So, it looks as though this story will be a lot longer than I had anticipated. That is excellent for you; it simply means I'll be spending more time writing than I thought I would be…

On with the fun!

Chapter 3

Elizabeth returned with a few plates of pancakes. She struggled to make her way into the room without dropping the plates on the floor. I frowned, wanting to get up and help her, though I knew my sons would never allow me to do that.

My children were so protective of my health these days, thinking that a minute out of bed would lead to my death. It was as if they were trying to make sure I would live longer than the doctor had mentioned by preventing anything from happening to me.

Elizabeth placed my plate on the side table before returning to her seat. She pulled out her phone pressing a few buttons. I couldn't tell whether she was texting, emailing, or checking her call log. She put her phone away, tucking it in her purse.

"Mom, can you please continue?" She asked.

I shook my head, taking a bite out of the pancakes. I noticed that Elizabeth had also brought me a large glass of milk with a variety of pills sitting next to it. I had forgotten what each pill was supposed to do, and I had no clue which ones were mandatory, as Elizabeth had probably placed various vitamins with the pills.

"I guess I'll tell you in-between bites, alright?" I paused, gazing at my children's reactions. They all seemed to agree with that idea, so I continued.

------------------------------

Alice had led me to her lunch table, and I sat to her left. I placed my stuff to the side of my chair. Emmett sat on my other side and was eating a burger.

Alice stood up and pulled on my arm. "Come on Bella, let's get some food."

I shrugged and stood up, grabbing my wallet from my backpack. "Alright."

The cafeteria had several lines to choose from: a salad line, a sandwich line, a hot food line. Alice led me to the sandwich line.

"So, Bella, how's your first day going?" Alice asked with a smile.

"It's good," I said. "I'm sort of surprised, though."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

I shrugged. "I just thought this school was small."

"It is." Alice said with a gesture towards the cafeteria. "That's half of our school's occupants."

I shook my head after gazing at the students sitting at the tables. "I have this family friend who goes to this school; I assumed the school would be small enough to where I'd have a few classes with him."

Alice frowned. "Who is he? He might be absent today or something."

I shook my head. "No, I saw him yesterday, and he seemed fine. His name's Jacob Black."

Alice smiled in recognition. "He's one of the kids from the rez, isn't he? He's kind of cute." She wiggled her eyebrows and giggled.

I swatted my hand at her. "I guess he is, but we're only friends."

Alice and I moved up in the line and Alice began to jump excitedly. "Oh! There's Jasper and Rosalie! My God, they've changed over the summer."

I followed Alice's gaze and saw two blond haired figures walking up to our table. The boy was very tall, possibly taller than Emmett. He was more slender than Emmett, though, and he carried something similar to a sketchpad. The girl was tall as well, and with the heels she wore, she could have been six feet tall. Her blonde hair hung in waves down to her mid back. She wasn't skinny, yet she wasn't heavy or athletic. Renee might say she had "curves in all the right places".

I looked at Alice curiously. "They've changed? What do you mean- haven't you seen them over the summer?"

Alice shook her head. "I haven't really seen anyone this summer; I spent it with my cousin and aunt and uncle. Emmett was at football camps and also acted as a councilor for the church camp of the area. Jasper and Rosalie, they're siblings, were vacationing; they were in Italy for a few weeks and then they went to the Bahamas."

My mouth dropped. "Italy and the Bahamas? Jeez, what do their parents do?"

Alice shrugged. "Their dad owns a company in Seattle. He works from home, though, and they live here because their mom likes the small town atmosphere. Emmett's dad owns a store in town, while my dad is the town's doctor."

I smiled. "That's cool. So how long have you known Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie?"

Alice smiled. "Practically since my birth. We've been friends for a very long time. School friends come and go, you know? But Emmett, Jasper, Rose and I have been close for years."

I nodded, understanding. We arrived at the front of the line and purchased our food. I simply got a turkey sandwich and water. Alice led us back to the table, smiling when she saw her friends.

"Jasper! Rose!" She cried, tossing her sandwich on the table and hugging them.

