3. Treading Water—The Lost Art

Being on a crowded public bus was not my favorite way to travel in Phoenix. This had been made evident when I rode it for my first day of school. Even for seven in the morning, the bus was crowded, noisy, and chaotic. Renée had promised me that this was a one time thing; with her having to meet with the headmaster of the kindergarten and Phil having a doctor's appointment. She had promised I would have a car to drive by the end of the week. As I risked glancing at the man leering at me across the isle, I prayed it would be soon, otherwise I was going to have to invest in either jujitsu or pepper spray, aerosol bottle being the most likely option, as I had no coordination whatsoever.

I nearly fell on my face as we came to the stop a block from West Phoenix High School. Barely glancing back, I basically power-walked off the bus and joined the faceless mob that was heading towards the school. Already, I felt like I was getting the wish I had asked of myself last night in bed, to be invisible. No one looked at me for more than a moment, eyes glancing right over me and going on to the next person who walked by. But as I walked into the central office, I felt eyes staring at my back, making my skin prickle a little. I turned my head and looked, but the two girls coming in behind me were busy gossiping loudly with each other and the door was closing too quickly for me to glance out into the hall.

"Hmm," I muttered to myself and turned back to woman at the counter, who was busy sorting through papers. The barely looked older than me, which surprised me. The secretary back in Forks had been an older, plump woman with frizzy red hair. "Excuse me?"

The woman looked up, startled. She blinked her luminous green eyes and shakily brushed back her straight blond hair. She settled her busy hands and took a deep breath. "What can I do for you?"

"Uh, I'm Isabella Swan. I registered here a few days ago. I need my schedule..." For a minute, the secretary looked panicked, but she smiled and perked up a bit.

"Right...You and your mother came in here a few days ago." I nodded. "Right...right...Just let me find it here..." She walked off, leaving me standing alone. As I waited, I looked around my surroundings, taking in the office, which was the only place in the school I found myself confidently able to find. I saw that off to the side, nearly shoved behind a cluster of sports schedules, was the secretary's nameplate, which read Ms. Masen. Another secretary sat further in the office, typing away furiously at a computer, answering calls as they came. She fit the 'secretary' stereotype perfectly: matronly, old, plump, and was organized at her station. "Got it!"

Ms. Masen shouted as she came back around the corner, startling the second secretary slightly. One man peaked his head from a doorway in the hallway near the back of the office to see what the noise was. When he saw the blond secretary sit, he just shook his head and disappeared into the back room again. "Let's take a look, huh?" She smacked the paper down on the counter, clearing a small space for the two of us to look at the small square of paper. I read the paper with butterflies in my stomach.

Isabella M. Swan

7:55-8:55: Applied Spanish in Conversations 2 Sra. Ramirez

9:00-10:05: Geometry 3 Mr. Lea

10:10-11:15: Advanced Biology Ms. Colbert

11:20-11:50: LUNCH A

11:55-12:50: World History 2 Mr. Goldstein

12:55-1:35: Study Hall Mrs. Tailor/Mr. Schmidt

1:40-2:35: Contemporary Literature Ms. Miller

2:40-3:35: Gym (Track and Field Sports) Mr. Lopez

"What's wrong, Miss Swan?" I looked up to see Ms. Masen's doe-like green eyes watching me in concern.

I swallowed, fighting back worry. "Oh, nothing. I'm just not a fan of gym." I chuckled. "I am not very graceful." That was putting it lightly. Heaven forbid someone ask me to run a track or play soccer. "By the way, you can just call me Bella."

She smiled in understanding. "Well, Bella, if you could just call me Serena, then we'd all be a little happier." I nodded, smiling. "I'd give you a tour of the school, be your shadow and all that, but as you can see, I have a lot of work to do here." She trailed off, then picked up steam again. "This is what happens when I go on vacation and leave that old—"

"Serena," muttered the older woman in the room, not taking her eyes off of the computer.

"Sorry, sorry." Serena looked at me guiltily. "It's just that, the woman who comes in when Mrs. Green or I leave never organizes anything. Just leaves it here for me to deal with when I come back. Normally I don't mind if it's just for a day, but really!" Mrs. Green nodded in agreement silently. "Anyway. I have arranged for someone to shadow you for the day. They should be here any moment now. I had them check in with all of their teachers to let them know..." I sat in one of the empty chairs, feeling a little dizzy. I was already attracting gossip—staff gossip, for crying out loud. I shuddered to hear what nonsense I would be privileged to as the 'new girl' throughout the day. I had to wait another ten minutes for my guide. And in between that time, I saw two boys shuffle in—one bruised and holding his hand to his chest protectively and the other trying to stop their nose from bleeding everywhere—and a group of blue and silver-clad cheerleaders come in with a giant banner, requesting tape and ladders to hang the sign near the gym. I peaked at the sign as they tried to roll it up and take it from the office again and felt my eyes go wide. Homecoming ? I asked myself.

