A/N: Okay, so this chapter takes 4 years after Bella comes to live with the Cullen's. I'm trying to get through the younger years of their lives and get to the main part of the story. So, if I'm jumping years too quickly for you, please tell me and I will slow down. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. :'(

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Chapter 3

Four Years Later

"Bel-la!" I heard someone calling my name. "Bel-la!"

I rolled over in my bed and pulled the covers over my head. Please don't wake me up; I'm having a really good dream!

"Bella! Wake up! We have to get ready for school!" The voice screamed in my ear.

With a groan, I popped my eyes open to find Alice sitting on my bed, jumping up and down. She never could sit still…

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"7:30!" She chirped.

"What?" I cried. "Alice! School doesn't start until 8:45!"

She leaned her face extremely close to mine. "Don't you want to look amazing on our first day of 5th grade? I do. So… GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OUT OF BED!" She screamed.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Why me?

"Fine, Alice." I murmured, formulating a plan. "Just let me go to the bathroom. Will you please go into my closet and pick out my clothes?"

"I would love to, Bella!" She kissed my cheek before skipping off into my closet.

I jumped out of bed and made a mad dash down the hall and up to Edward's room. I was running up the stairs when something grabbed my ankle and I tripped.

"Don't think you can get away that easily, Bella!" Alice laughed evilly.

"Edward!" I screamed. "Save me!"

His door flew open and he stood there, rubbing his eyes. When he saw Alice and me, he smiled slightly.

"Good morning, ladies." He said.

"Morning, Edward." Alice said as she started pulling my down the steps. I was surprised at how strong she was. But then again, it was Alice.

"Alice, once you're done dressing Bella, you really should help Jasper. I think he was planning on wearing plaid pants with a striped shirt."
Alice froze. She slowly turned back to Edward. "The ones with little bunnies?" She whispered.

Edward nodded.

Alice dropped me and ran down the hall screaming, "Don't do it, Jasper! I can help you with your fashion dilemma! Just let me in!"
I ran upstairs and into Edward's bedroom, breathing heavily. Edward was just laughing.

"Thanks," I said, trying to catch my breath. There's nothing as scary as a crazed pixie that wants to give you a makeover before school… "I owe you one."

"You owe me a lot more than just one."

I rolled my eyes as I flopped down on his bed.

"I'm going to get ready for school," He said, grabbing some clothes. "I'll wake you up when I'm done."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I mumbled.

Austin walked up to me in the hallway. I froze. "Hey, Bella," He said. "How's it going?"

"Fine," I responded.

"Did you have a good summer?"

"Yeah, but I really missed you."

He was about to say something, but just then, a herd of pink bunnies stormed down the hallway, carrying him away.

"Austin!" I cried. One bunny jumped into my arms and said, "It's time to get up! It's time to get up!"

"Bella, you need to wake up!"

My eyes popped open. Edward stood above me, already dressed for school.

"Come on, sleepy head. We only have twenty minutes until we have to leave." He pulled me up into a sitting position.

"I was having a really good dream though." I mumbled.

"About Austin?" Edward smirked.

I punched his arm. "Shut up, Cullen."

"Whatever, Daaѐ. I'll see you downstairs."

As soon as Edward left, I flopped back down again on the bed and sighed.

Austin Evens was one of the cutest guys at school and lots of girls had a crush on him… including me. I hadn't gotten up the nerve to talk to him last school year, but that was all going to change. Starting today, I was going to try and be more outgoing like Alice and Rosalie. I was tired of being shy and not having hardly any friends besides Alice and Edward. This was the new improved Bella.

I glance over at the clock.

This was also a late Bella.

I jumped out of the bed and ran down the steps to my room. I was panicking about what to wear, but then I saw an outfit laid out on my bed. I love you, Alice!

I threw it on and looked in the mirror. I was wearing coral colored shorts and a brown t-shirt that had 'Brown Eyed Cutie' written across the front. I put on some brown Athena sandals and then tied my hair up into a pony tail with a bright green ribbon.

Glancing in the mirror one last time, I decided that I looked okay.

I grabbed my backpack and ran downstairs to the kitchen. Everyone else was sitting around the table.

"What took you so long, Chunky Monkey?" Emmett asked.

I rolled my eyes at him as I put my backpack down and slid into my seat.

"I was getting dressed, Fat Llama." I replied.

