Chapter One

I glowered out the window as Renee drove past the roads of battered and broken houses. It wasn't her fault- I knew that- but it didn't make the situation any easier. Moving to a new school was tough, but moving to a school that was well known for its bad reputation, well that was even worse.

"It'll be ok, Bella," Renee said. I shot her a look, I couldn't help it. I didn't fit in at my first school in Jacksonville, as I was extremely pale after living the past 16 years of my life in Forks, the rainiest place in America. If it wasn't for Renee begging me to come live with her so I could finish my final high school years in Jacksonville, with her and her new boyfriend Mark, I would still be living with my father in Forks. Sometimes I wish I still was living in Forks, but then I would feel guilty. It wasn't Renee's fault. It wasn't anyone's. Not even the old couple that hit Mark, the day after he proposed to Renee.

What happens is meant to happen, Renee always told me. I wasn't so sure if she believed it herself, but I think that it helped her cope with the loss of Mark. I mean if it was his time to die, it was his time. There was nothing that could have stopped it. That's how Renee see's it anyway. Me? I'm not so sure that I buy that stuff.

"You just have to make it through the year, after that you'll be going off to college."

I looked away from her. I wouldn't be going to college after this year. Renee wouldn't be able to afford it her being on Kindergarten salaries, and there's no way I would ask Charlie to help me pay for it.

Renee stopped the car. We were here.

"Just please try, Bella. I'm sorry that it's come to this, but-"

"I'll see you later," I said, cutting her off. I got out the car quickly and walked towards the small building. It looked worse in person then it in the photographs I'd seen. Someone had covered the front of the school wall in graffiti. I sighed resigned. This was my school for the year; I was just going to have to survive somehow. I walked into the front office, unsure of where I was supposed to go to pick up my timetable. One of the windows on the doors was smashed. Another was graffited with the words Mr. P is a dirty pervert. I swallowed as I stepped inside.

I walked up to a young girl, sitting at the only desk in the small office. She blew a bubble with her gum and carried on filing her nails. I shifted uncomfortably and cleared my throat. She let out a loud sigh, as if I was interrupting something important.

"May I help you?" She asked like she was granting me a huge favour.

"Um, my names Bella Swan-"

"Well that's fantastic. Anything else?" She asked.

"I'm a new student here."

She looked at me and lifted her shoulders as if to say 'and...'

"I was wondering where to pick up my timetable."

She stared at me for a few seconds. "You don't."

"Don't what?" I asked. She looked at me like I was dense.

"Pick up a timetable. There are only four actual classrooms in this building. You get assigned a teacher and stay in the teacher's room for your lessons. Any questions?"

"When do I get assigned a teacher?"

She sighed and set her file down. "Look, I don't know how they work it here. I'm only here to answer the phone. Capiche?" I nodded and walked through a set of double doors, which lead to the classrooms if the sign was any indication.

No-one was here yet, not that I expected people to be on time at all. But the teachers weren't here yet either, surely they should be by now? School was supposed to start in half an hour.

I sat down in a corner of the corridor and pulled out my new book. It was listed on the school books in the package that the school sent out.

Something hit my legs. A woman tripped, but luckily didn't fall.

She swore. I blushed as I quickly stood up, trying to keep a hold of my bag and my book.

"I'm so sorry, are you ok?"

"Idiot child," the woman snarled. "What did I give you a detention that you didn't deserve?" She sneered. I stood shocked. She smoothed her cropped blonde hair and straightened her glasses, before looking at me with a glare.

"I'm sorry," I choked. "I'm new here, my names Bella Swan."

She sent me another icy glare over her shoulder as she walked off. "I don't care what your name is, idiot child. They're all the same here. I don't have time to babysit you. Mr. Harris will do that, no doubt. You better hope you don't run across me again, child."

She opened a classroom door and slammed it behind her as I secretly hoped that I wouldn't be put in her class. I collapsed against the wall and sat back down on the floor, this time sweeping my feet in so I didn't trip anyone else up. I sniffed and fought back tears. It's so unfair, this wouldn't have happened in my old school, or my school back in Jacksonville. But it all came back to the same thing... if Mark hadn't died everything would have been different.

"Excuse me?" A male voice said. I quickly brushed my fingers underneath my eyes, making sure the traitor tears hadn't fallen from my eyes. That's all I needed on my first day, to be known as a cry baby.

A man was bending down on the floor near me. His face was pulled into a kind expression, his lips turned up into a slight smile. "I'm Mr Harris. Can I help you?"

"Mr Harris?" I asked. He nodded his smile widening.

"I'm a new student here. My names –"

"Isabella Swan," he said nodding. "We've been looking forward to welcoming you to the school."

I thought back to the receptionist and the teacher, somehow I seriously doubted it.

"Do you know where I'm supposed to get assigned a classroom?"

"I do, but there's no need. I'm your teacher for the remainder of the year."

Some of the tension left my body. At least I had a reasonable teacher.

He stood up. "I'll show you to your classroom."

I stood up and followed him down the corridor, and to the left. His classroom was just before a dead end. He opened the door and gestured for me to go ahead of him. The classroom was smaller than I expected only holding twenty chairs and desks.

