A/N: Not sure that anyone's reading this, but I'll trudge along, hoping it brings a smile to someone's face :)

As always, Twilight and it's characters belong to the amazing mind of Stephenie Meyer and no one else. The lip and eyebrow piercings are mine alone ;)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 3: Outsider

Even with the oven light on, she couldn't tell for certain if the lasagna was done. She rubbed the window with her sleeve, as if that would clear up the baked on crustiness from the inside. Sighing, she opened up the door and peered in. Charlie's wall oven was old and suspect, and in desperate need of a good cleaning. She made a mental note to head to the Thriftway tomorrow afternoon for oven cleaner. Maybe she would ask Edward Cullen what aisle she could find it in. She sighed. Edward Cullen. She'd met him only today, and already she couldn't get him out of her mind.

She had no idea what the attraction even was. He was far from her type. He was the pretty boy type that fancied himself a bad boy, but deep inside was just a dorky stock boy at the local grocery store. He drove a Volvo, for criminy's sake! Now, what kind of bad boy drove a Volvo? She sighed again. The kind who had luscious lips and hair that made her want to grab a handful of as she pulled him in for a kiss from those lips.

She set the table for dinner, thinking about how the beautiful Edward's soft, full lips would feel on hers. She doubted he'd ever kissed a girl with a lip piercing. Or a pierced tongue. She was suddenly sorry she'd let her tongue piercing close up. Maybe she could find a place in Port Angeles to get it redone at.

The sound of Charlie entering the front door shook her from her fantasy.

"Hey Bells! How was the first day?" Charlie was taking his jacket off as he walked into the kitchen, hanging it over the back of a chair at the head of the little table. He then took off his gun belt and hung it on a peg by the kitchen door before sitting down.

She smiled. "It was about what I expected."

"No one gave you a hard time, did they?" He looked her up and down, noting the outfit that was much different from what the rest of Forks High was wearing these days.

"Now, who would give the Chief of Police's daughter a hard time, regardless of what she looked like?" She smiled and went back over to the oven. "Dinner's ready," she proclaimed as she turned off the oven and took out the now bubbling lasagna.

"Well, some of these kids are kind of bold. And mean. I know they are," he sighed. "Is that lasagna?"

"Yep. I figured it was something we'd both eat."

"That's not that fake cheese crap you eat, is it?" He looked at the pan with a wary eye.

"No, I eat regular dairy now. It was just too hard not to. You know how much I always loved cheese." She couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her father's face as he thought about the soy cheese she had tried to make him eat the last time she visited.

"So, this means we can have pizza?" Charlie grinned.

"As long as there's no dead animal on it, yes," she smiled as she cut a square of lasagna for him and slid it into his plate.

She watched as Charlie took a forkful of lasagna, hesitantly lifting it to his lips. He blew on it a few times before putting it in his mouth. He chewed for a moment before drawing the corners of his mouth up into a big smile.

"Bells! I have to hand it to you! This is awesome!"

"Thanks, Charlie." Her grin was wide.

"So, tell me about your first day at school. Did you make any friends?"

"Oh, I think it's too soon to call anyone I met today a friend. They were all pretty friendly. But, aren't they always overly friendly to the new kid?"

"Well, then, anyone with potential to be a friend?" He didn't look up from his dinner.

"Let's see. As I was walking into the main building, this boy came up to me and introduced himself. Offered to take me around."

"Now, see, that's a boy with potential." Charlie grinned wide. "Who was it?"

"Erik…umm…oh what was his last name?" She furrowed her brow as she tried to think. "His last name sounded like a little dog."

"A little dog?"

"Yeah, you know, like the breed of dog, but it was a small dog."

"Chihuahua?"

"No…it's a kind of terrier…YORKSHIRE! That was it! Erik Yorkshire!"

"Do you mean Erik Yorkie?" Charlie grinned.

"Yes! Erik Yorkie!" She laughed. Sometimes Charlie was good company.

"He's a good kid. Nice family. He'd be a good friend. Maybe even a potential…" he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself here, Charlie," she smirked.

"Ok, maybe I am. I only want you to be happy, Bells. Who else did you meet?"

