I only got 5 reviews for the last chapter? Awe, sadface.
But it's okay. I promised myself when I started this chapter I wouldn't become a review whore.
I hope you all dont kill me, or hate me for this chapter... I dont think you'll like it. :o

The next week passed pretty much the same way. Jasper and I would spend almost the whole day in that clearing before Elizabeth would call us, and pretty much beg us to come home for dinner. We didn't want to - at least I didn't - but we went anyway. Jasper would hold my hand as we walked back to the car. He would hold my hand as we drove back to his house. He would hold my hand as we walked into the house and to the kitchen. Each and every time Elizabeth caught sight of us holding hands, or hugging, or even sitting close together on the couch, she would smile at me and cause me to blush. I wasn't ashamed of being close with Jasper but no matter what I'd always blush.

I haven't seen Alice in almost three weeks now. I was worried about her. She hasn't called, emailed, or messaged me. I don't even remember what the little pixie looked like anymore. Okay, well, that was kind of a joke, but you know, it's pretty much the truth. I was starting to worry. The few times I've tried to call her phone, it went straight to voice mail. I've mentioned it to Esme when she called in the middle of the week, but she told me not to worry about it. Jasper and Elizabeth said the same.

I spent time with Elizabeth when one of Jasper's friends asked him to hang out once. She took me shopping, claiming I needed more clothes for school…. Which started a few days after Esme and Carlisle came home. I was not looking forward to it. I was a good student and all, but I hated school. Elizabeth told me to hold onto these times and make the best of it. She said, and I quote, "these times go by so fast, and when you get to be my age, and watch your own children go through them, you can't help but wish you could be too,"

I've spoken with Emmett a few times too. He told me the talk with Esme and Carlisle went well. They were disappointed, of course, but Esme was one of those people that couldn't be angry about this. She was thrilled to be receiving a grandchild; she was, however, not happy about being a grandmother before she turned 45, but she said she was okay with it and that they'll support Emmett and Victoria all through school. Victoria made a joke to Carlisle about Emmett being a mommas boy who'll be mooching off of them until their babies old enough to ask for money on his -or her- own.

I spoke with Edward once, only briefly. He apologized to me for not being able to speak with me very much over the past few months, and I immediately told him not to worry; he was busy with school and the Ultrasound and I understood it. I didn't expect everyone in the family to be able to talk to me every hour of the day. I joked to him that it would be okay if he could maybe send me a message once or twice a week to let me know he was still living, but other than that, we just talked about random stuff. He "demanded" that I keep up on the piano 'skills' I was developing.

I was sad to go home at the end of the week. One; it meant that school was coming up at the end of that weekend. Two; I wasn't going to see Jasper every morning, every afternoon and every evening. I would only see him in school, and possibly some classes if we had any together. Three; it meant homework would probably take up most of my time after school which means I wont be able to see him then either.

When Esme had picked me up from the Whitlocks on Friday afternoon, she was smiling, and laughing, and she was happy. She hugged me and asked Elizabeth if I was a good girl. Elizabeth replied with, "I think she has a boyfriend… but neither her, or the boy knows."

"Beth…" Esme laughed at her wording, "did you just call your son "the boy"?"

Jasper had sat on the couch pouting as Elizabeth was telling Esme that any boy who liked her niece - her own son or not - was automatically "the boy". At the mention of a relationship, or a boy liking me in general, made me blush and look away from Jasper. When I did look at him again, it was when I hugged him as I was leaving. I looked straight into his baby blue eyes and hugged him tightly, placing a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks for the best week of my life," I'd whispered to him. I saw a blush cover his cheeks and I smiled in satisfaction..

On Sunday, I woke up to my phone ringing on the pillow next to my head. I saw Alice's name flash across the screen and I instantly woke up, hurrying to answer it. "Alice!" I exclaimed.

"Hey Bella," she whispered.

"Where've you been? I've been worried sick!"

She let out a nervous laugh. "I'm, uh, in Paris.."

"Why are you there?" I asked confused.

