(Chapter 3. Enjoy! I own nothing but my OCs.)

...

"Well, here we are. Good old Forks High School. That's the main administrative office right there. You could park right in front of it if you want." Dani gestured towards the old gray brick building that was one of two high schools located in Forks.

The morning was cold and drizzly as expected, but Bella's new old truck had a pretty good heating system which the sisters took full advantage of during the drive to school.

Bella sighed as she took her sister's advice and pulled into an empty parking spot in front of a smaller building on campus where a sign that read Administrative Office was visible from the curb.

Dani noticed her apprehension and playfully elbowed her in the arm as Bella killed the ignition on the car.

"Come on, look alive Bells. You're about to face a horrifying 357 member student body here. 98% of whom have never met a new kid in their lives." She tried to joke to ease Bella's nerves, but Bella did not smile.

"357 is nothing. There were over 700 just in my junior class alone back in Phoenix." Bella retorted, though she still looked pale. Paler than usual and dreading getting out of the cab of the truck.

"Terrifying." Dani chuckled as she undid her seatbelt. She started to open the door when she noticed how anxious Bella looked and sat back in her seat.

"Are you okay?" She asked. When Bella didn't answer, Dani tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, earth to Bella. Class starts in ten minutes. We need to move if we're going to get your schedule and everything before the bell rings." She tried.

Bella jumped a bit, then sighed and shook her head. "I can't do this Dani. 357 kids staring at me the whole day? Everyone wanting to know my name and where I'm from. And of course when I tell them that, they'll want to know why I'm so pale."

"Well duh, that's kinda of what happens when you're the new kid in school. People ask you questions." Dani shrugged, laughing as if it were nothing to worry about. Bella shot her a look.

"Dani I'm serious. I've never been good with the whole...making friends, identifying with my peers thing. If I couldn't do it well in a place I practically grew up in, why should I do any better here?" She asked, digging her fingernails into the steering wheel as she talked.

Dani shook her head. "Just take it one step at a time. Who knows? Maybe we'll have a couple classes together and...if you want I can introduce you to my friend Angela at lunch. She's really nice I promise." She said sincerely.

Bella sighed again, but nodded before grabbing her bag before turning to get out of the car. "Okay..." Dani quickly followed, grabbing her violin case from the floor of the car with one hand and almost slipping on the rain slicked ground as she hurried to catch up with her sister who was quickly moving towards the Administrative office.

As the two sisters rushed indoors, a woman with bright red hair a deep purple t-shirt looked up from her computer and looked first at Dani before her gaze rested on Bella.

"Can I...help you?" She asked in a drawl that told Danielle she was a little confused even though Dani's slightly shorter hair should have been a dead giveaway who was who.

"I'm..." Bella started and fiddled with the straps of her backpack. "...Isabella Swan." She mumbled and looked at the floor.

"Oh! Of course. The new student."

Almost immediately the woman jumped up from her desk and went to search through a tall stack of documents across the room before walking up to where the girls stood holding a small stack of papers.

Dani did not miss the way her sister flinched at being called out so soon and by the school secretary no less.

"Here it is. Your class schedule and a map of the school though with Danielle here as your guide, you might not need the map." The woman grinned a bit impishly, but only Dani smiled back.

"Maybe." Bella responded softly, feeling her cheeks flame a bit with self-consciousness. Dani peered over her shoulder to look at the schedule.

"And here is your attendance slip. Make sure to have all your teachers sign it today before you leave school okay?" The woman continued and Bella nodded her head, accepting the slip and quickly shuffling it together with the rest of the papers.

"Thanks." She managed a smile at last and started to leave the office. Dani turned to follow her when the woman called after them. "Good luck today Isabella. I hope you like it here."

Dani reached to take her sister's class schedule from her as they got outside where the rest of the student body was just beginning to show up.

"Awesome! It looks like we haaave...gym class together." She grinned and handed the paper back to Bella.

"Great." Bella muttered sarcastically and took back her schedule.

Dani rolled her eyes. "Come on Bella, enough with the pessimism already. It's going to be great. You have your favorite class first thing this morning." She retorted, smiling encouragingly as she readjusted her backpack.

Bella managed a weak smile. "I guess so."

"My class is this way." Dani pointed towards a building past what appeared to be the school auditorium. "And English is that way in Building 3. Think you can find it? I got to stow my violin in my locker before class." She asked, already taking a few steps away since she knew Bella did not like to be hovered over.

