A/N: I wanted to share a bit of my personal life with you. Feel free to skip this and start on the story :) But I always like to read Author's notes of others, so here's mine.

If you've read my profile (which you probably didn't, but that's okay, I won't be mad) you've seen that I've described myself as a workaholic. This was not a lie. I work about 36-40 hours on my regular job. In addition to that, I freelance a lot. Currently I am working on deadlines of both jobs. Needless to say, there's little time left for fun things. The money, however, is very, very welcome.

This means that this week at least I will have less time to write. The chapters I've done so far (but have not uploaded yet) are a bit slow to my taste. I've re-read my third chapter and still liked it however, so I'm sharing this one with you.

PS I'm thinking about a prologue as well.

PS 2: As said, I'm Dutch. I do not know how the US high school system works as it is completely different from what I know. Please work with me and forgive any mistakes that may seem obvious to you but to which I'm oblivious. :)

Enjoy :)


We spent the short break before third period standing at our lockers. Unfortunately, Mark would not leave us, so there was no way I could talk freely with Alice and Jasper about my first experiences at high school. Did the boy not have friends of his own? Could I ask such a question?

The rest of my siblings checked in though, walking past me through the busy hallway casually. Before we started high school, we'd agreed that we would not put too much attention on us being an entire family, or on the fact that we were all couples. It would draw a lot of unnecessary attention, considering that there were eight of us now.

Rosalie and Emmett came to 'visit' first. They were walking next to each other, and I could clearly see that Rose was pissed about something. She and Emmett were maintaining a careful non-contact as they were walking as close to each other as they could without touching.

As Rose caught my gaze, her eyes lit up. I met her questioning look with a bright smile. She nodded at me then, looking pleased. "Told you," she mouthed. She was right.

Even Emmett looked supportive, not joking for once. But what were they so cranky about? I'd had to wait for lunch to ask them. Then I remembered I couldn't ask them at lunch, as they had different lunch times than us. They had enrolled a year higher than us, so we shared neither classes nor lunch. Rosalie had pleaded and pleaded with Carlisle to start a year higher, so that she would have to spend less time at school. We all knew that she hated it the most, and I thoroughly appreciated the effort she went through in order to keep our family together like this.

"So, how do you like your first day?" Mark asked. I think he hadn't even noticed my little exchange with Emmett and Rosalie.

"It's okay," I lied. I was having a blast, in fact. "It's always hard to change schools in the middle of the year."

"Yeah," he agreed. What did he know about that?

"You guys are new here, too, right?" Mark asked, turning his attention to Alice and Jasper.

"Yes," Alice smiled. "We are. I'm Alice, and this is Jasper," she pointed.

I could tell Mark was mesmerized by Alice's pixie-like appearance. Jasper frowned a little at that.

"So, is that a coincidence, or do you know each other?" Mark's gaze shifted between the three of us.

"Perceptive," Jasper breathed lowly, so only Alice and I could hear.

"Indeed," I agreed, answering both Jasper and Mark with that.

"What — indeed, a coincidence, or indeed, you know each other?"

He was persistent! Alice looked up in surprise at his question. I saw her eyes become unfocused slightly, trying to figure out if anything bad would come of his question. I resolved on telling Mark that we knew each other, knowing that this would clear Alice's visions. Almost imperceptibly, she nodded at me.

"We know each other," I admitted. I did not feel the need however to explain every detail. Our family ties were getting very complicated. Mark seemed to get that, because he did not ask further questions.

Then I heard Renesmee's bell-like laughter just before she appeared in the hallway. Jacob was walking beside her, a smug look on his face as he'd succeeded in making her laugh. It made me so happy to see them happy together.

Renesmee was literally only little over seven years old, but she had been full-grown for almost a year. You could not hold on to the fact that she literally should be a child still, as she was an adolescent in every other way. She was extraordinarily pretty, with her curls dancing around her face. Her big brown eyes were the only asset of her that reminded of me — she was Edward's image in every other way. Her entire being sparkled with love and joy, and you could not not fall in love with her the moment she caught your eye.

Jacob had never tried or thought anything — and both Alice and Edward could verify this — until Renesmee had made her interest in him known one day. And then Jake had started courting her in the sweetest of ways. Always very gentle, very patient. He'd leave a rose on her pillow, or brought her the chocolates she liked so much. He took her out on dates, and she would giggle like a real schoolgirl when he, mockingly, came to pick her up in his ancient Rabbit. He would take her everywhere she wanted to go, and he indulged in all her whims and wishes, without ever disrespecting her parents — Edward and I.

One afternoon, Renesmee had come home so flustered that I'd put my shield over her and Jacob in an instant, not wanting Edward to know in every detail what had happened. Edward had been furious, but I had not given in an inch. I waited for Renesmee to tell me when she was ready. That night she came to me, and with blushing cheeks and sparkling eyes, she'd showed me how she and Jacob had kissed for the first time.

