Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters etc, and I wish Stephenie Meyer didn't own them either.

Chapter Two – She Acts Out

As Bella's eyes fluttered open, she felt strangely exposed. A familiar tingle ran over her skin as she rapidly tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes. The sudden feeling of self-consciousness could only mean one thing…she was being watched.

Sitting bolt upright, she clutched the covers to her chest.

"Damnit, Alice!" she shouted over the peals of laughter coming from the foot of the bed. "What the hell? I told you not to sneak up on me when I'm sleeping!"

"I brought the skirt," Alice replied simply, gesturing to the explosion of color heaped on Bella's antique rocking chair.

"Super," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm not wearing it."

"What if – "

"Absolutely not. As I told you last night, I would rather spend three weeks on a desert island with Rosalie Hale than trot around like a fucking peacock," she snapped.

"God, you're so grumpy," Alice pouted, crossing her arms across her chest as she threw herself down onto the bed. "A total killjoy. I have to hate you now for the next…twenty minutes at least."

"Perfect." Bella grinned. "That's just enough time for me to get dressed without having to feel like I should listen to you because you love me and have my best interests at heart."

"Yeah, I just hate you more now."

Bella stuck out her tongue as she ducked into her closet, grabbing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a cardigan before running down the hall to her bathroom. After pulling her hair up into a lopsided bun, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and put on deodorant. She buttoned her jeans as she walked down the hallway, heading toward her dresser for socks and lip gloss.

"Bella!" Alice whined. "I offer you a gorgeous, one of a kind creation and you want to show up to meet the new boy in that?"

"It's the same thing I wear every day. And anyway, I don't care about meeting the new boy. He's a total ass."

"You don't even know him!"

"He has to be," Bella pointed out as she applied the gloss to her lips with a tiny pop at the end. "He's also a reckless driver."

"So's Jazz."

"That's different. Jasper…" Bella trailed off, catching herself just in time. "Jasper knows these roads so it isn't reckless."

Alice's sapphire eyes stared her down, eyebrows raised thoughtfully. "That isn't what you were going to say."

"Yes it is. We're going to be late. If we don't leave now you'll lose out on the table."

"Fine," Alice said, and her concession sent relief flooding through Bella.

She jumped up from the bed, and Bella noticed for the first time the weathered black leather jacket, pink bejeweled tee, and feather coated skirt over teal tights her friend had selected for herself. The magenta of the plumage made her look like a tiny, stilted flamingo. Not that Bella would ever tell her that.

"Stop judging," Alice scolded, wagging a finger. "I don't get all high and mighty with you when you dress in the same boring thing every day."

"Yes you do," Bella laughed as the two girls headed down the stairs.

They each kissed one of Charlie's cheeks when they reached the bottom. Bella slid on her moccasins while Alice stepped into glitter encrusted ballet flats. With a hasty goodbye, they headed out the front door and toward Alice's tank.

The ancient, hunter green BMW was a product of her parent's original wealth. When they'd spurned their future inheritances and run away with their trust funds to be artists, this was the car they had fled in. The interior was well worn, and the lingering smell of clove cigarettes and, as Alice liked to joke, assorted other herbs, permeated the air. Red Bull cans littered the floor, and Bella had to kick them out of the way to make room for her feet and her bag. Still, piece of junk though it might have been, it was a piece of junk made by German engineers, placing Alice's ride on a level above most of the other kids'.

As usual, the drive to school was loud. Between the pulsing of the bass, the slight screeching noise as the worn wipers scraped across the windshield, and the full on shout of Alice's one woman sing-a-long, it was a miracle Bella's eardrums didn't explode. Thankfully, the trip was short and, two excruciating renditions of Paramore songs later, they were pulling into the parking lot of Forks High.

With a turn of the key, the deafening noise ceased its assault and Bella breathed a sigh of relief. Surprisingly few students were present, and Bella glanced around at all of the empty spots in shock.

Alice followed her gaze and smiled knowingly. "Not just anyone can have the inside scoop. Rosalie doesn't even know about him yet. This is going to be awesome."

