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Chapter 2
Head Down
Senior Year... (Bella is seventeen.)
"If you just keep your head down and just try and do your thing, sometimes magic happens." - Gavin Rossdale.
I kept my eyes on the tiled flooring as I rushed my way through Forks High School's chaotic hallways. Hallways in general are just messy places, especially in high school; but for me they tend to be a complete living hell. They're always that next level of terror for me. They're the one place where I'm completely out in the open, and I couldn't just see everyone. It's impossible for me to have kept my eyes peeled.
Instead, I did the exact opposite. I kept my head down, and prayed that nobody would notice me. At one point in my life, I would have loved to have been noticed. I would have enjoyed the extra attention. Instead, I have to fear it. Because when you're in this school, and your name is Bella Swan, attention means some form of trouble.
I hated the feeling of being out in the open. I didn't like the idea that I had no control over a situation. Whether they would shove me into the lockers, take my things, or pull my hair. I just never liked the idea of being the lower hand in every single setting. That was all I could give while I was at school though – my attendance.
The educational part of school was fun for me. Learning new things was something that I once enjoyed. I always had a bit of a quicker brain. I was far from gifted, but I got good test-scores, and understood the concepts. I would have given anything just go have a day with the books. The kids in my class, and the lower classes, ruined all of that for me. Every last bit of hope in the academics.
I couldn't see myself going to college in a year. Not after going to school in Phoenix and having people hate me. Then going to school in Forks and having people hate me. The adult world would be different, but not in the right way. People are always mean – no matter how old you are or where you go to school. So, I just assumed that I would spend the rest of my life doing something on the down-low.
It was a bit pathetic, the way that I got by. I just couldn't think of another option. It was just how I'd lived for so long. When I turned up with a bruise, I told my dad that I was clumsy. When the teachers asked me to stay after class, asking me if things were okay at home, I told them the truth.
I told them that home was great. It was really a great place for me. The thing I didn't tell them was the part about how it was school where I wasn't getting things. It was at school where they should be taking people down for harassment. But I kept my lips sealed – I couldn't pull a snitch. They'd kill me. The kids would have really killed me for something like that.
I sighed softly, relieved as I got to my locker. I began doing my combination when I heard a crash. It was the same sound that I made when I got knocked right into the metal lockers. Only it was louder, and sounded a little more dense. As if it were something much bigger than me. I pursed my lips, and tried not to look, but my eyes slowly drifted down the rows until I saw where things had just gone down.
There was a guy, he looked about my age. His hair was very messy, and was this weird color. I'd never really seen hair like it. It had red in it...and some brown...and then some bronze. It was copper, like a penny. The florescent lights made it look shiny, and smooth. It took a moment for me to realize that I'd been staring at his hair while a bunch of jocks were pounding on him. Mike Newton being one of him.
If one would consider Mike Newton a jock at all...
The boy's glasses were knocked off of his face, and they had him by the green Polo shirt then. I cringed, knowing that I should have done something. But I also knew that they'd only try to kill me while they were at it. So, I shoved my face in my locker and didn't respond further than that.
When things quieted, I knew that I needed to get a move on or I'd be late. So, I quickly closed my locker and turned to walk away. That's when I noticed the boy was still over there. He had his hands over his eyes, but I just walked faster than before. I was afraid that he'd do something too. Maybe he was angry, and he wanted revenge. I didn't want to be the one in front of him when he came to term with that.
I walked into trigonometry, and dragged myself to the back of the classroom. I sat down in the back and tried not to make any eye-contact again. Only this time, I hadn't been as lucky as before. A perfectly manicured hand suddenly slammed down in front of me and I felt a chill run up my spine.
They were Tanya's nails. They always were filed to almost a point – they reminded me of a cat. It was fitting, as she'd always been such a catty person. I turned my head and still didn't look up at her as she began tapping her fingers in front of me. That's when I heard Jessica snigger from my left side. She always sat there, I just didn't look at her.
