A/N: Hey. I know I'm not that good yet, forgive me. I promise that it will get better. Most of the characters here are OOC, though a little bit in the end they will be back to their normal behaviors and attitude in Twilight. Don't get mad at me if you don't like to see ExB click at once. And, if AxB won't be best of friends. Just trust me, and I will do my best to work it out in the end. Okay? Okay.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Twilight Saga. I also got most of my idea while reading a book, I forgot what the title is so just message me if you think you know what it is. No copyright infringement intended.
Emmett McCarty was the first to notice. Emmett was always first here at Forks High. He was the star captain of the baseball team, brash, incredibly clever and the hottest guy in the junior class. At least, in my opinion.
The sun had broken through the spaces in the venetian blinds in Professor Banner's Biology class, right into Emmett's curly dark hair causing it to look hotter as he squinted his eyes a little due to the heat. But he doesn't mind, not after months of cold and gloomy weather. "All right!" he yelled, waving his fist triumphantly in the air. "Forks High, here we come!" Emmett had fidgeted all week as the rain canceled a baseball game and practices day after day. Emmett's outburst paved the way for everyone else to proclaim a personal welcome to the return of sunshine. With a toss of her short, spiky, black hair, my cousin Alice Brandon, turned in her seat and blew a kiss to Jasper Whitlock, her latest boyfriend. I cheered along with my friends, Angela Weber and Mike Newton. Emmett and Jasper walked to the windows and began opening the blinds one after the other as everyone else watched and clapped -- everyone but Edward Cullen, who sat in the front row seat, book open and waiting for the class to continue.
"Class! Let's have peace and quiet, please! Settle down!" Professor Banner shouted. Nothing short of a disaster would ever take our teacher's mind of the more important concerns of biology. He nearly went crazy whenever anything caused him to veer from her carefully planned schedule. But he was no match for the pent-up energy of thirty five restless students. I guess Professor Banner got tired of yelling. Maybe he was afraid of making himself hoarse. After a couple of minutes of our unrestrained shouting and cheering, Professor Banner stopped his pleading. He walked to Emmett's desk, picked up his unopened biology book and threw it back on his desk with a clap.
The noise stunned everyone in the class. The room got eerily silent. Jasper and Emmett, who had just finished opening the last blinds in the rear of the room, slunk back to their sets. Emmett gave me a friendly pat on the head as he passed, making my scalp tingle and raising my hopes as he had so many times before. Professor Banner walked calmly back to the front of the room.
"I have a special outdoor project lined up for this weekend's homework assignment." He announced with a clear smug smile written across his face. The class erupted again, this time with groans.
"Aw, Banner." Emmett complained above all the commotion. "Have a heart, will you? We're a week behind baseball practice." He said. Banner placed his hands on the top of the teacher's desk.
"I fail to understand what baseball has to do with biology." he answered him. "Now if you will please quiet down and listen to what I was supposed to say before I was so rudely interrupted."
It struck me as funny that Emmett should talk about having a heart. I have been in love with him since the New Year's Snow Ball when he'd dance with me three times and hinted at the promise of more to come. He had failed to do his promise, and it nearly broke my heart into million tiny pieces, yet that didn't diminish my love for him. Neither did his endless string of girlfriends. He practically never dated a girl more than twice. But I could look at that as a good sign, as if he wanted to get everyone out of the way first before devoting all of his time to me. Yeah right. But, it won't hurt to try and dream, right? I was willing to wait for a boy as popular, handsome, funny, hot and talented as Emmett.
"Did you hear my question, Isabella?" A voice suddenly sounded through my day dream. I saw Professor Banner's beady eyes focused right on me. Rosalie Hale and Alice turned and snickered at me; James smirked and Emmett just looked at me curiously. I played nervously with the wispy hairs at the back of my neck while biting my bottom lip. God, this is humiliating.
"I'm sorry. Would you please repeat it?" I asked. I wished I could have come up with something clever and witty, as Emmett would have done. Instead, I get embarrassed and I could feel my blood start pooling at my cheeks. Feeling my face go red, I turned slightly in my seat to hide the telling sign of my discomfort from Emmett.
"Since your thoughts have already drifted outdoors," Prof. Banner admonished, "I would like you to explain the benefits of this project to the class. Emmett McCarty, in particular, seems to be under the impression that our little biology class interferes with baseball."
The class was waiting for my answer. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Emmett staring at me. I had to say something fast.
"I think the outdoor project would be fun, especially now that the sun is out," I said quickly, wondering if Professor Banner had already told the class what kind of project we would be having. Emmett snorted at me in mock disgust and looked away. I internally kicked myself. "But.. why not excuse anyone in sports? Forks High needs to win the games this year and we are very much behind in practices."
Professor Banner nodded his head. "Very.. diplomatic, Miss Swan." he noted. "But unacceptable. Edward, let's hear what you have to say."
A couple of students groaned softly. You see, Edward Cullen was the class brain, one of those guys who took school work very seriously and always had a right answer prepared for every question. More than once he had pulled everyone's grade down by getting a hundred on a test graded on a curve.