She thought for a moment. "There was another boy named Mike Newton," she nodded her head, certain she'd gotten his name correct. How could she forget his name? He'd told it to her at least a dozen times during the course of the day.

"Now, that's a good catch! His family owns the sporting goods store that you pass on the way into town. Good business there." Charlie grinned at her.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Charlie, he seems like a bit of a tool."

"Yeah, but we tools are pretty awesome!"

She snorted. "You are no tool. You're my dad."

She didn't think his smile could get any bigger than it was. "Who else? Did you eat lunch with anyone?"

"Yeah, Mike let me sit with his group at lunch. It was Mike, Erik, some boy named Tyler…"

"Tyler Crowley," Charlie interrupted, nodding his head. "Drives too fast."

"There were a few girls, though none of them spoke much to me."

"Who were they?"

"I'm not sure. I think one's name was Angela. She smiled at me a lot. The other two kept whispering."

Charlie looked at her. "Whispering? That's kind of rude. Do you have any classes with them?"

"I think that Angela is in my trig class. Mike's in my gym class. And bio." She purposely left out Edward Cullen. She didn't think she could even say his name out loud without grinning like a Cheshire cat, and the last thing she'd want to do was alert Charlie to a potential crush. She'd never be able to live it down.

But then Charlie asked the million dollar question. "Is Mike your lab partner in bio?"

She felt herself stiffen as she looked down at her lasagna. "No." She didn't elaborate.

"Well, you can probably still do your homework together," he grinned as he finished the last bite of lasagna on his plate.

"Sure, I'm sure we can," Bella sighed. One day and Charlie was already making plans for her future with Mike Newton, she was sure of it. She finished her lasagna and took the dishes over to the sink to be washed.

"That sure was good, Bells!" Charlie stretched.

"Glad you liked it, because you're going to have it for dinner again tomorrow night. I made enough for two nights." She didn't turn around when she said this.

"That's all right. I don't mind. It's better for you, not to have to cook every night. I want you to go out and have fun with your new friends." He stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go watch some tv. You coming?"

"I'm actually going to finish up in here, then go do some homework and head to bed," she rinsed off the plate in her hand. "I'm just exhausted."

"Ok, then, I'll say goodnight now, I guess."

"Good night, Charlie."

"Hey, Bells?"

"Yes, Charlie?"

"I'm really glad you came." Charlie was a man of few words.

She smiled. "So am I, Charlie."

~*~*~*~*~*

She sat in the truck, waiting. Waiting for the first bell, she told herself, but she knew better. She knew she was really waiting to see the silver Volvo. It wouldn't be difficult to spot. Most of the cars in the Forks High School parking lot were old and battered. The only new car she'd spotted yesterday was, in fact, Edward Cullen's shiny silver Volvo.

Her patience paid off, as she spotted the car pass by in the rear view mirror, pulling into a space a few spots down from her own. She got out then, hoping to bump into him, accidentally on purpose, of course.

It was dreary and overcast, but dry, thankfully. Slinging her messenger bag across her chest, she started slowly up the path, towards where Edward Cullen had parked. She saw the other Cullen's then, getting out of the Volvo. Each was more beautiful than the other, though none as beautiful as the bronze haired boy.

"I swear, Emmett, Carlisle better get us a car so we don't have to ride with this idiot!" The sharp voice belonged to a most beautiful blonde haired Cullen. She slammed the back door shut as she yelled to a handsome, broad chested boy on the other side of the car. His grin caused deep dimples on either side of his mouth. A small, dark haired girl got out of the passenger's side, eyeing the blonde.

"Rose, it's not Edward's fault he got cut off," she said almost apologetically.

"Maybe if he paid as much attention to the road as he pays to the damn radio, he'd have seen the other car sooner!" Rose's voice was shrill and loud, causing the little brunette to cringe involuntarily. A tall, slender blonde boy appeared at the smaller girl's side, and put is arm around her, pulling her away from the Volvo. Bella still didn't see Edward as the rest of the Cullen's moved away from the car and headed to their respective classes.

As she got closer, she saw that Edward was still sitting in the car, lightly banging his forehead against the steering wheel. At least she hoped he was banging it lightly. Whoever Rose was, it was pretty apparent that she was the cause of the head banging.

