A/N: OK, so I really didn't want to post this SO quickly but I'm really axious to get this story going! Warning: This is a chapter full of angst! But fear not, eventually this will get better...well, at least I think so.

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Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything but my twisted little mind....well, ever since Twilight I guess she owns that too now!

BPOV

Months passed since the first day in the pool. June, July, August…they all went so very quickly. Edward learned to be more careful with his affections, but I could tell how frustrating everything was for him. He had to be so very careful with me as a human as it was; it only added to his torment to have to be mentally and emotionally as rigid. It was no way for any person to have to live. What was love if it couldn't be spontaneous or surprising? He started to make physical contact less and less, I knew it had nothing to do with his feelings for me; he felt he had to treat me like fine crystal; for looks only. It hurt me to have to watch him suffer, but I could never let on how it hurt me to have him pull away like that.

My schooling had improved so well that Carlisle had me enrolled to begin school when it started day after tomorrow. Of course I was nervous, but everyone assured me that I would be fine and the school knew of my previous condition. Everyone was very supportive.

As I packed my new messenger bag with supplies and other necessities that Alice assured me were absolutely necessary, I let my mind wander to thoughts of my mother and Charlie. How I wish they could be here. I wondered what it would be like for Renee to send me off to my first day in high school. I tried to remember her but the image was always blurry…incomplete.

The day dawned cloudy, rainy and downright depressing. Of course I put on a happy face for everyone else, and if Jasper felt my ambivalence he didn't let on. Alice and Jasper climbed into the back seat of Edward's Volvo, and I assumed the front seat passenger side. It was not my first ride into Forks, but I wasn't a fan of going into town much. Carlisle and Esme took me with them on various errands; they thought it would help the façade they upheld about adopting troubled teens if the townsfolk saw me, the newest addition to the family, before the first day of school. Maybe seeing a non-golden-eyed, non-stunningly beautiful teenager would help put any wandering minds to rest.

Of course I was only too happy to help; the Cullens had done so much for me and I genuinely appreciated every bit of it. It was hard to think of myself as a part of their family; apart from their beauty and obvious inhumanity there was something else…I just felt so weak around them…I was broken, damaged. I loved Edward dearly, but I still couldn't see how he could love me. He knew about my past, how could he? Perhaps it's was merely a passing fascination; Alice assured me they did not regularly swoop down and save fledgling humans like superheroes; I was their first; well the first that was not turned into a vampire that is.

That thought in itself nagged me constantly. Was that their intention for me in the long run? Was I meant to fully join their 'family' one day? Was the choice mine to make or had it been decided for me? I trusted Carlisle and his beautiful family implicitly, but I had yet to gather the courage to ask any one of them these questions about my future; I supposed I didn't want to seem ungrateful. I also wasn't sure if I was ready to acknowledge that this might be a possibility. Yes, I loved Edward with all my heart and wanted to stay by his side for eternity. But I'd also lived around vampires my whole life, is that really what I wanted to become? Edward and his family were different, that much was plain, but was the choice they made a part of their personalities before they were turned? Was it something they had total control over? Edward had told me that Carlisle and his family did not consider vampires who lived traditionally to be evil or even immoral, simply different. There were just too many questions I wasn't ready to hear the answers to just yet. So I did as any grateful child would do and tried not to disappoint them in my immensely faulty human state.

We pulled up in the parking lot thirty minutes before our first class was scheduled to begin. Alice and Jasper exited first and walked up toward the office. Carlisle had ensured that Edward and I had all the same classes together and that the teachers were instructed on my past and that we were to be seated together at all times. That made me more comfortable, but the butterflies still seemed to assault my stomach as I peered through the windshield up at the huge structure looming before me.

Edward thought it would be best if we didn't advertise our mutual feelings for each other at first in hopes that that would make it easier for me to make other friends. He explained that the children at most of the schools they attended over the years seemed to be somewhat intimidated by the Cullen clan.

Besides our sitting together in classes and at lunch he told me he would stay within sight or earshot of me, but would otherwise generally leave me be to the other students' eyes.