The bullying changed quite a bit over time. They went from pulling my pigtails, to completely ripping out handfuls of hair if they were in a bad enough mood. They no longer rubbed my face in the dirt, but rather held it to a locker as they took turns kicking me around. I once tried to make an online social account, and the moment I got on, they made comments on my page and about me. So, I deleted it and moved on. They took every chance they had to embarrass me, hurt me, or just upset me.
I did everything that I knew in order to keep them from knowing. The only place that tears ever fell was in my bedroom, after my dad was asleep. I didn't give them the satisfaction of looking me in the eyes and insulting me. I didn't tell anyone, so they couldn't feel proud of what they did. At least, not to that total extent. I'm sure they could see through sometimes, and that's why they kept at it. But I pretended otherwise – for my own sanity.
I sighed as Tanya patted my hand softly, and then slapped it with a smack. I hissed, pulling it back and looking up at her. I hadn't made eye-contact, but now I could see the menacing look on her face. I could tell that she was annoyed with something, (God forbid something annoy Tanya,) and that she was looking at me.
"What? Can't look me in the eyes, Swan? What a sociopath!" She barked out a laugh and I recognized that she sounded like a hyena. I didn't dare say a word though.
"How many books have you read where the ugly-duckling wasn't weird though?" Jessica began her little rant too, the both of them in guffaws.
Gosh damn, they were both just so clever! I thought to myself. It never ceased to amaze me, how easily entertained the pair were.
"Please," Tanya smirked. That's when the teacher came in, as if on cue, and started class. Tanya was in her seat faster than I've ever seen her move, and made it look as if I liked cowering in a seat in the back.
The rest of the day went similar to that. In example, at lunch, Rosalie Hale and Alice Cullen knocked a tray from my hands. They claimed something about how I didn't need anymore carbs with the belly that I was growing. And that quickly turned into pregnant jokes. I felt my face burn as I ran from the room – I hated it when they made a scene about me.
So, I hid in the library. I read a little bit of my favorite book. I had always been a huge fan of the classics. Romeo and Juliet, Anne of Green Gables, and Pride and Prejudice. Those were only a few of my favorites. I read Pride and Prejudice so many times that my personal copy was all but in pieces. I kept on reading that tattered book though.
When I looked up from my book, I was surprised to see that head of hair from earlier. It looked even prettier under the skylights that were in the library, and I smiled at the thought of somebody in this school knowing how to read. Slowly, I put the book back over my face though. I didn't want to make him feel embarrassed for being here or something. It was probably the best place for him at this moment in time.
I finished the end of the book again just as the bell rang. I waited until the two minute bell to go to class. That was when the real traffic would be, and that was when I knew that kids wouldn't have time to mess with me. I wanted to say something as the boy from earlier flew out of there, but I chose to hold my tongue. It was none of my business what he did and didn't do. I had no say over that matter.
When I got to my biology class unharmed, I let out a sigh. I sped to the back, as quickly as I could without completely losing my footing, and sat down in my usual seat. The class was an odd number, so I never had a lab partner. Neither did Angela Weber, because her's transferred last month. We didn't work together though, because Mr. Varner was so strict about our seating chart.
Angela had always been generally nice to me. She spent elementary school, and most of middle school following the in-crowd. It didn't take them long to decide that she wasn't included, and to drop her like a piece of trash. She still had some friends though, and she was dating a boy named Ben Cheney. They were both nice, I guess. I just didn't talk to them. I didn't want to subject them to my bullying.
I watched as Mr. Varner came in, talking to the kid I'd seen earlier. It suddenly hit me that he was probably a new kid. It was rare that Forks got a new kid, let alone one that the rest of the school didn't like. The last time that happened was when I moved here with my mom. Mr. Varner had him sit with Angela, and so I moved to look out the window.
We ended up just watching a movie about the different stages of mitosis. I was bored, as I'd already read all of this once while I hid in the bathroom from Lauren once. So, I pulled out my spiral and doodled on the margins. I was no artist, but it was an easy way to get my mind off of the bigger things.