Bella couldn't help but agree. The only thing more exciting than a new student was watching the rest of the student body freak out. The population of Forks hadn't seen a new face since Alice. Then there was the fact that the new specimen was a male with oodles of money. Desperate harpies like Jessica and Lauren were going to absolutely shit themselves in excitement.

Her step faltered as her eyes landed on the lone picnic table on the lone patch of grass at the school's entrance. Stretched out across the table lay Jasper, his blonde hair dulled to silver by the gray clouds hovering above. His familiar bomber was partially unzipped, revealing a bright white undershirt stretched tight over his broad chest. She felt her face begin to flame and automatically tucked her chin to her chest, hoping to avoid the mocking of his steel gaze.

Alice chattered happily beside her, but the buoyancy of the morning was long gone for Bella. She sat down on the picnic table with a thump, pointedly ignoring the sight of the cuddling that was commencing. Her stomach was starting to twist into knots, but it wasn't from the scene before her. She kept thinking about the new boy, and, because she refused to become a screaming fangirl, she sought a distraction. With a sigh, she pulled out something to read. She had barely gotten the pages open when she heard the derisive snort.

"Jesus, Bella, ever heard of socialization," Jasper scoffed.

"Jesus, J, ever heard of minding your own damn business."

The words were out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. She could almost see them slipping out, and all she wanted to do was grab them all and stuff them back in. Then, as she took in Alice's look of absolute shock and the scowl contorting Jasper's features, a smile stole its way across her face.

She knew she wouldn't be able to stand up for herself again so she buried her face in her book. Though she tuned out the growing hum generated by the arriving students, she couldn't fully give herself over to the fictional world she was trying to immerse herself in. Her whole body was tensed and on alert, and for once it had nothing to do with the cavalier attitude of the blonde boy watching her out of the corner of his eyes.

Ten minutes before the final bell was set to ring she sensed a slowing of the scurrying around her. She glanced at Alice only to see her friend rolling her eyes at the entrance to the parking lot. Her gaze drifted in the direction all eyes seemed to be pointing and she heaved a sigh of disappointment. Instead of the expected Volvo, a familiar red mustang was pulling into its usual parking spot.

"She is such a fame-whore," Alice scoffed.

Jasper chuckled, pulling her to his side. He didn't speak, but his eyes never left the leggy blonde figure emerging from the car. To anyone else, the look would have spoken of a casual indifference with perhaps a dash of mocking thrown in. But Bella knew better. If Jasper had been able to, that look would have melted Rosalie into a pile of the disgusting sludge he thought her to be.

An irrational urge to reach out and touch his arm caused her to lay her hand gingerly on the crook of his elbow. She came to her senses and was about to snatch it back when she felt his hand come to rest on top of hers. Her heart raced as she looked up. He wasn't scowling. He wasn't even frowning. His attention was still directed fully on his sister and the crowd of admirers that had rushed to her side as soon as she and her boyfriend, Emmett McCarty, had emerged to demand their worship.

A thumb started to caress her palm and she thought she might faint. Suddenly, the gentle touches stopped as he froze. She watched as his eyes darted to Alice, sitting perfectly still and staring intently at the crowd before them, before down at his arm. He disentangled his hand from hers, though not with the usual disgust. Bella snatched her own hand back, recoiling. Of course he thought she was Alice, though the timidity of her touch should have told him otherwise.

He turned to stare at her, but there was no mocking in his gaze. Surprise was the prevalent feature, as though he couldn't believe the boldness she'd displayed not once but twice, and in the same morning even. Her cheeks began their traitorous color change, but she resisted the urge to hide. Instead, she met his stare. Her chin jutted out defiantly, but her attempt at confidence was undermined by the way she automatically bit her lower lip. Still, she refused to flinch. Her cheeks growing redder by the second she just stared at him, watching him size her up. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Alice, still so focused on the parking lot drama she hadn't noticed their stare down.

"Oh…my…god. I told you! This is going to be the best day ever!"

Immediately Bella's attention shifted automatically to the parking lot. There was the car she'd been waiting to see, and, just like that, all thoughts of Jasper vanished from her head. Now that she didn't have oncoming traffic to worry about, she really looked at it. The windows were as dark as she remembered, but there was a subtle metallic sheen to the black paint. Even the rims were black.

