"Bella was well-aware of Rosalie's annoyance at attending school for what had to be the millionth time in her life.
Despite the distaste emanating off Rosalie and all the rest of the Cullen siblings, though, it was still a cloudy morning at their new Maine school when Bella stepped out of Emmett's large Jeep and bundled her scarf just a little tighter for the sake of appearance.
She was posing as a senior with Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett, because she was turned at the physical age of eighteen. Alice and Edward were juniors again, and loathe as Edward was to let Bella out of his sight for too long a time, Alice insisted Bella simply looked like a senior and had to pose as one.
Their cover story this go-around had changed with the addition of Bella and Renesmee. According to the 'official' records bestowed upon them by Jasper, Edward, Alice, and Renesmee were only children adopted by Carlisle and Esme. Emmett and Bella were siblings, and again, Jasper and Rosalie were the Hale twins.
After dropping Renesmee off at the middle school (and restraining Edward from turning violent on the boys who ogled her), they had made their way towards the high school and picked up their schedules. Bella didn't like the attention; it was like walking around with her skin turned inside out, vulnerable and all eyes on her. And it certainly didn't help that the elegant, alluring family had arrived in the middle of the school year and had parked their sleek cars right in the middle of the parking lot.
Edward had lightly brushed his fingers against hers with an empathetic gaze. He knew far too well what it was like to have unwanted attention. As the only single member of his family for decades, both genders seemed to flock to him. Whether in want of money, friendship, or just the bragging rights of sleeping with one of the reclusive Cullens, he was often noticed more often than his siblings.
Now, though, it seemed as though his wife was the one most noticed. It could have just been his protectiveness, but he could have sworn upon every deity in the heavens above that his siblings also noticed the envious or lustful stares Bella was receiving. Bella noticed it too, apparently, because she grasped Edward's arm with one hand and stepped closer to him.
They ascended the moss-covered stairs to a small office to pick up their schedules, then they made their ways outside to lean against the rusted handrails.
Bella handled her paper as though it were made of wet tissue, and judging by the look on her face, she thought of it in that way. "Emmett? Rose? Jazz? Maybe we should compare schedules. I don't really want to end up alone in a senior classroom."
"I'm pretty sure we've got the same first hour," Rosalie said as she sent a cold glare to a gutsy senior as he made his way to her newest sister. He scampered off quickly, and satisfied, Rosalie took her place beside Bella at the top of the stairs. "Yeah, we do. English. Fantastic."
Bella resisted the urge to roll her eyes fondly at the blonde who was understandably ticked at being back in school. She let a knowing smile spread across her face. "I know, Rose," she said, and a little bit of annoyance fell out of Rosalie's eyes. She ignored the thankful wink she received from Emmett and instead looked around the campus in curiosity.
She took in the different scents and sounds and sights, from the tobacco-laden air just around the corner to the grating, girly voices belting from the mouths of the cheerleaders. Despite how strongly the different elements of high school were weighing in on her new senses, she still explored the meandering people with the curiosity of a newborn. The people were, it seemed, also examining the strange new family. Bella tried to ignore the suspicious whispering as the students watched her and her family.
Like the first boy who had tried to approach Bella, many students tested their luck but were warded off by sharp glance or curdled lip.
"What time's the bell ring?" asked Emmett, reclining lazily upon the steps as though he owned the building.
As if on cue, the speakers sprang to life, and the family grimaced at the shrill tone.
Jasper checked his watch. "Seven-fifty," he drawled sarcastically. He was rewarded with a smack on the arm from his giant brother, sending a bout of laughter around his siblings.
When they split ways to head to their lockers, Bella was pleasantly surprised to find that her locker was flanked by Jasper and Emmett in the senior hall.
"They go by alphabetical order," Jasper explained later as though he'd read her mind. "Lucky you. Now Em and I can protect you from the hopefuls." And with that, he winked and ruffled her hair. "See you later, Bella."
So Bella was left alone to find the English room. Fortunately, she had no trouble asking for help (aside from the incoherent bumbling of the first two students with whom she'd spoken), and she arrived in the English classroom to see Rosalie look up from her assigned copy of Romeo and Juliet to pat the desk next to her with a smile. Bella sat gratefully and followed along on Rosalie's page.
"The Cullens, I think. I mean, that's what Kylie said. Don't go after the tall blond, though, 'cause she's already called dibs on him."
The two sisters whose heads had been ducked over Rosalie's book looked up at the mention of their names. The source of the voice was two desks in front of them, where a brunette donning a cheer uniform was whispering to a redhead whose blonde roots were beginning to peek out.
"Oh, boo," said the redhead with a dramatic pout. "I wanted the blond one. Oh, well. It's not like the 'girl code' can apply to someone as hot as him. He's got a big family, though, and a lot of them are really scary-looking."
"Really, though," the brunette said in a hushed voice. "Look at his sisters. Behind you."
The brunette and the redhead turned in a move Bella was sure they meant to be discreet, but she didn't need to be a vampire to notice their upsizing glares. This was when Rosalie arched an eyebrow at them; then she made the mistake of talking.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked in a voice as silver, yet still as sharp, as a blade.