"I've kind of… got into a French Private School… and I asked mom if I could go. She let me, of course, but I wanted to be the one to let you know about it…"

"Oh…" I said quietly. "That's, uh, that's great, Alice." I said. "I'm happy for you."

"This will be so great for my education!" she squealed. When I didn't say anything, she asked me quietly, "Are you upset?"

I sighed, running my hand along my face. "No… just disappointed. I was hoping to have my best friend in school with me."

"But you do!" she cried, "Jasper! He's your best friend, too!" I sighed, and looked out the window.

"I know he is, but… I-I was hoping to have a girlfriend at school with me…" I trailed off, immediately feeling guilty. "You know what? Nevermind. You can go to your French school. Just make sure to keep contact. I've been worried sick that past week."

She sighed, "I'm sorry Bella. But… I've had my heart set on this school forever and it takes so much to get in… and it'll kick start my Fashion career like you'll never believe!" she squealed excitedly. "And, I promise to keep contact. I've just been afraid to call you and tell you because I was afraid you'd hate me…but hey, when you go to school tomorrow, everyone will want to be your friend anyway! You're the newest Cullen!" she seemed happy by this declaration but it only brought me down.

I didn't want anyone to like me just because I was a Cullen. I wanted them to like me for me. Not for the name, or the money, or the flashing cars. ME!

"Oh, Bella!" she suddenly cried, "I just remembered! When are you doing your road test?" I moved the phone away from my ear slightly and sighed.

"I don't know, sometime next week. Why?"

"Because, I know the best car for you ever!" she seemed so excited to be telling me this, when in truth, I had no desire to get a car. I figured I could just ride with Jasper everyday… and I planned to do that. "Oh! And did you know Emmett's going to be a father?"

I laughed, "Alice, I was the first one he told."

"Oh…" I could almost hear the disappointment in her voice. "Oh, well, I'm so excited! I'm going to be an aunt! I can shop for the baby!"

"Uh, Alice," I cut in, "Victoria could do that too, you know."

"Oh, that tramp doesn't know how to shop!"

I gasped, not used to Alice using that kind of language, "Alice! That's not very nice. I was talking to her last week, she seemed so nice."

Alice scoffed and I knew for a fact that she was picking at her nails while rolling her eyes, "She cant shop for anything! She probably doesn't even love Emmett."

"Alice, that's not nice. She does love Emmett. I could tell by the tone of her voice. It was all dreamy and she sighed happily a lot too."

"Whatever, Bella," she snapped, sighing. "I have to go. I guess I'll talk to you later." she didn't wait for me to answer as she hung up and I felt like flying to Paris just to smack her.

I hung up the phone and got out of bed. I headed to my bathroom for a shower, which turned into an extremely long bath instead. I needed to relax… I needed to clear my head. Alice living in Paris for school is not a big deal. I could make new friends. Besides, I have Jasper. I could deal with this. But what if Jasper doesn't want you around all day, everyday? a little voice inside my head asked.

I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts and got out of the tub. I dressed in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before skipping through the house. I headed into the kitchen, to see Carlisle sitting at the island with a cup of coffee in front of him. He looked distracted as he stared out the window. I sat down next to him, and he glanced over and gave me a smile. "Everything alright?" I asked, concerned. Since Ive been with the Cullens, I've never known Carlisle to take a day off of work, and I know for a fact that he had to work today. Carlisle looked up at me, his eyes slightly red and puffy. I took his hand in mine, and ran my thumb over it.

"Bella… I… I didn't want my children to make the same mistake I did…" he whispered. "Esme and I had Edward very young… we were Emmett's age…" he trailed off, sighing.

"If it brings back memories you don't want to relive then you don't have to explain anything to me. I'm just worried. I mean, you took a day off from work," I gave him a small smile.

"It's just… having Edward at 18 was very hard on us. We had college to get through, and medical school for me. I just don't want Emmett, Edward, Alice, or you, especially you, to go through what Esme and I did…" he sighed, shaking his head.

"Do you regret it?" I whispered, almost fearing the answer. Carlisle smiled at me reassuringly.

