Author's Chapter Notes:
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Birch, Alder, Oak and Apple
Birch: Part Two
By the time Alice and I finished unpacking, we were exhausted and decided we had better get to bed so we would be rejuvenated for school the following morning. At 5:30 on Monday morning the alarm clock rang and I flew up in surprise, bringing the covers with me. "My god!" I screeched when I looked at the time. "5:30 Alice!?"
"You can go back to sleep for a while seeing as you have no sense of style and take minimal amount of time to get dressed. I have to get ready," Alice said matter-of-factly with a hint of sleep laced into her high-pitched voice. It beat me how she could sound so awake and exuberant after just waking up.
"You bet I am," I grumbled. My head dropped lazily back onto the lumpy pillow and my eyes fell closed. The sound of water running lulled in the background as I sank into unconsciousness effortlessly.
My eyes shot open when I heard the loud bang of what sounded like a door hitting a wall. "You're still in bed!" Alice yelled. "Get up!"
"Mmm..." I groaned.
Alice sighed in frustration. "Ugh. Lazy," she muttered under her breath. "I'll get your clothes ready. You get out of bed, take a quick shower and do your hair and teeth." There was no way she could not be thrilled at the opportunity to choose what I wore that day, but her voice, surprisingly, didn't show it. She was the kind of girl you would automatically group as a prep. With the always straightened hair, designer clothing, and subtle, but effective makeup, not to mention expensive high-heeled shoes – at least a pair to match every outfit – it was hard not to.
When I walked back to our bedroom, Alice had selected an orange tank top with purple lettering and a black tank to fit underneath. For bottoms, she chose faded denim jeans. I appraised the outfit as I dressed myself. The shirt, I decided, was okay – not too fancy or expensive looking – but the jeans, on the other hand, looked too tight for my liking, though Alice had always insisted that I had the figure to wear them. I would have argued, but the clock either moved too fast or I was over-tired from the previous day's activities. Nevertheless, it was not turning out to be a good day.
As soon as I was finished upstairs, I went downstairs and ate the granola bar Alice had given me while she ushered me out the door into the truck a good friend of Charlie's had sold him.
It was the first day of school for Forks, Washington. Normally I would have been okay with that idea; if Alice and I hadn't moved to Forks, I would have been sick of the hot summer weather in Phoenix and glad to get out of the house and have an excuse for not shopping with Alice, but not here in Forks. I knew Alice would get pulled into a group and have friends the second she entered the building, but people take one look at me turn the other way. I have boring facial features, a horrible physique, though Alice thought otherwise, no sense of style whatsoever, and worst of all, I'm clumsy. No one wants a friend who embarrasses them all the time.
"Aren't you so excited!?" chirped Alice happily from the driver's seat.
"Thrilled," I answered sarcastically.
Alice pulled into the school parking lot and parked the old faded red Chevy. It was situated between a gleaming silver Volvo and a large Jeep. I had thought Alice and my Chevy fit in with the rest of the automobiles in Forks, but from looking at these vehicles, I began to think differently. It was when I turned around and faced the rest of the parking lot that I realized that our truck wasn't anything out of the norm.
After grabbing my backpack from the bed of the truck, I met Alice behind it and we walked toward the school. Many of the students stared at us, trying not to be too obvious, when we entered the building. Almost immediately Alice was in a conversation with someone and I was stuck standing awkwardly beside her.
"Hey." A childish sounding male voice spoke to me unexpectedly, making my head jerk up from the tile I was focusing on.
"Umm....Hi," I replied shyly. I quickly, subtly, looked the boy up and down. His hair was a blond color, slightly yellower and brighter than most blonds, and his physique was lumpy and shapeless. Though he couldn't be classified as over-weight-looking, I would say he looked chubby, like he was yet to lose his baby-fat.
"I'm Mike. Mike Newton," he introduced himself with confidence. He reminded me a lot of a guy who wasn't the coolest kid but was really trying to fit in with the preps; a wannabe.
I stuck out my hand carefully, not sure if I would rather be his friend or have none at all. "My name is Bella Swan. My sister and I just moved here from Phoenix."
"Phoenix, huh? How have you adjusted to life here?" I furrowed my brows slightly at the weird question, but answered all the same.
"I just got here yesterday, so I haven't, really."
"Oh, wow." He sounded shocked, but I would have guessed that if Alice and I had lived here any longer, the small town would have found out eventually. "So what is your schedule like for this semester?"
"I'm not--" I began.