He gestured to the seat at the far end. "It would be a good idea to sit back there. The rest of the students already have a seating chart. I'm sure Zoe won't mind you sitting next to her."

I walked to the back of the room, sincerely hoping that Zoe didn't mind.

As it went Zoe did mind me sitting next to her. "What's this pale chick doing sitting in my seat?" Zoe grunted. She was a big girl, about three times as big as me. She looked butch as she clenched her fists. "Be nice, Zoe. This is Bella Swan, and she's new here," Mr Harris said as he passed out some worksheets.

Zoe grunted and dragged the chair out from beside me. I tried not to stare at her as she pulled out a milkshake and started to slurp it through a straw, spilling some on the table. A couple of guys in the other side of Zoe started to guffaw. Zoe calmly stuck her middle finger at them, making them laugh harder. I thought I saw Zoe turn a bright shade of pink, the only sign that they were getting to her. She turned to me. Taking the straw out of her mouth, she sneered, "What the fuck you staring at Swan?"

I swallowed, blushed and turned away. A fresh wave of laughter from the boys erupted.

The first two lessons dragged on and on. I could feel the hostile glare from Zoe all through the first 3 hours. Mr Harris stood at the front of the talking and writing his way through the maths and science lessons, never leaving his place from the front apart from when students needed help with their worksheets. That was the worst part. Whenever this happened, I would have to endure Zoe trying to entice me to fight her back, and the boys would watch on laughing and hissing 'Swan, Swan, Swan' before bursting out laughing all over again.

By the time break came I was ready to break down in tears. And I almost did. Just get through lunch I chanted over and over in my head. I followed the tide to the canteen and grabbed a tray along with everyone else.

It wasn't until a black converse stuck out that I tripped up, my arms flinging out blindly to try and grab something to hold onto. My hands found material and I clutched on, trying to break my fall. I heard a shriek and sharp nails dug into my hands, making me lose my grip. I landed awkwardly on the floor.

"That was my shirt bitch!" The voice said. I got up, nervously, brushing my jeans down. Her face was pulled into a glare and I wildly thought of a bull, thinking that if it was possible for steam to be blowing from her pierced nostrils it probably would be.

"Brian!" She shrieked. The boy in front of her looked back. He turned around and stepped towards her, whispering something in her ear. She nodded her head towards me. My heart beat quickly as he looked at me taking a step forward.

"Fuck off Brian, unless you want a black eye to go with your broken nose," a voice said behind me. Brian scowled as did his girlfriend. But he walked away. His girlfriend took his hand and looked back to glare and flip me off. I blushed and looked at my shoes.

"You ok?" I looked up at a pretty face. The girl had a slight dusting of freckles on her cheeks. Her brown eyes were outlined by thick mascara and thick eyeliner. She smiled showing her white straight teeth. I nodded embarrassed. She laughed gently. "I wouldn't take Beth seriously. Her bark is worse than her bite and she just likes to show off." I smiled weakly as the girl pulled my arm so we walked back through the canteen doors and into the empty corridors. It was silence. I was trying to slow my beating heart, begging myself to wait until I got home before bursting into the tears I desperately wanted to shed. It was like my own personal nightmare here.

We walked back into the classroom and I sat down at my desk. To my surprise the girl followed me to my desk.

"Why did you stick up for me like that?" I asked. She shrugged, sitting on the desk next to me. Zoe's desk. "Us girls have to look out for each other."

"Thanks," I mumbled. She waved it off. "Don't mention it." She hesitated. "I'm Soph by the way."

"Bella," I said to her. She nodded. "I know, I heard Zoe this morning." Some kids came in laughing and joking from lunch. Had it been half an hour already?

"I'll see you around Bella." She jumped off the desk and skipped towards a guy and a girl. They both smiled as she approached. Soph sat down on the edge of their desks. The guy glanced at me from the corner of his eye. Soph shrugged and I ducked my head, not wanting to be seen staring at them. But I couldn't help but wonder what they were saying about me. I knew it was to be expected, me being so different from them, but my cheeks turned red and my heart sped at the thought.

Everyone stared at me as they slowly filed into the classroom. Not that I could blame them, I mean if I was them I would be staring at me to. I'd probably made a spectacle of myself in the canteen and it didn't help that I was extremely pale and therefore more recognisable.

The last two lessons were almost unbearable. I watched the clock's hands ticking by slowly, counting down the minutes until I could leave this hellhole. I ran out the class as soon as the bell rang, feeling everyone's eyes on me, I could hear the buzz of laughter that followed me all the way out into the car park. I got into the old car Renee had to buy, because she had to sell her other car. I shut the door firmly behind me, like I could shut out everything that had happened today.

"Good day at school?" Renee asked.

I looked at her for a few seconds before smiling at her. "It was fine."

I could see the relief on her face and I was glad for the first time in my life that I had lied to her.

"Made any new friends?" She asked. I could hear the anxiety in her voice. She was desperate for me to fit in at this school. I didn't say anything. She patted my hand. "Never mind. I'm sure you will soon enough."

I couldn't sleep that night. The same words kept playing in my head over and over. Lives change all the time, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. This definitely had to be a change for the worst.