"Of course not. I do not regret any of my children. I just wish that we had Edward a little later. A time when I didn't have to depend on my parents for a few years, or a time when I didn't have to miss out on Edwards first word, his first steps, when he first learned to tie his shoes… I wasn't there for him like a father should," he whispered brokenly.

"Hey," I said softly, "Edward loves you. He understands that you were going through medical school as he was growing up. You were trying to make a living for your family, Carlisle."

"Yes." he agreed, "but I don't want him to resent me later in life when he has his own children and realizes that he never had a father the way his kids will,"

"Carlisle, Edward could never resent you!" I cried, shaking my head. "He loves you so much and he does not think that you weren't there for him. You were, you may not know it, but you were. You put a roof over his head, you put clothes on his back and food in his belly. You paid for his education at a top private school, and you taught him to be a better composer than Beethoven. If that's not being there for him then I don't know what is. Of course, while doing everything you did, you missed a few treasured moments in his life, but you'll make up for it when they come out with the new ultrasound machine, and when he graduates Medical school early like he planned…" I sighed. "My point is, seeing as I'm rambling, Carlisle, you were there for Edward more than you realize."

Carlisle looked at me for a second before he scrubbed at his eyes. "Your right," he whispered, "I've spent the past 23 years beating myself up for not being there for my eldest son when I was there all alone… my, when did you get so smart?" he teased. I playfully huffed before standing up and getting a glass of orange juice.

"I'm wise for my age," I shrugged.

"You most certainly are," he mused, putting his empty coffee cup in the sink. He kissed my forehead. "I'm going to work," he chuckled, "they're probably going to need me there today."

I laughed, "I'll be fine here," I told him, noticing his concerned look as he glanced around the empty house.

"Okay," he smiled, "Esme should be home soon anyway," I nodded and gave him a hug.

"Go save lives," he smiled and popped his collar in a playful cocky manner.

"Don't I always?"

I rolled my eyes and watched him leave the house. I walked into the living room and put on a random movie before curling up with a blanket. I watched The Last Song, crying near the end, before I got up and walked back upstairs to my room.

Halfway up the stairs, there was a knock at the door. I sighed, and walked back down, and headed to the huge door. I saw Jasper through the glass. I smiled and opened the door. "What do you want?" I asked playfully, eyeing the package in his hands. He just smiled and held it out. I saw Emmett's name in the corner and almost immediately tore it open. Inside was a Mac Book. My jaw dropped and I read the little note on top of the computer.

Bella,

I know you hate gifts, but Victoria convinced

Me to get this for you. I hope you don't mind.

But she wanted to be able to talk to you

Throughout this pregnancy so she almost

Forced me to buy you this. Hope you like it,

Love,

Emmett and Victoria.

I smiled at the note Emmett had written and took the computer from the box. "How'd you get roped into this?" I asked Jasper as I placed the computer on the coffee table. He shrugged.

"I saw the delivery boy at the gate on my way in. I signed for it and took it." I shook my head at him. "So, what are you doing today?" I asked as I opened the computer and started to go through it. There was absolutely nothing on it - other than the basic stuff that comes on the computers. I automatically clicked on the internet icon and went to work downloading everything I needed.

"I wasn't doing anything today. I was going to have a lazy day and probably go to bed early, you know, normal stuff when you're a new kid," I sighed.

"Hey," Jasper said softly, cupping my face with one of his hands, forcing me to look at him. "you may be the new kid, but you're my best friend - second to only Peter," he winked.

"Peter hey? You know, I haven't met this Peter yet. Are you sure he's real?" I asked teasingly. Jasper smiled.

"Of course he's real!" he rolled his eyes playfully. "Peter's been my best friend since we were two."

I let out an awe, "That's adorable! Almost 15 years," I smiled. "I wish I had a friend like that," I sighed before shaking my head. "Anyway, I'm going to ask again, what do you want?" I joked.

He smiled, "What? I'm not allowed to come see my best friend?"

"Oh, I didn't know I was Peter," I laughed. "But, I'm glad you think of me as a best friend. I'm going to need one to get me through this school thing." I looked at the floor, frowning as my emotions over came me. I was filled with sadness because my first friend wasn't going to be at school with me.

