A/N: I sat down to write this and it became something completely different from what I had intended, but I like it. Its a little shorter than the first chapter, but not by much. I'm also thinking of possibly writing from some other perspectives (Edward and Emmett), but I wanted to get some feedback from you guys before I did. Don't forget to review, it seriously makes my day! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters, so don't sue me please!

I had just changed out of my gross and sweaty moving clothes when I heard my cell phone buzz from across the room. I reacted instantly, sprinting across the small space to retrieve it before the last ring, and I very nearly made it. I hadn't counted on the new furniture Alice had to suddenly become an obstacle course, but that is exactly what it did. Three feet from my intended destination my foot caught on the black rug and I found myself doing a nose-dive straight for the right corner of the small coffee table. Thud. I knew from the pain somewhere behind my eyes that I had hit my forehead square on the corner. I reached my hand up to graze the surface of my forehead and found no blood. Thank God. Just the smell of blood made me want to vomit.

'Bella fell down,' I heard Alice say to someone. I looked up to see her holding my cell hone up to her ear, her body shaking slightly with laughter.

'Who is it?'

'Emmett. He wants to know if you're alright.' I nodded in response. 'She's fine. No blood, though I'll bet she'll have a nice sized bruise in a couple of hours.' Alice told Emmett. I could hear his barking laughter through the receiver from my current position on the floor.

'Bella, Emmett wants to know if we would like to hit up a pizza place with everyone tonight, wanna go?' she asked, excitement playing across all her pixie-like features. How could you disappoint that face? I nodded a second time and shut my eyes. My head was really hurting now. I heard Alice exchange a few more words to Emmett before shutting my phone and handing it to me. I stowed it safely in pocket, still lying on the floor.

I heard the door open and shut to my left.

'Why is Bella on the floor?' It was his voice. The velvet voice of my angel, and I suddenly couldn't remember why I was laying face down in the carpet.

'She fell.' Alice answered simply, resisting the urge to chuckle.

'You alright down there?' the velvety voice asked.

'Yes,' I mumbled into the carpet. I suddenly felt myself being lifted from the floor as two strong hands held onto my shoulders. My breath caught in my throat as I looked back to see him. Edward. He was inches away form my eyes.

I smiled gratefully up at him. 'Thanks.'

"Anytime I can help you off the floor, I will happy to lend you my services,' he replied and gave me a crooked smile that made my knees go weak.

'Emmett just called. He invited us to go to Pegasus's for some Pizza, wanna tag along Edward?' Alice inquired as she grabbed a purse from her top bunk bed.

'Yeah! That would be fun!' I added, desperately wishing he would.

He shrugged his shoulders and grinned a little. 'Sure.'

'Excellent.' Alice replied as she headed toward the door, and I could have sworn I saw her wink at me.

The three of us walked down to the parking lot. I instantly began walking toward my red 1953 Chevy Pickup. Alice and Edward stopped dead in their tracks and shot side-glances toward each other before bursting into loud fits of laughter.

'What is so funny?' I demanded.

'Please tell me that monster isn't yours?' Edward managed to say between bursts of laughter.

'Bella, that thing is ancient!' Alice exclaimed. They were right, but I loved my truck. It was dependable and since I was a bit on the clumsy side it made me feel safe. It was indestructible, even if it was slow. I felt it was a fair trade off.

'Be nice to my truck!'

'Lets take my car instead,' Edward suggested, wiping tears from his eyes as he walked toward a shiny silver Volvo parked a few spaces away and I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue at him like a five year old. Alice hopped in the back seat, leaving me free to take shotgun. I buckled myself in as Edward started the Volvo. It didn't roar to like my truck. Edward laughed and I felt that even the shiny Volvo had mocked me. Stupid car.

To say Edward drove fast would be the understatement of the century. He lips curled into the crooked grin I had seen earlier as he pressed the gas pedal down, never allowing the car to drop under eighty as we flew down the highway. His soft warm laugh filled the car when he noticed how I clutched the sides of my seat for dear life. Alice lounged in the backseat, adjusting her make-up as if this speed was normal, and not insanely frightening. We arrived at our destination alive (much to my surprise) and much faster than I had anticipated to greet my brother, Emmett and his friends.

To one side of my massive brother was his beautiful girlfriend, Rosalie. She was tall and blonde with a smile that would stop any man in his tracks. She looked as though she could easily belong on a runway of Victoria Secret models and not in the parking lot at some college pizza joint. Her gaze fell on me and I grinned widely back at her. Out of all the girlfriends my brother had had over the years, Rose was easily my favorite and I secretly hoped that she would always be around.

Alice danced over to the other side of Emmett to where Jasper stood. She immediately threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was obvious they loved each other, though not as obvious as Emmett and Rose had a tendency to be. I smiled to myself as a watched my new family.

We filed inside the relatively empty Pizza Parlor and found a large round booth in the back corner and I took a seat between Emmett and Edward, though I had been pleasantly surprised that my new friend chose to sit next to me. We all ate our way through three pizza's (although, I'm almost entirely sure that Emmett ate one completely on his own) and as the night wound on, we all sat in that booth for hour after hour, swapping stories and laughing loudly. It was more like a family reunion than just a group of friends. I suppose that is what we had turned into though, a family.

