A/N: Hi! I used to participate in twilight fanfiction back in the late 2000 early 2010s as treasurer. I'm in my twilight era again and I got to wondering… what if Bella was both a little more experienced but also a little bit more a teenager. This Bella isn't a virgin…and she's dealing with a lot of grief…how will Edward deal with this Bella?

I watched my beloved home and its accompanying "For Sale" sign shrink and fade away in the passenger side-view mirror. I let Joanie drive, I didn't have the heart. Jacob sat in the backseat with a box in his lap, a lamp obscured his face. There really wasn't any room for him back there but he insisted on riding with us until Charlie needed a break from driving. Charlie, my dad, was following right behind us in a borrowed van. His police cruiser hadn't been quite up to snuff for the task. The entirety of my life was packed between the two cars.

We were on our way to Forks, Washington. Charlie's home, my birthplace. It was a little rainy town nestled within the Olympic Peninsula. It was wet and cold and its constant heavy cover was an oppressive contrast to the open, arid desert skies of Phoenix. It had been Renee's home, too, for a short time. She left with me when I was a baby. I only spent my summers in Forks with Charlie until I was old enough to demand we vacation in sunny California together instead. It was not a place I ever would have chosen for myself. But life is precarious.

There had been an accident. That's all it takes. The newlyweds were hit on their way home from a Christmas Eve orchestral concert. The car spun out, then rolled three times and both of them were ejected from the car. Renee and her husband, Phil, died on the scene. Blood, guts, cameras, police lights…the works.

I was home when it happened, watching It's A Wonderful Life, feeling sentimental about the coming holiday. Renee and I had decorated the house and tree to the nines. She was so excited that it made me excited, too. It was our first official Christmas with Phil. There was a heavy knock at the door. Two solemn officers greeted me. There would be no Christmas this year.

Phoenix was a twenty-four hour drive without stops but Charlie still had his arms around me only thirty hours after I had called. He had driven down from Forks with his best friend Billy's son, Jacob Black. Billy used a wheelchair and was unable to help drive or pack, so he sent his son in his place.

Under normal circumstances Charlie would have been against endorsing such an illegal activity as driving without a license. Jacob was only fifteen but he didn't mind helping Charlie drive and skip two weeks of school in the process, even if that meant spending Christmas driving.

The first thing Jacob said to me when they arrived was, "I'm really sorry." Then he gushed, "You have the car I want!"

I simply nodded, I had no levity of my own to offer. But I was grateful for his easy going nature. It was obvious he didn't resent me for his ruined holiday.

The first week after the accident was an out of body experience. Having your entire world ripped out from under you is difficult to describe. It was horrible and I knew everything was horrible. Yet I couldn't feel a thing. Every conversation I had felt through a tin can on a string: hollow and distant.

The funerals were closed casket affairs. Many kind and bright people shared their love for the eccentric and charismatic wonder that had been my mother. It was like I was watching a stranger's funeral on a muted tv. During Phil's ceremony, I checked out completely. I don't remember it all. Sorry Phil.

The second week, I was painfully aware. I felt and lived in every moment of its passing. My home was a hive. People were in and out of rooms and doors, buzzing about this way and that. Our household items were sold, traded, auctioned, stored. I sat and cried while I watched our life together get torn apart. The jovial Christmas tree in the corner of the living room with all of our unopened presents under it mocked me. Reminded me of a life I no longer got to have. I would never see Renee's big excited smile as she opened up her tickets to see the Cirque Soleil…or Phil's shy smile as he looked over the Star Wars limited edition Jedi figurine he'd been eying every time we walked into the comic store.

Joanie, my best friend, held my hand when she wasn't stuck at school. It was with her gentle encouragement and support that I opened up my Christmas presents from Renee and Phil. From Phil, an ipod. From Renee, a sketchbook, expensive oil pastels, and a gilded collection of Jane Austin books… I burst into tears at the thoughtfulness and the fact that I couldn't thank them myself. Especially Renee…we were just patching things back up after a rough summer. Did she know how much I loved her?

Now all I wanted was to be left alone. I was drained and tired of people, but I had a while yet to go. I continued to watch Phoenix drift away in the side-view mirror. Sometimes I would catch Jacob looking at me. He was always sneaking a curious glance. We had met before as young kids during my summers in Forks, but we didn't really know each other. His mother had died in a car accident, too, when he was nine years old. It had also been a closed casket event. I wondered if he was thinking about his own mother, his own memories…

I was thinking about Renee and her future plans that would never happen. She was excited to travel the country with Phil. They were going to take a trip to the Alamo first. It was a nod to their first date, a special showing of Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Her newest favorite interest was roller skating…she had been trying to get me to go to the rink with her. I should have humored her at least once. Now she would never get to learn how to skate backwards.

