A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing, and favoring. Once again, all mistakes are mine.

"How was school?" Carlisle asked as I climbed into the car after saying goodbye to the Swans.

I shrugged. "It was alright."

After that, awkward silence filled the car as we drove toward Port Angeles. We pulled into a Volvo dealership and the next few hours were spent test driving cars and listening to Carlisle haggle prices. Finally, I was driving off the lot in a brand new shiny red Volvo. I was in a bit of shock as I followed Carlisle home. I had a car! No, I didn't just have a car. I had a brand, freaking new car!

I pulled into the garage beside the Mercedes and got out. Carlisle was inside already, and I thanked him once again once I saw him.

He waved off my thanks. "Well this way, you don't have to worry about your old man forgetting you," he joked.

I wasn't sure how to respond to that so I just gave him a small smile.

"Anyway, I wanted to give this to you as well," he said, handing me a credit card.

I took it from his hand and stared at it. I'd never had a credit card before.

"This is not to be used for frivolous things. It's to be used for gas, buying school supplies, clothes, food, and on dates when you have them. I'll be checking the statements every month and if I see any stupid purchases, I'll take not only the card away but your car. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you," I said, still staring at the card. "Um … what's my limit?"

"There isn't one."

My jaw dropped, and I just stared at Carlisle. What was he thinking giving me a card with no limit?

"That's why I'll be checking the statements."

I nodded. "Got it."

I mumbled out a thanks again and ran upstairs. I could hear my mother's voice in my head, warning me that Carlisle was trying to buy my affection, but I chose to ignore it.

I dug out my homework and finished most of it quickly before turning my laptop on and logging into my email. I'd sent out several emails to my mom and friends and had hoped to hear back from someone, but I hadn't.

Next, I logged into my Facebook account and updated my status, bitching about the weather in Forks. Moments later a friend request popped up. Opening it, I saw that I had a request from Emmett Swan. Immediately, I accepted his request and as soon as I did, I got requests from all the Swan kids. Woot! I'd just upped my pathetic friends list by five. Go me.

I killed a bit more time on the computer before heading downstairs for dinner when Carlisle hollered my name. I made my way into the kitchen and found Carlisle pulling a casserole out of the oven.

"Did you cook that?" I asked a bit wearily.

"No, Renee Swan did. She stopped by the house earlier today and left it for us. She and her husband live a few miles down the road. They've got five kids around your age."

"Yeah, they're nice. We hung out at lunch today."

"That's good," he said as he set the casserole down on the table. "Well, dig in."

The casserole looked good, so I put a bit on my plate. The flavor of pineapples blasted my taste buds alongside the flavor of roasted chicken. It was weird and not necessarily in a good way. Carlisle was making a face as well, so I was glad to know I wasn't the only one who thought it was strange.

"Well … this is interesting," he stated.

"Yeah."

"Want to order Chinese?" he asked as he put his fork down.

"Please," I practically begged.

He dug out a handful of menus and tossed them at me.

I pulled my new car into a spot in the back of the school parking lot. There was no way in hell, I was risking parking her near other cars. As I climbed out, I saw Emmett's jeep pull into the lot near the front. Unsure of what my status was with the Swan kids, I debated whether or not to walk in with them or just hang back. Fortunately, Emmett made the decision for me.

"Morning, Ed!" he hollered.

Normally, it bugged the hell out of me when people called me Ed, but for some reason, I didn't mind it when it came from him. Jogging slightly, I greeted them once I caught up.

"Nice ride," Rosalie said in a cool tone.

"Uh … thanks," I said as I rubbed the back of my neck. I already felt out of place, and I hadn't even considered the fact that driving a brand new car would make me stand out even more.

"Carlisle got for me yesterday."

"She's a beaut. You gotta let me drive her one of these days," Rosalie told me as we all walked inside.

"Okay, I guess."

"Rosie loves cars almost as much as she loves me," Emmett said with a grin as he threw his arm around her shoulders.

"I think it's the other way around. I love you almost as much as I love cars."

Emmett placed a hand over his heart and pouted. "Oh, you wound me!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes at his antics. "C'mon you big baby. I need to finish my math homework."

They headed toward the library while the others headed toward their lockers. Saying a quick goodbye to them, I headed toward my own locker.

I had just opened it, when it was slammed shut, almost smashing my fingers. Looking up, I found myself face to face with the guy who wearing a Letterman jacket.

"Your in my way, rich boy," he snarled as he made to open the locker next to mine.

