Chapter Two: Welcome To My Living Hell
Chapter Two
Today is the fourteenth of February. Funnily enough I don't really care that it's Valentine's Day. After all the event which defines the break or go of budding relationships, is only celebrated after Saint Valentine. I'm not religious nor am I an Atheist. Just bitter. It's a day where half of America's population can whine about being single, while the other half is having chocolates and roses delivered to their soul mates. Evidence of this can be seen as I trudge through the over whelming corridors of Forks High. Pink, red and white line the lockers and in one locker roses are ever so unfortunately jammed in the clamp of the door; over fear of theft. While one girl weeps over having not received a Valentines. It's almost exactly why I hate Valentine's Day. But I'm not as pathetic as you think, and it's just not that simple.
It's just another day in the dreary day of F.O.R.K.S. High. I should be grateful that I go to such a prestigious school. But I'm not, I don't even know who foots the bill for me - neither do I care. They must be filthy rich seeing as they can afford thirty odd grand a year just for school fees. And not even for their own child. If I had that kind of money, which most of these kids do, I'd spend it on something more useful. Not as a pathetic excuse to donate as guilt free charity. " !" I'm broken through my train of thought as I hear the name given to me no less then Aro. My openly homosexual gay best friend.
"Hi, you're as gay as it gets, " I reply in less enthusiasm, biting back a smile. "Happy as a chick who just got engaged on Valentine's Day," Aro belongs to old money, his parents are as nice as they get in stuffy rich bitch society. One time I was invited to his house for a dinner party, and showed up dressed in my usual jeans and t-shirt and his mum even complemented me. Though I'm not sure if it was actually a complement, her facial expression was dimmed by all her yearly ski trips to the Swisse Alps; and the plastic surgeon who lives there. To state the obvious my visit to high society Aro's McMansion was awkward.
"Shut up you fag!" Some idiot jock yells from the other side of the cafeteria. "Bite me," Aro grins and winks back at the now red faced jock. "Ugh, get me out of here," I groan in frustration at the pea brained jock club, and then glare silently at the table where Edward Cullen sits. "Tell me about it," Aro's not the type to really care about what others think, that's probably why we bonded so quickly.
Here in Forks High it's a different society. In normal schools - which Forks does not apply to - you have the Jocks and the Cheerleaders at the top of the hierarchy. But here, the kings and queens are the 'Untouchables'. Let me start from the bottom: Me. The charity cases or the working class families who can just afford to keep up on pricey rent in the city as well as out of the roof school fees. Children belonging to scholarships or are the offspring of general doctors and lawyers. We fill the bottom of the pyramid. The second layer are the Money Spenders. The children who belong as the rich of the poor and the poor of the rich. They look after the last layer but that's it. Moving higher on the scale. The jocks and the cheerleaders are a thing of the past but just by being on of them, it can score you a one way ticket to the second highest shelf on the hierarchy. The bullies, insinuators, the ones that make you feel like an utter piece of useless shit; if you let it get to you. And at last, there are the 'Untouchables'. The one's above even the governing of teacher. And it sounds stupid but they're like Zeus' and Hera's. Beautiful, filthy rich and well connected. There's only a few of them, so I can count them on my fingers. The Hale twins, Alice Brandon, and the Cullens.
While it's a extremely stuck up way to look at it. I'm just saying it as it is. Fork's High isn't for the faint hearted. It's a playground for the wealthy. And it's exactly why I don't fit in here.
I glance briefly at their table, meeting the eyes of one of the Cullen boys. Smirking to myself, I wink. The ever easily flustered Edward Cullen. It's funny how the leader of our whole high school society is easily the most timid of them all. "Stop it, B" Aro punches me on my arm. "Hey! That didn't really hurt you dick," I poke my tongue at him. "Well it'll hurt even more if Edward orders one of his jockeys to beat us up. And yes I have a dick. It's very big, nice of you to notice, " I roll eyes. Aro could easily be apart of that group, I don't even know why he isn't. I think he even might have been before I came but he doesn't like to talk about the past; so I don't push him on it. Something big must have happened. Either way, Aro's parents are still family friends with the Cullen's so whatever social homicide we commit - we'll be safe.
The way I see it, by the time I'm out of school and through with college I'll be able to take care of Jimmy. And he won't have to go through this hell hole. Jimmy's my little brother, who's currently at day care. When mum and dad left us, it wasn't easy. I was only 16, but with the trust fund already set into motion. All we had was the state to find us a carer. Now we both live with a drunken idiot foster parent - James, who I guess is alright. Half the time James' is too drunk to even care, which suits me just fine. We can look after ourselves just fine.
"So, did anything nice end up in you're locker babe? Anything from Mikey Boy?" Aro asks, giving me a sideways glance. "Because I saw a giant white teddy bear on top of it this morning-" I stare at Aro blankly.