I should have spent more time with her this summer. Instead I was out every day and night with Joanie, smoking pot and riding in cars with boys. It felt like some kind of personal revolution at the time. I had never felt so reckless or alive. But what did that even matter now? Great, I was no longer a virgin, but now mom was dead and gone and I'd never see her again.

"What's up, Bella?" Joanie reached over and squeezed my hand but otherwise kept her eyes on the road. Having a cop in the rear view mirror kept her anxious, even if it was just Charlie.

"My books," I lied, pointing behind me. They were stacked in boxes on the seat, the floorboards, Jacob's lap, and overflowing the hatchback of my yellow VW Rabbit. "I might not have room for all of them." Charlie had whistled when he realized I wanted to take every single one of them with me. There were 874 to be exact. I knew that because I had counted them instead of thinking about my life while I packed them up.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry…" she paused, "we'll build you a lot of shelving." She sounded assured.

"I know exactly where to go when we get home," Jacob chimed in. I could see his smile in the mirror.

"Thanks," I was glad to have given them a problem they could give me a solution to, it would put Joanie more at ease.

The second day it was just Joanie and I the entire drive. Her mom let her take a few days off school to help me move. We bonded in eighth grade English class over Edgar Allan Poe and have been friends ever since to Renee's barely concealed dismay. Joanie was rebellious, a stoner, and incredibly thoughtful. A bad influence maybe, but she loved me a lot. The trouble we got into together never ended well for me. I was way too bad a liar for a woman as intuitive as Renee. But if it weren't for Joanie, I have no idea who I would be. She introduced me to so much music and art… and gave me a backbone to stand up against Renee.

Renee and I's relationship was a rocky road but it was full of love and compassion and silliness. My mom was just… irresponsible and unreliable to a negligent degree. I took over responsibilities I shouldn't have at a young age. For example, at nine years old, I began to pay the bills and balance her checkbook. I took that on after the third month in a row our power was shut off after Gran died. Once I met Joanie, she made it obvious to me that I deserved better. That's when my own streak of rebellion began to grow.

I thought If I took on the responsibilities of an adult, I could start acting like one, too. Renee and I began to argue for the first time ever as I slowly disentangled myself from her iron will and made choices of my own. Some of them were childish in their own right, maybe, but they were my choices. My life. Renee took my growing individuation as a direct attack on her. We had a lot of rough patches.

The entire drive Joanie never stopped talking. I had a hard time listening. She would get frustrated with me every once in a while for not paying attention to her ramblings. She usually wasn't so chatty, she was just worried and wanted to keep me out of my head. But I still wanted to be left alone.

When we got to Forks, I was exhausted. I slept on the couch while Charlie, Jake, and Joanie unpacked the cars. Jacob went home after unpacking. He left me a note on the kitchen table: "Call me if you ever want a friend."

Joanie had flown home after she spent a few days helping me settle into my room. Thanks to her idea, my books all had a home. I had almost no space for art on the walls due to all the shelving, but I liked it. My room felt like a library. But grateful as I was for her love and help, I was glad to see her go. It would mean one less set of worried eyes watching my every move.

I just wanted to be alone. Left to rot in peace with no mask to keep in place. The next few days were spent staring at the ceiling wishing life were different while Charlie did his best to hide his hovering.

I didn't sleep at all the night before my first day of school. I didn't want to go. But it had almost been a month since I had gone, since Renee and Phil died in that wreck. Charlie said it was time. Going to school seemed absurd and trite. How was I supposed to go on with my life as if nothing happened? I was struggling to get through each day enough already. My mom and her husband's guts had been found on I-10, I didn't have the capacity to care about something as meaningless as Biology.

Worse still, there could be no anonymity here. There were less than 350 students at Forks High. I could not fade into the background as I had survived school back in Phoenix. By now, everyone had already heard about Chief Swan and his poor daughter coming to move in with him after the tragic death of his flighty ex wife and her new young husband.

Alone in my room, I could already feel their stares, hear their whispered conversations, their forced condolences.

My eyes were wide open when my alarm clock began to trill.

