Hey, I Put Some New Shoes On Today

Bella Swan.

My name is Bella Swan. I'm not fabulous in any sense of the word. I'm a foster kid, for one. I have plain brown hair―though almost everyone has told me that it is mahogany, and therefore not plain at all―chocolate brown eyes, and lips that are plump and red from my awful habit of biting on them.

I lost my mom in a "car accident". So, now pretty much every month I move in with new people who don't really want me. Sometimes I get lucky and go to a good home, but as soon as I get settled my stupid father comes and messes everything up. Yeah my father was deemed incapable of raising me, meaning he went to prison for abusing my mother. He's on parole now; he got out for "good behavior". Yeah right. The police didn't think he was a good role model for a young girl, so they shipped me off and here I am. I'm 99.9% sure my mom wasn't in a car wreck. I don't know how, I just know.

I'm now seventeen and new in town, what else is new. At least it isn't the middle of the semester this time. It's August, and there is approximately two weeks until school starts. I got a pretty good house this time. It's in Forks, Washington. I'm not shallow or anything, but I got a rich family.

They are great. I am officially adopted now, so no more moving for me. And because they're rich and already have a daughter my age, I'm going to Peninsula Crest Academy. That is the ritzy private school in this small, elite, Olympic Peninsula town. I've only been here a week, but they are insisting on getting me a car. The conversation went a little like this:

"Bella, why do you always ride your bike?" Mrs. Esme Cullen asked me one day after I came home from the beach.

"Oh well. I'm not sure. It's such a small town, so I don't ever have to go far. Plus, its pretty good exercise," I replied stunned by the question.

"Well we should get you a car; do you have your license?" Dr. Carlisle Cullen added to the conversation.

"Well, yes I have my license, but it's not necessary for you to go and buy me a car."

"Nonsense sweetie, it isn't any trouble at all. What are you used to driving? A BMW? Lexus?" Mrs. Cullen was always so nice.

"Well the last thing I drove was an old Chevy," I managed to respond, baffled.

"Oh well. If you're used to older cars…" Dr. Cullen trailed off.

"Bella, you might as well take the car," Alice, my new sister, sighed. "Besides, they already bought one for you. And it's nice, but way too extravagant for your tastes, trust me. They really want you to be happy here. I was adopted too, you know?" I shook my head, I didn't know. "Have you noticed that I don't look a thing like Esme or Carlisle?" She was right.

She was a short five two, even shorter than my little below average five six. Alice was stunning, too. She had short black hair always styled differently than the day before, and she had unusual yellowish eyes, they were like liquid topaz. She was so graceful it would seriously make the best, most gorgeous ballerina jealous.

Esme had hair a little lighter than mine. It was almost a caramel color. She had light greenish blue eyes. Carlisle had platinum blonde hair and sea blue eyes. They were nothing alike, but acted so seamlessly as a family I thought they were. They were young, too. Way too young to have a seventeen year old daughter.

She walked into my room―I get my own room, decorated any way I want! ―and plopped down on my bed. I was working on a sketch of how I wanted my room to look.

"Are they that persistent?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, it will get completely out of control. Sometimes they are just too generous. My dad bought my mom an island," she explained.

"Are you serious? How did you get that much money?" I kinda regretted that second question.

"I know it seems odd my dad is just a doctor, but my mom does a bunch of different stuff that really rakes it in," she started laughing, so I figured I could too.

"Hey, I have an idea!" she suddenly squealed.

"Whaaaaat?" I asked warily.

"Well there's this party I really wanted to go to, kinda like a back to school bash. I wasn't going to go, but I mean we might as well. Right?" she was trying to convince me, but I wasn't really one to party. "Come on Bells, it'll be soooo much fun. There will be cute boys, drinks and good music."

"Well…. I guess it doesn't sound too bad, but at least let me drive. I can probably handle my alcohol better than you," I agreed.

"Good. Now I get to pick out your outfit," Ali singsonged out of my room.

"Wait, wait, wait," I followed her. "Why are you picking out my outfit?"

