Thank you for all of your kind reviews! I loved reading them. Here's chapter 2.

Thanks to my beta Princeps de Invidia who helped me with this chapter. & Churchill Vampiress and AliceMakesMeLaugh who helped me out with some of the information mentioned in the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of it's characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

The Class Assignment

Bella Swan.

I continued to stare at the red numbers on the digital clock like I had been doing for the past 6 hours and 59 minutes. Just one more minute. I watched the numbers fade out and light up again to reveal the new time. 7:00 AM. Finally! I quickly shot up from the bed and stood up, slowly stretching out my body. It was then that I realized my actions. I hadn't gotten any sleep all night; and for a very stupid reason at that. I was excited for my first day of school as a junior.

I'd been visiting my mom in Florida all summer and although I'd never thought I'd say it, I'd actually missed Forks. She'd hardly been home the whole time we'd been down there, leaving me and Emmett with not much to do except sit around and watch T.V. We didn't know anyone down there and we didn't know our way around the city so there was nowhere else we could be. Ever since we'd gotten back last night, I'd brightened up at the prospect of seeing my friends again and actually doing something. I had been a little overexcited and now, due to my lack of sleep, I was going to be the grumpiest person in school.

I groaned as I walked into my bathroom. No one had even woken up yet. I had plenty of time, so I spent most of it underneath the shower; but I hurried out as soon as my skin began to look wrinkly.

As I walked back into my room I glanced out the window and was surprised to see a little sunshine leaking through the early morning clouds. Hoping to enjoy the day, I pulled on a pair of brown bermuda shorts and a white polo. Forks, Washington rarely had any sunny days so I was definitely going to enjoy this one. I pulled my brown hair back into a ponytail, grabbed my bag, and began to make my way downstairs. I took the stairs slowly, one at a time, because I didn't feel like getting any new bruises today.

I was surprised to hear a low voice speaking, so I silently followed it to the kitchen. My older brother, Emmett, was sitting at the counter and speaking quietly into the phone. When did he get up?

As soon as he saw me, he flashed a sheepish grin and hung up the phone.

"It's about time you got down here," he said as he got up from the stool.

What? I was up before you were! But as I took a look at the clock on the wall, I realized I'd spent a little too much time in the shower.

"Wow! We have to go or we'll be late!" I quickly turned on my heel to run out of the kitchen, but I stumbled over my feet and slowly began descending towards the floor. But I didn't panic. He would catch me; he always did. Just as expected, I felt Emmett's arms wrap around my waist and pull me up to a standing position.

"Who's going to be catching you when I graduate at the end of the year, squirt?"

He was right. Charlie, my dad, was always at the police station, and Renee lived all the way in Florida. When he left, I would be all alone; and the prospect of that saddened me.

"I don't know brother bear; but you need to stop calling me squirt. It sounds like something you'd call someone who's really short and I am now 5'2" thank you very much," I said, walking past him and grabbing an apple from the basket on the hallway table.

"Right, I forgot. Five feet two inches is the new six foot one," he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. "But you can call me brother bear any old day. Because bears are manly and strong; and I am manly and strong," he said excitedly. It sounded like he was having an epiphany.

I stared at him strangely for a second before rolling my eyes and putting on my flip flops. I then waited for him to open the doors to his enormous jeep, which was just as enormous as his muscular self. He lifted me up to the passenger seat and made his way to his side.

"We picking up Rose and Jasper?" I asked, taking a bite out of my apple.

"Nope! I'm taking her out after school, so Jasper will have to drop you off."

"Really? You were talking to her on the phone, weren't you?" I asked as he drove us to Forks High School. He quickly nodded. I was glad he was finally able to see her. She'd been all he could talk about during summer vacation.

Rose was Emmett's girlfriend and was a senior just like him. But Jasper was her little brother, a junior like me, and in a way, like my second brother.

"And where are you guys going?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

He glanced down at me and gave a sly smile. "That's for me to know and you to already know," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I choked on the bite of apple I'd just been about to swallow and glared at him.

"Eww, Emmett, it's the first day of school!" I told him, slightly in shock.

"Exactly. I didn't get to see her all summer because we were visiting mom," he said, throwing me a wink.

Gross... It was no secret what Rose and Emmett did in their spare time but hearing it from him definitely wasn't pleasant. I kept my eyes staring straight forward to avoid any more awkward conversations.

We soon pulled into the student parking lot of the school and I opened the door to jump out, forgetting how high up I was.

"Bella!" Emmett yelled, grabbing my arm to keep me from jumping. "Are you trying to kill yourself?!"

I rolled my eyes and waited for him to come around to my side; he just loved making fun of my klutziness.

I stuck my arms out for him and he set me on the pavement before we made our way over to the red BMW that had just now pulled in. As we watched Rose and her brother step out of the car, I realized that we weren't the only ones watching. It seemed like everyone in the parking lot froze. It was like in that song 'Stop and Stare' by One Republic. But it was understandable why they would do that; they were both so beautiful. Rose was a drop dead gorgeous blonde and she knew it and flaunted it. Jasper was just as beautiful but he was more reserved; associating only with close friends and family members.

I looked up to find Emmett with a goofy grin on his face and his hands attempting to fix the mop of brown curls on his head as he watched his girlfriend walk towards him. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was in love. In fact, I would ask him about that later.

I smiled up at Jasper as he grabbed my arm and began to lead me into the school so we could leave our two siblings alone.

