(BPOV)

After getting off at eight, I took my pretty little paycheck down to Winn-Dixie to get it cashed. As usual, the pay check left very little money for the things I want…need. By very little, I mean about ten bucks but, luckily, I had other ways of getting money. It just required me going home, showering, and maybe smoking a joint.

Definitely smoking a joint.

After my quick laugh at Lauren's expense, it was basically suck ass the rest of the day. Lauren's group left a decent tip for their order. Not good, by any means, but it wasn't a tip made out of change like I would expect from a person like her. I had a feeling this had to do with Rose.

Edward and Alice were…friendly, mainly Alice. She's very talkative, happy, and animated, talking with her hands a lot. She asked if I wanted to "go on a cinema adventure" with them, after I got off work. I, thankfully, had a good excuse for declining and told her I still had to work for another seven and a half hours. "Oh, well, maybe another time." She replied. I stupidly nodded and went back to work.

I pulled into a Taco Bell drive-thru and used the handy eighty-nine cent menu to stay in budget. After quickly scarfing down the burrito, I decided it was time to head back to the apartment. As I turned my truck on, I noticed the loveliness that was my gas meter, the lovely white needle pointing at 'E'. Fuck me sideways, why does the world hate me?

Don't answer that.

After a little calculating I decided I could squeeze in ten bucks worth of gas, it would hopefully be enough to get me to Port Angeles and back. I drove across the street and pumped a quick ten dollars, before finally heading back home stopping at the bank on my way home to cash my aunt's check.

I quickly showered and got dressed before drying my hair, throwing on my pin-stripe hat, and picking up my moneymaker. I headed back out to my truck, placing my bit of cargo in the passenger seat carefully, before driving off towards Port Angeles. I hooked my iPod up to the line-in I had bought for my truck. The kind that you put in the cassette player and then hook into your iPod. I put it on shuffle and listened to the lovely Heroin-addicts that made up the band Northstar. The iPod used to be Alec's, but his 'rents bought him a new one, so he gave this one to me. Every time I went over to his place, I'd download any new songs I'd come across, and he'd introduce me to awesome bands he had discovered. We'd get baked out of our minds, and listen to music all day.

I pulled into the Port Angeles Park car park and grabbed my guitar case before slamming the door to my car shut. It was Saturday night, Port Angeles is the closest thing to a city that about four or five small towns have. I was sure to be able to make a couple of bucks tonight. I walked to the middle of the park with my lovely guitar case in hand and found my usual bench, right next to the small, man-made pond and set my case down, getting my guitar out and tuning it up a bit. I played a few chords to get used to things before turning the case around and opening it, my street performing license taped to the top just in case a cop walks by. I loved how, now-a-days, you have to have a license for everything. Yard sales, Fishing, even having a fucking dog.

I started to play an easy song to start off with, Twist and Shout. I had a few dollars by the time the song was over. Yeah, tonight was a good night. I sat out there and played for hours, singing along all the while. Sometimes people would sing along, sometimes people would tell me to get a real job and stop loitering the park, in which case I would play louder, and sneak a 'fuck you' into the song I was currently playing. By the end of the night, I had racked up about thirty dollars, and I couldn't feel my left hand, and my voice was hoarse. I decided it was time to head home, but as I was putting my guitar in the car, I saw a Wal-Mart sign and remembered the check my aunt had given me for food, and sighed. I hated grocery shopping.

I decided I would wait until I got to the Forks Wal-Mart to do my shopping, and pulled out onto the highway that would lead me to the small, dreary town I was forced to call home.

---

It was now 3:24 A.M., and I was walking into my apartment for the fourth time in ten minutes, carrying the last few bags from my truck and bringing them to the kitchen. I hadn't realized at the time exactly how much money my way too generous aunt had given me for groceries until I got to Wal-Mart. For a couple with a kid or two, a hundred and twenty-five dollars may not be much for groceries, but for a single, eighteen year old druggie, it was extremely too much. I spent all but twenty-five dollars of it, deciding to save that for when I needed to get one of the customary things like milk or bread or whatever. Since I had so much food at home, I decided I would start bringing lunch to school, therefore cutting that cost out of my budget.