Everyone else was laughing at some old memory from last semester, leaving Edward and I to our own devices while they hollered lines of some long forgotten conversation to each other. I looked over at Edward, surprised to find his eyes were already on me, like they had been waiting for me to look up and meet them. I blushed slightly and fidgeted with my napkin in my lap.

'What's your major Edward?'

He took a deep breathe before responding. 'Pre-med.'

'Wow. Following in Dads footsteps?' I asked, hoping I wasn't prying into business he'd rather not talk about.

'I suppose. I've never met anyone with a bigger heart than Carlisle.' I could tell as he spoke that he didn't just love his father, he respected him. He thought there was no one better and I suddenly admired both of them for it. As we kids grow up, its hard not to allow the mistakes we see in our parents to cloud how we see them. It was clear that Carlisle and Edward had a different, much more profound kind of relationship. 'How about you? What's your major?'

'English.' I stated. I didn't know what I wanted to do yet. English was a nice broad major that allowed me to take a wide array of classes.

'That's a good major. I take it you like to read and write then?' I nodded. 'What's your favorite book then?'

'Hmm, any classic, though I'm particular to anything by Austen or Bronte.' I smiled up at him. 'Do you like to read?'

'The only escape from the mundane better than a good book is excellent music.' As he spoke he closed his eyes and I could almost hear the music I thought he was hearing, echoing in his mind. Something soft and relaxing; maybe a pianos gentle notes.

'What's your favorite book?' I was curious. A person's favorite book said a lot about them.

He thought for a moment, considering all the possibilities. 'It changes frequently with my mood, but I would have to say One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.'

I nodded. "I'll have to pick it up. I've never read it.'

Edward seemed to suddenly be lost in his own world, a million miles away. I couldn't tell if he was remembering something or just contemplating something new, but I knew he wasn't sitting next to me for that instant.

'So is Alice always so… energized?' I asked when I was certain he had returned from his far off corner of consciousness. He laughed softly as a smile played across his lips.

'Always. You haven't seen anything yet. For someone so small, she sure packs a lot of energy. She likes you a lot though. I can tell.' He smiled at something only he could understand, like some personal inside joke.

'So, where are you from?' I asked, desperately wishing to continue our stolen conversation before we had to return our attention to the group.

'Chicago originally, but we move a lot. For the time being we're settled in Hoko.' I nodded.

And just as soon as our conversation had begun, it ended as everyone started to scrambled to stand up. As I stood up and moved my stiff muscles, I let out a yawn and checked my watch. 11:45 pm, where had the time gone? It felt like we had just sat down, though it had been hours ago.

Suddenly I was air born, feeling the strong hands of my brother around my waist as he hoisted me over his shoulder, laughing.

'Put me down Emmett!' I whined loudly, as a kicked my feet in an attempt to become free.

'Not a chance Squirt!' he replied as he chuckled. I took a deep breath as I saw Jasper and Edward snicker at me. Really, this was embarrassing. I could feel me cheeks starting to flush and I buried my face in my brother's shoulder.

'Emmett you big oaf, put me down!' he just laughed hard and spun around quickly, making me dizzy. As he slowed down, I could feel he was dizzy too, his footing uneven as he swayed to the left hazardously. I opened my eyes and saw the concrete of the parking lot getting closer, and I knew Emmett was falling and would land right on top of me. I stiffened my body, preparing for the imminent impact with the ground, readying myself to become a Bella sandwich between the concrete and my huge brother. I held my breath, but the impact never came. I was instantly being pulled away from my brother's wide shoulders, being pulled to safety. I looked around to see who had been my protector just in time to see Emmett fall to ground, landing on the shoulder I had just moments before been draped on.

'Gotcha,' I heard the smooth voice of Edward from behind my left ear as he placed my feet on the ground. I turned to him slowly.

'I owe you one.' I couldn't think of anything better to say when he unleashed the full power of his eyes on me. I simply stared. His eyes showed two emotions, relief more dominant over a panic that was retreating.

'I'm getting the feeling you attract danger, Bella.'

'I, uh, fall down a lot.' He simply smiled at me.

He lifted his hand and traced his fingertips over my forehead and I was suddenly aware that he was standing mere inches from me. I leaned into his touch ever so slightly. 'Is that what this bruise is from?' His finger gently slid over the large black and blue spot my forehead once more.

I nodded. 'I fall down a lot.'

Once I had gotten back to my dorm room (after the frightening experience of Edwards driving back to campus) I curled up in my bed, reflecting on my first day of this strange new life. Alice had gone over to Jaspers for the night and I had my new room all to myself. I closed my exhausted eyes, allowing my mind to race in a thousand directions at once, brushing over every detail. I felt my heart constrict tightly as I thought of Charlie when he had said goodbye, then of Alice and how she had promised to upgrade the 'pathetic' state of my wardrobe. I smiled to myself. This new life wasn't so bad.

Then I thought of Edward. I thought of how I felt the first moment he had walked in the door; before I had even seen. My life before him seemed strangely empty and dark, like I'd been blind to the world's beauty without even knowing. I thought of how he had helped me from the carpet when had face planted there earlier, and then how he saved me from becoming Emmett's road kill.

I felt the misty edge of sleep begin to engulf my mind as I continued to think of Edward, but now I turned my thoughts toward the future. I saw two futures. One bright and smiling, the one with Edward. The second was dark and empty and fear suddenly shot through my body. I was suddenly deathly afraid of loosing Edward Cullen.