Much love to my beta jayhawkbb. All mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong solely to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter One

BPOV

As the tide rolled in, the water lapped over my bare feet, and then it slowly washed back, leaving a shining trail of sand across my toes.

"Aren't you cold?" my best friend Leah asked, wrapping her cotton sweater tightly around her torso. Even though it was still technically summer, the air felt crisp—a foretelling of the upcoming autumn season.

Shrugging my shoulders, I picked up my worn sneakers. The drop in temperature was the least of my concerns. My thoughts were centered on Monday, the start of my junior year of high school. Even though I enjoyed the challenges of academia, I dreaded the social aspect. Adopted at birth by a Native American couple, I was raised in La Push, the largest community within the Quileute Indian Reservation, which meant I also attended the tribal school. From an early age, I learned that being different wasn't easy, and being the only hókʷat in my class made me a prime target for bullying.

Over the years, a group of my peers were relentless in their tormenting. What began as elementary pranks such as having gum put into my hair or dead fish stuffed inside my backpack quickly escalated in middle school when my classmates became more vicious in their attacks. During the summer between seventh and eighth grade, I forever became known as lobster girl, or LG for short, after an unfortunate sunburning incident. And while in the ninth grade, Emily Young and Samantha Uley shoved me into the boys' locker room because Jared Cameron invited me to the winter formal. No matter what my classmates did or said, the administration turned a blind eye to their behavior, and I had no other choice but to endure it.

Leah placed a hand on my forearm. "You're worrying again about school. Did you talk with your mom?"

Sighing, I sat down on a piece of driftwood and put on my shoes. There was no hiding from Leah; she could read me like a book. So I nodded. "She almost agreed to the idea, but Jacob overheard—"

With a loud groan, she interrupted me. "And he forbade it, right?"

"Yeah, he went absolutely ballistic." I rolled my eyes, remembering how unfairly my brother reacted when I asked to transfer to Forks High. "He insisted being hókʷat wasn't reason enough to attend another school," I said the Quileute word for non-Indian in a harsh tone. Throughout my life, the term had become almost synonymous with my own name. "And if the tribal school was good enough for him, it was surely good enough for me."

"But that's not even the issue." She plopped down beside me.

"I agree, but you know how he is. He's unreasonable, and, of course, Mom went right along with his decision." Picking up a stick, I dragged it through the sand as I willed myself not to cry. "I just don't understand why he hates me so much. After Dad died, he changed, and it's as if he can't stand the sight of me anymore."

"Well, you already know how I feel about Jacob. Ever since he became head of your family and a member of the Tribal Council, he has become an arrogant prick."

I laughed. Leah never held back her thoughts, and it was one of the main reasons I loved her. "It still doesn't explain his attitude toward me."

She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and hugged me tightly against her. "Stupidity can't be explained, honeybee. He's a controlling asshole who gets off on bossing around women." I thought about her words. As sad as they were, I knew they were also true. "Instead of focusing on your idiot of a brother, let's think about finishing the next two years of school. Then we can get the fuck out of this town quicker than it takes Embry Call to shoot his load. And from what I hear, that's pretty damn fast."

Snorting, I pushed her away. "You're crazy."

Our attention turned to the sound of music blaring from a rusty, blue van parked on the other end of the beach. A group of four guys appeared from the back of the vehicle with surfboards held under their arms.

"Holy shit. Check out the abs on that guy," Leah said, tucking her sable, waist-length hair behind her ears. "I've always wondered if the saying was true."

I observed the boys and assumed Leah was referring to the only one who wasn't wearing a wetsuit. A muscular blond with short, wavy hair wore red and blue striped board shorts. "What saying?"

"That blonds do it better." She licked her lips as she continued staring at him.

"Jesus, Leah. You're ridiculous."

"Ridiculous or not...I think it's time to introduce a bit of hurricane into that fine piece of sunshine's life." Standing, she wiped the sand off her legs and ass. She turned and faced me, raising an eyebrow. "Come on. There's plenty to go around." Since Leah always got her way, I knew there was no point in arguing. I scoffed—a weak attempt at protest before joining her.