"Oh, Bella!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands. "You look so cute!"

I blushed as everyone looked at me. Even though they were practically my family, I still didn't like all the attention. "Thanks, Ali."

"So, kids." Esme said, putting a big stack of pancakes in the middle of the table. "Are you excited about school?"

"Yeah!" Jasper exclaimed. "I really hope I get Mrs. Foust as my history teacher. She may be old, but she's seen more than the teacher I had last year."
Emmett stared at Jasper for a moment and then coughed.

"What about you, Bella?" Esme asked. "Are you excited?"

"Oh, she is very excited!" Alice giggled.

Rose laughed.

"Austin Evens!" Emmett said, putting one hand to his forehead and sighing dramatically.

I blushed beat red. How did they know about that? I had only told Edward! He was my best friend (besides Alice) and always kept my secrets. Why had he let the cat out of the bag? Spilled the beans?!

I glared at him.

He held up his hands and said, "I didn't say anything!"

"Bella, you do know that you talk in your sleep, right?" Alice asked.

I smacked my forehead. How embarrassing. I had told them that I liked Austin, and I wasn't even aware that I'd done it! The horror!

"Guys, be nice!" Esme scolded. Glancing at the clock she said. "We need to leave!"
Everyone rushed about, gathering their things. I tried not to be too upset about what had just happened. I mean, I knew they wouldn't tell anybody… but they would tease me about it. Especially Emmett.

We climbed into the car and Esme drove down the driveway and off to school. I stared out the window, watching blurs of green fly by.

"Bella," Edward whispered, leaning over to me. We were sitting in the back seat with Alice. "I'm really sorry."
I turned to face him. He was such a good friend. No matter what, he would try to make me feel better. Ever since I moved in with them, he had acted as my personal guardian, always watching out for me.

"It's not your fault, Eddie." I whispered back. "It was bound to happen anyways." I gave him a little smile.

We pulled up to the school right on time. I grabbed my bag and climbed out of Esme's Lincoln Navigator.

"Have fun at school!" Esme called out the window. "I'll see you later!" She drove out of the parking lot and down the road to the Forks Middle School where Rose, Emmett, and Jasper would be going this year.

Alice, Edward, and I made our way up the steps of Forks Elementary School. We walked through the doors and into the office to find out what teacher we had. The redheaded secretary handed us each a sheet of paper with our schedules.

"Who do you have?" I asked as we walked out of the office and down the hall. "I have Mrs. Andrews."

"Same here," Edward said.

"We're all in the same class? That's awesome!" Alice exclaimed, jumping up and down. I laughed at my friend. I don't know where she got all of her energy.

Alice had apparently spotted one of her friends down the hallway. "Stacey!" She screamed, dashing through the crowd to her friend, leaving us alone.

"Bells, I really am sorry that they found out." Edward repeated.

"Edward! It's not your fault!" I said, exasperated. "Don't beat yourself up about it, okay?"

He threw his arm across my shoulders. "Just know that I'm always there for you, okay?"

I smiled at him.

We made our way to Mrs. Andrews' class, chatting about random things. When we walked through the door, Edward saw one of his old friends and went to talk to him. I walked to an empty desk and sat down. I pulled out a note pad and started doodling. I heard someone sit down next to me and assumed it was Edward.

"Hello, class!" A lady with blond hair came into the room. "My name is Mrs. Andrews. We are going to have so much fun this year!" I instantly liked her. She had a breezy smile and sparkling eyes. There was just something about her that made me feel comfortable.

"Now, let's do roll call." Mrs. Andrews said, picking up a sheet of paper. "Jessica Stanley?"

"Here!" Jess called.

"Ava Jackman?"

"Here!"

The list went on… Tyler Crowley, Kaela Lautner, Macey Baker, Jack Morgan, Lauren Mallory.

"Bella Swan?"

"Here!" I said without looking up.

"Austin Evens?"

"Here!"

HOLD UP! Austin Evens?! I jerked my head to where his voice came from. He was sitting right next to me. Me. His butt was parked on the desk next to mine. When he saw me staring he gave me a smile. I blushed and smiled back at him before looking down at my desk.

"Edward Cullen?"

"Here!"Edward called from the desk on my left. I turned to look at him. He winked at me. I motioned with my eyes to Austin. Edward tried not to laugh. He shrugged his shoulders.