Ignoring him, I unlocked my locker and opened it again. Probably the not the smartest move I'd ever made.

"You're just asking for a pounding aren't you?"

I opened my mouth to say something when I was interrupted by another guy.

"James! Let's go man. Coach said if we're late to one more class he'll bench us!"

Slamming his locker shut, he turned to me. "We aren't through, pretty boy."

Grabbing my stuff, I slammed my own locker shut and flipped him the bird. Stupid, arrogant asshole, I thought as I made my down the hall toward class. I slid into my chair minutes before the bell rang.

"Everything okay?" a voice asked from behind me.

Turning around, I saw Alice sitting behind me. I gave her a shrug and mouthed not really before the teacher began speaking.

"So,what's wrong?" Alice asked as we stepped into the hallway after class was over.

"Some asshole named James."

Jasper walked up as I spoke, and his face darkened and a scowl formed on his lips. "Dude's a freaking prick!"

"I don't know what I did to piss him off, but apparently he has it out for me," I said as we walked down the hall.

"He has it out for us, too," Jasper informed me.

I was a bit surprised. I couldn't figure out why James would want to mess with the Swans.

"We'll tell you about it at lunch," Alice said before darting off to her class.

By lunch, I'd been tripped twice and practically tackled into a locker. I had a feeling that I was going to be covered in bruises if I wasn't already. As I made my way through the cafeteria, I did my best to avoid the footballers before grabbing some lunch and making my way to the Swans' table.

"You okay, man?" Emmett asked as I took a seat.

"Fan-freaking-tastic," I replied as I jabbed my fork into the limp macaroni.

"James is harassing him," Alice piped up.

Emmett's eyes narrowed and a fierce look graced his face. "Motherfucker better back the fuck off, or I will rearrange his face!"

I was startled by his anger. I couldn't help but wonder what James had done to incur the wrath of Emmett. I mean, Emmett was a big dude and not one I'd want to mess with.

Seeing my confusion, Emmett began to explain.

"When we first moved here, James was one of the first people we met. He seemed like a cool guy and then he changed. Started following Bella around, asking her out all the time, and got angry when she would turn him down."

"It got to the point where Dad threatened to have him arrested for stalking," Bella interjected. "He would show up everywhere I was. It was creepy. He backed off for a while and then one night he grabbed me when we were at a party and roughed me up a bit."

I felt anger rip through me. How dare that asshole try to hurt Bella!

"Jasper and I stopped him, and let's just say that we had a little talk with James."

"Dad arrested him for assault, and James spent a year in juvie. As you can see, he's out now and back to being a bigger asshole than he was," Bella spat out.

"Wait. They just let him come back here after what he tried to do to you? That doesn't seem right," I said.

Bella let out sigh. "I agree, but it is what it is. So far, he hasn't messed with me. I don't think he will. Not after what Jasper and Emmett did to him."

"What a prick. Wonder what I did to piss him off?"

"Your friends with us," Alice said. "That's the only reason he needs. I'd understand if you didn't want to hang out with us anymore. You could always go back to hanging out with Mike."

I looked over at Mike's table and found them shooting daggers at me. Well, Eric wasn't, but the others were.

"I have a feeling I wouldn't be welcomed back. Besides, you guys seem nice."

They all snorted and shot each other grins.

The minute the bell rang ended school, I was out of my seat and rushing toward my locker. I'd managed to survive my first week of school, had made some friends, and had gained a major crush.

"Hey, Ed! What'cha doing this weekend?" Emmett asked as we headed out to the parking lot.

"Nothing. Unpacking if the rest of my stuff shows up."

"Wanna come over and hang out tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Awesome," he said with a grin before we exchanged numbers.

I headed home, and it felt weird to call it that, but I guess that's what it was until I graduated. I pulled into the garage and headed inside. There were some boxes stacked by the front door, and I saw that they were addressed to me.

Hauling them up to my room, I began to slowly unpack them. A few hours later, I was all unpacked. I lay back on my bed and thought about Phoenix. I missed our small house with it's pool. I missed the sun, the warmth, and my friends. Didn't seem like they missed me though.

Bored, I booted up my laptop and checked my email. Nothing. Scowling, I closed the lid and made my way downstairs. I headed into the kitchen and stood with the door open, trying to figure out what to eat.

"Pick something before the food begins to spoil," Carlisle said, scaring the crap out of me.

I jumped before grabbing a cheese stick and closed the fridge door.

"How was school?"

