Chapter 2 – First Impressions
The rest of week went by much the same as the first day had. I was settling into a comfy little routine of acing my classes while trying not to let the inane chatter that constantly spewed forth from Jessica and Lauren kill any of my brain cells. If I was ever going to make it at a top university, I would need every last I.Q. point I could hang on to.
By Friday morning, I was confident that this semester would be exactly what I needed. Forks was not an exciting town, by any stretch of the imagination, but I was content to just keep to myself and read a good book. I could get used to the rain and the lack of sunlight, because I was really just biding my time until I finally got to go to college.
I imagined college to be a magical world of challenging coursework, deep discussions, and the potential to meet people with whom I shared common interests. And perhaps I'd meet an intellectual guy who I could actually carry on a conversation with. Don't get me wrong, I love guys. Well, I love looking at guys, at least. Somehow, when they open their mouths, it all goes south. I desperately hoped that college boys would be more mature than their high school counterparts, with slightly more to offer than sports conversations and constant, inappropriate boners.
When I left Phoenix, I resolved not to repeat my past mistakes. Arriving here at Forks, I vowed not to date anyone until I graduated high school. While I tried to convince myself that the self-imposed dating ban was just about wanting to focus fully on my academics, I couldn't ignore the fact that a large part of the decision was a result of everything that happened with James back in Arizona. What had started off as a little innocent flirtation eventually spiraled out of control, morphing into an unhealthy relationship that ended in near-disaster.
I met James at the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. I noticed him immediately; he was absolutely gorgeous, with soft, closely cropped blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was new to the school that year, and apparently he was such a talented soccer player that he was able to walk into a position on our varsity team. What surprised me was that he seemed to notice me, too.
Though his tanned, toned body was certainly visually appealing, I wasn't impressed by his athletic prowess, unlike pretty much every other female in the school. They practically formed an entire religion around him, gathering daily at his locker to worship at the shrine of his body. Since that's definitely not my style, I made no move to join the Church of James. In fact, I was a little disgusted by all the attention he was getting just because he was a good looking soccer star. As far as anyone knew, he could be a deranged serial killer. A very sick, very hot serial killer.
However, my opinion of him changed the first time I heard him speak in my Honors English class. We were having a somewhat heated discussion of Milton's Paradise Lost. Defending Satan's viewpoint eloquently, James suddenly stood and quoted, "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n." In that moment, I realized that I had misjudged him when I pegged him instantly as a shallow, self-absorbed athlete.
Perplexed by his depth of understanding of the poem, I approached him after class, and we continued the discussion well into our lunch hour. Speaking to him at length for the first time, I was impressed by his thoughtfulness and complexity, as well as surprised by his intensity. With the same fervent intensity that he argued his points in class and dominated plays on the soccer field, he pursued me. I flirted, but resisted his advances at first, because sometimes I intuitively sensed that he enjoyed the thrill of the hunt more than he actually enjoyed my company.
Eventually, I gave in to his charms and we started dating exclusively, but it seemed as though James always wanted more from me. He demanded increasing amounts of my time and attention, driving a wedge between me and my best friend Angela, as well as causing my grades to suffer. Even worse, he never respected the boundaries that I set for our physical relationship. James certainly never assaulted me, but he constantly tried to push me to the very limits of what I would allow him to do. I was no prude, and I was definitely attracted to him, but I knew myself well, and I certainly wasn't ready to have sex with him or anyone else.
After dating for around six months, I realized that our relationship was exhausting me. My grades were slipping, my other friendships were suffering, and I was completely tired of feeling like I was being chased. Sensible girl that I was, I decided to call it quits with James before things got any more serious. Unfortunately, his single-mindedly tenacious personality did not equip him to deal well with rejection.
When I confessed to him that I didn't think we should see each other anymore, his fiery temper exploded in a display worse than I'd ever seen. He refused to take "no" for an answer, and I became so frightened that I actually had to get the police involved. In what I considered to be one of the worst possible outcomes of our relationship, James began stalking me. He followed me constantly, lingering beside my car after school and creeping around outside my windows at night. When he began threatening me verbally, I felt like I had no other choice but to get a restraining order against him.
So, when Renee and Phil moved to Florida, I was thrilled at the chance to get out of Phoenix and start fresh. Out of love for my mother and respect for her wish to travel around with Phil and his ball team, I made the decision to move to Forks and live with Charlie. I rededicated myself to my schoolwork and promised that I wouldn't date anymore until college.
