It's just a matter of time 'till you find

He's no good, girl

No good for you

You better get to getting on your goodbye shoes and go

He's no good, girl

Carrie Underwood - Good Girl

Chapter 2: Ugly Duckling...Kinda.

Lexi

Chanel sunglasses. Prada handbag. Gucci clutch. Dior scarf.

I gazed down at the contents of the box, somewhat mournful but overall unamused. I wouldn't need these things in Forks. The box screamed California - my old life. Washington was my new life, but I was utterly clueless about what I would need here. I closed the lid of the box, shoving it under my bed. Maybe I would use them here, maybe I wouldn't. Regardless, those were things my mother had bought me to help me fit in back home. The girls back there in my small beach town had been nothing but shallow materialistic queen bees. I had never been interested in any of it.

Sitting back on my knees, I surveyed my new bedroom with a satisfied sigh. Even though Washington was new to me, it already felt a lot better than home. Sure, I would miss the sun, the surf, the San Diego lifestyle and my tan, but when my dad offered a fresh start with a move to Washington, I knew this wasn't a chance I could pass up. I needed to leave California.

There was a knock on the slightly ajar door.

"You can come in," I said from the floor. I saw who it was and instantly smiled. "Hey Patrick."

"Hey you," he said softly, walking in. "Care if I join you?"

I shrugged, watching as he walked in and sat in the window seat. I gave him a knowing grin as he looked nervously at the door.

"Is Dad trying to decorate again?" I asked with a quiet giggle.

He nodded. "I think he thought just because I've been doing this whole...lifestyle longer than he had that I'm supposed to be good at it. You'd think at least one of us would be good at décor, wouldn't you?"

"You're good at the architecture, and that's all that matters. I love the details you put into your work." I said.

"So you're sure you want to do this?" he asked, gesturing to my new bedroom.

I looked around the room, giving him a happy nod. "Of course I do! What girl wouldn't?"

"It's a big step. Moving all the way from home to...to live with your dad instead of your mom."

"Is this really about that?" I asked.

He shrugged, following my gaze as I looked around the brand new bedroom that my dad had designed just for me - a perk of being an architect's daughter. The room was something I knew he had done especially for me and only me; high vaulted ceilings, a picture window with a window seat, a walk-in closet, and my own private bathroom. What seventeen year old girl wouldn't love that?

After purchasing the house several months ago and having it renovated especially for us, it was now a dream home. He had designed the house with both me and my brothers in mind, but I was the only one who had made the move to Washington with him.

"No. I guess what I'm asking is...are you sure you want to start afresh in a new town with...with two dads?"

I felt a sympathetic smile spread across my face as I watched Patrick squirm on the cushions. His kind eyes were pleading for an answer, and I wanted to give it to him. I didn't regret my choice to move.

"Of course I do," I said, popping up. I moved to sit beside the man I already considered my second father. "This isn't 1950. People don't think like that anymore."

"I know, I know...but we're from California. What if...what if kids in Forks aren't so nice about...well...this?"

"Don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

He sighed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I laid my head on his arm, trying my best to appear calm for Patrick. He was nervous enough for the both of us as it was, so I didn't want to give away how terrified I was to start at a new school. I had gone to school with the same kids since I was in kindergarten; I had never been the new kid before in my life.

"Lexi, you're more mature than most adults I know."

"Patrick, I'm a total goofball. Most of the time my little brothers have to tell me to stop giggling at inappropriate times."

"Yeah, well...laughter is the best medicine."

"You should take your own advice," I said quietly. He snorted.

"I can't do that. Haven't you heard the word on the street? I'm a home wrecker."

I shrugged. "Mom knew Dad was...you can only hide who you are for so long. Dad deserves to be happy, and he's going to be happy with you. Mom needs to move on too, so she can have a chance to be happy. Shouldn't everyone get another chance?"

"You're a genius."

"I'm a simpleton," I argued back, laughing softly.

