Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga or any of its characters. No profit is being made. This is just a work of fanfiction.

Blurb: Met my BFF's brother when I was 12. Loved him since I was 17 while he saw me as him sister. 8 years later, we meet again but now I have no place to live and my BFF convinces me to live with her brother. I'm trying to move on from him, but he makes it difficult when he takes it upon himself to find me a boyfriend. By giving me romance lessons.

Author's Note: Okay, it's been more than 2 years since I've posted anything here. But high school has been excruciating. But now that its over, I'm glad to get back into writing again. This time I thought I'd write a little Twilight fanfiction. I've discovered such great Twilight stories (you can check out my favorites) and I wanna write my own. So here it is: Romance 101.

Romance 101

Prologue: 13 years ago

Making new friends was not something I was good at. Neither was keeping them. It was not something I regretted either. I was perfectly content in my own company - alone but never lonely - but the thought of having to start over again in a new school had me wanting to shut myself in my room and never come out. The 'getting to know people' dance and making small talk was not my cup of tea.

"Trust me Bells, you're gonna love it here." Mom, or as I tell most people, Renee called out from the front seat. She loved visiting new places. She was also the most excited one out of the three of us.

I looked away from the window to her, frowning when I saw her holding hands with Charlie, my dad. I detested the fact that it was because of my dad we'd had to move here. I loved it in Phoenix. It was always sunny, with barely any rain. Forks, Washington on the other hand, was the exact opposite. I'd made sure to google the place before coming here. It rained almost every day in Forks (and it was summer), which meant the weather would always be gloomy and not to mention it had a population of only 8,754. This would mean that probably the entire town would know about our arrival. What also helped this was the fact that Charlie was the Chief of Police, so yeah… everyone would know. We'd be under the spotlight.

As I pondered this, the car suddenly stopped. I looked out to see that we had stopped in front of a two-storey suburban-style house, the kind you would see in commercials. It looked identical in structure to all the other houses in the neighborhood. The only difference was the color the house was painted in. Some were a combination of moss green and brown, while the others were grey and navy blue. Ours happened to be the former. Behind the house were a bunch of trees that made it seem like the neighborhood was in the middle of a forest.

"Looks neat doesn't it?" Charlie rather asked than stated, almost like he wasn't sure what to say about the house himself. It was always like this with Charlie. He wasn't great at expressing his feelings. He was the quiet parent. My mother was the complete opposite. The loud one, the fun one, the one who everyone wanted to be around. I was mostly like my father when it came to my mannerisms and my mother when it came to how I looked. I had reddish-brown hair like mom, the same pale skin tone and facial structure. The only difference was my eyes, which were the same color as my dad's, brown. My mom on the other hand had pretty blue eyes, that I was very envious of.

"Yeah I guess…" I replied, just as unsure. More so because I wasn't sure what living in this town would be like.

"Oh, stop it. Both of you." Mom chided. "Come on, let's take our suitcases inside." There weren't a lot of things we moved here with. Just our clothes, my books, mom's CDs, kitchenware and dad's fishing rods and hooks.

As we took our suitcases inside, I couldn't help but notice this boy sitting on the porch of the house next door. My new neighbor, I thought. He was feverishly talking on the phone, his face scrunched up in agitation. When he looked up, I noticed he had green eyes. The color was like grass in sunlight. Those eyes fell on me and I couldn't help but blush under his gaze. Not wanting him to see this, I immediately ducked my head and dragged my suitcase inside.

There were some perks to moving here, I realized. For one, I had my bathroom attached to my bedroom. I loved it. It made me feel like a big girl. The walls were this slate grey color that went perfectly with the gloomy mood of the weather. But the good news was that there was also a lot of space in the room for a bookshelf and a proper study table I always wanted besides the bed and two huge windows on the adjacent walls with wide enough window sills I could sit on to read. But on second thought, maybe not. Out of the two windows, one overlooked the thick trees behind the house while the other gave me a rather unwanted view into one of the rooms in our neighbors' house.