I groaned and stretched slowly out of bed. I stared out my bedroom window. The dark gray sky was oppressive as ever, threatening cold rain at any moment. I missed the sun. I missed Renee. I missed the feeling of home. Forks could never be my home, just a temporary holding cell. A solitary tear slid down my face just as the rain began to patter.

I took a shower, using the hot water to work some of the anxious tension out of my body. I wore a coat over a hoodie and jeans. I needed a hood to hide behind if I ever hoped to make it through the day.

I grabbed a book off the shelf by my bed, I went for something I knew well and could slip into easily, taking myself as far away from my surroundings as possible: the first copy of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: "The Bad Beginning." A comforting story about orphans wherein nothing ever turns out right. Seemed fitting.

I went downstairs and made a bowl of cereal. There was a note on the fridge from Charlie.

You're gonna get through this day.

Love,

Dad.

I wasn't so sure, but I appreciated the thought. It reminded me of the post-its I would leave for Renee around the house: reminders of appointments and encouraging words to help her through her hard days. Every once in a while, she would leave one for me. Her note would have gone something more like this:

What are you so afraid of?

It's just high school,

They won't bite!

I had thirty minutes until I had to leave. I ate my cereal mindlessly, my thoughts slow and dulled from my lack of sleep. I welcomed the fog. It was better than the sharp anxiety that had kept me awake all night. I washed my dishes and braved the cold.

I got into my 1984 Rabbit and roared the car to life. While I waited for the cab to warm up, I opened my book and began reading.

"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. In this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle…"

When the car warmed up enough, I dog-eared my page. I had half a thought to call Charlie and tell him I was sick. He'd let me stay home one more day at the very least. Just one more day. I thought about Charlie's note. You're gonna get through this day.

I thought of Renee. What are you so afraid of?

"You're not a coward," I muttered to myself.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed I was one of the first to arrive. Very few prying eyes. I took this as a blessing as I walked with my hood up as fast as possible to the building with a plaque in front that read: Front Office.

The room was brightly lit and a warm reprieve from the bitterness outside. The room was separated in half by three large desks. A red headed woman sat behind one of them.

She looked up. "May I help you?"

"It's my first day. My name is Isabella Swan. My dad told me to come here for a map of the school and my schedule."

"Of course. Charlie's daughter," She tutted, "We're all so sorry to hear about your mother and her husband, dear."

Talk of the town, just as I had thought. I nodded and forced a tight lipped smile, unable to reply. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about my dead mother with strangers all day. She pulled some papers from a stack in her desk.

"Here's a map of the campus and here's your schedule." She pointed out all my classes on the map and wished me a good day.

When I left the building, I was immediately stunned by the cold as a gust of wet wind bit my face. When would the pain of the cold stop surprising me? I groaned and pulled my hoodie as far down as I could and walked with my head down to my first class, Literature with Mr. Mason.

I was told to sit in the back of the room. It made it hard for people to look at me during class without making it glaringly obvious. They still gawked, of course. I did my best to avoid eye contact with anyone.

As I looked through the syllabus I was given, I realized it didn't matter much that I had missed a month of school. I had read all of the books on the schedule for the year. I was both relieved and utterly bored by the prospect.

I wondered if all my old essays and reports had been thrown in the trash. After the funeral, before they put our house on the market. No one else would find my school papers important. Just more trash in another unorganized drawer. Renee was sentimental, proud of all my A's. She probably wouldn't have mailed them to me anyway. Would have told me it was cheating no matter what argument I constructed.

Not that I'd be here if she were alive anyway.

After class, a gangly boy with acne tried to keep up with me as I darted out of the room, but I ignored him by walking faster with my nose in the map, pretending I was too engrossed in directions to hear him. I'm sure he was just trying to be nice, but I didn't have it in me to have a repeat of the conversation I had in the front office.

So sorry to hear…

I got lost on my way to my next class, Government, but luckily wasn't late. I spent the period reading my book, already having covered the day's topic back home. Everyone stared whenever they could. I was beginning to see a pattern.

Trigonometry with Mr. Varner was awful, he actually made me introduce myself to the entire class. I looked at my feet as I forced out a greeting, my face cherry red. I tripped on the way to my desk, scattered my belongings on the floor. I murmured thanks to the hands that shot out and handed me my things. I did not dare to see who they were attached to. I knew then I would hate Mr. Varner as much as I hated the subject.

I paid attention in Spanish, listening along to the teacher and students converse brokenly about dessert options on a menu. My Spanish wasn't much better.