I shrugged. "Okay. Oh, Emmett Swan invited me over to his house on Saturday. Is it cool if I go?"

"Yeah, that's fine, but I want you back here by five. We're going out to dinner with a friend of mine."

A little after ten Saturday morning, I got a text from Emmett telling me to come over whenever I wanted. After getting directions to his house, I headed out after leaving a note for Carlisle.

I pulled into the drive of the Swans' house and climbed out of my car. Emmett was waiting at the door and greeted me with a fist pound.

"Welcome to Chateau Swan. These are the folks," he said by way of introduction.

I shook both of their hands and told them it was nice to meet them.

"You boys run along and have fun. I'll bring some snacks in a bit," Mrs. Swan said to us.

I followed Emmett into the living room, taking a moment to look at the pictures that adorned the walls.

"Hey, Edward," Jasper said from his spot on the couch. "Have a seat."

I took a spot on the other side of him and was handed a controller. I figured I'd better let them know that I was crap at video games.

Jasper shrugged. "No worries. Em kicks everyone's ass."

"Language, Jasper!" Mrs. Swan called from the other room, much to Emmett's amusement.

We played for a while, with me losing spectacularly before I finally voiced the question I'd been wondering.

"Uh … where are the girls?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Alice is working, Rosie's in the garage fixing up her car, and Bells has probably got her nose buried in a book," Emmett said.

"Do you have any siblings?" Jasper asked me.

I shook my head, putting my controller down as I lost another game to Emmett. Getting up, Emmett turned off the game console and TV before sprawling out on the floor.

"So, why did you move to Forks?" he asked.

I fiddled with the frayed end of my jeans as I answered. "My mom got remarried and decided it was time for Carlisle to be a parent, so she sent me up here."

Yeah, I didn't sound bitter at all.

"That sucks, dude."

I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it kind of does, but it is what it is. Mom ended up moving to Jacksonville, Florida to be with her new husband, so it wasn't like I'd still be in Phoenix anyway."

I paused for a moment before I spoke again. "Can I ask you all something? I don't want to offend or piss you off, but how is it you all came to be adopted."

"Actually, Rose and I aren't adopted," Jasper said. "My dad and Charlie were best friends growing up. After high school, my dad joined the army, met my mother, and had us. Mom took off when we were little and when we were fourteen Dad got sent to Afghanistan, so he had Charlie and Renee appointed as our legal guardians. When Dad was killed two years ago, Charlie and Renee kept us."

"Oh, man. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Nah, it's all good," Jasper said.

"Mom, Renee, is actually Alice and mine's aunt," Emmett told me. "Our parents were killed by a drunk driver when were little, so Mom and Dad adopted us."

"Yeah, we're a diverse family so to speak," Jasper interrupted. "We got a lot of crap from folks when we first moved here. Especially, once they realized that I was dating Alice and Emmett was dating Rose. Lots of incest jokes."

"People are stupid," was my response.

"That they are," Jasper agreed.

Just then, Mrs. Swan came into the room with a plate of cookies and several glasses of milk on a tray.

"Here you go boys!"

We all said thanks, and I took a couple of cookies. I bit into one and almost choked. It was horrible. Quickly, I took a swig of milk and almost gagged on that as well.

Emmett and Jasper started to roar with laughter at the look on my face.

"Oh, dude, we should've warned you. Mom is a horrible cook, and I bet you anything that's goat's milk."

Ugh. I shuddered as I set the glass and cookies down. No offense to Mrs. Swan or anything, but I didn't think my stomach would be able to handle her cookies.

The three of us sat around talking before I excused myself to use the restroom.

"Head down the hall and it's the first door on the left," Jasper told me.

Getting up, I headed down the hall and passed by a room with a door cracked open. I spotted Bella lying on her bed, book in hand. Not wanting to interrupt her, I continued on my way.

Once done in the bathroom, I started back down the hall before making the decision to stop in and say hi to Bella. I knocked lightly on her door. She looked up from her book, climbed off her bed, and walked toward me.

"Hey," I said with a small wave, feeling a bit like a dork.

She gave me a smile, and I felt a fluttering in my chest. Her long brown hair was in a braid that hung over her shoulder, and her large brown eyes looked sleepy. She was beautiful, and I found myself drawn to her despite the rocky beginning that we'd had.

"Hey, Edward! Emmett had mentioned that you might come over. Is he driving you crazy yet?"

"Not too much. Although, he did kick my butt on some racing game we were playing."

She let out a snort and tossed her braid behind her shoulder. "That's because he has no life and does nothing but play video games."

I noticed she had a book in her hand, so in a sad attempt at being smooth, I asked her what she was reading.

"The Outsiders. It's one of my favorites," she told me.

"Mine too. Nothing gold can stay."

She grinned. "Exactly. The movie was pretty well done, but I still prefer the book."

"I agree one hundred percent. Nine out of ten times, the book is always better."

"There you are, Ed. Here, I'd thought you'd gotten lost and instead I find you flirting with my sister," Emmett said.

I felt my face flush and opened my mouth to deny his accusation, when Bella spoke up.

"Oh shut up, Em. We weren't flirting; just talking," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Whatevs, sis. There's a ball game on. Do you like baseball?"

"Yeah. I played back in Phoenix."

Emmett's face lit up. "That's awesome. Come spring you'll have to try out for the team. The guys we had on the team last year sucked. Hopefully, you can help us not suck as much."

"I'll give it a shot. I'm not the best player, but I enjoy the game."

At around four-thirty, I said goodbye to the Swans and headed home. I pulled into the drive and found Carlisle in his office.

"Hey, Dad? What's the dress code for tonight?" I asked, poking my head around the door.

"Wear something nice," he said before going back to his paperwork.

Letting out a huff, I headed upstairs and dug out a pair of khakis and a button down shirt. Twenty minutes later, Carlisle was hollering for me to get in the car.

We drove into Port Angeles and stopped outside a steakhouse. I didn't understand why I had to dress up to eat at a steakhouse and when I'd asked, I'd been told to be quiet. To say I was irritated would've been an understatement, and Carlisle was acting weird, fiddling with the collar of his shirt.

The minute we stepped into the restaurant, I saw why he was acting funny. A woman around his age approached us and gave him a hug and peck on the lips. I couldn't believe it. He'd brought me on a date with him. Was I supposed to be his wingman?

"Uh … Edward, come here for a second. Edward this is Esme Platt. Esme, this is my son, Edward."

I held out a hand and told her it was nice to meet her.

"It's nice to meet you as well. Carlisle talks about you all the time."

I could barely hold in the snort that wanted to break loose. I highly doubted that he talked about me all the time. He'd have to know me first, and we were virtual strangers.

Dinner was awkward at best. Esme, as she insisted I call her, kept trying to make small talk, and I had to give her points for trying. Halfway through dinner, Carlisle got a call and excused himself from the table.

"So, Edward, how are you adjusting to Forks?"

I shrugged as I fiddled with my spoon. "It's okay, I guess. Far colder and rainier than I'm used to."

"I bet," she said with a small smile.

We were both quiet until Carlisle came back.

"Sorry. There's an emergency at the hospital. We'll have to do this another night, okay?"

We both nodded. Carlisle paid the bill and we headed out toward our cars. I adverted my gaze as he gave Esme a kiss. She seemed like a nice enough lady, and I had a feeling I'd be seeing quite a bit of her.

Carlisle dropped me off at home before speeding off toward the hospital. Heading upstairs, I grabbed my laptop and sat down on my bed. I pulled up my email and saw that I'd gotten a response from one of my friends.

Hey, Edward!

Sorry, I haven't responded. It's been crazy busy so far. Miss you like crazy! Don't freeze up there.

TTYL

Irina

I typed a quick email back and right as I sent it my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Baby! How are you?"

"Hi, Mom. I'm doing okay. Missing Phoenix and you."

"Of course you do. Are you settling in okay?"

"I guess. I've made some friends at school so that's good," I told her.

"Well, I'm glad that you've made friends. How is your father?"

"Okay."

"How would you feel about spending Christmas with Eleazar and myself in Jacksonville?"

"That should be fine. I'm not sure when Christmas break is, but I'll let you know."

"Wonderful!" she gushed. "Oh, I've gotta go, sweetie. It was wonderful talking to you. Love you lots!"

"Love you, too," I said as she hung up.

I was surprised that she'd actually called me back. I figured she'd be too busy with Eleazar to even remember she had a son.

I spent the remainder of my evening on my computer, watching DVDs. I really needed to ask Carlisle about getting a TV in my room. A little after eleven, I heard the front door open as Carlisle came home. Listening, I heard Esme's voice as well and prayed that they'd be quiet if they decided to get it on. Grossed out by that thought, I grabbed my iPod and cranked up the tunes as I drifted off to sleep.

a/n: As always, I love to hear what you have to say.