Our first class was History. As I walked in I would have been more comfortable sitting at the very back of the class and I headed this direction instinctively, but Edward grabbed my elbow gently. "That's no way to make new friends, holing up in a dark corner in the back of the classroom; you'll get no more than the wide eyed stares and less-than-discreet whispers that the rest of us do." He said chidingly, but sympathetically. I knew he had my best interest at heart, but I really hated being stared at.

Several of the students glanced my way but few of them really stared as Edward and I took seats in the dead center of the room.

The class went smoothly and as promised, Edward walked several steps either in front of or behind me, pretending to pay no attention.

I felt uncomfortable receiving all the stares that day, but the Alice and Edward assured me that it would pass; the people of Forks were not used to getting fresh students very often.

The next day the stares were less, and a few people even tried to make polite conversation when I was out of the human hearing range from the Cullens. One girl walked up to me right after gym class, my last of the day, and introduced herself as Lauren. "So you live with the Cullens, huh?" I looked up at her sheepishly. "Yeah." I replied softly. "You don't look like them,' she said, 'I thought they only adopted aspiring models or athletes or something." That caught me off guard. I looked her over once more, discreetly.

She was the perfect prototype of the American high school cheerleader. Perfect blond hair, bright blue eyes, rosy, perfectly tanned complexion, unnaturally straight, white teeth. Pure perfection, not a hair out of place. The only person I could think of comparing her to was Rosalie, but that was unfair; Rosalie had the beauty of the undead, something Lauren could never aspire to. "Um, yeah, well…I think they're trying to branch out, kind of an extreme makeover type thing." I laughed weakly at my own joke. Lauren smirked. "Well you have a sense of humor, at least." She said.

Something in my gut told me that this girl was not being as friendly as she was trying to seem. Her words seemed biting, but I tried to ignore it; Edward wanted me to make friends and he hadn't set any specifications on whom. So far this girl was the only one that even spoke two words to me so I was hanging on with everything I could.

"It helps when you take someone like me and put them in a house full of beautiful people, I guess." I agreed. Why did I feel so awkward agreeing with her? I chalked it up to my social inadequacy.

"So, is it all true?" She asked; her thin veneer of polite conversation fading. "Is what true?" I asked. I had a bad feeling about this, but I was stuck now. "About the Cullens?" My puzzled look spurred her on. "The 'together' thing – you know one big, happy family…"she bumped my elbow twice with her own. "Um, I'm not sure I know what you're getting at…" I said.

Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed. I could tell this conversation was not going as easily as she'd hoped. "That they're all…together together. Does anyone share?"

"They share everything. Look at what they've done for me and I'm nobody." Lauren laughed and passed her hand over her head making a whooshing noise. Her smile widened. "So you would say they've all…done you good?" I nodded. "Yeah, definitely." I agreed. She smiled more, leaning in closer to me.

"So you're not a virgin?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. How did she know? I knew the school and teachers had been informed of my past, but I didn't expect the students to know so much. "No, I'm not actually. Does it matter?" I asked warily. "Oh, no, not at all." She smiled sweetly at me. Boy, did this girl have a weird way of communicating. I had heard Jasper and Edward lament conversations with human teenagers, but I'd had no idea how strange it could really be.

At that moment Edward appeared by my side, grabbing my arm gently. "Are you ready, Bella?" he asked softly, he glared at Lauren as he was pulling me away toward the door.

Once in the car, I buckled up and sat quietly waiting on Jasper and Alice; their last classes let out ten minutes later than our gym did. Edward turned to me. "You don't have to answer questions you feel uncomfortable with you know…Lauren Mallory can be…callous."

He said, his tone indicating that he had heard every word of our conversation. I nodded my understanding. "She's kind of a gossip, you know; be careful what you say, alright?" He continued; his eyes on mine. "Did I say something wrong?" I asked; the last thing I wanted to do was displease Edward, or any of the Cullens, in any way.

He smiled gently, "No, you didn't. I just don't want her to try and manipulate you is all." I nodded again, "Oh."