I decided that I should start cleaning since I had nothing else to do, but first, (three guesses as to what I'm going to say next) I rolled a joint. I know I am probably going to die before I turn thirty, but, damn, the effects are just too good. Really, how I had survived in that small period between my mom and Alec was beyond my realm of thought. After I was successfully faded, I decided to get to work on the living room. This room took much more time to clean, considering I would stop every few minutes to stare off into space, play with LSB, or something else equally distracting, but after an hour, I was done, it was five A.M., and I had nothing else to do.

Okay, that was a lie. There was still the bedroom and bathroom to clean, but I just really didn't feel like cleaning anymore. No homework. Already high. Nothing to do. It was these reasons I hated weekends. It was times like these that I wished I wasn't so lonely. I decided to go for a walk around town. I was sick of this fucking apartment. I grabbed the necessities: jacket, phone, and pack of cigs, included with lighter, and set out. Once I was down the stairs and out of the parking lot, I looked both ways down the abandoned highway, trying to decide which way I wanted to go, Left or Right? East or West?

Or was it North or South? I didn't fucking know.

I chose left, going farther into the tiny city Forks rather than away from it, and I walked. And walked. For about two hours. I wasn't even in Forks now, I was just outside of the city limits when I felt a drop of water land on my hand. Then another on my face, and then a fucking downpour started. I quickly moved my phone and cigs to the inside pocket of my jacket before putting my hood up and turning to start walking back home when a rod of lighting struck a tree not fifteen feet away from me.

To say I hauled-ass, would be an understatement.

The thunder that came after the lighting strike almost scared the piss out of me, and I decided, fuck it, I couldn't make it back to town alive so I turned on to a hidden driveway and ran up the forever long path. After what felt like an hour, though it was probably only about two minutes, a clearing opened up and in front of me was a big, eighteenth century styled house right in front of me. I prayed a quick, silent prayer that they would be normal before jogging up to the door and ringing the doorbell. It was one of those long, elaborate doorbells that seemed to go on forever. Another crash of thunder emanated a swear from me and I mildly frantic knock at the door.

Of course by mildly frantic, I mean borderline hysteric.

A pale man with golden hair and, to be blunt, a hot facial structure answered the door and he looked at me semi-quizzically, semi-sympathetically. "Can I help you?" He asked gently.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, but, uh, it kind of just started cats and dogs out here while I was on a walk and I literally was about two feet away from getting struck by lightning, do you mind if I stay here till it calms a bit?" I asked quickly, stuttering as always. "I'm not a creeper." I added, wondering if that therefore made me a creeper, instead of reassuring him.

He laughed slightly. "Of course, come on in." He said, sidestepping so I could get in. "I'm not a creeper, either" He added, and I smiled.

"Bella Swan." I introduced myself so as not to be completely rude.

"Carlisle Cullen." He held out his hand, and though I shook it, I mentally strung out every swear I knew. Of course I chose the Cullen residence. Why the fuck not? I then noticed his attire: black slacks with a blue button-up shirt, a tie, and a white coat with a nametag on it saying "Dr. Cullen.". He was about to go to work. That's when I realized it was about seven in the morning.

"Oh, dude, sorry. I totally didn't realize how early it was, I didn't mean to keep you from work." I apologized quickly, wondering what I was going to do next. He obviously needed to get to work, and he wouldn't leave a complete stranger in a house with his sleeping family in it, which meant I had to leave, which meant I had to go back out in the rain, which meant I was dead.

"Oh, not a problem at all, I don't have to be in for another hour, really. You go to school with Alice, don't you?" He asked as he led me into what turned out to be the kitchen. He sat down at a chair, and I sat in the one opposite of him.

Shit. You know that thing your parents tell you about when your little, about how actions have consequences? Yeah, I had a feeling this was going to be one of those times. "Eh, yeah, yeah, and Edward's also in my grade." And Rosalie. And two other guys. How did this dude end up with five kids that were all in the same grade?

"Yes, Alice is quite fond of you, but from what Rose says, you find her a bit…overbearing?" He said with a chuckle I looked up in shock, causing his chuckle to turn into a laugh. "Don't worry, I understand. Alice can be quite a character."

I forced a smile, still feeling awkward. "Well, it was really just the first day, I wasn't really in a good mood that day, and I kind of took it out on others. But she stopped by the diner that I work at yesterday and she was nice to talk to." I said, hoping that would make up for my rudeness on Alice and I's first encounter. He smiled and nodded, and I took that as an acceptance.