"Hey darlin', chin up. Don't be sad. Alice will be back before you know it," he whispered.

Jasper and I spent the whole day watching movies and just talking about tomorrow. He left to go home when Esme got home, leaving with a kiss to the cheek. I felt myself blush as he left, and I couldn't look at Esme. I knew she wore that same knowing look she did when she walked in on mine and Jasper's almost kiss. I turned off the TV, grabbed the computer and headed upstairs with a smile to Esme. When I reached my room, I set the computer on the desk and plugged it in. I grabbed my phone and dialled Emmett's number while logging onto my MSN account.

"Hello Baby Sister!" Emmett greeted happily. "How are you on this fine morning?"

"Hey Em, smoking crack again?" I teased.

"Nope. Just got some booty," he joked. I groaned and laid my head on the desk.

"Do you like to torture me?"

"Of course," he replied instantly. "It's so much fun,"

I spent some time talking to Emmett before I got ready for bed and set my alarm. I knew it was early, only 9:30, and I didn't eat any dinner, but I couldn't eat. I was too nervous. I was starting my Sophomore year of high school tomorrow, and I was a new kid. The new kid who lives in LA and has no tan. What kind of person was I?

I lay in bed, my stomach churning and twisting when my phone vibrated with a text.

I'm picking you up for school tomorrow morning. I smiled at Jasper's text.

Okay. J

` Be ready for 7:30.

I agreed and put my phone down. I laid on my right side, m legs pulled to my chest and I sighed. I closed my eyes, and after what felt like forever -which was probably only a few minutes- I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the next morning to my alarm clock and I sighed. I had to get up because Jasper would be here in a few minutes, but I didn't want to get up. But, I did anyway. I walked into my closet, and the first thing that caught my attention was the red piece of paper attacked to my white wall. I looked at it. Look behind you. Wear that.

Knowing it was from Alice, I turned around and sighed. Apparently, I was wearing a dress. It was zebra printed, but the whole skirt was Biers. I looked like it would barely reach my knees. I hesitantly looked at the floor and rolled my eyes when I saw a pair of white peep toe heels. Since I didn't want to dig through my closet for clothes, I just slipped on the dress and the shoes before heading into the bathroom to brush my hair and my teeth. I walked out grabbing the Biers backpack from the corner of my room. I grabbed my phone from the charger and my iPod from the dock before heading downstairs. I could hear talking and when I entered the kitchen, Esme was talking to Jasper. I smiled at him shyly.

"Wow, Bella, I love the dress," Esme commented. I blushed and sat at one of the stools.

"You look amazing, Bella, your going to knock every guy off their feet today," Jasper smiled, looking me over appreciatively. My blush became stronger.

"Um, ready to go?" I asked. He nodded and stood up, grabbing my bag.

"Sure, lets get going before we're late."

The drive to the school was quiet and somewhat long. We didn't talk much; I think Jasper knew I was nervous and he didn't want to make it worse. When I noticed we were pulling up to the school, I gulped and took a deep breath. When Jasper parked, I got out, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I stared at the four story high school and sighed deeply. I was going to get lost; that much I knew.

I jumped slightly when I felt Jasper's arm go around me. I smiled at him and he lead me forward towards a group of people. I felt myself blushing through the little amount of make up I wore as they all stared at me. "Hey guys. This is Bella."

A little blond girl was glaring at me. More specifically, Jasper's around my shoulders. Next to her was a good looking guy, who looked a lot like Jasper. He was tall, good looking body, blond hair, blue eyes. But I could tell they weren't related. Next to him was a small, bouncy girl. She was smiling brightly at me, while the guy next to her was giving me a once over. I shivered as he smiled at me, but I looked away. He was tall, really tall. He had Biers hair, and green eyes. Green eyes like Edwards, but not as bright. He was fit, but not disgustingly so.

"Bella, this is Peter, Charlotte, Maria and Riley." Riley's green eyes pierced my brown ones and he smiled.

