Well, this is kind of depressing. One review? -Sigh- Oh, well. I like this story, so maybe I'll just write it for me. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I wish I did, but, sadly, I don't.

7 Months Later

Bella POV

"Bella, are you sure you want to go?" Renee asked yet again.

It had been seven months since Phil proposed, and things had only gotten stranger. He was around more, but every so often, I noticed him glancing at me and winking. That scared me more than I would care to admit. So I was going to live with my dad, Charlie, in Forks, Washington.

I hated Forks with a passion, but I hated Phil more. My hatred for Phil outweighed my hatred for Forks.

Charlie was happy about it, but Renee had nearly had a heart attack when I'd told her that I thought it was time to spend some time with Charlie. And now she was, yet again, trying to persuade me to stay. If she wasn't engaged to Phil, I would've readily stayed. But she was. And I couldn't tell her that I didn't approve. Renee was the type of person that thought she was right, and if you told her she wasn't - well, let's just say that you didn't want to be in the way when she was like that.

"Mom, I'll be fine. I need to see Dad anyway. Go and have fun with Phil," I encouraged.

"But you'll be here for the wedding?" she asked. I nodded, barely keeping a grimace at bay. I did not want to be there. Not at all. But I had to go, for Renee's sake.

"I'll be here. I really need to go now." She nodded sadly and pulled me into a fierce hug.

"I love you, Bella. Call me every day. You promise?"

"Yes, Mom, I promise," I sighed. All right. Now I was starting to get irritated. "I have to leave now. Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Bella," she whispered.

----------------------------------------------

"Hi, Dad." I managed to greet him weakly.

He smiled awkwardly. "Hey, Bells. How was the trip?"

I shrugged. "It was fine. How are things up here?" I was already getting sick of staring at green, but I couldn't complain. I knew what I was getting myself into when I came here.

"The usual. Nothing big. You're going to school Monday. I just wanted to let you know so you could catch up on your sleep this weekend."

I nodded. "Okay. I figured that's what I'd be doing, but I wasn't sure. You still living in the same house?"

Charlie nodded as a response and grabbed my bags. He led me around the house when we got there - nothing had changed. I tossed my bags on my bed and sat down. This would take some getting used to. But it was better than being stared at by my mom's fiance.

The weekend was short and uneventful. Besides finding out that Charlie couldn't cook if his life depended on it, save for breakfast, things were quiet in the boring town of Forks. I got ready for school on Monday, finding myself wondering what my classmates back in Phoenix were doing. I chuckled when I realized that they would be getting up at five in the morning to primp.

Charlie had gotten me a truck so that he wouldn't have to drive me. It was old but sturdy. Just the kind of thing I needed. Clumsiness did not go well with a breakable car.

As I walked into the school, I was instantly surrounded by excited students. They were all asking me about where I was from, why I came here, etc.

"Can everyone just please give me some space?" I asked meekly. Everyone stared at me like I had three heads.

"I don't even know why you're staring at her," came a female voice that sounded quite snobby. I looked up to see a strawberry blonde with golden eyes staring at me, giving me the evil eye. She was unbelievably gorgeous, but looked like a complete twit.

All the boys instantly started to stare, and let's just say they weren't looking at her face. A few girls, too, which wasn't anything from the norm. Tons of girls would kill to have her looks - I wasn't one of them.

"Hey, babe." A new male voice joined hers. A big guy who looked like he worked out a lot came to stand next to her. He had dark brown curly hair and had to be a few inches taller than her, even with the four-inch heels she was wearing.

She gave him a look of complete disgust. "I'm not your babe," she sneered, strutting away.

Almost instantly, an entire new flock of girls surrounded him. He smiled hugely and acted like nothing had just happened. So much had happened, and it hadn't even been five minutes. I wondered if Forks High School was always this dramatic.

As I wandered through the halls, I spotted a short girl with inky black hair. Her skin was pale, but she looked friendly, at least. A huge grin flashed across her face, and she started to sprint toward me. For a split second, I was afraid she was going to tackle me. She should have been on the track team. I couldn't believe how fast she was.