I simply sat down, while Jasper smiled and Rosalie hugged Alice back fiercely. "We missed you, Alice!"

Alice sat down promptly next to me. "Guys, this is Bella. She's from Phoenix." She gestured to me with a small side hug. "Bella, this is Jasper and Rosalie Hale."

Rosalie smiled. "You can call me Rose if you'd like."

I smiled and thanked her and began to eat my sandwich.

Alice looked at Jasper, who was sketching in his large sketchpad. "So, Jasper, did you have any hot summer romances?"

Jasper's pencil broke on the page, and he gazed up at Alice. "What?"

Rosalie laughed. "Oh, come on Jasper. What about you, Alice? Is your cousin hot or is he the nerd who stays inside playing war games on his computer"

Alice wrinkled her nose. "Are you asking if I had a summer romance with my cousin? You're gross Rose."

Rosalie blushed and laughed. "Not at all. I'm just asking for myself! If I were to visit him, would he be interested in me or the computer game?"

I couldn't imagine anyone not giving Rosalie their full attention. Her eyes were a bright blue; her lips had the perfect curve to them. She was statuesque, with a certain air to her, and long legs which were slightly exposed from her shorts. She was the kind of girl, based on appearance and personal experience, who would have had nothing to do with me in Phoenix.

Emmett laughed. "He'd probably be interested in the computer game, regardless of his hotness."

Rosalie stuck her tongue out at Emmett and threw Alice's peanut butter sandwich at Emmett, the peanut butter hitting his jacket with perfect aim.

Emmett groaned, taking off his jacket.

Rosalie smiled and began to chant, "Take it off! Take it off!"

Emmett rolled his eyes and threw his jacket on her.

Alice smirked. "Alright, Emmett. Buy me a new sandwich. Jasper, you need to eat something. Go with him!" She threw a few dollars at Emmett and all but herded him and Jasper away from the table.

Alice smiled apologetically at me when they left. "Sorry, Bella. We're a crazy bunch."

Rosalie smiled. "She'll fit in fine."

After a few moments of silence, Alice slapped her hands on the table, causing me to jump. "Rose! You didn't tell me Jasper got hotter! I mean, he was already hot, but now? You could have warned me!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I don't see his appeal. I mean, I guess he looks good, and he has been working out a bit, but still."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Of course you don't. He's your brother. God! Why do your parents have to make such attractive babies?" Her voice had risen by the end of her rant, and silence fell upon the table.

I began to laugh at the absurdity of the statement, and shortly after, Rosalie and Alice were laughing with me. Emmett and Jasper returned with food, Emmett throwing his sandwich in front of Alice.

"What's so funny, girls?" Emmett asked.

Alice simply shook her head, and we all controlled our laughter until it stopped completely.

I finished eating my sandwich, listening to the table's conversation as I ate.

"Have you guys seen Jessica? She's practically bursting out of her top to catch the attention of Mike, again," Alice said, watching a petite brown haired girl who wore an extremely low cut top.

"He's not even that attractive!" Rosalie said, eyeing the blond haired boy who sat across from her.

Emmett groaned. "Didn't you too make a resolution for this new school year that you wouldn't gossip?"

Alice smiled. "We said we wouldn't gossip as much." She paused, taking a bite out of her lunch. "And this isn't even gossip! We're genuinely worried for our schoolmate's choice in fashion!"

Emmett threw his arm around my shoulder. "But what about Bella here? You want to make a good impression on her, don't you?"

Rosalie smiled. "Of course we do." She looked at me with a smile, then glared at Emmett. "If you are so concerned about our gossiping, if you could even call it that," she wrinkled her nose, "then why don't you get rid of the source to our troubles?"

"You want me to kill Jessica?" Emmett whispered in shock.

Rosalie leaned across the table and slapped him over the head. "No. Absolutely not. We want you to tell Jessica in the nicest way possible not to wear those outfits that hit her chest awfully low. Then throw a jacket over her chest or something. We don't need to see that."