"Since we are studying on ornithology this week," Edward started "a field observation might help bring the subject to life. Birds really are fascinating creatures. We could learn a lot by simply watching them."
"So are bookworms," growled Emmett. "But we don't study those."
"We are going to dissect worms next, next week." Professor Banner stated, clearly misunderstanding. The class burst out laughing while Banner just looked puzzled and confused. But Edward understood and he turned as pink as I had. The remark was mean, but it was true. He wasn't exactly unattractive, in fact he is actually pretty hot. He has the most interesting emerald eyes which shines whenever he answers, he also topped it up with a reddish bronze mop of hair. He has high cheekbones, straight nose and full pink lips. When he first arrived Forks High, girls flocked to him. But, since he started becoming the class brain, jocks started to tease him relentlessly.
Alice caught Rosalie's eye and mouthed the word 'ornithology'. They both giggled. I felt a little sorry for Edward, but he really brought it on himself. I mean, why did he insist on always sounding like a fucking walking dictionary? Meanwhile, Professor Banner had inadvertently managed to create another commotion.
"That's enough!" He shouted with as much authority he could use. "This is not your break time. I just wanted to see if some of you were awake." He looked straight at me with pointed eyes, and I lowered my head in shame. To Emmett, he said "I think it might do you some good to see nature beyond the sports field. You might even discover that not all grass comes equipped with white stripes or baseball diamonds on it."
"Home run!" cheered Jasper Whitlock. The class joined in again, whistling and clapping. This time, even Banner looked pleased. A smile spread across his bony face as he surveyed the class. "All right," he began "now that we've had our fun, let us move on to that project. We have wasted enough time already." He proceeded to outline this week's homework project. "You will each be assigned one bird to observe. I want you to detail everything – what it looks like, it's nest, eggs, food supply, habitat. Check out a bird book and a pair of binoculars from the biology lab if you don't have one yourself." He went over the list of common Washington birds.
When Professor Banner had finished, I couldn't help thinking to myself. Birds! What can I possible learn from standing around looking at birds? Emmett was right; baseball was a lot more important. It builds character and good school spirit. Right?
The baseball diamond also happened to be where most of the cute guys in school could be found. Spending my weekend in the bleachers, examining the habits of the team would be far more enlightening than 'ornithology'. Unfortunately, I didn't think Professor Banner would give me credit for studying the physical markings of an outfielder.
Sighing, I cupped my chin in my hands as he walked over to Alice's desk and handed her a white shoe box to pass around. Recently, Professor Banner had selected my cousin to be his favored assistant. With her pixie-like height, short, spiky black hair, who would have thought that we would be related? I had long locks of brown hair, boring brown eyes and a heart-shaped face. Not that I am downright ugly, but I guess I pale in comparison to Alice's spunky style. Alice looked like an angel who could do no wrong, but having shared a room with her for the past seven weeks while her mom was away on her honeymoon, I knew better. When she wanted to, she could be an absolute horror. I could have told Professor Banner a dozen stories about my cousin's treachery, including a couple about how she dated two guys in one night. But neither Professor Banner nor anyone else would bother to believe me. I remember when Professor Banner excused Alice from dissecting frogs because she told him that the smell of formaldehyde made her sink.
My mom kept telling me, "Now Bells, remember, honey, Alice is going through a rough time now. First, the divorce. Now, her mother's remarriage. It's got to be tough on her." Everybody, it seemed was determined to believe that Alice was a wonderful girl just going through a rough time.
But, I have not seen her good side for a long, long time now, and I often wondered if the cousin who had been like a sister to me for so long had disappeared from my life forever.
I watched as she stopped at Edward Cullen's desk and waited for him to choose one of the slips of paper on which Professor Banner had written the the name of a bird. I prayed silently for a robin or house sparrow, which were the only birds I had ever really noticed. Edward probably knew them all. I saw him pluck a note from the box with his long, slim fingers and attempt a shy smile at Alice. Was he trying to be friendly, or did he have a secret crush on her? A lot of boys had crushes on Alice this year. But Edward's actions were not as obvious as Emmett's or those of some of the other boys. For his sake, I hoped it wasn't a crush. Alice once told me that a boy like Edward just did not have 'it' – whatever 'it' was.
An unpleasant thought struck me. I looked at Professor Banner with his thin, nervous lips and the unruly hair that is standing on different edges. He probably never had whatever 'it' was with women, either.
I chased the thought from my head. It didn't do me any good to think so negatively. The absence of dates in my mental book probably had more to do with my obsession with Emmett than with any short comings on my part. But, I was not ready to give up. Every time I reached the brink of deciding that it was useless to hope any longer, he would wink at me or pat my head or even just smile his famous dimpled smile in my direction, and my resolve would crumble down to ashes.
