanket settling over me and the lights being turned out. Charlie. Dad. Love you. I wasn't sure if the words were spoken in my head or if I had said them aloud but it ceased to matter as I drifted back into a deep, dreamless sleep.

~//~