I watched as Emmett took a deep breath as he stood up and walked over to Jessica's table. "Is he really going to do it?" I whispered in shock.

Alice nodded. "Of course. Emmett is the sweetest guy, and he'd do anything for us."

I watched as Rosalie nodded in agreement, a far away look on her face.

"You guys seem to have it out for Jessica," I commented after a lull in conversation.

Alice's hands turned into two tiny fists. Rosalie nodded at my comment and explained. "Jessica…" She stopped, shaking her head. "She was plain mean to Alice last year. She hung out in our group for a while, but spread rumors about Alice, which have only just begun to fade. Now she hangs out with Lauren, who also has a nasty habit of spreading rumors."

"That sounds awful," I said, looking at Alice. She was so nice to me today, how could anyone do that to her?

I watched as Emmett approached Jessica's table at last. He pointed to her chest, saying things that I couldn't hear to do the space between the tables. He then took Mike's letterman jacket and placed it over her chest with a smile. Jessica's highly lip-glossed mouth was wide open as Emmett walked away.

Jasper laughed at Emmett when he came back to the table.

Alice sprung up from her seat and gave Emmett a quick hug. "Thank you, Emmett!"

Emmett simply rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

The bell rang shortly after, and Alice led me to the Biology room. I paused, realizing I had left my wallet in the cafeteria.

Alice, noticing my worried expression, asked, "What's wrong, Bella?"

I shook my head, searching my backpack in case it was hidden under books. "I think I left my wallet in the cafeteria."

Alice looked at the door to the biology room, then back at me. "Do you know your way back here? The bell's about to ring…"

I nodded. "Go ahead. I'll be back in a minute."

I zipped my backpack up and walked against the flow of students. I found a path clear of large, pushy students to the side, so I hugged the walls, getting back to the cafeteria. I spotted my wallet on the floor, next to the chair I sat in. Relieved, I walked over to it and grabbed it, putting it safely in my backpack.

Once my wallet was away, I looked around, noticing the hallways were now empty. I gulped, rushing back to the Biology room. The bell rang, right as I reached to open the door.

I took a deep breath and proceeded to open the door.

The room was silent, and the teacher stood at the front of the room, looking at me with a disapproving gleam in his eyes. Every student looked at me, and I felt the familiar heat rise to my cheeks.

"Well, what do you want?" The teacher asked, putting some papers back on his desk.

"My name is Bella Swan. I'm in this class. Sorry I'm late," I said softly. I looked around at the students, noticing that Alice sat next to Jasper shared a two person table, and they sat in the last row. I also realized that I recognized the boy sitting in the front row.

Jacob Black sat with his books in front of him, sitting next to another large boy who I didn't know. He smiled at me, but I turned away with a blush, realizing that the teacher was speaking to me.

"I'm Mr. Banner. I appreciate my students being on time, Ms. Swan, and I hope this isn't a habit that you plan on forming," I shook my head when he paused. "Alright then. Take a seat at the desk in the back. That'll be your seat for the rest of the year."

"Okay," I murmured, heading to the last empty desk in the last row. Unfortunately, as I tried to walk unnoticed to the desk, I tripped over a textbook lying in the middle of the aisle. I mumbled an apology, keeping my head down, as I continued to the desk. I sat diagonally across from Alice and Jasper, as my desk was in the corner. I noticed that there was another chair next to me, making it the last available spot in the class besides my own seat. I put my belongings on that chair and sat down, looking at the front of the class.

Mr. Banner went through the attendance sheet, and everyone was present, as would be expected on the first day of school. He spent the rest of the class period outlining what we might expect from this year, his strict tardiness policies, and his homework policies.

Alice and Jasper whispered throughout Mr. Banner's lecture, and occasionally Alice would look back at me and offer a kind smile and try to whisper something, which I couldn't quite make out.

I rubbed my index finger along the cool top of the black desk, noticing that the trail left behind my finger was visible at a low angle. I smiled at this discovery and proceeded to draw various stars and flowers as Mr. Banner discussed our upcoming units.