Edward seemed to sense my gaze and glanced back at me with that half smile still on his face. I smiled back a little and we both looked away quickly. I pretended to run my hand through my layered brown hair. What if Edward got the wrong idea? Once, Rosalie had hinted that he might like me. The last thing I needed was to be tagged with a boy like Edward! Then I could certainly kiss my hopes of going to the junior senior prom with Emmett goodbye forever.
Meanwhile, Emmett had the class in an uproar again. Picking a note from the box that Alice held in front of him, he opened it as gingerly as though it was a fortune cookie.
"Wow! Look what I got!" he exclaimed, holding the paper in front of him.
Everybody turned to him expectantly. Out loud he read. "Rosalie Hale, 682-3458." Rosalie gasped, Alice busted out laughing and Emmett clapped a hand in front of his mouth in mock horror and rolled his eyes.
"Oops! Wrong note!" he exclaimed.
Rosalie reached over and grabbed the slip of paper from his hands. "That reads 'crow', you moron!" she said while smiling broadly. Flattered, to have been chosen for a leading role in Emmett's current act. I felt a lump suddenly lodge itself in the bottom of my throat. Jasper took the opportunity to call out,
"Hey! We are studying birds, not chicks!" To which Tyler Crowley retorted,
"Watch what you are saying, you sexist!" Again, Professor Banner tried to restore order. Lucky for him, the bell signaling the end of the period rang.
"Please wait until everyone has received a bird!" he called out into the chaos. But it was already too late. Emmett had grabbed Rosalie's hand, and I silently watched her blond pony tail bob out of sight as they ran out into the hall. The lump that took residence in my throat had dropped with a thud into the depths of my stomach. I could not believe it – was Rosalie Hale to be Emmett's latest?
I had waited patiently through his other flings, yet I never suspected my new rival would be my cousin's best friend. When would my turn finally arrive?
I turned at the top of my desk, wishing that what I had just witnessed would turn out to be just an illusion. If things went on like this, I would have graduated from high school before Emmett ever got around to me.
Alice had just arrived at my desk with Professor Banner's shoe box and stood impatiently, shifting one foot to another, waiting for me to grab a slip.
"Hurry up!" she urged "I did not finish my English home work last night and I have got to do it during lunch break.
Hardly sympathetic to her plight, I reached in among the slips, still thinking about Emmett and Rosalie. "Come on, will you! Not everyone has all the time in the world!" My cousin scowled at me, shifting another weight over on one hip.
"Okay, okay. I'm getting it now." I said. "But tell me about Rosalie and Emmett, since when has that been going on?" I asked her.
"How am I supposed to know? I do not keep tabs on them." She demanded, scowling.
"Rosalie is your best friend, isn't she?" I sarcastically reminded her.
"So?" Alice refused to commit herself. "You know her too. You can ask her yourself." She picked a white slip and held it out to me. "Here – this is as good as any."
"Never mind, I got one myself." My fingers closed on a slip near the bottom of the box. "Thanks for your info. You are a huge help." I added sarcastically.
Alice sighed dramatically. Since she dated Jasper, Emmett's best friend. I'd once asked her to arrange a double date. But she never did, and for all I knew she had not even tried.
"Won't you fucking grow up already?" she said before walking away and moving to the next person in front of me.
My eyes filling with tears. I got up and gathered my books together. Alice had moved on to Jessica Stanley, laughing as if she suddenly had all the time in the world. Bitch. I didn't understand it. When we were kids we were best friends, but ever since we started high school, she treated me as if I was a third-class citizen. Now that she was living in my room for the semester, it was getting even worse.
Through the blur in my eyes, I just managed to notice that the little slip of paper with the bird's name on it had slipped from my hand and taken wing across the room. It floated neatly through the rays of sunlight on the breeze wafting in through an open window. Finally, it settled on the floor across the classroom. Oh no. I thought. Now I would have to go hunting for it. I really wanted to dash to the girl's room for a tissue. Hastily I dabbed by eyes with the back of my hand, hoping nobody would notice.
"Hey, whose bird?" a boy called out. He picked up my slip and waved it in the air. It was Edward.
"It's mine." I held my hand up, blinded by my tears. I was relieved it was him and not somebody else who found the note. Edward would never notice my red eyes. No doubt he was already in his own world, planning his bird project.
Stumbling a little as he made his way through the seats, Edward approached me with the paper.
"You've picked a lucky bird," he told me, smiling sweetly as he walked right up to me. I was struck with how much better he looked close up.
"Oh, really? Why?" I replied automatically.
"Really." he echoed, holding the slip in front of me. "You picked a blue bird, see? Don't you know? It's the symbol for hope, love and happiness."
"Hope, love and happiness! Is that supposed to be a joke?" I replied contemptuously. It think it was then that Edward noticed the tears in my eyes. At least, that was when he got flustered. He stepped back and stumbled over a desk. He looked so vulnerable just then that I could not help but wonder how much courage it had taken him to say those few words.
Dumbfounded, we stared at each other for an awkward moment. Then we turned and ducked out of the class through two different doors.
A/N: There. Please, please, please leave a review. Tell me what to improve on and if you liked it or not. Thanks! ;)