"I'm glad you're here kid. You've really made this whole thing a lot easier," he said softly, bumping his head with mine. I nodded and turned to look at him. His kind eyes stared back at me with an overwhelming sense of fear.

I guess starting over was scary no matter how old you were.

We talked for a few more minutes before he left me to myself to finish unpacking. Suddenly, it became quite clear to me why I had left California for Forks; I loved my dad.

My brothers were still too little to fully understand what had happened between he and my mom, and none of us had the heart to explain it to them. How do you tell a six and a nine year old their father fell in love with his business partner? And ever more - that he was another guy? But that he and mom were still best friends?

We lived in a small beach town, and news got around fast. People were accepting, but that didn't mean they talked less. Gay or straight, people loved to talk about any scandalous detail they could. Gossip was gossip and it was too much to bear.

The night of my father's tearful confession to me was still fresh in my mind. He sat across the coffee table from me, clutching my mother's hand. She was spaced out on Percocet and I'm sure a few too many glasses of wine, but I couldn't blame her. No one wanted to live a lie anymore and the truth needed to be said. Needless to say, it hadn't been a very Merry Christmas.

He had lived with Patrick after that. It had been six months of awkward dinners, quiet fights over the phone, and dealing with whispers everywhere I went. By the time, my dad had announced he was picking up his architecture business and moving back to his hometown, I was fed up and ready to leave as well.

I unwrapped a picture of my mother, placing it on my dresser with care. I swallowed back a lump in my throat, trying to remember that my dad needed me. He needed to know that his decision to finally be happy was an okay one. He needed love and support, and I knew he was worried about what I thought. I guess moving to another state with him was proof that I wasn't angry or disapproving of his new lifestyle.

Moving to Forks with him was the only way I knew how to tell him what I couldn't convey with words: I love you dad, and I'm happy that you're finally happy.

Walking over to my closet, I tried my best to unpack a few outfits that would be suitable for the Forks weather. It hadn't stopped drizzling since my arrival, and I was still saying goodbye to my fading California tan. Glancing at myself in the closet mirror, I wondered how I would fit in here. I was just ordinary in my eyes, but what would the other girls think of me? Was blonde hair not cool? Was it the 'in' thing to be pale? In California, I had basically blended into the scenery like a wallflower. I looked like almost every other girl there with my blonde, shoulder length hair and blue eyes. I had always been petite and had absolutely no chest or butt, which didn't really help me in a small beach town. I was nothing to look at in a bikini, so most of the male crowd there barely gave me more than one glance.

Eventually, I gave up trying to fit 'in' with the cool kids back home. I took up shopping for retro or vintage clothes instead of the latest fashion; added pink streaks to my hair when it was cool to be bleached blonde, and I never said or did what people thought I should. I was a free-spirit and I was okay with that - but what would Forks think of me?

Of course my personal pink streak fad soon grew out, and I was satisfied to merely mix in my retro or vintage clothing pieces with modern ones. For years, I had struggled with fitting in at school that now I just...didn't care anymore. Though I was a little different, I had learnt to accept myself for who I was.

But how would I fare in Forks?

I got ready for bed in a daze, still trying to calm my fears about being the new girl at school the next day. I had no idea what to expect from the kids here. It was the beginning of January, and everyone would be returning from winter break tomorrow. All I had to do was get through six months of school, and then I would be free for an entire summer. I hoped to at least make a friend or two before that, or I would be miserable.

Tucking myself in, I inhaled deeply and tried to look at the bright side; I was starting over. How many people got that chance?

"Here goes nothing," I muttered to myself before falling asleep.

"Yes. I left California for Forks voluntarily."

I watched as the girl from my English class leaned back in her library chair, her dark eyebrows still halfway up her forehead.

"Claire, relax. I left Arizona."

"Yes," she hissed to her friend. "Something I still can't figure out."

Regan turned to me and gave a shrug. "Sometimes you just need a change," she said casually. I nodded gratefully, giggling at Claire. Regan and Claire were both in my English class, and had thankfully offered to let me be a part of their group project with another boy. They were one person short anyway, and I was in no position to be picky about who was in my group. I was just happy someone had talked to me.

