Alright, Happy New Year everybody! Thanks for those who have reviewed so far, it really does help. If you guys have any questions about this story, feel free to ask in a review or a PM! I know that it may all make sense in my head, but it might be a different case for other people. Enjoy!

~MissSingItAll

Disclaimer: Really, I don't own anything. Stephenie Meyer does.

BPOV:

I heard the sound of Alice's ride drive away down the street. She seemed like a nice enough girl, although her cheeriness was slightly off-putting for me. She had walked right into the living room and set down the stack of textbooks she was carrying. I still kept my distance from her, squishing myself against the wall when she walked in. She looked at me with a genuine smile on her childlike face. "I'm Alice Cullen!" she had said, her voice like bells.

She was at least a head shorter than me with raven-black spiky hair framing her face and eyes. She was pretty, prettier than the few girls I had seen here in town. As she stood up straight, I noticed her posture seemed almost perfect. She moved with dancer-like grace as she made her way towards the door. She had given me a smile, let me know what time she was coming tomorrow, and then danced her way out, shutting the door behind her.

I studied the stack of books with a mixture of dread and acceptance. I needed to keep up with school work, even though it was going to be ten times harder without an actual classroom environment motivating me. I grabbed the first book to start my first assignment.

The rest of the week passed by in the same way. I would wake up, get ready, give my finished homework to Alice when she stopped by before school, do chores, read, get my homework from Alice when she came again in the afternoon, do the homework, make dinner for Charlie, and then head to bed. It was all done in near silence; the only people I actually spoke to were Charlie and Alice.

Alice was especially kind and cheerful whenever I saw her, and from what I could tell, she was very much into fashion. Every day that she came over, she was dressed in clothes that looked like they belonged on the runway and not in dreary, rainy Forks. She always had a smile on her face, and whenever I thanked her for all that she was doing, she just shrugged and said that she never minded. She told me about her family and how she had a brother the same age and another brother who was a senior. She talked about how her mother was a part-time interior designer and how her father was the town doctor. Of course, I never actually said much to Alice, but she still talked to me all the same.

On Friday, Alice came around her normal time in the afternoon with my next assignments, but instead of dropping them off and leaving with a beaming smile, she lingered in the hallway.

"Hey Bella, could I ask you something?" she said. I didn't tell her to start calling me Bella until the third day, when I was somewhat used to the whole routine.

"Sure," I replied in a small voice.

"Do you wanna hang out or something? Like, tonight? I could convince my brother to drive us to Port Angeles and we could see a movie, or maybe just walk around the stores?" She looked so hopeful I almost said yes on the spot. But it could never happen.

"I'm sorry Alice, but no," I said quietly. Her face fell, and then a look of recognition swept across her face.

"Oh, right," she said, her eyes roaming over me. "I'm sorry, that was dumb of me."

"Oh no, please don't think that. I would really like to if I could, actually." Had I been able to, I truly would have gone with her. I was desperate for a friend.

"Really? Well, then, maybe we could work something out," Alice replied. The brightness was back in her voice, and her eyes lit up once more. She was about to speak again when the sound of a car horn echoed outside. Alice rolled her eyes.

"My brother..." she mumbled, shaking her head. "Here, let me give you my number, and you can give me yours." She went into the kitchen and returned with a pen and the pad of paper we used to write phone messages. She scribbled down her number quickly and ripped the paper off, then passed it and the pen to me. I slowly wrote down the house number and slid the pad back to her. She took the paper, folded it, and placed into the pocket of her designer jeans.

"Well, I'll see ya later, Bella!" she said.

"Bye," I said softly, and she headed out the door, shutting it behind her like always. My whole body relaxed at that moment; I didn't even know that I was tensed up. I made my way to the couch and plopped myself down.

If this worked out, Alice could actually be my friend. That thought gave me the smallest pang of hope. But friends usually went out. Friends went to dinners and parties and movies. Friends didn't cower in their homes because there were no places to hide out in public. That tiny fragment of hope shattered.

Alice wouldn't want to be friends with me. She wouldn't want the challenges and hassles that came with dealing with me. She should just go on the way she was, happy and bright and full of promise.

