Chapter 3- "Otherside"
"Pope High School" was written across the cream and tan colored brick building. Just like the first day at Forks, I was nervous. I was being thrown out to the wolves and in a foreign place. Most of my life I had grown up out West. We had moved a lot so I was usually a new student, but today was just different. While Georgia was an extremely developed, populous state, the "southerness" of everything was a beast of its own. Every aspect of the South seemed to have a duality to it, modern but holding traditional values, partying but church on Sunday, friendliness served with a warm slice of "Bless your heart". I learned the "bless your heart" phrase when I asked a Waffle House waitress what grits were. She might as well just sweetly said, "Honey, you're a dumbass." Same effect, but no double meaning.
I made my way into the front office for my schedule and a campus map. Since, it was my senior year I aimed for some AP classes but not too many. I didn't want to burn myself out before college, which I wasn't even sure I was going to. Nonetheless, I needed some easy classes so I went with regular level math and an art history class. I made my way back out to my car to drive to the senior lot and waited for the bell to ring.
I felt almost out of my body with how strong the deja vu was hitting me. Here I was sitting in my new car; a gently used white Jetta that Phil insisted I have. He wanted me to have some independence and not be stuck on the bus. It felt strange not having my old rusty truck. The parking lot was filled with a mix of cars and trucks, the average being way nicer than most people drove in Forks. I was clad in my new clothes. Renee picked them out, which was a sweet gesture. I probably wouldn't have chosen the medium colored distressed denim. The jeans were tight, but showed off my curves in a flattering way. She paired it with a flowy shirt. Where Renee made her biggest error in my outfit was the shoes. Maybe she thought she was playing it safe with a brown booties with a small heel, but regardless of the short height these shoes could only spell disaster for someone as clumsy as me. My mistake was trying to take the risk and wear them to school. I heard the bell chime signaling the student to make their way to class. I made my way out of my car and threw on my backpack, walking behind a group of seniors trying to use them as camouflage towards my first class. I wasn't ready for the attention being new would bring me. As I stepped up on the curb, the edge of my heel caught the curb flinging me straight into the group of seniors. Unfortunately for the girl in front of me, we collided and headed straight for the ground. While the girl was taller than me, she was thinner and had no chance when we collided. Her straight, long caramel brown hair flew wildly as we met on our way to the concrete.
"Fudge! I'm so sorry," I apologized to the downed girl as soon as I got off her. She let out a laugh and held up her hand which I quickly grabbed and helped her up.
"Damn, honey football season is over," she joked with a slight southern drawl. I immediately redden and looked away from her sky-blue eyes.
Before I could come up with a response, she asked, "Hey, aren't you the new girl?"
"Yes I am." I replied ending with an embarrassed smile.
"Well nice to meet you. My name is Circe Montgomery, but mostly everyone calls me Cece"
"Isabella Swan." I responded.
Next thing I knew the group she was entering the school with turned toward us. A guy with short brown hair gave me a big smile and said, "Isabella? Nah, I think I'll call you Izzy!" "Wow the pair on this guy," I thought to myself. Quickly Circe, I mean Cece, turned to the guy and said, "Shut the hell up, Ryan. She's not a dog that you can just rename." Laughing, I decided to embrace the new nickname. "That's alright. I don't mind the name," I finished with a smile. Honestly, hearing Bella reminded me of my almost family and drudged up too many negative emotions. At this point, everyone in the group started introducing themselves. Cece grabbed my schedule from me and announced my schedule within the group. Hearing a chorus of, "I have that class," from different people was comforting. It would be nice have a semi familiar face in each class.
"Izzy, we have almost every class together," Cece exclaimed grabbing my hand and heading off to our first class together. Her enthusiasm was refreshing. From the little I gathered about her, I was reminded of Angela's kindness and genuineness. She also reminded me of Alice, a thought which sent an ache to my chest. Circe was bold, self-assured, and comfortable with herself like Alice, but not overwhelming as Alice had been. Maybe an Alice on Xanax? I laughed at the thought.
As we made our way to each class, Circe introduced me to the teachers and slickly suggested that she sit with me to help me adjust. Her southern accent dripped heavily like honey from her lips. I held a chuckle as each teacher readily agreed with her.
"Are you normally that persuasive," I questioned Circe.
"It's called southern charm, Iz," She winked at me.
By the end of the day, Cece and I became fast friends. We had things in common, but we were extremely different in other ways. She was outgoing while I kept to myself. She was athletic, varsity team in several sports, while I was clumsy. Even physically we were opposites, she was tall, tan, and slim curves. We were like night and day but even with the contrast I thoroughly enjoyed her company. Circe suggested we exchange numbers and meet up after school one day this week to work on some class assignments together. She admitted that classic literature wasn't a strong suit of hers, but she could help me with calculus. "Yep, we are opposites," I laughed to myself.