When Mr. Varner turned the lights back on, I had to sit there for a minute and adjust my eyes. It'd been dark for the better part of the hour, and I got used to it. When he turned the main lights on, it felt like when my dad has to get me up if I oversleep. How he would turn the lights on, and I would just want to bury myself under the covers and go back to sleep. I sighed, stretching in my place, and waited for him to pass out the homework.
I finished the packet that he passed out within ten minutes. When I was done, I turned it in and asked to go to the bathroom. Mr. Varner let me, and so I grabbed my bag and went.
When I got into the stall, I pulled out my gym clothes and changed. I did this when I could. It saved me from the ridicule that the girls would give me in the locker-room. And this way, I could just get to the gym and not have to fight my way through the mess of a hallway.
I made my way to the gym in peace. I sat down on the bleachers and pulled out my copy of Romeo and Juliet. I had to write a report on it for English. Even though I'd already read the book four billion times. I probably knew the story like the back of my hand. I knew the other classics as well. English was an all too easy class for me, I guess you could say.
It seemed all too soon that the gym filled up with girls. Coach Clapp came in and began giving us directions on basketball. I wasn't happy to be playing, but nobody wanted me on their team anyway. So, I awkwardly stood to the side and moved a bit when the coach looked at me. Nobody seemed to care, thankfully.
When the bell rang, Jessica pretended to be startled. She threw the basketball straight up in the air, somehow placing it perfectly, and it came down to hit me in the head. I tumbled to the floor and groaned as coach called for us to get a move on. I stood up after a couple seconds of keeping my head between my knees. The ball had hit me hard enough that there was sure to be a knot later. The final bell rang just as I got in the locker-room.
The girls all ran past me, and made it their point to knock their shoulders into me. I had to grab the wall for support, as I was dizzy from the entire basketball incident. When they had finally passed, I slowly made my way in and changed out of the nasty t-shirt and shorts.
With my t-shirt and jeans on, and my hair back in a messy bun, I made my way out of the locker-room in silence. I got to the parking-lot and unlocked my truck. My dad bought it for me for my seventeenth birthday. He'd bought it off of an old friend, and it was far from new, but I found it much better than riding in the cruiser every day. So, I thankfully began putting my things in the back of it.
"Nice ride, duck!" I heard someone yell across from the parking lot. I turned, feeling annoyed as I scanned the crowded lot of cars.
My eyes skimmed over the crowd, but I never put the voice to a face. I knew that it was pointless, as plenty of people liked to make fun of me. I shook my head, and then caught sight of something interesting.
It was Alice Cullen, one of the ring-leaders of my bullies. She looked to be arguing with the boy that I'd seen around school all day. The new one, with the hair and the glasses. She looked absolutely aggravated, and his face looked completely hurt as she hissed something at him. Rosalie was at her side, laughing with her head back. I felt the urge to go help the guy, but I knew better. I just prayed that he would walk away before they could turn the school completely. He began shaking his head and looked at me.
My face burned and I looked back at my bag. I listened as Alice began howling with laughter. Rosalie joined in milliseconds later, and I glanced up to find the boy walking towards the sidewalk. It looked like he would be walking home for whatever reason. I frowned at my bag, wishing that I'd had the courage to offer him a ride. I just feared that he'd be ashamed to ride with me like everyone else. I shook my head at myself as he neared me. He was just walking past my truck when I turned around for the shock of my life.
A blue van, which I recognized as Tyler Crowley's came skidding across the asphalt. I felt my eyes widen as I backed up in my truck. It was too late when I realized that I should have ran away from my truck, and not backed into it, as he was coming straight for me.
The front of the van hit the front of my truck, and it turned a bit. In the process, it knocked me to the ground. I felt my head jerk and smack against the hard ground. I slowly, completely in a daze, turned to see the other end of the truck nearing me. Somehow, by a small miracle, he managed to gain control of the car and stop the other end just as it ran over my arm.
