Welcome to the second chapter! I was pleased that people read the first chapter, and it gave me more motivation! I love it!!

D/C: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters portrayed in the novel (as much as I would like to own Edward.....)

My morning blurred. Well, maybe 'blur' was not the correct term for it. Because 'blur' is at least a term for seeing something. If I were to look back on the first three classes of my day, I would not remember them at all. It should have worried me, but I was a robot, clearly hoping that my day would end within minutes rather than hours.

I left my third period class, glad that the teacher didn't call on me to answer any of the math problems she had written on the board. If she had, I would have had to use brain cells and figured them out. Instead I looked out the window, watching the rain fall into oblivion. I wondered briefly how much of the substance could actually fall from the sky before we would all drown in the grey liquid.

I walked to the lunch room after class, nervous about eating the meal with strangers. I didn't have any of my other morning classes with Alice, and I hadn't had the chance to talk to her after History. Only given five minutes between each class, everyone dispersed immediately to head their separate ways. I didn't want to question the invitation thrown at me, and I laughed for a moment when I replayed the words Alice had said to me in my head.

After third hour meet me in front of the lunch room. You're sitting with me.

It wasn't an invitation. It was a demand. And now, standing in front of the cafeteria, I was left glancing around, wondering if she was going to meet me there or not.

"Bella, over here!" I turned and saw the pixie girl standing next to a soda machine, waving her Armani clad arm. I threw her a smile and approached, keeping my eyes on her. Students passed her easily, and I wondered who of them were her friends. Would it be the blue eyed boy that had stared at me in the parking lot? No, I shouldn't have asked myself that to begin with. Alice seemed a certain… type. If that made any sense at all. And the blonde haired guy did not fall into her category.

"So, did you meet anyone worth talking about?" Alice asked. I followed her into the lunch line, peeking over the crowd in blind nervousness.

"No, not at all. To be honest I don't remember my classes all that much to remember anyone." She laughed and I looked over the food choices. Nothing like Phoenix. At home I had sandwiches and tofu. Here… pizza and French fries.

"I'm going to get acne," I muttered to myself. Alice heard me though, and she smiled.

"Actually, you're right. Try to steer clear of the hot foods and aim towards the salad bar. It's nourishment, but I usually bring my own lunch to avoid moments like these." I understood, and I grabbed a small salad from the fridge, paying the woman at the register. I followed Alice towards the back of the lunch room, suddenly nervous of her friends. Would they be like her? Or was she just the odd ball in a group of preppy cheerleaders?

My silent questions were answered when she led me to the corner booths (plural because the kids there had taken two of the tables and shoved them together, giving them twice the room than the one).

"Guys, company," Alice called over the noise volume of the cafeteria. My eyes grazed over the crowd and I felt calm at once. All of them were wearing similar outfits to Alice and I, and I immediately knew that the woman in the office was referring to them as the trouble of the school. This brought me right back in the same group type I had back in Arizona.

"This is Bella. Bella, this is Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Edward." I lifted my hand into a wave and tried to smile. Emmett was clearly the largest high school student I had ever met in my entire life. He was sitting in the corner of the large makeshift booth, and towered easily over the blonde he had tucked under his left arm. His hair was short, but curled slightly at the tips, creating a dark pool that deemed worthy of anyone's fingers to run through. The blonde attached to him was Rose, and she was beautiful. Her clothing matched Alice's and I became even more self conscious of my no name brand jacket and shoes. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and eyed me with skepticism as she smiled hello.

Next to the now seated Alice was Jasper, clearly her boyfriend. Alice's hand had settled on Jasper's knee, and he had thrown his free arm around her in a hug. He was frightening to look at for more than a second at a time, his green eyes digging through your soul in just a moment's glance. His hair was brown and blonde streaked, wild and wind blown. Had he suffered the same thing as me? Was he not able to do anything special with his hair because of the rain? Or was this style on purpose?