"What's your first class?" I asked him, pulling my schedule out of my back pocket so I could see what mine was.

"AP English Composition. You?" he asked.

"Same," I said.

We walked in to find a few students already in the classroom, but with no teacher. Spotting three empty seats in the back, we made our way towards them and sat next to each other.

"Let me see the rest of your schedule," I told him. He gave it to me and I realized, much to my dismay, that this would be the only class I would have with my best friend except for lunch.

Just as I was handing his paper back, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the school day. I turned expectantly in my seat to face the door and in walked a short, stocky man, whom I could only assume was the teacher.

Just as the teacher picked up a marker, the door flew open again but this time to reveal a blonde guy and a brunette who looked slightly ruffled.

As the brunette attempted to pat down her hair and straighten her clothes, Jasper rolled his eyes at me. We all knew what Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley had been up to.

The teacher simply ignored them and turned to face the board.

"Hello, class, I am Mr. Jones," he said, writing the name on the board. "And I will be your AP English teacher for the year," he finished.

He handed out our syllabus and had us tell everyone something about ourselves, which earned quite a few groans. I mean what were we in, kindergarten?

After that he told us that we would be having an assignment.

I heard Jasper sigh dramatically beside me and I agreed with him. What kind of teacher gives homework on the first day?

"This assignment will not be due tomorrow, or next week, or even next month! It'll be due at the end of the year but if you're wise, you'll get started on it right away."

I threw Jasper a confused look. A year-long assignment? It must be hard! And knowing me, I would probably put it off until the very last minute.

"You'll be receiving pen pals from Africa!" he exclaimed.

There were murmurs of appreciation floating throughout the class. I, for one, was excited.

"You will trade letters back and forth, learning about the different cultures, ways, and such. At the end of the year, you'll combine all the information you have and write a VERY long paper, which will be going into your portfolio."

"Sounds easy enough," I told Jasper as the teacher walked around, handing out slips of paper.

"But you will probably get your best information when we all take a trip to the country Cameroon in West Africa!" the teacher added excitedly. "This is the first time the school is actually letting us go all the way over there, and I myself, can't wait! And they in turn will spend a month over here afterwards, too."

I could feel my jaw drop, and I'm guessing I wasn't the only one. People were now talking in hushed voices among one another.

"When will we be going?" a blonde, I recognized as Lauren Mallory, asked.

"We will be gone the whole of next month and they will come back to spend October here. Considering how long it will probably be for the letter to reach them, this may be the only one they will receive and be able to reply to. So make it good," Mr. Jones answered.

"That is so cool," I whispered to Jasper, but I was also having doubts about whether or not my dad would actually let me go.

The teacher stopped in front of us and handed us our slips of paper.

"You guys' might be a little different because your pen pals are Americans. Now the reason they're over there is that the father is a doctor and is always on the move," he explained, while Jasper and I nodded our heads in understanding.

"These are your permission slips for the trip, and these are brochures which will help you understand the environment there better," he handed us a form and brochure before walking away.

I looked at my paper and smiled. My new pen pal was 'MusicallyInclined.' I glanced at Jasper's paper, 'Cupid'sRival,' and snickered.

"I'll give you time in class today to begin working," the teacher said from the front of the class.

"You want to switch?" Jasper pleaded.

"Eh? No. I'm guessing you got some girl who considers herself a matchmaker. But I have got a music lover, something that I appreciate, too."

He narrowed his eyes at me and opened his notebook

"You think your parents will let you go on the trip later?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. But I want to go and it'll probably take a lot of convincing."

That would probably be how things would be for me. I pulled out a blank piece of paper and began to write. This might be the only free time I would get to anyways.

Hey MusicallyInclined! My name is Isabella Marie Swan and I am a

I stopped writing as a hand was placed over my paper. As I looked up, I realized it was Mr. Jones.

"What?" I asked, confused at his action.

"You can't reveal your identity. You must make up a penname like they have," he instructed before crumpling the paper up in his hands and throwing it way.

Frowning, I took out a new sheet of paper and started all over.

Hey MusicallyInclined!

I'm KlutZillA, female, and I live in the US. But you probably already know that.

A bit about myself: I'm 17, short, and I spend countless hours in the emergency room. My parents are divorced but I have the best oldest brother and friends I could possibly ask for. I love to read and listen to music! When we take trips to the city, I'm always buying myself a new book or new CD. What about you? What are some cool things you like to do?

Your pen pal,

KlutZillA

I stopped and admired my work, smiling slightly to myself before turning to look at Jasper's.

"Can I read it?" I asked. He nodded and we switched letters.

Hello Cupid'sRival,

My pen name is PlaysWithEmotions. I am a male and 17 years old.

I have an older sister who is very full of herself but I also have a very loving best friend who I complain about her to.

I find high school to be overly dramatic and the constant change of people's emotions can sometimes be a bother. One second you're in love with someone, the next you're mad at them, and later you're sad?

Some hobbies of mine would be to play the guitar and just hang out with my best friends. What are some things about you? How do you spend your free time?

With love,

PlaysWithEmotions

"With love?" I said, shoving his paper in his face. He shrugged his shoulders and took it from my hand.

"KlutZillA?" was his brilliant retort.

I rolled my eyes and put my letter into the envelope the teacher had recently handed out before taking it up and setting it in the tray at the front desk so it could be mailed today.

Is it bad that I want to skip all this introductory stuff and get straight to the action? lol :D

Review and tell me what you thought.

JOJO