Mrs. Andrews finished roll and told us to pull out our English books.

Class flew by, and before I knew it, it was lunch time. I grabbed my books and pushed them into my bag.

"Hey, Bella." Someone said from behind me. I slowly turned around to find Austin standing there, smiling at me.

He knew my name. He knew my name!

"Uh, h-hi, Austin." I stuttered.

"How's it going?"

"F-fine, thanks. You?" Stop stuttering, Bella! He'll think you're weird!

He was about to answer, but just then Edward came up and said, "Ready to go, Bells?"

I stared at him, trying to get him to realize Austin was talking to me. Fortunately, he did.

"Oh, hey, Austin." He said with a smile. "How was your summer?" Edward!!! When did I invite you to join this conversation?!

"It was great. My family went down to our beach house in California and my brother taught me how to surf." So that's why he was so tan!

"Really?" Edward asked, "That's cool."

Just then, Lauren and Jessica walked up to Austin and Edward.

"Hey, guys!" Lauren said in her nasally voice, "Do you want to eat lunch with us?" They didn't even look at me.

I really did hate Lauren and Jessica. They thought they were all that and more. For some reason, they were popular and a lot of guys liked them. Why? I don't know. I mean, Lauren's hair wasn't even naturally blond! Life just wasn't fair….

"Um, no thanks," Edward declined, pulling his arm away from Jessica. "I'm eating with Alice and Bella."

Lauren gave me a dirty look. Oh, so now they look at me!

"Well, if you change your mind, you can always sit with us." Jessica purred. She and Lauren grabbed on to Austin's arms, not even waiting to see if he wanted to sit with them, and pulled him out the door.

"Bye, Bella!" He called before being pulled out the door.

I stared at the door. Did I mention that I really hated Lauren and Jessica?

"Don't look so sad, Bells." Edward said, slinging an arm around my shoulder as we walked out the door. "I mean, isn't it a plus in Girl World that he knew your name? I think that should be worth at least twenty points."
I couldn't help but laugh at Edward. "Are you sure you don't want to sit with Lauren and Jessica?" I said in my nasally voice.

Edward made a gagging noise. "I'd rather sit with Emmett when he's eating beans."

I burst out laughing.

We walked into the cafeteria and claimed a table by the window. I pulled out my lunch bag and looked to see what Esme had packed me.

A tuna sandwich, a chunk of cheese, and a random apple slice. Oookay?

"What do you have?" I asked Edward.

"Um, tuna and pickle sandwich, half a banana, and a stick of beef jerky…" He replied. "Do I even want to know what you got?"

"Um, not really. How much money do you have?"

"Ten dollars. I think that'll be enough. Do you want to go buy lunch or do you want me to?"
"I'll buy lunch; you can throw away… whatever Esme packed."I grabbed his money and made my way over to the lunch line. The cafeteria was crowded and the noise level was high. I grabbed a tray and filled it with enough food and waited to pay at the register. I handed the lunch lady my money and received the change. I left the line and made my way carefully to Edward, trying not to spill any of the food. Any false moves could be deadly….

"What'd you bring me?" Edward asked as I reached the table.

"Mac n' cheese!" I said happily. "And a brownie for desert!"

"Hey, guys!" Alice said happily as she slid in next to Edward. "Sorry I ditched you in the class room, but Stacey was telling me about her older sister landing a job with Vogue." Alice got a dreamy look on her face as she spoke. She was such a little fashion fanatic I was positive she'd be the editor and chief of some big magazine when she grew up.

I smiled at her. "Don't worry, Ali. Your day will come."
Sighing, she pulled out her lunch bag. "I know. It's going to be a while though. Whoa, what is this?" She held up a sandwich consisting of tuna, tomato, and orange slices. She stared at it for a moment before putting it back in the baggie. "I'm going to go buy some edible food. Brb." She skipped off to the lunch line.

"So, do you like Mrs. Andrews?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. She seems really nice." I replied, taking a bite of my lunch. Thankfully, the food here wasn't that bad. I think the kitchen actually passed the health inspection!

Alice came back with her lunch and we sat around, talking about class. Alice had found out that Lacey Jernigan and Jack Morgan had started going out. Alice wasn't surprised at all. Even though everyone thought Lacey and Jack were complete opposites, Alice had a feeling that they would get together over the summer. Weird….