I got up and carried my homework to my room. I decided not to start on it right away, since I had the whole weekend to finish. Instead, I spread myself out on my bed and listened to my only constant companion: the silence.

EPOV:

The car rocked gently as Alice closed her door and buckled her seatbelt. I pulled off of the curb and took us out onto the road, where we headed towards the start of a weekend with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Not yet, anyway.

Alice had given me very little information about the Chief's daughter, other than she liked to be called Bella. I suspected that it was because Alice didn't know much about the girl herself, but, knowing Alice, she probably wouldn't have told me much anyway. Every time I thought of her, I only remembered the frightened look that had captured her eyes.

"Bella should hang out with us sometime," Alice said, resting back into the seat.

"Really?" I didn't imagine Bella as the type that would be up for "hanging out."

"Yeah. I'm sure she doesn't really know anyone here, so it'd probably be nice for her to have a few friends." Alice often floored me with her kindness for other people, and this was no exception. It was why people liked being around Alice; her charisma and friendliness disarmed practically anyone. Bella sounded like she needed someone, moving into a town where she knew no one and couldn't interact with anybody. Alice seemed like she would gladly be that someone.

We fell into a companionable silence as I continued to drive. A few minutes passed, and Alice spoke again.

"Is Jasper coming over tonight?" Alice asked, trying to be casual. I smirked.

"I don't know. I'll have to see what he's doing," I replied, keeping my eyes forward. "Although I know you'd like it to be you."

"Oh whatever, Edward." Alice sounded flustered and embarrassed. I laughed.

We got home and I saw that the Hales were already over; Rosalie's car was parked in the driveway. I entered the living room and saw something that was becoming a common occurrence. Emmett and Rosalie were on the couch, groping each other as usual. I grabbed an orange that was sitting in the bowl of fruit that was artfully placed on the table against the wall. I chucked it as hard as I could at Emmett's head, hitting him square on the crown.

"Bastard!" Emmett shouted after unhinging himself from Rosalie. He rubbed the spot where I had hit him.

"Get a room," I said, climbing up the stairs. I made my way to room and opened the door, not surprised to see Jasper laying on my bed.

"So what are we doing tonight?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling. I dropped onto the black leather couch that rested against the far wall of my room.

"Does anyone have anything going on?" I wondered.

"I don't know. And I'm too lazy to ask," Jasper said, stretching out.

"Hey guys!" Alice's chipper voice echoed into the room. Jasper shot up.

"Hi Alice," he said, the tone of his voice completely changing. I shook my head.

"I heard that Lauren Mallory is throwing a party tonight, wanna stop by?" she asked, leaning against my doorway. Jasper jumped off of my bed and straightened up.

"Yeah, we should, right Edward?" he said, looking at me pleadingly.

"I guess," I replied. "But I really don't feel like dealing with any of Lauren's bullshit tonight."

Lauren Mallory had been after me for the longest time. She never seemed to get the message that I didn't like her at all, and she came up with trick after trick to try and get me in her pants. I shuddered, recalling her last attempt, which involved me being locked in the janitor's closet with her for two and a half class periods. She was a bleach-blond, ditzy, cocky mean girl, and I tried the best I could to fend her off.

"Yes, I know, Edward. That's why I said that we're just stopping by. It's not like me and her are exactly BFFs either," Alice said. Lauren actually hated Alice very much; she was jealous that Alice and the rest of my family could afford designer brands while she tried to pass off with knock-offs.

"Okay, fine. We'll go, but only for a little bit," I said, standing up.

"Great! I'm gonna go tell Rose and Emmett. I'll leave you to get prepared for Lauren's attention," Alice laughed, then stepped back into the hallway. Jasper let out a breath I didn't even know he was holding. I stared at him, amused.

"What?" he said defensively.

I smiled. "Nothing."

Well, the party was just as I expected. Basically, the Mallory house was crawling with teenagers, half of them drunk. Most people were in the living room, dancing to the large sound system set up in the center. Our group made our way to the kitchen, where every counter was covered with some kind of alcoholic substance. I wanted to take it easy, so I just grabbed a beer from the nearest counter. Emmett and Rosalie disappeared off together, and Alice stayed in the kitchen with me and Jasper, looking around at all the drinks.