I was only happy for her. It did not feel strange in any way to see Jake with my daughter like this. His imprinting had changed his entire nature, and he was good to her, as she was to him. He'd been with her from the day she was born and the bond they shared was so intense it never really occurred to me to want to break them apart. Of course it had been difficult at first, but after the threat of the Volturi had subsided, I started to see what they meant for each other. So no, it didn't bother me. It did Edward sometimes, but he had come to terms with it. Jake and Renesmee were… a package deal.

And so Jacob, Edward and I had slipped into an easy companionship, which made life even more worthwhile. It always made me the happiest if the people I loved where happy themselves. And I did all I could to accommodate that.

Although Jacob and Renesmee were seriously dating, Edward and I had been very clear about one thing: no sleepovers. They both had their own room in the Cullen house, and although they did spend the main part of most evenings and nights together in either one of their rooms, when it was time for them to go to sleep, they'd go to their own beds. It was rarely a point of discussion. Renesmee was an easy child, to say the least. And besides, we would know if even a toe was stepped out of line.

And now Jake and Renesmee were walking down the school hallway together. Jacob was obviously ignoring the school policy, as he was holding Renesmee's slender hand in his big one. Renesmee's eyes were bright with pleasure, no doubt from all the new experiences, as well as the fact that she was with Jacob. They had enrolled a year below us, the year where Jacob had dropped out when he'd phased for the first time. Although he did not like it as much, we'd all thought it a great idea if he finished high school at last. Jacob never was the studious type, but I hoped Renesmee's enthusiasm would make him at least give it a try.

Jacob and Renesmee greeted us all when they passed us, but they did not stay to chat. I presumed it was because of Mark. Renesmee did talk to me however, in her own way. In her passing, she brushed her hand against mine for a long moment. My head was flooded with happy images, as Alice had predicted. I glowed in pride at my daughter as she showed me how she and Jacob had sat in Calculus, heads close together as she tutored him.

Yes, they were happy enough. As such, I was happy as well.

The bell rang, a sharp buzzing sound that was obviously designed to be heard above the noise students could make.

"What's your next class?" Mark asked.

I took out my timetable for the sake of appearance. "Trig with Mrs. Rowley."

"Me too!" Alice chimed. Jasper rolled his eyes. I made a note to myself to ask him if Alice's enthusiasm for everything did not annoy him at times.

"I have Spanish." Mark sounded almost disappointed. Although I did like the guy, I was relieved that at least I would have the next hour alone with my siblings.

"And after Spanish?" It was endearing to see him so distressed, I wanted to comfort him in some way.

"Chemistry…" he trailed off.

"We too," Alice said sweetly. "See you there, then. Got to go now, though!" And with that, she tugged me along to our next class.

Trig was uneventful. It long since had lost its mysteries to me as Edward had sat me down once to explain everything, after I was changed. Edward was an excellent tutor, but that had been a given fact before. The fact that I now could remember everything after hearing it once, had been a revelation.

Mrs. Rowley did ask us however to introduce ourselves at the beginning of the class. She started with me.

Again, the same story. I didn't even bother to get up this time. "I'm Bella, I'm seventeen, and I moved here from Alaska."

But Mrs. Rowley was not satisfied. "Really?" She asked. "Could you tell a bit more about that? I'm sure we'd all like to know."

The look I shot her must have been close to exasperation, but I complied. "Our father is a doctor and he got a job offer here. Our mother didn't like Alaska that well anyway, so when we got the opportunity, we moved."

Mrs. Rowley shifted her attention to Alice, who, to my great amusement, repeated my story to the letter, only using her and Jasper's name instead of mine. I could not hide my grin when I saw Mrs. Rowley's startled expression. She did not press the matter, however. Was that some sort of unspoken rule in big schools like this?

A few students looked around at us, but we ignored them. When Mrs. Rowley called the class to attention to start her lesson, Alice took the chance — and her time — to scold me. Thoroughly.

"Seriously, Bella!" she hissed under her breath. "You are supposed to give it an effort. How will you and Edward hold on to this afternoon if you continue like this? Not to mention the fact that you are torturing me and Jasper as well."

I tried to explain how I could only handle my need for Edward by teasing Edward. If I let my desire for him wash over me, we would indeed give 'exposure' a whole new meaning. That last part I did not say out loud, though. She knew way too much as it was.

"And by the way," I continued, "I really cannot be blamed for all of this. Or did you miss him walk into me just now?"

"Oh, I am on it," Alice assured me. She tapped her temple, "and in my thoughts I don't even have to take a breath between sentences."

I did not want to know what her mind was undoubtedly shouting at him at the top of her lungs.

Fourth period brought us to Chemistry. Edward was waiting for us at the door to the classroom. His angelic face filled with love as he saw me, his eyes brightened and his stance straightened a bit.