In the next few weeks we fell into a comfortable schedule. Every morning Circe would pull up to next to me in the parking lot and she'd quickly jump into my car wolfing down her Redbull and cheese grits that she picked up from the gas station down the street. Like clockwork, I would make a gagging noise when she opened the Styrofoam container with grits, which would make her laugh. We could talk about anything, but she was always more forthcoming with information about herself than I. I knew I could tell her anything, but that hole in my chest would ache anytime I thought about talking about Him. I knew I could never divulge the full truth about Him, but maybe I could, at minimum, explain to Cece the reason I came to Georgia. I knew for a fact that she would never judge me. After the bell rang, we would make our way to our classes. We had lunch with the group I met on the first day. The group reminded me a lot of my Forks lunch group; guys tried too hard, some gossiped about current drama, and there was even a Lauren. She, like the Lauren in Forks, was also a bitch. Surprising. Must be a Lauren thing.
"So, Isabella, are you coming to Alex's house party this Friday," Lauren asked trying to cover a grimace. Cece told me that Lauren had been "desperately trying to get on Alex's dick for years now", so that would explain the hostility.
"Umm, I haven't really thought about it," I replied unsure if a party was worth the third-degree from Lauren.
"Uh, hell yes you are, Izzy. You're my date," Circe exclaimed.
"Can't wait to see you there, Lauren," Circe challenged back. Thankfully the bell rang and gave me out from the tension of the lunch table.
After leaving the cafeteria, we made our way to our last few classes, only separating to go to different Calculus classes. We'd meet back up before I would leave for the day and she would head to track practice. Some days she'd show up after track to my house and we'd cook dinner while doing homework. Phil typically would be at practice or out of the house. Renee had lost interest in trying to be motherly and went back to her many hobbies which also meant she was usually not home. We both knew she was more comfortable acting like a friend than my mom. Today was one of those days that Circe made her way to my house. We quickly made some stir-fry and chatted while we ate and did homework.
"So, your parents don't mind that you are gone most afternoons, Ce," I asked. She never really spoke of her family.
"Nah, my dad's a pilot and he's always gone. My mom is a flight attendant, different airline though, and she's barely home," she replied guardedly. Before I could utter a word Circe drew in a deep breath and let it out. I knew she had something on her mind. She turned to look directly at me with her piercing blue eyes.
"You know Iz, we haven't known a each other a very long time," she stated. I gave a nod of agreement.
"Well, I feel like I could trust you, Iz. We seem to click, almost like we could be sisters." I pondered her statement for a minute. What she said made sense; while my chest still pained me, Circe brought warmth that I hadn't felt in a long time. Being around her made me feel like an lizard perched on a rock begging for her sunlight. Every moment spent with her warmed my cold body. She warmed me while I cooled and calmed her. I had learned in the few weeks I've known her that she was a firecracker and wouldn't hesitate to stand up for me or something she believed in. Usually, with a few curse words or a thinly veiled threat. I always wondered if she'd back that threat up. I laughed at the thought of her punching someone in the face; she was so skinny.
"I feel the same way, Ce. You can trust me. Like Planet Fitness this is a judgement free zone," I joked. Circe smiled then laughed.
"Okay, I'll just come out with it. Freshman year I was raped by a senior. You know one of those party scenes. Drink too much, don't consent. Yada Yada." She said all this very blasé. Finished with a flick of the hand. My eyes widened and mouth dropped.
"Well, it was a big drama. My parents didn't really take my side. The guy was a family friend's kid. I was mostly blamed. Not a great time for me if you could imagine. During this time, I was extremely angry. One day it just become too much to deal with and I felt like I was going to explode. And that's exactly what I did."
"What do you mean explode," I questioned.
"Well." She held her hand out straight forward in a tight fist.
"Nice hand, Ce, but that doesn't explain anything." I laughed. She let out a small chuckle then gave me a smirk.
"Real funny, Iz. Watch this hoe." Rolling my eyes, I looked down at her hand. She tightened her fist, then she turned her hand palm up and unfurled her fist.
FLAMES.
FUCKING FLAMES.
"What. The. Fuck."
"I know, right?!"
"So you're telling you can shoot fire from your hands?"
"Yeah, I thought I might be a damn witch honestly," she said with a laugh, closing her fist to extinguish the flame.
"Whatever you say, Charizard." I tried to joke to hide my complete astonishment.
We went spent the rest of the evening completing our homework. I would sporadically ask her questions about her "parlor trick" as she called it. She took her leave to head back home and I began to contemplate everything that was just revealed. It seemed like regardless of where I went, I couldn't escape this supernatural shit. Here, my best friend, dare I say, my sister is a human flame thrower. He said our worlds were separate, but here I was being dragged right back in. Circe joked she was a witch. Could she be right? Are witches real? Hell, vampires were supposed to be fiction but I know exactly the truth to that.