Bella shrugged and started to turn in the direction Dani had pointed. "I think so. Thanks Dani. See you at lunch, I guess." She waved awkwardly then hurried to find her first class.

Dani watched her go for a moment before continuing on to her own class. Good luck Bella.

...

"Dani! Hey! I just had Trig with your sister and I thought she was you at first! It was crazy!" Danielle's best friend Angela enthused as she hurried to join her at one of the many tables set up in the cafetaria.

Danielle giggled as Angela sat down, setting her lunch try down before hand. "But her hair's longer than mine and our faces aren't identical. Bella got more of Dad's looks while I got our Mom's." She retorted, taking a sip of her lemonade.

Angela shrugged and picked up her slice of cafetaria pepperoni pizza. "Well you two look a lot alike to me." She turned and glanced back at the cafetaria line where Bella was still standing next to a talkative girl with light brown hair before taking a bite of her pizza.

"Anyway, Bella seems really nice. She blushed really hard when I accidentally called her by your name, but she seems really cool. Maybe we can all hangout together sometime." Angela suggested as Bella, spotting Danielle hurried over to their table with her new friend at her heels.

"Maybe. Hey Bella. Made a new friend?" Dani asked, recognizing the girl who sat across from her while Bella took the seat next to her.

"Uh...yeah I guess so." Bella shrugged, reaching to unscrew the lid on her drink. "We had Spanish together." Dani nodded her head and took another bite of her pizza.

"Cool. How were your other classes?" She asked, after swallowing and dabbing her mouth with a napkin. Bella shrugged. "Okay.' She managed to open her drink spilling only a little on the table when the doors opened behind them admitting in a draft of chilly air and two people.

One was a tall ivory skinned blonde haired girl and she was on the arm of a muscley dark haired boy whose white sweatshirt almost completely blended in with his white skin.

Dani immediately turned away when she saw them, but Bella's gaze lingered on them.

"Ugh! Could it be any colder?" Jess, the girl who had followed Bella to their table complained as she attempted to wrap her thin hoodie tighter around herself as the breeze ruffled the backs of their heads.

Dani shrugged. "At least it didn't blow any rain in." She put in, laying her pizza crust aside on her tray while Bella continued to stare at couple that had just entered.

"Dani, who are they?" Bella quickly nudged Dani in the arm as the blonde girl and her date passed them by.

Dani glanced briefly back at them. "The Cullens." She shrugged as if they were no one special despite their unique complexion and stunning physical attractiveness.

"The Cullens?" Bella repeated, giving her sister a slightly confused, slightly curious look.

"Yeah they're Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's foster kids. They moved down here from Alaska like a few years ago." Jess added in eagerly.

"They also keep mainly to themselves so don't bother thinking about approaching them." Dani continued as the doors opened again this time admitting in another pair of snow white skinned teens.

This time the girl had short dark hair while her boyfriend sported gorgeous golden blonde curls.

"Yeah see they're all together. Like together together." Angela explained as the second couple quickly went to join their friends at the table in the back corner of the cafetaria.

Bella frowned. "What do you mean?"

Dani nodded her head in their direction. "You see that blonde girl leaning on the big guy's shoulder? That's Rosalie Hale and she's with Emmett Cullen the big guy. Her and the blonde guy behind her Jasper are supposedly twins and Jasper is with Alice, the shorter dark haired girl." She explained without once turning around in her seat.

"Yeah, I'm not even sure that's legal." Jess shook her head, rolling her eyes as she fiddled with the crust of her pizza.

Angela smirked. "Jess, they're not actually related to each other." She giggled a bit.

"Yeah but they live together. It's weird!" Jess protested.

"Very weird." Dani chimed in. "Still, I guess Alice is nice enough. I have French class with her." She said to Bella with a half smile and a shrug, taking a drink from her lemonade just as the door opened for a third time, this time admitting in a boy who appeared to be around Dani and Bella's age.

His skin was just as pale as the other four's had been, but his hair was more of a bronze like color and it was styled up within an inch of his hairline.

"Who's he?" Bella asked, not responding to Dani and leaning around to see if another pale girl was following behind him. This guy however, unlike the other four was alone.

Jess peeked over her shoulder at the same time that Dani did and grinned wryly. "That's Edward Cullen. Totally gorgeous of course, but apparently no one here is good enough for him." Jess sighed as Edward passed, causing a small smirk to appear at the corner of his lip as he went to sit down with his siblings.