"So, Jasper, this is the Bella you've been telling me about but wouldn't let me meet until now?" Peter asked, walking forward and putting his arms around me in a bear hug. Almost like Emmett's. he lifted me off the ground and spun me around. I let out a giggle. He put me down and I righted my skirt. I looked over at the little blonde girl, Charlotte. She wasn't glaring anymore, and she had a smile on her face. She marched up to Jasper and slapped him when I was back on the ground. I looked at her shocked.

"That was for not calling me this summer! Especially since you've met a girl!" she squealed as she and Maria started jumping up and down. "Yay! Another girl!" she said, turning to me. She then sighed, "Another girl that Alice got to," she playfully shook her head but grabbed me in a hug. I felt another pair of small arms wrap around me from behind and I let out a small laugh.

"Wow, I haven't felt this welcome since I came here," I teased, glancing over at Jasper, who looked happy that his friends were getting along with me. When the girls pulled away, I glanced over at Riley. He was still staring at me as he slowly walked towards me. He reached out, taking one of my hands, and bringing it to his lips. He placed a kiss to my knuckles before smiling.

"Hello, I'm Riley," he said in a smooth, husky voice. I felt my knees go weak as I stared at him with my jaw dropped. I must've stared at him for a whole minute before I felt someone nudge my shoulder. I looked down at Charlotte.

"Come on, we're going to get your schedule with you," she smiled as she and Maria linked arms with me. We walked away, and I looked back, glancing at Riley again, who was still staring. I blushed and looked forward. "Okay, Bella, what the hell was that?" Charlotte shrieked when we were out of earshot. "Riley Biers? Girls have been trying to get him forever and all you have to do is look at him! He's never touched a girl before. Always stays with the guys!"

She and Maria seemed excited for some reason. When we walked into the office, Maria and Charlotte sauntered up and smiled. "We're here for Isabella Cullen's schedule," Charlotte said, point back to me. The secretary smiled and printed it off. The girls looked it over and let out squeals before running back to me. "You have Calculus, Biology, Spanish and History with Riley!" they squealed. "You have Government and Art with us, and English with Jasper and Peter!" they looped their arms with me again and pulled me out of the office and down the hall.

"Where are we going?"

"We're bringing you to your Calculus class before everyone gets there. We need to talk to you." Maria said, smiling. We walked into the classroom and the teacher only just glanced up before looking away and back down at his lesson planner. They sat me in the back. "Okay, Riley is a nice guy, but he has a horrible past. He's a good student, however he gets in trouble a lot. He's a rebel-goodie type of person. When he flirted with you, that was the first contact he's ever had with a girl since he moved here a few years ago. He hasn't even looked at any of them. SO, this comes as a major shock to us," Maria explained.

"It is! Ever since his mother committed suicide when his father died, he's had trouble looking at girls. He only liked us because we were the ones who haven't thrown ourselves at him when he came here at first," Charlotte said, "He trusts us, we're like family to him. But you… he likes you. It's a shock to us, and I'd say Jasper will be having a cow, if not the whole barn, by the end of the day."

I hated how Charlotte said that about his parents and blew right over it like it was nothing. It may have been a while ago, but it was disrespectful, whether the two people in question were deceased of not. I knew how it felt to lose your parents, the pain just doesn't go away. I wanted to rip all of Charlottes hair out of her head for being so… insensitive towards Riley and the loss of his parents. But I didn't. They continued to talk, but said no more on Riley or his parents, and when the bell rang, they blew me a kiss at the same time, looped arms, and walked out. As they left, Riley walked in and sat next to me. He looked me over once again, and I unconsciously tried to stretch my dress over my knees - with no such luck.

Students started piling in, and I bit my lip, nervous. It was my first class of my first day at a new school, and I was wearing a short dress for God sakes! What was I thinking? I should've just looked for a t-shirt and jeans with sneakers… if I had any in my closet.

"Hello students. Welcome back to another year," the teacher said happily. Half the class groaned. "Before I start, I want to introduce you to Isabella Cullen. She's a new student this year, and I want everyone to make her feel welcome," he smiled at me, "Come up and tell us about yourself," he said, beckoning me with his hand.