I let out a sharp wail as I heard my arm snap under the tire. I knew that I should have been happy that I was alive, but it really hurt. I cursed loudly and wasn't able to move as he backed the van up, and pulled out. I screamed when the tire ran back over my arm. The van was gone before I could manage to process anything that had really just happened.
"Are you okay?" I heard a voice scream. Footsteps were padding their way to me, and all I could do was try and recognize the voice. I looked up to see the kid with the hair again. My head was spinning a little too much for me to think about it. "Hello? Can you talk?"
The boy dropped to his knees beside me and began straightening me out. I let out a yelp when he moved my arm. He apologized softly, and pulled out what looked like a phone. I didn't waste time admiring the phone, as I had finally see his eyes up close.
I didn't think that there was a thing in the world like them.
His eyes were an emerald green. They were deep, and had small, gold specks around the pupil. I focused on them in order to keep my mind off of the incessant pounding in my skull. That's when I realized that he was talking on the phone – he'd called nine-one-one.
"The ambulance will be here soon. Okay?" He offered me and I just looked at him. I had enough common sense to know that if I nodded, I would be in for some major headache.
"Thank you..." I sniffled.
"No. Why are you thanking me?" He asked and I closed my eyes, letting a deep sigh out.
"Because...everyone else high-tailed it out of here the moment that Tyler came speeding through. You probably just saved my life – because I never would have been able to call someone." I rambled and he shrugged.
"Well, I don't know why they left you...but it's dumb." He murmured and I just smiled sheepishly.
When the ambulance showed up, I groaned. It was my step-mom, Sue. My dad had remarried to her about three years ago. I have two little siblings now, they're three, and their names are Seth and Leah. I love her like another mom, but I didn't want her here right now. I didn't want to freak my dad out, because I knew she probably already called him at the mention of an accident at my school.
Sue's eyes were a darker brown than my dad and mine. Her hair was also darker than ours. And her skin. The kids had taken more after her than my dad, thankfully. My dad looked okay, but I felt bad for another kid to have to look like me. I looked like an albino with brown hair. I was far from attractive. My stepmother? She was gorgeous.
"Bella! What happened?" She asked softly as they put a c-collar around my neck.
"Tyler's van hit me..." I murmured.
"Her arm looks shattered, Sue," I heard the other EMT mutter.
"He hit you?"
"Well, it hit the front of her truck, and that knocked her to the ground. Then, it ricocheted off and stopped right on her arm. He left though...I got his plates!" The boy offered and Sue smiled thankfully at him.
"Is that what happened, Miss Swan?" The male EMT asked me and I said yes.
"Your dad's going to have a conniption, Isabella." Sue sighed and tutted as they gently lifted me onto the backboard. The kid with the hair had helped them by holding the gurney as they lifted me onto the thing.
"Can I ride with you guys?" The boy asked them, his eyes soft and hopeful. I figured that was because he just wanted a ride home. I knew how it felt to walk home everyday, as I had up until last year, so, I gave Sue a pleading look. Her face suddenly lit up as she nodded. I didn't know what it was all about, but I was happy that she was cooperating.
On the way there, they checked all of my vitals and talked to me. I didn't answer much, as it hurt my head to move my jaw. Sue seemed very suddenly interested in Edward (which he told her that his name was), as she asked him questions about himself. They weren't anything serious, just small things about the movies he liked and the songs he listened to. I listened, interested in getting to know somebody for once. Even if they weren't there for me.
When we pulled up at the hospital, there was a commotion. A blond doctor, who I remembered from a few visits here was my main doctor. He rushed me in and had me prepped for x-rays on my skull and arm. I hated the smell of the hospital, so I spent most of that time with my eyes closed and my mine elsewhere.
Like on Edward, for instance.
I mentally scolded myself for that thought. I knew better than to become attached to people. Even if he wanted something to do with me, I doubted that he would want to stick around for long. It would take about a day for him to realize why all of those other cars peeled-out at the scene of the accident.
They wanted nothing to do with me.