Looking out through that window, I noticed that the walls were almost off-white. The window facing me, by the looks of it, had a study table against it. I could barely make out the corner of a shelf tucked into the corner of the room. There were thin folders stacked on the shelf. I wasn't sure what it was. Maybe music records? I wondered if the room belonged to the boy I saw outside on that front porch.

The sound of a truck pulled me away from my thoughts. I could hear my parents mulling about downstairs no doubt bringing in the furniture. My mom had already managed to get in contact with some people (who no doubt would come to our house to check on us) here and ordered the furniture so it would arrive by the time we came here. I could now hear the movers talking downstairs with Mom as she instructed them on where to place the furniture.

A few men came upstairs with the mattress and the bed frame. I quickly moved out of the way and headed downstairs looking for a place I knew no one would enter. As soon as one stepped into our house, they would immediately see the living room that led to the kitchen where most of the space was taken up by the kitchen island. The walls were a pale green color. Not too bad. The new fridge was already installed too. I sat up on the kitchen counter and pulled out my current book I was reading from my bag. Finding the bookmark inside, I pulled it out and started where I left off.

Around me, I could still hear the chatter of the workers and mom, who was talking to the neighbors. I hoped she wouldn't call me to go speak with them. I wanted to put it off for as long as possible. But right when I was about to complete the chapter, Mom shouted.

"Bella, can you come here for a second? I'd like you to meet someone."

I sighed with annoyance, slamming the book shut. Stuffing it in my bag, I walked to the front door where mom stood close to another woman. The woman was dressed in a navy blue dress, her dark hair around her shoulders. Holding that woman's hand was a girl, by the looks of it, around the same age and height as me, with the same eyes as her mother's. She was dressed in a pink frock, her hair in a half-updo. I was immediately aware of how frumpy I'm sure I looked. I was dressed in sweatpants since I have been travelling in jeans and a worn-out T-shirt.

The woman held a deep skillet. I could easily smell the spices of the chicken pot pie coming in and my stomach growled. It had been a while since we ate something. The girl and her mother were both smiling at me as I made my way to them.

"Come here." Mom put her arm around my shoulders as she introduced me to our neighbors. "This is Esme Cullen and her daughter Alice Cullen. They live next door to us." Squeezing my shoulders she added. "This is my daughter Isabella."

I looked up at the woman to see her smiling down at me. Her eyes were light brown, hazel, in color and she had dimples when she smiled. She put out her hand. "Hi Isabella. It's so nice to meet you. What grade are you in?"

I shook her hand. She had fair skin. "You can call me Bella. It's nice to meet you too. I'm gonna be joining the seventh grade."

Before I could make an excuse to get away or do anything, the girl spoke up. "Hi Bella! I'm Alice as your mom already mentioned." She giggled. "I can tell we're gonna be best friends for life." she then proceeded to tackle me with a bear hug.

My eyebrows shot up as I struggled to stand up straight. Cautiously I hugged her back as our mothers laughed in the background. Best friends? For life? That was a first. Someone approached me first, wanting to be my friend. I rarely ever felt the need to do it myself. I was content with just talking to the people who sat in class next to me or with people who I had to do group projects with.

Alice let go, and turned to our moms, "Can Bella hang out with me tomorrow?" She'd set her mouth in a pout, her eyes deliberately enlarged. Without a doubt, I knew that no one including myself would be able to refuse her anything if she ever chose to aim that look at us.

Mom replied. "Sure thing. She can come by your house first thing tomorrow."

I turned to smile at Alice again. I now wanted to get to know her and be her friend too.

Esme handed out the skillet to Mom. "Before I forget, I made a pot pie for you. I'm sure you're gonna be too tired to cook once everything is settled."

Mom looked relieved. "Thank you so much. Definitely appreciate you helping us out."

"You're welcome. And Bella, why don't you come by our house at 9 tomorrow? You and Alice can play together in her room." Esme looked at me expectantly while Alice eagerly nodded, grasping my hand in hers.

"Yes Mrs. Cullen. I'll come by tomorrow."

"We're gonna have so much fun!" Alice exclaimed. Then she went to stand with her mom so they could head out together.

Mom also seemed to realize that we'd kept them here for a while. "Oh my God! You guys should go have dinner too. I'm so sorry I kept you here."

Esme laughed. "It wasn't a problem at all. I'd love to help you again."

It was 8:55. I was already standing on the front porch of Alice's house, mustering the courage to ring the bell. I didn't know why I had to be so nervous about this. I mean, I was just here to spend some time with the new friend I'd made yesterday. Or maybe I was since this was the first time I'd be going to someone's house with the sole intention of hanging out with them instead of completing a school project.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I marched to their front door and rang the bell. I felt a little better when I heard squeals from inside and smiled as Alice opened the door.

"Ah! You're here. Come inside." Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me in leaving the door open.

From somewhere inside the house, we heard Esme's stern voice call out, "Did you close the door, Alice?"

Alice's eyes widened. "Dang! I forgot. Again!" She dropped my hand and turned to close the door. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Right before she could close the door shut, someone pushed it open. And a man dressed in a doctor's coat stepped inside. With blond hair and green eyes he stood tall, I guessed about 6' 2'' or so. He was holding a briefcase in one while the other reached out to hug Alice.

"Dad! You're home." Alice enthusiastically hugged him, as he lifted her. He chuckled as he set her down. He ruffled her hair, as he turned towards me. "Who's your new friend here?"

I blushed when he looked down at me. Alice stepped forward to introduce us. "This is my best friend Bella. She moved next door yesterday." All of us could hear the pride in her voice. It made me happy inside, listening to someone call me their best friend even though we'd met only yesterday. She looked at me and back at her dad. "Bella, this is my dad. She's starting the same grade as me, next year."

His hand swallowed mine as he smiled at me. "Hi Bella. Nice to meet you. I'm Carlisle Cullen."

I smiled shyly back at him. "Hello Dr. Cullen."

He chuckled again. "You don't need to call me Dr. Carlisle works just fine."

I nodded my head, not saying anything further. Alice, seeming impatient for the introductions to finish, grabbed me and started pulling me upstairs. "We'll be in my room if you need us."

We heard Esme from the kitchen again. "I'll bring you girls some snacks later on, okay?"

"Okay mom." We climbed to the second floor and Alice brought me to the room on the right.

We entered her room and Alice shut the door. It was silent now. No more of the chatter that was present downstairs. I stood there, near the closed door and looked around her room.

It was very girly. The walls were pastel pink. A white four-poster bed against one wall right below pop-up butterfly stickers. The adjacent wall had an attached bathroom and the remaining two walls had windows as well as a cupboard against one of them. The rest of the floor space was occupied by a small table against the window facing the trees and a small couch below the other window.

Alice too probably picked up on the self-consciously radiating off of me and ushered me to take a seat on her bed. She settled beside me. We both looked at each other and immediately looked away, laughing awkwardly.

Alice played with the hem of her t-shirt, smiling shyly. "This is the first time I've had a friend over." She confessed softly.

That was a surprise. I'd assumed she'd have many friends based on her outgoing nature. I looked at her, confused. "How come?"

She giggled. "We moved here last year. I've not been able to make any new friends since everyone is already part of some friend group." This, I could understand. Hadn't I already said once before how I'd had trouble making friends? I felt something - not something, a feeling - bloom in my chest as I stared at her. My best friend. I felt giddy for some reason. "That's why I thought we could be best friends. I mean… I haven't been able to make any friends yet and you're new which means you don't know anyone yet. So…" She looked away, blushing ever so slightly.

I picked up on the unasked question that lingered. "Yes. I'd love to be friends with you." She looked back at me, sporting a grin identical to mine.

"We're going to be best friends and have the best time together ever." I didn't miss the way she corrected my earlier statement.

Before we could say more, there was a knock on the door before it was pushed open. Esme peeked her head inside before she came in. She was holding a tray with two glasses of orange juice and a couple of different flavors of Twinkies.

"Hey Bella, I hope you like twinkies. They're Alice's favorite and happen to be the only snack at home." She smiled sheepishly, her dimples showing. She set the tray on the vanity table and took a seat on the couch opposite us.

"How was the move here? I hope you can make new friends here. I'm sure it was difficult to leave your old friends behind." Esme looked at me comfortingly. It made me feel all warm inside. I could see how Alice had inherited her mother's warm personality.

"The move was not bad. I'm sure Mom was more eager than any of us about it." We laughed quietly. "Leaving friends was not as bad as I thought it would be." I didn't mention the fact that I had very few friends to begin with. "But I'm sure I'll be fine. I've already made a friend." I said, moving my head towards Alice's.

"Best friends." Alice said, nudging my shoulder back.

"You said 'going to be'." I nudged her back.

Esme laughed. "Well, I should go. I have to do the laundry today. God knows the mess Ed would have left in his basket." She stood up to leave.

I looked between them. "You have a brother?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah. His room is opposite mine. It's too bad his windows are the ones facing your bedroom. Imagine, if it was my bedroom. We could have so much fun talking from the windows!" She looked ecstatic at the mere thought.

I laughed. Esme left the room, her laugh trailing behind her.

Alice turned to me. "Do you have a brother?"

I gave her a look and rolled my eyes. "If I had one, I'm pretty sure you would have met him yesterday."

"Right." We looked around her room. "So what do you wanna do now?"

"I had such a great time today. Thank you so much for having me, Mrs. Cullen."

Esme brushed it off. We were standing in the kitchen. Well, I was standing while Esme prepared lunch.

The entire house was artfully modern. I'd looked around the house more carefully as I came downstairs. The tiles in the kitchen were white marble, and the cabinets a deep brown. The only thing that stood out was the silver-polished double-door fridge in the corner. The living room, which the kitchen led to, was also tasteful. The l-shaped couch is a deep blue with a round coffee table in the middle.

"Please. Call me Esme. Mrs. Cullen is my mother-in-law."

I laughed at the joke as I looked around the kitchen again. "Your house is so pretty."

She smiled. "Thanks sweetie. I had a lot of fun designing the place when we moved last year."

"Wow. You design houses?"

"Yes. I'm an interior designer."

I smiled. Just then, Alice came back from upstairs just at the front door. I looked towards the front door. I froze when I saw green eyes staring back at me. It was the boy I'd seen sitting on the porch yesterday. He must be the brother, I thought. He looked eerily similar to Dr. Cullen, except for the hair which was more like Esme's. He was dressed in dark jeans and a grey t-shirt.

Alice rushed to my side. "Ed, this is my new best friend Bella Swan. She moved next door yesterday." Everyone could hear the pride in her voice and it warmed me to her even more.

Ed looked at Esme, confused. Esme filled in for him. "Remember I told you about the new Chief of Police? Charlie Swan? She's his daughter, Isabella." She motioned to me.

Recognition gleamed in his eyes. He turned to me with an outstretched hand. "Hello Isabella. I'm Edward." A welcoming smile playing on his lips.

I put my hand out while his hand swallowed mine whole. "Nice to meet you and call me Bella."

"OK… Bella." He said my name slowly like he was testing whether it would sound right. He slowly smiled until it stretched across his face. "So you're Alice's best friend, huh?"

I looked at Alice, who was beaming at me. I released Edward's hand. "Yeah. And you're Alice's older brother."

"Yep. Four years older." He must be sixteen then, I thought. He turned to Esme. "Don't stay up for me today. I'll be late."

Just then Carlisle walked in. "Another party to attend, son?"

