Author Note: Thanks for the great response to the last chapter! FF has been wonky with alerts since last weekend, so if you didn't see Monday's chapter, please go read and review now! I replied to all reviews last chapter, but you may have to go into your Inbox directly to see the replies.

Teasers for guessing the chapter title from John Lennon go to: galaxy69uk, MissyDy, NKubie, Ninkita, 0 BASIA 0, Midnight Cougar, OWT, raidershell, HunterBrooke, EdwardsFirstKiss, That'sMzPeachesTYVM, alison actually, and Bikergirl08.

Thanks again to moosals for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

Chapter 4 – (Just Like) Starting Over

My new AP Calculus teacher, a man who appears to be in his 50s, walks over to us, and the guidance counselor explains the situation to him. Once she's left, he motions for me to walk toward his desk.

"Class, this is Isabella Swan, a new transfer student."

"Just Bella," I say softly.

"All right, just Bella, why don't you tell us about yourself?" he smiles.

"Um, well, I've been living in Chicago with my dad for several years, but I'm now living here with my mom and stepdad. And, um, English is my favorite subject — sorry," I grin, turning toward him.

"Let's see if I can change your mind about that," he says, handing me a textbook and pointing me toward an empty chair in the back of the room.

Once class is over, I put my book away in my bag. I've barely stood up when a petite girl I noticed earlier sitting in the front row appears in front of my desk. Her hair is an even darker shade of brown than mine, but the short pixie-style cut is streaked with bright pink.

"Hi!" she greets me, smiling widely. "I'm Alice Brandon. What's your next class?"

"Ummm…" I glance down at my schedule. "AP Physics."

"Mine too," she smiles. "Come on, I'll walk with you."

"That'd be great," I nod, following her into the hallway.

"What high school did you attend in Chicago?"

"Lincoln Park," I answer, trying to pay attention to where she's taking me.

"Oh! Like the band," she grins.

"Yep," I laugh.

"What do you have after Physics?" Alice asks, trying to glance at the schedule in my hand.

"Spanish, then lunch."

"Oh," she frowns. "I take French. All of the language classes are in the same wing though. I'll be able to take you to your class and just meet you outside afterward. I'm hard to miss," she laughs.

Entering the Physics classroom, Alice introduces me to the teacher. Luckily, this one just lets me sit down with my new textbook before pointing me out to my classmates once the bell has rung. No mortifying introduction this time.

Alice is indeed waiting for me in the language wing after Spanish. I dutifully follow along with her to the cafeteria and then to her usual table once we've got our meals.

"Guys, this is Bella," Alice introduces me. "She just moved here from Chicago."

"That's Jake," she nods toward the very tall black-haired guy seated across from us, "Embry and Emily, Paul, Collin and Brady. Jake and I have been best friends since kindergarten," she smiles.

"It's nice to meet all of you," I smile. "Maybe this is a stupid question," I turn to Jake, "but do you play basketball?"

"I do," he laughs. "Starting guard on the school team. And before you ask, I'm six-seven," he winks.

"I'm a cheerleader for the basketball team," Alice smiles. Of course she is, with her peppy attitude.

"She's also Senior Class President," Brady adds, smiling at me.

"So what brings you to St. Louis?" Emily asks.

"Oh, um, I'd been living with my dad, and now I'm living with my mom and stepdad. My dad's a cop, a detective, and he's taking on a dangerous undercover case, so for my safety, I had to move here." I give them the same lie as my friends back home.

"Oh wow," Alice frowns. "That sucks, having to leave your school and all of your friends in Chicago."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to hold him back, you know? I've lived with him for almost 10 years, because my mom moved around a lot. But she's settled down now and married a really good guy."

Alice and I share two of our last three classes. By the end of the day, we're exchanging cell numbers, and she is promising that we'll be "great friends."

"Do you need a ride home, or did you drive here today?" she asks.

"Oh, my mom is picking me up. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Sure thing," she smiles, walking off toward the student parking lot.

It doesn't take me long to find Mom's car. I open the door, sitting heavily in the passenger seat.

"How did it go?" she asks with a smile.

"It's a bit overwhelming," I sigh, "but I think I've made some new friends." And there are no super-sexy attractive teachers, thank god.

"Oh, I'm so glad! I knew you would."

I smile, nodding. I think this decision is going to turn out OK.