The driver's side door opened just as Bella passed the Volvo and headed up the path toward her first class of the day.

"Hey," she said, trying to contain her excitement at seeing him.

He looked at her, almost startled, before he mumbled "Hey," looking down at the ground.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine, thanks. You?" His voice had an almost defeated sound to it.

"I'm ok, thanks," she hesitated. "Um, see you in Bio?"

"I'll be there, lab partner." He gave her half a smile, but never made direct eye contact. He waved half heartedly as he walked in the opposite direction from her. She stood silently, staring after him as he stalked away, hands dug deep into the pockets of the leather biker jacket, shoulders hunched up.

She couldn't concentrate in her first class, or her second. All she could think about was what had crawled up Edward Cullen's ass and died there that morning. She was pretty sure that whatever it was, it was named Rose. Rose Cullen. And that big dude with her, old Dimples Cullen. He didn't seem to object to what Rose was saying. Only the little brown haired girl did. She couldn't help but wonder at the family dynamics in the Cullen family. They all looked to be about the same age, and yet, none of them looked anything alike. And while they were all beautiful, none were as beautiful as Edward.

As he had done the day before, Mike Newton met Bella outside of her trig class and walked her to the cafeteria from there. He was particularly chatty, asking her inconsequential questions about their shared classes.

"Are you excited to look for single celled organisms today?" He had turned to face her, walking backward on the way to lunch, and banging into unsuspecting students on the way.

"Watch where you're going, Newton," an irate boy called out after Mike slammed into him with his shoulder.

"Maybe you should turn around, Mike," Bella rolled her eyes at him. She wondered if he was always this annoying, or if it was a character flaw he saved for special occasions, like Christmas or new girls at school.

He turned and brought himself up right next to her, shoulder to shoulder, as he walked forward this time. "So, have you ever used the microscope before?"

"Of course I have. We had biology in Phoenix, you know."

They entered the cafeteria and headed to Mike's usual lunch group. Some of the faces were familiar to her from the day before, and others were not. She suspected that was to be expected when you were introduced to more people per hour than ever before. She took the messenger bag off and slung it over the back of the chair that Mike had held out for her, and did the same with her denim jacket. Mike smiled approvingly and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. There was just something a little creepy about that smile.

"I'm gonna head up to the line there and get some yogurt or something," she sighed, eager to get away from that smile.

"I'll join you!" It was Erik Yorkie.

Bella grabbed a tray and set it down on the counter, sliding it along until she reached the refrigerator. She quickly grabbed a container of yogurt and a bottle of juice before heading forward, careful not to look back at Erik, hot on her heels.

"So, how'd you like your first day here at Forks High?"

"It was nice," she said noncommittally.

"Meet anyone you particularly liked?"

She turned around to see an equally creepy smile on Erik's face. If she didn't know better, she would think the two boys were competing for her.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," she smiled. And it was true. She had met someone she really liked. It was neither Erik or Mike, of course, but he didn't have to know that.

His grin grew bigger. "I'm glad to hear that!"

"I figured you would," she mumbled as she pulled a crumpled bill out of the pocket of her black mini skirt. She didn't bother to wait for Erik to pay as she carried her tray over to the counter where the utensils and napkins were.

She got back to the table before Erik did, and Mike Newton jumped up from his chair to hold hers out for her. She rolled her eyes and sat down, thanking him quietly.

"If you ever do that again, Mike, I will cut your head off and stuff it up your butt," she smiled sweetly as his face turned bright red. He fiddled with his brown paper bag, pretending to suddenly be incredibly interested in its contents. She heard a loud snicker from next to her and realized it was one of the girls from the day before who had been whispering rudely. This was the one that was in her biology class.

"I don't think Mike introduced us yesterday," she said smiling as she held out her hand. "I'm Jessica Stanley. We have bio together."

Bella smiled and shook Jessica's hand. "Bella Swan," she said and then laughed. "As if you didn't know that name by now, huh?"

"We knew your name before we knew you," Jessica laughed. "That's all anyone talked about for, like, weeks!"

