{Author's Note - As stated previously: I do not own anything. I wish I owned Jacob, but I don't. ; Chapter may seem a bit slow, but this chapter is mainly for setting the stage so that the build up can occur.}
The plane ride from Phoenix to Seattle was pretty tolerable, given my irrational fear of flying. My mother was nice enough to book a non-stop flight, so I didn't have to deal with changing planes and dull layovers. The car ride from Seattle to Forks was kind of awkward, though. I hadn't seen Charlie much over the last twelve or so years, and we really weren't very close. I think it was difficult for him to slip right back into dad-mode after living by himself for so long. I could see that he was really trying, but it was sweet.
He'd attempted small talk a few times, commenting on the often rainy weather and the different things he'd been dealing with at work. He was the Police Chief in town, and, despite the size of Forks, he took his job very seriously. His love of my new home was part of the reason my mom walked out when she did. It was a tiny place, the kind of town where everyone knows one another, and getting a new resident was a pretty big deal. My mom wasn't cut out for small-town life. She was a city girl through and through, and she'd felt trapped in Forks. I can't blame her for doing what she did, but I'd never agree with her reasoning.
We drove the last hour in silence, the radio on low, and my focus on the passing scenery. As we pulled into town I noticed the old "Welcome to Forks" sign to the left of the road. I could remember sitting in the backseat of my mom's beat up old Chevy, turned around in my seat watching as that same sign disappeared from my sight. I was too young to really understand at the time, but I knew something was off. I could still picture Charlie's crestfallen face when we'd pulled out of the driveway.
I snapped out of my thoughts when Charlie's police cruiser came to a stop aside the curb in front Charlie's...er, our house. I climbed out of the front seat, shutting the car door behind me as I took in my surroundings. The large white house was almost exactly how I'd remembered it. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and turned to Charlie as I noticed the old orange truck in the driveway. Before I could ask about it he began speaking.
"I figured you'd need it with me working so much. There's not a bus system here for the schools." I smiled, slightly taken aback. He'd gone through all that trouble, and with such short notice of my arrival.
"It's great, Charlie. Thanks." I walked around the side of the truck to inspect it further. "I love it." I spoke again, opening the door and hopping inside to get a better look.
"Billy Black sold it to me, you remember him, right? From the reservation? His son's pretty good with cars. I had him tweak it a bit; it's old but it runs perfectly."
"It's great, thanks." I repeated, sliding out of the truck. He nodded in response and made his way toward the entrance of the house. I followed behind him, holding the strap of my backpack and shutting the door with my free hand. He held the door for me and I walked inside, setting my bag down on against the wall that shared the back door.
After Charlie showed me to my room, he'd left me alone to unpack. He wasn't a very talkative man; I suppose he wanted to remove himself from the somewhat awkward situation. The room was nice, already furnished. The bed was the same wall as the door; a petite oak night stand sat next to it. There was a small computer desk in front of the bed, and a window along the far wall. The purple curtains matched the shade of the comforter which covered the queen-sized bed. A horribly out-dated computer was resting on the desk, with a lamp to the left of the screen. The room was nothing if not efficient: a place to sleep, a place to study, and a bay window that overlooked the back yard and woods, with enough room to sit comfortably.
Yawning a bit, I realized how tired I was from the trip. Having already unpacked and put away all of my clothes, I slid the empty suitcases underneath the bed and lay back against the pillows. I'd already set the alarm clock Charlie had placed on the bedside table, and decided I'd head to bed early. I had my first day at Forks High School tomorrow, and I needed to rest up before then. Closing my eyes, I drifted to sleep, wondering how tomorrow would go.
I was woken abruptly from a dream that I couldn't seem to remember by a loud buzzing from the clock next to my head. I reached over groggily, shutting it off, and sat up. I'd almost forgotten where I was before the events of the previous day replayed in my mind. I rubbed my eyes a bit and began dressing and getting ready for the day ahead. I could hear Charlie rummaging around in the kitchen, and when I was finished in the bathroom I headed downstairs to join him.
"Good morning, Bella. Hope you slept well."
"I did. Thanks." I assumed he was headed to work, as he was already dressed in his police uniform. I sat at the kitchen table sipping my coffee until he'd wished me a good first day and said good bye, exiting the house. I heard his car start and the crunch of gravel as he pulled out into the street while I helped myself to the box of Pop-Tarts on the counter.
The drive to school was a little nerve-racking; I hated being the new girl. I wasn't sure what to expect as I pulled into the parking lot and found an empty space in the student's parking area. Hopping out of the truck, I made my way toward the office entrance when a short, dark-haired boy stopped me.
"Hi! You're Isabella Swan aren't you? I'm Eric. Welcome to Forks." I noted that he was overly enthusiastic and wondered if all the students here were like that.
"Yes, that's me. Bella. And thanks." I responded as he kept pace next to me while we walked through the doors of the high school.
"Oh, sorry. Bella. Everyone's been talkin' about you. The police chief's daughter comes back to Forks." I saw him smile at me out of the corner of my eye and flashed one in return, grateful that at least the kids here seemed to be welcoming. I looked around the hallway, not seeing any signs that pointed toward the school's office, and turned to Eric, "Um, can you point me in the direction of the office? I need to pick up my schedule." He nodded and motioned for me to follow him. As I moved toward the Secretary at the front desk, Eric waved and assured me that he'd see me around.
First period was English and Literature, my favorite subject. The high school wasn't huge, so I wasn't worried about getting lost, but I was assigned a "tour guide" regardless. Jessica was a pretty brunette girl, very talkative, but sweet. She'd welcomed me the exact same way Eric had, and I wondered how many times today I was going to have to correct people who called me Isabella, as we headed toward our second period class, History.
