Okay, so this is twilight in an alternate reality. Pretty much everything is the same, only Bella is different. Bella doesn't really get people, or really want to. In my version, she's not into Edward, or any other guy, until she meets Jacob. I'm usually a Bella/Edward kinda girl, but I've always wondered what it would be like if she gave Jacob the time of day. So here it is! R&R, constructive criticism appreciated, but no burning just for the heck of it-it doesn't help my self esteem!
Chapter 1 - Meeting"Bella!"
I snapped back into reality, forcing myself to focus on the conversation going on around me. "Wha-oh sorry Mike, I guess I kind of drifted off…what were you saying?" I felt slightly guilty for not paying attention to him, after all, he had been especially nice to me. Although, I had the feeling Mike wanted something more from the friendship, and really, I wasn't at all interested. I mean, he wasn't bad looking, but he had a round, babyish face; he looked so young, and judging by the carefully gelled spikes on his head, he spent way more time on his hair than probably any of the girls at the school. He was way too shallow.
"Well, I was just saying how the beach'll be fun, you'll be there, right?"
"Right, of course. Umm…how are we getting there?"
"We're meeting at our shop, you know where it is, right?"
"Yeah, just north of town, isn't it?"
"Yeah, so then we're driving down to First Beach in my car"
I didn't really know what to say. It sounded alright, after all, I'd loved going down to La Push as a kid, when I was down in Forks for the summer. And I supposed it was good of Mike to invite me, being new and all, but it was uncomfortable, being with these people who I didn't know, and I had the feeling that some of them didn't like me, Lauren in particular. Plus, I wasn't sure how well I liked them, and to top it all off, with my luck, I'd end up tripping and falling in the water.
"Cool." I tried to seem more enthusiastic and plastered a smile on my face. Mike didn't notice the unenthusiastic smile, and he grinned back and told me that I could sit next to him on the drive. The way he said it made it seem as if sitting next to him was a privilege I should feel honoured to have been given. Yep. Now I really wasn't interested. Oh well done Mike. Now Jessica was glaring daggers at me. She must like Mike. Just what I needed, an enemy, when I'd only been here a few weeks. But it wasn't very fair of Jessica to be looking at me like that. If anything, she should be mad at Mike! It's not as if I was even remotely interested in him. But I didn't know what to do about Mike. He seemed to take just polite comments as encouragement, and I wasn't used to having boys follow me around, and I had no idea how to put him in his place without hurting his feelings. I mean I didn't like him that much, but he had been nice to me, so I didn't want to be harsh. Maybe if I just stayed distant, he'd get the message and drop it. I smiled and nodded, closing the conversation.
I pulled my truck into the parking lot of Newton's Olympic Outfitters. As I looked up, I saw Mike, Jessica, Lauren and another girl who I didn't know. I already knew that Lauren didn't like me, although I wasn't entirely sure why, and I realised that the unfamiliar girl was one who I'd unintentionally harmed when I got the basketball last week during gym. Mike was eyeing me in a way I definitely didn't like; I uncomfortably adjusted the hem of my blouse, and Jessica, noticing Mike's look, turned to stare at me like I was something she'd just scraped off her shoe. Great, I said to myself. This isn't going to be awkward at all. I waited in silence until a few others arrived, most of whom I did not know. I did recognize Angela though, a shy girl who I'd met before and seemed quite nice. When we all clambered into Mike's overcrowded car, I breathed a sigh of relief.
With the unnecessarily loud music playing, and the unnecessarily loud conversations of the people around me, I was under no pressure to talk. I watched the green scenery slide past the window and thought about my decision to move to Forks. It wasn't so bad here, I mean, I missed my mum like crazy, but I could deal with that because I knew that coming here was making her happy. And I didn't really have any friends here, but again, I could cope with that, because I didn't have any friends in Phoenix, either. I don't think I've ever had any friends. Growing up, my best friend had been my mum, Renee. I guess I had just never related to people my age. In Phoenix, no-one had ever liked me, and I really didn't fit in. I never knew what to say to people, and I was never into the things everyone else was.