I slid in next to Alice and looked at the person sitting across from me. No, not person. Man. My heart stuttered, skipping through my chest and lodging in my throat. Edward was leaning back, staring at me with the same golden eyes as Alice, and I had to blink twice not to get caught in the depths. The bronze hair that adorned his head was as wild as Jasper's, only his looked intentional. Each lock was styled a different way, creating the sex hair girls dreamed of. I wanted desperately to lean forward and touch the locks of hair, to see if each strand was covered with gel, or if it was all natural. He was wearing black jeans like everyone at the table, white shirt and a white jacket. The pale fabric gave his skin a gleam that made me want to reach out and see if it was real or if someone had painted the abnormal beauty onto a different man. Overall, I wanted to touch everything about him. Bury myself into his arms and feel him hold me as close as he would a lover.

I looked away, forcing myself not to blush, glancing back and forth between Alice and Edward. I noticed again how their eyes were the same color.

"Are you guys…?" Edward nodded and Alice spoke.

"Twins. You're quick to notice." She was right. The only thing they shared were the eyes, the other features such as hair and height being completely different. I wouldn't have guessed even siblings if I had been looking from afar.

"Interesting," I muttered. Jasper leaned around Alice and smiled at me.

"So where did you move from, Bella?" I tried to smile, but found that under the intense scrutiny of the table, I was unable to do so. Instead I stared directly into his eyes so I wouldn't see the other eyes locked onto me. The cool depths of green invited me in and I felt warmth spread through me.

"Phoenix. I moved here to live with my dad while my mom and her husband moved overseas, to Germany. Job opportunity." Rose seemed most interested at this, and she leaned forward out of Emmett's embrace.

"Do you think you'll ever visit? And if so can I come?" I laughed aloud at her interest.

"Let me guess, shopping?" I was right, and the table laughed. All but Edward. He remained leaning back in the table, eyes not wavering from my face. I wanted to say that it made me feel uncomfortable, but I believe I would be lying to myself.

Gradually everyone began talking again and more questions were thrown my way. They pried, asking if I liked living here, and how long I would be staying. If it were up to my father, forever, I told them.

"What does your dad do?" Alice asked, nibbling on a slice of cucumber.

"He's Chief Swan." Emmet's hand slammed down on the table, and I jumped. Alice and Rose looked startled as well, but all three guys were laughing. I let my eyes graze wildly over the table, looking for an answer to the joke I had missed.

"What?" I asked. Edward let his hand cover his mouth, eyes crinkling in amusement. Jasper was hiding his face in Alice's shoulder, but Emmett was leaning over the table to get closer to me.

"Hun, your dad is the fucking Chief!" I waited for the point of his statement, but when he didn't continue, I sighed, frustrated.

"Okay, so?" Emmett winked at me and laughed again.

"Let's just say you don't want to tell your dad that you sat with us on your first day of school." The guys all laughed again, and this time I looked to see Alice doing the same.

"So it's true then? Are you guys the trouble makers or something?" I asked. Rose looked offended instantly.

"Is that what people are telling you?" she asked. I didn't know how to answer, and I didn't want to pin point the administrator in the front office as the culprit. After a moment of my pausing, Rose rolled her eyes.

"Everyone's just jealous because we won't let them ride with us. Just because people have a fart pipe on their Civic doesn't make them a racer. And just because I don't want them trailing after us in embarrassment, doesn't mean we're troublemakers." Her words stopped my heart and I leaned forward.

"You guys race?" I asked excitedly. Alice was shaking with laughter when the guys all stared at her in annoyance.

"Great Rose, why don't you just go straight to the Chief himself and tell him that we'll be racing tonight? Hell, why not pinpoint all of our spots?" Emmett seemed ticked off, and I felt a blush creep into my scalp. A nark was something I definitely was not.

"No… I wouldn't say anything," I muttered.

"Guys she's cool," Alice spoke up for me. I turned to her and gave her a small smile, appreciating her defense. "She owns the Mustang." The small sentence, the few words, made everyone's eyes turn back to me with appreciation.

