"I don't see why you don't just ask her out, Em." I sighed, leaning back into my desk chair. Emmett was sprawled across my bed, burying his face in the pillows.

I had gone through my conversation with Alice Cullen on the ride home, and he told me that I had probably been the first student at Forks High to actually hold a conversation with a Cullen. Emmett had been to see Dr. Cullen two years ago, right after they moved here, for a sprained wrist, and he had been nice enough apparently. I knew it was only a matter of time before I ended up in his patient's chair.

"Because, Belly, every single time I see her I almost swallow my tongue. Trying to speak to her would be… harmful to my ego."

"Jesus, Emmett, in four years, you are going to be laying right where you are now, moaning over how you should have taken a chance. I'm going to want to be sleeping in that bed. So please tell me you'll try even just talking to Rosalie Hale?" I ruffled his hair and tried to make him smile, but I knew my little speech was strange coming from me. I mean, had Emmett and I switched places, I never would have been able to talk to the person I wanted.

And he knew it.

"C'mon, I need to make dinner. I was thinking simple and easy, grilled cheese and tomato soup?" he was out of the room before I could even look at him, and I heard the refrigerator door pulled open downstairs.

"Need me to stay and taste test?" he asked me when I got downstairs. I giggled and nodded, I couldn't get enough of my brother bear. "I'll try and talk to her, I will. I promise. "

"Good, Em. I want to see you happy, with someone who appreciates you." He threw a dishtowel at me. "So how was your first day of senior year?"

"I've been with these people for three years, Belly, so it was the same as every other year. How about you? Did the kids play nice today?" he grumbled. I knew he was thinking about the male kids.

"Other than your creepy friend Mike, and the bitch Lauren, everyone was fine." I replied, not even looking at him since I was focused on cooking dinner. "Thank god Charlie's not going to be in tonight, or I would have had to make real food for dinner," I joked. He snorted into his soda and I popped the tomato soup on the stove to heat up before taking a seat across from him.

"Mike's nice, but you're right, he is a creep." Emmett agreed with me in what appeared to be a delayed reaction. "Hey, you call mom lately?" that reminded me.

"Shit, I forgot." Jumping up, I used the house phone and dialed my mother's new number in Jacksonville. There was no answer though. "I'll just try again tomorrow," I told him, knowing it would be weeks before she checked her messages.

"You're not thinking about doing anything with Newton, are you?" Emmett was eyeing me curiously. When I looked at him blankly, not knowing who Newton was, he clarified: "Mike."

I could feel my face scrunch up. "Ew, Em. No way." I thought about the beautiful bronze haired Cullen, and busied myself back at the stove to hide my blush. As soon as the grilled cheese was done and the soup warmed up, we dug in, Emmett eating both of his sandwiches and one of my own. "So," I asked, trying to be casual. "Rosalie and Edward don't date other people? I mean, Alice told me they would never date each other, but you haven't seen them with anyone else?"

God was I a horrible actress. He knew what was up. "No, Bella. Just… no. At least I can rest assured that he wont be interested in you, the pretty new girl. It'll help me sleep better." He picked up our plates and bowls and tossed them in the sink. "Listen to me," he wagged his finger. "You know this isn't a jibe against you, but with Edward Cullen there is no chance. Every single girl has thrown herself at him, but no dice. I think he's probably gay. So I don't want you getting hurt, okay? I love you and want to protect you, but I know girls get their hearts broken over stupid crushes."

He was dead serious. "Okay, okay, Em. I'll stop thinking like that." he smiled, kissed my forehead, and ruffled my hair. "I have homework to do, will you wash the dishes for me?"

"Sure, sure," he waved me away. "Get your shit done."


As soon as I walked into lunch the next day, Alice found me and invited me to her table. "I really want to get to know you, and maybe be your friend?" she pleaded with huge eyes. "I know what it's like being the new kid." I hesitantly agreed. When she was turned away, I caught Emmett's eye, raised my eyebrows and pointed at the petite girl. He looked bemused.

Jasper was sitting at the table already when I walked up with Alice. She put her tray down, sat next to him, and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Jasper, this is Bella, Chief Swan's daughter, and Emmett Swan's sister." He nodded in my direction and said hello in a soft southern voice.

"Nice to meet you, miss Bella." His eyes were golden, like his girlfriend's was, except his were a shade or two darker. "So, what grade are you in?"

"Junior." He replied that he was a senior, along with Rosalie, and had a few classes with Emmett. "He seems to be a really nice kid." I was glad that least one Cullen (or Hale) seemed to like my brother.

And then Rosalie and Edward showed up.

Rosalie raised her eyebrows in a perfect imitation of the Lauren girl from yesterday, and Edward paid me no attention. "Uh, hello there." Rosalie stated, in a 'what-the-hell-are-you-doing-here' tone.

"Bella is sitting with us today." Alice stated firmly, and Rosalie stared at her for a moment before placing her tray directly across from mine, giving me a tight smile. "Rosalie Hale." She held out her hand. I took it, holding in a gasp from it's coldness. my heart started racing from nerves, being surrounded by all these beautiful people.

Edward's head suddenly snapped towards me, his eyes black as pitch. The rest of the small group seemed to tense towards him, and Jasper reached across the table to grasp his shoulder. "Hey, Edward, let's go outside, huh? I need to get into your precious Volvo." Funnily enough, it seemed more as though he forced Edward out of the room then walked with him.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." I told Alice, and Rosalie snorted. Alice just threw her a dark glance before shaking her head at me.

"Of course it wasn't, Bella. There's just too much estrogen around here for the boys. Don't be offended, and don't think you can't sit with us, okay?" I had just been about to say that maybe we shouldn't do this again.

"I don't know, Alice…" I didn't want Edward to feel like he couldn't sit with his family because of me. She just rolled her eyes and moved on with the conversation, asking about classes and teachers.

When the lunch bell rang, I got up to go find the biology room, since I had missed class the day before because of my lunchtime mishap. The teacher, Mr. Banner, gave me a few sheets of paper with a syllabus and other things I should know for the class, and a textbook. Looking around, he paused when he saw the only empty table in the room. "Hmmm. You can partner with Mr. Cullen, but he seems to be skipping today." He muttered, pointing at that one table while looking around his desk for a detention slip for the elusive Edward.

I sank into my seat, wondering what the hell I had done to cause Edward Cullen to skip class.