Bella's POV
"What the hell was I thinking?" I muttered under my breath as I grabbed my old purple suitcase on the conveyor belt at baggage claim. I gripped the bag with all my strength and pulled it up and off the belt knocking into at least three people in the process. I shot them an apologetic look while trying to roll my heavy suitcase and lug my carry on bag through the crowded airport. I finally made it to the gate where Charlie was waiting for me. He took my bags after a brief and awkward hug and led me to the cop car waiting right outside the airport doors. At least there was one perk of having a father who is the chief of police of a small town.
The cold and wet December Washington air hit me in the face as we walked outside. The cold went straight through my thin Phoenix clothes. In Arizona, December was one of my favorite months. We got a break from the extreme heat and Christmas at home was always so much fun. I ended up doing most of the planning and cooking for holidays but I didn't mind. My mom, Renee, was always the only person who truly understood me. I even enjoyed spending time with her new boyfriend Phil. I didn't really want to leave Arizona but I knew I was getting in their way. Phil had an opportunity to play abroad and even though she said she didn't mind staying behind, I knew my mom was dying to go. So I left for Washington to spend time with my dad, Charlie.
The drive to Forks was silent but not uncomfortable. Though I have spent most of life with my mom, my dad and I were much more alike. I knew that living with him wouldn't be as colorful or exciting as living with my mom, but I knew we would live well together. When we got to the house, Charlie left me alone in my room. It hadn't changed much since I was a little girl besides the new bedspread and an old desktop computer on the desk. I opened my suitcase and looked at the small assortment of summer clothes. I never cared much for fashion and honestly I borrowed most of my clothes from my mom. I started putting the clothes in drawers and the closet. When I pulled out my favorite old sweatshirt an envelope fell out onto the ground.
"Hey Sweetie! How is Washington? Are you soaking wet yet? Just kidding! Well you wouldn't let me take you shopping for some warm clothes before you left so I really had no choice. I was going to give you cash but I know you would spend it on something practical so I am giving you no choice. Please have fun shopping (yes it can happen!) and try and buy something other than sweatshirts! I will call you soon! I love you and miss you already! Love, Mom"
Enclosed with the note was a stack of gift cards to various clothing stores. I laughed out loud and shook my head. Only my mom would know that leaving me cash would mean that I would never get new clothes. I fired up my computer to find directions to the closest mall, knowing my mom would be checking in on me soon.
The ride to Port Angeles took longer than I expected. The truck that my dad got me barely rode comfortably at 50mph but I didn't mind. Charlie was gone for the day fishing with friends so I had all the time in the world to torture myself shopping for clothes. I wandered around the mall in Port Angeles for almost an hour buying nothing but yet another copy of Pride and Prejudice. I finally worked up enough motivation to go into one of the clothing stores my mom had picked. I walked around randomly grabbing safe looking articles off the racks and made my way into a dressing room. I pulled on a plain black sweater and looked in the small mirror. I was pleasantly surprised; it was soft and comfortable and would probably keep me warmer than my Arizona clothes. The mirror in the dressing room was really tiny though so I walked down the small hallway to the three-way mirror to get a better look.
"Don't get that. It does nothing for your skin tone." A small pixie-like girl was standing behind me with her arms over-flowing with clothes. "And it is at least two sizes too big for you! Oh my gosh I saw the cutest shirt out there that would look great on you! I will be right back, don't move." She spoke and moved so quickly that before I even realized she was actually talking to me she had already stashed her clothes in a room and left to find the "perfect" shirt for me. I had just started walking back to my own dressing room when she came back with another armful of brightly colored clothes. "Here try these," she said as she hung her clothes in my room and took the ones I had picked out. "These are awful!" She laughed then held out her hand. "I'm Alice Cullen by the way."
"I'm Bella Swan." I shook her hand and couldn't help but smile back at her; her enthusiasm was contagious. "Do you work here or something?" That made her laugh more.
"No! I just have a sixth sense about fashion emergencies. You definitely needed my help…Wait, Bella Swan as in Chief Swan's daughter moving back to Forks?"
"Yes…" She clapped her hands together like a little girl and hopped in a little circle.
"This is so great! We are in the same grade. Everyone has been talking about you coming back for like weeks…" She must have seen all the color drain out of my face because she stopped what she was saying and patted my arm. "Hey hey, I mean, there isn't much else to talk about in Forks. I am sure the novelty will pass soon. I am just excited that I got to meet you! You have to let me dress you. You have such great skin and hair and you are obviously helpless without me. I will pick you out some great clothes." I laughed weakly and tried not to think about all the attention on me when I started at Forks High after the winter break. It was surprisingly easy to forget about that fact though while talking to Alice. We quickly settled into an easy conversation while trying on the massive amounts of clothes Alice picked for us.
Alice and I spent the rest of the day shopping together. To her credit, Alice was right about being able to pick me out great clothes. The clothes were mostly ones I would never pick for myself but I couldn't deny that they looked fabulous. The colors did compliment my pale skin (which I didn't think was possible) and they fit me better than any clothes I ever had (which was scary because I was afraid of my curves). We spent just about all of the gift cards my mom gave me. Alice immediately fell in love with my mom when she heard about the forced shopping expedition. By the end of the day I couldn't believe that I only knew Alice one day. She had already almost talked me into coming to a New Years Eve party and we made plans for the following Saturday at her house. Alice was outraged that I had never seen any Quentin Tarantino movies so we planned a marathon and sleep over. I was excited that I would know at least one person when I started school which all of sudden didn't seem so daunting.
Christmas with Charlie was a completely different experience than Christmas with Renee. Charlie and I quietly exchanged gifts. I found an ancient plastic tree buried in the basement and decorated it with old handmade ornaments that were left over from when I was a little girl. It made me wonder if Charlie had even put up a tree since mom left. I had planned on cooking Christmas dinner for Charlie but his friend Billy Black from the Indian reservation had invited us over. I vaguely remembered going there as a child and playing by the lake with his son Jacob.
Any recollection I had of sweet little Jacob did not do justice to the giant in front of me when we rang the bell at the Black's house. Jacob did not hesitate one bit; he just scooped me up into his massive arms and swung me around several times. His booming laughter rumbled through his chest and vibrated my entire body. "Bella! I am so happy to see you! Remember me? It's Jacob!" He beamed down at me and I could feel everyone in the small house staring at me. My face turned bright red and I nervously smiled. Everyone else crowded around to introduce themselves and I was shuffled from one smiling face to another.
After about a half hour of making small talk I was in desperate need of a break. I excused myself and snuck out the back door into the cold winter air. I walked to the edge of the porch, sat on the first step and wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm. I was wearing one of the new sweaters Alice made me buy. It was a beautiful shade of green but it didn't do much in the December air.
"A little overwhelming?" I jumped at the voice behind me. It was Jacob Black smiling down at me again. Jacob's attitude was infectious like Alice's and I found myself smiling back at him. He was at least 6'8" with jet-black floppy hair and perfect white teeth. His gaze sent a warm tingle down my spine. I never had much male attention in Arizona and the way Jacob was looking at me made me shift my eyes so I was studying my new shoes.
"A lot of new people," I remarked lamely. Jacob took a seat next to me and stretched out his long legs next to mine.
"They are all harmless. Just interested in Chief Swan's pride and joy. We have all heard about you a lot over the years." He nudged my shoulder with his playfully and I laughed nervously. "It is great that you are back. We should hang out sometime. What are you doing this weekend?"
"Well Saturday night I have plans with Alice Cullen."
"Alice? Really? Wow so you are already climbing the social ladder?" I must have looked confused because he laughed. "Alice is like Fork's best party planner. I have been to many Cullen parties. I am good friends with her older brothers." I nodded and right then a cold wind whipped around us and I shuddered involuntarily from the cold. "Oh man, you must be freezing coming from the hot desert to here." Without asking he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to him. His body seemed to radiate heat and I was immediately more comfortable.
"Thanks Jake. Yeah, I guess I didn't realize how much I hated cold and wet until I came back!" We both laughed and I relaxed into Jake's side. We sat for a few minutes in amicable silence and I breathed in his woodsy scent. I couldn't believe that I had only been in Forks a week and I had already met two people I felt at ease with right away. I had been in Arizona my whole life and I could honestly say I had no true friends that I left behind.
"Hey so speaking of Alice and parties," Jacob broke me out of my thoughts, "She is throwing a huge New Years party. It is always like the biggest party of the year. You should come."
"Alice already tried talking me into it. I am not sure if I am ready for all that. I mean, you two would be the only people I knew there."
"So what? Come on, it'll be really fun and I promise I won't let you out of my sight. I will be your own personal buffer." He puffed his chest out and circled the other arm around me like he was protecting me from something. We were both giggling uncontrollably when Charlie walked out onto the porch.
"I see things haven't changed. You kids never stopped laughing when you were together. And back then it was usually because you were getting into some kind of trouble. Do I have to be worried tonight?" he questioned us, but he was smiling and I could see that he was pleased that I fell back into Jacob's friendship so easily. His eyes did narrow slightly when we saw both of Jacob's arms around my waist. Jacob shifted his body so he was sitting more like he was before he became my personal buffer and laughed.
"Nothing to worry about. Bella just agreed to be my date to the Cullen's New Years party, that's all." I elbowed him in the ribs and tried not to focus too much on the fact that he had just said the word "date" but it just made him laugh harder and pull me closer to his side.
"Actually I didn't, but I will think about it."
"Fair enough," he smiled down at me and I could feel the blush creeping into my cheeks.
"Ok you two, let's go. Sue is about to carve the turkey." Charlie steered us both back into the house. Even though I didn't get to be alone with Jake the rest of the night, he was always right by me. I think he was probably trying out his buffer role as he led me easily around the room and made me feel at ease in the crowd of people.
The next day Charlie encouraged me to go to the party with Jake. I could see how much he loved Jake and that he was hoping we would be friends. I was surprised that he was pushing a party but then I found out he was working New Years so he probably wanted to make sure I wasn't stuck home alone.
A few days later Jake showed up at our house unannounced. I had just made lasagna for dinner so he walked right in and grabbed another plate from the cabinet. We all had dinner and then Jake and I went for a quick walk around the block where he pressed me more about the party. When we got home I made hot chocolate for the three of us and we talked about old times. I didn't realize Charlie could be so animated but he really got into the stories about me and Jake causing trouble as children. I found out Jake was in his sophomore year, not his junior year like me. I showed him my schedule and he seemed to be really disappointed that we didn't have any classes together. By the end of the night I was warming up to the idea of the party. Jake's interest in me was fun and I felt really comfortable with him.
"So what time should I pick you up?" Jake smiled cockily leaning against my doorframe at the end of the night.
"You wish I was going to be your date! I have at least a hundred other offers I need to sift through first so if you don't mind," I joked and then turned on my heel to walk in the other direction. Jake grabbed my shirt and pulled me to him until my back was flush against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight grip and leaned down to my ear.
"Come on Bella, please be my date," he whispered into my ear in a softer tone. I found myself suddenly tongue tied so instead I just nodded. He released me and laughed. "Alright! I will be here at 8pm. Oh and it semi formal so buy a hot dress. See you then!"
He hopped off the porch and jogged to his old car as I shut the door and sagged against it. What did I get myself into? The panic started rising in my chest but I tried to push it down. Jake was fun, he would make the night entertaining and I was going to have to meet everyone eventually. I found myself hoping Jake wasn't interested in me as more than a friend. He was cute and charming, but I could see him taking on more of a brother role than a boyfriend. I was at a total loss on how to deal with male attention seeing as how the only experience I had was a two week relationship with my next door neighbor in Arizona in the ninth grade. Pushing thoughts of Jake aside, I charged up the stairs to sort through the mounds of new Alice clothes to see if one of the dresses she made me buy would work for the party. I tried them all on multiple times and finally called Alice for advice. After squealing about my decision to come to the party she declared that none of the dresses were special enough for her party and that we had to go shopping again before we had our movie night.