I never used to act so out of place, so rebellious.
I guess I changed as a person the year I began High School. Charlie, Renee and I had just moved to Forks after Charlie was offered a promotion as Chief of Police in Forks.
I didn't have many friends back at Phoenix so I didn't put up a fight leaving.
That was the old Bella; taciturn, awkward and geeky.
When I moved to Forks, I just blended in with all the other outcasts.
A novel was my best friend; I always carried one in my purse. I didn't have my own story to live in so I turned to fictional characters to fill the empty place in my life.
Then, one day of ninth grade, our English teacher paired us with another student to write a joint essay on a particular book.
I was paired with a shy looking red head, Victoria Sutherland. She seemed innocent enough, but word was she had a bit of a reputation, so I kept quiet and only spoke to her when spoken to, thinking she was so intimidating.
The novel he passed us was a Kathy Reich's crime classic. She groaned when she saw the book, and I forgot my place and enthusiastically expressed my passion for her works. I went on about the different variations she used to solve crime, all the while she stared intently at me.
When I was done I blushed.
"You know your crime stuff don't you?" She smiled.
"My dad is Chief of Police here, so yeah I do know my crime stuff." I responded shyly.
"He's Chief?" She said in disbelief to which I nodded. "Wow! You could get away with anything!"
"Not really, he's pretty strict." I admitted.
"No, I mean legally. Do you honestly think he'd let his own daughter be charged for anything, let her have a mark against her name?" She said eyes bright.
"I guess not. I've never thought of it like that."
We became fairly good friends, but I still kept my good girl persona.
Then, one night a year later I came home, tossed my purse on the kitchen table and called out to Renee. She stayed at home monitored the house while Charlie was out monitoring the town.
"Mum!" I called to her sleepily. I hadn't had a good night sleep the night before; the possums were scratching at the roof again. There was at least a family living up there now.
"Mum!" I called again. Presuming she'd fallen asleep upstairs, I trudged up the stairs to her room. "Mum! I'm home!" I called a final time.
I opened the door to her bedroom and found it empty.
On her bed a scrap piece of paper lay creased.
Curiously, I walked over to the bed and picked up the paper.
Charlie, it wrote. It was a note. I continued reading although it was not meant for my eyes.
I
can't do this anymore.
I can't pretend to be happy here.
I
can't be caged up here any longer.
I don't want a family
anymore, I want to be free.
Look after my daughter.
-Renee.
I re-read the note several times, each time I felt my heart shatter into a thousand pieces more than the last.
"No!" I screamed. "No Mum, you can't do this to me. To us."
And with that I fell in a crumpled heap upon Renee's bed and wept until my tears ducts were dry.
"Bella?" A male voice called as the rusty hinges of the front door squeaked open. Charlie was home.
He must have heard my dry sobs because before I knew it loud thud pressed against the wooden staircase, and flew into the bedroom I lay a mess in.
"Sweetie? Bella, honey? What's the matter?" He asked soothingly.
I reached out for him as he enveloped me into one of his big bear hugs.
"It's mum." I whispered.
"What's the matter with her?" He asked anxiously. "Has she been in an accident? Is she okay?" His eyes widened in fear.
"No, dad, not like that."
"Well Isabella what is it?" His voice was becoming louder.
I couldn't look him in the eyes, I kept my head hung, note crumpled in my fist.
He'd noticed the white of my knuckles and pried open my fingers gently, stealing the paper from my grasp.
He glanced over the note, swallowed and sighed.
"That's a lot of I's in one paragraph." He said quietly.
He dropped the note on the floor, left the room, left the house, left the driveway and arrived at the pub all the while I sat on his bed, staring into thin air.
Charlie hadn't been the same since then.
We barely spoke.
No more bear hugs.
When he wasn't at home grieving in his chair, watching sport, he was either at the station or at the pub.
After a month of receiving the silent treatment, intentional or not, I needed someone to recognise I was alive.
I needed attention.
Nobody loved me the way I was, so I changed myself.
I cut my waist length curls, into a short wavy style that rested messily upon my shoulders.
My clothes always revealed too much décolletage.
And my new glossy ruby pout helped me catch anybody and everybody's eyes.
"I like, I like." Victoria grinned when she saw me the morning after my self executed makeover. "Who's the lucky guy?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow up.
"No guy. I just got bored." I shrugged.
"And the book?" she asked, referring to paperback that should be pried to my fingertips at this point in time.
"Gone." I clicked my tongue.
"Sweet." She smiled, revealing her million dollar smile. "So, if I invite you to a party tonight, you're not going to be able to turn me down for your lousy books again, are you?" She said slyly.
"Guess not." I said strongly, although inside I was shaking.
"I'll get James to pick you up at seven then." She grinned.
"James?" I said panicked recognizing his name by his reputation.
"Yeah, you know my friend James. The tall, blonde, buff guy." She smiled.
"But he's only a sophomore, like us, he can't drive." I laughed.
She leaned down, resting her elbows on my desk and placed her chin in her palms.
"I never said he could drive legally." She said whispering, glancing around the classroom to see if anybody was paying attention.
They weren't.
The blondes were fussing with their hair and make-up.
The jocks were fussing with their muscles.
And the other misfits, like myself, were chatting and giggling together.
"Oh." I said, swallowing my fear.
"Chill, he's a great driver." She smiled then took her seat to the left of me.
I went to the party that night, had one drink, and woke up at Victoria's house the morning after.
"What happened?" I asked as soon as my eyes opened that morning. I bolted upright and instantly regretted it.
"Weren't you the party queen last night?" Victoria giggled.
"Agreed." A male voice called from the doorway.
It was James.
"I don't remember anything." I said nervously.
"That happens to the best of us." James said.
"I only had one drink though." I refuted. "I could have been drugged!" I gasped, reminiscing the numerous speeches Charlie had given me my first day of high school.
"Now, when you go to parties take your own water; don't drink anything anyone gives you…"
Of course I never had been to a high school party before last night.
But how had I been so careless?
"Things happen sometimes Bells! Live it up!" Victoria laughed as she smoothed her red mane down.
She was becoming more beautiful each and every day, and by now she was a completely transformed compared to the first day I met her. Her cheekbones protruded out, her hair had lengthened and she'd finally developed a figure.
Envious of her beauty, I just nodded.
I rolled out of Victoria's double bed and smoothed down my wrinkled skirt and blouse.
"Charlie!" I cried, hands flying to my head.
"Breathe darling! I rang him and said we were having a sleepover!" She said.
"Oh. Okay." I smiled apprehensively.
"That was one hell of a sleepover." James grinned, keeping his gaze on me.
My eyes widened and looked in fear at Victoria who just slipped into a pair of heels. She bit her lip and sprayed on perfume.
"Come on, James is taking us out." She said, taking my hand in hers.
"But it's a school day." I piped up as she pushed me into the bathroom.
"Stuff school, we're young, we need to live our lives." She announced.
I changed to get attention, and attention is what I got.
To this day, I'm still not sure if this was the sort of attention I was looking for.
A/N: Okay guys, the last chapter was a Prologue to get into the story, raise suspense that sort of thing.
From what you read, this chapter marks the beginning of Bella's change from good girl to delinquent.
So review, tell me what you think and I'll update soon.
Storyteller xx.