I suppressed a shudder just in time, as my guide came in the office. A slight girl, a redhead, came straight to me and held out her hand. I took it and shook, a little confused. "Isabella Swan?" she asked in a brisk tone as I stood. I nodded. "I am Cat. Cat Tailor." We chatted for a moment and I waited as Serena told Cat what my schedule was.

"So, where are you from?" Cat walked beside me as we traveled down the back end of the school. Just by looking at her, I knew she was curious as to why I would even attempt to live in a valley of sunlight while being so pale. Then again, looking at her sensitive redhead skin pallor, I felt reassured that I wouldn't have to bake my skin to survive.

"Forks, Washington. Sunless capitol of the world," I joked. Cat gave a short bark of a laugh.

"Heh, you're all right. I guess we can be friends." I stopped walking and stared at her. When she noticed that I wasn't walking with her, she stopped and backed up to me. "What's wrong?" A small frown appeared on her lips.

"I wasn't friend-fishing..." I started, but got cut off.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. You look like someone who couldn't be conniving or lie to save your life." She rolled her eyes at my pout. "I made up my mind when I found out I had to do this that if I liked you off the bat, I would be your friend." Cat gave me an appraising look, as if looking over merchandise. "Then again, if you'd rather be friendless on your first day..."

"No!" I blushed at my outburst, but quickly regained my composure. "No. I was just, startled, I guess." I held out my hand. "Friends, Cat?"

Cat pretended to think it over, but a sly smile was on her face. "Friends, Isabella."

"Bella." I corrected her automatically. We continued walking and I listened to all the advice that Cat deigned to share with me.

"So, I will meet you after all your classes. Don't worry if I take a few minutes—the halls are totally clogged with people. Not to mention you have the 'New Girl' card to play with the teachers. We'll do it today and tomorrow. And you've lucked out because we have a few classes together."

I perked up a bit. At least I would know someone. "Which ones?"

"Advanced Biology, A Lunch, Study Hall and Lit. About half of them, I guess."

We stopped outside of a door painted navy blue. I looked at it quizzically.

"Their painting stuff to infuse more 'school spirit'," Cat said, noticing my look of distaste. "This is room 118. Senora Ramirez's Conversational Spanish. I'll meet you here at nine." She started down the hall we came from.

I nervously knocked on the door, hoping no one would answer. I nearly gulped when I heard the teacher answer back. The door opened, the nob locked from the outside, and a woman who stood nearly half a foot shorter than my own five foot four. She had a mass of curly brown hair that was held up by a clip and her skin was the color of creamed mocha.

"Si?"

"Uh. I'm Bella Swan. The new student," I clarified when she looked at me blankly. Recognition sparked in her eyes and she switched to English.

"Oh, right. Come on in." She opened the door wider and let me in, closing the door behind me. She shooed me to the only open seat, right in the middle of the mob of my classmates, the desk already having a book perched on the edge. I breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't make me stand in front of everyone. Ramirez merely handed me a few pieces of paper and went on teaching. I liked her already. After class she explained a few points on the syllabus and sent me on my way, which was the same time that Cat had shown up.

"What class did you just come from?" I asked her, shoving my new (to me) Spanish book in my bag along with the papers.

"Français trois," she answered in an accent. She pointed to a gaudy silver door just feet from my Spanish room. "Then again, that isn't how you would actually say it," she amended, switching back to our native tongue.

"So where are we going now?"

"I am taking the two of us upstairs to the math wing. I have Algebra and you have...what?"

"Uh, Geo, I think." I had to glance at my schedule.

Cat snapped her fingers. "That's right. Mr. Lea! I am so sorry." She cackled evilly.

"Why?" I dragged out the word, not wanting to really hear a word.

"He is a perv. None of the girls like having him as a teacher. Word of advice, don't wear nice tops or skirts til after his class. You should always carry a sweater or something to wear." She took a glance at me. "Though, I wouldn't worry about passing his class."

I looked down, confused. I thought my outfit was decent. I had on my favorite pair of jeans, a blue pair of tennis shoes and a square necked gray T on. "What?" I asked, exasperated. A few people on the stairs glanced at me as I growled. Cat stifled a laugh.

"You have a chest, Bella." She pointed to me, then to herself. She was rather flat compared to myself. "I barely scrapped by in his class with a C because of two reasons. One, I am curveless. Two, he hates my mother, who is a teacher here."

I swallowed, nervous and braved Geometry for an hour, completely understanding what Cat had been talking about. She is my new hero , I said to myself, waiting outside the half painted door for my new friend and figuratively caped crusader.

At least, with Cat around, I was treading water instead of drowning. She made being new look easy.

Authoress Note:

Sorry I took so long to update. I am working like crazy for my new car... -.-;

New update sometime before July, I hope.

Please read, enjoy, and review!

unfailingtwilight (2008)