"These are all I could find. We might need to hit the library in Port Angeles," Zeke said, dropping a stack of heavy books on the table with a thump. I glanced up at the russet-skinned Native boy as he grinned down at me before plopping down in his chair.

"Easy Zeke, or you're gonna break the whole library," Claire quipped. I giggled and grabbed one of the thick volumes he had dug out of the shelves about Shakespeare. We had to propose a topic for a research paper by Friday, and it was going to total up to a fourth of our overall grade. The teacher had given us a bit of a break since I was new, so my group was more than happy to take me in.

"Hey. I'm a big boy - so what?" he laughed, tossing his head to brush the hair out of his eyes. I looked over at Regan, and caught her staring at him as he joked and annoyed Claire.

"These books are all his biography. We know where he was born and all that crap. We need to look at some of his actual work. Come on Tweedle Dee, let's go back to the right section," Claire said, grabbing his shirt. Zeke hoisted himself up once again and took off toward the books. I couldn't help but laugh at the group of people who had politely asked me to join them at lunch time.

Instead of an awkward first day eating by myself in a bathroom stall, they had allowed me to sit with them and gave me an animated lowdown on all of our teachers. Luckily, Forks High School was small and by some stroke of good luck, I was able to sit next to or near one of them in all my scheduled classes. We had spent lunch talking about teachers, the other students, and what there was to do in Forks. By now, I felt like I already had a small group of friends and had completely skipped the awkward new girl phase.

Regan immediately turned to me and smiled warmly. "So. How's the first day going?"

"Oh...lots of new stuff to remember. But Forks High is a lot smaller than what I'm used to, so it's not as bad as I thought it would be. It's nice to have people to sit with at lunch too."

"Oh sure!" she said happily. "I was the new girl not long ago, so I know how you feel. It's not a problem. Zeke will probably like having someone else in the group to take some of Claire's wrath off of him."

"Yeah," I laughed. "She gives him an awfully hard time. He seems so nice."

"He is. He's like our pet," she joked, twirling her pencil in her hand.

"Yeah, um...he's not bad to look at either."

She turned a little red as she bit her lip. "He's not the only one."

I leaned forward. "So...there's more where he came from?"

She nodded. "The guys from La Push are all...Native Quileute, tanned, muscular and gorgeous. You'd swear it was something in the water."

"Really?" I whispered quietly, quirking an eyebrow up. I grinned to myself as I flipped absently through a book. Maybe moving to Forks wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Yeah. Claire's best friend is Quil. He's older and I know she has a crush on him, she just won't admit it. Oh, you won't...tell her I told you, right?"

I shrugged. "Secret's safe with me. What about you? I saw you eyeing our friend Zeke here," I laughed.

She shook her head, turning a new shade of red. "No, um...not at all. He actually looks like a younger version of my friend Seth, and..." she trailed off, her cheeks positively burning by now. "Never mind."

"Hey, it's okay. I won't say anything. Back in California, I had a crush on every other surfer guy that passed my way. I folded polos and swim trunks after school in a surf shop, so believe me - I get it. The hot, older, unattainable guy...been there."

She looked at me incredulously. "But...you're blonde and gorgeous. Were they blind?"

I giggled. "So was every other girl in that state."

Regan nodded and gave me an impressed look. "You're a novelty in Washington!" she laughed. "Take advantage of it. At least Claire gets the same amazing skin as all the guys from La Push. She's Makah, another Native tribe from around here. I swear, between the perfect hair, and permanently flawless skin and eyes...it's difficult to be around so many pretty people," she laughed.

"I agree. So...this Seth guy...do you like him?"

She bit her lip and shrugged, playing with the eraser on her pencil. "I mean...he's my best friend. He's actually my uncle's step son. I'm not blood related to him," she assured me. "He's...a lot older though."