"Yeah, I have the ability to whip small towns into a frenzy, I guess," Bella opened the yogurt container and stirred it absently with her spoon.

"So, do you like it so far?"

"So far, yeah. I mean, it's been what? A day?"

"Yeah, it's hard to tell," Jessica said in an understanding voice. "I bet your kind of sick of people asking how you like it so far, huh?"

Bella nodded as she slid a spoonful of blueberry yogurt into her mouth. She looked up and swallowed hard. Across the cafeteria, she saw Edward, sitting at a table with his siblings, head down. Of course, he wasn't exactly sitting with them. They were all gathered together, paired off, and Edward sat alone. No one spoke to him, except for the little brown haired girl, who was smiling at him. She saw him smirk back, but not look up at the girl. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

"What are you looking at?" Jessica asked as she followed Bella's gaze. "Oh, the Cullen's." Jessica rolled her eyes.

"I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful family," Bella mused.

"Yeah, or a weirder one. You already know Edward. The little brunette girl is Alice. She's just weird. Makes Edward look normal. The blonde dude is her brother and boyfriend Jasper. I don't think I've ever heard Jasper utter a single word. The big guy is Emmett. And the beautiful blonde girl is~"

"Rose," Bella cut her off.

"How'd you know that?"

"Hmmm?" Bella stared dreamily at Edward.

"How'd you know her name was Rose?" Jessica looked at her. The tone of her voice woke Bella from her daze.

"Oh, well they walked past me this morning in the parking lot and the big one called her that," she was flustered.

"Oh. Thought Edward had told you or something," Jessica shrugged.

"So, what makes them so weird?" It looked like Bella had found the right person for the information she so badly wanted.

"Well, first off, they are all adopted."

"Really? They aren't really siblings?" Bella turned to look at Jessica, an amazed expression on her face.

"No, thankfully! I mean, four of them are dating each other! You can't do that if you're related," Jessica's voice sounded truly shocked.

"Dating? Really?" Bella continued to look at her, searching Jessica's face for the punch line to the joke.

"Yep. Rose and Emmett are a couple, and from what I hear, a pretty hot one. Alice and Jasper are a couple as well, but I think she'd dump Jasper in a heartbeat if Edward asked her to."

"Really?" She tried not to sound as sad as this little tidbit made her feel.

"Oh yeah. I mean, holy hell, Bella, look at him. Who wouldn't want to be with him?"

This was true. Edward Cullen was beautiful, from the tips of his wild bronze hair to the ends of his black Nike covered toes. He moved with a grace that Bella had never seen in a guy his age. And he seemed like a thinking man. He wasn't a buffoon like the Mike Newton's of the world.

"I see what you mean," she replied to Jessica. "Their parents allow this in the house?"

"Doctor and Mrs. Cullen adopted them all when they were older. They didn't raise them from babies or anything, so I guess it was harder to control them maybe? I don't know, really. I mean, my parent's really wouldn't care. They'd slam the hammer down and that would be the end of it."

"I would think so," Bella looked up at Edward again. He as picking at the bread of his uneaten sandwich, a scowl on his face. Alice had given up talking to him and was instead engaged in an intense conversation with Jasper, which involved them whispering into each other's ears.

"I even heard a rumor that when she turned 18, Rose moved into Emmett's bedroom and Dr. Cullen let them!" Jessica whispered this in a conspiratorial way, as if it were the juiciest piece of gossip she'd ever heard.

"Really? Wow." What do you say to something like that? "So Rose is a Senior?"

Jessica nodded. "Yep. Emmett and Jasper too. Edward and Alice are the youngest."

Bella watched as Edward suddenly stood up, slinging his pack over his shoulder and carried his tray of uneaten food to the trash, tossing it in roughly before slamming open the door and stalking out, all without ever uttering a word to his brothers and sisters sitting at the table. The only one who appeared to even notice, or care, was Alice, who looked after him sadly.

"Well, that was abrupt," Jessica smirked. "Told you they were weird."

Bella looked at the clock on the wall. There was still almost twenty minutes until biology. She knew where he was heading. Edward was going to have a cigarette. She quickly finished eating her yogurt in silence, pretending to be interested in the conversation that Jessica was now having with Lauren Mallory about what Senior boys each had kissed. When she was done, she stood up, slinging her messenger bag across her chest.

