A/N: The problem with me is that I write a story without much planning it out [DISCLAIMER] which is why I'm not Stephenie Meyer [END DISCLAIMER] and which is the reason that this story is up today instead of next year. Also, Nessie's name is not Renesmee, it's Ness, but her nickname is still Nessie because I took pity on her.

Bella's POV:

I adjusted the cute little red bow in Nessie's hair, and stifled a sob. I couldn't help thinking how much her parents would like to see this, her last parent conference before high school. Imagine, Nessie, an eighth grader!

At that point I let a single tear drop down my face, leaving a slight mascara trail.

"Bella." Nessie said comfortingly. Unfortunately she could tell that I was thinking about her parents, my much older brother James and his wife Victoria, who had died five years earlier because of a gang fight that they walked through. Needless to say, they where proclaimed dead from the bullets a second after the ambulance came.

"Now I wish that I hadn't run out of waterproof mascara." Alice said mournfully. We had been friends since University, which wasn't actually too long ago. What would I have thought if I saw myself in the future, as a twenty-seven year old taking care of her dead brother's fourteen year old daughter with a job in a grocery store? I would have thought that there was no way, but things change.

"Sorry, sorry." I sniffled, wiping my eyes.

"Stop wiping your eyes or the mascara will go everywhere." Rosalie, my other friend said in a bored tone.

I was about to retort that I did not care, not one bit, when Nessie stood up and said in a anxious voice, "Well… how do I look?".

I looked at her and sighed. She had inherited her dad's brown hair, but her mom's green eyes, curly hair, and pale skin. She looked good in anything, but now, when she was wearing a red dress with black tights and red Converse shoes (I couldn't talk her out of them, even though I knew perfectly well they'd look good with her dress) she looked stunning. I couldn't believe that this was the girl who had been wailing to me about not having a boyfriend yesterday.

"You look great, Ness." I said, hugging her.

"Yeah. Make the girls jealous!"

"Well, I think that maybe the red flats I had bought you would look better…"

I shot Alice a death glare.

"…but I'm wrong!" Alice cheerfully finished.

"Thanks."

We stood awkwardly before Alice and Rosalie said that they should go, and after hugging me and wishing Nessie good luck, practically ran out the front door, where I could hear Alice's yellow Porsche being driven away.

"C'mon, kiddo. Let's go."

Nessie half-smiled.

"Okay."

We walked out the front door to my truck in silence, except for the soft thuds of Ness's shoes and the squeaks of my trainers. I hadn't bothered dressing up much, just a black shirt with my nicest pair of jeans and my jade necklace and a dash of light pink lipstick. What was the point of dressing up? First off all, there will be no hot guys there (probably) and none of them will want to date a girl with luggage? Because a fourteen year old niece is luggage, no matter how you look at her.

I cracked open the door to my truck and smiled. My truck is just so nice and warm and safe. It feels like nothing bad could happen in it, but everything good.

"Bella. Are we going or not?"

I quickly snapped out of it and chuckled nervously.

"Just hit me if I do that again."

"Sure." Nessie snapped, and it kind of hurt, even though I knew she was scared. They would be giving out report cards at the parent teacher conferences too, so that must hurt more than just the wacky-aunt-talking-to-the-teachers thing.

We drove the few miles to Forks Middle School, and I smiled a bit.

"We're here." I said.

Ness looked anywhere but the school.

"I know." She said quietly.

"Um, you've kind of been quiet… does this mean you have bad grades?" I asked.

She bit her lip. Something she got from me. Then she muttered, "Dunno."

I nodded. I mean, I do care about her grades, but I care in a sisterly way. I was thirteen when she was born! She was practically a sister to me.

We walked to the school slowly, since Nessie decided to drag her feet on the ground.

"Let's just get it over with." I muttered.

Then we went to the math room, where the teacher, whose name I didn't quite catch talked enthusiastically about Nessie's promising ability, but how she should study more.

"Yes, yes, thank you." I said when the poor teacher looked like she had run out of things to say, and hurried Nessie to the next room. All the teachers -except for Ness's art teacher, who vaguely said she was great and her drawings had a lot of depth- basically said the same things. She has promise, she should just apply herself, blah blah blah. Nessie didn't listen, and to tell you the truth, neither did I. I nearly remarked to Nessie that we should just skip out on the music teacher, who was the last teacher, but we had already walked to his door and so it would be a shame.

Besides, he has Nessie's report card.

I impatiently knocked on his door. I was getting pissed off. How do parents stand this?

"Come in." a voice said clearly.

I barged in, and Nessie, puzzled, just walked in after me.

I was about to shriek at him to just hand over the report card when I saw him.

Oh, I saw him.

I saw his messy bronze hair, his sharp jaw line, the dignity that he carried, and when he looked up, I saw his green eyes.

Oh. My. God.

"Hello," he said pleasantly, "my name is Edward Cullen."

So, tell me if you like this story! I mean, I'll continue it, no matter what, but helpful criticism and upbeat remarks really help :D.