Chapter Notes: This chapter was so much fun to write, which is why I am updating again already. Plus, leaving chapter one makes me feel like Jacob is winning, and I hate that feeling. Please continue to keep in mind this is my very first fanfic; I am in virgin territory, so don't throw things at me.

CHAPTER TWO: First Day

The morning I was to officially become a high school senior, I woke up late to a typical Forks overcast sky, silently regretting staying out until nearly midnight with Jacob the night before. Four months had passed since our fateful kiss the day of his sixteenth birthday. My concerns about our relationship falling apart were unfounded; instead, I was more immersed with Jacob Black than ever. I was in love with him, although it felt differently than I thought it would. It had come slowly, not the overwhelming struck-by-lightening sensation I had always thought love would be. Instead, my feelings for Jake were solid and blissfully constant. I trusted him completely.

He begged me to stay out even later last night, but I explained that Charlie would worry, even though I was the one who was really concerned. How would I ever concentrate on schoolwork with Jake pulling me out of my comfort zone, convincing me to swim in the dark waters around the reservation and stay out until the middle of the night? Being with him was all I did the entire summer; I even gave up my plans for a summer job to avoid interrupting my time with him. And it was worth it. I felt proud of myself, a bookworm who enjoys more than her healthy dose of solitude, for not bristling under the constant companionship of someone else. Then again, Jake wasn't just anyone.

Sighing, I pulled off the covers and rushed into the bathroom in an attempt to minimize the dark circles that were no doubt forming under my eyes. The mirror confirmed that I looked exhausted, but even though it was the first day of school, I wasn't worried about impressing anyone. On the plus side, I had spent most of the summer outdoors and had the faintest hint of a tan, which was a miracle for anyone in Forks, let alone a near-albino like me.

Minutes later, I bounded out the door and quickly climbed into my ancient truck, nearly tripping over the doorjamb. As I approached the high school, I couldn't help but wish Jake were with me and not at his own school in La Push. He was the only person I felt any connection to, the only person able to scratch under the surface to see who I really was. With the return of the school year, I now had to spend my days in emotional solitude.

My truck turned into the parking lot, passing a shiny silver Volvo that shamed every other vehicle in sight. I'd heard Lauren, my least favorite acquaintance, had done some modeling over the summer and wondered if she acquired it with her earnings. Still, she wasn't that attractive. Nonetheless, I parked as far away as possible.

"Bella!" Mike Newton's voice shot in my direction from across the parking lot. "Wait up!"

He was out of breath as he reached my side. I had avoided him, and pretty much anything that didn't involve Jacob, for most of the summer, but from the look in his eyes, he still enjoyed my company a bit too much. Apparently, since I was the only person at Forks High School who hadn't witnessed him wet his pants in the fourth grade, I registered high on his radar. "How was your summer, Mike?"

"Oh, you know, good. I played a lot of ball with Tyler and Ben, worked in my dad's store. The usual. What did you do? I hardly saw you." His tone was accusing.

"I spent a lot of time in La Push, on the Quileute reservation." Thinking that I might as well curb Mike's affections as early in the school year as possible, I added, "I'm actually dating Jacob Black now."

"Oh." Predictably, Mike's face fell. "I remember him. Isn't he, like, a freshman?" Typical Mike.

"A sophomore, actually. Anyway, he's really mature for his age." I wouldn't necessarily categorize Jake as mature, or immature for that matter, but it made more sense to say that than explain that Jake was the ying to my yang. "So, whose Volvo is that? It's so new, it even shines in Forks, the land without sun."

My attempt at humor fell flat, as Mike was still brooding. "Oh, some new kid's. There's a new doctor at the hospital, and I guess he likes to help out 'troubled youth' or whatever. He has, like, a half dozen teenage foster kids. I think some of them are starting today."

I vaguely recalled Charlie saying something similar during dinner a month or so ago. "Still, new blood. That's always good, right?" Hopefully, Mike would take the hint and develop an intense infatuation on one of the troubled youths.

As we walked into the school, he glanced over my shoulder at the unmemorized class schedule I held in my hand. "Looks like I'll see you at lunch," he mumbled, heading towards his locker.

"See ya, Mike." I looked down at my schedule to double check my first class of the day and headed to Spanish.

Distracted in my hopes for a seat near the back of the classroom, I nearly jumped out of my skin as I pushed open the door and collided with a tiny but rigid figure. She stood nearly half a foot shorter than my five feet four inches, and her skin was like snow.

"Pardon me," she murmured, her voice detached yet melodic.

My mouth mumbled something along the lines of "my fault." I felt hideous just by being in the same room as her; her face and the way she carried herself were supernaturally faultless. She sat herself gracefully in a chair near the front corner of the classroom. My hopes for discovering a new target for Mike's affections would have lifted had this stranger, presumably one of the new doctor's foster children, not been so standoffish. I knew I was not alone in my observation because as the classroom filled, the two seats bordering the beautiful new student remained empty. This was quite the contrast to my uncomfortable first day at Forks where my new classmates fawned over me, a rare new addition to the sophomore class. Then again, I was plain and decidedly unintimidating, the opposite of the beautiful but distant pixie seated near the door.

