Chapter two: New Arrivals

The next morning my alarm clock woke me up. I quickly pulled back my covers and slipped out of bed, jogging quietly to the bathroom. After living with my sister for so many years I knew to get up a little earlier so that I could shower before school. Rosalie insisted she needed at least an hour in the bathroom to get ready every morning, before grabbing her bag and running out of the house. I intended to use my ten minutes before she took her claim. After I enjoyed the last relaxing minute in the shower I grabbed a towel, wrapping it around me, and headed back to my room to get dressed. When I walked downstairs into the kitchen, Rosalie was chewing on an apple as she rapidly texted someone on her phone. Charlie must have left for work already. I pulled a bowl out of the cupboard and prepared some cereal before I sat down opposite her. By her frustrated expression, I worried for the person on the other end of the conversation.

"Who has annoyed you now?" I asked with a small smile.

"Ugh, it's just Mark. He won't leave me alone!" She sighed.

"Well he is your boyfriend, doesn't he have some kind of right to talk to you every now and then?" I asked, taking some mouthfuls. She gave me a look as if to say I was not keeping up with her.

"I dumped him a couple days ago. Which means no, he now doesn't get the right to text me every goddamn minute."

"Oh? Why?" I asked, not really interested. This was probably the eleventh time in the last couple of years that she decided she had lost interest in.

She sighed, "I guess I just lost any interest I had in him.." see? I smiled to myself, "plus apparently there are a couple of new students coming today, maybe one of them is a hot guy." She smiled widely as she finished up her apple and tossed it. I sighed internally, life was never fair. Rosalie seriously had it all; the looks, the guys, a slightly above average academic record. I loved her completely, but sometimes it was hard living in her shadow. And as I found out last Friday, even her best friends Lauren and Leah didn't know we were sisters. It wasn't that I particularly wanted a boyfriend, or anything of the kind, it just got a little old after the sixth time I caught her in the act with some random.

"Rosalie Swan! I swear if you are not down here in three seconds I'm leaving with the only available car!" I yelled up the stairs with my bag on my back and my keys in my hand.

"Okay, okay I'm coming!" I huffed as I walked to the door.

"Three! Two! One-"

"Jeez Bella, I'm here, I'm ready. Let's go!" She ran down the stairs with her bag on her back and phone in hand. I let out a frustrated sigh as I walked outside and towards our joint 17th Birthday present, our red Chevy truck. While Rosalie hid her complete hate for it, I showed my appreciation. It was a car after all.

When we arrived at school I parked five spaces away from the building before I turned the ignition off and noticed Jazz a couple spaces closer, it reminded me. I turned to Rose.

"So what did you decide in the end?" I asked before getting out. She smiled at me, which caused me to worry.

"Don't worry, I took your advice, funnily enough." There should stood, with her hand half way in her bag, showing enough of the whoopee cushion for me to see. I smiled back at her.

"Good girl," I whispered just before she shoved it quickly in her bag and Jasper yanked me off the ground from behind and placed me behind him. He turned to face Rose.

"Rosalie, I'm here to make a truce. I'm really sorry about yesterday and I'm wondering if we can put it behind us." I could tell from his side profile he was smiling. I looked at her.

"Of course, what's done is done. Bella redid my hair and after having some time to cool off, well, I forgive you." She smiled sweetly before giving him a hug which Jazz returned. I shook my head, he'd never learn. She'd almost sounded convincing though, even to my ears. As we walked toward the school building, Rose whispered in my ear, "I have Maths with him first thing! I'll let you know at lunch how it goes." I smiled and nodded before walking to homeroom. My classes went by slowly, but they weren't too bad. On the homework side of things I only had to do ten quick questions for Human Biology and five for Maths. By the time it was lunch, I was actually excited to hear how Rose's plan turned out. When I entered the cafeteria I quickly spotted the two blonde heads that alerted me to their whereabouts. As I walked slowly towards the table I noticed a couple new additions to the group. Not only were Lauren and Leah, plus Jasper's friend Jon sitting with them, there were two other faces I didn't recognise. The girl seemed even shorter and smaller than me as I took in her short, black spiky hair and sweet smile. She was beautiful, but as I considered this I moved on to the other unfamiliar face and my god! If I'd just called the girl next to him beautiful, what the hell was I going to call him? I looked at his bronze hair which seemed to go in every direction, and his slim, pale figure in awe. How was it fair for someone to be so good looking? The truth was, it wasn't. I finally made my way over and looked at Rosalie. She seemed to be talking to the stranger, already flirting, so I turned to Jasper instead.

