One: The Start

I walk down the hallways of Forks High School with my head lowered. My books are clenched tightly to my chest as I try to walk, unnoticed, but of course I do not prevail. With a stomach as protruding as my own, it is extremely hard for no one to not notice you.

My best friend Angela is walking beside me, her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She is humming something to herself as we make our way to history class with the same teacher I've has since I first started going to this school my freshman year. I am now a junior, a straight- A student, and a mother- to- be.

"Really," Angela says as we turn into the classroom and make a beeline for our seats in the back, "I didn't think it was possible do have so much homework for one night and actually get it finished. Munoz is a freak." She extends her hand and I take some paper from her, smiling as best as I can.

"Thanks," I say as I sit in my seat, lean back, and rest my head against the cold, hard wall. "Everything's been so hectic that I've hardly had enough time to brush my hair, let alone do an assignment." I thumb through the pages she passed me, liking what I see. I've been so busy with doctor's appointments, ultrasounds, decorating the nursery, that the assignment that Mr. Munoz had assigned had been the last thing on my mind. Thankfully, though, Angela had offered to do my mine for me.

"Talk about it." She flicks a piece of brown hair out of her face and beings to copy the notes Munoz has written on the board. I just copy that I feel is important, not bothering to copy what I think is unusable.

It's about half way through the class when the bitchiest girl I have ever known named Darcy Queen turns her body around in her seat so she is facing me and says, "Have you found out who the father is yet?" in the most high pitched, awful voice I have ever heard in my seventeen years.

I bite my lip and keep my eyes on my paper. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I say through clenched teeth, trying not to let anything she says bother me. "Now, I really need to get these notes-"

"Please," she scoffs, cutting me off. "You and I both know that you aren't writing notes. And we both know that you're nothing but a selfish, slimy slut."

I don't let her bother me. I can't let her bother me. If I let everything everybody says bother me, then by the end of the day, I would be nothing but a crumbled mess on the floor.

"Don't act like I'm not here," she says as she reaches over and grabs my pencil, causing me to draw a jagged line across my notes. I look up, glare, and she just rolls her eyes, seemingly unharmed. "You and I both know what you really are."

I bite my lip and look down. "Can't you just leave me alone?" I whisper.

"Ladies!" Munoz bursts from the front of the class. "Please, be quiet and take some notes!"

"Yes, Sir," I mumble. Darcy looks at me, narrows her eyes, and turns her body so she is facing the front, away from me.

The class goes by fairly quickly after that. When the bell rings, I met Angela and her boyfriend, Eric, outside by the lockers. Eric's arm is snaked around her shoulders, their hands intertwined in a way that didn't look comfortable.

"I've got gym now," I say, "so I guess I'll see you during break?"

Angela nods. "Break," she agrees, then she and Eric head off in the same direction, off to Trig.

I turn on my heel and begin to walk towards the girls changing room. Although I don't participate in the hard activities in gym anymore, I do, however, participate in the slow games, so therefore, I still change.

I open the door to the ladies room, feeling the steam from the showers open my pores. I go to the back changing room, my bag swung over my shoulder, and take off my shirt. Then I glance in the mirror, my stomach protruding slightly. I gingerly run my hand around my stomach, feeling the baby's foot, pressed so tightly to my skin, and then the hand, which always seem to the reaching for something, anything.

When the bell rings, I know I am late. I scramble to put on my shirt and jogging pants, rushing out of the stall so quickly my head hurts. I push open the two doors that lead to the gym, and smile timidly at my coach.

I stand with a bunch of girls who I don't really know except for in this class. I am about to speak, to join in on the conversation, when the gym doors swing open and the entire football team, dressed in their varsity jackets, enter the gym. Including him. Edward Cullen.

Edward is very nonchalant about the situation. Our situation. He doesn't even talk to me, let alone wonder how the baby is, how his baby is, or what I'm going to do with it. I mean, it's not like we really know each other, but he could still ask.

At this moment, I am five months pregnant. My stomach, while swollen and noticeable, is not as large as it will get, and can still be hidden fairly well if I wear the right clothes. Tight under the bust, then flows. But I don't want to hide it, because unlike Edward, I am not ashamed.

Edward is the star quarter back of the Forks High School Spartans. We were once called the Trojans, but once the head of the school board heard of it, she quickly changed it, claiming that it would "send a bad influence on the young of today", which I think is totally bull. If anything, maybe, it would have taught us to wait. Or use a condom.

I got pregnant over summer vacation. I was at a party, which is something I rarely go to considering I'm more of a suffer through in silence type. But Angela was dying to go, and she was so excited that saying no would just crush her spirit. So I went, had a few drinks of vodka, and before I knew it, I was wasted and in the arms of Edward Cullen; then upstairs, secluded away from the rest of the party.

"It's fine," he had said as he hovered above me, his breath smelling of mint and beer. "Everything's going to be okay. It's going to be alright." And then he leaned down and kissed me, hard and rough, and I kissed him back, not knowing what I was really doing, what I was getting myself into, until it was too late.

