This is my first fanfic ever, so I hope I did a good job, and that you guys will enjoy it!

It was inspired by the song Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
I'd also like to thank my amazing beta reader: 2carm2carm2!

All I ask is that you'd review and give me feedback like crazy! You don't know how much I'd appreciate it. Also, taking ideas for the story, so if you think you've got one, you know what to do.

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BPOV

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the next blow to come. His breath smelt strongly of alcohol. More so than usual, so that was never a good sign. His sessions were usually more painful when he was drunk, so tonight was not a good night.

Before I could recover from the blow to the stomach, there was another kick, and I felt my sudden intake of breath. The all to familiar feeling of pain swept across me, and I began to get dizzy. Charlie had to lay off soon, or I'd probably be knocked to a state of unconsciousness. The look in his eyes told me he realized this too. He brought his hand back, eyes burning with the fury I never really understood, and with that, I was knocked to the ground. The last thing I heard as I fell to the floor were Charlie's pleased snickers and his footsteps that indicated him heading back to his old recliner.

I fluttered my eyes open, and I sat up to stretch. They immediately filled with the tears I tried to fight back, while I cringed at the pain covering my body. I sat there, lying on the ground for a while, when I heard footsteps coming my way.

"Damn it, Bells!" Charlie screeched, standing over me. "Get that fat ass of yours off the ground and get ready for school!"

I waited, eyes on him, for him to strike. He must've felt pleased at what he did from last night to decide that no damage would be inflicted this morning.

I quick got it together and lifted myself off the floor. Once more, I cringed at the pain, and hurried to make my way up to the bathroom before Charlie thought second about his choice of leaving my unscathed.

As I made it to the bathroom, I shut and locked the door, and stood in front of the mirror to inspect myself. My eyes were puffy with the crying I must have been doing in my sleep. My face was red, and swollen- it was clear that there was a shape of a hand welded onto my face. Charlie would make sure I was to cover it up with an extra amount of make-up. The worst part was, the basketball-sized bruise in the middle of my stomach that made it difficult to breathe, and the cut about the length of a pencil on the side of my arm, from being thrown up against the cabinet.

School would be hell today. But, then again, when wasn't it?

I turned the water on high, until the room was hot and steamy. I stripped down out of the clothes from last night, and stepped into the shower. I gasped at the contact the water made with my skin, and instantly relaxed. Showers like these, after Charlie's "sessions", were pure heaven. They made all the pain go away, temporarily at least, and abled me to let go. To escape this world I had been living for all to long.

It hadn't always been like this. I had been apart of a wonderful, loving, happy family. Renee, Charlie, and I. My life was perfect, and I was the princess I always dreamed I would be. But one September evening, things went terribly, terribly wrong. There was an accident. An accident that involved a lot of alcohol, fighting, and a gun shot.

I was 9 years old. My father killed my mother.

He was drunk, and she made the mistake of confronting him about his drinking problems. He didn't like that very much, and I remember the exact argument as I was sitting, scared and alone, two floors up in my bedroom.

"Bella is going to grow up in a toxic environment because of your habits," she yelled at him, disgusted. "Pull your ass together, and learn some self-dignity. You're not the man I knew 10 years ago."

My father's growl proved that he wasn't happy. He rarely got mad at my mother. They never fought. Renee must've found the stashed bottles under the sink. She'd never known how much he drank.

"Damn it!" He screamed, "Damn you! You ain't gonna tell me what and what I'm not gonna do!"

I heard the old recliner creak, and sensed that he had stood up.

Renee screamed and I heard her move away.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled, voice cracking with something I had not anticipated. Fear, was it? "Never touch me!"

Charlie's roars of fury filled the house. Even, from two levels up, I clasped my hands over my ears. Then, there was a sound I wasn't expecting.

My mother's piercing cry replaced Charlie's rage-filled yells.

There was a gunshot. It replaced the noises all together.

I was young, and I didn't know any better. I got out of my bed and ran downstairs in my Little Mermaid PJ's. I stumbled on the steps as I ran, and I could feel my face getting hot, and wet.

When I made my way down the last couple of stairs, I froze.

In my dad's hands was a bottle of booze, and a .24 riffle.

On the ground next to him, was my mom's lifeless form. A pool of red forming around where her heart was. Her eyes were wide open, terror-struck, and empty. I gasped, and suddenly couldn't breathe.

