Chapter 1: Little Tomato
A/N: Thank you for clicking on this story and giving it a chance!
April
This was boring.
What was left of the little pieces of my life?
I watched the history teacher give a little twitch to his weird squiggly moustache. Someone let out a snort beside me.
"What, what?" Someone asked softly, "what's so funny?"
"He just twitched his moustache - it looks pretty comical - " she stopped, then giggled, "look! He just did it again."
The other friend laughed, "Oh my god, this is seriously the only entertaining part of the lesson."
I resisted a sigh and contemplated his twitching moustache for a moment - no, it wasn't a tiny bit funny. I didn't feel that there was anything hilarious about it. Was there perhaps something wrong with me? Leaning back against my chair, I pulled my hood over my head and imagined myself buried under my covers reading Wuthering Heights at the moment.
"Look, the orphan girl is doing it again!"
"Shh," someone else shushed her, "she can hear you."
I bit my lip.
This is normal, Isabella Swan, this is normal.
It would be over soon.
I lifted the strap of my bag over my left shoulder and pushed back my chair. It was finally time for freedom.
"Isabella, if you would..." Her voice rang out in the classroom and the chatterings ceased to almost non-existent at the second. Everyone turned to look at me. I felt my cheeks heat up and shuffled over to my homeroom teacher, tuning out the whisperings and giggling easily.
"Isabella, you're living on your own, right?" she asked, voice gentle.
I stared at my sneakers and nodded.
"How're you managing? Do you need any help?"
"I'm doing fine, Mrs Cullen," I murmured and chanced a quick glance at her from under my hood.
"That's good." I could almost hear the smile in her voice. "Do tell me if you need any help, okay, Isabella?"
Bella! I don't like to be called Isabella!
I nodded once more and turned to leave when she stopped me once more. I had the sudden urge to scream at her and tell her to let me off. I was seriously doing fine. I wanted to retreat to my home at least, for a while, before I go for work later on. I needed some silence from all these... people. Fake, disgusting people.
"You've an empty flat beside your unit, I heard?" she asked, this time sounding rather cautious and careful.
I furrowed my brows, but I was sure she could not see that - why in the world would she know that fact? And more importantly, what was the point of researching that out, anyway? My living area was rather run-down and old, the facilities were just enough for me but I still didn't understand why she would be interested. She was someone what I classified as the snobs. Peacocks, I call them however she was just one who wasn't snobby but was surprisingly kind and patient. It was completely unmistakable that she could afford flats worth much, much, much more than mine.
"Yes," I whispered, unsure if she heard me and regardless of that, I turned to leave.
I had my safe place to return to.
I stood before the towering apartment flat and shifted my bag strap out of habit.
It was tall with peeling plasters; it had been grayed over the years, but the original white color peeked out from some parts of the surface of the building. Dark brown streaks and dots stained the building everywhere, and there was this stagnant smell of garbage which I was sure came from right behind the building - our rubbish wasn't always being sorted properly.
Wrinkling my nose, I caught the scent of fresh paint - and watched the two buildings contrast each other. A new building was built opposite ours, standing tall and very, very white, with wide windows for every floor. It looked like a fresh breath of air compared to my building, and made it look much worse than it already was. I pushed back the sleeve of my sweater to peer at my watch and took one last glance at the new building when I noticed a blond seeming to be looking down in my direction.
My heart caught in my throat. Shocked, I diverted my eyes back to my sneakers and shuffled off quickly back to home.
A pressing urge to chance a look again forced my head back to the opposite building, but the stranger was gone.
Ignoring my strange sense of loss, I picked up my pace and pushed open the heavy glass door that led to the lift back to my dingy apartment.
I had my work to prepare for.
Switching on my boxed computer, I waited impatiently for the welcome sign to flicker on the monitor before I typed my password in.
My fingers drummed my wooden table as I watched the screen black-out. It would be a while before the blue background greets me. I looked at my watch - I only had about thirty minutes to rush the rest of my chapter out. It seemed almost impossible. I should really get a new computer - my savings sufficed for the bit of indulgence, but I didn't want to meet more people than I need to.
I felt my lips curl up to a little smile when the little icons greeted me and immediately clicked on the word document eagerly. As I waited for it to load, I looked out of my slightly blackened windows and wrinkled my nose in disgust - I should probably clean it when I get home. I was about to return my attention to my document when I saw seemingly the same blond leaning over the railings of his balcony dangerously.
My eyes widened in shock and I leaped up from my chair in panic, rushing to push the slide of my balcony door and stood against the railings, feet rooted to the ground. He stood up then and began balancing on the railing, back still facing me.
I felt a chill run up my spine.
Was he going to die like this as well?
"Hey!" I wanted to shout, but no words came out from my mouth, instead I gripped the railings tighter, frightened for the stranger's life. What the hell was he trying to do, taking his life without thinking about other people that may care for him? Why was he throwing his life away? Did he think that only he deserve escape from life? I saw my knuckles turn white as I gritted my teeth.
I hate people.
Just then, he turned and my breath caught in my throat.
His eyes were a beautiful shade of emerald green, his nose was straight and defined and his lips were plump and red with high cheekbones. He looked breathtakingly gorgeous, I admit, but it didn't make my anger reside - not even one bit. It probably fuelled it even stronger.
"Hey there!" he shouted while balancing on the railing, and I felt blood rush to my cheeks at his low and a little husky voice - it took me offguard as I was expecting something smoother. "You're my neighbor, aren't you?"
I felt my breathing slow from my ragged ones, and I furrowed my brows in confusion. That didn't sound like he was going to commit suicide. He sounded way too happy for it - were there people who jumped happily? It sounded like an oxymoron to me.
"Hello? You can't talk?" He yelled over again, and dropped down to his feet before leaning over the railings, his eyes intent on mine with a broad grin stretching his face.
I stared at him, speechless - what the hell was he doing?
"I was trying out my balancing techniques - it seemed rather fun to try it in a new apartment." He chuckled, a dimple surfacing on his left cheek - and I felt my cheeks flame again. I did not ask the question out loud, did I? Damn, what the hell am I doing?
"Nope, you didn't, little tomato," he said, looking rather amused as I backed away from the railing, getting a little freaked out. Who the hell was he? Was he reading my mind? "It was just written all over your face."
It was the end of my tether.
I scrambled back and almost tripped over one of the outline of the tiles in the balcony and I shrieked. Bracing myself against the wall, I could his laughter being carried over to my apartment.
Fuming at both him and myself, I stomped over and realized I have to go for work in fifteen.
"Fucking hell," I cursed, still a little surprised at how easily words - especially vulgarities slipped when I'm comfortable. I pressed on my mouse harder than needed to shut the computer down, still a little pissed at how I allowed distractions. I was supposed to finish up my chapter.
I gave my mouse a tight squeeze in an attempt to vent my frustrations.
After a few minutes of throwing a little tantrum, I grabbed a piece of bread for my lunch and headed off for work.
A/N: So here's a little introduction. Edward will be rather OOC as he'll be more of an extrovert - and well... Bella. Yeah, so that's that. Do drop a review to tell me what you think.
-C.A.