It seemed like every eye in the room turned at the excuse to look at the newcomers. Bella seemed to shrink in her seat, while Rosalie kept her cool gaze leveled at the two girls.
The redhead was the first to speak as she cleared her throat. "You're the Cullens, right?" she asked with a fake smile.
"Yes. Although if you want to get technical, it's the Cullens, Hales, and McCartys."
Bella could nearly feel the air growing cold with the hatred between her sister and the two girls who were impressively brave enough to stand up to Rosalie. "Let it be, Rose," she hissed.
"Oh, the Cullens, Hales, and McCartys?" the blonde replied as her beady eyes started to narrow. "It's so great to have you here at our school. You'll love it, I'm sure. Question, though, how come you've got three different names?"
"We were adopted."
The redhead snickered and this time, Bella was the one to growl at her. Rosalie tried not to laugh as the poor girl whimpered.
"Good morning, class," the teacher lumbered into the room, her eyes automatically gravitating towards the two new students. "I'll just... take attendance here?"
Bella settled back and left the blubbering redhead to her friend.
"Isabella?" the teacher called.
"Bella," Bella corrected politely.
"Rosalie? Or is it Rose?"
"Only my family calls me Rose," Rosalie replied shortly.
The teacher blinked, then nodded uncertainly. "Okay, then... Bella. Rosalie. Do you want to tell the class a little about yourselves?"
Awkward silence.
"Our family moved from England," Bella offered, although it sounded more like a question. "We, um, we move around a lot. Yeah."
After the nod she received from her teacher, Bella leaned back against her seat and focused on the voices of her siblings, who were also introducing themselves around the building. She could hear Alice in PE and Emmett in Spanish. And Edward was in Biology...
"Reminder that today's your last work day to finish up on your grammar presentations," Bella's teacher began. "Bella, Rosalie, you don't have to jump in because we're just wrapping up. You can get to know your classmates better, if you like."
"I don't like," Rosalie grumbled under her breath. "Your phone, Bells."
"What about yours?" Bella nearly complained.
"Left in my locker."
Bella huffed and plucked her phone out of her pocket. Clicking the power button, she smirked. "Guess who's got twenty-three unread messages from 'Em-Sizzle.'" Rosalie and Bella laughed loudly at the contact name Emmett had inserted for himself. "Here, they're all for you."
Still chuckling lightly, Rosalie took the phone from Bella and eagerly began texting Emmett. Judging by the look on Rose's face, Bella made a mental note to delete those messages later.
Bella crossed her ankles atop the table and reclined, folding her hands behind her head. She tried to listen in on the conversations happening around the school, and of course, she specifically tried to stray from the ones discussing her and her family members. It was hard though; she didn't exactly have the same fine-tuning her siblings seemed to have, and the voices and their names overlapped.
"Did you see the new kids?"
"The things I'd like to do to that perky little one."
"Where did they even come from?"
"I'd like to rip Rosalie's hair right off her head."
"Their dad's a gazillionaire. You can tell just by looking at their cars."
"It gets more and more annoying the more you listen to it," Rosalie hummed, and Bella's head snapped to the side. Rosalie handed the phone back. "I know, I was like that too, the first time I was around people. Annoying humans and their silly gossip." She smiled softly. "You'll get used to it."
"I hope so." Bella muttered.
"Hey," the blonde piped up. She and the redhead picked up their obnoxiously large, obnoxiously blue piece of poster paper and settled in the floor beside the two sisters. "You two have brothers, right?"
And just like that, the conversation died. "Yes," Bella snipped.
"Oh," the redhead said, examining her nails very, very casually. "Hey, you know the tall one? The one with the blond hair?"
"Well, yes, we'd know him, seeing as he's our brother." drawled Rosalie.
"Right. Well, what's his name and all?"
"Sam." Rosalie lied smoothly.
"Oh. 'Kay." the girls' eyes glinted triumphantly, and they focused their attention back on the poster. Bella grinned.
"Sam?"
"It was the best I could come up with," Rosalie replied with a smirk.
"Or you could have told them Jazz's real name. And the fact that he's taken."
"First, I'd like to see the looks on their faces when they run up to Jasper and start calling him 'Sam.' Second, they asked for his name, not his relationship status."
"Was his relationship status not implied?"
"Well, Bells, they seem pretty sure of themselves that our dear brother is single and just waiting for them to make a move."
"You'll embarrass them."
Rosalie shrugged and winked. "Well, let's be honest... they deserved it. Now, let's just wait and watch."
Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I originally planned on making this a Jasper oneshot but then I don't even know what happened. I guess I wanted to throw the rest of the Cullens in there and make this a high school story type thing. I know I should be working on Ghost, or maybe even TJtI or TMWaB, but I'm super ashamed to say that I have yet another story in the works. It's OUAT and I don't even know what I'll do with that one. I really believe I should quit starting new stories, but it pretty much happens every single time I watch a new show or movie or something. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.