Touch of Chaos
Chapter 3: Beautiful Bastard
[Bella's POV]
I spent the weekend alone and productively. Charlie was on call most of the time - no surprise there - and when he was around, he was quiet. I didn't mind though. He let me have free reign with how I wanted to reorganize the house and that was cool in my book. Alice called often to hang out but I refused. I really needed to sort out the house before it drove me insane and I didn't want Alice to see me while I was missing my mom like crazy. There were a lot of tears and ice cream involved but, by Monday, the worst was over.
I started the long trek from my house to Forks high with much enthusiasm and quite early in the morning. I had to sneak out before Alice saw me. She would, for sure, make me get in her car and let her drive me every day.
I shuddered at the thought. I liked Alice but not enough to get into her car, which by the way was a Porsche. An insanely fast and dangerous Porsche.
The thirty minutes passed by slowly and by the time I saw the school, I was dreading the rest of the school year. People stared as I trudged through the parking lot, whispering and staring judgmentally. I mentally cringed at what I imagined they were saying and it wasn't pretty.
I was glad when I ducked into the cover of the main office, shielded from the curious student body. The secretary was an older woman with tinges of red in her gray bun. She smiled widely when she saw me.
"Ah! You must be Isabella, the Chief's daughter," she said, beaming.
I nodded slowly as I approached her, not sure what to make of her extreme happiness.
"Excellent! I have your schedule ready to go except you need to choose your electives. For now, I've placed you in art and your father informed me that you were in an advanced placement biology class in Phoenix. You're very lucky because that same course was introduced to Forks high just two years ago," she informed me, peering over her glasses.
"Um...thank you," I said awkwardly.
"Now you just need to choose another elective. You don't have to tell me now. Ask around and come see me at the end of the day. Oh and here's a slip you need to get signed by each of your teachers and bring back after school."
She continued for another ten minutes before the bell finally rang. I hurried away with a relieved smile and into the crowded halls of Forks high. I stumbled around, searching for homeroom. The fact that everyone was staring at me like I was an alien didn't help.
The first half of the day was a messy blur. I struggled to remember the names of the countless faces that approached me. Many of them offered a place at their lunch table but I politely told them that I was already sitting with someone else.
I wasn't lying.
Alice Cullen was in my homeroom, math, and the moment she saw me, she waved me over. I was relieved to see a familiar face and that I wouldn't have to eat lunch all alone in the bathroom. Alice made me promise I would sit with her and Emmett. I couldn't say no because, honesty I was excited to see Emmett again. He was quickly becoming the older brother I always wanted. Alice was also shaping herself into the role of my best friend. She said so herself that we would be the best of friends and how could I say no to her puppy dog face?
Alice was also in my English class and again we sat together. Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to Alice at the door of my art class. We made quick plans to meet at my new locker and then I was off, drifting into the world of shapes and colours.
My teacher was a young, blonde woman who spoke with much passion. She danced around the room, gushing about our next big project. I decided that I liked her, not because she was very pretty, but because she loved her work. It was very clear that Ms. McLeod loved art in and out. I, myself, wasn't a very good artist, but I could admire her obvious faith that anybody could come to love art.
It wasn't until she was doing attendance and announced a certain name that I remembered Friday's events. I had completely forgotten about Edward Cullen in my worry about the first day of school. When she called his name, I jumped in surprise and gaped around the room, anxiously waiting to finally see what this fascinating individual looked like.
No one spoke up.
When I met Alice by my locker, I had to work hard to keep the frown on my face. I had been looking forward to finally see her brother but I had been disappointed. He didn't come to art and, according to 's face, this wasn't news to her.
"Alice? Um...your brother is in my art class," I mumbled as I fiddled with my combination.
I didn't look up when she wondered, "Who? Emmett? I didn't know he took art. He can't even draw stick figures properly."
I shook my head and opened the metal door before saying, "No. Edward."
Alice was quiet for a moment before letting out a small sigh. Then, softly, she placed a hand on my arm. When I looked over at her, she whispered, "Bella, please don't mention Edward at lunch. I know you're curious but just don't even think about him. He's bad news. I mean, he's a great guy but not everybody gets to see that side of him. He's had it a little rough so he's not very social. I know that as your best friend I shouldn't keep secrets from you but Edward's issues aren't my secret. They're his. So please don't ask me to tell you because I won't be able to. Please Bella, don't mention him. It's better if you forget about him but I know that's sort of impossible. You have class with him and were neighbours. As my best friend, you're going to be over quite often and you're bound to meet him sooner or later."
"Alice," I said a little loudly, interrupting her nervous rambling. She peeked up at me through her eyelashes, looking absolutely devastated. "It's okay. I completely understand."
"You do?" Her eyebrows rose in surprise and I was slightly offended by how shocked she looked.
"Of course. Everyone has secrets. Edward's secret is his own. If you had told me what his deal was then I would have been disappointed. The fact that you respect his privacy is admirable. Truth be told, I have no business knowing your brother's problems. I don't even know him. I respect his secrets. I have my own too but chances are, I may never tell you. I trust you and I know you won't judge me but I'm just not ready and I don't know if I'll ever be," I admitted sheepishly.
