So, this is a new story I've been working on for a few hours today and I have to say I really enjoy writing it so far. Let's see where I take it... :) I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think!
SUMMARY: Bella Swan attends a new school where she meets the rich families the Cullen's and the Hale's. A beautiful, certain Cullen-boy catches her eye, but can Edward change his player ways to make her see that he can be more than a gorgeous face? E/B and alot of A/B. OOC.
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. The characters are created by the one and only Stephenie Meyer!!
My father dropped me off at my new boarding school early on Monday morning.
White snowflakes danced in front of my eyes and a thick layer off white was also under my feet. It was early October.
Shawnigan Lake School, in Vancouver, Canada, was a world-class boarding school that offered advanced placement courses from grades 8 – 12.
Other students ran around the enormous school ground and threw snowballs at each other, laughing and screaming of joy. In the corner of my eye, I saw a teacher yell at them from a window on the third floor.
The school looked more like a castle than a school and towered up over me and into the sky. It had six floors and each one had hundreds and hundreds of windows. The snow had covered most of the facade, but it looked to be made of black stone. Two huge towers stood at the short sides.
Charlie, my dad, said his goodbyes quickly and left as soon as he could to avoid an emotional, uncomfortable farewell.
Shuddering of the cold, I slowly made my way through the snow towards my new school and home. My suitcase hung loosely on my shoulder.
It was, least said, a nerve-racking day for me. Everyone knew what Shawnigan Lake School was like and what kind of kids that went here. It was an expensive school, a school for spoiled kids and stuck-ups.
So how did I, not-so-rich-Bella-Swan, end up here? Yes…
To shorten it up, I won a scholarship. I was announced about it very late, which was the reason for my late arrival. My father was thrilled. Not that he didn't enjoy having me around, he said, but it would be a learning experience for me to live on my own. Right…
My mother was out of the picture and had been for a very long time. She called me on my birthdays and on Christmas, but only when she wasn't working or traveling with her new husband, Phil. She didn't care if was at Charlie's or on a boarding school, as long as I was alive and didn't bother her.
When I got closer to the school I saw more details then before and my eyes couldn't move fast enough to drink it all in. Everything had a very elegant style, harsh and cold, but elegant.
There was forest everywhere around the castle, green and brown and white with snow.
The enormous school ground was empty for the most part and almost blinding because of all the white – it was a perfect space to play several football games at the same time. I felt very small on the big surface and from one of the windows I must only be a small, black spot.
A long, stone staircase led to the main entrance and I checked to see if it was slippery. It wasn't; it looked like many students had already walked there and it seemed safe.
The door was, to my surprise because everything else was stone, made of wood and it was so huge that I was sure an elephant would have room to get through.
Uncertainly, I reached for the handle and tried to push it open. It was extremely heavy and I wondered, nervously, if it was locked. I tried it a few more times, my breathing becoming uneven, before I gave up and sighed in frustration.
I turned around and looked over the school ground. There were still a few other students out, playing in the snow, but they were obviously not planning to head inside any time soon.
"Need a hand?" a loud, booming male voice asked. My head snapped to the side and I noticed that a boy, about my age, had climbed the stairs without me noticing. His muscles swelled under his jacket and he was very tall. The black, curly hair glittered with snow when he grinned down at me.
My cheeks, naturally, turned a bright pink and I wondered if it was a common issue for new students to not get through the door. I certainly hoped it was.
"Um…" I managed to say, intimated by his size and momentarily forgot what he asked.
The boy didn't seem bothered by my lack of speaking and went for the door, speaking casually as if we were friends:
"It's always hard to open it in the winter. It's so cold, you know."
I nodded to his back, not sure what to reply, and watched as he tried a few times before managing to push it open. The boy turned around with a satisfied smirk and held the door open for me.
"Thanks." I mumbled, my face still hot and passed him to finally get inside. The warmth hit me like a wall and my body sighed in satisfaction. He followed and the door slammed shut with a loud bang.
I stopped right inside of the door, staring around me.
We had stepped into the entrance hall. It was so huge that my entire father's house had fitted into it. The stone-walls were lit by torches and the roof was so high that you could barely see it. Right in front of us was an elegant, wide staircase that led to the other floors.