"It's not so bad, huh?" Alice said, picking up a cup and filling it with the contents of the bottle closest to her.

I was just about to respond when a high-pitched squeal reached my ears.

"EDWARD!!!"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "It just got worse," I mumbled. I slowly turned around and opened my eyes to the horrid sight of Lauren Mallory.

"Hey there," she said, trying to sound seductive. "My parents are out of town and I hoped you would come."

"Um, yeah. Just stopping by," I said, trying to look uninterested. Actually, I didn't have to try very hard.

"Come and dance with me," she purred, fluttering her fake eyelashes at me. She stuck out a manicured hand.

"Ugh, no," I said, flat out. Normally, I was kind to any woman I encountered; it was what I was raised to do. I tried to always be polite and courteous. But with Lauren, I could make an exception. And apparently, she wasn't listening to me.

"Edward..." she trailed off, trying to pout attractively and failing.

"The man said no, Lauren," Alice called from the other side of the room, Jasper hovering near her.

"Bite me," Lauren spat, and she swayed a little. The cup she was holding was half full, and a little bit of the liquid sloshed out onto the floor.

"Oops!" she cried, and then giggled insanely. "Come hold me steady, Edward."

"No thanks," I said, already fed up with the whole deal. I turned to Alice and Jasper. "Can we go now?"

"We just got here," Alice whined. Jasper looked torn.

"Dude, I totally get where you're coming from. But we did just get here like five minutes ago..." Traitor.

"Fine, get me when you're ready," I said. I pushed past Lauren, who smelled like a brewery, and slid through the crowd of people to get to the front door. I sat on the front porch steps and stared out at the empty street, finishing the rest of my beer. We had all decided to walk down here since Lauren's house was only a block away from home. Now I wished that I had my car; I really just wanted to get away from the neighborhood for a while.

It was another thirty minutes before Alice and Jasper came back out. Both looked a little buzzed, but nothing too major.

"Where's Emmett and Rosalie?" I asked.

"They were somewhere upstairs," Alice said, still holding a drink. "I didn't want to bother them."

"Oh." I understood. No one wanted to see Emmett and Rosalie when they got in their "couple mode." Emmett can just go home on his own, I didn't really care.

We started walking down the street, going the long way home so that Alice and Jasper could actually breathe in fresh air for a few minutes. The moon was only slightly visible, covered by dark clouds that held tomorrow's rainfall. Alice skipped ahead of us, letting the air cool her senses. She breathed in deep and exhaled with a sigh, then downed the rest of her drink and tossed the cup into the street. We turned a corner and that's when she let out a squeal.

"Bella!" Alice screeched. She started waving frantically. Jasper and I looked in the direction she was waving in, perplexed.

We had ended up on the same corner we were standing on last weekend, staring at the same shattered window in the same house. How did I not even pay attention to where we were going?

The Swan house was dark, save a dim light coming from one of the front rooms and the front porch light. Bella Swan was standing on the porch, eyes wide with surprise.

"Alice?" she said, her voice as gentle as a whisper. She looked scared and very breakable.

"Hey!" Alice greeted, going up the stairs to stand with Bella. Jasper and I stayed back out by the curb of the sidewalk.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked, shrinking back a little towards the door.

"Having a little fun. We went to this party and...Oh! You don't know my brother!" Alice said, turning out towards us. She pointed at me. "That's my brother, Edward, and that's his best friend Jasper." She pointed to Jasper. Bella turned then to fully stare at us, and she shuffled her feet closer to the edge of the porch. A look of recognition crossed her face as she looked at me. I gave a slight wave and a small smile. Yeah, I was the guy with the ball.

"Oh, come closer, you guys! We can't see you if you're standing in the dark!" Alice ordered. I started to walk up to the stairs slowly, with Jasper trailing behind me. I stopped on the first stair, however, when I saw that Bella had stepped back to the door.