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the period. Alice jumped to my side and led me to the gym, where I'd have P.E. with her and Emmett. I learned that Rosalie also had this class with me as well.

About twenty students were already sitting cross-legged on the gym floor by the time Alice and I entered the gym. We immediately spotted Emmett, who sat next to Rosalie. Emmett waved us over, so we sat next to him, adopting the same cross-legged position.

A middle-aged man with a rather large stomach entered the gym, wearing unflattering sweat pants and a college t-shirt that advertised the University of Washington, which unfortunately failed to completely cover his mid-section. He blew his whistle and pulled out a clipboard, proceeding to call out the names of students.

"Cullen, Alice," He yelled shortly into the names.

"Here," Alice said with a smile. The teacher made some attempt to smile, but it came out more like a sneer. I flinched at the sight.

After the last name had been called, the teacher threw his clipboard carelessly behind him. The echoing thud made every student in the gym immediately straighten up.

"My name is Coach Meeks. We're gonna have a fun year, I can feel it," he paused, letting his booming voice echo around the gym walls. "You will dress out for every gym class, starting next Monday. Rain or shine, snow or sun, we will be having gym class."

Alice's eyes widened and her hand shot up into the air.

Coach Meeks spotted her hand and nodded at her. "Yes Miss…" He paused, not remembering her name.

"Alice. Alice Cullen," Alice happily supplied.

"Yes, Miss Cullen?" He asked, his arms folded on top of his stomach.

Alice smiled. "Can we supply our own gym clothes instead of the school's gym clothes?"

Coach Meeks' arms dropped to his sides. "I suppose so, Miss Cullen. You may all bring your own gym clothes as long as you have the essentials: tennis shoes, socks, appropriate undergarments, and a t-shirt. Jewelry will not be tolerated while gym class is in session."

I saw Rosalie gulp as she tugged on her necklace nervously.

"The school provides each student with the appropriate clothing items, so before you leave, sign your clothing size on this sheet so that you can get the right clothes, that is, if you want the school clothes," the coach continued. "You may sit out due to sickness or injury if you have a doctor's note."

He continued talking about gym procedures while Alice and Rosalie scooted closer to Emmett and me so that we were very huddled together.

"How do you like Forks High, Bella?" Emmett asked with a smile.

I shrugged. "It's nice. I wish I didn't have to take this class though," I said, looking back to Coach Meeks to make sure he wasn't watching us.

Emmett laughed, "Don't worry, Bella, we'll take care of you, despite your clumsiness."

I glared at him. "Thank you."

Rosalie spoke up. "I need to get some new tennis shoes. Mine are all messed up."

Alice smiled. "Can I come to? Maybe I can find some new athletic shorts. Bella? Do you want to come with us?"

I looked down at my jeans. "Um, I think I'm just going to use the school's clothes. It makes it easier; I'll probably forget to bring my clothes from home everyday…"

Alice nodded. "Alright. Rosalie, how about I pick you up at five? We can try Port Angeles."

Rosalie nodded. "Cool."

Emmett's mouth dropped open. "What is this? Am I not invited?"

Alice shrugged. "Do you need new gym shorts or shoes?"

Emmett shook his head and smiled. "No, but thank you for the offer!"

Rosalie slapped Emmett over the head.

"Come sign up now if you want the school's clothes. If you don't, then you may leave early. See you all tomorrow," Coach Meeks said with a few minutes left of class.

I stood up, stretching my legs. "I'm going to go sign the board."

Rosalie nodded and Alice smiled. "Bye, Bella!" She sang. "See you tomorrow!"

I waved weakly at her and Rosalie as I walked over to the board, getting in line. Emmett followed me, standing in line directly behind me.

"I thought you said you didn't need any new shorts or shoes?" I said, surprised he was in line with me.

Emmett shrugged. "I don't need new shoes or new shorts if I'm using the school's."

I nodded in understanding, stepping forward as the line shortened. "So what do you guys do for fun in Forks?"

