Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer
Do you know you're unlike any other?
You'll always be my thunder, and I said
Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors
I don't wanna ever love another
You'll always be my thunder
So bring on the rain
And bring on the thunder
- Thunder, Boys Like Girls
Small towns. The one thing I hated more than anything else in the world, and I was forced to move to one. The last small town that I had to live in really had nothing to do. Now I know that everyone says that but in a population of 2500 people, I wasn't lying. I sat bored on my weekends at my house or my friends' house and it wasn't until recently that I could go anywhere because I had only received my license a few months ago. Which was fun in Georgia, but then Dad announced—two months later nonetheless—that we were moving again.
Forks was one of the smallest towns in the state of Washington, and I swear it had to be wettest place in the world. Surprisingly I didn't mind though, moving around a lot I got all kinds of different weather. Long story short, I would rather bundle in the cold than blister with only so much clothes to take off in the red-hot sun.
My little sister and I had been sentenced to move to this town here when my father got a job offer at Forks' police station. Dad had had all kinds of jobs since my sister and I were young. If you asked me why, I couldn't tell you, I honestly never asked. Now, I knew that most towns had to have police stations, but for such a small town it seemed kind of silly that they had one.
How could a town this size have any trouble?
"Hailey, if you don't hurry, Laura is going to be late," my father scolded me as I finished my breakfast one morning just after we moved in.
My family lived on the outside of Forks and though my sister would be going to school there, I would be going the high school on the La Push Reservation. Laura had to go to school today because Forks' town school started a Thursday before La Push's schools did.
"I've got to be going. Please get your sister to school on time."
"One time!" I told him, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "I was late one time and you're gonna hold it against me the rest of my life!" I smiled at him and finished the last bite of my cereal.
He laughed with me and kissed my cheek. "I love you. I'll see you tonight; try to unpack the rest of your things." He said and kissed Laura good-bye. A minute later, he was out the door and down the road.
I sighed and put the bowl into the sink and turned to my sister. "Well, kid, it's time for you to get to school."
Laura rolled her eyes but agreed. Laura was not pleased to be going to a new school with a bunch of kids who she didn't know. From the beginning, when Dad told us we were leaving, she had told me she was nervous and scared.
"Oh, come on, Laura. It won't be so bad," I told her as I started up the car. "You'll get to meet lots of people and make new friends."
"I miss my old friends."
"I know. I miss mine too. Maybe Dad will let us go back and see them soon."
She smiled at me and turned to look out the window.
The rest of my days of freedom rushed by before I was ready and now it was the morning of my first day of school in La Push. I wasn't nervous anymore; I was in a complete panic. I didn't know anyone here and I already felt out of place.
The weather was, as expected, cold and rainy with nothing but more than clouds in the sky. I dragged myself out of my comfortable bed and the normal morning routine ensued. I dropped off Laura at her school and headed for my own.
I kept a keen eye out for the school and looked around once I was in the parking lot. But of course no one was outside. I grabbed the jacket that I had in the back of my car and put it over my head and jogged into the school. Walking into the office I approached a young secretary. I noticed her name was Stephanie.
She looked up with an over exaggerated smile on her face. "Hello, may I help you?"
"Yes, I'm new here, and I need my schedule, please."
She thought for a moment. "Are you Hailey Thomas?"
I nodded, smiling at her. New students must be a rarity. "Yep."
She smiled back and handed a couple sheets of paper to me. One was my schedule and another was a school map.
"The highlighted path is the way to your locker and the green is where your classes are." she told me. "If you have any questions at the end of the day don't be afraid to come ask!'
"Thank you." I said and headed out to find my locker. I organized my brand new notebooks and writing utensils and hung the red back pack up.
Looking at the map the secretary gave me, it didn't take me long to see my first hour classroom was only a few feet away. I attempted to blend in with the other students while making my way into the far, back part of the room. While waiting for the bell to ring, I opened one of my notebooks, and doodled on it, trying to be inconspicuous. More kids filed in and glanced but otherwise ignored me.
The teacher walked to the front of the room. "Good morning, I'm Mr. Watson. This year, we'll be investigating the fascinating world of Earth Science. If you're here for Contemporary American Lit, you're in the wrong classroom."
A couple of people laughed, myself included. Maybe I could endure Science this year.
As Mr. Watson reviewed how he would grade us, the door banged open, and four attractive boys sauntered in, smiling and laughing.
"Boys, you're late." He informed them.
They nodded.
"Don't do it again."
"Sorry, Mr. Watson," one of them mumbled as they found seats.
The rest of the class period passed without disturbance and the teacher did the normal 'first day of school' things for the rest of the hour. I was grateful for the peaceful flow of it, until the end of class when my nightmare came true. Mr. Watson had forgotten to take attendance, and when my name came up he stopped to introduce me. I wanted to sink away into the chair.
"We have someone new with us here today," he said and my face began to burn. "Hailey, will you stand up?"
Great.
I pouted to myself, my face hidden by my hair. I stood up slowly. As the whole class looked at me, I got more and more nervous — if that was possible.
After I sat down, I could still feel their stares and hear the quiet whispering. This was exactly what I didn't want to happen.
Finally, the first bell rang and I headed off to my second class, hoping I would not have to endure another embarrassing introduction.
The day passed by quicker than I would have expected and I was grateful for that. I didn't have to get up in front of any of my classes which made it even better. I put my books that I had received from my last two classes away in my locker and headed out to my car with nothing but my Algebra II book and my purse. Of course we had homework in Math. No matter where I went to school, there was some kind of unwritten rule that, if there had to be homework, it had to be in Math.
I was walking to my car, and trying to find my keys in my purse when I walked straight into someone. Whomever I had walked into almost knocked me down and the book and my keys dropped to the wet ground.
I looked up to see who it was. It wasn't one of the boys from my class but it was one who shared the exact same features as the others. Very tall, handsome...wrapped in muscle. He wasn't in any of my classes but I he and all the other boys sat together at lunch. I had noticed his gaze while eating with a group of girls I had met in fifth hour.
"I—uh—I'm sorry," I stammered. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Not your fault," he said. "I wasn't watching either. Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine." I told him, bending to pick up my book only to be handed them by him.
Apparently I had been too busy staring. "Thanks."
"No problem." he said. "I'm Embry." He held out his hand, and I shook it. I noticed the strange warm temperate he had. Almost like he was running a fever all over his body—it couldn't be normal.
"I'm Hailey." I answeredmy cheeks flushing red.
"The new girl." He stated. "It's nice to meet you, Hailey."
After a day of not saying anything more than "here" when teachers called the roll and small talk during lunch, I would have loved to stand there and talk to him, but I knew it was getting late and Laura had been let out of school even earlier than I had.
"Um, I have to go…and uh, pick up my sister. I'll see you tomorrow?" I said, and I didn't mean for it to come off as a question.
He smiled at me and dropped my hand. "Of course." I pulled my purse back over my shoulder and smiled back. I turned to continue to walk back to my car.
My first day turned out to be pretty good anyway.
I apologize for how it kind of jumps around here, but this is just how it flowed. Future chapters will be slower and more detailed...thanks for patience!
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