WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE?
I WAS ONLY TWENTY-THREE PERCENT SURE I WAS DREAMING NOW.
I reluctantley got into the car that would drive me to the airport and take me to my new home. I was destined – for the next year-or-so at least – to live with my father, Coop in Forks, Washington. I would be leaving my sunny home of Port Charlotte, Florida and my sunny mother, Lottie. The short journey to the airport was even shorter than I had expected – just my luck – I felt, underwhelmed to be paying a long and unfortunately necessary visit to my father – whom I haven't seen in three years, but most of all, I was reluctant to leave because of my mother; even though she had a new husband to keep her occupied, I was left to brave the (small) new world of Forks.
The flight to Boston was two hours long, I could deal with that but the hour car journey back with Coop would be something different altogether. I though I would prepare myself on the flight. I didn't. Eventually we landed and immediately I could sense the difference of the air – it was damp and cold – not my favourite climate. I'll get used to it... maybe. Coop was leaning against a pillar in the middle of the small airport. He was exactly the same – except a few more wrinkles and a receding hairline – he was still obviously the chief of police in Forks, Police Chief Greene. He still put his stubby fingers in the loopholes of his trousers and his left leg twitched when he was anxious. I sighed and took a breath for courage.
"Hi! Dad" I called. Forcing myself to smile as genuinely as it was imaginable.
"Hey, sport how was your flight?" He sounded nervous, and then hugged me timidly.
"Yeah it was fine, thanks Dad." I grimaced.
"Oh! Here, let me get your case..." He began.
"Uh! That's okay Dad. I got it." I interrupted. In three years I had grown up quite a bit, I used to be: pale, lanky, a short 5'6'' but now... well, I'm still pale but I have bulked up and grown to a reasonable 6'1''.
"Oh well, I suppose you're too old now to let me carry it for you anyway" He joked as we began walking towards the exit and to the car. "Well look at you. You certainly have grown up since the last time I saw you, how are you?" he asked out of politeness, I guess.
"Um, I'm good," I tried not to make him suspicious "What about you?"
"Yeah, yeah. Good. How is your mother?" he asked trying not to sound obsessed, but I knew better.
"Mom? Oh, well, you know? She is good yeah, very good I suppose." Crap. I was digging my own grave here.
"Well, that's something then. I suppose." He said as we finally pulled out of the 'busy' airport. We sat in silence all the way home.
As we got closer to Forks, I began to notice the signs and the different buildings. I used to come to Forks for one month every summer before my Mom started dating Tom, a security company representative. I was a little worried for her being thirty-six and him being twenty-five – Coop thought she was robbing the cradle, as it were.
We eventually pulled into the drive of what was to be my new home for... a while. Coop was out of the car immediately, I jumped out casually; if that were at all fathomable, for me at least. He had already popped the trunk and my suitcase and rucksack was out on the cold, damp pavement of the street. I picked them up with ease and walked into the house - It was exactly the same. Small, dark, 'vintage' and lonely. I looked around in disgust, I didn't think that look was on my face, I hoped not. I sighed quietly. Coop turned the lights on and the horror of my childhood was in full view. My school pictures for the past seven years were all on display on the fireplace. I would have to convince Coop to move them somewhere inconspicuous while I was staying here. I limply walked into another room and saw the waning linoleum and dark worktops of what was to be the kitchen. I winced and shook my head in pain of the memory.
"Do you, um, want to unpack?" asked Coop, his voice had a slightly anxious tone to it. He interrupted my scan of his... our home; I felt relieved.
"Um. Sure. Thanks" I replied as I was just about to suggest it myself. He led the way as we walked up the cramped, steep staircase to the first floor. My bedroom was to the right of the landing, Coop's was to the left and the bathroom was between us. We had to share.
My bedroom was only slightly different to as I remember it – the thick blue carpet was still there, laying hopelessly on the floor of my nano-sized room. There was a bed instead of a crib and a desk with a computer where the changing table used to be. I stared at the computer, it was very outdated and dusty, but at least I would have some connection with the outside world. I looked back at Coop he was looking at the room too, he smiled. I thought it best to humour him.
"Thanks Dad" I said with a fake smile. "It's just how I remember it" I wasn't lying.
"Yeah, well I didn't want to change it too much. I'll let you unpack, are you hungry?" He asked with hope in his thin brown eyes.
"Not really, sorry Dad." I replied eagerly.
"That's okay" then he hesitated, "it's nice to see you again Alex." He smiled tightly and closed the door, leaving me to my thoughts once again. I strode over to the over-sized mirror (it was once my Mom's) I looked at my reflexion and winced. Ew. I thought, I was a mess. My bronze, messy hair was stuck to my head like it had been glued – stupid rain – I quickly found my comb and teased in into a more respectable shape. I stared at my skin; it was grimey and paler than usual, maybe the weather here had affected it. I sighed. I thought for a while of what I would look like if my skin was tanned. I shuddered at the thought – it would look worse. Then I considered, what if it was clearer and smoother? Would I look handsomer? Or the same? My mind was interrupted when Coop called up and asked me to come to the kitchen. I dawdled for a moment but soon caved in.
He was in the kitchen cooking his meal and whistling a song out of tune. How annoying – would I have to be in the house with him and his whistling? Ugh.
"Did I tell you that I enrolled you in school?" He said as if he had actually forgotten to tell me.
"Oh! No, you didn't say" I said calmly. Great! Forks High School. Purgatory. "When do I start?" I asked, hoping it would be weeks away.
"Tomorrow. Sorry I should have warned you before-hand." He said while biting down on his lower lip.
"Don't worry about it. I have to go sometime right? Why not now?" I said with un-easiness loosely wrapped around my voice. Great! It was March, half-way through the school year. I decided to take a hot shower, it was the closest thing I could do to not think about the formidable weather here in Forks and the daunting school day I would now have to face.
I came back into my handkerchief-sized room and changed into clean underwear and some sweat pants. All I could hear was the menacing rain outside pattering on the roof. I groaned loudly. It was already past midnight, I was going to need ample rest for tomorrow. I turned the lamp out and twisted my legs into the sheets. I was restless and frustrated but I soon fell asleep.
I awoke to find that the appalling rain had ceased, but left a cold, damp glaze on everything I could see on the street. I showered again and dressed, I never think too much on what to wear; I don't care. I sulked silently downstairs and found that Coop had left already, I dragged my big feet as I walked into the kitchen and found some pop tarts in the cupboard – yes, they were still in date - I popped them into the toaster and began to fiddle with my bronze mop of hair.
I ate my breakfast and tralled to find my coat and rucksack, I left and locked the house with the key Coop hid under the flowerpot closest to the driveway. I sunk my hands deep into my pockets and buried my chin in the collar of my winter coat.
I found the high school quite easily, it was not as far away as I thought but as I got closer to the parking lot I saw plenty of unfamiliar people - new people made me anxious, I was a shy sort of person who, when nervous or embarrased, a rush of blood would fill my face. I briskly walked towards the sign that said, 'OFFICES'. The corridor was cold and stretched further that I thought. The office I needed was the first door I saw. There was nobody in there apart from a man with mousey-brown hair that was cropped very short. He looked up from his newspaper and beckoned to me.
"Can I help you son?" he asked, his mouth parted and uneven.
"Um, yes. I'm Alexander Greene..." I replied before he interrupted me.
"Oh, Yes! Chief Miller's son, we have been waiting for you," that last statement frightened me a bit. He pulled out a handful of papers from a pigeon-hole behind the faded oak desk. "here you are, this is what you will need and you just follow these..." He trailed off a monotonous script of today's procedure, he handed me a map and my schedule. I glanced at it with intense, interested eyes, just to avoid any further conversation that could become embarrassing or awkward.
"Thank you very much" I said to him while not wanting to look at his face. I left the office back outside to the parking lot, it was full of cars and students now; I noticed that none of the cars were new or even nearly new, they were all 'hand-me-downs'. I felt slightly relieved, I would not be able to afford a slap-bang motor – like the ones kids drove back in Port Charlotte.
The bell had sounded and I simply followed the other students to see the various entrances and exits of the school. I tried not to use the map, just so some of the other kids would not see that I was new but in a school this size everyone would see that I was helpless.
named Jackson Livingstone decided to sit next to me in English, he was kind of cool, he had
First period, English: I sat down in the seat the teacher assigned me an a boy with hazelnut coloured hair sat next to me. "Hey," he said while turning towards me "You must be Alexander Greene." he presumed. His shapeless face moulded into a smile, and his two chocolate-brown eyes, tightened.
"Alex." I corrected.
"I'm Jackson Livingstone." He said through his misshapen lips.
"If you want, you can hang with me and my friends." Jackson offered.
I just nodded in response. He seemed nice enough.
Second period: a girl called Hayley Spears sat next to me in Maths. She was pretty, I suppose, but she was eccentric and extremely short – 4'10'' – too short. Her hair was dyed a vivid orange and feathered too heavily, it was also very dry. But she talked to me and I mentioned Jackson and she said that they were friends. That was good. That was two people I knew who knew each other. At least I wasn't on my own for lunch. Third period would have passed quickly and smoothly if Mrs Davies, my spanish teacher hadn't asked me to introduce myself in front of a class of childish students.
Jackson and Hayley met me outside my Spanish class with their other friends, they introduced them to me: Marie Murdoch – she was platinum blonde with a long tanned face and brown eyes. Will Murdoch, he was only a little bit shorter than me, also with platinum blond hair and blue eyes. And finally Holly Holmes – she had dark hair that was cropped short, her features were round and soft, she also had two prominent dimples. After the introductions we made our way to the cafeteria, I still didn't feel at ease. But I still played the role of the normal teenage boy even though, I didn't want to.
We got our lunches and sat down at the table opposite from the windows. I looked around as I took a large bite from my pizza and a gulp of my soda, it was just the same as any other cafeteria, in any other high school, I sighed. I became bored and gazed innocently out of the heavily-paned window, and then I saw them.