The guys were friendly enough—all seniors from Port Angeles. The blond, Mike, was a recent transfer from Ohio and didn't know the first thing about surfing. After one foray into the water, he bitched like a little girl about freezing his balls off and refused to try it again. Nestled in a ratty, old afghan, he leaned against the van and talked about his football team and some car part he needed to rebuild an engine. I was bored as hell, and knew Leah was as well, but she hung on his every word, even going as far as giggling at some lame-ass condom joke.

It didn't take long before the two of them started making out, and not so long after that, they disappeared inside of the van. It seemed as if Leah would get her answer about how blonds performed a lot sooner than we expected.

While Leah was preoccupied, I walked along the shoreline and searched for sea glass. Within minutes, one of the other boys joined me. "Hey. You're Bella, right?"

"Yeah. And you're Tyson?" I questioned, meeting his brown-eyed gaze.

He shook his head and chuckled. "Close. Tyler." Gesturing to the fragment of glass in my grip, he asked, "Can I see it?"

I handed him the smooth green shard. "Looks like it was part of an old bottle. I have close to a hundred pieces at home."

He gave it back. "What do you do with them?"

"Display them in jars. Maybe one day, I'll make a mosaic." The rosy sunset dyed half the sky. It was getting late. I glanced back toward the van. Tyler noticed and lifted a strand of my hair and ran it between his fingers.

"Looks like Mike and Leah are getting along well."

I immediately felt uncomfortable. My best friend was no longer a virgin, but I was nowhere near ready to make that move. "Yeah. I guess," I mumbled, stepping out of his reach. "Listen, I need to get Leah and go."

Just as I started to head back to the van, an angry voice shouted from the parking area. "Bella!"

Closing my eyes, my stomach lurched as I froze. It was Jacob, and he was pissed. After I took a deep breath, I slowly turned and saw him storming in my direction. I couldn't recall ever seeing him this upset before—a large vein on his forehead protruded, and his face was a deep shade of purple. When he finally reached me, he grasped my wrist, yanking me toward him. "Come on, Bella. It's time to go home."

Tyler rushed over to us and pushed Jacob's shoulder. "Hey, dude. Back off. You're hurting her."

Shoving me aside, Jacob caused me to tumble to the ground. He grabbed Tyler by the collar. "No, dude. You're the one who needs to back off. Stay the fuck away from her." Releasing Tyler, Jacob glared at me. "Get off your ass and get in the truck."

I scrambled to stand. My hands and knees were scraped and bleeding, but I didn't pause to wipe them. As I made my way to the parking lot, I looked frantically toward the van, worried about Leah. I wanted to say something, but I was too afraid. If Jacob found out she was in the van with a boy, there would be hell to pay. Not only would Leah get in trouble, but Jacob would forbid me from ever seeing her again, and the thought of never seeing my only friend was unbearable.

After deciding Leah was more than likely okay, I got into the truck and slumped against the window. The entire drive home, I silently prayed I had made the right decision.

AN:

Welcome to my new story!

First, let me thank everyone who has helped make this possible:

My fabulous pre-readers—K, Kay, Lizzie, Mandy, and Gail.

My lovely beta—KJ.

And the sweet ladies from The Lemonade Stand for featuring my story in their blog.

A few FAQS about the story:

This fic is inspired by an actual blood type called Rhnull, but some facts have been changed for the sake of the plot.

I plan to update on Fridays.

It is a Bella/Edward story. HEA as always, but it is a slow burn.

Some chapters will have trigger warnings. I will note them at the beginning of the chapter, and you can message me for additional info if needed.

Feel free to join my FB group—Honeymoon Edward Fics for story pictures, etc.

And finally, Thanks to Shouldbecleaning for Mike's lame joke - What do a condom and a roll of Kodak Film have in common? They both capture a magical moment. :)

Thank you for taking time out of your busy week and reading! I appreciate each of you so much.

Until next time,

HE