"Um, well, I should really be getting inside," Bella said uncomfortably. She was dressed in a dark green hoodie and dark jeans, and little pink slippers covered her small feet. She spoke with such a small, meek voice. Something inside of me seemed to ache, a concerned pulse for her.

"But Bella, earlier we said that we should hang out! Why not now? I'm here, you're here, it's fine!" Alice practically shrieked. She was getting a little too loud, maybe I was wrong about her being alright before.

"Umm....okay," Bella replied. Her back was touching the door now.

"Alice, if she doesn't want to, don't make her. You guys can hang out some other time," I said, trying to help Bella out. Both girls' eyes darted to me, Bella's gaze almost pleading.

"Oh fine, Edward. Such a party pooper tonight, sheesh," Alice grumbled. She turned to look at Bella, who was giving me a look of thanks. "We should definitely make plans, Bella. I still want us to hang out!"

"Sure, Alice," Bella said, her small arm reaching for the doorknob. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Alice skipped back off of the porch, knocking into Jasper. She giggled as he caught her, and he stood there stupidly, unmoving. I shook my head and turned back to Bella.

She was still looking at me, but I couldn't place the look on her face. She was still tense, but there was also another layer to her deep brown eyes. It looked like longing, and she seemed to lean towards the fresh night air, though the majority of her body remained as close to the house as possible. She looked so delicate against the large, rough exterior of the front door. I felt a kind of protectiveness over her, and I had no clue why.

"Goodnight," I said softly, not wanting to scare her. The corners of her lips turned upward.

"Goodnight," she said, and with that she pushed the door open and disappeared inside the house.

I made my way back to the sidewalk, where Jasper had moved and was waiting with Alice, her arms wrapped around his waist. I raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged, a small grin on his face.

"Come on, Alice. Let's get you home," I said, starting in the direction towards our house. Her and Jasper moved together. We made our way down the empty street, tracing the same path I had walked the weekend before.

BPOV:

I waited behind the door for them to leave. I could hear Alice's giggles echo as they got farther away. Sighing, I turned and headed back upstairs to my room.

I had been out on the porch on a whim; I was starting to get restless in my room, and walking around the living room didn't help at all. So, with a shaky breath, I had creaked open the front door and shuffled my way out onto the porch.

I knew I couldn't move any farther, but the fresh air was too irresistible. I closed my eyes and allowed the sounds of the settling night and the coolness of the air to relax me. It was a few minutes of quiet before I heard my name being called down the street. I was surprised to see Alice, energetic and cheery, bound up the stairs onto the porch. She looked a little different, her pupils dilated and eyes wide. She spoke and I could smell a hint of alcohol on her breath. When she introduced the other two boys waiting for her, I was met with the gaze of the boy from last weekend.

Apparently, this was Alice's brother that was in the same grade as us, a junior. Edward. He looked just as hauntingly beautiful as I had seen him in the daylight. The sparse light threw dark shadows upon his face, and when he stepped closer I could see the crisp clarity of his eyes. I had started moving back towards the house, though, uncomfortable with all the attention. When he spoke to Alice, his voice was stronger, velvet and deep. He saved me the trouble of trying to keep up a conversation, and that was really sweet. Bidding him goodnight was strange for me, as he had looked at me with a softness that I had never seen before. I wanted to stay out in the brisk air and enjoy his company, but the familiar anxiety started to kick in and I had to go inside. I still felt the traces of his stare long after he had turned around and left.

I reached my room and stretched out across my bed. I lay there, trying to figure out when I'd call my mother. After leaving her and Phil, I knew that she'd want to talk to me and know how I was...adjusting. But I didn't want to give her the bleak details about how isolated I was. I decided to email her tomorrow; it was easier to fake happy over written word than it was in talking.

I could feel my eyelids drooping with exhaustion. I curled up a little in my bed and pulled the covers around me. Today felt very taxing for some reason, as if I had actually gone to school on a Friday like a normal student. I scoffed a little at the thought that I could be normal. Shutting off the light, I nestled myself deeper within the covers and succumbed myself to sleep's call.

A/N: Reviews would be great, please let me know what you guys think!