I walked past him through the door, forcing myself to not look into his eyes for too long. A very rare tinge of self-preservation, I should think.

Edward followed immediately behind me. It was as if every cell in my body reacted to his presence, reached out to him. I longed to lean backwards and feel his comforting features against my back, but I knew I had to resist it.

"Hi, love," he breathed softly in my ear. He was not teasing, nor trying to drive me crazy. His voice was just so filled with love that I turned and looked up at him.

My love for him washed over me with such force that I lowered my shield to share it with him. He smiled like a purring cat at that, reveling in the feeling. His eyes even closed for a moment as he let my thoughts evolve around him. Yes, we would be good to each other now.

This all happened in less than a second or two. Any humans that might have been watching would not have seen anything out of the ordinary.

Edward and I walked to the back of the class, sitting in front of Alice and Jasper. Alice was looking exceptionally pleased. Edward threw her a look that would have frightened a human to pieces. Alice's smile then sweetened just a little further. She must have been annoying the hell out of him during the previous class, I presumed. Jasper was gazing out of the window, arms crossed. I could imagine we were bothering him today.

When we were seated, Mark walked into the room. His disappointment was obvious as he saw that I already was sitting next to somebody. It turned to surprise as he saw who I was sitting next to. He took the last free seat in the class: just in front of us.

The chemistry teacher was so absent-minded that I didn't think he even noticed there were four new faces in his class. He started to rattle on immediately where he'd left off the previous lesson, and he spoke in such a monotone that he could keep my attention for exactly three seconds before I let my mind wander.

Having learned from the first period, however, I let a fraction of my mind pay attention to the lesson. Another fraction was wondering about my siblings who were not in this class with me. A third part was wondering about the boy Mark, now sitting in front of me. A fourth part was keeping an eye on the annoying brunette, who turned out to be in this class too. The other ninety-nine percent of my mind was focused on Edward, and Edward alone.

The well-known electric current was vibrating between us. When the teacher, Mr. Williams, a balding man with thick glasses and a disconcertingly fat stomach, turned to write something on the whiteboard, Edward reached out under the table and took my left hand in his.

His fingers touched my wedding ring, twisting it around my finger. I closed my eyes in the pleasure that feeling brought me. It was the combination of the feeling on my skin, as well as the fact that he was subtly letting me know this way that I was his, and his alone. I reveled in the thought.

His slender fingers moved to the inside of my wrist, touching the very sensitive skin there. His velvet caress sent shivers down my spine.

I took a trembling breath. If I'd still have a heartbeat, it would have gone a mile a minute by now. There was something so intimate about his caress, it made me feel loved indeed.

I needed to break this contact if I wanted to keep my sanity.

Gently, I tugged my hand back. He didn't let go, however, so that his hand was now in my lap. Slowly, so slowly that nobody would see him move had they looked — and from the position his hand had on my leg, I seriously hoped indeed that nobody looked — Edward's hand started to travel up the inside of my thigh.

I went rigid at once, my chair scraped the floor with the force of my movement. He was not playing fair. He knew very well what he was doing to me right now. Edward's eyes were sparkling with mischief. I tried to push his hand away, but Edward had long since been stronger than me. I could not stop him without using a force that would certainly attract attention. "Edward," I warned him under my breath. "Don't."

His hand moved just a little further upwards.

Behind us, Alice groaned softly. "Please?" she finished my request. Edward did not look around, but I did. Alice was holding her head, eyes shut tightly. Pour soul.

Jasper took Edward out of it by aiming a pencil at his neck with uncanny precision — and force. The pencil broke on Edward's skin and fell to the ground in two pieces. Edward had to move to pick them up, getting his hand off my leg as he did so.

I looked around at Jasper and thanked him with my eyes. He just glared at me.

"I didn't do it for you," he spoke so fast that only we could hear it.

When Edward came back up, I shot him a dark look. He looked back at me with wide, innocent eyes. I shook my head disapprovingly, but I could not prevent a chuckle escaping.

We were a horrible, horrible couple.

I killed the rest of the lesson by deleting the twelve text messages Alice had sent me during first period. I didn't bother to read them, I knew what they would say. Then I started a game of chess on my phone, made the first move, and handed it to Edward.

He accepted it thankfully. Any distraction would suffice at this moment. By the time the bell rang, he'd beaten me five times.


Hope you like the little winks I'm making to both books and movies.

I've realized way too late that of course in the Twilight series (at least in the movies), Bella makes a friend that works for the school paper. Consider this a coincidence, as that detail will be of no importance for the rest of my story.

I never thought I would ask this, but please let me know how you think I'm doing, by review or private message. I'm thinking that maybe I've given off the wrong vibe in the first chapters of my story. I certainly never meant it to become boring, but the rest of the story will have a more serious tone (besides the teasing :P )