Disclaimer: Twilight and all of it's characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. NOT me.

A/N: I finally got my first chapter in. Yay! I worked on it forever, having not had much inspiration to speed it up. I kinda rushed it towards the end, please forgive me. Be warned, my chapters are gonna be wonky. Some are going to be normal, some very short and one (that I have all done!) is going to be exceptionally long. It's all in Bella's POV. Note: I didn't know what to do with my sneak peek chapters. I know that some of you have it on your favorites list -which I'm totally ecstatic about- and I didn't want to delete them. I'm going to keep them up until I actually use them, then they'll be moved into the story.

Thanks to all the reviewers! You rock!

Lil

P.S. I would like to thank Abayne1 for alerting me to a biggish mistake. I fixed the problem and hopefully it makes more sense now. If not, please let me know. Again. Cheers!

Unwelcome Stranger

An incessant beeping sounded in the darkness of my sleep-ridden mind and was getting louder and louder. Irritatingly so. No, I thought desperately as I turned onto my stomach, pulled my pillow over my head and tried to go back to sleep.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I pulled my hand out and knocked the clock off of the desk, hoping it would unplug on its way down.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Okay already!" I said in defeat and pulled the pillow and covers off of myself. Bending over, I picked up the clock and properly shut it off.

First day of my senior year. I smiled to myself as I grabbed my clothes and other essentials and made my way to the bathroom. I vigorously brushed my teeth, readied myself and then carefully skipped down the stairs and proceeded to eat cereal as excitement coursed throughout my body.

I glanced at the kitchen clock and after several minutes of waiting, wondered where Edward was.

After ten more minutes I came to the conclusion that I would be driving myself to school.

With my good mood suddenly sliding down a steep hill I took up my old truck's keys and headed out the door only to be met by a sleek red car that I had never seen before. Despite my frantic search for my missing beloved, my truck was nowhere to be found.

I finally got up the nerve and made my way cautiously towards the alien car. The keys were laying in the driver's seat. I opened the door, fully expecting alarms and sirens of all types to go off, but was met with complete silence.

"Edward..." I muttered darkly as I settled myself inside. I took a deep breath, inhaling that new car and leather smell. It was nothing next to Edward's scent.

I drove well below the speed limit, getting the feel of the car, the smoothness of it as it drove over bumps, the quiet purr of the new engine, and I realized that this car was everything my truck was not. And I liked it. Frowning at this realization I finally made it safely to the school.

Reaching over for my books, I got out of the car and headed for the school entrance. Halfway there my foot managed to find a crack in the sidewalk and I went down with a startled squeal.

I got up slowly and was just brushing myself off when I heard Edward's soft chuckle. I turned and punched his arm, knowing full well that he would only feel the slightest of pressures. "Good morning."

He frowned at me and rubbed where I had hit. "Since when did we get violent?" he asked as we headed across the parking lot and towards the school.

"Since you stole my truck and discreetly placed a shiny new Acura in its place," I replied shortly.

I pulled out my class schedule and made a show of refusing to look at him.

"Oh," said Edward's laughing voice, "is that your car? I was wondering whose it was. How are you liking it?

"I prefer my truck," I muttered and headed straight for my English class.

Edward's arm came around me and he asked in a curious tone, "Do you really want it back, Bella?"

"Yes, Edward, I really do. I love my truck. You know that."

The one-minute warning bell sounded and Edward bent over to kiss me. "We'll talk about it later."

I nodded dumbly, my heart racing, as I watched him walk off to his own class. I turned and entered my English class and sat in an empty seat towards the back of the room. First days were always easy but very boring. Mr. Williams explained what we would be doing during the year and then handed us our syllabus which had to be signed by a parent. I tuned him out and chatted quietly to Angela, who sat next to me, about our summer vacations.

By Thursday I had my classes memorized, and was getting into the rhythm. Apart from English, I also had Calculus, Physics, Gym, History and Art, in that order. Gym had been bad at the end of the day last year but somehow it seemed worse right before lunch. Lucky for me, Alice had the class with me, and thanks to her 'gift' could give me heads-ups as to when I would have mishaps. Edward and I landed together in History and Art, which I thanked heaven for.

Edward met Alice and me outside of Gym and laughed as he read Alice's memories of the chaos I had caused during P.E. I sent a half-hearted glare his way and sat down at our table. Alice had gotten into the habit of getting me my lunch despite my protests. Apparently she didn't mind; she thought it was fascinating, and clapped happily whenever I liked what she brought me. She sat down across from me and Edward, slid the tray towards me and said somberly, "Sun's coming out tomorrow."

I was in the process of reaching for my pizza but dropped my hand and looked at Edward. He wasn't gone yet but already I could feel the throbbing in my chest, the loneliness that was always ready to smother me if I gave it half a chance. I dropped my gaze.

"We might as well take advantage of it and get some hunting done. Shall we leave as soon as lunch is over?" Edward asked Alice. I bowed my head and took a bite from my pizza to hide my despair. I felt Edward's arms wrap around me as he pulled me closer. "It's only a couple of hours, Bella. I'll be waiting for you when school ends tomorrow. If we leave now, we won't have to go during the weekend and we can spend that time together."

"I know, Edward." I forced a smile on my face. He didn't need to know my suffering, but just the thought of the weekend with Edward was brightening my horizons. I took another bite from the pizza for Alice's benefit even though I was far from hungry. All in all, lunch was a quiet affair.

The seconds ticked by like water through your fingers and before I knew it, Edward was kissing me goodbye and I was watching them drive away in the Volvo. I was sorely tempted to skip the rest of school and head straight home to my bed but it was out of the question. Not only would gossip ensue here at school about what Edward and I might be doing but it was bound to reach Charlie and that was a conversation I really didn't want to have with him. Not yet anyways.

I strode determinedly towards my history class, promising myself I would not think of Edward once until tomorrow, but knowing full well that that promise was impossible to keep.