A/N: Ok this is totally different.
Characters are OOC.
Kind of based off of season one of Veronica Mars.
Based kind of after Edward leaves.
Bella has always lived in "Neptune, California" with Charlie.
I am going to take out the whole sparkling in the sun thing for Vampires.
Jacob will be referred to as Jake. He and the werewolves are apart of the PCH biker gang.
The rich kids will be referred to as 09ers.
The stuff in bold are Bella's thoughts.
If you don't like out different the story is from the book then don't read it cause this is MY story and I don't feel like hearing people wine about how I should make it more like the book. Frankly in the book, it bugs me how dependant and weak Bella is, hence the idea for this story.
WARNING: This chapter is a LOT like the pilot episode of Veronica Mars, but soon it will change cause New Moon and Twilight will have to be incorporated somehow!
Disclaimer for all future chapters: Twilight and New Moon belongs to Stephenie Meyer and any ideas from Veronica Mars belong to Rob Thomas. So no going after me.
Bella Swan walked towards school, making her way toward the crowd that surrounded the flag pole. Duct taped to the pole, naked, was a guy. Bella immediately knew who stuck him up there. She walked towards the scene. She took out a pocket knife and stepped forward, starting to cut through the tape.
The kids around her started whispering and glaring.
"You new?" Bella asked the guy kindly.
The guy nodded, probably too embarrassed to say anything.
Bella could tell he just wanted down and to get some clothes on, so she shut up and continued cutting.
The easiest way to describe this last year is hell. It started right after my boyfriend and his family skipped town. Then my best friend, Angela Weber, was murdered. My father, Charlie, who at the time was the sheriff, was convinced Angela's father, Keith Weber, had something to do with her murder. It cost him his job, and now he is working as a P.I. in a small dingy office in one of the older buildings in town. Soon after all of this happened, my mother, Renee, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. She died a month after the diagnosis.
Bella walked to a table in the middle of the quad. She set her tray on the empty table.
You probably wonder why I am sitting by myself. When I "turned on my friends" and sided with my dad on the murder case, I was isolated. Slowly the rumor mill started turning. Apparently I am the biggest slut in school who jumps on whomever, guy or girl, dares to cross my path.
Bella looked across the cafeteria to a table full of, clearly, rich kids, as she stabbed mindlessly at the mystery product the school called "lunch".
I used to sit there. So did Angela. Angela was basically the richest of all of them. She was so lively and always up for a good time. She was always looking for ways to piss off her parents. She would date "the wrong guys", fail classes, and party. All the times I was over at her house, her parents would ask her to be more like me or her older brother, Eric. Eric was the overachiever of the family, headed for Harvard. He and Angela were beyond close. He was the older brother that would do anything to protect his little sister. He's a year older then me. Hell, he was like an older brother to me. But with Angela gone, so what Eric's and my relationship. He can barely even look at me.
Then there's Mike. He and Angela were constantly on-again-off-again, week after week. Angela would always find excuses to break up with him so she could go out with other guys and do…I don't even want to know what she did with them. Anyway, Mike blames me for her death and goes out of his way every day to make my life a living hell.
Mike looked over to Bella and gave her a nasty glare. Bella put a fake smile on her face and gave him a mocking wave, wiggling her fingers. She barely noticed someone sit down across from her.
"Hey," the guy from the pole said.
"Did I say you could sit here?" Bella snapped.
The guy started to leave, shaking his head.
"Wait. You can sit wherever you want," Bella told him.
"Thanks…For what you did this morning. I'm Tyler by the way," Tyler said sitting back down.
"Sure. I'm Bella…So…sorry about the PCHers…They like to tape the new students to a flag pole as a welcoming."
"Why are you apologizing for them? You didn't have anything to do with it…or did you?" Tyler asked raising an eyebrow.
"No…I just…never mind," Bella said getting flustered.
Tyler laughed at Bella. She gave him a half hearted glare.
"I can talk to them. Keep them off your back," Bella offered.
"How would you do that?" Tyler asked, curious.
"Let's just say I have an in with the leader," Bella said shortly. "Well, it was nice meeting you Tyler, but we are getting glares, and I have some stuff in need of attention, so I'll see you around," Bella said getting up and walking towards the doors to the school.
Bella could hear the people around her coughing and sneezing "slut" as she walked by. You know "cough-slut-cough" and "haaa-slut-choo".
Quite a reputation I've got. I remember about two months after Angela's murder and about a month after my mom died, I went to one of their parties. It was at Lauren's house. I don't remember who handed me the drink, but I drank it. There was some kind of drug in it. GHB or roofies. Whatever it was, I don't remember from passing out on one of the couches to waking up in Lauren's guest house bedroom…looking for my underwear. I remember the strap to my dress being torn, my long brown hair tangled in a mess, and worst, the ache between my legs. I sat there, for I don't know how long, crying. After I made it to my car, I saw slut and whore written all over it. I drove home, luckily my dad wasn't there, he had been out of town chasing a bail jumper so we could have money for groceries. I never reported what happened, knowing no one at the sheriff's station would believe me. I never told my dad either. I don't even want to know what he would do with that information.
My hair had been so knotted at the bottom, I just took a pair of scissors and started cutting. I cut the white dress I had worn into tiny pieces. I cleaned off my car. I threw anything in my closet that was something Lauren or Jessica would wear. I had been working with dad for awhile and had some money to buy clothes to replace the ones I threw away. That was the day I decided I wouldn't be weak anymore. I wouldn't let Mike and Jessica and everyone else from that group of people, hurt me anymore. I became tough, and as I have heard around the school, a bad ass. Now I was the girl who helped daddy catch criminals. I was the girl that if you insulted her to your face, would bite back with more venom and leave you there standing shocked at what came out of my mouth.
I was no longer Isabella, but just Bella.
Bella walked into Swan Investigations, her dad's office. She worked as much as she could with her dad. Usually it was doing receptionist work, but on occasion, she was known to work some of his cases.
"Hey, sweetie," Charlie called to his daughter through his office door.
"Hey dad!" Bella called back.
Charlie walked out of his office holding an over night bag.
Bella's shoulders immediately sunk. "Bail jumper," she guessed.
"Yes, I'm sorry honey, but with your mom…our financial situation, we need all the money we can get," Charlie said. He was putting files back together and putting them away.
"I know, dad." This was the third time this week he had gone out looking for bail jumpers. Bella had barely seen him at home in the last month. "How long will you be gone this time?" she asked.
"Hopefully I will be back by tomorrow, if not Wednesday," Charlie said. He finishing putting away the files and entering the reception area. "My flight is in three hours and I have to leave now," he said looking at his watch. "And it's rush hour. I have to go. Bye Bells," Charlie gave Bella a kiss on her head and left the office.
Bella thought it was best just to lock up and go home.
Bella drove to her apartment and got Backup, her pit-bull her dad thought necessary to get since he was out of town so often. Backup and Bella bonded instantly. Upon Bella's order, the dog would attack.
"Come on, boy," Bella called to Backup. He came running. Bella hooked his leash onto his collar and tugged him out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. She got in her car and drove to the beach.
Bella walked down the beach after Backup, who was chasing after a tennis ball she threw.
"Well, well, well…if it isn't Neptune's local outcast," Jake taunted as he strode up to her.
"And if it isn't my favorite dog," Bella smirked as Jake stopped in front of her. Of course she knew his secret, just like she knew his secret. It wasn't hard to figure out.
Backup, who was waiting patiently for Bella to throw the ball again, was sitting at her feet. Upon hearing her declaration, barked. Bella knelt down and petted him and cooed, "I am only kidding, boy, you know you're my favorite."
Jake laughed.
"So what is this fine visit for?" Bella asked straightening up and throwing the ball for Backup.
"Heard you were the one to cut the new kid down," Jake said annoyed.
"Yeah, and I think you should lay off him," Bella bit back.
"Gotta take my anger out on something since your ex-boy left…though--" Jake said getting cut off by Bella.
Hurt and anger flashed in Bella's eyes. "Ok, that was out of line," she said darkly.
Jake's expression softened. "I know. I'm sorry," he apologized. "You should know though… he's back," he said bitterly.
Bella scoffed, "Ok I get you're a little pissed about me cutting down Tyler, but you don't need to pull some cruel practical joke on me. I get enough of that from the 09ers."
Jake looked angry again. "Believe what you want, but he's back. You're just lucky he had no way of finding where you live." With that Jake walked to the parking lot where the rest of the PCHers were, got on his motorcycle, and sped off.
Bella was in shocked silence. Backup trotted back and sat at her feet. After a few minutes of staring off into space, Bella hooked the leash back on to Backup's collar, and left the beach.
He can't be back. Not after all that has happened this year.