A few other students walked up and down that stairs-case casually and passed us, talking quietly, some of them throwing side-glances at me. I assumed that the rest of the student body was still sleeping.
"I don't think I recognize you." The boy suddenly mused next to me and I jumped with a small yelp. I had completely forgotten he was there and it surprised me that he was. "Sorry." He smirked and shrugged his huge shoulders. He casually brushed some snow from his shoulder. "Are you new?" he added.
But before I could answer a voice called "Yo, Emmett" and the boy looked up, his eyes searching for whomever that spoke. He looked back at me, smirking.
"Sorry. I have to go." He told me, touching my shoulder in a goodbye gesture. "See you around." He left, his figure hovering over everybody else as he went.
I sighed and looked after him as I considered what to do next. Obviously I wouldn't find anything in a school huge as this one and I didn't know anybody here that could help me.
My only option was to look on my key and try to find my room on my own. There had to be signs or something somewhere…
My key said 5011 and it didn't encourage me that the number was so high. I wondered what floor that was on.
People stared at me curiously, the newcomer, as I passed them and I understood that new students weren't that common. That didn't encourage me either, because it meant that everybody would already know each other and I would be the lonely outsider. But that was a later problem…
When I reached the third floor which, according to a small, strict sign on the wall, contained rooms 3000 – 3050, I groaned quietly and climbed another stair-case to the fourth floor.
At the fifth floor I smelled food and I assumed someone, a student, was baking in their dorm. I continued to the next floor, sweat slowly covering my body.
The last floor, the sixth, was where I was going to live. Room 5011, I thought, my stomach twisting nervously to see my new room and home. By now I was a little breathless. The corridor seemed to be miles long and when I finally reached my door I sighed in relief and searched for my key.
I knew I would have a roommate. A roommate that probably was asleep for the moment as it was still morning and I reminded myself to be quiet when I turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open for the first time.
It was, as expected, dark in the hall that met me and it took a while before my eyes got use to it. I didn't dare to turn on any lights. Carefully I slipped off my shoes that were covered in snow and made sure that they were strictly on the doormat. I hung my jacket on a hook on the wall and was surprised to find so many other jackets there – as if more than one other person lived here. I frowned, but didn't think more about, as I nervously entered the living room. Even in the dark I could tell that I was not living with a messy person. Everything seemed to be in place and the soft morning light added to its charm.
It was simple, but classy and I wondered if my new roommate had decorated it herself. Either way, I liked it regardless.
The huge window gave a beautiful view over the entire school ground and I stared in awe at the winter landscape. It was unbelievably gorgeous. Like I had thought when I was down there, the students in the snow only looked like small, black spots.
I was so lost in my stare that I didn't notice someone coming up behind me until her light voice said:
"You must be Isabella."
"Oh!" I gasped and jumped around to face the stranger. The girl was standing in the darkness, so I couldn't make out her face, but she looked very short and tiny. Her hair went to her shoulders and spiked in every direction. This must be my new roommate. "Um, yeah. Hi." I said uncertainly, my breathing still faster than normal because of the surprise.
The girl stepped into the light, a warm smile on her pretty face. Her eyes were friendly and midnight blue.
"I'm Alice. Alice Cullen." she said and moved closer to me in quick, rhythmic movements. Before I knew it I was caught in a bone crushing hug and was surrounded by a sweet, girly scent. "I'm so happy to finally have a roomie." Alice Cullen said cheerfully and pulled away, still smiling, her eyes dancing with excitement.
I couldn't help but smile back.
"I hope your trip went well." Alice said kindly and eyed me up and down. I blushed. "You are so pretty." she added, unashamed. My cheeks became even redder.
"So, how do you like the place? Pretty nice, isn't it? I decorated it myself in the beginning of the term. You should've seen it before – it was hideous! Seriously. But if you want to do any changes-"Alice continued to babble on and took a few steps away from me to point at certain details in the room. Her voice didn't even seem to pause to breathe.
I had never met a person as talkative as her.
Alice showed me around our dorm enthusiastically as if she was trying to sell the place and told me everything that she had done and planned on doing with it. I nodded to every suggestion, noting that she obviously knew what she was talking about.
We had a kitchen, two bedrooms with their own bathrooms and wardrobes and then the living room. The dorm was medium size and very comfortable and welcoming, especially with my roommates own decorations. I definitely liked it.
Alice's room was very pink and girly, but in a fashionable, mature way. Her wardrobe barely had room for all her clothes and, blushing, I realized that she must be rich, like everyone else here.
Alice showed me my room last and told me that it had been sad nobody used that room until now.
It looked very much like a hotel room – impersonal and white. It had a bed, two bedside tables, a nice television and, to my delight, a window with the same view as in the living room. Just like in Alice's room, I had my own bathroom with toilet, sink and shower and huge wardrobe. My clothes wouldn't even fill half.
"I didn't want to decorate this room." Alice said when I threw my suitcase on the bed and tried to picture the room as mine.
"Why?" I asked, shyly.
She shrugged, smiling, and casually stepped into the room, hands in her jeans pockets.
"It wasn't mine, after all." Alice said, a tone of frustration coloring her voice. I realized that she very much had liked to design this room, too.
"You have a very… um, good taste." I managed to compliment her. My cheeks reddened.
"Thanks." Alice smiled wider and her eyes twinkled.
We talked for a few more minutes and then Alice left me to let me unpack. It wouldn't take that long.
I hung the very few clothes I owned in the wardrobe and unpacked the three books I had brought with me. There was no bookcase in the room, so I decided to put them on one of the bedside tables.
Only a few minutes later I was done and pushed the suitcase under the bed. My teddy bear, Arnold, rested on top of it against my pillow. He was my oldest friend and very good listener.
Uncertain what to do next, I slowly moved towards the kitchen where I heard Alice making breakfast. It suddenly hit me that she was awake this early.
"Um, do you always wake up this early?" I asked quietly when I found her in front of the stove, turning pancakes cheerfully. Whatever she did, Alice seemed to do it in a good mood.
"Mostly." she nodded and smiled brightly, inhaling. "Mmm… I do like pancakes. I made for you, too."
"Thank you." I blushed; surprised that she would do that.
When I went to my other school I hadn't exactly been without friends. Angela and Jessica had been great to me and hung out with me whenever I called. But they never called me and they always preferred someone else if they wanted someone to talk with.
I had never had a best friend.
Alice finished making pancakes and I helped her make the table. We sat down in comfortable silence and started to eat. I hadn't realized I was hungry until now.
"So, Isabella-"Alice began.
"Bella." I interrupted automatically. When she had said it before my mind had simply forgotten that I despised that name.
"Bella. Alright….So, what's your story?" she asked, smiling friendly, chewing.
I had never liked to speak about myself so I kept it short, telling her about my mom and dad's divorce ("Oh, I'm sorry." Alice said), how I had lived alone with Charlie and shortly about my old school.
Alice was a very good listener and didn't interrupt once, only showed genuine interest and nodded at the right places. I slowly felt myself relaxing a little around her.
When I was done, she said:
"Well, I'm very glad you're here now. It's been terribly depressing to live her on my own. My brothers keep teasing me about it-"
"You have brothers?" I asked, curious.
I didn't have any brothers or sisters myself and had always been jealous of those who had.
"Yes." Alice nodded, snorting and rolling her eyes. "Two. They live one floor down, thank god."
I smiled. If they were anything like the way Alice seemed to be I was sure I'd like them. Because I knew I definitely liked Alice already.
We did the dishes together as we had finished eating and it felt odd to have someone to share everything with.
When I lived at Charlie's I had been the one who did all the choirs around the house. Cooking, doing the dishes, laundry and cleaning. Alice seemed enthusiastic to do it, just like with everything else, and I was sure I would never have to do any housework on my own again.
"So, have you spoken to our dorm manager yet?" Alice asked when we had finished the dishes.
I frowned, confused.
"No? Am I supposed to?"
"Yeah. You have to tell her you're here. She will go through the rules for you; you will have to sign them. Then she'll probably give you your schedule – I hope we have classes together!" Alice finished, cheerfully. "And I can totally show you around later if you want."
I did want that. But it was still early morning and we didn't want to bother anyone, so we decided to meet our dorm manager first, wait in our dorm for an hour or two and then go on our tour.
"The classes start at nine." Alice informed me, as she slipped her small feet into a pair of high heels.
I had only brought on pair of shoes, my converse, and my boots that I wore when I got here. My boots were still wet from the snow, so I picked out my converse and quickly slid them on.
