Innocent & Isolated to Wild & Free, Chapter 1
This is my first fanfic and one of the many ideas I have. I take constructive criticism well so please be honest. Nevertheless, I thought I would try. Sadly, I do not own the characters. They belong to Stephanie Meyer, but the story idea is mine.
Thank You to my Beta kirifox
Bella is an isolated Catholic School girl who is thrust into public schools after years in Catholic schools. She feels she is doomed, until she meets some friends and a special someone, who will show her what life is all about and what she has been missing. Bella finds a part of her she never knew existed. Innocent & Isolated to Wild & Free.
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It was finally Friday. I was walking to school, as usual, in my plaid skirt with white-collar shirt and plaid vest with knee high socks and my Mary Jane shoes. We lived in a big city but St. Mary's Catholic School was within walking distance of home. I was thanking GOD that we only had one week left before I graduated from the 8th grade. I thought, only one more week of these uniforms. I was excited that Sister Mary Ester would not be ruling my every school day any longer. Do not get me wrong, I thank my parents for caring enough to put me in Catholic school for my elementary and Jr. High years. We were taught religious virtues as well as educated academically and morally. We were inspired to seek truth and nurture mutual respect. However, it is so restricting and I sometimes feel like I am in the military. I love my friends here but none of them lives close to me. We live in a big city and this is a small school.
I do love the fun stuff my parents let me do with the kids at school, like being a member of the National League of Junior Cotillions. We learn etiquette, ethics and manners, along with ballroom dancing. My parents have always taught me to treat others with honor, dignity and respect so I could have better relationships with my family, friends and associates. Dad always says, "to have a great future you have to build a solid foundation." That is what he says we are doing, "Building me a solid foundation".
I see how the other kids in the neighborhood, who go to public school, get to have so much fun. I listen to girls down the street as they ride their bikes by and talk about the skating rink and bowling alley, the pool and the boys they date. I am almost 14 and have yet to date or even be kissed by a boy, not that I want to, but I have started to wonder. The boys at school are so uptight, probably because their parents are like mine, very strict in every sense. Catholic school Monday to Friday, band practice after school (I play violin and guitar), chores Saturday and Church on Sunday. I never have time to do what I want and I am not allowed to go out with friends without a parent as chaperone. Some of the girls that live on my block have asked me to go to the skating rink or pool, but Mom says 'no, it is temptation. Skating around boys and swimming in the pool with other teens with very little on is just asking for trouble.' Mom would always say to dad 'back me up on this.' Dad would say 'do as your mother says.'
I thought, God Mom, relax. As if I am that stupid. Give me some credit. You are suffocating me. I need to get out of the house and have some fun.
Unbeknown to me, my father, who works for the railroad, has been given an order to take his crew to Indiana to fix some rails there. It will be a 12-18 month job.
Eigth grade graduation was awesome. I said goodbye to all my friends and told them I would see them in the fall at Marquette Catholic High School. I was so excited! It is a coeducational institution and it offers a quality education. (I want to get a scholarship to a fashion design school.) It was away from home and I was looking forward to starting my new life in a new school, meeting new people. The day after graduation my parents approached me and told me that dad would be leaving tomorrow for Indiana, and explained why and how long he would be gone. I was doing a silent happy dance in my head. "NO DAD THIS SUMMER." WOW! Things are looking up, I hope .
"However, we need to discuss something with you," dad said in a grave tone. My silent happy dance stopped. I sat quietly as my parents looked at each other and tried to tell me something that I knew by their expressions was not good.
Mom started, "Darling you know how much you mean to us and we want to be able to give you everything we possibly can." My mother reached her arm over to rub my upper arm and then she pushed the hair out of my eyes.
"Bella darling', my father continued, "we have some bad news. We have come into some financial problems. I am sorry darling, but we are unable to afford to send you to Marquette this fall."
It was silent for it seemed like hours but I knew it was only a couple minutes. I tried to hold the tears back but I failed. They knew, better than anyone, how much I wanted to attend Marquette. I talked about it constantly. As I set there trying to come to terms with my future as I had planned it thus far erased, I asked, "what will I do?"
Mom spoke up, "as much as we hate to do this to you, you are going to be attending the public high school this fall."
NO! NO! NO! "Mom I do not know any of the kids in the public school. I do not belong with them. They will make fun of me. I am not one of them!"
Mom continued, "you're right, you're better than them."
"MOM YOU ARE NOT HELPING AND YOU KNOW IT. You cannot throw me to the wolves like that. I will never survive. THERE HAS TO BE A WAY. PLEASE! I BEG YOU, FIND A WAY TO PLEASE SEND ME TO MARQUETTE. I WILL DO ANYTHING!" I begged as my tears poured down my face.
Dad spoke up, "I am sorry darling, but there is no way. I have checked and all the grants have already been given out for Marquette for the next school year. It looks like we don't have any other alternative."
I ran to my room crying, knowing my life was going to hell. I felt bad for yelling at my parents because that was something I never did. I cried and cried knowing there was nothing I could do to stop it. I had no friends around I could talk to.
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