"I'm going to head out, guys. I have to go get something in my truck."

"Oh, I'll walk with you," Mike started to stand up.

"No, that's ok, Mike. I'll see you in class." She said it with such authority that Mike stopped dead in his tracks, halfway in and halfway out of his seat. Bella grabbed her jacket with one hand and her tray with the other, moving quickly to the trash then out the same door Edward Cullen had stormed out of.

He was exactly where she figured he would be: leaning against the silver Volvo, arms folded across his chest as he puffed angrily on a cigarette.

"Hey, what's a girl gotta do around here for a light?"

He turned and looked at her, a grin threatening to twitch the grim corners of his mouth upward.

"You really need to invest in a lighter, lady," he deadpanned. "I hear they sell them at the Thriftway for a buck." He held his hand out and flicked a flame onto the lighter. She leaned in and inhaled until the light took.

"It's ok," she smiled, leaning on the Volvo next to him as she blew out a thin line of smoke. "This is how I meet people and make friends."

He snorted at her remark. "I don't think you want to be friends with me."

"And why wouldn't I? You're the only halfway interesting person I've met here so far." She crossed her left arm over her chest, holding her right hand~the one holding her cigarette~out in front of her.

"Well, you said it yourself. I'm only halfway interesting." He took a long drag on his cigarette before continuing. "Wouldn't you rather be friends with someone fully interesting?" He grinned down at her sideways, shifting his weight against the car as he crossed one foot over the other.

"I like to start off slowly, with the partly interesting people, and work my way up to fully interesting ones. That's my style." She looked up at him, smiling. The little silver hoop in her lip glinted. Edward noticed, for the first time, that she had a small diamond-like piercing in her nose as well. Once more, his mind wandered to what else might be pierced. He pushed the thought away quickly.

"So," she continued, "do you come here often?"

"That sounds like a line, lady," he played along, a crooked smile playing on his soft, full lips.

"Oh, it might be. See, I'm in the market for a biology lab partner, and I think that you would be one fine specimen to work with."

"Well, in that case, I can't say no, considering how I was just thinking how great it would be to go to a biology class, if only I had a lab partner." He laughed and flicked his filter into the middle of the parking lot. It was amazing how the exchange of only a few words with Bella Swan could completely change his mood. She had sought him out. No one at Forks High ever sought the angry, weird, dangerous Edward Cullen out. It made him feel good.

"Then, might I suggest that we move along to class, since I understand Mr. Molina can be quite irritable when you're late." She flipped the rest of her cigarette after his and tugged on a dangling buckle on his leather biker jacket.

"Who's Mr. Molina?" He looked at her, crooked smile still playing on his lips.

She stopped and shook her head, blinking her eyes quickly a few times in succession. "Oh my God! Did I say Mr. Molina? Ugghh!! I knew worlds would collide! Mr. Molina was my awesome AP Bio teacher in Phoenix!" She tapped herself on the forehead with her hand lightly.

He laughed then, a slow, low laugh, one that came right from his belly. She joined him and, still giggling, they headed off to their biology class.

Mike and Jessica were already sitting at their lab tables when Bella and Edward walked in. It was obvious to all, from the fact that they were looking at one another and still giggling as they entered, that the lab partners had come together. Bella noted the forlorn look on Mike's face as she walked past, and the confused expression that Jessica wore. They'd just have to learn how to deal, she thought.

They sat down in their seats just as Mr. Banner entered the classroom.

"Wow, Mr. Molina sure looks different today, doesn't he, Bella?" Edward whispered with a wide grin on his face. He'd noticed the glances from Jessica and Newton, but chose to ignore them.

She cleared her throat and crossed her arms, putting her head down and biting her lip, trying not to laugh. He's never going to let me live this down, she thought. And she wouldn't have it any other way. The only person she'd met so far at Forks High who she'd want to share an embarrassing yet funny secret with was Edward Cullen.

~*~*~*~*~

A/N

If anyone's still reading, please let me know if you'd like it to continue. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated :D