Chapter One: A Bad First Impression

Author's Foreword:

For this story, I am basically retelling the Twilight stories if Bella reacted to Edward's initial hostility differently. In my version of the stories Bella basically thinks Edward is a jerk. In the first few chapters, my story will mirror the first book but with some marked differences. After that, I'm thinking that it might flourish into something on its own entirely. I hope you enjoy and please be patient; this is going to be my first long story. I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Note: This is not a team Edward or a team Jacob kind of story. I like to think of it as a team Bella kind of story, you feel me? Anyway, enjoy!

I stepped off the plane and caught my dad's eye. He was there in his uniform looking anxious. He gave me a tentative smile as I carefully walked down the plane steps and approached him. Charlie was the police chief of the drizzly town of Forks, Washington, my new home for the next few years. My mom, Renee, and Charlie had divorced back when I was still in diapers and I was raised in warm and sunny Phoenix, Arizona by my mom, a ditzy yet doting mother.

I decided to leave the land of the sun and move in with my dad when my mom got remarried. Phil is a minor league baseball player who travels the country on a regular basis. My mom, not wanting to uproot my life, would always unhappily stay behind. I could see the strain it put on Renee every time Phil left, so I dutifully offered to move in with Charlie who was all too happy to have me back home with him. I used to spend every summer with Charlie until I was fourteen when I had finally had enough of the cold and dreary weather.

Even though I miss Phoenix, I really think spending more time with my dad will be good for the both of us. I've missed him an awful lot and he never got remarried. Heck, I don't even know if he dates. It seems when my mom left with me all those years ago, it left a pretty deep wound.

"Hey, Bells." Charlie called when he saw me.

"Dad!" I exclaimed as I bounded into his arms and gave him a big hug. He made some kind of gruff sound in response. He never was one for showing any kind of public displays of affection.

"How was your flight?" he asked as he took my carryon bag from me. We headed to the baggage claim and exchanged some small talk before falling into a companionable silence.

We drove the cruiser home in the light rain. I inwardly sighed because I knew that having a cop car around was bound to make traffic slow down; plus the added rain made for a very long drive home from the small airport into Forks proper.

"So, I know you were looking to get a car," Charlie started, breaking the silence. "I hope you don't mind, I sort of bought one for you."

"Oh?" I ventured apprehensively. It was true I had been trying to save for a car of my own. I didn't want to have to ride around in Charlie's cruiser at the break-neck speed of 25 mph for the rest of my time in Forks, but I didn't have much yet. It was probably enough to get me a truly crappy gem, but at least it would be a crappy gem I got to pick out for myself.

"Yeah, my old friend Billy was selling his truck. You remember Billy Black?"

"A little I guess."

"Yeah, well, he can't really walk anymore let alone drive, so he's selling his truck. It's a really solid truck and it still runs pretty good. I hope you'll like it." I hoped so too. Hey, at least it would be a free crappy car.

"Thanks, Dad, I really appreciate it."

As we pulled up to the old familiar house, my new (old) truck was sitting in the driveway. It was a 53' Chevy pick-up truck in faded red paint. It was old, beat up, and looked like it had been to hell and back; I loved it. It was the kind of bruiser that could get into a fender bender with a semi and come out the victor; it was absolutely perfect for a chronic klutz like me.

"Oh, dad, I love it! Thank you so much!" I gushed as I gave him another hearty hug. Charlie blushed and mumbled something that sounded like "You're welcome." I gave my new-to-me truck one last glance before heading into the house with my things.

...

My room had hardly changed since I was a kid. It was painted the same yellow color and the old rocking chair from my baby days still sat in the corner. There was a new desk along one wall with an ancient-looking PC sitting atop it. I prayed Charlie had upgraded from dial-up since the last time I had visited.

It was just about time for dinner when I finished unpacking and settling in. I headed down the creaky stairs to find Charlie sitting in the living room watching a basketball game.

"Want me to start some dinner?" I called to him from the kitchen.

"Uh, you don't have to go through the trouble, Bells; we could just order a pizza for tonight." I could understand the apprehension in his voice as I poked around the fridge and cabinets; Renee was a terrible cook.

"Don't be silly, I can cook. Who do you think fed mom all these years?" I replied as I spied some steaks in the back of the freezer. I could hear him chuckle from the other room.

After a successful dinner of marinated steaks, baked potatoes and a fresh green salad, I think I had my dad convinced of my cooking abilities. From the way he cleaned his plate, I could only assume he wasn't used to eating home cooked meals all that often. I offered to be designated dinner maker from then on before heading off for bed.

As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I had plenty of time to think about my first day at Forks High. I was sure I was going to stick out like a sore thumb as the new girl in a small town. A small ball of dread settled into the pit of my stomach. I've always hated being the center of attention, probably due to my crippling clumsiness. It would just figure if once all eyes were on me I would trip and fall on my face. Ugh…

...

After a light breakfast of cornflakes and orange juice, I headed out to my truck the next morning. The truck started with a deafening roar. I loved it. I made my way to the high school in the ever present rain. As I parked in the parking lot, I noticed my ancient truck didn't stand out like a rusty thumb when compared to all the other cars. In fact, the nicest car there, a shiny silver Volvo, seemed like it was the one out of place. I cut the engine and got out. As I made my way to the front office through the rain, I realized I didn't stand out as much as I feared. I was just one of the many dark coats hurrying along in the rain. Also, even though I came from sunny Arizona, I burn so easily that I didn't dare leaving the house without a healthy coating of sun block first, so I wasn't very tan. Hell, I was downright pale. Just as pale as every one of the faces I passed. It was kind of nice. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

I reached the front office where I was greeted by a receptionist who already knew my name. This was not a good sign, but she seemed nice enough. She gave me a copy of my schedule and a map on which she drew the best routes to take from each class. She informed me that I would need to have each of my teachers sign a slip and return it at the end of the day.

I made my way over to building 3 for my first class: English with Mr. Mason. After signing my office slip, he sent me to an empty seat without making me introduce myself, thankfully, though I unfortunately caught the attention of the whole class when I stumbled a little on the way to my seat. My cheeks burning, I looked over the reading list; pretty standard stuff for 11th grade English. I had actually read most of it already. I loved to read.

When the nasal buzz of the bell rang signaling the end of class, a guy with bad skin and black hair approached me.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" he asked. He came across as the overly helpful chess club type.

"It's Bella," I corrected him with a small smile. Others filing out of the room turned to look when I answered.

"I'm Eric. How do you like it in Forks?"

"So far, so good." I shrugged. "I used to live here when I was little before my mom and I moved to Phoenix."

"Phoenix, huh? How come you're not all tan?" Ugh…

"I'm part albino, I guess." I said with a laugh. He gave me a weird look that said he did not share my particular sense of humor.

"So, uh, what class do you have next?"

I pulled out my schedule before answering. "I looks like government with Jefferson."

"Oh, that's in building 6. My next class is in 4. 6 is on the way, I can walk you there." Yep, definitely the helpful type.

I gave him a tentative smile. "Thanks."

Eric continued to pepper me with questions all along the way about Arizona and my life before Forks. I answered as cordially as I could considering I didn't know a thing about this guy and yet he seemed to know so much about me already. This town was too small for talk not to get around. I'm sure I'd encounter many Eric's before the day was over. The thought made me inwardly sigh as he left me at building six with a smile. I gave a small wave goodbye as I turned to enter the building.

...

The rest of my day continued in much the same fashion as English class. The teachers didn't make a big deal of my arrival (all except my Trigonometry teacher who I was sure I would have hated anyway) and the few people who had the courage to introduce themselves seemed very nice. I began to recognize the faces of those with whom I shared more than one class. Jessica, a petite girl with voluminous dark curls, was in two of my classes. She walked me to the cafeteria at lunch chattering away the entire time; she was kind of hard to keep up with so when she introduced me to the people at her lunch table, their names didn't really stick.

I took my seat next to a mousy brunette who introduced herself as Angela. She asked about my schedule and pointed out we had Biology together the next period and offered to walk with me. I gladly accepted. She seemed really nice and I immediately took a liking to her.

After people seemed satisfied questioning me about Arizona and how I liked it in Forks, the table's conversation turned to other topics I was not familiar with; local gossip, upcoming tests, and the like so, once again, I took to people watching. I scanned the many faces swirling around the noisy cafeteria when my eyes fell upon a table at the back corner of the large room. Its five occupants caused me to do a double take; they were easily the most beautiful people I had ever seen in my life. They didn't look anything alike, yet they were all so similar in their beauty; their pale porcelain skin, the purple patches beneath their eyes, and the almost eerie grace with which they moved. There were three boys, one big and muscular with dark curls, a tall blonde one and the youngest looking one with bronze colored hair. The two girls were opposites in looks; one a tall blonde who was the most gorgeous of the group and the other a petite dark haired girl with a pixie cut. They all sat with full trays on the table and didn't appear to be talking to each other at all.

"Who are they?" I blurted out and blushing a little when I realized I had clearly interrupted a conversation between Jessica and a girl whose name I thought was Lauren. Jessica, following my gaze, gave a huff.

"Oh, them." I could hear the derision in her voice. At that the bronze haired boy's gaze snapped to Jessica's and then to mine before quickly looking away, quicker than I could. My face blazed with embarrassment again as I looked away.

"Those are the Cullens. They're all the adopted children of Dr. Cullen and his wife. They moved here last year from Alaska. There's Emmet, Edward, and Alice Cullen and Jasper and Rosalie Hale. They're kind of together- Jasper and Alice, Emmet and Rosalie…" I could hear the shock and condemnation of the small town ringing through her voice.

"They are… really attractive." I managed. My gaze returned to their table. To my shock, the bronze haired one was staring at me, looking curious and a little frustrated. I tried not to make it look too obvious I was staring.

"Uh, yeah they are, especially Edward, the one with reddish brown hair… but don't waste your time on him. Apparently none of us Forks girls are good enough for him." She sniffed; a clear case of sour grapes. I wondered when he turned her down. I bit my lip to hide my smile and made a sideways glance over at the boy named Edward who was looking way again, but seemed to also have a hint of a smile on his perfect lips.

The bell rang then and the table of five beautiful specimens got up immediately with an unsettling grace. I got up with Angela and we headed off to Bio together. I handed my office slip to the instructor, Mr. Banner, and he directed me to the only empty seat in the room… right next to Edward Cullen. My heart skipped a beat when our eyes met. His expression was furious, murderous even. I was shocked. What had I done to him to earn a look like that? I hopelessly glanced around the room for an empty seat anywhere else but upon finding none, I resentfully began to shuffle down the aisle toward him. As I sat down beside him, I sensed his body go rigid. I chanced a quick glace his way and wished I hadn't. His eyes were coal black. He was shrunk away from me as much as the small black-topped table would allow.

What the eff is his problem? I wondered wildly. Did I somehow offend his royal highness? I sniffed at my armpit as inconspicuously as I could. I didn't smell, hell, I took a shower that morning. What the fuck? What an asshole.

I let my hair fall over my shoulder to block him from my view and I tried to focus on the lecture, but the iciness I felt rolling off of him in waves kept me distracted throughout the period. I stole sideways glances at him from time to time and saw that his jaw was set tight and his hands were balled into fists, his expression livid. I couldn't imagine what I had done to spark this kind of insane reaction from him. When the bell rang, Edward was out of his seat and out the door before I could even gather my thoughts.

"Whatever…" I said under my breath. As I gathered my things and placed them in my bag, a cute blonde approached me. I recognized him from my table at lunch.

"Isabella, right?" he asked in a pleasant voice.

"It's just Bella, actually. You're…"

"Mike Newton." He replied with a handsome smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Mike, right. Sorry, I'm not so great with names." I put on my back pack and we headed for the door together.

"That's okay; you've met an awful lot of new people today. Where are you headed to next?"

"Um… gym?" I was just about to reach for my little map when he said it was his next class too. We smiled at each other companionably as we made our way over to the gymnasium. Along the way he told me about how he was originally from California and he completely understands how it feels to be the new kid in a small town.

"So, what did you do to Cullen? I've never seen him act like that." He asked as we walked along a throng of students.

"So I'm not crazy, he really was acting weird? Jeez, I don't know, I didn't say a word to the guy."

"Crazy."

"I know. You'd think I ran over his cat or something."

Mike let out a chuckle.

"Yeah. He's always been a little off. They all are, the Cullens. They keep to themselves, you know?" I made a sound in agreement as we reached the gym. He lingered by the girl's locker room entrance. "If I had sat next to you, I'd have talked to you," He said, flashing that attractive smile again. "…Even if you ran over my cat." I gave a small laugh.

"Yeah? Well, you might change your tune after you see me in gym. I am horribly uncoordinated. Prepare to pretend you don't know me when I trip and fall on my face," I said with a grin.

"I wouldn't think of it. I'll catch your fall."

"My hero," I said with a cheesy swoon. I flashed him another smile before turning to enter the door. His warm smile in response made me think, despite that jerk Edward, maybe Forks wasn't that bad after all.

Luckily, I did not have to embarrass myself in front of my fellow classmates that day as the gym instructor, Coach Clapp, allowed me to sit out. But the unit they were currently in the middle of was volleyball. I would not be on short supply of embarrassing situations over the coming weeks.

...

With my office form completed, I headed over to the office after class to return it. I opened the door just as a gust of wind blew by whipping my hair around my face and swirling into the office. When the door finally shut behind me and my hair fell away from my eyes, I immediately was put on edge when I saw who else but Edward freakin' Cullen at the desk. I caught the last few words of what he was saying before he abruptly stopped and turned to give me another hostile glare. It sounded like he was trying to transfer to another biology class.

"Never mind," he said turning back to the receptionist with a voice as warm and smooth as honey. "I can see that it is impossible. Thank you for your help anyway." With that he turned and swiftly walked out the door without another sideways glace.

What the actual fuck!? I practically screamed in my mind. Who the hell was this guy? Why did he hate me so much? I literally hadn't said or done a thing to him and here he is trying to change classes because he hates me so much? WTF, for reals.

Doing my best to gather myself after another terrible encounter with Mr. Congeniality, I brought my signed form to the receptionist who accepted it with a smile.

She thinks I'm nice. I thought to myself after I left. Hell, you know what? A lot of people thought I was downright pleasant today. Fuck that guy, I thought as I got into my truck and made my way out of the parking lot.

Thanks so much for reading. Let me know what you think! More chapters to follow :)