He saw me standing there, and realized that I knew what had happened.

"This is your fault!" He shrieked at me. "You did this!"

Then, he dropped the bottle, which shattered into a million pieces, showering my mom with the poison inside that consumed my father to do such deed's, and he ran towards me.

I didn't have time to run anywhere, so I stood motionless- still as a statue in front of him. He clasped onto my neck and slammed my head against the wall. I struggled with all my strength to remove his hands that were now strangling me. I was slowly slipping, that I could tell. My feelings of sense were starting to fade, when suddenly, he released me.

He released me, and I fell to the floor. He stood there staring at me for what felt like hours. His eyes looked foreign and alien-like. My face, struck with horror and fear, as I remained still, breathing heavily. After another long moment, he finally removed his eyes from mine and moved them to my mother's. He looked at them for a long while, and then, broke down sobbing. He fell to his knees, clenching fists of his hair in his hands, and wailed out. I glanced at my dead mother one last time, and regretted it instantly, for that was the image that would come to haunt me for the rest of my life.

And that was the image that haunted me. It always had, and I knew always would. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. The only negative impact my showers had on me were the memories. For some reason, every time the painful memories came back to me. I tried as hard as I could each time to block them away, but it was a lost cause.

I remember how disgusted I was when I realized that Charlie had gotten away with this inexcusable murder. Since he was a cop, he new a few decades worth of good tricks and tactics that would cover up what he had done. By the time all the paper-work was done, it had been declared that Renee Swan had died from a heart-attack that had been internally bleeding for a while, that finally burst. I didn't understand how he managed, but whatever he did worked, and that was that.

I was asked questions after the incident, about what really happened. I was forced to keep every speck of knowledge I had of the crime locked up inside my mind and kept away from everyone. I remembered the conversation Charlie had with me the next day...

"I will kill you," he stated as if it were nothing, glaring at me. He paused, in thought, and decided how to go on, "I will kill you if you speak of what happened here last night to anyone. If anyone shall to find out about this, you will be dead in a heart-beat. Do you hear me?" His eyes bore into mine. I realized I didn't know this man anymore. My father was a stranger to me. The kind, care-worn Charlie I used to know was gone.

I gulped, and nodded at him. What choice did I have? Also, who would believe a merely 9 year-old girl, over a highly accomplished and respectable cop?

He smiled at me. It wasn't a smile at all, though. It was a sneer. He was laughing that my mother- his wife, was dead. He lowered his face, inches from mine, so that I could see the black, and evil in his eyes. He brought up his hand and gently brought it across my cheek.

"You monster," I muttered angrily under my breath. He truly didn't care that she was dead.

His eyes became wide with anger. "What?" He spat.

I glared right back at him, and didn't say another word.

All the sudden, he brought his hand up, and there was searing pain along the right side of my face. He slapped me. My own father, just slapped me.

"You will answer me when I'm talking to you, god dammit!" Then he walked out the door, and lit a cigar. I wasn't going to be telling anybody.

I've always wondered what would happen if I were to tell anyone. I knew it happened 8 years ago, but still, to see my dad riding in the back-seat of a police car that belonged to one of his co-workers, as he was charged of 1st degree murder, and told that he would have to be in prison for a lifetime would be the best moment in my life.

I was a coward though. I was afraid of what would happen if I were to speak up about something like this, that he would come and find me, even after he was locked up behind iron bars for the rest of his life. I knew he'd find a way. So I kept my mouth shut.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. I made my way into my bedroom, and stared at the untouched bed that I should have been sleeping in last night. I wished I could get the peaceful sleep that I always saw those around me get. I envied them. It was a mixture of fear, pain, and memories that kept me awake most nights. I would eventually get to sleep, but by the time I did, I'd only get about 3-4 hours before I was woken up the the screeching of the alarm clock.

After getting dressed, I slowly made my downstairs. I picked up and put the trig homework I had from last night into my backpack, and slung it across my back. I braced myself for Charlie waiting downstairs. He was a very unpredictable man, so I had to be ready for anything at all times.

"Bella!" He yelled as I entered the room, "Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting for my eggs for a good fifteen minutes!"

The man loved his eggs. I hurried to the stove and set the pan over it while I went and got the contents out of the refrigerator. I could hear Charlie huffing impatiently from the table, as he waited to be served.

I took my time making his eggs just perfect and the way he liked them. Not because I wanted to, or out of love, but because there would be hell to pay if I didn't. Recent experiences had definitely proven that. I automatically moved my hand to my left wrist at the memory. It was faded, and barely noticeable unless you really looked- the scar from the burn. About a year ago, I had accidentally left meal on the fryer for a minute too long, and he was not satisfied. He yelled for about ten minutes, on how I should be more careful, and accused me of doing it on purpose by trying to food poison him. He had taken my wrist and turner the burner to our gas stove on high. He took and held my wrist over the top of the flames until positive that I had learned my lesson. I didn't cry though. It did no good to cry, for when I did, it encouraged him to go on with his sick games. So I held it all in. All the time.

"When are the damn eggs gonna be ready?" He asked, irritatedly from the table. "I need my protein, and you know that Bells."

"Protein my ass," I murmured under my breath, too low for him to hear. I didn't usually swear, but when Charlie got me worked up like that, it normally slipped.

I flipped them one last time, satisfied by my work, and slid them onto his plate. It took everything I had not to spit on them, but I knew I'd get caught, so I forced a smile on my face, and set the plate down in front of him.

"Took you long enough," he muttered disapprovingly. He looked at me, and looked me over to check out the damage he had done last night. His lips twitched, and I could tell he was pleased by the result of things. "Cover up that mark on your face, Bells," he ordered, mouth full of eggs. "Don't want kids to make fun of you now, do you?"

I snorted. Sure, he was worried about me being made fun of.

He looked up from his breakfast and glared at me. His eyes were cold and resentful. They were actually just downright scary. I swallowed and nodded. I didn't want a repeat of last night. That, I don't think me or my body could take again.

I grabbed my keys and made my way to the door. He looked up from his meal once again, and his look was one that told me otherwise.

"Leaving so early?" He taunted. "We haven't been able to have much quality time this morning."

This frightened me. Usually when he would say that, he meant that it was time for another session. I dreaded another session. He must've been in an extra bad mood, because he never did this in the morning.

I stood up, still and tall, knowing he'd be harder on me if I protested, instead of just taking it like nothing. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and waited. I heard his chair squeak across the linoleum, and involuntarily took a step back, praying it wouldn't hurt that bad.

"Now Bella," he started. I had heard this line millions of times, and expected what was coming next.

I wasn't expecting it when his foot caught contact with my right shin. I was expecting way worse I guess, so oddly enough, I was thankful. One more time, just a little harder this time, and he walked away. I figured now would be a good time to make my escape, so I bolted to the door. Well, limped actually. Charlie had one hard foot.

I pulled into the school parking lot just a little earlier than usual. It was better than spending another fifteen minutes with Charlie though. Definitely better. I turned off the ignition, and took out my book and started to read for the next half hour. I loved to read more than anything in the world, and it certainly passed the time. It was also my chance to avoid what today would bring for as long as possible. School had been getting worse lately.

I sighed when I heard the bell ring, and stepped out of my car and slammed the door. I was probably going to be a little bit late to class, but my teachers wouldn't mind. I'd imagine it'd be hard to get mad at one of your students with a 4.0 grade average.

History was my first class, and my least favorite as well. Ms. Stone gave me a stern look as I took my seat in the back row. She hated it when people interrupted her class. As I sat down, I saw Victoria glaring daggers at my head. Just like always. I gave her the sweetest, bitchiest smile I could, and turned back to my work.

Vicky and I hadn't always been enemies. We were actually best friends up until the 5th grade. That was when her parents got divorced. I at first felt sorry for her, and tried to do anything I could to help, even though I had my own problems. I've always regretted being that nice to her now, because since then, she's hated me for nothing, and spread the most awful rumors about me everywhere. Every day. And, of course, everyone believes Queen Victoria. Sometime along the lines of our friendship, she became bitter. It was most likely when James started liking me. She loved James, probably more than life itself, but James liked me. I didn't like him though, because dating just really wasn't something I was interested in. After years of the resentment and crap I'd gotten, I'd learned to trust no one.

I did go out with James though, and it was probably one of the worst mistakes in my life. I still don't even remember why I did it. Maybe to prove something? I wasn't sure. Because, now he's with Vicky, even though he still sends me gross sexual signals from across the room. Him and Vicky managed to get the whole school to hate me, in just a matter of days, by saying terrible things about me, which I really couldn't do anything about. I couldn't even bring myself to think about some of the things they've spread. Point is, I was the freak of the school. The freak-loser, that got avoided, and hated by everyone. Except the dumbass guys who all wanted to get with me. I honestly didn't get why though. I was plain, ordinary Bella. Nothing special or out the ordinary. Definitely nothing like Victoria, and her two little groupies- Jessica Stanley, and Lauren Mallory. Yeah, it was safe to say that they were the no-doubt sluts of the school.

The thing was- I didn't care that everyone talked about me behind my back, or that guys would always grab my butt as they walked past me and pretended they didn't, or that I didn't have any friends to talk to about anything with, or that I ate alone at lunch everyday. Yeah, didn't care one bit.

The second bell rang, and I realized that I missed all of the teacher's lecture on the Cold War. Lucky for me, I learned about all these things numerous times. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Jess and Lauren smiling down at me.

"Still stealing shoes from your grandma, Swan?" Lauren taunted.

"Those are obviously her great-grandma's Laur," Jess giggled. I rolled my eyes. They sounded like 2nd graders, and the best part was, I didn't care. It still hurt though, even though I didn't care. I tried to appear strong on the outside, because on the inside, my mind was screaming out in pain. Don't doubt the wise guy who once discovered that word's could hurt more than actions.

I smiled convincingly, and turned to walk away.

I heard there 6 inch heels clicking behind me. They just weren't going to give up, were they?

"Oh, and by the way, Vicky would appreciate that you stopped making googly eyes at her boyfriend," Jessica paused, "Oh, and you might wanna stop shoping at Good Will. Those close are for poor people who can't afford things." She smiled, "Oh wait, that's you."

Lauren giggled. "Good one, Jess," She laughed and turned back to glare at me.

"I think her shirt's cool," A voice I'd never heard, that came from nowhere said. I turned to see a short, pixie-like girl, with short, spiky, black hair, and a beautifully pale face. She looked like a supermodel. I would definitely have recognized her if she went here, so that meant she must have been one of the kids from the new family that was suppose to be moving here.

She held out her hand for me to shake it. It seemed like she meant no harm, so I took it hesitantly, and returned the gesture.

"I'm Alice Cullen," She smiled. I couldn't help but smile at how friendly she was. I didn't get that a lot.
"Bella Swan," I told her, smiling back hesitantly. "Are you new?"

Jessica and Lauren had walked off by now, so it was just be and this bizarrely beautiful girl talking at my locker. I was amazed by how comfortable I was around her, even though just meeting her. That was definitely weird for me. I never felt comfortable around anyone.

"Yeah, my family and I just moved here from Illinois," she informed me. "I really do like your shirt, by the way." She pointed out again.

I blushed. I normally didn't get compliments from anyone about my appearance. I didn't know why, but for some reason, I loved Alice already, which says a lot, because I couldn't trust anyone anymore, and no one ever noticed me. "Thanks," I said shyly. "Wait, family?"

"Yeah," she told me, "It's me, Emmett, and Edward." She paused, "Oh, and Jasper and Rosalie Hale, but there not related to us. My dad, Carlisle, adopted them after their parents both died in a car accident." She said sadly. Her expression remained indifferent though, and kept going. "Jasper's my boyfriend," she giggled, "We've been together for 5 years now. It's wonderful."

I smiled at her, warily. She seemed like a great person, and for knowing her only this long, it felt like I'd finally made a friend, and not an enemy. I hoped. But soon the rumors would get to her and I wouldn't exist to her as well as anyone else.

"That does sound wonderful," I sighed.

"What is it?" She asked, curiously.

"Oh nothing," I told her. I didn't even want to began touching the subject on my life story. That wasn't something you'd likely tell someone you've known for five minutes. Especially if you had a life story like mine.

"Bella..." She started, but stopped. "Hey Rose!" She called at the beautiful blonde walking towards us now, "Come here, come here! I want you to meet someone!" She practically sang.

As I got a closer look at Rosalie I assumed, I saw that she was by far the most stunning girl I'd ever seen. It almost made my stomach hurt that someone could be so gorgeous and not be mean, but the smile that she was wearing seemed genuine and friendly, so I tried not to worry.

"Bella, this is Rosalie Hale," Alice squeaked excitedly. She turned to Rose. "This is Bella, and I can tell all of us are going to be great friends already!"

I couldn't help buy smile a little at Alice's chipper attitude, and hoped for infinity that what she said about us being friends would be true.

"Hi Bella!" Rosalie hugged me, then turned to Alice. "How cute is her shirt?"

I was a little caught off guard by her hug, because normally the only contact I would get from anyone was negative. And, what the hell was going on? I wasn't miss fashionista, and I just got two compliments by the two most beautiful girl's I'd ever seen. As pathetic as it was, this was already one of the best days of the year.

"I know right," Alice exclaimed. "I'd love one in pink! It'd be just darling."

The bell rang again as a sign for us to get to our next class.

"Well, I'm off to English!" Alice announced cheerfully. Rose, not so cheerful, "I'm going to Earth Science." She groaned.

"Hey, Alice," I said, "I have English right now too."

She hugged me and told me how excited she was to get to now me. I told her likewise. I wondered if people ever got tired of her happy-go-lucky attitude. I was surprise I hadn't yet, but she was just so quirky you couldn't help it.

We said our goodbyes to Rose and I wished her luck, feeling sorry that she was stuck in such a horrible class. I would know, I had that class last year. Though I didn't tell her that.

Alice did all the talking, so it wasn't hard to worry about awkward conversation or anything. I doubted anything would be weird around Alice. She had this strange aura surrounding her. At time while we were walking, I felt the pain of last nights beating radiate through my stomach. I pushed away the pain as best I could though, and tried very hard to enjoy this strange, yet friendly conversation I was getting.

Mrs. Jannis let Alice sit next to me. Alice pulled out her devastatingly heartbroken face when she told Mrs. Jannis that I was her only friend. So, poor teacher really had no choice.

Lucky for us, it was a study day, so Alice talked and talked and told me everything I would possibly need to know about her life. I told her mine, only in very minor details. Nothing too important at all. When I told her about my mom, she got all teary eyed and hugged me. She really did have a thing for hugging. I didn't let her know about Charlie's ways, and told her what a wonderful man he was. It made me sick that I was covering for him.

Bye the end of the hour, I had learned that her favorite food was raspberries, her favorite movie was The Notebook, and her favorite position was 'doggie-style', though that was one thing I told her she really didn't need to gloss out the details for me on. She pouted a little at that, but agreed to keep the briefing of her and Jasper's sex life activities to a minimum. She also scheduled a shopping date after school for her, Rose, and I, and told me I would have to meet the rest of her family right away.

I was a little scared, because I hated shopping, and just being with people in general, but I thought things could be interesting with Alice, and I'd never been asked to do anything with anyone in so long, I couldn't help but feel a little excited. I didn't like to open myself up to anyone or let them in my bubble, but Alice was different, and was like an unavoidable force that I couldn't just help but let in.

Normally, at lunch, I'd sit by myself, alone at the table in the far corner of the cafeteria. So when lunch came, Alice asked me where I sat, and I told her.

"Bella," she gasped, "How can you sit by yourself everyday?" She seemed stunned. Like it was crazy that a girl like me avoided people.

I just shrugged.

She seemed determined. "Well, not for long," she told me, "It's time you meet the rest of my family!"

We stood in line, well, I stood in line. I don't know if what Alice was doing was considered standing. She was twisting and twirling around, eagerly searching the student body for her family. I had to admit that I was sort of anxious to meet them. If they were anything like Alice, things would probably be great. I stopped myself before I could get my hopes up. Suddenly, I felt sick. They wouldn't care for me much after Vicky and her groupies got to them. Alice noticed my change in attitude, but my look must have told her to let it go.

I was bitter, and I knew it. I wished I could change that about me, but I couldn't. I knew that, for I had tried many, many times, and each of them got me nowhere. It was clear where my place was in this world was, and I was just so hurt and confused as to why I deserved it. Why anyone would deserve such a fate.

I ordered my lunch, and warily waited for Alice to do so also. I showed her to the table I sat at, and she immediately took her place across from me. We were soon joined by Rosalie who sat down besides me, with a huge, muscular boy, with short, curly hair right next to her. He looked terrifying, yet like a huge teddy-bear all at the same time. He gave me a warm smile, and introduced himself.

"I'm Emmett Cullen," He told me cheerfully, and reached out to shake my hand. I ignored the way his arm muscles flexed and the way that they could have easily snapped my wrist in half, and shook his hand back with the friendliest smile I could manage.

"I'm Bella," I stated back, smiling, as I started to munch on my carrot stick. I didn't know where the sudden confidence came from, but it was just hard not to be comfortable around these people. It was easy to forget about what happened last night.

A loud cry came from Alice as she stood up and ran to another tall, lean boy, with the strangest hair I'd ever seen, yet still extremely good-looking. She jumped into his arms, and he kissed her passionately. This had to be Jasper.

"Bella, this is Jasper!" Alice sang. Yep, I was right. "Jazz, this is Bella!" She told him, while kissing him one last time and pulling him to the spot next to her.

"Pleasure's all mine, Bella," I could hear a slight southern draw in his accent. It was adorable. I shyly smiled back at him and nodded. Why did I have to be so damn shy all the time?

There was a few moments of silence as we all started eating, and Emmett broke it.

"Does anyone know where the hell Edward is?" He asked, annoyed. "He's such a prick sometimes, and I saw a hundred girls practically throwing themselves at him. Of course, typical Edward, he pushed them all away. Dude could have any girl he wanted, but no, he's jut not into that." He emphasized the last part with air quotes. "Seriously though, do you guys think he's gay?"

Alice kicked his foot from under the table and glowered at him.

Rosalie snickered and wrapped her both her arms around his massive arm. "And the girls that were throwing themselves at you?" She asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"You're the only one babe," he said affectionately, playfully kissing her ear.

They were all just so easy-going and carefree, I loved it. And I would be so hurt when they finally realized the freak show I was. It would be soon, too. Victoria would make them top priority on her list, as beautiful as they all were, to suck them into her command. And the thing was, I would loose. Vicky got what Vicky wanted. End of story.

We sat there eating for a couple more minutes when suddenly, there was a loud burst through the door. To say this boy was gorgeous would be practically an insult. His hair was messed up in a beautiful disarray of bronze perfection, his facial features were magnificently proportioned, and his shoulders were squared off, though not purposely, and he was tall with the perfect amount of muscle to not overdue it. The reason I knew that his boy was Edward Cullen wasn't only because of how pale he was compared to his siblings. It was the fact that his beauty captured the attention of the entire senior class, and caused all eyes on him.

Edward was pissed though. Really pissed. That you could easily tell by his set jaw, and the angry crease line across the center of his forehead. He looked around, for his family I assumed, until he finally spotted Alice's tiny figure waving him over.

He scowled at all the on-lookers before he huffed and sat down in his chair.

"God man, switch your fucking tampon," Emmett chuckled sarcastically from across the table. Edward sent a cold, razor sharp glare his direction, clearly indicating to his brother that he did not feel like being messed with.

I think everyone at the table was afraid to say something to this, clearly frustrated Edward. Especially me. Definitely me. There was something about his glare that reminded me of Charlie, and that had me slightly cringing into my seat.

"Edward!" Alice scolded, slapping him in the shoulder. "You're scaring our friend!" She gestured towards me. I quickly looked down before he could notice me staring. I could tell everyone was waiting for me to say or do something, so I finally lifted my face and eyes up to meet the green eyes that I were instantly mesmerized in. The eyes of an angel.

They gazed back at me, at first seeming just as mesmerized as me, even though I knew that was insane, and turned to pure curiosity. I quickly looked away and blushed. I thought he wasn't looking at me anymore, but he still was. Still staring into my eyes, though I'm not sure what they were exactly looking for. I could feel a ghost of a smile spreading across my face, though I couldn't help it. I don't think anyone would be able to either, being in the same situation.

He turned his face up into a beautiful crooked smile, that would only work if he did it. I instantly imagined Eric Yorkie, class clown, trying to pull off the same move. I was completely dazzled, which was ridiculous, seeing as in I'd only known him for a grand total of about a minute and I was alright swooning inside over that smile. Pathetic Bella.

"I'm Edward, if you hadn't guessed," he chuckled slightly, "You must be the friend Alice was talking about, then?"

I nodded. "Bella," I told him.

"Well then," he extended his hand towards me, "It's awfully nice to meet you, Bella."

I smiled, and eagerly took his hand in mine, then quickly pulled away before making myself look like a total idiot. Though, it didn't escape my notice that my hand fit perfectly with his. I sighed quietly to myself, and went back to eating my lunch in silence. I was hopeless.

"So Edward," Jasper began hesitantly, as if he were afraid Edward's sudden change in mood would end up the way it was when he first joined us. "Why the big show on the way into the cafeteria?"

Emmett choked on his milk to refrain from laughing.

"Bite me," Edward muttered under his breath. His dark mood was back.

"Ed, talk to us," Okay, Alice would probably eventually get annoying as a sister. He glared back at her before he sighed and reached into his jean pocket. He pulled out about a dozen crumpled pieces of colored notebook paper, set them on the table, and sat there staring at him. No, not staring, he was glaring freaking daggers at those pieces of paper.

Emmett eagerly reached for one of them, on crumpled it, cleared his throat very theatrically, and began to read, "Dear Edward, a god-like creature with such beauty and popularity should be with a god-like creature with even more beauty, like me. I know we can turn this into something incredible and alluring, I would know, I'll already know you play piano and bet my ass that those are some talented fingers. Just think about it, we'd be a perfect match. ~Your little sex kitten, Lauren" Emmett couldn't even finish that last part, he was laughing so hard. Wow, Lauren would write something like that to him. I was just amazed by the fact that she actually used the word alluring correctly in a sentence. I snorted quietly, heck, she probably had someone from Poet Class do it for her.

I turned to steal a peek at Edward's face, and he was literally fuming in the seat next to me. Not embarrassed or anything, just down right furious. Rosalie eagerly reached for the next note and did the same as Emmett, "Edward, I need you baby, I need you," she paused, really emphasizing the need part of that sentence. Alice snickered and Rose continued, "it's people like us in this world that are destined to be together, and I know this because I'm, well, I'm THE girl Edward. I could satisfy you in ways I bet no other women could, and I know that because, well men shower me with that compliment all the time. XOXO, Jessica" She finished the last part with disgust, and I could swear she muttered something along the lines of "skanky hoe" under her breath. She wasn't far off at all.

At this point, even I had to laugh a little. Though, I wasn't a heartless person, and still did feel real bad for Edward that he had to deal with all this crap on the first day. I should know, I've dealt with it everyday for the past five years.

Jasper laughed and picked up another to start reading, "Dear Edward, Even though we've just met, I've been having incredible fantasies that I. . ."

Edward slammed his fist on the table to cut him off. It was wise move when Jasper stopped reading when he did. On the assumption he wanted to keep that pretty face of this.

"Uh, Edward?" Emmett asked, puzzled. "Why are you even keeping these?" He cautiously motioned his hands the the pile of pink, frilly stationary.

Edward smiled curtly, and gritted through his teeth, "So I can put them on a restraining order, Em." Each word was very separate, and distinct. "They're signed."

Emmett picked one up off the table and rolled his eyes. "Mrs. Cullen doesn't count, dude."

Edward groaned and threw his head back in frustration. We all stared at him silently, still eating our food. I'd already come to learn two things- Edward did not care for slutty girls, attention for that matter. And he had very rapid mood swings. And a bad temper. Whoops, make that three.

"Well," Emmett sighed, rather loudly, "if you're not going to be needing these Edward Ol' buddy. . ." Emmett was cut off my Rose's angry intake of breath.

"Why don't you go on and finish that sentence Em," Jasper snickered, obviously referring to Rose, crossing her arms very angrily, shaking her head at him.

"What babe," he said innocently, "Just broadening my horizons. . ." He broke off mid-sentence, after her face got beyond the point of just a little pissed. Alice patted him on the back.

"Not the right thing to say, my brother. Do you know anything?" She quickly rushed to Rosalie's side and comforted her by telling her how all boys are stupid and other stuff like that.

"Your funeral," Edward muttered, quite amused. How the hell does that even work? For crying out loud, he went from beyond pissed, to melting my heart, to pissed beyond words again, to amused? I'd be sort of concerned at this point, but his siblings seemed indifferent to his behavior, as if they were used to it, so I decided it was fine.

I giggled slightly, and he turned just slightly to flash another quick smile at me. That had me giggling even more. Why was I acting like this? Yesterday I couldn't talk to anyone, and now all of a sudden I was somewhat laughing and having fun. I sadly got back to reality and finished the rest of my lunch eating in silence, and went to dump my tray.

The others followed my lead and were laughing and talking behind me as I walked alone. I heard a sigh from my side and turned to see Edward staring at me with a pained expression crossing his face.

"Are all the girls at this school sluts?" He asked annoyed. I knew he wasn't directing that at me, or at least I hoped he wasn't, and decided to mess with him a bit.

I gasped, looking appalled. His eyes immediately widened in horror.

"No, I just," he sat there stuttering, trying to come up with something to say, "I didn't mean-" He stopped when he realized I was silently laughing. He glared at me at first, then it turned into a playful smile. "Hey," he taunted. "Be nice to the new guy." I rolled my eyes at him, but he didn't know the real meaning behind the motion. Be nice to him, yeah, it kind of sounded like a demand to me. Like, I had no choice. I obviously was going to be nice to him, it's just that it hurt me to know that if I asked that request to anyone at this school, they would laugh and tell me that I should just go back to not talking at all.

"Hey," Edward was waving his hand in front of my face. I zoned out on him. I tended to do that a lot, but not intentionally. I looked up at him and gave him a wary smile. "What's wrong?" He asked, grabbing my arm, stopping me as I walked away.

I cringed, because even through the layer of the shirt I had on, the place where he grabbed still stung from where Charlie had cut me. He looked me in the eyes, making me loose my train of thought. Something in his eyes were just so powerful, and controlling, and beautiful. I quickly looked away and muttered, "It's nothing," as I tried walking in the other direction again. Once again, he caught my arm in the same spot as last time, only a tiny little 'Ow' slipped out of my mouth, and I cringed again.

"Bella, did I hurt you?" He asked, worried. "Oh god, I didn't hurt you did I?" He turned around to face the wall, and brought his hands up to run through his messy hair. He turned back at me with such a painful expression that it made my heartbreak. "Bella, please forgive me, I'm such an asshole sometimes, I know, but I just want to make sure you're okay."

I nodded to him slowly. "Yeah, it's just my arm." I half-lied. It was partly my arm, though I didn't need to let him know what a small part of it that was.

"Bella," he started. Him and his sister were awfully alike. Nosy. I knew they both meant well though. "Bella, the look at the lunch table told me otherwise. Are you sure you're okay?"

I just nodded to him again, and this time avoided his eyes. I was afraid one more look in them would cause me to spill everything. Yeah, they had that affect on me. It was so strange at the way I felt around Edward. He had this weird power over me, and it wasn't bad. I didn't think.

I turned to walk away, and for a third time, he stopped me. I couldn't really say I was getting annoyed though. The fact that someone like him was paying attention to someone like me at all was enough for me. I sighed, "Yeah, Edward?" I asked politely.

"Look Bella," he paused, "I know I may come off as someone you wouldn't want to hang out with, but I'd really wish you would give me a chance. I want to be your friend." There was a very, very faint hint of longing in his voice, but not enough to creep me out. Why on earth would he want to be friends with me though?

"Thanks Edward," I said sadly. "I'm sorry if I seem like a total bitch to you. I'm just," I stopped and looked off to the distance at nothing, "I'm just. . .It's complicated."

I knew that he knew that I didn't really want to get into it any further, so he let it go, and smiled at me. "I know we just met, but I just want you to know that I'm hear if you ever need anyone to listen." He told me sincerely.

I gave him the best smile back that I could manage, and walked away, rubbing my arm soothingly from the searing pain that was rekindled. I didn't blame Edward, though. He didn't know any better. How could he have?

As I walked to my last class of the day, I couldn't help but rerun the conversation I just shared with the strangely welcoming, and beautiful Edward Cullen. He was to good to be true, especially if he was wanting to be friends with me. Something about the way he told me he'd be there, made me trust him completely. It was amazing that I felt that way. I shouldn't have been feeling that way.

Alright, there's chapter one!
I apologize for really glossing over how bad Charlie treats her, I just wanted to make sure you guys could see the reality of it. It'll get happier, don't worry. Next chapter's EPOV, I promise!

I'll most likely be updating this story with a new chapter every week (preferably weekend), so there you have it!

Reviews are better than love notes to Edward!(: