Chapter 2: First Impressions

You only get one chance at a first impression, or so someone told me once.

That was what motivated me to get out of bed in the morning. With a quick shower and a sip of coffee I was energized, albeit still dreading this day. I forced myself to get ready and dress nicely; I figured if I didn't look like a bum the first day someone would talk to me.

Mom and Dad were already gone for work by the time I returned my coffee mug to the sink. Mom transferred here to work for the state, so naturally Dad and I had to come along. They both agreed on it, even if I begged to stay with my friends. Obviously that didn't work out in my favor.

It was chilly when I got outside. The sun was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds today, which meant little to no sunshine for the rest of the day. Was that an omen? A sign that I should just go back to bed?

I referred to the mental map I had used lately to get around this town, but I also made sure to watch out for any streaking boys on my way to school. Thankfully they kept their distance; there wasn't one in sight on my way into town.

Finding the school was much easier this time. With my Eclipse, I blended in a little. Most of the kids had slightly newer cars, nice enough to prove they had a good chunk of cash. I spotted a few motorcycles in the lot as well. In my opinion, it wasn't acceptable to ride a motorcycle unless it was sixty-five degrees, so I considered the bikers crazy. Some usually were.

I stalled for as long as I could, silently panicking in my car. Being alone was one of my weaknesses, and I was bound to wander the halls by myself today. The thought was terrifying. Of course, nobody but my closest friends knew that; I was a good actress sometimes.

Classes started in fifteen minutes by the time I mustered up the courage to leave my car. I tried to blend in with other kids walking inside, but I still stuck out like a sore thumb. It was a pretty small school, after all.

Fiddling with my nails as I walked, I finally found the office. I practically ran inside the room to escape all of the peering eyes.

"Can I help you, dear?" A woman behind the desk stared at me, but she at least appeared to be friendly.

I managed a small smile. "Hi, um… I'm new here and I just needed to get—"

"Oh!" Her face lit up. "Well, welcome to La Push High, sweetheart. What's your name, honey?" She already started digging through the files on her desk.

"Sarah Caldwell," I replied.

She pulled out a folder and handed it to me, telling me about my classes and how much time I had to get from room to room. To my relief, she handed me a map of the school. I wished I had something like this for town a few days ago.

"What's your shirt and short size, dear?"

"Oh. Um…small, please."

"Well aren't you just a lucky little thing?" she joked lightly, digging through a box. She pulled out a grey t-shirt and black shorts. The shirt and shorts both sported a wolf on the fabric. I blinked at the sight, though I should have known better. The Quileutes were faithful to their legends.

She sent me on my way when I didn't have any questions. Locating my locker was a little confusing, but the map did save some time. After putting my things away, I made my way to my first class, English. My professor was kind enough to introduce himself and welcome me to La Push before directing me to a seat.

I took a seat near the back, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself. Looking around, I noticed that my initial suspicions were wrong; a lot of the students weren't Quileute. Very few of them were. Students of different ethnicities filled the seats.

"New here?"

I jumped slightly at the voice, my eyes finding a girl who took the seat in front of mine. Green eyes stared back at me, freckles underneath them. Copper hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her teeth shined as she smiled at me.

I nodded.

She extended a hand in my direction. "I'm Hayley."

"Sarah," I said, taking her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too!" Hayley leaned her arm against her chair, her back to the front of the room. "First day? Where'd you transfer from?"

"Missouri."

"Holy moly. Long drive."

I nodded and said in a very disgusted tone, "Yeah, and it doesn't rain near as much."

She chuckled. "You must miss the sun. Don't worry, though, we get clear skies here and there."

I smiled. I think I just made a new friend.

"So, how's La Push treating you?"

"It's alright. I haven't really talked to anyone but you."

"You're kidding, right?" When I shook my head, she gasped. "What the hell? You're gorgeous! You would think the guys would be all over you."

"Oh…um, no." The blood rushed to my cheeks, and I lifted my cool hands to cover them. "They don't all run around shirtless, do they?"

"Only on the beach." She wiggled her eyebrows. Naturally, I laughed.

The professor finally gathered our attention just after the bell rang and it was then that I noticed the other students that came into class. Two guys whispered, glanced at me, and then smirked at each other. Well, they weren't talking to me, but they were definitely talking about me.

Once class ended, Hayley joined me in the hall. "What's next on your schedule?" she asked.

"Um… Algebra."

"Perfect! We have that together." Hayley's face brightened.

Hayley waved and greeted friends in the hallway as we passed. They looked like nice people. If what Hayley said was true, and people greeted me, I could possibly know the same people. It would make getting used to this place much easier.

Once the next hour was over, Hayley pointed me toward my Biology class since we didn't have it together. I was scared to part with her, and matters only got worse when I was forced to stand in front of everyone and introduce myself. The same thing happened in the following class as well.

Luckily for me, all of the sophomores shared a free period. We were allowed to sit in one of the classrooms or out in the hall; much like the others, I chose the hall.

"Hi, friend!" Hayley skipped to my side and sat down next to me. The title surprised me, but I accepted it easily. I had been here for four hours and I already had a good friend. As if I would decline that invitation.

"Hey," I greeted with a smile. "I was just thinking about something… Considering it rains a lot in La Push, how do you guys find the time to go to the beach?"

Hayley shrugged. "We do get a lot of rain, but we get a lot more sun than Forks. We go whenever we're free."

"Mind if I tag along?"

"Of course not," she replied. "You're welcome to come whenever you want." The bell chimed and she sprang to her feet. "Lunch time. Come on!"

A table—her table, I was sure—was smack dab in the middle of the area. Four teens were already seated. There were two boys, one of brown hair and the other blond. Both of their shirts clung to their toned chests. They appeared to be twins.