Here in Forks, there was almost no change. I still didn't get people, and I was still hopeless at conversation and as awkward as you could be. I still kept to myself and stayed quiet most of the time. I supposed that if I really tried, I could get close to the people here, but I don't think that I wanted to. Most people held nothing of interest for me. The only thing different here in Forks was the guys. In Forks, some guys actually liked me, but I was just not interested in them. Guys like Mike could be nice, but were mostly shallow and irritating. And then there were guys like that Cullen in my biology class. He was strange. On my first day, he was scary. He looked at me like he hated me and would do God knows what to me. Then he wasn't at school for ages, and then, a few days ago, he talks to me, polite as anything, and sprints from the room at the end of the lesson. I could see that he was good looking, and from what I had heard, most of the girls at Forks high were in love with him. I figured that would make him arrogant, and that was an annoying trait. As well as that, he was inconsistent. I couldn't tell when he would talk to me, and be nice, or when he would hate me. I couldn't stand inconsistent people; they always deserted you when you needed them. So I ignored him.
I just don't get guys, and they really don't seem to get me. I wondered if I'd ever find a guy who I wouldn't fault, someone who would be interesting, and nice, and always there for me, and who would care about me. I laughed to myself. My God Bella, pull your head out of the clouds! Guys like that don't exist! And even if they did, no guy that good is ever going to want you! I sighed. It was probably true. But still, I couldn't help but wonder.
"Hello?? Earth to Bella? We're here. Come on, lets go!" I jumped. Everyone else was standing outside Mike's Suburban, waiting for me. I blushed and jumped out of the car, catching my foot on the door and stumbling. Crap. Graceful, Bella. I blushed even deeper, hoping no-one would mention my clumsiness. I heard Lauren's scornful laugh in the background, and knew it was directed at me. People started to head down to the beach at her insistence then, and I took off after them, careful to not trip over again. I looked around, taking in my surroundings. First Beach was just as I had always remembered it. There was the choppy water, the towering cliffs and rocks. I remembered the tide pools that I used to love watching as a child. There was so much life and colour in such a tiny place. There was the sand, strewn with driftwood and a rainbow of pebbles, ranging in colour from red to yellow to a steel blue. And bordering it all was the deep green of the forest. It was a beautiful place. We reached a ring of driftwood logs where a fire circle was already in place. I sat down on one of the bone coloured benches with the girls I didn't know chatting animatedly on either side of me. I heard Mike starting to talk.
"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" he asked. It was then I noticed the tepee shaped construction of wood he and another two boys had been building.
"No." He added some more wood to the pile and lit a match.
"You'll like this then – watch the colours". I did as I was told and looked up at the small fire licking the wood. Oh! The flames were blue. I watched with more interest now, as the strange blue and green flames hungrily devoured the wood, stretching up to the sky. I heard Mike saying that it was because of the salt, but then I stopped listening, I was captivated by the bonfire. I stayed like that for a long time, just watching the fire grow larger and larger, feeling the heat against my face and arms. I was only vaguely aware of more people joining the group. I focused back on the fire, dancing, just in front of me. "Amazing" I whispered to myself. "I know" said a low, husky voice beside me.
I looked away from the fire into dark eyes that were just as warm. My eyes moved over the newcomers face. He was young, definitely, maybe only fifteen, and his dark copper skin, high cheekbones and long black hair pulled back at his neck seemed familiar. He started to talk. "Would it be okay if I sat down?". I turned away quickly, to check if this was okay with everyone else, and was surprised to see that everyone else had left. He chuckled at the expression on my face. It was a nice sound. I sat for a moment, thinking about it, before I was startled out of my thoughts. "Well…?" he said. I was confused, before I remembered he has asked me a question. "Oh! Um, yeah, of-of course" I blushed. You are such an idiot, Bella! I moved over to make room for him, quickly, to make up for my slowness before. In a classic Bella moment, I got tangled up in the bench and lurched forwards. The boy grabbed me around the waist to stop me from head butting the seat. "Sorry" I muttered. I turned, if possible even redder. Oh My God, could this be anymore embarrassing? I don't think I'd ever blushed that much. He just roared with laughter. When his laughter had subsided, I glared at him. "It's rude to laugh at people, you know" I told him.
"Yes, but its funny to fall over on nothing." He said, cracking a grin. I shoved him, before introducing myself, eager to steer the conversation away from my clumsiness. "I'm Bella". I was surprised at how easy it was to talk to this boy.
"Yeah, you're Charlie's daughter, right?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Oh, right. You probably don't remember me, I'm Billy Black's son. Our dads used to go fishing together. I'm Jacob"