"Excuse me!" a girls voice interrupted me. She pushed between Mike and I rudely. "Eddie..." her voice immediately transformed into a whine. I turned to look at what was going on, although I couldn't doubt she was one of the preps and was speaking to her boyfriend. "Someone took my parking space." I couldn't help but notice that the lobby was almost silent. Everyone was listening to the conversation unfolding.
A boy with shiny bronze hair and glowing emerald eyes looked at the blond girl I had assumed to be his girlfriend with a look that I found hard to decipher. He was clearly hiding an emotion, but it was difficult to tell what. A sense of boredom and a lack of freedom seemed to loom around him, making me believe that he was bored with his life, but from previous encounters with preps and jocks in Phoenix, I knew that it was more likely he was in a boring, restrained relationship, rather than a boring life he had to hold back from living freely, though that was mixed into the picture, too.
"Bella," Alice whispered trying not to break the silence of the on-watchers. "Let's go find our classes so we're not late."
I nodded and turned around to walk out the lobby doors. My head was still buzzing in thought trying to decode the emotions that played for merely seconds on the boy's face.
"What is your first class?" Alice questioned once we were out the lobby doors. I was surprised she didn't say anything about the scene inside.
I took the schedule out of my backpack and quickly looked it over before answering her. I had Biology first, then honors English, lunch, Physical Education and Calculus. "I have Biology with....Umm Mr. Banner."
Alice pointed to a building. Above the door it said "Science Hall" and I guessed that was where I was supposed to be. "So that is your first class. My first class is an English class, but it's an AP, so I think it'll be..." Alice glanced around the school grounds before pointing out another building. "Right there. So, I guess I'll see you later!"
"See you," I said gloomily. The early-morning activities apparently weren't enough to wake me up. I silently prayed I would be able to stay awake for all my classes; falling asleep during class on the first day of a new school year in a new town surly wasn't the way to go if I wished to have a good year.
When I walked into the classroom, I was surprised to find that I was one of four students of whom had already arrived to class, but I supposed that was a good thing. It would give the three other students a chance to talk to me, perhaps, so I would at least have a few people to help me if I had a question, not that I could – or would -- ever approach anyone and began a decent conversation. I took a seat toward the back of the room, hoping no one would sit by me, or notice me, for that matter.
After I took an old binder out of my backpack and set it on the black table-top, a friendly-looking girl approached me and introduced herself as Angela Weber. I told her that my sister and I moved from Phoenix and that we were living with our father, whom she knew. Charlie was the Forks police chief, so in such a small town, everyone knew him.
I chatted with her, asking a few questions about the school. She seemed like a very nice, down-to-Earth girl; just the type of person I would want to befriend, and, best of all, it appeared as if she didn't care what people thought of her, to an extent, of course.
While we were talking, many more people showed up. I pursed my lips in disgust when Mike Newton came strolling in like he was the center of attention. I moved my body casually to the side in an attempt to hide myself from him so he wouldn't sit with me. As soon as he moved from the doorway, I noticed the mysterious bronze-haired boy entering.
I realized I must have been gaping at him because Angela whispered, "That's Edward Cullen. He is definitely the most popular guy in school," she told me, then began quickly rattling off the sports and activities he likes. "Basketball, soccer, baseball, football, of course, and he does well in school, too. Straight A student." I nodded my head as the bell rang. Edward took a seat toward the front of the room.
"Good morning class!" Mr. Banner greeted us in a cheery voice. "Are you excited for the first day of this new school year?" His response was many grunts and groans. I thought I heard Mike's voice speak the only "yes" I heard. "Good, good. Now, first on today's agenda is to assign seats. I know how much you hate them, but it's easier for me to learn names if you're in the same seats everyday. I've made a random list of names for the order so no one can complain, though I'm sure you will anyway." The teacher took the list from his large desk and began to read the names after telling everyone to stand at the back of the room. I tried to pay attention so I could familiarize myself with the people, but I was too focused on Edward.
He was standing in the back corner and Mike was standing closest to him. Not a surprise, I thought. It was a surprise, however, that Edward wasn't talking to anyone. I wondered if he was smarter than most of his friends, therefore didn't have any classes with them. Just thinking of that fact made me contemplate whether he really was where he wanted to be in life with the high status. Something about his expression made me realize that he was hiding a whole other part of him. Why would he be hiding who he is, though?
"Bella Swan and Edward Cullen," Mr. Banner called.
Chapter End Notes:
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