Forks. Location: Washington. Near Seattle or Port Angeles. Iím moving there. Moving in with Cha--my dad. From Phoenix, which has been my home with my mother for years. Iíve only really gone to Charlieís during the summer.
You see, I donít enjoy infecting anyoneís happiness. Especially not Renée and Philís happiness. And I could tell that, no matter how much she smiled and pretended, there was sadness in her eyes from being forced to stayed with me. My solution, you see, is perfect for her. Oh, Iím sure sheíll miss me, but she needs to stay with Phil and be happier than she ever would be with me. So I decided to pay an extended visit to... my dad.
So there I sat. In a plane with my iPod blaring in my ears and my eyes welling up with tears. I can make it, I thought stubbornly. I realized for a brief humorous second that I could make a mule jealous. And he would cave first. I started laughing as I pictured the scene and then stopped abruptly when I remembered the reason behind me attempting to make a mule jealous. Iím pretty sure the poor old lady next to me thought I was an insane asylum escapee, as she started edging away from me. Great. Old ladies are scared of me.
All of a sudden, I heard an announcement to please put on our seatbelts. I must have dozed off... because two hours donít really fit in the total time when you blink.
We landed and I walked off. To the luggage retrieval.
I swear, there were a dozen suitcases that looked exactly like mine! They must havethe same impeccable fashion taste, I joked pessimistically. I knew I was just distracting myself from thoughts and worries about my mother, but it seemed to be working, so I kept at it. Then I saw the blue design I had superglued onto my luggage and ran over to the place where it would be in about five seconds. Perfect plan-- except for the fact that I tripped and landed face-first into my bags. Smooth, Bella. I heard a few titters from other waiting passengers and I proudly stood up, took my suitcases, and marched primly into the welcoming commitee room. Where would Charlie be? I had hoped that I woould be able to see him, but no such luck. I walked towards the exits a little.
ìBELLA!î HOLY CRAP! I almost had a heart attack! Iím assuming that Charlie either missed me or he had a sudden whim to scare me to death. Possibly a mix of both.
ìHey,î I waved as best as I could with three packages of ëBella stuffí in my hands. ìHow are you, Dad?î ìGood.î His momentary slip of enthusiasm was over. He silently took two of my bags from my hands and tried to take the other. ìStop, I can carry it!î ìOkay,î he shrugged. He threw them in the back of the cruiser and I copied him. It appears as though Iím going to be walking to school. In the rain. Possibly even snow. Great. In all honesty, I donít really care about my social standing, but I have lines. And riding to school in a police cruiser crosses about five of them.
We rode home in comfortable silence. I hoped that I was actually going to make a few friends, unlike in Phoenix, where everyone either didnít know me or didnít pay attention to me. So I ended up feeling very lonely. Wow, I feel and probably sound so self-centered and somuch like Iím wallowing in self-pity. Not a good combination.
I was pulled out of my reverie by Charlie clearing his throat. ìWeíre here,î he told me. I squinted out the window. ìIs one of your friends over?î I asked. There was an old, rusty, red pick-up truck in the driveway. Poor thing has seen better days, I observed. ìNo, nobody is over. Thatís you.î He smiled a rare grin. I gasped. ìNo way. Thatís for me?î I exclaimed. ìYes... do you not like it?î Charlie appeared worried. ìLike it? I love it! How much should I pay? Iíve been saving up for a car, but...î ...I didnít think I had enough money yet.... ìItís a sort of homecoming gift, Bella. You donít pay for gifts. Besides, I got it cheap from a friend.î ìAhh... fine....î Iíll probably need my money for gas anyway.

Everything of mine was in my room. So now I had a choice: I could sit and wallow, or I could fall asleep. Guess which one I chose...
My eyelids drifted shut.