Emmett shrugged. "Watch paint dry, for the most part. It's a whole town event, with a parade and everything. Sometimes we even hire a clown, but only if the paint happens to be a color other than white. If it's white paint that dries, then we get a band to play."

I rolled my eyes. "No, seriously. I didn't see a movie theater or anything in town."

Emmett smiled. "Port Angeles has the movie theater, and the majority of the shops. But we mostly hang out at each other's houses and watch DVDs or play random games. We will go to Port Angeles to see a movie every once in a while."

I nodded. "That's cool."

Emmett scooted me forward, as the line had moved forward. "Why do you ask? Are you trying to find a good place to go clubbing this lovely Monday evening?"

I laughed. "Do I seem like the clubbing type?"

Emmett shrugged. "Not really."

I smiled and stepped forward, approaching the clipboard. "Good. I was asking simply out of curiosity."

Emmett nodded. "Of course you were, Bella."

I signed my name and my clothing size on the clipboard, handing the pen to Emmett. "See you tomorrow!" I said, leaving the gym.

I pulled out my keys from my backpack and walked over to my rusty truck. I put the key in the ignition and smiled when the familiar sound of the engine running sounded. I put the radio on, singing along to "Symphony for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones as I drove down the highway to my house.

I arrived home, parking the truck to the side of the driveway to give Charlie room to park his cruiser. I turned the car off, locking it behind me, even though no one would even think to steal the old truck.

I opened the door to the house and immediately headed up to my room. My computer was old, and quite slow, so I decided to use it only for school purposes. I pulled out my hand-me-down cell phone from Renee and left her a message when no one had picked up the phone.

"Hey mom, it's Bella," I said into the small phone, sitting down on my bed. "Just calling to check in; my first day of school went well. I have a good feeling about this year. I've already made some friends who are very nice: Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett. I guess give me a call back. I love you, mom."

I hung up the phone, tossing it on the side table of my bed. I was organizing my papers from school, finding out which ones to have Charlie sign and which to just throw away, when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver, putting the papers aside.

"Bella?" A soft voice said into the receiver.

"Yes?" I answered confused. "Who is this?"

"Oh, sorry," the voice said, laughing slightly. "This is Alice. I just wanted to make sure I had your number. And, I need you to have mine, as well as Rosalie's, Jasper's, and Emmett's."

I stood up from my reclined position on the floor. "Alright. So you have my number, do you want to list off the numbers?"

"Yeah, do you have a pen and or paper?" Alice said.

"Yes, go ahead."

Alice gave me all four numbers. "Those are our cell phone numbers, so you will be fine with just those. You shouldn't need our home numbers. Heck! I don't even know their home numbers!"

I smiled. "Okay. Was there anything else you wanted?"

Alice laughed. "Nope."

I paused, realizing something. "How did you even get my number?"

High-pitched laughter sounded over the phone. "Magic."

A dial tone hummed in my ear, and I realized she had hung up on me. I shrugged, tossing my phone once more on my bedside table.

I looked back at the papers in front of me, realizing I had something I could do. The syllabus for my English class listed that we were beginning a paper on Romeo and Juliet, our summer reading.

I decided to reread some important sections of the book, placing post it notes so I could later find those sections and quotes while actually writing my paper. I smiled at my organization and immersed myself into the work of Shakespeare.

"Bella?" A tired voice called from downstairs.

I closed my book and sat up on my floor. "Is that you, Dad?" I asked back, standing up.

"Yeah, just making sure you are home," Charlie answered.

I sighed and ran down the stairs, tripping on the last one, but I caught myself before I made impact with the floor.

"What do you want for dinner?" I asked, looking at Charlie who sat on the couch.

Charlie shrugged. "Anything sounds good."

I nodded and made my way to the kitchen, opening up the refrigerator. I spotted some buns, and realized that we also had frozen patties. "How do burgers sound?" I yelled so that Charlie could hear me.

"Sounds good, Bells!" Came the reply from the living room.

I took a deep breath and began cooking our meals, grilling the burgers on the lining of the stove.

Dinner was ready in fifteen minutes, and I had placed Charlie's burger on his plate, giving myself one as well.

