Disclaimer: Twilight is... Not Mine (cries)

Hi, I wanted to apologize for the random disappearance. I got really busy with exams and just totally ignored this story. I also wanted to say thanks for the reviews mikenewtonisabadass. You're really kind, and I think I am really lucky that your review was a nice one. A lot of people get really harsh criticism and I was afraid.

Anyways, yeah. This chapter is a longer than the other ones. I know it's annoying that nothing has happened yet, but things WILL. I'm determined to move things along, and things will pick up. I promise.

HEY- At least other people are in this chapter! P

Once again, thanks for reading this story! Feel free to review it and give me advice for... anything. I really do appreciate it.

I heard a dull ringing sound and groaned loudly. My clock read 6:00 A.M. and I stumbled out of bed, wincing slightly. My legs were very sore from the run with Jake yesterday.

I got ready for school and was at the front door with my keys by 6:30 A.M. when I noticed a tired looking Charlie sitting in the kitchen reading the morning paper.

He looked up from the sports page looking confusedly at me.

"Bella… you're going already? What about breakfast?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd head out now. I don't think I'll be eating breakfast today."

"Doesn't school start a whole hour later? What's the rush?"

I could tell that he was suspicious of my hasty departure, so I decided to make up a quick story that would please him.

"I like to be early, and besides, there's some new construction going on and it might take a while to find a good parking spot. I don't want to get Mr. Donovan angry with me."

He seemed to buy my excuse. Charlie wasn't aware of the fact I had been leaving home earlier to drive Jacob to school for the past few weeks. He liked Jake, but was still skeptical of his younger age.

"Fine, but here," he walked over and handed me a packaged muffin, "I still want you to eat something. Breakfast is important, or so they say…"

I rolled my eyes and smiled at Charlie's occasional showing of affection.

"Thanks, Dad."

I was out of the door and in my red Chevrolet truck and I started up the car. I looked at the plastic packaging in my hand and sighed. Charlie didn't realize that I hated banana nut muffins. I knew that Jake would gladly eat my muffin and put it in the seat next to me.

I parked outside of Jacob's house when the front door opened and I could see Jake running outside to my car.

"Hey, Bella." He smiled at me when he saw the small gift in his seat.

"Get in, Jake. I didn't know you were going to be so happy just from a small muffin." I laughed.

He got in the car and shut the door.

"A growing boy's gotta eat!"

"Okay, okay kid." I emphasized the word kid because I knew he always got huffy when I reminded him that I was older than him.

"Bells, I'm not a kid. I already look like I'm a senior… in college!"

I laughed at Jake's defensive argument.

"Fine. I'll admit that you aren't a little kid anymore. And maybe you look like a freshman in college. Alright, I'll give you that."

Jacob had a grin on his face.

"Okay grandpa, put on your seatbelt. Mr. Donovan is going to freak out if I'm late."

I've used Mr. Donovan's literature class as an excuse twice this morning for going to school early, but I wasn't about to tell Jake or Charlie that the real reason I wanted to be on time was to see Edward Cullen.

When Jacob and I arrived to Silver High School, there were already a lot of people in the hallways.

"Isabella Swan…"

I heard my name being called, but my mind was elsewhere. Actually, I found my thoughts wandering around a lot lately. We were walking to my literature classroom when I blanked out. It's a surprise that I hadn't walked into another student yet, especially with my lack of coordination.

"Bella! Hello?"

I quickly turned my head toward the direction of the slightly irritated voice. I looked at his face and searched for signs of annoyance in his big brown eyes, concerned that he was really upset with me. The corners of his lips turned up slightly, amused.

"Bella, what's up? I know that you're prone to being a little out of it, but this is a bit weird," he said.

I could tell that he wasn't angry at me, but I knew that I'd have to give a good reason as to why I had been ignoring him for the past few minutes. His smile told me that he was still in a good mood from this morning, so I knew that he would drop the subject quickly.

"Nothing! I was just thinking about something and then I spaced out a bit."

"Should I be concerned that your mind is filled with thoughts other than me?" he asked, as he teasingly nudged me with his elbow.

His tone was joking, but his eyes expressed a slight worry that I really was losing interest in him.

"Jake, you worry too much. How do you know that I wasn't thinking about you?" I replied, with a small grin. I was trying to convince Jake not to worry, but I knew that there was good reason for his concern.

