Chapter One - I Met Him At The Candy Store

It was just another first day of school. There was nothing special about it. The rainy town of Forks was still small and wet, and I was still stuck there. I woke up that morning with a heavy feeling, like a stone, in the pit of my stomach. I rolled out of bed and glared at my grey windows while I dressed. Today of all days, a Monday, was the time school had to start.

The kitchen was empty as I carefully skipped down the stairs, trying desperately not to trip and roll the rest of the way down. I managed to get downstairs and to the toaster, popping in two Pop Tarts before gathering my backpack and jacket. They were done by the time I breezed by on my way to the front door. Even though I hated school, I hated conversations with my dad, Charlie, even more. I woke up early so I wouldn't get an earful from Charlie about how this was my senior year and how it mattered. I knew that.

Still, my stomach did flip flops as I ate and maneuvered my car slowly over the glossy pavement that led me to the institution that was to, again, become my second home.

I held one pastry in a shaky hand as I thought it over. I was a senior now, no longer a freshmen, sophomore, or junior. I was at the top of the food chain, the peak of this roller coaster ride that was soon going to barrel down towards earth, taking me with it. After this, I would be off to college, then a job, and then...

"Watch it, lady!" someone screamed at me, and a chorus of honking cars awoke me form my daze. I slammed on the brakes and narrowly missed clipping a minivan. I froze, both hands squeezing the steering wheel. My Pop Tart was squished into my palm and the wheel.

"Sorry," I called out, my voice trembling out of my mouth as I slowly started up again and focused on the parking lot ahead of me.

I had to take control. It was months before graduation would loom into view. I would be okay until then. I told myself this comforting lie as I left my truck, backpack slung over my shoulder, and headed for the gymnasium. Somehow, by lying I eased my soul and calmed my aching stomach.

The doors were, surprisingly, crowded with students. I waved to a few who I knew and smiled at those that waved at me first, struggling to remember their names. There weren't many kids going to Forks High, but there were enough for me to not know them all. I pushed through the bantam crew and looked for the table marked 'S'. I picked up my locator card and trudged my way to the cafeteria, plopping down with a sigh in my usual seat. I was thankful for the few minutes I had to look over my schedule for the year and perhaps gather myself before facing the teachers again. I just couldn't fathom it as I gazed down at my list of classes and waited for the first bell to ring.

I had all my boring classes lined up in a row, right at the beginning of my day. First Government, then AP English, then Calculus, and finally Physics. I groaned. Why didn't they just chain me to my desk and skip all the candy coating? I threw the paper down on the table and frowned. At least I still had P.E. last with Art and Spanish back to back.

"Ooh, don't let me interrupt," Jessica Stanley, one of my friends murmured as she slid into the set opposite me.

"Let me guess, you got all the easy class?" I joked as I traded papers with her. My eyes wandered over her schedule and my jaw almost dropped. Her day was going to be a walk in the park compared to mine.

Jessica groaned. "Please, I wish," she sighed, "I have Mr. Calhoun for English, Mrs. Perry for French, and Mr. Spitzer for Chemistry. They are the worst!" I couldn't help but laugh, and Jessica scowled.

I gave her my sorry look and her face cleared up. She knew that I always envied how she easily avoided the hard classes, even though the teachers she ended up with sucked.Ever since elementary school, Jessica and I would swap stories about teachers and laugh at the crazy antics we could cook up. Our friendship hasn't changed much, but Jessica became more boy crazy and I focused on my schoolwork. While she drooled over pictures of Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom, I ignored them. The male gender wasn't that fascinating to me.

The first bell rang, making us both groan in protest. Jessica gave me a hug before skipping off the first period. I trudged my way to my government class, wishing that the teacher would simply pass out the syllabus and drone on for the hour. Homework on the first day of school would definitely bring my day down.

When I stepped into the classroom, my eyes zoned in on the seat strategically placed in the back by the door. I slid into the seat and slumped down a bit, trying to be invisible. I could see that Mike Newton, one of my not-so-secret admirers, chatting with his buddy, Eric. I avoided their gaze when they glanced back at me. Instead, I focused on the elderly looking man scribbling something down on the whiteboard. From far away, he seemed like a nice man, but teachers never used their best first impression throughout the year.

As I slipped out a notebook to doodle on, I heard the door slam again. My head snapped up, and I caught the sight of someone's jacket brush past my desk. It was a young boy, about my age, that slipped in and sat two seats ahead of me, one row over. He ignored the looks others gave him and settled into his seat, his bronze hair tousled and damp with rain. I gawked at his broad shoulder and almost dropped my pen. He was new on town; I knew this because I had never seen him before, nor did I recognize his name, which was whispered around the room.

"Cullen, right? Edward Cullen. I heard his family's a bunch of snobs."

"Edward? Who names their kid Edward? I bet his parents are old fashioned or something."

"I wonder why they moved to Forks. The blonde chick looks like she belongs in Los Angeles or something."

I tried to ignore the notes being passed I as listened to the teacher begin his start of the year speech, but I couldn't keep my eyes off this mysterious Edward Cullen. My eyes flickered from the whiteboard to his back, still clad by his leather jacket.

I wondered how he could stand wearing it indoors, but I guessed it was getting colder outside. Instinctively, I shrugged into my sweater and turned back to the teacher. From the corner of my eye, I saw that Edward didn't move his head one inch. He stared like a statue at the front of the class, not bothering to glance around the room.

I felt a blushcreep over my face as I realized how I was gazing at him.I didn't even know who he was. In a rush of embarrassment, I kept my eyes fixed on my notebook as I scrawled down what the teacher was saying, and ignored with all my might the strange boy that my mind couldn't leave alone.

The bell rang after what seemed an eternity, and I hurried to leave the room. Without thinking, I wheeled around and headed for the door, running straight into someone's chest. I felt my backpack, fall to the ground as I tumbled forward. Two hands gripped my shoulders to help regain my balance, and I whispered an apology when I looked up.

"Sorry," Edward Cullen mumbled as he stopped to pick up my bag, his face blank of emotion. His eyes, a deep green, held all the spirit inside them.He held himself away from me, his mouth twisted into a brittle but comic smile.

"Thank you," I stammered as I took the backpack from his hand and stumbled out the classroom. I could still feel his gaze on me as I wove my way through the other students. It made my heart beat out of sync, my breath hitch strangely in my throat. If someone had asked me that morning if I was interested in any man, I would have laughed and said no. I would have scoffed at romance and love and being happy. It wasn't for me. I was too smart and too logical to think about such things.

But in that moment, I wasn't so sure.