"Smells delicious," Charlie said, taking a bite out of his meal.

I muttered my thanks and nibbled a bit off of my burger.

We ate in an uncomfortable silence. Charlie kept looking up at me, as if he wanted to say something, but would end up eating more of his burger. I didn't have anything to say to him, as I didn't feel any definite need for conversation.

"Bella," Charlie said after a long pause. "How was your first day of school?"

I shrugged. "Fine."

Charlie exhaled and looked around the kitchen, his napkin wadded in his hands as he gazed around. "Did you-" He paused, taking a drink of water.

I waited for him to finish his thought, but he never did. "Yes?"

Charlie dropped his napkin on the table and gazed at me. "Did you meet any new friends?"

I shrugged. "Yes I did. Alice Cullen was really nice to me…"

Charlie cut me off with a smile. "Cullen? Is that Dr. Cullen's daughter? Nice family."

I nodded. "I think so. Also, Emmett McCarty, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "The Hales, huh?"

I nodded curiously. "Yes, they're really nice."

Charlie nodded as well. "Oh I'm sure they are, I just don't see much of them around town."

I wiped my mouth after taking a last drink of milk. "Yeah. Um, I'm going to go to bed," I said, realizing how tired I was. "Can I be excused?"

Charlie nodded. "Of course."

I thanked him and put my dishes in the dishwasher, going up to the bathroom. I stripped down once the door was locked and turned the water on in the shower. I rubbed my shoulders, as the air was cold.

I placed my hand under the water of the shower, and discovered that the water was finally warm. I stepped inside the shower, relishing in the feel of the hot water against my back. I hummed to myself, putting my strawberry shampoo in my hair, a brand I've used for years.

As I rinsed my hair, I came to think about the school year ahead of me. Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were so welcoming; this year seemed as though it would be one I would enjoy.

After finishing my shower, I turned off the water, and wrapped a towel around me. I brushed my teeth and rubbed another towel around my hair to help dry it a little bit, then went back to my room.

I put on a large t-shirt and boxer shorts over my underwear, ready for bed. I ran my hand through my damp hair before lying down in my bed.

Yes, it was an early night, but I was completely tired and ready for what tomorrow would bring.

------------------------------------------------------------------

I smiled at my children when I had finished telling the last part of that portion of the story.

Elizabeth leaned forward in her chair. "So, Jacob. Did you think he was cute?"

I shrugged. "Yes, I did think so a little bit. And I think he thought I was as well."

Robert raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

I shook my head. "I have my reasons for believing it." I said cryptically with a smile.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "And they are?"

I smiled. "That part's coming up next. But for now, I'd like it very much if I could watch the T.V."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "More Scrubs reruns?"

I nodded. "It really takes me back. You know, Alice once made me watch a whole Scrubs marathon with her one Saturday when we were in high school? I remember it completely: we loaded ourselves up with what felt like gallons of energy drinks," I paused, coughing, "only to fall asleep before we could even think of finishing the marathon."

Ward winced. "Energy drinks? Do you know what they put in those?"

I nodded. "But they were delicious at the time."

Ward rolled his eyes. "Sure they were. Let's just watch Scrubs, okay?"

I nodded, and watched a decades old rerun of Scrubs with my children surrounding me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: It's been too long! So, I'm pretty excited about this story; it's going to be a lot different from my other ones. (Especially because it's all human, but also for other reasons).

I had to include "Scrubs" in there- it's one of my favorite TV shows. It's weird to think that in decades, "Scrub" (along with other shows) will be playing reruns which will be "classics", just like you'll watch reruns of "Happy Days" or "Cheers" or schtuff like that. Creepy...

I hope you don't mind the high school banter- you all wanted more details, so there they are! And the "attractive babies" part? It actually happened at my lunch table.

Frankly, I just hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing/thinking this stuff up (which is a lot XD)

Please let me know what you think and thank you all for reading!!!!!!!!!!

(Also, the word count for this chapter is 5555- THAT IS FRIGGEN AWESOME!)