I nodded. "Ah. Well...you'll grow. Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll wait for you," I laughed. We continued to talk and share stories until Claire came stomping back with Zeke in tow. Dumping another pile of books on the table, she huffed and began delegating tasks to each one of us. As I worked, I couldn't help but feel like I had met my new best friends.

By Friday of that week, I knew Regan, Claire, and Zeke were definitely going to be my closest friends in Forks. We ate lunch together every day, sat by each other in classes, and had met almost every night that week to work on our project at the local diner. We weren't getting much work done, but we were becoming fast friends.

I peeked out the window as my mom talked on the other end of the line, wrinkling my nose as I realized it was still raining. Pressing my fingers onto my temple, I tried to pay attention to what my mom was saying without getting annoyed. I had only been gone a little over a week and she was already begging me to come home. As if supporting my dad wasn't enough, I now have a group of friends who were closer to me than any friend I had back home.

There wasn't a chance in hell I was going back to California.

"I just miss you. Grant and Dylan miss you. Grant even asked about you today."

"I...he did?"

"Yeah. He asked when sissy was coming home."

"Tell him I'll come home again sometime this summer."

My mother sighed heavily. I could tell that I hadn't given her the answer she wanted. "Lexi, Forks is not the place for you. Let dad be who he is and allow him to get settled in, and then maybe you can visit."

"Mom, I'm not visiting. I'm not leaving either. I live here now. I really wish you would...I don't know...be okay with that."

"Lex..."

"Mom, Dad needs me right now. Please?"

She sighed heavily into the receiver, pulling at my heart. "I just miss my little girl."

"Yeah, but you have two others at home," I jokingly pointed out. I hated it when things got sad and serious. I just wanted everyone to be happy and get along, but my mom was making my decision even harder than it already was.

"It doesn't work that way baby. Not with your kids," she sighed.

"I know," I offered. "But I want to be here. Can't you at least let me try it out?"

"Oh Lex. You always were my little daredevil. I guess I can. How's...Ian?"

I frowned as my mother referred to my dad by his name. She usually just called him 'Dad' or 'Pops'. "Um...he's...good. Fine. Eh...do you like totally hate him now?"

"No, of course I don't. This is hard on all of us, him included. This whole arrangement will just take some getting used to."

And so my life continued in Forks. I spent more and more time with Claire and Regan, and Zeke when his schedule would allow. He had a part-time job on the reservation that kept him pretty busy. He would always get calls at weird times and have had to leave, but we still enjoyed his company nonetheless.

Getting to know them was refreshing; I had known all of my friends back home since kindergarten, and it was the same old superficial drama all the time. I realized now that I didn't really know those girls at all. We talked, sure, but we didn't really get to know each other at a deeper level. Claire and Regan were different. I said things and they just listened. They didn't clamour for airtime like the Californian girls or care that I was a huge goofy dork who always said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

"Okay, now I get it," I said, exhaling loudly. Claire closed the front door of her house, looking over her shoulder with an evil grin.

"Get what?" she asked innocently.

I shared an incredulous look with Regan. "Um, the reason you drool over these local guys. Holy shit!" I giggled.

"You are such a screwball. Quil and I are just friends," Claire insisted as she brushed past us.

I snorted with Regan as we followed her into the kitchen. Quil had just left after giving us a ride home from our chick flick of choice. He had driven us to Port Angeles and even joined us for the movie. I couldn't help but sneak glances at him as he sat next to Claire, looking perfectly content. She mentioned that he was her babysitter. But I couldn't help but wonder...Who the hell had a babysitter that looked like that?

Quil was the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. He was also a saint to Claire, who I absolutely loved, but could definitely be a handful at times. Maybe that was why I liked her. Like me, she was free-spirited and honest, always speaking what was on her mind. Regan was a little different; she was quiet and a little more introspective, but just as silly as I was when it got down to it.

In short, the two of them were quickly becoming my best friends.

Claire ripped open the cookie dough she had pulled from the fridge and handed each of us a spoon. They dug in immediately and hey...if someone hands me a spoon and opens some cookie dough, I'm not going to ask questions.