Alice smiled and said, "Like why you insist on walking to school?"
I chuckled and nodded. "Exactly."
"Don't worry. I'm just glad you understand what I'm talking about. Just keep my little speech in mind for when you finally do meet him."
"I understand, Alice," I said, rolling my eyes.
Alice shook her head and said, "No you don't. Edward isn't like any other guy you'll meet. He's got this charm that makes him irresistible. Everyone that meets him wants to get to know him. They want to know his deal. He has a strange aura that pulls them in. But then when they do start to know him, when they've only brushed the tip of the iceberg, they get disappointed. They expect too much from him and Edward doesn't follow expectations. He does what he wants, whenever he wants. I don't want you getting hurt too. You're my best friend and I'm just hoping you'll stick around after you meet him."
"Why wouldn't I?"
Alice shook her head sadly and whispered, "Because they never do. All the previous girls I met only wanted to be my friend to get to Edward. After a single conversation with him, they ditch me for someone better. They expect too much. They always do."
I had to agree with her there. People always expect too much. Then, when you mess up, they mock you and turn their backs. They always do.
-8-8-8-8-8-
Alice and Emmett sat with a bunch of others but it was clear that Alice wasn't close with any of them. It was also clear that many of them hated me. The queen skanks, as Alice called them, were Jessica and Lauren. They glared at me the entire time and made suggestive comments that I just wasn't pretty enough to sit in their presence. As if I cared. The guys, Mike and Tyler, were nice but a little too nice. I liked Angela and Ben, though. It was obvious they liked each other, but they shied away from the other. Emmett made hilarious jokes the entire lunch, not letting me drop my smile once.
Alice and Emmett both had class at the other end of the building either couldn't walk me to class. So instead, I stumbled down the hallways, searching for the damn biology class. I was just nearing the library when a loud cough made me jump. I whirled around and found myself face to face with a tall guy. I peeked up and what I saw, stunned me to gaping. He was unearthly pale with dark bruises under his startlingly emerald eyes. Locks of messy bronze fell over his forehead and my hands itched to sweep them back. His jaw was firm but tight and I ached to lick it. He towered over my small frame of five feet four and that fact that his baggy hoodie was swallowing his lean frame didn't help. He was a beautiful mess.
"Lost?" He smirked and I fought back a gasp at the beauty of him.
"N-no...I mean...uh...yes," I stuttered, my eyes wide.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is that a yay or nay?"
"Yay," I blurted stupidly and then blushed.
His eyes drifted over my cheeks for a moment before snapping back to my face. "What class?"
"Um...AP Biology," I said and flushed deeper. I mentally face palmed myself for sounding like a stuck up nerd and quickly added, "I think it's in room two seventeen."
He chucked and then, smirking, said, "You're at the wrong end of the school, sweetheart. AP Biology is back in the B Wing."
Blushing at his words, I frowned and said quietly "Oh. My friends told me it was here."
He shook his head and said, "Nope."
"Oh, okay. Thanks," I said, smiling widely at him.
He just nodded at me and smirked again. I turned away and began to walk away. I didn't want to leave this beautiful boy. Instead, I wanted to sit down with him and get to know him. His very stare was intensely hypnotic. Absolutely captivating.
-8-8-8-8-8-
Half an hour later, I stumbled into the correct AP Biology classroom. The entire class looked at me with surprise, giggling at how frazzled I look. The teacher, a balding man named Mr. Banner, frowned at me.
"Are you Isabella Swan?"
Blushing, I nodded and bit my lip nervously.
"Tardy on your first day, Ms. Swan? I hope that's not an indication of how the rest of the year will go," he said coolly.
"Sorry, sir. I just got lost and I think someone gave me the wrong directions," I told him truthfully.
Turns out, I had been in the right area in the first place. This classroom had just been a few doors ahead of where I met that intriguing boy. Had I not asked him and he hang given me the wrong directions. I would've been in class a long time ago. He probably made a mistake though.
"I don't need your silly excuses, Ms. Swan. Please take a seat before you disrupt the class any more than you already have."
I nodded and gazed around the room. All the seats had been taken except for -
My mouth dropped open and I gaped in shock. Sitting next to the only empty seat was the beautiful boy from the hallway. He smirked at me and then winked.
Narrowing my eyes angrily and cursing him under my breath, I stomped over to the cursed empty seat.
"Tardy, tardy, Ms. Swan," he whispered mockingly.
I gritted my teeth and focused on the front, trying to ignore the jerk next to me. Thankfully though, he didn't talk again for the entire lesson. When the bell rang, he was the first one out of his seat and out the door.
I stared at the open door with wide eyes and open mouth.
What an enigma this beautiful bastard was.
Author's Note:
Hey everybody!
This is a revamp of my older fic 'Trail of Dreams'. Please review and leave me your thoughts and questions. I just love reviews and they do inspire me to write quicker. If you like this story then spread the word. I'm honoured that people are reading this fic despite the really amazing ones out there.
- Lovenyx125
P.S. Check out my other fic 'Fighting Destiny'.