At that moment Alice and Jasper slid gracefully into the back seat and Edward pulled out of the parking lot at lightning speed. I wondered if anyone noticed or cared, but upon looking back I realized the parking lot was actually empty.

The next day was Saturday, so there was no school. Edward helped me on my homework, which turned out to be easier than I expected. I hoped they weren't watering it down for me; I wanted to prove myself to my teachers…to everyone.

On Monday when we got to school, I noticed the stares that had died down on my second day had resurfaced, if possible, even more so than on my first day.

The girls glared at me, the guys had an odd look in their eyes. That look looked familiar, and it worried me.

One guy who I knew of as Mike flanked me most of the day. After gym class I lingered in the girl's locker room hoping to dissuade him from further following me. As I was grabbing my bag from my locker I glanced once more in the mirror and saw a figure behind me near the door. I turned around, shocked to see Mike standing there.

"Is it true?" Mike asked as he walked slowly toward me. I frowned, "Is what true?" My voice betrayed my nerves; something told me this was no 'are you good in trig' question.

"That you'll…you know…do any guy for fifty bucks? "Cause I got seventy-five right here." He held up a small wad of cash in his right hand, his left hand pulling on the zipper of his jeans. I was shocked for a moment; why would anyone think that?

"No…and I don't know where you got that idea, but you can tell anyone else who asks to piss off!" I said, trying to control the anger I felt. A frown began to form on Mike's face, his eyes narrowed; obviously he didn't take rejection very well. I knew I should be afraid, but I was more annoyed than anything. I pushed past him heading for the door but he caught my arm above the elbow. I hadn't noticed before how muscular he was, but I certainly noticed his strength compared to my own.

I tried to pull away more, but the harder I pulled the tighter his grip got. "I came in here for a reason, and I don't intend to let you leave until I get it. Now I offered you cash, but I can just take it, you know; everyone knows your rep, Bella. I might be the first, but I won't be the last."

He pushed my arm and the rest of my body into the wall nearest him and pressed himself against me. His lips found mine in rough, wet kisses. I struggled as hard as I could, my hands pushing against his shoulders with all my strength, but it only seemed to make him more persistent, more determined.

His hands stumbled clumsily under my shirt with frightening urgency. I heard the door to the locker room slam open. I could only hope it was Alice, having had a vision of what had happened, coming to rescue me. I should have expected my luck; it was Mike's buddies, Tyler and Eric. I heard one of them laugh cruelly behind Mike's back. Mike turned, looking over his shoulder, wordlessly. He nodded acknowledgment of their presence and went back to his present occupation, but not before I could make a feeble appeal. "Please, help me." I whimpered. But before I could plead more, Mike's mouth was back against mine, with more force this time.

Mike grabbed my shoulders, spinning me around so that my back was to Tyler and Eric. One of them grabbed my waist as Mike continued his groping, moving now to unbutton my jeans. My arms shot out in defensive motions, trying to grab the boy standing behind me, a pair of strong arms grabbed my wrists holding them tightly. Cold as ice the hands on my wrists as they brought them above my head. One of the cold hands was big enough to sufficiently hold both of my wrists in one hand, the iciness spreading through my arms chilling me to my bones.

I shivered, more from the cold hands that held my arms than from fear; I'd been through this routine enough in my lifetime, and I knew that it would be over sooner if there was no struggle. The sooner they were finished, the sooner I could get back to my life. Pathetic, I know. But it was my way of life for so many years it was second nature.

A voice spoke from behind me and it was then that I knew why the hands felt so very familiar; they belonged to a vampire. "My turn, Mike." It said fear enveloped me; the velvet voice belonged to my beloved Edward.

A/N: Yes, this chapter was kind of short, but to be honest; it's the one that stumped me the most! I had NO idea exactly what I should have Mike do to Bella; I went all the way from full on rape (which I planned to have Edward interrupt, but then I couldn't keep Edward from killing Mike!) to just a freaky come on...that wouldn't be enough to get out the next chapter though! The story will really begin to take off in the next chapter (yes, it is at this time complete, but I'm waiting to get through chapter 12 before posting it incase I need to change some stuff!)

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