Mrs. Goff appeared at the head of the class. Gesturing to the isolated desk in the front corner, she began, "Class, we have a new student with us this year. Why don't we let her introduce herself?" It was odd to hear her speak in English; usually she showed off her mastery of the Spanish language by submitting everyone to the routine torture of her "No English" rule.

The girl's smile did not reach her eyes. "Hello. I am Alice Cullen. My family just moved here from Alaska. I'm very pleased to be here." Her short speech sounded rehearsed. I wondered how many first days she'd suffered through.

Spanish was as insufferable as ever, but most of us spent our time ignoring Mrs. Goff's review of conjugating verbs in the predicate to stare at the back of Alice Cullen's head. Not once did she turn to look anywhere beyond the chalkboard directly in front of her. When class ended, she was the first to rise from her seat. Had anyone been brave enough to approach her, her speed in exiting the room would have made it an impossibility.

The rest of my morning passed without incident. I had yet to see any of the other new student (apparently Alice had a brother of the same age), but I heard plenty about him; unsurprisingly, he and Alice were the talk of the school. By the end of fourth period, my classmates' whispers indicated a consensus that the Cullens were extremely attractive and more than just a little stuck up. Regardless, I was thrilled that after two years, I was no longer the new kid in town. As the bell rang for lunch, I met up with Angela, my only true friend in Forks, in the hall.

"So, what do you think of them?" I asked, as we made our way to the cafeteria. I felt like such a lemming, but I had no choice. My other option was to discuss my summer, which meant talking about Jake. Although Angela was tactful, I had little desire to get into my newfound love life anywhere my gossip-hungry classmates could overhear.

"The Cullens, you mean? I had the boy in my Calculus class this morning. He's gorgeous. I've never seen anyone that good looking in person." She blushed a bit as she spoke. "Not much of a talker though. Jessica tried to approach him, and this guy, I think his name was Edward, totally brushed her off. He just turned the opposite direction and didn't say a word to her. Poor Jess. I mean, guys usually like Jessica, don't they?" Leave it to Angela to sympathize with Jessica, the biggest gossip in Forks. Then again, Angela was always the one to avoid the name-calling and back stabbing that seemed even so prevalent in small towns. "Anyway, maybe he's just shy." By her tone, I could tell even she didn't believe her words.

The cafeteria doors swung open before us. It was then that I saw them. Seated alone at a table were Alice and a boy whose back was to me. Even from behind, I could see that he was likely as breathtakingly beautiful as his sister. Both had the posture of supermodels. To call them supermodels wasn't even accurate; they were so perfect, so poised that they were beyond human. The boy leaned back against his seat, his hands clasped haphazardly behind his head. Even from a seated position, I could tell he was tall. And his hair… it was the most remarkable shade of bronze I'd ever seen. Neither spoke to the other, and despite her disinterest with her surroundings, an attribute that her brother's body language suggested he shared, Alice Cullen still appeared as if she sprung to life directly out of a fairytale. But the boy—I couldn't even see his face, yet I found myself memorizing the slight movement of his upper body as he breathed.

"Bella," I heard Angela whisper gently at my side, "you're staring. Come on, let's get something to eat."

We made our way through the line and sat at our usual table, joined by the ever-persistent Mike, taking the seat directly next to mine, as well as Jessica, Lauren, her ex-boyfriend Tyler, Connor, and Ben. For once, I was eager to listen in on Jessica's latest news.

"So, my mom works at the hospital with Dr. Cullen. We ran into him with wife and kids over the weekend in Port Angeles, so we went up and said hello. They hardly said anything to us at all." She scoffed. "All I found out is that the three oldest ones are headed to Dartmouth this week to start school. I guess they moved from Alaska, where all the kids went to some gifted school. I heard Ms. Cope tell the nurse that they're all geniuses or something. I personally don't think they look all that smart, but whatever--"

At that moment, Alice Cullen lifted her head to look at Jessica from across the room, her dark eyes suggesting the slightest hint of disdain. Tyler laughed. "You better be careful, Jess, she's tiny, but I don't think you could take her."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "It's not like she can hear us all the way over here, idiot. She's probably just a total bitch to everyone."

I failed miserably to stifle a laugh. If Lauren had any self-awareness, she'd recognize the irony in her statement. As the smile faded from my lips, I realized that although my reaction had escaped notice from those at my table, someone else seemed to find interest in my expression. Although he was yards away, it was as if the bronze-haired boy had captured everything, from my inappropriate muffled laugh to the subtext that caused it. He was staring at me intently, his expression unreadable.