Alice and I become fast friends, frequently hanging out together after school or on weekends. I still miss my friends back home, but she's great. Despite her outgoing, bubbly personality, it doesn't take long to realize she's a serious student who plans to go into politics and make a difference in the world.

Alice's father is a doctor, while her mom leads a large area charity, so it's easy to see where she gets both her ambition and her money. Alice wears designer clothes, drives a flashy bright yellow Porsche, and lives in a house that puts Phil's to shame. They even have a private chef to prepare their meals. My mom — bless her — isn't the greatest cook, so I'm always happy when Alice invites me to stay for dinner.

We're up in Alice's bedroom one day after school while she's browsing the internet on her laptop looking for prom dresses. "What do you think about this one?" she asks, turning the screen so I can see.

"It matches your hair," I laugh. "Isn't prom still like three months away?"

"You can never plan early enough," she states seriously.

"Are you going with anyone?" Alice hasn't mentioned a boyfriend in the month I've known her.

"Probably with Jake, but just as friends," she replies, turning back to the screen.

"Why aren't you and Jake a thing?" I ask curiously. When he doesn't have practice, he hangs out with us, and they seem really close.

Alice sets her laptop down, turning to face me. "Can you keep a secret?" she asks.

"Sure I can," I nod. More than she'll ever know.

"Jake is gay."

"Oh! I had no idea."

"He's pretty good at passing as straight," she smiles. "Comes from being a huge jock, I guess. He's not out to anyone except me and his two older sisters."

"Not his dad?" I know that Jake's mom died of cancer several years ago.

"No," she sighs. "Jake's dad is kind of old-fashioned. Jake doesn't expect him to take it well."

"That's sad," I frown. "I can't imagine a parent not accepting their child for who he is."

"Yeah… Anyway," she shakes her head, "Jake is thinking of coming out of the closet once we start college."

"We?" I question. "Are you going to the same school?"

"Yep, we're both going to UMSL. It's up in North County, so we might get an apartment together closer to campus."

"I'm surprised you're going to a public school," I remark, before I realize how bad that sounds. "I-I mean—"

"I know what you mean," she smiles. "My dad set aside money for me, but it's all in one big pot. It's up to me to decide how to spend it — college, a wedding, or a down payment on my first house. I could go to an expensive private school like Washington University with the money, but that would use up most of it. I chose to go to a cheaper school," she shrugs. "And besides… Jake couldn't afford Wash U."

I nod in understanding. Jake mentioned once that his mother's illness had ruined the family financially. His dad ended up losing their home, but he was able to buy a small two-bedroom condo that's still within the school district's borders, allowing Jake to remain in school.

"Have you chosen your college yet?" Alice asks.

"No. I applied to UMSL and pretty much all of the public schools in Illinois. I've been accepted at all of them, which doesn't help with making a final decision. My friends from Chicago are going to be scattered around the state."

"You should totally come to UMSL with us!" she says, bouncing on her bed. "What are you planning to study?"

"Something related to English… maybe Communications — I'm not sure. That also doesn't help with choosing a school," I shrug.

"Pretty much any of those schools would have a ton of possible majors, yeah," she agrees. "Just promise to think about UMSL, Ok? Maybe you and I can do a campus tour together one day."

"All right," I acquiesce. Alice's enthusiasm is contagious. She's so different from quiet, studious Angela, but I really like her. I feel like I'm coming out of my shell somewhat from hanging around Alice; she's good for me.

Our Spring Break is a week in the middle of March. I'd planned to go back to Chicago to visit, but then Alice invites Jake and me to join her in Florida.

We're able to get a non-stop flight to Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. From there it's just a short taxi ride to our hotel in Panama City Beach — literally right on the Gulf of Mexico.

"This is amazing," I gush, looking out of our windows at the white sand and blue water. It's not nearly as warm here as it would be further south, but it's the first time I've ever been to a real beach.

The three of us spend the week walking along the beach, shopping at Pier Park, and checking out the various activities like mini-golf and go-karts.

We're people watching from a beachfront tiki bar one day when Jake, who's aware that I know he's gay, admires a man helping his young son build a sandcastle on the beach.

"Mmmm-mmmm, that is one hot DILF," he says, practically drooling.

"Given that Mom is right there sunbathing, I don't think he's your type," I laugh.

"No harm in looking," he shrugs. "Don't you think he's hot?"