The doctor said something about having to put my arm back into place, and got me into a more private area in the ER. He had a nurse sedate me, and I quickly passed out. Between my head, and the needle...I don't think I stood a chance of staying awake. I knew that I wasn't supposed to, because the doctor kept on scolding me when I closed my eyes, but I honestly didn't care anymore.
It felt as if I had blinked when I opened my eyes again. Only this time, I was on a cot in the emergency room. The lights were bright as I glanced around slowly, noticing that my head still hurt. I let go of a breath that I didn't know that I was holding. I looked up to see my father pacing, Sue attempting to calm him, Doctor Cullen, and then Edward.
Doctor Cullen's attention wasn't on me this time. He was talking to Edward about something, and I knew it must have been odd, because Edward's cheeks were bright pink. Edward kept glancing at me, and I knew that he didn't want to be in whatever position that I'd caused him to land. I was really surprised though, when he glanced at me to find I was awake, and ran over to me.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked me expectantly and I shrugged.
"I'm tired...and my arm feels...numb. My head hurts though." I whispered, cringing when he spoke so loudly.
"Sorry," he whispered.
"Bella, it seems you landed yourself a mighty fine concussion. What I don't understand is how the concussion didn't come from the accident..." His brows furrowed and I slowly cocked my head to the side. "It seems that you were hit rather roughly through here," he motioned to the front of his head – where I'd been hit with the basketball. "Do you know what happened there?"
"I got hit with a basketball..." I sighed, mentally cursing Jessica. "It was literally right before the accident."
"Bella! If you got hit that hard, you should have came straight here! What if you'd have gone home and gone to sleep?" My dad asked me, his eyes scared as he ran his hand through his hair again. "You know that can put people into comas!"
"I'm alright, dad." I whispered and he shook his head.
"But you really messed up," He shook his head. "This boy over here...he gave me that Tyler kid's plate number. I have his address already."
"Dad," I groaned and he shook his head adamantly.
"It's one thing for him to have hit my little girl, but to have hit her and then left her there. I don't think so." He spoke seriously and I wanted to bang my head against the wall. Okay, maybe I didn't, but I was getting frustrated again.
"Well, I can't lie...if it weren't for Edward, I probably would still be laying out there. Everybody left as it happened." I breathed heavily and Doctor Cullen tutted.
"Edward's your boy, right?" My dad asked Doctor Cullen and he nodded, and shrugged.
"He's my nephew." Doctor Cullen smiled proudly. "He's a great kid, really."
"Good." My dad nodded sternly. I began to wonder if my face would ever return to it's natural color with how much I was blushing.
"So...you're okay, Bella?" Edward asked me, looking seriously interested in how I felt. I smiled at him.
"Thanks...you can go if you want."
"Why would I want to? I have to ride with Uncle Carlisle anyway." He asked and I pursed my lips for a moment.
"Nothing big...people just don't tend to hang around me." I sighed and closed my eyes.
Carlisle continued talking about how I had a completely broken arm, and how I'd have to stay in my cast for a couple weeks. I dreaded this, as it would give everyone more reason to say something about me. It was good, because it got me out of P.E., but not much else. When he finished, he offered for me to stay there until Charlie got off of work. I agreed, knowing that he and Charlie got off around the same time, and that I'd have someone watching me.
Edward sat down beside me when his uncle finished and talked to me. He was talking about his cat, Victoria, and I couldn't help but smile as I listened. Even though it was nothing important, or all too personal, it was more interaction with my peers than I'd ever had. I relished in the comfort that it brought me.
The more that I thought about it, the more that my day reminded me of a quote by Gavin Rossdale. I didn't listen to a lot of his music, but his words had always stood out to me. They were something about how if you keep your head down, and keep to yourself, sometimes magic things could happen. I didn't know how long magic could last, or how real it was, but I knew that today had proved Gavin right.
I smiled at the thought of having had made a friend. Even if it was for a night.
AN: REVIEW for another chapter! All forms of encouragement are welcome! I will take suggestions into consideration too, if you want certain things to happen, or not happen.