The Volvo pulled into her usual parking space and stopped. For the first time, Bella took in the scene around her. She started at the red mustang, where an irate Rosalie stood fuming as she became aware of the sudden change in the focus of the plebes that had moments ago surrounded her. Emmett stood smirking at her side, taking in the spectacle. Jessica and Lauren stood huddled together, whispering urgently, wolfish grins on both of their faces. Mike and the rest of his gang stood just beside them, staring in unabashed horror at what was so obviously the car of a new boy.

"A Volvo? Seriously? Is he a sixty year old woman?" Jasper's tone was scathing, but even he couldn't stop staring at the car.

"He doesn't drive like one," Alice laughed, shooting a glance at Bella. She was bouncing up and down, her tiny hands clapping together in unsuppressed glee.

"What?" Jasper demanded, whirling around so his attention was once again focused on Bella.

"It was nothing. He's just drives too fast, that's all. I messed with him yesterday on my way home from Alice's."

"I'll say. She...oh, look! He's getting out!" Alice squealed in delight before becoming uncharacteristically silent as the boy emerged.

Bella couldn't stop herself from gasping as she took in the tall figure that emerged from the driver's door. His hair was a strange shade of bronze, though the tips were dyed black. His eyes were a shade of green so intense that they rivaled the beauty of the cedars that framed the scene. The green was only enhanced by the thick, black liner smeared under them.

Her eyes went to his hands next, her heart thumping when she recognized the familiar delicate fingers. Today, though, his nails were a dull black. She frowned slightly, taking in the rest of his appearance. His shoes looked like chucks, but they had little chains and skull designs on them. He wore tattered jeans in a wash so dark they too were almost black. A black shirt with a pattern similar to his shoes covered a lean torso with a black military looking jacket hugging his surprisingly narrow shoulders perfectly.

"Fucking great," Jasper moaned. "Another goth kid."

A glance at the three kids who made up Forks High's goth contingent told Bella they shared Jasper's assessment, but Alice disagreed.

"No way," she said firmly. "He's decked out in Ed Hardy."

"Ed who?" Bella asked, only half aware of her question.

"Ugh, he's a designer Bella."

"I don't care," Jasper disagreed. "He's got guy liner on."

"He has fashion sense," Alice said, leaping to the boy's defense.

"And he drives a lame, grandma car."

"Don't be jealous, J," Bella bit out, still staring.

"What the fuck is with you today?" he demanded. "That's the third time today – "

"Shut up!" Alice whispered harshly. "He's coming this way."

And he was. Bella watched him take two steps toward the school before stopping. He stood, staring at the building, and she watched as his nose scrunched up like he smelled something bad. She could see him let out all of his breath in a huff before continuing, obviously pointedly ignoring the stares and whispers that followed him as he went.

As he approached their table, Bella saw that he had a tiny smattering of freckles over his nose, so subtle that, unless someone was staring as intently as she was in that moment, they were practically unnoticeable.

"Hey!" Alice called out just as he was about to pass them.

The boy stopped moving forward, but he hesitated before turning to acknowledge the greeting. His eyes took in Jasper's territorial stance before being drawn to Alice. Bella sensed amusement in his glance, and she knew immediately he was laughing at her friend's outlandish appearance.

"I'm Alice."

Bella cringed at her friend's obliviousness, and her subtle movement caught his attention. He stared at her, his green gaze pulling her eyes to his like a tractor beam. He frowned, his forehead wrinkling in consternation, and she knew he was trying to place her. As much as it pained her to tear her attention away from him, she didn't want him to figure out who she was quite so quickly. Her hair fell around her like a curtain, a gap just big enough to allow her to still see out forming directly above her nose. With Bella hidden, he turned his attention back to Alice for a split second before letting out an exasperated sigh and continuing toward the school, completely snubbing her and, through her, the rest of the student body of Forks.

The silence Bella didn't realize had taken over the parking lot ceased as soon as the door closed behind him. The noise level was more muted than it had been before his arrival. People spoke in excited whispers as they glanced between a still stunned Alice and the door the newcomer had disappeared through.

"That did not just happen," Jessica Stanley finally said aloud, awe evident in her tone.

"Shut up, skank," Jasper hissed.

