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Chapter 3

BPOV

"Wow." I said after a shocked pause. I stood slowly, trying not to slip again on the wet ground. I wiped my muddy hands down my jeans and moved the hair out of my face. "I am so sorry."

The beautiful boy I had toppled into was silent, his forehead creased as he assessed the damage to his clothes. I reached my hand out to offer him help getting up, but he just looked at it without moving. I retracted my hand, biting my lip.

The blonde one was laughing quietly, his shoulders shaking and his lips pursed in an attempt to be subtle. An embarrassed look crossed my face, making him laugh harder.

"Listen, uh, why don't you two come inside?" I suggested, gesturing towards my house. "It's probably not going to stop raining and the least I can do is have my dad give you a ri-"

"That's quite alright." The bronze haired boy finally said sharply, pushing himself up off of the ground. "I think you've done enough."

My face blazed hot and I shifted my weight awkwardly, glancing again at the other boy. He shot me a reassuring smile, rolling his eyes. "Thanks," he said, "but I think we're going to be heading back on our own. The trees will block most of the rain and I think Edward here has to walk this off. He's not usually so rude when females throw themselves at him like that." His tone was amused and Edward turned, fixing him with an icy glare. I realized quickly who belonged to which voice from the forest earlier and suddenly I didn't feel so guilty anymore.

"Well I am truly sorry Edward," I said, my tone less than apologetic. His eyebrows shot up at my change of attitude. "It was nice to meet you…"

"Jasper" said the blonde boy, grinning. "Thank you for making my day."

Edward frowned.

"Nice to meet you Jasper." I finished. "And you're more than welcome."

With one last glance at Edward, I spun around and walked back towards the house without looking back.

When I got inside Alice was already waiting for me, her hands on her tiny hips.

"What on earth happened to you?" she demanded with a disgusted look on her face.

"A little help Alice?" I asked, ignoring her question.

She sighed and took off up the stairs, returning a moment later with a handful of towels and a pair of cotton shorts and t-shirt. I took them gratefully, wrapping a towel around my soaking mop of hair. I walked to the half-bath on the first floor and quickly changed into the clean clothes.

"Bella?" Alice was getting impatient. I smiled as I stepped back out of the bathroom.

"Yes?"

"Did you fall? Why were you outside anyway?"

"I thought I'd take a walk and…"

"Surprise, surprise." Alice interrupted with a smirk.

I shot her an exasperated look and continued. "It started to rain, so I had to run back. I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going and I slipped on some mud and right into a boy-"

"A boy?" Jessica suddenly bounded down the stairs. I groaned internally, wishing I would have kept my voice down.

"Yes, a boy. His name was Edward; he's one of the Cullen's I think." I explained patiently, ready for a barrage of questions.

"The Cullen's?" Alice perked up. "You ran over a Cullen?"

"I did not run him over and I'm not positive he's a Cullen. Although, if he wasn't then I suppose his friend Jasper was…"

Jessica looked like she might faint.

"Were they cute?" Alice questioned, trying to pretend that she wasn't at all interested in my answer.

"Yes, actually. Jasper seemed very friendly, although I couldn't say the same for Edward." I made a face, sticking my tongue out.

"Well how would you feel if he ran you over?" Alice asked pointedly, always trying to see the best in people.

"I would have accepted his apology." I answered truthfully. "He was just plain rude."

"But good looking." Jessica repeated back as if it were the only fact that mattered.

"Yes Jess, very good looking." Congratulations.

Jessica squealed with delight and ran upstairs, no doubt to share the news with Lauren and Renee.

"Well at least you can introduce us all at the party next weekend." Alice said, making me feel uneasy.

Somehow I didn't think that would be such a good idea.

EPOV

"Edward, are you feeling alright?" Esme asked me on Tuesday morning, lightly placing the back of her pale hand against my forehead as I lay on a plush leather couch in her den.

I nodded and gave a weak smile, trying to reassure her. The truth was, I was struggling to adapt to our new life in Forks but I was too worried about hurting Esme's feelings to admit it.

"Why don't you let Carlisle take a look at you honey? You don't feel warm but you look terrible."

I sighed as she scurried out of the room to find Carlisle. The Cullens were a bit too doting for not being my actual parents, but I still loved them fiercely.

"Edward?" Carlisle poked his head in my door a moment later, his silver stethoscope hanging from his neck. "Esme says you're not feeling well."

"I feel fine Carlisle; I think it's just this weather."

He chuckled, nodding in agreement. "It will be something to get used to won't it? I have to say though - the hospital here is worlds better for me than Northwestern Memorial was. I have time to breath."

I was glad to hear him say it. Carlisle Cullen was a brilliant doctor, but he enjoyed the smaller aspects of what the job entailed. He had always been a little bit unhappy working at large hospitals, which was one of the reasons for finally moving.

"I'm happy for you Carlisle, but honestly, I'm healthy as a horse. Just get to work." I shooed him away, closing my eyes when he was gone. I only had a moment of peace before I heard the sound of approaching high heels.

"Yes Rosalie?" I asked, my eyes still closed.

"Edward, I am bored." She complained. "It's raining again."

"So why don't you go to the mall and buy yourself a rain coat?" I suggested, folding my hands over my stomach and opening my eyes. "I'm sure they sell them in pink."

Rosalie rolled her bright blue eyes at me, her perfect face twisted into a look of aggravation. "The closest mall is thirty miles away Edward. Thirty."

"At least I'm not the only one who feels like they're in hell." I muttered, closing my eyes again. I waited until I finally heard Rosalie's heels heading back down the hall before letting my body relax.

I let my mind drift, wondering if I was really as homesick as I felt. Chicago had been home to me since I was born, a place where the memory of my parents was still alive. Since I had been here I felt like they were very far away.

The Cullens had been friends of my parents since I was in diapers even though they couldn't have been more different. My parents both came from a long line of wealthy businessmen, lawyers, and doctors. The name Masen was an incredibly prestigious one and was made the main focus of my life since infancy. While my parents both loved me very much, they were strict with my upbringing. They made sure I had the right friends, said the right things, and attended the right schools. I was fluent in three languages and I played both the piano and guitar. I was their only son, the prodigy. Now they were gone and all I had left was the Cullens and a money-obsessed Grandmother back in Chicago who was eagerly planning for my 18th birthday when all of my father's money would become mine and she could "introduce me" to society.

I had a year of freedom from that at least.

"Hey, Edward?" Jasper's voice cut through my thoughts and I sat up quickly. "Sorry to bother you but Esme wanted me to run to Seattle tomorrow to get some things for the party. I figured you might want to get out of here for a little while.

"Yeah we can do that." I said. "Who's coming to this party anyway?"

"Everybody." He said with a grin.

That's what I was afraid of.