Alice wore fashionable clothes and looked like a full-time model next to me, but at the time I tried to ignore it and smile bravely back at her in the mirror.
"Um, why do you have so many jackets?" I said and laughed nervously.
Alice grinned.
We left our dorm, Alice locking the door behind us.
The hallway was slowly starting to fill with more students as they woke up and I was glad I hadn't arrived now. They knocked on each other's doors, joking and shouting to each other, and most of them nodded, smiled or said hello to Alice as we passed. Just like I thought she was obviously a popular one.
"Where is the dorm manager's room?" I mumbled quietly to Alice.
"Over there." she replied lightly and pointed.
We knocked three times on the dorm manager's door and then waited. I was nervous, by some reason, and my stomach twisted uneasily. Alice seemed perfectly at ease, as if she did this everyday and smiled at me.
The door opened after only a minute and an old lady with glasses and a friendly smile looked down on us. I understood immediately why Alice had seemed so calm.
"Hello, little dears. Is everything alright?" she asked us, her eyes seeming to look for possible injuries on us.
"Yes. Everything is fine, thanks, Ms Mason." Alice replied, giving the lady a brilliant smile. "This is Bella. Bella Swan."
The lady, Ms Mason, turned to look at me and her smile widened when she seemed to understand.
"Ah, of course! Our new student. Yes, you were to arrive today. Please, come in…"
She opened her door wider and let us inside.
As Alice had predicted, she went through the rules and I signed them. They weren't unusual, only normal school policy.
She spoke on for about twenty minutes, explaining and showing me my schedule. Alice smiled and informed me that we shared most of our classes.
"And if you have any questions or troubles, please do not hesitate to come to me, okay?" Ms Mason finished finally when she led us to the door. I nodded and promised to come to her if I had any problems.
"She's like our mom when we're here." Alice told me when we went back to our dorm a few seconds later. I laughed, uncertain if she was joking or not. "Every floor has their own dorm manager. She's been mine since I started here my freshmen year."
We came back to our dorm and I went to my room to leave my schedule, my new notepad and my new pencil that Ms Mason had given to me. Alice, cheerful and full of energy like she had been all the short time I had known her, followed me. She spoke about all the classes, telling me her favorite teachers and the best way to spend the weekends.
"…and there's a mall not that far away from here. We have to go shopping there sometime!" she finished. I smiled, a blush spreading on my cheeks again and nodded, looking down. It's not like I had the money to shop anything but necessities, like toilet stuff and new clothes when the old ones didn't fit anymore, but I could watch her shop if she wanted me there.
"So, um, you never told me anything about you." I said suddenly, realizing I didn't know more about her than I had learned myself and she knew so much about me already.
Alice smiled and shrugged. She sat on my bed, legs crossed and I stood against my wall, watching her.
"Well, I grew up in California, actually." she began, casually. "But when I was twelve, and my oldest brother was 14 and starting his freshmen year, my parents wanted to move here." Alice shrugged. "My brother wanted to go to a boarding school - don't ask me why - and my parents chose this one because it was so close to home. He came home almost every day anyway, but he still went to school here and slept here at night. Then I became 14 and started here, as well." She shrugged again, smiling up at me.
"But why didn't you go to a regular school?" I asked.
"Like I said, it's really close to home anyway. It's only behind this forest." Alice pointed outside at the forest surrounding the school. "My mom's not really happy about it and not my dad either, but they want us to make our own choices, you know." she smiled lovingly and I could hear how much she loved them. I felt a pang of jealousy at how easy her life seemed, but I regretted it at once.
If anyone deserved a good life it was someone like Alice.
We were quiet for a few minutes, both seeming lost in thought, and then Alice jumped up from my bed.
"I have some homework to do before our tour and school today. See you in a few."
She danced out of my room, shutting the door when she went and I heard her walk to her own room across the hall.
I sighed and went over to my bed and put my head in my pillow, face down and rested my body against the warm covers.
That's chapter one. How did you like it? I promise that Edward will be in the next chapter! Be patient ;)
Please review and leave your thoughts - it always makes me write faster and better, I swear. The next chapter is already finished, though, so give me some good reviews and I will post it faster than Edward can run!
Thanks for reading.
xx, Tillie