The rest of my morning passed by more or less the same. Every class or corridor I went, people seem to know I was the new girl. I was getting so close to punching someone.
When the bell rang for lunch, I decided that instead of going to lunch at the cafeteria, I'd grab some food and sit in my truck. I followed the large mull of people rushing towards the cafeteria. It was a fairly large hall, a wide white space with white plastic tables and chairs. There were some visible cliques: the jocks, the nerds, the punks but aside from that, the rest of the tables seemed undefined. Large groups of guys and girls sat together and laughed and ate carelessly. Part of me wished I'd actually made a friend my age today in class so I could have sat in here. But the only person I'd officially met was Mike Newton but he and his too friendly smile were way more than I could handle right now.
I got myself an apple and a sandwich and headed out to the car lot. I wasn't sure if seniors were allowed to go out during lunch like they were in Medley High. In all honesty, I didn't see much point. All Forks had to offer were a few places to do your hardware and food groceries and a diner- and even there, I'd probably bump into Charlie.
"Lunch for one it is," I muttered to myself as I got into my truck.
Here in my creamy cab interior, I felt a bit calmer. I turned my radio on and leaned back into my seat, watching people scurry around the car park.
A flash of silver caught my eye on the left. I looked around and saw Mr Cullen smoothly riding out in the Volvo. Of course it was his car. He was gorgeous, liked books – my favourite – and had a fancy car. It wasn't fair. Some people just had it all.
Mr Cullen saw me as he slid by. He looked alarmed as our eyes caught, the muscles in his face going rigid. But before I could blink, his car zoomed away.
Woah. Did teachers hate the students here that much?
Unnerved, I cranked up the volume in my car and pulled out my textbook for my History class next. I tried my best to digest the information but it was no use: all I could think about was Mr Cullen's glare. His angry eyes kept flashing in my mind: a look of horror and contempt. Being disliked by students was one thing but your teacher?
Maybe I'd just imagined it. Maybe I reminded him of somebody he didn't like. Maybe he was crazy- yeah, crazy beautiful.
I sighed. I usually always got on with my English teachers. They were the only ones who really got my obsession for literature. But of course that wasn't the case in Forks. They were even making me take stupid Gym class which stopped being mandatory in Medley High when you became a Junior! This place was my own hell on earth, full of horrible creatures like Mike Newton.
I wanted to go home.
When the bell rang, I considered going back to Charlie's and faking an illness. I didn't want to bump into Mr Cullen's venomous glare again or face more "are you the new girl?" conversations.
Ugh. Why did I move here? Why did I leave my real home?
No sooner had I stepped out of the truck, my name was called.
"Isabella!" a high-pitched tinkering voice floated through the air like a song.
I turned and saw a small girl with a pixie-like face and short spiky black hair. She had extremely pale skin and beautiful features- just like Mr Cullen. Was there something in the water here at Forks? Jeez.
"Bella," I replied.
"I'm Alice!" she trilled, striding over to me gracefully. "What class have you got next?"
"History with uhm, hang on…" I pulled out my timetable from my coat pocket and checked. "With Miss Riaz."
"So do I!" she said cheerfully.
I found it hard not to smile back. Her enthusiasm was infectious.
"Come on, let's walk together." she said, taking a step forward.
"Okay."
We walked off together towards the main building, Alice leading the way.
"So, how are you finding it in Forks?" she asked.
"Uhm, well, it's nice. Kind of wet." I said lamely.
Alice laughed, looking fondly at me with eyes slightly darker than gold. Okay, she had to be related to Mr Cullen. "It grows on you. I only just started a few weeks before last semester finished."
"How long does it take for the new kid syndrome to wear off?" I asked.
"A month, maybe?" she grinned at me.
I groaned.
As we entered the building, more heads than usual swivelled in my direction and Alice's. I got the sense that she wasn't somebody that they approached. They all looked at her with awe mixed with fear. I hoped she wasn't the horrible-popular girl type. I hadn't seen her in the cafeteria with the jocks though so maybe they were staring because Alice was drop dead gorgeous.
"How has your day been so far?" Alice asked warmly.