"Hey Bells! Here, come sit next to me." I smiled as I put my bag down and looked at who must be the new students, the girl smiled back at me. As I sat down, the loudest noise I'd heard all day erupted beneath me.

"BPPPFFRRT!!!" (A/N: I don't know how to spell a fart, sorry! Lol)

I could feel the heat in my cheeks a second before the laughter erupted. I was going to seriously kill Jasper, this time I would be the one considering pills and a shave stick. I looked up to see not only everyone at my table, but everyone in the entire cafeteria laughing their asses off. I almost wanted to cry at the embarrassment of it, but luckily I had enough strength to hold the tears back. The only one on the table, if not the room who wasn't laughing, was the new girl. Her expression was one of complete and utter shock. I quickly grabbed the whoopee cushion from underneath and smacked it in Jasper's face. I regrettably looked up to see the new guy still laughing along quietly with Rosalie and the rest. Life was so unfair.

"You know Jazz, I was able to persuade Rose from doing something much more permanent to you than the embarrassment of a public fart. But seeing as how you so gracefully handed the said embarrassment over to me, I don't think persuasion will be of any use to you. I'd sleep with one eye open tonight if I were you." I said to him. Suddenly, mixed in with the gasps from the others, I heard a laugh which resembled chime bells. I'd never been one to talk much in front of anyone besides Rose and Jazz at school, so that explained the gasps. When I noticed it was the new girl laughing, I turned to her.

"You must be Bella," she said, putting her hand forward for me to shake. I took it.

"Um…yes." I said.

She smiled, which almost made me faint, she was so beautiful. "Jasper told me a bit about you before he put that on your chair, I was so shocked because I didn't even notice. I'm Alice by the way." I smiled back at her before I looked at Rose. While she was trying to get the new guy's attention I noticed he was staring at me. I cleared my throat nervously.

"So R-Rose, did you use that on Jasper, or was it payback to me for some ungodly reason?" I asked. She turned to face me, seemingly a bit annoyed.

"Of course I used it on him," she said, "but then he asked if I would allow him to use it on you, and well…it was your idea." She smiled before returning your attention to the guy who was still staring. I snorted.

"Great okay, so you don't mind too much if I sneak some sleeping pills in your dinner tonight and shave your hair off?" I smiled sarcastically at her shocked and his amused, expressions before lifting myself off my chair and going to get a drink. I made it three steps before the new girl, Alice linked her hand in mine. To say I was surprised was an understatement, no girl has ever done that to me except for Rose. I didn't say anything, which must have made her feel like she needed to.

"You don't mind this do you?" she asked. "It's just, I have a feeling we're going to be good friends, and usually for some reason my feelings are always correct. Plus, I'd like to help you organise your come back on Jazz." I smiled at her. She had some spunk, I liked her already.

"Sure, it's fine. I just, I haven't really had a friend who's a girl…but it seems harmless enough," I said.

"Really? Wow. So…I don't mean to be pushy or anything…but are you and Jazz dating?" I smiled.

"Hell no," I answered, "he's just a friend of Rosalie's and mine." She looked confused.

"So, you're actually friend's with her? I thought you didn't.." I cut her off with a sigh.

"No, unfortunately that blonde, Barbie-like, sometimes psychotic, woman is my sister." I chuckled. Alice gasped as we bought our drinks.

"Seriously? You guys look nothing alike."

I sighed, "I know."

She quickly continued, "no I mean, not in that way. You're both beautiful, but she has blue eyes, and blonde hair while you have brown eyes and brown hair. I mean, not to say resemblance means anything…besides our paleness Edward and I don't look alike." Now I was confused.

"Edward?"

She smiled sweetly as we walked back to the table, "Sorry, Edward my brother…the monster over there," she said, pointing to the guy who resembled male models in magazines, still talking to Rose.

"Ah." Was my genius reply. By the end of lunch, I found out that Alice was also a junior, while Edward was a senior. I even realized that his smile was unbelievably more shocking than Alice's. It was so beautiful, my heart almost stopped beating at the sight of it. It was amazing that during the whole entire lunch break, I didn't get a chance to hear his voice. And as Alice and I walked to our Art class, I found myself fantasizing of ways in which I would hear him speak to me.