The only person who didn't stare at me was the person I sat next to and for that I was grateful. So when she turned to me and smiled after class, I didn't shy away.

"Hey, I'm Angela."

I smiled back. "Hi Angela, I'm Bella."

"Would you like some company? I'll show you the way to the cafeteria."

What I wanted was to sink inside myself never to return but I figured making one friend today couldn't hurt.

"Sure," I agreed.

"I love Lemony Snicket's." Angela pointed to the book in my hand.

I smiled again and nodded. It was difficult to ignore just how tall she was, at least six feet. She was a soft, bookish model type. Demure and gentle even with all that height.

"First readthrough?" She asked. I could handle this conversation. I would take her olive branch.

"No, I've read up to The Grim Grotto. It's a series I like to reread. How about you?"

"Same. I can't wait for The Penultimate Peril."

"Yeah, me neither. I'm a little sad we're nearing the end, though. I worry for the Baudelaires."

She nodded, gravely. "Me, too."

When we arrived through the cafeteria doors, I could feel all eyes on me again. I tried my best not to meet anyone's gaze. Which was difficult to do when everyone in a room was staring at you.

"You're welcome to sit with my friends and I," Angela offered.

I blushed. "Thanks, I appreciate that, but do you know if there are any empty tables?"

"Yeah. Over there," she pointed to a table in the corner, by a trash can. A little trash never bothered me.

"Thank you," I offered, "really." Her eyes were sympathetic and kind.

"No problem, Bella." She didn't seem to take my rejection personally.

I was a little hungry but couldn't bear the thought of waiting in the lunch line. It would be impossible to ignore everyone if I did. Instead, I sat down at the empty table and bent over my book, trying to ignore the hum of conversation around me. But I still heard murmurs of my name. Maybe they took offense to my cold shoulder, but I just couldn't care. Not when I could enjoy the Baudelaire children's immediate peril instead of my own miserable life. A few pages in I was interrupted.

"Hi."

I looked up to see a blond boy with blue eyes standing across the table from me with his lunch tray in hand. His hair was gelled in perfectly placed spikes. Boy band vibes with a big smile.

"Hi," I hesitated. Please don't ask to sit here.

"Isabella, right?"

I bristled lightly. "Just Bella," I corrected. Please don't ask to sit here.

"Bella. Got it, sorry. I'm Mike. Welcome to Forks."

"Thanks, Mike." Please don't ask to sit here.

"I couldn't help but notice you were sitting alone. Would you like any company?"

He seemed confident that I would accept. I was going to burst his bubble. I gave a polite smile to soften the blow.

"No, thanks. I'm enjoying my book right now." Pop. He deflated, shoulders slumped.

He did his best to hide the disappointment from his voice.

"Ok, well, nice to meet you Bella. Welcome again. And enjoy your book." He straightened out, head held high as he walked to his usual table. Smooth and diplomatic. I respected it.

I noticed Angela was seated at his table. Their entire crowd was looking my way. I was glad I didn't end up sitting there.

I looked across the cafeteria. I was met with nothing but ogling eyes at every turn. Most were curious, some suspicious, a few concerned. And then I saw them.

At the opposite end of the cafeteria, sat a group of five. Two girls and three boys.

They were the only people in the entire room who weren't looking at me. That caught my attention.

Of the two girls, one was a buxom blonde with a face and body that made every girl around her feel like she was lacking. The other was tiny and waifish with short black hair artfully styled in every direction. One of the three boys couldn't really be described as a boy at all. He was incredibly tall and beefy with curly dark brown hair. An intimidating sight. He seemed too old to be in high school, probably because of his commanding size. He was at the blonde's side. Next to the pixie-like waif was a boy with honey colored chin length hair. He was muscular but lean, like an athlete. The last, more boyish and thinner than the others, sat alone on the other side of the table. He was lanky and had perfectly disheveled bronze hair. Every single one of them was heartbreakingly beautiful, but I thought he was the most beautiful of all.

I couldn't keep my eyes away from them. As different as they were, they all looked the same. They were chalky pale and every one of them had dark circles under their eyes. Like none of them had gotten any sleep last night either. Their tiredness did nothing to lessen their good looks. Their features were all perfectly angular, sloped, and chiseled. They seemed torn out of a fashion magazine or a teen drama. They all looked tortured with boredom. Their food was left untouched. Maybe they were the models.