"It's been okay but I feel really homesick." I admitted in a small voice.
"Aw, Bella," Alice smiled apologetically, "I suppose it'll just take a while to get used to. I miss Alaska too."
"Alaska?" I repeated in surprise. "You moved all the way from there?"
Alice smiled. "Yes. I miss the snow but it's all right, Forks gets some pretty decent snow coverage too."
I groaned. "I hate the snow."
She laughed. "Hey, so have you met my brother Edward yet?"
"Do you mean the English teacher, Mr Cullen?" The Mr E. Cullen on my timetable made sense now. Edward. How romantic a name was that? He belonged in an Austen novel.
Alice grinned. "Yes, Mr Cullen, oops. I forget that's what everybody knows him as."
"So you are related. I thought you guys looked similar."
"Yes, he's only twenty five. Fresh out of college and teaching. This is his first job."
"Wow, that's pretty cool." He still seemed too young to be twenty-five. Maybe he just had really good skin. I peeked a sideways glance at Alice and thought she seemed too perfect to be seventeen/eighteen too. She had this air around her like her brother had, like they were too mature for their surroundings, meant for another time and place.
"Do you have any siblings?" she asked chirpily.
"No, it's just me."
"Come on, get in kids!" A woman's voice – Mrs Riaz I suspected –boomed as we neared the History class.
Alice and I filed dutifully into the class. She moved so fast and grabbed a seat at the back. Something about her kept the table next to her clear which I took gratefully. Heads kept turning in our direction until Mrs Riaz began the class.
History passed by in a boring blur. I had Gym next with Alice too so we walked over together. It was pretty great not being lost, I had to admit. She made up most of the conversation, telling me all about herself:
She was one of three siblings, kids to the town's Doctor Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme. They were: Emmet, Edward and her. Emmet was in the college at Alaska studying with his fiancé Rosalie.
"Have you got a boyfriend?" she asked cheerfully as we jogged around the Gym hall to warm up.
I laughed. "No, I don't. I'm too awkward for that."
Alice scoffed. "You've never had a boyfriend?"
"Does getting married to my sandbox partner in first grade count?"
"Depends," she smiled wryly, "how long were you together?"
"About thirty minutes. He left me for another girl." I pretended to look upset.
Alice laughed; the sound was like a peal of tinkering bells. Everything about her was musical and graceful; even as we jogged now, she seemed to be gliding.
"Do you want to grab a coffee or come hang out at mine?" Alice asked after we'd showered and changed.
I stared at her in surprise. We'd only hung out for two hours. Did that qualify us for coffee dates now? "Uhm, maybe tomorrow?" I offered. I kind of just wanted to go home and call my mom to cry.
"Sure," she smiled easily.
We walked out of the changing room together and went off to the car lot. My stomach dropped as I saw the Volvo waiting at the front of the lot.
"Do you need a ride?" Alice offered graciously.
This girl was so sociable it was unnerving. "My ride's right there," I nodded towards my beastly truck, easily the biggest and oldest thing in the lot.
Alice grinned. "Sweet ride. Well, see you tomorrow!" she gave me a quick wave and sauntered off towards the Volvo.
I had to walk in front of their car to get to mine. I tried to keep my head down and walk fast but I couldn't help peeking sideways quickly.
My body flooded with cold as I saw Mr Cullen and Alice glaring at each other. Alice's lips were moving so fast I almost couldn't tell she was speaking. Mr Cullen suddenly looked up and saw me. His eyes flew open in surprise and then narrowed – into anger? Disgust? Loathing? God. Why did he hate seeing me so much?
I looked away quickly and hurried off towards my truck. Stupid Cullen. Stupid English teachers. Stupid cute guys with stupid cute glares.
As I started my truck, the Cullens' car sped past like the driver was unequivocally angry.
Splat. Splat. Splat.
"Ugh!" I slapped my wheel as rain began to pour down from the heavens. I looked up angrily at the heavy grey skies. Talk about pathetic fallacy.
Why was Mr Cullen so angry with me? I thought teachers were meant to make students feel safe, not like they'd done something wrong by being born!