Two girls sat across from them. One appeared to be fragile, with gentle eyes and fair hair. The girl beside her was brunette, some warm undertones put into her locks. Her eyes were a blue color as well.

The brunet boy called Hayley over when he spotted her. When we approached them, I noticed they all turned to look at me. After a moment, Hayley decided to do the introductions.

"Guys, this is Sarah. She just moved here and I thought she could sit with us." All four nodded in approval and Hayley volunteered to take the seat beside the boys. That left me to sit next to the girls.

The one with darker hair turned to me. "Hi, I'm Katie," she said. She pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the girl next to her. "That's Natalie."

The blonde waved lightly. "Hello."

Katie motioned across from her, to the boy with the brown hair. "This is Sean," she introduced. He mumbled a greeting behind his mouth full of food. "Ew… Um, next to him is Ryan." Minding his matters, the blond silently waved.

I gazed at both boys for a moment. "Are you two twins?"

Sean shook his head. "Nope, just related. We're cousins. People would get us mixed up if it weren't for the hair."

Natalie leaned around Katie to talk to me. "What about you, Sarah? Any siblings?"

"Only child."

Hayley pouted. "Lucky. I've got little brothers and sisters to babysit."

"Not really," I admitted. "It gets kind of lonely sometimes. I'm close with my mom, but it's not really the same."

"At least you're friends with your parents. My old man only cares about grades."

"That's only because he cares, honey," Natalie tried. Ryan only shrugged. The blonde then looked to me. "So, what do you think of La Push?"

"I've already told Hayley the lack of sun is going to bother me," I said with a small smile.

"Well, now you know why most of us are pale," Katie giggled. "Except for the Quileutes, naturally. Only a few of them actually go to school here, though."

"How many?"

"In our grade, four," she said. "They're over there."

I followed her motion to a table of guys across the room. "There are only two."

Katie looked again. "Huh. Guess so. Well, one of the others is Jared. He's usually sitting with his girlfriend."

Of the two that were at the table, one was brawny with a well-developed chest and the other was of a smaller build. Both had equally short haircuts.

"Quil Ateara and Embry Call," Katie said, easily noticing that I was staring. "Those two are practically attached at the hip."

"So who's the fourth?"

Katie looked at me. "Jacob Black. He's best friends with Quil and Embry, but he's always ditching class."

"Any reason why?"

"Well, for as long as I can remember he was just so happy," she explained. "One day it changed."

"I heard it's because of a girl from another small town nearby," Hayley cut in. "I guess they spent almost every day together. Her boyfriend ditched her or something, but when he came back, she left Jacob to rot. Or as the story goes."

"You're kidding," I said. "What's her name?" Hayley didn't answer, and looking around the table, I noticed that none of them were willing to speak. "What?"

Katie spoke quietly through her teeth, not looking at me. "Shh! His friends are looking this way."

Stupidly, I looked over. Quil and Embry were both practically glaring at me. I quickly looked away, focusing on my food. After a few seconds I glanced in their direction, but they were gone.

"Sweet Jesus," I whispered, sighing.

Sean laughed. "Intimidating, aren't they? They didn't used to be like that."

"What happened?"

He shrugged. "People change."

. . . . . . . . . .

My last few classes were a breeze, especially Gym. Sean was in my class, so I at least had another acquaintance hanging around. I used his presence as an excuse to quit thinking about lunch. It failed. My mind was stuck on the fact that Quil and Embry gave me such similar looks, such dirty looks. It was as if they shared the same thought.

"Sarah!"

I blinked. I looked to the net just in time pass the volleyball to a teammate. Once we scored, I went to return to my spot. Sean approached me, looking a bit puzzled.

"You awake in there?"

I nodded. "Yeah, just spaced out for a second."

He accepted it after a second's hesitation, but then he retreated to the serving line to continue the game. Gym passed quickly after that, and the final bell signaled the end of my first day. I grabbed my things and walked outside with my newest acquaintances. Everyone but Hayley and I split as we proceeded into the lot.

Hayley nudged me. "Have a nice first day?"

"Not too shabby," I admitted.

"Good to hear. I gotta get home, so I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

I nodded and she departed, leaving me to continue to my car alone. As I was about to reach my door, a figure appeared next to me. I froze upon seeing who it was.

Embry's dark eyes pierced mine. He practically loomed over me, at least a foot taller. "New girl, right?" His voice was too edgy to make me feel comfortable.

"…Yes."

He leaned against my car, blocking my escape. "Where you from?"

"Why do you care?"

"Ooh." He smirked. "Snappy. Looks like we've got a bit of fresh air around here."

I eyed him curiously. "Who are you?"

"Name's Embry."

"Sarah. Nice to meet you," I said slowly. I moved to open my door. He didn't budge.

Embry's eyes scanned me and I frowned.

"Are you examining me?" I blurted. "What do you want?"

His smirk grew. "Just being friendly."

"You call 'friendly' blocking my door?" I asked. He chuckled quietly before pushing himself away.

"Welcome to La Push, Caldwell," he called, waving over his shoulder.

I stared after him, confused. That was a different version of the Welcome Wagon if I had ever seen one. Before his friend Quil could show up, I climbed into my car and left, a little creeped out. I hoped I wouldn't run into him again, but my gut told me otherwise. Next time, it would probably be Embry and Quil.

A/N: Revised version of Chapter 3. I actually combined Chapters 1 and 2 and made them the introduction chapter in the revision. So Ch. 1 & 2 are technically Ch. 1, and Ch. 3 is really Ch. 2. Make sense?

Reviews are encouraged.