"You own the Cobra?" Edward asked. It was the first time he had spoken to me, and I instantly felt lightheaded. His eyes were intently staring at me, only two feet away from my own face. Excitement was evident in the gaze, and I wondered how such a devilish face could house such a smooth, velvet voice.

"Yeah, it's mine," I whispered. Emmett slammed his hand back down on the table.

"Dude, you have to stop doing that!" Jasper said. I agreed silently, not wanting to tear my eyes away from Edwards face. He was paying attention to me, not something that I would have originally set out to accomplish. But being this close to him was setting something off in my head, something lying dormant and it all seemed so new.

"I only asked if you raced because that's one of the reasons my mother sent me here with Charlie," I admitted. Everyone seemed interested in this, so I continued. "I was part of a group in Phoenix, and we raced weekly. I miss it, I miss the speed." Jasper was nodding and he leaned forward again.

"We can't do it here," he whispered so that only the people at our table could hear, "so we go to Port Angeles most of the time. They have great meets there." I smiled, suddenly realizing that living here may not be as bad as I thought.

"Forks doesn't suck as much anymore, does it?" Edward asked. I turned my attention to him, watching as he gave me a smirk. No, definitely it did not.

"We'll have to bring you with us this weekend," Alice said, getting a silent nod of approval from everyone else at the table. When I got the okay, she nodded and squeezed my hand under the table. It sounded like heaven. I was so upset leaving Phoenix because I thought I would never be able to feel the way I did before. I was scared that I would never feel the wind rush through my hair as freely as it did when I was on that freeway. Even that morning, before Jacob had caught me speeding, I had felt the familiar tug in my chest, telling me to go faster. And now… things might be okay here.

"Definitely," I said with a smile, "I will be there."

School had passed quickly after that lunch hour. After Rose had spilled their 'secret', everyone opened up a little more than originally. Except for Edward. He remained sitting across from me, silently letting his golden eyes roam over my face slowly. I tried to keep my eyes away from him, wanting to avoid the awkward moment of staring him down. Under any other circumstances, I would have let my own eyes drill into his until he looked away, but I suddenly felt naked under his watchful eye.

Everyone went their separate ways after we had eaten, and I watched as Jasper and Edward headed towards the gym, pushing each other jokingly.

"So I have this theory," Alice said, "that if you stare at someone for as long as you did Edward, you can spontaneously combust." I jumped and the head that filled my face was definitely turning my pale skin a bright crimson color.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered, walking towards Biology. Alice shook her head and kept pace with me.

"I'm just saying…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I repeated. I would deny it all. Every damned bit of it.

My remaining classes were shared with Emmett and Rose, one class with Jasper. Only in the last hour of the day, Music, did Edward show his face again. I sat in the back of the classroom, hoping at first that no one would address me, and I would be able to breeze through the class unnoticed.

Back in Phoenix, Renee had coerced me into learning to play the violin. At first it was tedious, and being a child I didn't like it. But as I grew older it became a release for my stress and anger. I wanted to laugh at myself: Musician by day, racer by night. I signed up for the Music class, hoping that I would be able to blend in and be invisible throughout the year. No exceptional playing, just enough to breeze.

But when I entered the class that day, I was told that I was the only violinist. Of course. But the teacher, Dr. Float, seemed ecstatic. I was given the only violin that the teacher had, and was glad that it was the correct size. Did this mean that I was going to be made to perform more? Would I be put in the spotlight?

The class filed in, some carrying their own instrument cases. One by one, I watched as a flute emerged, a cello, two violists, and then a drummer sit down in front of a drum set in the corner. I wanted to roll my eyes: this was a weird music class. How would we all harmonize? But as I sat in the last music stand in the class, the windblown Edward made his way through the doors, smiling at Dr. Float and then sitting down at the bench of the large piano in the corner.