"You're like the over bearing mum I never will have," I grin. "That," I say pauses for dramatic effect, pointing across the room to Jessica Stanley and the giant white teddy bear sitting by her feet "-monstrosity was for Jessica, thankfully," I reply, as I fake gag. "Damn, and here I was looking forward to see some quality rejection from you to some boy toy."
I shrug, glad to not have to deal with Tyler Crowley or Mike Newton. "What about you? Any lover boys?"
"Huh! Honey you know how many I have lining up at my back door," I laugh. Feeling someone's gaze on me I turn around flippantly, ready to glare back in defiance. Instead I gaze into the deep honey pools of Edward Cullen's eyes.
Shit. I silently swear, turning red in the face. By the time I look back up, Cullen is smirking right back at me. For the rest of lunch I silently contemplate what the hell I got myself into. Two faced mother fucker.
The bell rings just in time and I gather my books to get to class. Slamming my locker door shut. "I heard he's connected to the mafia," some freshman gossip in the the hall. "Shut up Marggy, do you really think someone like that would go to Forks?" I spend five minutes lingering in to hallway waiting for the rush of students to die down. I'll be late to double Biology with Banner. But judging by the waves of kids rolling in I prefer detention rather then death by trampling.
Finally the sea of students empties, and I walk into Banner's class silently. "Welcome Miss Swan nice of you to join us," I look up at Mr Banner. My home room teacher and advanced biology teacher. "You earned yourself a lovely after school detention," I nod my head to the back of the classroom.
"Fuck," I silently curse under my breath. "What was that Miss Swan?" Banner asks from the front of the room. The class turns to me silently. As I stare at the only empty sit next to no other then Edward Cullen. "It was me sir, I said 'take a sit' to Bella," Nice save Cullen; but that sounded nothing like a cuss word. I smile stiffly back at Edward, finally taking a seat. "Oh, well then class back to work, Miss Swan turn to page 158, by the way the chapter is included in our book work for this year, so what does that mean class?" An audible groan sounds from the students; mainly from the back two rows. "That's right! Another project counting towards your finals. You'll find you're partner right next to you. You have the rest of the weeks worth of class time to organise, prepare and what not before the project is expected to be completed. Which by the way is not long " Fuck me sideways. I can feel Edwards gaze on me but I take no notice. Flicking to page 158 I scroll down the page, I decide to ignore him for the rest of the class. The awkward silence that I bask in is too mortifying to acknowledge. I work around just as he does with me. Silently praying to God that he doesn't take too much notice of me; anymore then he did at lunch.
Thankfully not before long the bell rings and sounds for the end of the day. The student's all pile out of the class eager to go home, except for me. I wait, and trudge heavily to the front desk. "Sorry Mr Banner."
"Miss Swan, what's going on? You're one of my best students. I can let you go just this once but don't be late again." He folds his hand on top of the desk.
Aw shucks. Mr Banner's one of those kind of teachers that shows a little too much enthusiasm in his students well being. Props to him for being one of the only teachers that actually care. He's only new to the school, and fresh out of college probably full of hopes and dreams. "Thank you Mr Banner, I won't let you down."
"Uhhrghhhhhhhhhhh," I groan my way out of the class.
By the time I arrive home I'm already soaking wet from the PMSing weather. I bend down to retrieve the spare key hidden in the most obscene fake rock. Greeted almost immediately by a relieved Jimmy my thirteen year old brother. Who just as quickly tells me that James in passed out on the sofa and that the fridge is running low on supplies. "You should've rang me, I just passed the stores on my way here." I glance back on James, who by now is snoring loudly on the sofa and contemplate whether I should leave a note. Deciding against the latter I push Jimmy upstairs quietly and tell him to grab a coat. Wiping my hair dry and changing out of my private school clothes. "Are you ready yet?" Jimmy calls from outside the bathroom. I hang my uniform neatly on the rack outside the bathroom. "I am now."
The rain has stopped now, but never the less the sky is still perpetually grey and bleak. We walk a couple of blocks to the corner store down the road to where I also work.
We enter the store and the familiar bell jingles at the sudden movement of the door. Mr Cho greets us from the counter reminding me of my shifts over the weekend. "You can get something you want as well," I shoo Jimmy off to collect the essentials that really James should have been shopping for.
It's a Monday so there aren't to many people there. But to my surprise Edward Cullen stands in the aisle directly in front of me. Admits the after school shoppers and outside of the Upper East Side.
My eyes wander to the rope that is wound strategically around his fore arm, to the box of matches in his hands. I contemplate the risk I have of heading in that direction without being noticed. But decide against it. Turning instead to make a divert path to Jimmy who stands on the far end of the aisle.
The last thing I need is for Mr Cho to call out my name, but it's exactly what i get. "Bella," he hollers from the front desk to remind me to collect last weeks pay from the counter. It's too late. I freeze. Feeling Edward's penetrating gaze from behind me. I slowly turn around and contemplate the likelihood and possibility of the ground opening up and swallowing me hole. I could just imaging the headline. "Local Girl is Swallowed Alive By Sink Hole of Embarrassment"
A throat clears.
"Hello, Bella."