Edward finished his lunch before me and got up to throw it away.

"Hey, Meagan!" Alice called to one of her friends. "I'll see you in class, Bella." She skipped off to talk to Meagan.

I sat there, looking around the cafeteria when my eyes on Austin. He had somehow gotten away from Lauren and Jessica, and was now sitting with his friends laughing at a joke. His light green eyes glimmered with happiness. Oh, his eyes. That was one of the things I liked most about him. They completely lit up his face. Whether is was sadness or silliness, his eyes expressed it all. It was on of the first thigns you noticed about him. Those light green eyes.

Just then, two people slid in next to me, breaking me out of the 'Austin Trance' I was in. I turned to see who the two culprits were.

"What do you want?" I asked Lauren and Jessica.

"I want you to back off." Lauren hissed. "Stop talking to Edward and Austin."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Lauren, I live with Edward. How can I stop talking to him?"
"Oh, just because you're sitting between the two hottest guys in school, you think you're smarter than us?!" Jessica half yelled. "Think again, Swan!"

I had to laugh "You two don't even know what the meaning of 'conceited' is! Of course I'm smarter than you." I didn't know where all this confidence was coming from. Usually when Lauren and Jessica talked to me – which they hardly did – I would shrink back and take whatever they had to say. But today, I was standing up. Watch out world, the new Bella was bustin' out of her shell!

"I so know what that means!" Jessica protested. She paused before asking, "Does it have something to do with bacon?" I stared at her for a moment, not sure where that came from. She wasn't exactly the sharpest tack on the board….

"Jess. Shut up." Lauren said, rolling her eyes. "Swan, watch your back."

And with that, they got up from the table and walked back to their group of friends. I rolled my eyes at the two Barbie's.

"Hey," Edward said, coming back to the table. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Let's get back to class." I slung my bag over my shoulder and grabbed my trash. We walked through the crowd and out of the cafeteria. I threw my trash away in a garbage bin. Edward and I walked down the hall and to our class room, sitting down at our desks.

"So, do you want to tell me what happened?" Edward asked, turning to look at me.

Sighing, I told him about Lauren and Jessica. When I finished, he just laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" I demanded. "It's not funny!"
"It's just so unlike you to stand up to them!" He answered, whipping the tears from his eyes. "I just thought that was kind of funny."

"Yeah, hilarious." I muttered. "Two boy-crazed Barbie's are about to strangle me for talking to you and Austin, and all you do is laugh. Ha…ha…ha."

Edward only smiled at me.

Just then, Lauren and Jessica walked in. When they saw me, they glared. I stared at them blankly. I wasn't going to let them get to me. They were just two girls who thought they owned the school.

As Lauren walked past my desk, she slipped a piece of paper in front of me. She slowly sauntered to the back of the room, joining her clones.

I slowly picked up the piece of paper and looked at it.

Back Of! If u nowe wats gud 4 u, dont ever talk 2 Austin agin…. Or els.

I couldn't help but laugh at her awful spelling. I handed the note to Edward. He quickly scanned the note and tried to conceal his laughter, but couldn't. He practically fell from his desk, clutching his sides as the laughter came.

I don't know what got into me then, but I picked up the note while still laughing and took it back to Lauren.

I dropped the note on her desk and said, "Next time you try to write a threatening note, please, use a dictionary!" She just glared at me as I turned around and walked back to my desk. I was almost to my row and I was feeling pretty good about myself, but my feet decided to hate me. I tripped over something and went flying. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the impact of the fall, but two arms caught me and pulled me up.

"Are you okay?" I knew that voice anywhere.

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A/N: Like it? Hate it? Or are you lost somewhere in the Twilight Zone and have no idea what's going on? ;)

I'm not usually one for cliffy's, but I couldn't resist.

Also, I've been home schooled my whole life, so I have no idea how the school system works for elementary grades. I looked it up on Wiki and it said that elementary can either cut off at 4th or 5th, so I went with 5th. :)

Please Review!!! I don't care if the review is 1 word or 100. I don't even care if it's mean. I prefer it if you give me criticism. It helps me become a better writer. So, if you're sitting there, getting ready to write a review like 'You're doing a good job!', but you don't really mean it. Please. Don't do that! Just tell me what you didn't like about it and maybe give me some tips.

Okay, you can go back to your lives now. I'm done ranting. ;)