An awkward silence ensued afterwards in which case I was kind of just looking around, taking in all of the elaborate paintings, expensive appliances, hell, even their pots and pans hanging from the ceiling screamed "Loaded!", all the while, Carlisle sat there, reading the paper quietly. Maybe it wasn't awkward, I just thought it was. Of course, that thought was diminished when I realized his eyes weren't moving, indicating he wasn't really reading it.

I was about to try and find a topic to talk about when the two boys that I didn't know walked in, dressed in gym clothes, obviously about to head to a gym. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if they had their own home gym, either. The tall blond one looked at me quizzically, but it was the burly one that spoke. "Hey Isabella, how's it goin'?" He asked, as if it was normal that I was here. The fact that he knew my name, but I didn't know his didn't exactly sit well with me.

"Eh, fine, I guess." I replied, shifting awkwardly.

"No offense or anything, but why are you here?" The blonde one asked, though not rudely, just curiously.

"Rain. I was out on a walk and it started lightning and I knew I wasn't going to be able to make it to town so I stopped at the first house I saw." I explained, rubbing the back of my neck. Though it was a rather logical explanation, I still felt kind of odd. He nodded before catching a water bottle and breakfast bar that the burly one tossed to him.

"Well, Alice should be down here soon, she was finishing up her make-up last time I saw her." He stated with a roll of his eyes.

"Come on, Jasper, we still got to run by your place since you can't remember to pack tennis shoes." Burly dude urged him. Whoa, now that statement confused me, I thought they all lived here. Jasper complied and gave a wave to me and told Carlisle he'd talk to him later before following burly guy out of the kitchen.

As soon as they were out of earshot, I turned to Carlisle. "I thought they all lived here with you?" I stated it as a polite question.

He looked mildly stunned. "Oh, of course not, Rosalie and Jasper live with their parents down the street. Mr. Hale and I have been best friends since kindergarten, if one of us gets a job offer, neither will accept until the other gets one, too." He explained.

"Oh, well, that's just the things I was hearing at school. They must of just heard of one new doctor moving in." I shrugged.

"Oh, it's probably because he's a morgue technician. Doesn't spend much time with live people." Carlisle told me, folding his paper and setting it aside.

"Right. So how did you manage to get three teens all in the same grade?" I inquired, trying to keep another silence at bay for as long as possible.

"Ah, yes. Well, Emmett was held back a grade freshmen year due to bad grades, so that's why he and Alice are in the same grade. Edward was adopted into the family when he was ten, and he's only two months older than Alice, whom we adopted in two years earlier." He clarified.

"Did I hear my name?" Alice asked as she walked into the kitchen, not looking at all surprised to see me sitting at her kitchen table.

"Bella and I were just talking about how our family came to be." He told her as he stood up. "I've got to go to work, it was nice meeting you Bella." He said politely before giving Alice a hug and going in the same direction that Emmett and Jasper went. Bella, why did I introduce myself as Bella? I never do that anymore, I'm Isabella to almost everyone now.

"That storm is crazy, huh? The thunder woke me up way too early this morning." She said while grabbing an apple. "Want anything?" She asked, turning to me.

"Uh, no, no thanks. I'm fine." I didn't know what was up with these people, if I woke up to find someone I hardly know in my kitchen, I'd at least ask what the hell they were doing there. Emmett and Alice acted almost as if they expected me or something. She shrugged and sat in Carlisle's previous chair and I looked out the window, hoping the rain had lightened so I could get out of here and escape these awkward moments that I seemed to attract like bees to flowers.

It was raining, if at all possible, harder.

"Don't worry, you're totally welcome here. Like I told you, we're going to be best friends." Alice said assuringly, obviously noticing my movement.

"Er, thanks." I almost whispered. I didn't really like being here, these people had the advantage of home field, where as I was on uncharted territory, but they were nice enough to give me a place to stay for an hour or so, so I was forced to be grateful. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but why do you keep saying that? That we're 'going to be best friends'?" I asked, using air-quotations.

She smiled at me, but it was the kind of smile that told me she wasn't going to answer me. Not fully, at least. "I just know some things." She answered vaguely, tossing the finished apple core towards the trash can, and pumping her fist in the air when it went in. "Hell yeah, I am good." She celebrated, flicking her shoulder the way a pimp would, causing a chuckle from me. "Come on, lets go get you changed, you're soaked." She got up and motioned for me to follow her, so I did, feeling awkward as always.