For a split second, I could not look away, for it was at that moment I first saw his face. His sister had seemed flawless, but she didn't hold a candle to him. His eyes were impossibly dark, his skin pale like hers, but his features were so stunning that I had the inexplicable desire to reach out and touch them. His eyes pierced mine, and I felt my skin flame as the blood rushed to my face. Immediately, my eyes shifted to the floor. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I usually don't like to be the center of attention, but now I felt as if I could pass out simply from the stare of a single person. Under my eyelashes, I snuck another peek, praying that he wasn't still looking at me. He was. My face must have turned positively purple; it was burning up.

"God, Bella, are you OK?" Leave it to Mike to notice my change in body temperature.

I made my best attempt to shrug off his attention. "Oh, yeah, I just choked a bit on my sandwich. I'm okay now." Though my lies were always transparent, no one here ever noticed; they just thought I was weird.

"Do you want me to get you some water?"

"No, Mike, I'm fine." I held my breath as I glanced back at the Cullens. Thankfully, both stared off in different directions, neither of which was mine.

Jessica continued to ramble on about her discoveries, so I leaned in intently. In barely a whisper, I asked, "What do you know about the boy?" It made no sense to muffle my voice, as there was no chance he could hear me, but I was too shaken to risk any further embarrassment. Still, my face flushed again as I spoke of him.

Jessica sighed. "His name is Edward." She spoke his name as if it were a dirty word. "He seems like a total jerk. That's probably why he's the only one of them that's alone. Not that the rest of them seem any nicer."

"Alone? What do you mean?" I'm sure I missed something in her report while I was trying to avoid passing out from the weight of his stare.

"Geesh, Bella. Weren't you listening? I was just telling everyone the weirdest part about them. Two of the older ones, this blond girl and this really big, tall guy are a couple. Even though they live together." She paused for dramatic effect. "And so are the other girl," she pointed to Alice, "and one of the other ones I met on Saturday. I saw them holding hands when they walked down the street."

I didn't know how to react. "Um, so none of them are really related?"

Apparently, my voice didn't register the shock Jessica had hoped for. Disappointed, she answered, "Well, two of the college-age ones are twins, but the rest of them aren't really brothers and sisters at all."

I shifted in my seat. "But it's cool that their parents took them all in, I guess."

Lauren shook her head, eager to disagree. "Yeah, but have you seen the house they bought? Over by the river? The parents are totally loaded. It's easy to be nice when you have everything."

"Well, in that case, Lauren, you must have nothing at all." It slipped out before the thought even completed its run through my mind. My hand went to my mouth. Awed at myself and feeling terrible, I quickly attempted damage control. "I am so sorry, Lauren. I don't know what's wrong with me today." I meant it. Even though Lauren had made my first two years in Forks hell whenever she and I were in the same room, I rarely thought such cruel things about anyone, even her. I had a sneaking suspicion that Jacob's habit of blurting out the first thing that came to his mind was contagious.

Lauren gathered the remainder of her lunch and stood. Before she spoke, her face made it clear my apology held no weight as far as she was concerned. "Well, Bella, maybe you should start sitting with the Cullens. You deserve each other." With that, she turned in a huff. My eyes followed as she marched out of the cafeteria, her newly short blond hair bouncing with each step.

"I am such an idiot," I said aloud. Yet, everyone at the table, especially Tyler, found my confrontation with Lauren highly amusing. I made a final attempt to silence them. "Stop laughing! That was an awful thing to say!"

They continued to giggle and talk amongst themselves as I returned to my inner turmoil. What was I doing? Why would I even defend them? I don't even know the Cullens.

At that moment, the bell rang, and I lifted my face from out of my hands. As I rose, my gift for disaster reared its ugly head. My leg hit the table, sending my open can of Coke pouring into my lap. "Great. Karma," I said as I attempted to dry myself off with the single napkin that remained on the table.

"Do you want me to save you a seat in English?" Angela asked sympathetically. "You should probably run to the bathroom and put some water on that."

I looked over to see Ben, the object of Angela's monstrous yet secret crush, waiting for her a few feet away. I shook my head, answering her in a low voice. "Is Ben in that class?" Her lips twitched as she made a meager attempt to suppress her enthusiasm. "You should really sit with him, Angela, just the two of you. I'll be fine."

Before she could argue with me, I shooed her away and headed toward to bathroom. As I was about to round the corner, my heart began to slam against my ribcage. Against my better judgment, I turned to see Edward Cullen down the hallway at his locker, his indecipherable black eyes focused on me. My face reddened yet again as I scurried into the bathroom.

Chapter End Notes: (1)Keep in mind that Bella's schedule is different than in New Moon and Eclipse because Edward wasn't around to ensure they had classes together. (2) I searched high and low for the name of Bella's Spanish teacher, but I couldn't find it. If he/she does have a name, let me know and I'll fix it (UPDATE: Pursuant to SM's draft of Midnight Sun, I now know Mrs. Goff teaches Spanish at Forks high and have made changes accordingly). (3) I know the whole staring across the cafeteria thing isn't very original, but it was the only way that really made sense for them to first see each other without him wanting to drink her blood, so I stuck with it. I'll try to avoid the formula from Twilight as much as I can, but sometimes fate just intends certain things to happen regardless. As always, thanks for reading!