While I realized that two years was a long time to go without getting any regular action, I figured I'd survive. Besides, I wasn't above having a few no-strings-attached makeout sessions in the interim. Not that I'd seen anyone at Forks High who I'd like to make out with. Ick. The best looking person I've seen here is Lauren, and she's a bitch. Even if she weren't, I don't like girls that way. But if I were forced to choose between her and Mike Newton… Let's not go there.
My wandering thoughts were interrupted by the loud buzz of my alarm, which I deactivated immediately. I felt well-rested for once, so I climbed right out of bed without even bargaining with myself for another five minutes of warm cozyness. It was Friday morning, and I was in a good mood. The sun even looked as though it might peek through the clouds intermittently today, which was a small miracle considering my current locale.
Gliding through my morning routine, I put a little extra sexy into it on account of my cheerfulness. I even decided to dress up a little (for me), slipping into lacy blue underthings, a scandalous denim mini skirt, a tight grey knit top, and knee high black leather boots. I took one last glance in the mirror as I applied an extra coat of sparkly lip gloss. Smokin' hot. In reality, I looked a bit more like a hooker than I would have liked, but it was a little late to change. Somehow, I was running late as usual, and I collected my gear before flying out the door to my car.
As I hopped into the driver's seat, I was acutely aware of the sensation of the cool, buttery leather against the backs of my bare legs. I revved the engine to life, and I turned the volume of the radio all the way up. Oh, yes. Today was going to be a good day.
By the time I finished rocking out to Kanye's Love Lockdown, I had reached campus. I could tell from a distance that almost every spot in the student lot was already occupied, so I automatically drove around into the faculty parking lot. Without even slowing down, I swung the car into a tight sideways skid, screeching to a stop precisely in front of the building. Fucking perfect car. I love you.
Beeping the locks behind me, I strode towards the door. Suddenly, I had the strangest sensation that someone was watching me. Fully cognizant of my microscopic skirt, I swung my hips a little as I made my entrance. I hope you enjoyed the show, asshole.
When I reached my first period class, there was a static buzz of excitement in the air, and I could hear bits and pieces of hushed conversations. "What's the deal, dude?" I asked of no one in particular.
"Ohmygod, you're no longer the newest student at Forks High," Jessica gushed immediately. I merely raised my eyebrows and waited for her to continue. "So the new town doctor, Dr. Cullen, has like five adopted kids, and they're totally all starting school today."
I nodded my acknowledgement, then turned my attention to the teacher. I didn't enjoy being rude, but people like Jess had to be owned, or they'd try to own you. Ah, so I'm no longer the New Kid. That's good; I think these fools were running dangerously low on fodder for gossip. Talking about five new students will keep them busy for at least a month.
The morning flew by, and every class period hummed with the same excited whispers. I caught sight of one of the new students in my Trig class. She was a tiny, pixie-like creature with pale skin and spiky black hair. The girl moved with unparalleled grace, and when she turned her head to face me, I let out a gasp of surprise. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with delicate, perfect features.
My lips formed an involuntary smile as I appreciated the aesthetics of her angelic face. The tiny girl caught me staring at her, grinning like an idiot, and she returned my smile with a warm smile of her own. "Hi, I'm Alice," she said in a musical voice.
"Bella," I responded, reaching out to shake her frail little hand. "Nice to meet you. Welcome to Hell," I added pleasantly.
Alice giggled. "It's nice to meet you, too, Bella. I have a feeling we're going to be great friends."
She turned back to face the front, and I raised an eyebrow at the whole exchange. What the fuck was that? Actually, though, something about her manner struck a familiar chord with me. We'd only just met, but somehow I felt as though I'd known her for years. It was an odd sensation, and I shook it off with a deliberate toss of my long, silken hair.
Jessica caught my attention, having overheard our brief conversation. She mouthed the words "total freak". I shrugged ambivalently, but I prickled internally at the insult to little Alice.
Spanish passed by uneventfully, and my growling stomach indicated that it was, in fact, time for lunch. The skirt and I (it attracted enough attention that it merited individual acknowledgment) headed for the cafeteria, and at some point I noticed that Jess and Lauren were flanking me, one behind each shoulder. I guess that makes me their fearless leader. Oh, goody.
I stepped into the food line, aware of the fact that every guy within a 15 foot radius was unabashedly ogling my ass. I leaned over, pretending to adjust my shoe, and I heard a tray clatter to the floor directly behind me.