"Cookie dough...this must be serious," Regan muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Who said anything about Quil? I just wanted some sugar after all that salty popcorn. Regan looked at me and we both tried not to laugh too hard.

"Um, Claire...no one said anything about Quil."

"Whatever," she snapped, stabbing her spoon into the dough. "I just...he makes me so angry!"

"Why?"

"I just...I never know how to act around him. I mean, tonight was like a date, right?"

"Um, if I got a guy like that I wouldn't exactly bring friends along. I'd want him to myself in a dark alley," I laughed, taking a large bite.

She rolled her eyes and huffed to herself, taking another large bite of the sugary dough. We ate in silence for a few minutes before Regan finally spoke again.

"Claire, I know you like Quil. I know you have for a long time. I know because...you kinda look at him the same way I do Seth."

I listened carefully as Regan talked about her feelings for her older best friend Seth. Did I mention that he too was older, hotter, and completely charming and nice? I didn't know why these La Push boys were so hot, but to say I was chomping at the bit for my own was an understatement. How did these high school girls get these gorgeous older guys as best friends? And how did I obtain one?

"What are you worried will happen?" I asked curiously, glancing over at Claire.

She shrugged in response, trying her best not to look annoyed. "I just wish he would pay attention to me the way I want him to. Not like a kid he has to chaperone. He's been my friend since I was a kid and now...it's just weird to be around him. Suddenly he's not just Quil, you know?"

I nodded, trying my best to be understanding. I didn't understand what the problem was - he was her friend, he was always around, he was sweet and supportive. I guess she was worried that he'd find someone else his own age he would rather spend time with, but he didn't seem to want to be anywhere but by her side.

"I don't get it," I whispered to Regan when Claire went up to take a shower. I guessed she didn't really need a shower as much as she wanted a chance to clear her head. "Quil seems like he's totally into hanging out with her. What makes her think he's going to go out and adopt some horny twenty something to be his girlfriend? He seems happy right where he is. I don't get why she's doing all this freaking out...I mean...if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Regan laughed, leaning across the counter to dip her spoon in the chocolate ice cream we had added to the mix. She topped it with some cookie dough and pondered my question as she ate. "Well...that's one thing you'll learn about Claire. She has to be in control or she kinda freaks. I mean, you know how OCD she is. Quil makes her feel sorta...I don't know...I guess like she isn't the one driving."

"I get it. I still go with my original thought though."

"Right," she chuckled. "I don't disagree with the 'if it ain't broke' theory. But Claire is Claire and she'll freak out if she wants to."

"What about you? Are you worried about the same thing with Seth?"

She shrugged. "He's my friend...nothing else. I'm not worried he'll..." she trailed off, getting a distant look in her eyes.

"Regs?"

"What?"

"You were saying?"

"I guess I kinda gave myself away there. Ulgh," she cringed. "I just...I shouldn't care if Seth wants to date. I shouldn't...but...I know I do."

"You can't control who you like...or love," I said firmly. "I would know that as well as anyone," I added, my thoughts drifting to my dad and his partner. The life they had chosen wasn't an easy one, but I knew it made them happy.

"Well...you'll have to come to the bonfire with us sometime and check out these La Push guys for yourself," she said, giving me a wink.

I giggled and took another bite of our sweet concoction. "I just might."

Glad you all enjoyed Brady - I hope everyone liked meeting Lexi as well! She's been such a fun character to write in LTP, and I'm excited to finally show you her side of things. There will be LOTS to see in this fic - stuff that I left out of LTP. Everyone always asks about the Brady/Lexi thing in every LTP update, so I'm happy to finally share their story with you. I've worked really super hard at putting together a great outline (and soundtrack!) to this fic. Updates will be every other week.

Thank you to NinkyBaby for beta-ing!

Please review! I'd love to get your thoughts on Lexi and her start in Forks. Is she what you expected?

Up next: We will skip forward to March in the timeline (It's January in this chapter) for the bonfire, Brady, and the big 'I'.