He played piano. I smiled to myself, cowering behind the black metal stand that held different pieces of music. It would only shield me for so long, I knew, but until my presence was announced, I would be in hiding.

"Class, I want you to meet Isabella Swan," Dr. Float smiled to everyone. Looks like there was my announcement - no more hiding for me. The eyes drifted from her to me, and I felt the red creep back into my cheeks. "Miss Swan here plays the violin, and will be joining our little group!" She seemed so excited; I hated to burst her joy-filled bubble. So I lifted a hand in a gesture of 'hello' and returned to my post of hiding behind the music.

Dr. Float continued to speak to the class, mentioning the music that was in front of everyone. I sighed and sat up straight, bringing the violin to my knee. I had played the piece before, with no trouble. I wondered briefly if the teacher just wanted to test my abilities. Should I outshine? Or blend?

As I listened somewhat to the instructions, I glanced around the room, admiring the fact that there were many awards mounting the walls. Did they belong to the kids in the class? Or were they something the teacher brought from somewhere else? As my eyes wandered behind the desk in the corner, and over towards the piano, I felt my heart stop.

Edward was sitting on the black piano bench, ignoring the teacher as much as I was. And he was staring straight at me with a small smile on his face. I felt my pulse quicken as I returned the smile, and our gaze remained locked.

"Okay everyone, on three," Dr. Float said. I tore my eyes away from Edward's gaze and lifted the violin chin rest under my chin, raising the bow to the strings. Glancing down to the music, I matched the beat the instructor counted out and I closed my eyes. I had long ago memorized the music to 'Canon in D' and did not need instruction on which notes to play.

I heard the drum count out beats, and then began to play. I felt the notes float through me, and I felt the familiar tug of peace pull me into the music. It was my reverie, my place to be when I wanted to ignore the world. And here, in that small class, I let myself fall back into my old rhythm. My hand moved the bow over the strings, my fingers pressing into the strings, carefully letting the sound float from the center of the wood instrument.

As the song came to an end, I let the last note drift to a quiet trill. I sighed and opened my eyes, surprising myself that I didn't have to look at the music at all. But what surprised me more was the teacher staring at me with awe in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"Looks like we found the missing piece to our little group here," she said. I ignored the compliment and glanced back towards the piano. Edward was staring at me again, head leaning slightly to the side. It was like he was just realizing something about me, but couldn't put a finger on it. It clicked in my head then that I had tuned out everyone but the tapping of the drum in the background. I didn't remember Edward playing the piano, and I cursed myself for it. I wanted badly to watch his fingers float over the keys, and listen to the music he created. I looked away from Edward then, not wanting to stare too long, and turned back to the teacher. She was pointing out to everyone that their slurs weren't smooth enough, and they needed to work on the notes blending together. I nodded, even though I didn't think I had a problem with them.

That is how I remained until the last bell rang—quiet in my seat and staring only at the conductor and the music. Edward's eyes were still bearing down on me; I could feel them on my face. But I wouldn't look up. I wouldn't let his eyes undress my soul.

The bell rang, and I packed the violin in the case carefully, setting it onto the rack beside a viola and flute case. I grabbed my bag and headed towards the door, wanting badly to climb inside my Mustang and feel the rumble beneath my legs.

"Bella," a voice called. I turned to see Edward grabbing his jacket, running towards me. His white shirt was actually long sleeved, and hugged his arms in just the right way so that I could see his biceps tighten as he approached me. Did his heart beat as fast as mine? Did I dare think that way, or was I getting myself into trouble? He approached my side, falling into stop with me as we approached the parking lot.

"I'm glad you're in this class," Edward continued, and I looked at him in confusion. "Half the class is weirdly untalented, and breeze by without challenging themselves. Maybe having another person with real talent will raise the stakes this year."

"Wow…" What did I say to that? "Thanks Edward." We continued to walk across the grass, my eyes trained on the parking lot as it grew closer.