"Bella, you just literally made that guy drop his food. It's seriously like all over him now," Jess informed me, gazing at me in awe.
"Yeah, and?" I questioned coolly. Everyone must play their role, and apparently mine's Queen Bitch.
Squirming uncomfortably then changing the subject, Jessica quickly moved on to her favorite topic of the day, the Cullens. "So I've got all the dirt on the new kids, and trust me, it's controversial. They were all adopted…"
"Shut up, Jess," Lauren interrupted. "They're right over there. Wait 'till we get to the table."
Shut down by me, then Lauren, in succession, Jessica looked utterly defeated. She stood there, tail between her legs, until we got to the front of the line. I purchased a vanilla yogurt and a diet coke. School food sucks. I'll eat something more substantial when I get home.
As the two lapdogs hurried to complete their transactions and join me, I turned and strode purposefully toward our table. Swinging my hips in time to an imaginary beat, I felt the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria follow me across the room. Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta.
I reached the table, where Newton was anxiously waiting to pull out a chair for me, and I quickly scanned the room. As I sat down, my eyes met the cold, stony gaze of the most heart-stoppingly beautiful boy I had ever seen. He was thin and lanky, with an untidy tangle of bronze-colored hair. He had pale skin and perfect, angular features. The most compelling parts of his inhumanly beautiful face, however, were his piercing green eyes. Suddenly, inevitably, I was drowning in them—drowning in a sea of green. He glanced away, disinterested, and the spell was broken.
Unaware that I'd been holding my breath, I automatically inhaled with a shudder. Get it together, B. Sure, he's gorgeous, but you've seen better. Though it helped to calm my palpitating heart, the statement was untrue. The boy had the face of an angel, and I'd never seen anyone so perfect.
Newton, annoyingly attentive pup that he was, immediately noticed my distress. I made the excuse that I wasn't feeling well, and rested my chin on my arm. Lauren, Jess, and Tyler joined us at the table, and Jessica immediately launched back into her story about the Cullens. Only, this time, I listened with acute interest.
"So Dr. and Mrs. Cullen can't have kids of their own, but they're like ridiculously rich and everything, and they adopted these five older kids. They're all gorgeous, obviously, but they're really stuck-up, and I hear they're all total freaks." I grimaced at Jessica's candor, but she continued, oblivious. "The really fucked-up part is that they're all together, like as couples. And they live together," she said, a hint of condemnation coloring her tone. "The huge, muscular boy is Emmett, and he's with the blonde girl, Rosalie. The tall blonde guy who looks like he's in pain is Jasper. He's actually Rosalie's twin. Anyway, he's with Alice, the little spiky-haired one."
"How the hell do you know all this stuff?" Tyler wondered. "They just moved here today!"
"Are you kidding? I've been waiting for the Cullens to arrive from Alaska for like two months now. It's a small town, you know? People talk," Jessica responded. Tyler just laughed and shook his head.
"And the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I interjected.
"In love already, Isabella?" Lauren questioned with a snide little smirk.
I actually hissed at her, and the smirk disappeared from her face. Ha.
"That's Edward," Jessica continued. "Hot, but moody and entirely unapproachable. I think he's got the whole brooding intellectual thing going. I wouldn't bother, if I were you."
"Are you kidding?" I snorted. "I wouldn't bother even if he begged me." So untrue. But he can beg if he'd like. On his knees. Preferably naked. Jess and Lauren laughed adoringly, and Mike looked pleased.
I couldn't stop myself from sneaking another glance in Edward's direction. He chose that moment to look up, meeting my gaze with a fiery look of barely contained disgust. Huh? For the first time since the eighth grade, I felt my face flush with burning heat. Now I'm blushing again? Fantastic.
I stood up from the table, diet coke in hand, and stated simply, "I've gotta bounce." As I made my hasty exit from the cafeteria, I could again feel the eyes of most of the student body following my departure. I guess my novelty hasn't quite worn off yet. Note to self: don't wear this skirt to school anymore.
I proceeded directly to the ladies' room, where I locked the stall door behind me and sank to the floor with my back against it. Breathe, Bella. Just when I was settling into a comfortable routine here, suddenly it felt as though my world had been turned upside down and shaken.