The boyish one, with the reddish brown hair, met my gaze. I was so tired it didn't even register that I had been caught staring. I just marveled about how strange the color of his eyes were, they seemed black. He raised an eyebrow at me. I raised one back. He squinted his eyes, not in anger but confusion. I finally got the idea to look down and blushed. I peeked up through my lashes, keeping my head low, trying not to get caught. He was still looking at me, pensive. The pixie girl spoke to him and he tore his eyes from my direction.

I tried to fall into the safety of the pages in front of me. I never risked a glance in their direction again but the beautiful boy's puzzled face kept popping up in my mind.

When the bell rang, Angela walked up to me and asked about my next class. She also had Biology and offered to show me the way. I agreed. We didn't talk much but exchanged a few smiles. I was beginning to think we might become friends. I appreciated her quiet compassion.

When we got to class, everyone was already seated. There was only one empty chair. It was next to the bronze haired boy. He was looking out the window, twirling a pencil. In his own secret place.

Mr. Banner didn't make me introduce myself and he didn't look at me with staggering sympathy. I'd like him. Besides hello all he said to me was, "Why don't you sit next to Edward?"

On cue, Edward moved his belongings to his side of the desk. But as I walked to my seat, he turned from the window to face me wearing the most menacing expression I had ever seen. It stopped me in my tracks. If looks could kill. I thought about turning around, skipping the rest of the day. I only had one more class after this and it was gym. I was already done with that requirement in Phoenix. Charlie would understand. I gave the day a solid try.

Don't be a coward.

But I was afraid. I dragged myself to my seat and kept my eyes down. I could still see him from the corner of my eye. He sat as far away from me as possible with his nose upturned away from me, as if I were repulsive. His entire body was flexed and rigid.

I opened my book and tried to disappear. But I could not. He kept his hands in fists at his side. I tried to assure myself that maybe he and his friends treated everyone like this. Too good for the rest of the bumpkins in this rural high school. Maybe Forks High was the setting of a teen drama.

Halfway through class I glanced another peek at him and regretted it. He was looking right at me, his face twisted in rage. The vile hatred in his eyes shrunk me down. Who was this guy? My eyes began to well with angry tears. Don't cry. Don't cry. But it was already too late. I was at my limit, defeated. One by one, I felt treacherous tears fall down my hot cheeks.

It wasn't my intention to cause a scene, I simply could not take it any longer. I whipped my head around with as sinister an expression I could muster. The effect was probably thwarted by the steady stream of tears.

"What's your problem?!" I shrieked, louder than intended. Edward flinched and his eyes widened. He did not expect my retaliation.

Every eye in the room, including Mr. Banner's, snapped in our direction. I had interrupted the entire lecture with my outburst. Edward scanned the room and then settled back to narrow his eyes at me.

He grabbed his belongings, and with more grace and speed than I thought possible, exited the classroom, closing the door with a gentle thud. Then everyone turned to me.

Why me? Why today?

I pulled my hood up and slunk down onto the desk to hide my puffy, red, tear streaked face. I wanted to leave my body. To disappear.

"Come on now," Mr. Banner finally said, "let's get back to class…"

Eternity passed. Then the bell rang.

I decided to remain in my seat until most of the class had filed out. I wiped my face on my sleeves, grateful I didn't wear any makeup.

"Don't worry about that guy."

I looked up from my desk. It was Mike from lunch. He gave me an easy smile. I was grateful for the gesture. My outburst hadn't made me a total freak then.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"What's your next class?"

"Gym."

"Cool, me too. I'll walk you there?"

Why not? "Sure."

I walked up to Mr. Banner and talked to his feet. "I'm sorry for disrupting your class. That won't ever happen again."

"Apology accepted, see you tomorrow." I could tell that he meant it.

I turned back toward Mike. As we walked he prattled on about The Cullens. Edward Cullen was the asshole who tried to murder me with his eyes. They were adopted siblings who lived together and dated each other. His emphasis, not mine. I could guess who the couples were by their placement in lunch today. The beefcake was with the knockout blonde. And the petite pixie girl was with the blond athletic guy. Their adopted father was a doctor at the local hospital. They all lived together with him and his wife.

He stopped walking when we neared the gymnasium doors and hesitated. "I don't know what his deal was, I would have been thrilled to sit next to you."

Oh no. I smiled tight lipped. "Thanks."

I walked to the girls changing room as fast as I possibly could. All of the girls gave me space. Word had probably already spread about my tantrum. Crazy Bella with the dead mom screaming in class. I'd take the small miracle.

