Hey, wazzup? Yeah, this story is sorta rushed but I wanna go watch my favorite show Supernatural. I'm forcing my mom to see it :) Hope you like this chapter, I don't

I walked slowly down the aisles of the grocery store, searching for what I needed to cook dinner. I wasn't into fancy meals but frozen dinners weren't really my thing. I decided that I would just make a simple spaghetti mix with some homemade garlic bread. Charlie liked his with cheese melted on top so my next stop was the dairy isle.

I moved my cart over but it was a bit stubborn. Of course it was just my luck I get the frumpy cart with a stubbed wheel. It made a screech as it resisted motion. Finally I got it down the next isle and got some cheddar and a few other items before making my way to the register. The only shortcut I could see to the checkout was down the aisle that had feminine products and condoms. I felt abashed being seen down there. Luckily, no one was there except a small girl who was looking at some tampons. I tried to make little noise and I shifted my cart and began to stroll down the aisle. When I got about half way my cart got caught on one of those sales bins that they place in isles that have a bunch of junk in it. This one was overflowing and when I tried to get loose, its contents spilled into my cart. I sighed and got loose, making lots of noise as I did. My next step was to get the junk out of my cart. I walked around and blushed when I saw what it was.

Flavored condoms. Fantastic.

"Hot date?" I heard a girlie voice asked. I looked up to see the small girl leaning against the tampon section smiling at me. She was pretty short definitely shorter than me and that's saying a lot. She had black hair that made it about an inch under her ears and it stuck out in every direction. A petite face went with her petite body and her blue eyes glittered with her amusement.

I looked back at the box in my hand and blushed at the situation. I quickly threw the box back into the sales bin.

"I-I…no!" I was about to explain when she shook her head and laughed.

"No need to explain, I saw what happened," she walked over to where I was and started to help me pull out all the condom boxes that fell in. Which was a lot. Apparently nobody liked lasagna flavored condoms.

"Thanks, of course trying to stay low in this isle doesn't work with my luck," I laughed a bit. She smiled at me again.

"I noticed. I'm Alice by the way. Alice Cullen," she held out her hand. I smiled and reached out my own hand to grab hers.

"Bella Swan," I said. As soon as she heard my name a glint came to her eye and her smile held something. Like any moment she would spill something.

Then it clicked.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to an Edward Cullen would you?" I asked. She threw her head back and laughed.

"Unfortunately," she smiled. Her smile was shockingly entrancing. Of course she was related to Edward, she was remarkably beautiful.

"He's my step brother," Alice rolled her eyes and I chuckled a bit.

"I'm sorry. So do you go to the high school? I honestly have never seen you before," I said.

Alice nodded, "You wouldn't have. I'm in college. I'm three years older than him," she explained. And I had just moved here last year so of course I didn't know her when she was in her senior year. That made sense.

"Ah, okay." I said. I thought there would be an awkward silence after that. I had nothing to say, but apparently she did.

"Can I have your phone number?" She said. I looked at her. That was an extremely random question.

"Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a creeper, I just think you're pretty cool. Most girls are skanks around here and I'm home for a month or so. I was hoping we could get to know each other. All my friends are back in Nebraska where I go to school," she explained. When she spoke she didn't look nervous at all. I admired her confidence and wished I had the same.

"Yeah, that'd be great. You are absolutely right about the skanks," I said as I got out my phone. She got out hers. We switched and as we programmed our numbers into the phone I asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you going to college for? What's you major." Alice looked up and grinned.

"Clothing Design. I love clothing and anything to do with shopping. I was completely shocked when they had a major in fashion. Ask Edward, I wouldn't stop jumping on my bed for about a week when I found out. I don't think I slept," she giggled and put a finger to her chin in thought. I laughed with her. That's when I noticed what she was wearing.

"Did you design what you are wearing? I've never seen anything like it," I said. She nodded and grinned broadly.

"Do you like it?"

"Very much. You do have a fashion sense," I said.

"You're not much into clothing are you," she chuckled.

"Not really," I replied.

"I could tell, un-interest was in your eyes," we swapped our phones back and I put mine in my pocket.

"I better get going. I'm kinda hungry and dinner's soon. You should come over sometime," She said.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said. I tried not to show my disgust.

"Why not?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Well Edward will be there most likely and we don't exactly get along," I said. Her confused look turned to one of amusement.

"Silly Bella, you're not there for him. You're there for me. Besides, you guys have almost every class together," she said nonchalantly.

"How do you know we have almost all the same classes?" I asked her. This was a bit peculiar. I had just met her and there was no way Edward would be talking about me. Of course he could be bad talking. That would make sense; Edward talking about me behind my back. That would be something he would do. It hurt thinking he would do that. No matter how much of a gentleman he was, I'm sure he wouldn't have any problem stooping that low, making an exception for me.