My steps slowed down when we reached the classroom door. I waited for Jacob to leave for his pre-calculus class. Standing opposite us was Edward Cullen, leaning on the lockers. His lips were moving quickly, while he was speaking to his sister, Alice.

I knew that Jacob was still standing next to me, but my eyes were still on Edward Cullen. I had been staring at him for a bit when I heard a high pitched sound breaking my intense staring session.

"...Isabella Swan, right?" the high voice asked again.

Jacob tapped my shoulder and told me "Bells, Alice Cullen is calling you… I didn't know you guys were friends."

I looked at him, confused. "I didn't know either. Maybe she wants to ask me something about Calculus."

I started to walk over to the two pale and beautiful people standing across from me when I saw Edward Cullen looking at me with a smile on his face, like he was in on some sort of joke. It suddenly occurred to me that he probably caught me looking at him. I could feel a rush of blood on my cheeks as I blushed.

At that moment, the corners of Edward's lips curved downwards into an angry grimace. He shot me a pained look.

As I walked closer, I could hear him say through his gritted teeth "I can't handle it Alice. She's too… I'm sorry." With that, he took off in a quick blur away from me and towards the other side of the school.

I had no idea what had just happened. I didn't want to believe that he was talking about me, but I felt my heart sink. I tried not to let any tears form in my eyes when I saw a pair of kind topaz eyes looking at me.

Alice smiled at me apologetically, and I remembered that I had no idea why I was standing in front of this short pixie-like girl.

As if on cue, Alice suddenly spoke up "You're Isabella Swan, right?"

"Yeah, I am. You can call be Bella, though," I replied.

"We're in Calculus together. You seem really nice, I was wondering if you wanted to eat lunch with me later. Lunch gets pretty dull without Jasper here. Wait. Do you know who Jasper is?"

I nodded. The Cullens and the Hales were not very forgettable. Jasper Hale was Alice's boyfriend. He was gone for college, but I didn't remember exactly where he was attending.

"Jasper's at Cornell now, and I hope you understand why I would be so bored with just Edward around. You could help me out in Calculus, if you wish."

I was surprised to hear that Alice wanted my help in math, because from what I could observe in class, she was doing extremely well. She always answered correctly and aced her tests. Still, I knew that Jacob and Angela's lunch periods were different from mine today, so I accepted her offer by nodding slowly… again.

Alice let out a small giggle and looked at me.

"Let's stay in school for lunch. The rain is going to be a pain for you to drive in."

I just nodded my head like an idiot. I was aware that the sky outside hadn't held a single cloud from when I was driving, but I didn't question her. Her comment sounded vaguely familiar.

She still looked at me with a smile, but seemed a bit confused at my silence.

"Okay, Bella. I guess I'll catch you later then. See you!" she waved goodbye and walked in the direction of the athletic wing.

When she was already halfway down the hall, the words "Bye, Alice" slipped out of my mouth.

I knew that she was already too far away to have heard me, but I could have sworn that I saw Alice's shoulders shaking from a small chuckle at my late response. Strange...

I turned around and saw Jake looking at me with a very confused expression on his face. I stumbled over to him, expecting a bunch of questions. Not many people speak with the Cullens, and I knew that it was a rare occasion when one of them calls you over.

Before Jacob could even ask, I told him about what Alice asked me.

"Alice wants me to eat lunch with her today. Weird, huh?" I asked.

Jacob nodded, "Yeah… I wonder why. Did Edward Cullen want something also?"

I could see Jacob's eyes narrowing when he said Edward's name, and I felt my own sadness in my voice when I answered "No, he didn't. He left before I got over there."

Suddenly, the warning bell sounded in the hall and I saw Jacob getting ready to leave for his class. He looked at me and hesitated. I could tell that he wasn't sure if he could kiss me goodbye. I quickly hugged him instead.

"I will see you later in gym, Jacob Black. You should be afraid, because I'm going to beat you in today's race" I teased as I let go of his burning body and grabbed for the door.

Jacob let out a deep laugh and said "Bye. You are so funny like that, that's why I love you, Bella."

I love you.

I didn't know when I'd be able to repeat the words back to Jacob. I waved back at him and walked into class, with the phrase engraved in my mind. I felt guilty, but I had to admit that I liked hearing those words. The only problem was that they had come from the wrong person's lips.

Thanks again for reading! Lol. I think I'll be updating a lot more because it is summer. I hope you enjoy the story.