Hesitantly I stood, fixing the dress and self-consciously walked to the front of the class, very aware that my shoes were making a lot of noise. I turned back to the class, biting my lip and took a breath, "I'm Isabella, but I'd rather be called Bella. I'm fifteen and I moved here a few months ago…" I trailed off.

"Why did you move here?" a girl with a nasally voice asked harshly. I looked at her to see her glaring at me. More specifically, my locket around my neck.

I hesitated, "Well?" she asked snootily. I glared at her.

"I had no family where I was," I spat harshly. "So I came here."

I huffed and walked back to my seat, fuming, and sat down. I glared at the Biersboard and the class was silent.

"Okay, thanks for introducing yourself, Bella," the teacher trailed off, slightly awkwardly.

The rest of the class went by uneventfully, and I was very aware of Riley's eyes boring into the side of my head. The teacher had to ask him several times to take his eyes from me and to him. When the class was over, Riley stood next to me, "Can I walk you to your next class?" his voice sending shivers down my spine. I nodded. "Come on, the girls have already notified me that I have Bio with you next," if he didn't stop talking I was going to be a pile of mush at his feel. I followed him out of the class and down the hall.

"So, what did you mean by you had no family back where you come from?" he asked casually.

"Exactly that. I have no family. I'm living with the Cullens." I replied, shrugging.

"Oh," he nodded. "That was nice of the Cullens," he smiled. His smile was panty-dropping and gorgeous! I had to stop myself from drooling.

Biology was a quiet event, and thankfully the teacher never made me get up in front of the class. If she had, I would've hated her for life.

By the end of the day, I was so over the school thing and it was only the first day. I was standing outside Jasper's car, waiting for Charlotte and Maria to stop talking to Jasper so I could go home. It was actually kind of funny how he'd occasionally throw me looks that clearly screamed 'help me' but I only laughed at him.

"Hey Bella," his smooth voice drifted into my ears. I turned to look at Riley, biting my lip.

"Hey,"" I murmured.

"Since your waiting on Jasper, why don't you let me take you home, maybe we could stop at Starbucks for a coffee of something," he said with a small smirk. I nodded once and followed him to his car. I looked back at Jasper who was glaring at the back of Riley's head. I bit my lip a little harder but got into Riley's car anyway.

True to his word, Riley stopped at the nearest Starbucks and we ordered a coffee. We sat in the corner and got to know each other. It was almost as if I knew him for years opposed to hours. We talked about everything, and I even found myself giving telling him a little bit about my past. I told him that my parents were killed, but not how, and I told him about my friend Jessica, who I remember little about. But Riley, however, told me absolutely nothing on his parents. He listened to me, staring into my eyes. After I was finished speaking, he told me about his childhood friend, Jared. He said they were so close, they knew everything about the other, they could even finish each others sentences. He said, before he moved, they spent every waking moment together. He said he missed him.

On the drive back home, Riley was quiet and so by default, so was I. When he pulled up to the gate the led to my house, I saw Esme waiting in her car, seeing as it was a four mile walk. She smiled at us. I went to open the door, but Riley grabbed my hand, "Hey, Bella," he said quietly, "would you maybe want to do this again?" he asked, "Tt was fun, just to sit and hang around with someone," I smiled.

"I'd like that, Riley, very much."

He smiled. "How about tomorrow we do the same?" I nodded again.

"Thanks. You know, for the ride," I smiled and grabbed my bag, closing the door. I walked over to the keypad and typed in the code and walked over to Esme's car. She smiled at me.

"Have fun, Bella?" she asked. I nodded. "That's good," she said.

It was an awkward ride back to the house and when I got home, I grabbed my bag and headed for my room. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialled Jasper's number.

He didn't answer.

Gasp! :o
So, were any of you surprised with the character I've chosen as Bella's boyfriend in this story until I decide to get her and Jasper together? I hope you guys dont hate me... That would make me sad. :(
Who was surprised that Jasper never answered his phone? I know I was. LOL. It wasn't supposed to happen... it just came out that way.
I hope you all liked this story and I hope to get the next chapter out as soon as I can (in other words, when I write it).

I love you all.