It was about five weeks after that, at the end of summer vacation, when I found out I was expecting. I had been sick for the past few weeks, my head had hurt, and I was craving peanut butter, which was weird considering I hated peanut butter. When I finally went to the doctor after taking a test, they confirmed that I was about five weeks along, that I was going to have a baby, and I just broke down and cried.

My life was going to change, I wasn't going to college, and Edward gets to go on, his life unchanged. Everything is changing for me. Everything.

I had told him two weeks into the school year. I remember the day as if it was yesterday.

My hands shake as I wrote the note. But I couldn't help it, couldn't stop. It was too late to stop anything, anything at all. Too late to go back and change what I've done. Too late to not go to that party, to just stay home and watch television or do homework. Too late for anything, but I still wished.

Edward,

Please, meet me outside in the courtyard by the fountain at lunch. It's urgent. Don't be late; I'll be waiting.

My heart was beating so hard I could hear it in my ears. I shoved the note into my pocket and walked down the halls, tapping my hands on my thighs as I stopped at Edward's locker. It was in the perfect location; right by the water fountain and the girls change room. Any hormonal, teenage boys dream.

I took the note out of my pocket and slid it in the crevice of his locker. The note was neon green, so I hoped he will notice it right away and not waste any time. When the note was safely in the locker, and there was no going back, I headed to my locker, grabbed my cardigan, and went outside to sit at the fountain.

When I heard the bell ring from inside the school, I watched the door. One minute, two minutes, three minutes, four minutes go by until he appeared and looked around. When his eyes landed on mine, he snapped his fingers and jogged toward me. His bronze hair and bright green eyes were dazzling in the sunlight, and when he reached me he asked, "Why is this so urgent? I've got practice in ten minutes and-"

"Just listen to me okay. Don't talk, don't judge. Just listen."

He nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Now, c'mon, I've got somewhere to be."

I took a deep breath and focused my eyes on him, willing him to listen, to understand where I was coming from. Taking in his annoyed stance when I whispered, "I'm pregnant."

It was silent then, and I was afraid to look up, to meet his gaze, because I could hear his jagged breathing, his minty breath on my face as he said, "Okay."

I shot my gaze upwards toward him and gaped, wide- eyed, my heart beating so quickly I failed to hear anything else. "Okay? That's all you're going to say?"

"What else do you want me to say?" he asked, still acting cocky and macho, probably because he knew that he can just go and walk away. "There isn't a lot I can say to you."

"But there is," I argued. "You can say a lot, actually, Edward. A lot." And then I felt tears, hot and moist, running down my face and landing on my shoulder. I watched as he rolled his eyes and asked, "You don't even care, do you?"

He shrugged. "What am I suppose to do? We aren't even together."

I gritted my teeth together. "That doesn't matter," I said.

"Look,"- he sighed- "if you want money, then fine, I can give you money. But, really Bella, you're not going to get much more out of me."

"I don't want your money," I spat. "I want your support."

He chuckled, and reached out to touch my shoulder. "You'll get money, alright?" And then he turned, but before he even took three steps, he turned his head and added, "But don't say anything to anyone. I mean, tell them you're pregnant, I don't care. Just keep me out of it. Got it?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

But that was the past. Everything that happened in the past is going to stay in the past, and my future, though not as bright as I had hoped it to be, will be the best that I can possibly have.

My mother and father are somewhat supportive. In our small town of Forks, being an unmarried, pregnant teenager isn't something you want everyone to know. But my mom is a local defence attorney and my father is the chief of police. Mix both of them together, and the whole town knew within days.

I am just about to pick up at basketball and attempt at a few shots when I deep, husky voice from behind me says, "Bella."

Turning, frightened, as I say, "Jesus, you scared me." And then realizing it is Edward, I wrap my arms around my stomach, like I'm trying to prevent the baby from being anywhere near its terrible father. I say, "Oh. Edward."

He is cocky when he says, "C'mon, at least act like you're a little happy when you see me."

I roll my eyes. "Not likely," I say, then add, "What are you doing talking to me, anyway? Shouldn't you be over with your friends?"

He glances behind his shoulder at the other football players, who are all talking and laughing with the coach as the rest of my gym class does push-ups. Then he smirks. "Nope." He shrugs, and then turns back towards me. "I just figured I'd stop over and say hi."

"You've no right to talk to me," I say angrily.

He leans down, and I feel the tickle of his breath at me hear when he whispers, "You know you've always wanted me to finally speak to you. Now I am, and you're cowering away."

I gulp and close my eyes, taking a few deep, calming breaths before opening then again. "Just," I say, "please, leave me alone. I know you don't want anything to do with the baby, or with me, and I'm getting used to that, but I need you to just-"

His finger is pressed to my mouth when he says, "You talk way too much."

A/N- Usually, I don't write two stories all at the one time, but I had this idea toward in math class, and it stuck and itched away at the back of my mind until I got home to write. Of course, I'm still going to write and finish Together, so don't you worry about that!

In this story, they are all human. I know some of you don't like the all- human scenario, but hopefully you'll give it a shot, just for me! Please.

So, please read and review! If you have any ideas, let me know in a review or PM!