"Damn it!" I cursed. I was meant to check in at the reception at the end of the day. I stared out into the lot, heavy with rain. Puddles had already formed. People ran around the school, hurrying to get home or into their cars. The whole world was a flurry while I was stuck inside my truck, wondering why I felt so sick to my stomach about my English teacher hating me.
Instead of going to the office, I drove out of the school with my hands clasped tight around the wheel. I waited till I got back to Charlie's to let my feelings go.
I ran up to my room and screamed into my pillow, finally succumbing to tears.
I didn't realise how much time had passed as I lay on my bed until Charlie came knocking.
"Bells, you home?" he asked worriedly.
"Huh?" I called thickly.
My door creaked open. "Oh, you're home." Charlie said with relief. "Thank God. I got worried when I didn't hear anybody in the house."
Cop problems. I sighed and looked up at him through bleary eyes. "Sorry. I forgot to make dinner."
Charlie waved my apology away. "It's fine. I'll order us pizza."
I looked at him silently, still lying on my side.
Charlie mussed his dark hair. "So, how was school, Bella? Did you make any friends?"
I closed my eyes momentarily before I shoved myself up into a sitting position. "Yeah, it was fine. I made a friend called Alice Cullen."
Charlie's face split into a smile. "That's great! The Cullens' are a great family, really great. Doctor Cullen has worked so many miracles at Forks Hospital, I tell ya."
I smiled feebly. "Yeah, she's a lovely girl."
"Well, I guess you're tired from your first day." Charlie said awkwardly, looking around my room. "I'll let you rest. I'll bring you up some pizza when it comes."
"No, you don't have to do that." I protested.
"It's fine, let your old man bring you some food up. I never got to do this stuff when you were a kid, not all the time anyway." His pale cheeks went red. Information overload.
"Dad," I said sadly.
"Sorry, I'm just real happy you're here, Bella." He looked at my ceiling as he said this.
"Thanks," I said to my shoes.
"All right. See you in a bit." He pulled the white door shut behind him.
I fell back on to my bed and stared up at my green ceiling. As far as first days at school went, this hadn't been too terrible. I decided that Mr Cullen was just going through menopause and that I would ignore his glares. He'd seemed nice enough when we'd spoken at the end of class. Maybe he just had something in his eye when he saw me in the lot. Maybe there was a crack in his windshield right where I fell into his line of sight. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
The next morning, I had ice in my stomach all the way to school. It sloshed around me uncomfortably as I sat through homeroom with Mike chattering incessantly away in my ear. I mm'd and ahh'd whenever it got silent, not really paying attention to his stupid babble.
I didn't want to go to English. What if Mr Cullen glared at me again?
But I didn't have to worry. when we got into class, it wasn't Mr Cullen who greeted us.
"Hey everyone!" A bubbly young woman called as we sat down. "I'm Miss Lance, I'll be subbing for you guys today. I'm afraid Mr Cullen isn't feeling well."
Huh. Well, at least I got to avoid his glare.
But part of me couldn't shake off the sense that I had something to do with his absence.
Don't be stupid, I scolded myself, how could you- a lame student- have anything to do with his absence? He doesn't even know you.
He knew to call me Bella though.
I wrestled with these thoughts all through to lunch. I was about to head for my truck again when Alice bounded through the cafeteria doors. She was dressed in a tight maroon skater dress and black lacy tights that made her pale legs look even more stunning. Heads swiveled.
"Hey, Bella!" She sang, sliding up to me. "Want to sit together?"
"I was going to slum in my truck, actually. You can come with me?" I could feel the heat of everybody's gaze on Alice andme- mostly Alice.
"Sure!" she trilled.
"Bella!"
I sighed and turned grumpily towards the deep call of my name. It was probably Mike or one of his friends.
"Jacob?" I gasped.
Jacob Black, the son of my dad's best friend Billy, stood before me. He was my height, just a bit over five-four and had jet black hair that fell around his bronze face and friendly smile. Beneath his well-fitted jumper, muscles bulged. Wow. Someone had aged well.
AN:
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