"Two reasons. One: I have more clothes than you. Two: we are the same size." I opened my mouth to argue, but decide against it. "Good, I was hoping you wouldn't argue. I really like the jaded feel about you, but here you don't want that. It gets people talking. So, I think I will make you into girl next door. At least for now, you can make your own reputation and I will dress you accordingly." I didn't even bother with arguing. She was making a lot of sense. "I would also like to do your hair and make up."

"That's fine," I sighed. "But I do not want to go too overboard on the make up. Please I'm not a big fan."

"Deal. Now go shower I'm going to pick out your attire," she laughed and shoved me into my bathroom.

I took a scrupulous shower. I wanted to be perfectly smooth. Since I was meeting all of my new class mates, particularly all of these cute boys, I had to be clean.

"Good you are finally done. Now put this on," she ambushed me with clothes as soon as I was out of the bathroom. I only semi noticed she was already dressed, and that was only because she was wearing hot pink.

I went back into the bathroom. I got dressed in a daze thinking about what the other people at the party would be like. I didn't notice that what Alice picked out wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

I looked up to see myself in a strapless, blue, bubble dress. It was accompanied with black peep toed heels, black flower earrings, and a silver clutch that kind of looked like a bow. I only had qualms about the heels. Obviously Alice didn't know about my equilibrium problems.

"Bella! You look absolutely breath taking. Seriously, all eyes will be on you. Well, the probably would be anyways because you are new," she babbled when I stepped out of the bathroom. "Your hair!"

I panicked. What was the matter with my hair? I grabbed the tip of one of the natural tendrils. I didn't see anything out of place. "What?"

"Is it like that naturally?" she ignored my question.

"Well… yeah it is." I had no idea what was the matter with her.

"It's so pretty Bella! I don't even have to do much with it. Sit down," I sat at the vanity as she moved her hands effortlessly through my hair. It seemed like only a second went by before, "Ok I'm done."

I looked in the mirror. There were no extra products―as far as I could smell―it was in its natural waves, with a few pieces pulled back into a pin with a black flower. She had put on minimal black eyeliner. Alice claimed my lashes were too beautiful for mascara, so she skipped it.

"Wait, we need one more thing…" she swiped some sticky stuff on my lips. "There. Perfect."

"What is it?" she laughed at me.

"Silly Bella, it's lip gloss. I went with a light pink, I figured that is a little less conspicuous," she explained as we descended the stairs.

"Girls, you look lovely," Carlisle said as we walked to the garage.

"Thanks dad," my little new best friend chirped.

I thought back to last week when I first got here. She didn't even introduce herself; she hugged me tightly and told me, "We are going to be the best of friends." Esme and Carlisle just laughed. I really like the whole sense of family that gravitated around them, well us, like an aura.

"Come on, Bella. We need to get going. We want to be fashionably late not extremely late," Alice pulled on my arm.

"I'm coming," I said waving the keys to the extreme gift the Cullens bought me. It was ridiculous. What seventeen year old girl needs a brand new cherry red Ferrari F430? I certainly didn't, but I drove to placate them… and Alice insisted on driving it to show up in style to this party. Apparently her canary yellow Porsche 911 Turbo wasn't good enough. That's ok though. I wanted to drive.

"Bye, mom. Bye, dad. We probably won't be home until way late," she waved as we stepped into the cavernous garage. It held four insanely too expensive cars. My Ferrari, Alice's Porsche, Carlisle's black Mercedes S55 AMG, and Esme's silver Mercedes S600 Guard.

"Have fun and please be careful girls," Esme called after us.

I pulled carefully out of the garage and zoomed out of the long driveway. Alice's driving and this car have seriously rubbed off on me. I wasn't used to going passed 60, on the interstate. Now, I was speeding passed 80 down the small town streets. Alice turned the radio up and 'Car Song' by Elastica blasted from my state of the art sound system.

"And we're off," she yelled over the music. She gave me directions and before I knew it we were pulling up to the Masen mansion. It was huge and I could hear the music pumping from the beginning of the driveway.

"Are you ready to get your party on, Bella?" Alice asked excitingly as I dropped the keys into the valet's outstretched hand. I nodded and she hooked her arm through mine, as we made our entrance.

"Alice! Jasper's been waiting for you," I heard a velvety voice call as soon as we were in the house. I looked up to see the most gorgeous emerald green eyes and chiseled features of a bronze, sex haired god.