"Nice muscles," I agree, admiring his physique. His bathing suit leaves little to the imagination, but his dick isn't half as impressive as Mr. Cullen's. I frown at the sudden and unwanted memory. I haven't seen the man in almost three months, but he's still invading my thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Alice asks.

"Nothing."

"Something. You know, I don't think I've ever heard you talk about the guys in our school. Hasn't anyone caught your eye?" she asks.

"I don't hear you talking about them either," I counter.

"That's because high school boys are children. No offense, Jake," she smiles serenely, glancing his way. "And I asked you first." She sticks her tongue out at me.

"I just… don't see the point, you know? It would just be a temporary thing before we all go off to different colleges. But no, no one in particular has really caught my eye."

"So what kind of guy do you like?" Jake asks. "Did you have a boyfriend back in Chicago?"

The question brings me up short. I don't really know my type, because I generally agree with Alice about the maturity level of high school boys. Even though I've had good guy friends, I've never wanted to date any of them.

"That wasn't meant to be a hard question," he laughs.

"No, I've never had a boyfriend," I reply quietly, taking a sip of my virgin daiquiri. Alice and Jake have been wonderful friends to me since I moved to St. Louis, and I actually want to tell them what I can of the truth. "There was this guy though… an older man."

"How much older are we talking?" Jake asks eagerly.

"Maybe 27 or 28, I'm not sure. He's a few years out of grad school."

"Nice," Alice whistles. "So, what, you had a fling with this guy but he wasn't a boyfriend?"

"We had a brief relationship, but apparently it meant a lot more to me than it did to him."

"Why do you say that?" she asks, frowning.

"Because he was married," I spit out. "A little detail he'd conveniently left out."

"Ouch!" Jake yells.

"Bastard," Alice comments. "I can see why that might have soured you on guys in general."

"Or at least those who are too pretty for their own good," I grumble.

"So he was hot?" Jake asks. "What did he look like? I mean, I'd totally mess up his pretty face if I get the chance, but, you know…"

"He was hot," I admit with a small smile. "The most beautiful shade of green eyes I've ever seen."

"That's it?" Jake asks, sounding disappointed. "Just green eyes?"

"Well," I begin, a twinkle in my eye, "he'd fill out a Speedo a lot better than your muscle man on the beach."

"Now we're talking!" he yells, slapping his hand on his thigh. "So your type is a guy with a large… endowment."

I can feel my face flaming. "I don't know if that's my type, but it was pretty hard to miss, and definitely got my attention. He always came across as a bit of a jerk, but I thought… I thought with those looks, surely he wasn't really that bad. It couldn't be possible."

"How did you find out he was married?" Alice asks, looking enraptured with my story.

"My friends and I accidentally ran into him and his wife."

"Oooh," she shudders. "What excuse did he have for lying to you?"

"I don't know," I shrug. "I refused to let him explain. All I got out of him was some story about not wearing a wedding ring because he'd broken his finger when he was a kid. He said he'd never hidden the fact that he was married. But if he thought I knew, then what does that say about what he thought of me?"

"Seriously?" she exclaims. "He thought you knew and didn't care? Ugh. I'm with Jake, I'd punch this guy if he ever shows up around here."

"Let's get back to his physical attributes," Jake grins, making me roll my eyes. "Naw, I'm serious, did you see his love stick in person, or just trying to bust its way out of his pants?" he giggles.

"I… saw it once," I confess. "And it was even more impressive than I'd anticipated. I could barely get my hand around it. But none of that matters — because he's married."

Jake finally sobers. "Sorry… this guy obviously hurt you, and I don't like people who hurt my friends."

"Me either," Alice declares. "Group hug!" Jake reaches out his long arms, ensnaring each of us, and I think once again how lucky I am to have found them.

A/N: So Bella's off to a great start in her new high school. She's made two really good friends — what do you think of them? Alice and Jake will be around for the remainder of the story. It's a bit more difficult for her to get Mr. Cullen out of her head though!

Next update on Monday. I really hope FF has fixed its shit by then.

For a teaser: A big hit by an Australian band. Sorry this one is a tougher to guess without the context of what happens in the next chapter.

Round 1 voting is open in the TwiFic Fandom Awards through February 17th! You can vote every day for up to three nominees per category. I have a total of 13 nominations in 7 categories. Please vote if you're so inclined! I'll post a real link on FictionPad since FF makes this difficult:

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