Danielle smirked too. It was no secret that Jess Stanley used to have a crush on Edward Cullen back in 9th grade. Although she was long over him (at least she always claimed she was) Jess was the type be annoyed with a guy just for not being attracted to her.

"I thought you were over him Jessica." Angela put in with a raise of her eyebrow. Jess responded by rolling her eyes. "I am." She insisted. Dani shook her head.

"Anyway, he's not worth your time Bella. Don't worry about it and don't worry if Edward looks at you like you have a disease or something. He does that to everyone." She advised, sticking her fork into her salad.

Bella slowly nodded her head, still not turning back around as Edward sat down in the last vacant seat at his siblings' table. Dani sighed and started to tap her sister on the arm to get her attention.

"Bella..." She started and stopped when Edward suddenly whipped his head around in their direction, almost making direct eye contact with the Swan Sisters.

Dani heard Bella inhale a little sharply as Edward's gaze slid rather quickly from Danielle to her. Seeing the half intrigued half slightly afraid look in her twin's expression, Dani firmly nudged her in the shoulder.

"Bella, turn around. Ignore him." She muttered in an low voice that Bella could hear, but anyone else more than a foot away would not.

To Dani's surprise, Bella did not move an inch from her position and her gaze did not budge from Edward's piercing one.

Dani felt her own eyes narrow as Edward too didn't seem to have any desire or intention for breaking the slightly intense staring match he was sharing with her sister.

Finally Dani gave Bella a little shake. "Bella!"

"Huh?" Bella jumped a bit, startled and swung back around in her seat, wincing when she bumped her shin on something under the table in her haste.

"Sorry I was just..." Bella started to explain herself then trailed off, unable to think of a valid reason for her staring at the boy across the cafetaria.

Jess and Angela both tried to stifle their giggles at Bella's flusteredness and Dani's sight annoyance. "Can you blame her Dani? Edward may be weird, but you can't deny how easy he is on the eyes." Angela spoke in an almost dream like tone.

Dani sighed as she reached for her drink again. "Did you not see the way he was looking at Bella just now, Ang? I seriously got goosebumps and not in a good way." She shivered slightly as she bent over what was left of her lunch.

Angela started to nod in an acknowledging way until Jess spoke up. "Well it's not like anything could happen. I mean, Edward looks at a lot of people like he can't stand them." She spoke the words as if they mattered little.

Dani bit down on her lip and turned her head the barest amount to peek back at the Cullens. Edward had now looked away back at his lunch which as usual was largely untouched.

Quickly she faced forward again and picked up her half eaten pizza as if nothing were wrong though she couldn't get the intensity of Edward's stare out of her mind.

True, he usually didn't have the most pleasant looks on his face most days, but something about the way he'd looked at Bella a moment ago seemed on a much higher level than the usual disinterested and slightly irritated scowls Edward normally sported.

Feeling her stomach turn suddenly, Dani quickly put down her pizza. "So...where is your next class Bella?" Jess asked, casually to break to the tension at the table.

Blushing again, Bella fumbled through her backpack until she found the schedule the secretary had given her that morning.

"Uhh...Biology II with Mr. Banner." She mumbled studying the schedule for a moment longer before folding it and putting it away again.

"Hey! That's where I'm headed!" Angela lit up then. "I could walk with you. Show you where it is." She offered, making both Bella and Dani smile slightly.

"Sounds great." Bella shrugged just as the bell rang. Dani got up from the table first, wasting no time in gathering up her tray with her half eaten pizza slice still on it.

"Well I'll see you in gym then Bells. I have orchestra next and my locker is practically all the way across campus from the music hall." She said with a half grin, nodding at Angela as she and Jess followed her cue and picked up their own lunch trays.

"Angela, I leave her in your capable hands." She joked though she was only half joking since she knew Edward Cullen was in Biology II this hour as well.

Bella blushed as Angela laughed and got up to clean up the remains of her own lunch. "Ha ha. Later Dan." She retorted back, tripping over the leg of her chair as she tried to hurry out of the cafetaria.

Dani narrowed her eyes at the use of her most unfavorite nickname, which her Dad used to call her when she was little until she asked him to stop.

"Don't call me Dan."

...

"All right! That's the bell! Good work everyone! Don't forget we have a dress rehearsal next week." Mrs. Windsor, the high school orchestra director tried to speak over the noise of instrument cases being snapped shut and backpacks being dragged off the floor.

Dani quickly fell into line with her other classmates feeling significantly better than she had during lunch following the incident with Edward Cullen staring down her sister.

There was something unexplainably soothing about playing her violin especially since her violin was an heirloom from her Grandma Abigail.

However, Dani's improved mood sank when she reached the gym and saw Bella walking in from the oppposite direction talking to a boy Dani recognized as Mike Newton.

Judging just from appearances, Mike seemed to keeping up a pleasant enough conversation with Bella until they separated at the entrance of the locker rooms.

However the look on the Bella's face made Dani's stomach tighten again. I swear if Cullen had anything to do with this...She picked up her pace to catch up with her in the girls locker room.

"Bella! Hey!...How was Biology?" Dani asked, as they quickly changed into their P.E. uniforms.

Bella looked away from her at the question and blinked as if she were trying to hold back tears. "Fine." She choked out in a voice that told Dani she was angry about something.

Bella had a tendancy to start crying when she was mad about something and it was a tendancy Bella did not particularly care for.

"You don't look fine. Did Edward look at you weird again?" Dani asked, stooping to retie her shoelaces as she kept an eye on her twin.

Bella pressed her lips together. "Something like that...actually I think he's mad at me." She admitted after a moment.

Dani raised an eyebrow in surprise at this. "Why would he be at mad at you?" She asked, genuinely confused and curious as she sat up straighter on the bench she was sitting on.

Bella shrugged. "I don't know...Mr. Banner made me go sit by him in class and he like...recoiled from me like I smelled bad or something." She began to explain in a low voice though they were the last two left in the locker room now.

Dani knew they had at least two minutes before Coach Clapp came looking for them and ordered them back outside on the gym so she leaned over, took a quick sniff and said quickly. "I don't smell anything off."

Bella let out a sigh. "That's what I was thinking. But the whole time we were in class he kept sitting as far as he could from me. I swear I even saw his hand twitching a few times as if he wanted to cover his nose with it." She blinked again and hastily pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

Dani felt her eyes narrow in bewilderment. "What the crap?"

"That's not even the worst part. Right when the bell rang, Edward bolted out of the door so fast, he nearly knocked over his stool. Everyone was staring and I was so mortified I could have died right then." Bella finally finished, sniffing a few times without crying.

Danielle felt her hands ball into fists. "I'm so sorry. I knew Edward could be a little weird and sometimes his expression can be a bit intense, but I never thought he'd be outright rude to someone like this. The most I've ever seen him do since he and his family got here was ignore someone completely." She started to put her hand on Bella's shoulder when the door to the girls' locker room swung open startling them both.

"Dani? Bella? Coach Clapp says you guys need to come out now. We're about to start class." Jessica, the girl who had sat with them at lunch said as she popped her head into the locker room.

Dani nodded her head at her. "All right. We'll be right out." She said flashing a quick smile. Jess smiled back and quickly retreated from the locker room giving the Swan Sisters some privacy again.

Bella took a deep breath and forced herself to get up from the bench. Dani followed her. "You going to be okay?" She asked, still worried for her sister.

Bella lightly nodded her head. "Yeah I'll be fine. Just so long as we're not playing baseball or basketball." She muttered the last part under her breath.

Dani couldn't help choking out a laugh at that. "Actually we're playing volleyball today." She grinned a bit, knowing Bella hated playing sports due to her natural clumsiness.

Bella shoulders slumped at her sister's words, but Dani was relieved to see her smile a bit. "Even worse."

...

"You know...you're actually kind of a natural at volleyball. Maybe you should talk to Jess about joining the school team." Dani teased, hoping to get Bella to feel better as they left gym class together at the end of the day.

Bella sighed and rolled her eyes. "Shut up Dani."

"No really." Dani's grin widened. "When you spiked the ball during the third match I was shocked...and I think you were too judging by how freaked you looked after the ball ended up hitting poor Mike Newton upside his head." Dani laughed as they reached the door of the Administrative Office.

Flushing with embarrassment, Bella tugged at the sides of her hood as if trying to hide how red her cheeks were as they got closer to the door.

"I told them not to pass me the ball. I told them someone would get hurt if they did and what did they do?" Bella moaned as she bumped past a couple who was holding hands and obviously more interested in looking at each other than at where they were going.

Dani playfully nudged her sister with her elbow. "Come on Bella. I was just joking. Besides no one really got hurt and if you ask me I think Mike Newton really has his eyes on you." She teased, making Bella blush more.

"Very funny. What about when you ran into that Tony Rice guy a little after that? I've never seen you blush so hard." She said with a wry grin as they reached the same place where their first school day together had begun that morning.

Suddenly all the good humor, all the well meaning joking and teasing disappeared from Dani's face. "That's different." She muttered through clenched teeth as they got to the door of the office. "Tony Rice is a pervert." She said lowly.

So lowly Bella almost didn't hear her.

"Oh..." Bella's eyes widened at her words. "I...I didn't-." She started to apologize when Dani suddenly perched the bottom of her violin case on the edge of the bench next to the Administrative Office.

"It's fine. Do you want me to go in with you again or should I wait out here?" She asked, balancing her violin between her hands.

Bella sighed and shrugged one shoulder before reaching one hand towards the door handle. "I'll be quick." She promised before yanking open the door to the office and running inside.

Feeling the warm air hit her face briefly, Dani turned to sit down on the very edge of the bench, laying her precious instrument across her lap as she waited for her sister to come back out so that they could go home.

"Hey Dani! What are you doing?" Angela asked as she paused on her way to her car which was parked not far from Bella's truck.

Dani shrugged and grinned at her friend. "Waiting for Bella to hand in her attendance sheet so we can go home." She shivered slightly as a brisk breeze blew through her.

Angela hugged herself as the cold moved through her as well. "Ah, well I was going to go study for our U.S. History test today at the coffee shop. You and Bella want to come too?" She asked, adjusting her grip around the books in her arms.

Dani grinned and glanced back towards the office. "I'll ask her. Although knowing my sister, she'll probably want to stay home and decompress for the rest of the day." She chuckled and Angela laughed with her

"Yeah I can understand that. Well text me and let me know." Angela started to turn to head off to the parking lot when the door to the Administrative Office swung open with unnecessary force.

Jumping at the loud bang that ensued when the door hit the brick wall, Dani whirled around just in time to see a very angry Edward Cullen storm from the office so fast he nearly knocked her violin out of her hands.

"Hey!" Dani cried out involuntarily as she clutched frantically at her instrument. Edward whipped his head around at her making Dani freeze at the venomous look in his eyes.

She felt her breath catch in her throat as he twitched his nose upwards then turned away from her as if he could not bear the sight of her.

"Unbelievable..." Edward muttered before continuing on his way to the car where his siblings waited, their expressions completely impassive as if they did not see anything off about their brother's stormy demeanor.

Stunned, Dani started to get up from the bench when the door opened again, still forcefully yet not nearly as forcefully as before. This time Bella exited and there were very visible tears on her cheeks.

"Bella!" Dani exclaimed, forgetting her own shock at seeing how upset her sister was. "What happened?"

Instead of answering Bella shook her head and wiped her eyes once with the sleeve of her jacket before running over in the direction of the truck.

Dani hurried after her. "Bella wait up!" She called, but Bella did not slow down or stop until she was in the cab of the car. Even then, she did not start the ignition or throw her backpack into the back.

Getting in next to her, Dani carefully put her backpack and violin case on the floor by her feet before looking back at her twin.

"Bella?" She spoke cautiously, watching as her sister's shoulders heaved rhythmically in the way that most people's did when they were trying and failing miserably not to cry.

Remembering the completely venomous way Edward had looked at her and how angrily he had stalked from the office to his car, Dani bit down on her lip and gently put her hand on Bella's elbow.

"Bella, what happened?" She asked softly, hoping her sister would confide in her. "Was it... Edward?" Gasping through her tears, Bella nodded her head without looking up to make eye contact with her twin.

Dani sighed, realizing that Bella wasn't in any condition or mood to talk at the moment. Glancing at the steering wheel which was quickly becoming drenched in Bella's tears, she gave her sister's arm a squeeze.

"Do you want me to drive us home?" She offered in a whisper as she watched Angela's car pull out of the parking lot through the sideview mirrors.

Bella shook her head and abruptly lifted her head from the steering wheel with a loud sniff. "I can drive." She croaked in not so convincing voice.

Dani raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I don't mind driving. I've driven Dad's car a couple times." She responded. With another sniff, Bella started the ignition of the truck, making Dani jump as she had forgotten just how loud the engine was.

Sighing, Dani decided to drop it and settled back against her seat as her sister slowly yet carefully backed out of the parking lot and away from the school.

...