"Oh, um, I gotta go like…now. Talk to you later Bella," She raced out. She was hiding something but I wasn't going to harass her for it. I was pretty sure it was from Edward that she heard about me. There was no one else she could talk to…I think.

I finished my shopping a while later and was on my way home. I made it home within 10 minutes and made a beeline towards the kitchen. I had wasted more time than I thought talking to Alice. The whole thing only gave me about 45 minutes before my dad got home. It wasn't a bad thing though; I still had plenty of time. I started cooking and got into a groove. I liked to cook and I soon got lost in thoughts. I sang a song in my head then tried to find out what the meaning of the words could be. I was in a pretty good mood when the phone rang. I jumped so high in the air, accidentally dropping the garlic bread as I did.

"Shit," I mumbled as I picked up the bread, sat it on the counter and went to grab the phone. I really wish we had caller ID. If this was another telemarketer I was going to boycott answering the stupid phone. We got about nine pointless calls daily.

"Hello," I said politely into the phone.

"Bella," Jessica's voice greeted me.

"Jessica? What's up," I asked. She never called me. I wondered what this was about.

"Hey Bella. Um, I wanted to talk to you. It's kinda serious," she sounded really quiet. Like she had regret in her voice.

"Sure…do you want to do it over the phone though?" I asked.

"I think it would be better. I don't know if I could say this if I was facing you," She said. I nodded.

"Okay, what's wrong?" I could hear her take a deep breath on the other line. Why would she be so nervous?

"You know earlier, when I said to you I had been thinking about something?" I didn't but I would humor her.

"Uh yeah?"

"Well…" she hesitated, "I've been thinking about this whole thing with Edward, and wondering why he still wasn't going after me. You know he is into me….I just couldn't understand. Then my first realization was you and him are always fighting. You guys don't like each other at all. I knew this was affecting our relationship in some way," dread filled me. I knew where she was heading with this, "My second realization was how to fix it. Believe me Bella when I say I wish I could do this a different way. My point is I don't think we should be friends." She exhaled into the phone but I don't think she knew she did it so loud.

"What do you mean Jessica?"

"It's just that...Bella, Edward probably won't go out with me because you and I are friends. If I cut the ties between us, he'll go for me," she explained.

"You think I'm the problem?" I asked incredulously. I didn't think Jessica would stoop this low, but I had been wrong about her before.

"No Bella, you're not a problem at all," she tried to make it seem like what was happening was okay.

"Then what am I?" I shot. She was silent.

"That's what I thought," I said. I rubbed my forehead roughly. I must be pretty pathetic for the only friend I have to leave me for some guy.

"No Bella. We'll try this just as an experience. We can still be friends on the side where no one knows," she said softly, trying to ease my anger.

"Whatever Jessica, you are not who I thought you were apparently," I said as calm as I could and hung up the phone before she could respond.

I went to my kitchen table and sat down, placing my head in my hands. I was a little more hurt than I thought I would be. This is what I wanted; Jessica to be gone. I wanted her swept away by Edward Cullen and leave me, waving at her and her happily ever after giving me my own peace. I was wrong though. I did get irritated at her but at least there was someone there. I didn't have any other friends so what was I supposed to do now? Was I a loner? Was there no one like me?

After that phone call I had mixed feelings. Jessica was nice enough. But she had turned into one of them; the whorish skanks who blindly chased after Edward Cullen, just knowing he wanted them. I was pretty sure she would in the long run anyway, but the way she spoke to me, like I was a child, just got me angry.

I was a loner now though. The only way I could fit in was to wear skimpy clothing and change my face and personality. Learn how to be stupid. I didn't know if I could do that though. I didn't want to.

Oh well, I thought to myself, I shouldn't want her back anyway. She's not what a true friend should be.

My thinking was cut off when the time of my oven was done, telling me dinner was ready. The police cruiser pulled into the driveway as my chief of police father made it just in time.

The next day was awkward like it had been. The most awkward part was Jessica didn't speak to me at all during the whole day. I saw her and her new group of friends, they stared at me a lot. I didn't like it. I felt like an outsider.

Edward stared at me too. Again. And again. I was really getting tired of it. If Cullen wanted to say something, he should go ahead and say it. He should have known by then that I didn't care what he said to my face.

In English we were supposed to talk about our projects for 15 minutes before we did other things. I just doodled on my paper. Jessica and Edward spoke about random things. That hurt also because it made me think; If Edward was talking to Jessica again, that must mean I was the problem. I had never hated the two of them as much as I did right then. When the bell rang I got up as quick as I could and raced towards lunch.

I got my crappy school food quickly and went to an empty table. And after I sat down, it remained empty. Jessica and her new pack of friends stared at me for a bit across the room as I ate an apple slowly. Edward was with his friends at the table next to her, just having a blast. I looked down. That's when I decided I would go to Miss Gilesbee's room. She would know what to do. I went to stand up and throw my almost untouched lunch when a large shadow overcastted my body. I looked up, and was shocked at who I saw.

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