I hated History. Even more so because Mr. Brewer made me stand up and tell the entire class a bit about me. I don't do public speaking very well. At least my English teacher was nice enough to leave me alone after introducing me to the class. I had Chemistry after History, which went fine, and the next thing I knew I was walking down the hall with Jessica and a blonde guy, who'd introduced himself as Mike, toward the cafeteria.
Once we'd gotten our food and sat down at their table, introductions started. Angela was a sweet girl who seemed to keep to herself; her boyfriend Ben seemed like a normal high school boy. Tyler was a nice guy who was heavily into sports. Lauren was definitely your standard popular girl, and of course there was Eric who'd already introduced himself to me in the parking lot. I thought it was kind of funny how this school didn't seem very clique-y. Everyone kind of hung out with everyone else. Must be one of the perks of living in a small town.
"So, Bella, how do you like our wonderful town so far?" Mike asked before taking a sip of his soda. The focus of the table was back on me and I blushed faintly, not used to the attention I'd been getting since this morning.
"It's nice. Everyone's really friendly here." I smiled at the group.
"Yeah, there's not really much to do here, but its home." Tyler laughed.
"We've got a movie theatre… an arcade, a couple diners. Nothing compared to Phoenix, I'm sure. " Lauren spoke up in what I assume was supposed to be a subtly snide tone. I was fairly certain I wasn't going to like this girl.
"I like it here." I assured the group, directing my response more so toward Lauren than anyone else. "I lived here for a while when my parents were together, years ago. I missed this place." I really didn't want to give my new classmates the impression that I thought I was better than them because I'd come from a big city.
"It grows on you, that's for sure. We should all get together this weekend." Eric said, changing the subject. "Everyone should come out to First Beach on Saturday. Bella, what do you think? You in?"
"First Beach, that's over in La Push, right? The Reservation?" He nodded and I continued, "I haven't been there in a long time; friends of the family live out there. I'd love to tag along."
"Great, the rest of you better be there," he commented as the bell rang signaling that lunch was over. Everyone got up and I gathered my things before I walked over to Jessica, and grabbed my schedule from my back pocket. She peeked over my shoulder and started walking toward the door of the cafeteria. "We've got Gym next, come on." I followed after her grudgingly. I was not excited about this class. I'd never done well in Gym, and I hated that every school I'd attended always made it a mandatory credit.
After Gym class it was pretty obvious to everyone that athletics were not my forte. Basketball did not go so well. I was hit in the head with the ball twice, missed every shot I was forced to take, and our team lost because of me. Nobody seemed upset about it, thankfully, but it was pretty embarrassing.
The last two classes of the day went about the same as the others. I was introduced as the new girl, despite the fact that everyone in both classes had already previously met me in others, or through one of my new friends. I noticed throughout each class that my school back in Phoenix seemed ahead of the one I was at now. I'd already done each thing we'd been taught, which I was thankful for. I figured adjusting to a new school, new set of friends, new parent in charge... it'd be nice not to have to worry about such a heavy work load too.
I pulled out of the school's parking lot feeling good about the day and headed home. I'd been able to keep up with each class, made quite a few new friends, and even had plans for the weekend. Not a bad first day for semi-socially awkward Bella.
I walked through the door and set my heavy, book-filled bag down on the kitchen table, moving toward the refrigerator. I pulled out a bottle of water and took a drink, sitting down at the table. I didn't have any homework today, and it was only 3:00. I wondered how I was going to entertain myself the rest of the day. I wasn't a big fan of watching t.v., so that was pretty much out, I wasn't comfortable enough yet with anyone at school to hang out with them… hm. I had noticed how little there was to eat in the house and thought maybe I should go shopping. I knew from my mother that Charlie was never much of a cook, and there were quite a few take-out boxes in the trash. I'd always been the one who made dinner when I lived with my Mom. I love her to death but she'd always fit more into the role of child than she did parent. She really wasn't much of a cook either and I'd grown to love preparing meals for the two of us.
I worked a bunch of part time jobs when I lived in Phoenix and had set up a bank account before I left, so money wasn't an issue. I picked up my bag from off the table and set it on the staircase. Grocery shopping it is. Taking a second to look through the cupboards and figure out what he did have, I left Charlie a note on the table in case he returned before I did, and headed out.
I didn't pick up too much, just enough for meals throughout the week: meats, things for lunches, basic spices, and some condiments. As I carried the bags inside, I saw that Charlie was home, and greeted him as I came through the door.
"You didn't need to do all that, Bella." He said to me as he met me in the kitchen.
"I love to cook, so I figured I'd pick up some things for the week," I replied, starting to put the food away.
He nodded. "Billy Black invited us over for dinner tonight, if you want to come. It's been a long time since they've seen you."
"Sure, I don't have any homework and it'll be nice to see them again," I answered, putting the last of the meat in the freezer.
"Great, I'm gonna head over there in a few, if you want to ride with me." He suggested.
"Sounds good," I agreed.
I made my way up the stairs toward my room, book bag in hand, deciding to put my things away and get ready before dinner. I hadn't seen the Blacks since I was about twelve, the last time I'd visited Forks for the summer. Billy's wife had just passed away and it was a hard summer for everyone. I didn't come back after that; it was hard being around them. Billy and Charlie had been best friends before I was even born, and our families were really close. His son, Jacob, had drawn into himself, and his two daughters had spent a lot of time away from home that year.
Grabbing my jacket from where I'd hung it up on the hook, I followed Charlie out to his car, feeling more anxious than I expected about seeing everyone again.
{Again - Please read and review. I'd really appreciate the feedback!}