"'Dad, it's summer and we're high school students. What's there to do but while away time by partying?" He smirked at his dad.

Esme butted in. "If you plan on staying away all day, why come home now?"

Edward rounded the kitchen island to kiss his mother's cheek. "For lunch. Homemade lunch, especially when you make it , beats anything outside."

Esme playfully slapped his chest. "Charmer." She said, rolling her eyes.

Carlisle spoke to me next. "I hope you had fun today."

I nodded. "Yes. Thank you for having me."

Esme came to stand near me. "Shush… you have nothing to be thankful for. We're grateful that you girls became friends."

"Okay, Mrs.-"

"Esme, dear."

"Right, Esme. Anyways I'd better go too."

Esme stepped back. Before she went back to the kitchen, she asked Alice to walk me to the door.

As we walked towards the door, Alice spoke excitedly about our upcoming plans. "Oh my god! We should totally ride our bicycles at the park." Before I could agree, she continued. "Or oh! Why not a sleepover? Or a day at the mall."

Alice kept on going. All the plans sounded fun. Except for shopping. Not a fan of that.

Right as Alice opened the front door, Edward spoke. Rather shouted, "Why don't you tell Bella your real plans? You wanna kidnap her and keep her here for eternity."

Only Alice was unamused. "Shut up Edward!"

Edward laughed at her weak rebuttal.

Chuckling, I said to her, "Well, we can definitely go to the park tomorrow."

Alice, honest to god, squealed. "Yay! We're gonna have so much fun." She hugged me.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

I walked out the front porch and waved at Alice before she closed the door. On the way home, I couldn't help but let the giddy smile take over my face. I walked home with spring in my step, so different from earlier this morning.

It was almost midnight. My parents would be pretty pissed if they still found me away this time of the night. Especially when dinner was over 3 hours ago. It wasn't a quiet dinner either. I told my parents all about how I spent my time at Alice's place and how much fun I had.

My parents were happy for me. Mom nudged my shoulder. "Didn't I tell you you'd love it here?"

I playfully pushed her off. "Yeah, yeah."

I was in my bedroom, which I was thankful for, was fully furnished. The study table, the bed, the bookshelf, everything in their place.

I guess it was the residual adrenaline you felt after making a friend or an insane amount of happiness, but I couldn't quite sleep yet. So here I was, on my bed reading Little Women. I was halfway into the book when a white light shone into the room from the window.

I rushed to the window. I could see Edward, still dressed in the same clothes as earlier standing in the bedroom, standing near the foot of the bed. He looked up and froze. Shocked to find me awake, no doubt. I froze too, feeling like I'd been doing something I should have. Even though I'd done nothing but check why there was light coming into my room from the window. Not knowing what to do, I waved at him, mentally slapping myself for the lame reaction.

He smiled unsurely and moved away from the window. Great, he's gonna think I was stalking him. I sighed, deciding to go to sleep and pretend it never happened. I placed the unread book back on the shelf and washed my face, hands and feet in the bathroom. I came out and was about to get into bed when I noticed Edward standing at the window again. I blushed, wondering if he was going to comment on my earlier… wave-thing.

He had changed out of his earlier clothes into blue plaid pajamas and a white t-shirt. This time, he didn't seem awkward. Instead, he spoke. It wasn't loud but I could hear it clearly in the quiet night. "Goodnight Bella."

I smiled hesitantly. "Good night Edward."

He smiled back at me and walked away from the window. Before I knew it, the lights in his room were switched off. I did the same until there was nothing but the faint moonlight peeking in.

As I tucked myself in, I smiled again. I had made a new friend already who I was certain I wasn't going to lose any time soon. I was sure I was going to love it here.

Author 's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not sure how long it'll take to upload the next chapter, but I'll try. I'll also try to complete the other fanfic I started as well. Depends on when I find the inspiration for it. As of now, I find myself wanting to write about the Twilight characters.