"So how long have you been playing?" Edward asked. I breathed a sigh of release. I wasn't sure what to say, and I was suddenly glad that he would be the one to press further into the conversation.

"About ten years," I estimated. "How long have you been playing piano?" The more information I knew about him, I realized, the better. Edward seemed thoughtful, and he looked up to the sky as if it would give him an answer. The gray rain had gone, and the sun actually poked around the edges of the remaining clouds. Rays of light reflected off of Edward's bronze hair, giving his eyes the look of being spun with golden thread.

"Probably since I was five," he finally answered, "my mother played when she was younger, and hoped that it would stick with me. Needless to say, it did." I nodded, tucking the offered information away into a drawer labeled 'Edward' that I had started to put together after I had met him that day at lunch.

It all seemed so silly, I knew it somehow. A month ago I was sitting with Kaiden, telling him good-bye. My heart had broken, and I promised myself it would not mend. Did I lie to myself? Was this new man going to steal my heart? Edward stood by me, a statue of sex… a man I wanted to just stare at. But it didn't make it all okay.

"Bella!" Alice's voice interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up at Edward one last time, memorizing the way he was looking down at me before I turned to his sister.

"Hey Alice," I called. The pixie haired girl had left Jasper's side and bounded towards me. I then felt the pressure of Edward's hand on my back, almost bidding farewell to our moment together before we were joined by his sister. I turned to him again, my eyes wide with confusion that he was touching me. But he wasn't looking down at me, only towards Jasper. His fingers slid off of the material of my jacket and he left my side. What did that mean?

My mind was overreacting, and I yelled at myself when I let the imagination run wild. Thoughts of me throwing myself into Edward's arms and him pressing me against my car floating through my head. Instantly I felt the heat and pressure grow in my abdomen. Attraction.

I sighed. Why oh why did this happen?

"Hey, did you want to come over to my house for a while? Jasper and Emmett are coming too so we can hold a study group." I looked into Alice's eyes, so much like her brother's and felt happiness. Alice was becoming my friend, and welcoming me into her life and her friends' lives with ease. Nightmares of not belonging with anyone had plagued me following my arrival in Forks, and I had hoped that I wouldn't be the odd man out. Instead, Alice was there for me.

"I would love that," I said sincerely. "Let me just call Charlie and let him know I won't be home for a while." Alice and I continued to the parking lot as I withdrew my cell phone, dialing Charlie's number at the station. Pressing the phone to my ear, I followed Alice to where Jasper and Edward were standing. Not paying attention, I listened as the dispatcher answered the phone.

"Forks Sheriff's office, Roberta speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hey, this is Bella, is my dad there?" I asked. I could hear the woman smile through the phone, and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course dear! Hold on one second!" The line clicked as she put me on hold, and I stopped next to Edward as he and Jasper started talking about their Math class.

"Bella, what's wrong?" My father's rough voice came through the phone and I had to pull the receiver away from my ear.

"Nothing is wrong dad, just wanted to let you know that I am going to a friends' house to study. She's going to help me catch up on work." Here we go, I thought.

"Friend? Which friend?" I heard my father's question, but as I watched Edward back away from the circle we had created, and watched as he approached his car, I saw red.

Edward reached out the keys to the car, pressing the remote lock. The lights of the silver Volvo flashed, signaling that he was able to climb in now. The silver Volvo. The same car that had cut me off that morning, and the same car that had caused me to get pulled over.

"Dad, gotta go," I muttered, closing my phone as I heard him protest on the other end. I felt like throwing the phone at the shiny car, anger filling me.

"This is your car?!" I yelled at Edward. The smile he had on his face instantly dropped, and he looked from me to the car, and back. His eyebrow rose in confusion as his eyes settled on me.

"Yes… is there a problem?"

I know, it was something you already knew :) Please read and review!! I want to know what you all are thinking, if I am going in the right direction or if you all think I'm some idiot who only thinks I can write... I have several more chapters written that I will be posting soon! Again, R&R!!!! *AM*