"Hi, I'm Alice. You must be Chief Swan's daughter, Isabella. I'm - we're - so happy to have you here. I can't wait until we go shopping together and -" She'd said everything in one breath.

"Wait. And it's just Bella. But what are you talking about?" I didn't shop. What was this pixie-like girl talking about?

She instantly frowned, her lower lip jutting out just a bit. "I thought we could be friends?" It came out as a weak question, followed by a hesitant smile.

I took a deep, calming breath. "Uh, yeah. Sure. So, Alice, was it? Who was that blonde girl?"

"Tanya or Rosalie?" she instantly asked.

"Um. I don't know. I'm new here, so -"

She sighed impatiently. "Did she have really tall heels on and did she treat you like dirt?"

"Uh, yeah. Kind of."

"That's Tanya. Don't get in her way. Rosalie almost looks the same, but I think she's way prettier. She's one of my friends, too. Rosalie should be nice, but I wouldn't completely count on it. Sometimes she gets in these weird moods. You just have to know when to leave her alone."

"Okay."

All that morning I found out that Alice was a junior, like myself. She loved to go shopping, whereas I didn't. But I gathered from how she spoke of her adopted mother, Esme, that she was a very passionate, strong-willed girl. Very loyal, honest, and pure-hearted. She sounded like an amazing friend. That, and she knew pretty much everyone here. Which wasn't that hard, considering there were under four-hundred students at Forks.

She walked me to lunch, and as we got our trays, I managed to stumble. Alice's hand shot out to grasp my upper arm. She smiled at me quickly. I sighed. Minor disaster averted.

"You'd better get used to that," I muttered as we sat at a table. "I'm one of the clumsiest people you'll ever meet."

Alice looked fascinated. "Really? I've, like, never tripped in my entire life. That's really str -" She stopped, looking down.

"What?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Nothing," she muttered, pulling her fingers self-consciously through her spiky hair.

"Alice," I said sternly.

She sighed angrily. "Fine. Look up, a little to the left. See the blonde guy in the light blue shirt?"

I searched for him until I found him. I nodded, confused.

"That's Jasper Hale," she breathed. "He's Rosalie's twin. I have, like, the hugest crush on him. But since he's never said anything to me, I don't know what to say to him."

I smiled for a short minute. "Alice Brandon, are you saying that you're speechless around this boy?" I asked, with mock surprise and severity. She giggled, nodding. I gave up the charade and smiled back at her. "Alice, it'll work itself out. No need to worry, okay?"

"Okay," she sighed.

There was a sharp clacking of heels, and then, "Bitch, why are you in my seat?"

My eyes flicked upwards to another gorgeous blonde. This had to be Rosalie. Alice was right; she was even more beautiful than Tanya because her beauty was more natural.

My skin flushed a bright red. "Sorry," I muttered, standing up.

"Bella, don't go." Alice started to stand, as well.

"No, it's okay. I'm done anyway." My plate was untouched. I threw it in the trash and managed to get outside without getting too lost. I breathed in the cool, crisp air, pulling my fingers through my hair, holding back tears.

"So Rosalie's managed to upset another person," came a calm voice from behind me. "All in a day's work for her, I suppose."

I turned slowly, finding Jasper standing right behind me. "I'm fine," I whispered, rubbing my eyes.

He smiled patiently. "I'm sorry about my sister. She's just pissed because our mom took her car away. Are you okay?"

I nodded, then a brilliant idea came to me. "You know, I might have heard somewhere that someone kind of, sort of likes you."

Jasper smiled, playing along. "Oh? And who would this be?"

"Give you a hint. Her initials are A.B. I have to get to class. Oh, and thanks, Jasper." I smiled once more before going to Biology. Jasper's face had been shocked the moment I said Alice's initials. Maybe I could help her out. Or it could end in disaster. Either way, I had to try to help her.

I walked into the biology classroom, finding that there was only one empty seat. And that the most gorgeous bronze-haired boy was sitting in the seat next to it.

Hehehe... Bella and Edward's first meeting - next chapter. Review and then I'll update. It's a fair trade. I put in half an hour of planning and typing, and you put in half a minute to tell me what you think.

XO,

Jessica