I couldn't figure out why I was feeling this way, when all he did was look at me. I couldn't deny that what I was feeling was a direct result of what I had seen in the bronze-haired boy's blazing green eyes. I found something in the depths of his eyes – something that touched my very soul. Am I going crazy? Get your shit together, Bella!
I took a deep, calming breath in an attempt to collect myself, then I left the confines of my stall and headed for Biology. I was determined to forget my little episode in the cafeteria and pretend like Edward Cullen didn't exist. I devised my dating ban for a reason, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let some pretty-boy screw it up.
I reminded myself that this was about my life – my schoolwork, my chances at college admission, and my future. It was also about protecting myself from people like James. I shuddered at the mere thought. If I had to pretend to be a shallow, icy bitch to keep people at a distance and accomplish my goals, then it was a small price to pay.
Arriving at the Bio classroom a few minutes early, I settled into my big, empty desk, spread out my materials, and began reviewing my notes from the last lecture. When the other students began to filter in, Mike came to sit on the corner of my desk and bug the shit out of me, as per his usual routine. As Mike finally wandered back over to his seat, Jessica turned to give me a dirty look.
Unaffected, I met her gaze with a winning smile and a shrug. "Don't hate the playa," I began, but I stopped, mouth gaping open, when I suddenly realized that the lanky angel from the cafeteria was now standing directly at the end of my table. Up close, I could see that he was quite tall – about 6'2'' – and not nearly as thin as he'd appeared when he was sitting by his muscle-bound brother.
He wore a tight, long sleeved charcoal t-shirt, and I could see the muscles on his forearms where his sleeves were pushed up to his elbows. My eyes moved up his arms to his well-defined shoulders, then across his tight pecs. Damn. With great effort, I closed my still-gaping mouth, then raised my eyebrows inquisitively. "Yes?" I squeaked.
He paused, but the look on his flawless face spoke volumes. He was clearly not impressed. Whether he was unimpressed by me, the entire Olympic peninsula, or life in general, I wasn't entirely sure. Finally, he spoke. "Hello, I'm Edward Cullen. Mr. Banner just informed me that we will be lab partners for the semester." His words were terse but polite, and the velvet tones of his voice temporarily stunned me.
"Bella," I managed. "Bella Swan."
Edward sat down in the empty chair beside me, and I gathered my belongings to my side of the shared table. Thankfully, it was a lecture day, so I didn't have to interact with him anymore. However, I couldn't resist stealing little glances at his profile. He was so beautiful that it made my heart ache. Look but don't touch, B. He'd only disappoint you, anyway.
On about the third glance, he caught me staring, so I let a protective curtain of hair fall between us, shielding me from his inexplicably hostile green gaze. Trying to distract myself, I paused my note-taking briefly to reapply my pink lip gloss, and I caught Edward rolling his eyes at me contemptuously. Oh hell, no.
I had every intention of confronting him after class and recommending a procedure to remove the stick from up his ass, but when the bell rang, he sprung up immediately and disappeared from the classroom. I was left in his wake, confused and somewhat pissed off. Wow. He already hates me, and we've barely spoken two words to each other. As an added bonus, he's so gorgeous that I can barely keep my eyes off him. This is certainly going to make for an awkward semester.
Gym class was an absolute disaster, because I was paying even less attention than usual. Oh, hmm, I wonder what has me so distracted? We played co-ed floor hockey today, and I inadvertently maimed a record three people. I passed off two of the injuries as having resulted from my overly aggressive playing style.
"Sorry, Coach, I just got caught up in the game," I said, batting my eyelashes shamelessly.
The third injury was a clear case of friendly fire, and there was no way to disguise the fact that I had accidentally racked my teammate (Mike Newton, no less) in the nuts with my hockey stick. I apologetically handed him an ice pack, and he informed me that he felt much better at the end of the period.
I changed quickly then raced out to the parking lot, anxious to be within the peaceful confines of my car. Making it there in record time, I shut the car door behind me then closed my eyes, laying my head back on the seat and inhaling deeply the smell of the rich leather interior. I immediately felt more relaxed, and I couldn't help but smile in pleasure as the engine purred. The long, terrible day was finally over.
As I pulled out of my spot, I noticed the charming Edward Cullen glaring at me from his position beside a shiny silver Volvo. His weak attempt to burst my little bubble of happiness infuriated me, and as I passed him, I flipped him a perfectly-manicured bird. Welcome to Forks, asshole. The surprised look on his face made me smile even wider as I pulled onto the highway with a definitive squeal of my tires.