Mike didn't flirt with me after that and pulled my weight on our volleyball team. I was grateful for his help, I really hated sports. If he was willing to be friends, so was I.

After gym, I walked to my car as fast as I could without actually running. I turned on my engine and cranked on the heat. I opened my copy of Lemony Snicket's and stared at the page but I was too burnt out to string together any of the words into meaning. I wanted to be home in my bed and I wanted to never have to show up to this place again. At least going to bed was an option. I left the moment my car was properly thawed.

Once home, I grabbed an apple in the kitchen and went upstairs. I locked my bedroom door and opened my bottom dresser drawer. Hidden between two pairs of pants was a parting gift from Joanie: a lighter and a bag of weed. I took an exacto knife from my art supply bag and used it to turn the apple into a bowl. I packed the bowl and opened my bedroom window to blow the smoke outside. The smoke disappeared into the fog.

When I was done I dumped the ashes from the apple out the window before shutting it. I tucked away the bag and lighter. I got in my bed, beginning to feel my body relax. I was starving. I ate around the apple and tossed it in the trash.

I fished my iPod out of my backpack. My gift from Phil, that he pre-stocked with all of the music in my cd collection and his favorite bands too, of course. I put the earbuds in and scrolled through until I found what I wanted to hear: Debussy's Suite bergamasque. One of Renee's favorites.

I stared at the ceiling and I let myself cry. I thought of Renee. I thought of Phil. They were too young to die. I thought of Joanie. Was she thinking of me, too? I thought of kind, patient Charlie. I started to think about Edward. He embarrassed me. And I hated him. And I didn't know how I was supposed to get through the rest of the school year like that.

But I let the music wash over me and then for the first time in over 24 hours, I fell asleep.

Knock knock

"Bells?"

Knock knock

"Bella? You awake?"

"Hmmm?" It was difficult to open my eyes but when I did, I noticed that the little bit of sun had gone down.

"I got pizza for us."

"Kay. Be down in a minute," I groaned out, my mouth thick with sleep.

I rubbed my eyes and turned toward my alarm clock. 6:30pm. Only three hours of sleep. I'd have dinner and go right back to bed.

I yawned going down the stairs, brushing my hair out with my fingers as I tried not to stumble down the steps. Charlie was already sitting down at the table. He had just started eating a slice.

"Hey, dad."

"Hey, Bells. How was school?" He was trying to be casual and light but he was clearly assessing me intently. I wondered if news had gotten to him somehow of my classroom meltdown.

"I survived," I shrugged. "I didn't sleep well last night though. I'm pretty tired, I'm going to bed after this."

I sat down and plated a few slices. I was pretty hungry. We ate in silence while Charlie snuck worried glances my way. I decided to throw him a bone.

"Made a few friends today," I offered. That cheered him up.

"Oh, what were their names? Maybe I know their families." He asked with a smile.

"Angela Weber And Mike Newton."

"Glad to hear it. Both good kids. Angela's father is a pastor and Mike's parents own a sporting goods store in town."

"Oh, that's nice…Do you know anything about the Cullen family?" I took a bite of my pizza.

"You met some of them today? They're…something else, huh?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. They really were. "That's an understatement…"

He continued, "They moved here just a few years ago. Dr. Carlisle Cullen has done so much for us here at the hospital. He is an incredibly renowned surgeon. We're lucky his wife Esme loves small towns. Very respectful family, all their kids are well behaved and polite. I don't understand some people's attitude toward them…" I had never seen my dad get so worked up about anything before. And I would not have called Edward polite in any sense of the word.

"…people's attitude towards them?" I prompted.

They had a reputation of some kind? It would make sense if they all had the same attitude as Edward.

He sighed. "That doctor has done so much for our community. He could be making millions somewhere, and he chooses to work for less here. He has saved so many lives. Some people just like to talk since they're newcomers, it's a shame."

That didn't seem like the full story but Charlie didn't offer anymore information. We ate in a comfortable silence. I kissed Charlie on the cheek and made my way back to bed.

"Night, dad."

"Night, Bells."

When I got to my room, I put on some pajamas and stretched. Having had just a little rest, tomorrow didn't seem so impossible. Even if Edward was a complete jerk, I could handle him. It was only high school. And he was just a boy. What would he do? Bite me?

I fell asleep quickly and dreamt of car crashes, menacing eyes, and my mother's warm all encompassing arms.