"Hey, we're on your side in this!" Lauren interjected in her friend's defense.

"Yeah, new kid is a dick," Mike agreed.

"Persona non grata," spoke a smooth, confident tone from behind the masses gathering around a still silent Alice.

Bella's head snapped up, allowing her to take in a smirking Rosalie. All the previous traces of jealousy and anger had been wiped from her face now that she knew her control would reign supreme.

"He doesn't want to talk to us, we won't talk to him," Emmett laughed. "Dude's a total loser anyway."

"Agreed," Jasper scowled.

Bella choked on a laugh at the ridiculousness of it. She knew the unlikely alliance that had suddenly sprung forth was equally as unlikely to last. The only thing that kept her from allowing her amusement to show was the sheer number of people crowded around them.

As quietly as possible, she slipped away from the crowd and into the building. She let her laughter come freely once she was sure she was alone, only feeling guilty about Alice for a moment. She knew her friend, and she knew the hurt wouldn't last long. Still laughing softly to herself, she turned the corner to her locker.

Her laughter stopped immediately as she caught sight of the fingers twirling a lock just two spaces down. She wanted to run, but he was already turning around to face her. As soon as he saw her, a crooked smile lit up his face.

"You," he said, leaning sideways against his locker to watch her struggle with her own lock.

She fought the blush that was starting to build in her neck, staring intently at the numbers whirling around in front of her. When she got to the final digit, she yanked upward on the handle to force the ancient metal door open. Trying to ignore the feeling of his eyes on her, she dropped her biology textbook in her locker and reached for her English notebook.

"I have English first period too," the boy spoke. "Walk me to class?"

With a quick glance, she found him still smiling at her. She was conscious of all the looks she was getting, not the least of which was Jasper's. He must have already dropped Alice off at Biology before heading to English as well. She glanced back and forth between the two boys, unsure what to do. Jasper scowled at her as he began heading in her direction.

Bella bit down hard on her lip, hating her insecurity and indecision. She was spared from speech by Jasper's arrival.

"Come on, Bells, you'll be late." He said the words with quiet menace, like they were just meant for her, but his eyes were on Edward.

She frowned without being able to stop herself. He hadn't called her that in years and, now, when it was convenient he wanted to be feign affection for her? Her whole body stiffened when he glared pointedly between her and the hallway that would lead to English.

Before rationality could catch up with her, she stepped away from him.

"It's fine, J, I already promised…ummm..."

"Edward," the new boy supplied helpfully, his easy smile replaced by a sardonic grin.

"That's right. I already promised Edward I'd show him where Mr. Mason's room is."

"He can tag along," Jasper said, giving her another pointed look and stepping back to her side.

She slid out of his reach, moving so that she stood right next to Edward. "We have to stop by the office first so he can get a sign-in sheet," she lied.

"But – "

"She'll catch you later," Edward said. "I really need her help. I don't want to be late and start out on the wrong foot." His expression was innocent, but she again saw the thinly veiled amusement.

"Too late for that," Jasper mocked. He directed his attention back to Bella, and she almost quelled under the fury of his gaze. "Seriously, you're helping him?"

"Yeah. I promised Charlie to be nice." She added the last part because, despite her current defiance, she couldn't bear to go against him.

"Whatever," he grumbled, and Bella's shoulders fell as he turned and walked away, the tension of the conflict lifting.

"Boyfriend?" Edward asked, eyebrows raised.

"No," she replied, starting to move.

He followed her in silence for a few steps before speaking again. "Want him to be?"

"No." Her words were too quick, too forceful, and she knew she'd given herself away.

"God, that figures," he chuckled, rolling his eyes skyward and shaking his head.

She stopped, pivoting so that she stood face to face with him. He paused too. She thought he was about to speak, but he checked himself at her expression. It would have been nice to think that it was anger that had quelled his likely sarcastic comeback, but she knew she probably just looked pathetic.

They stood there, just staring at each other for several minutes until the final bell jolted her back into sanity. Without another word, she turned and started back down the hallway, Edward following her out into the drizzle in silence. She paused just outside their classroom.

"I'm Bella, by the way," she said softly.

"I know," he answered cryptically, reaching around her to open the door with a frown.

He didn't even look at her for the rest of the period.