Present, Future, But No Past

Chapter 4

Bella's POV

I shift uncomfortably as I look through my locker and select the books I would need for my first two classes. All the stares bore into my back and make my muscles twitch.

I hate the attention, I hate it; I really do.

"Bella!" A girlish voice calls cheerfully and I turn slightly on instinct to see a blur of blond hair. The person it belongs to welds their body into me for a few quick seconds before pulling back. "I'm so glad you're okay; I heard what happened."

The people around me stare wide eyed, some of the bigger boys with matching jerseys chuckle.

"D-do I know y-you?" I ask tilting my head.

"Of course!" She exclaims with a hurt expression plastered to her face. "I'm Shauna, your best friend."

Even more confusion clouds my mind. "Shauna? Shauna Pierce?"

"You remember me?" She asks gleefully.

"No, no." I say quickly, taking a step back slightly. "I found a journal of mine and it said that you hated me and are always mean to me."

Her face smooths out, her smile exchanged for a scowl. "Well fine, if you want to be a killjoy."

"What?" I ask even more confused.

She sighs. "They said that you lost your memories, not that you were stupid." The boys from before snicker in amusement, coming even closer to form a kind of barrier.

A grin takes her face, but it's a little more sinister than before but it still has a kind of joy in it. One that makes me take another step back and run into one of the large guys that stand behind me.

"This might actually be fun!" She cheerfully says, and confusing me even more, turns on her heal and walks the way she came.

The big boys follow after her, the one behind bumping me in the shoulder and knocking me into the lockers as he does.

I wince in pain. What just happened?

All the students around me seem to kind of have a gleeful smile on their faces, some of them just looking at me sadly.

I don't understand.

…

I don't like school, I decide as I pick pieces of murdered broccoli and drowned macaroni from my hair. I hadn't taken more than ten steps through the cafeteria doors before someone tripped and spilt their entire lunch on me.

I wipe furiously at the juice stain all over the front of my shirt before finally giving up, giving a little moan/scream in frustration.

Today is just not going right and I already have a large bruise on my arm from getting bumped into the lockers or walls so many times. All I really want to do right now is sit down in a stall and cry, but the bell is about to ring. I had been in here for all of lunch period and I didn't even get to eat.

My stomach growls in complaint because that's two meals skipped in a row.

I sniff and wipe at the unshed tears before throwing on the light hoody that I had found stuffed in my locker.

The bell rings and I duck out of the bathroom, hoping that I don't get pushed again.

…

"Bella." My teacher calls towards the end of my last class. "Can you please come to the board and work this problem out?"

I glance up from my doodles in my note book, something I apparently did a lot from all the previous pages in there, and I take in all the eyes that had shifted to stare at me. My glance at Shauna is unwilling.

Ducking my head quickly, I stumble to my feet and jerkily lurch forward to start my way to the white board. When I get there, I look hesitantly at the math problem. It's thankfully something I know and could solve relatively easily.

"Ah, little Miss. Hollow Head isn't stupid after all." The blond in the front row remarks when I put the lid to the marker back on, and I duck my head in embarrassment.

"Shauna," My teacher chides. "That is completely unnecessary and if it happens again in my class, you will go to the principal's office."

Her white teeth glint as she grins, twirling a piece of her hair around a finger.

As I walk back to my seat, a foot suddenly appears in front of me, making me tumble to the floor. My hands slap the tile first, then my knees, jarring painfully into the hard floor.

A whimper escapes me despite my best efforts and I have to fight off tears as the class snickers. Shauna ducks her head down close to my ear and sneers.

"Freak." She hisses.

I push myself to my feet, hands stinging and knees groaning as I practically launch myself into my seat and cross my arms over the desk to burry my face in.

I fight hard not to make a sound or shake, giving no indication that tears are sliding down my cheeks.

I don't get it, what did I do? Did I do something bad to her before I lost my memories? But then why is everyone else acting that way too; why do they hate me?

I stay that way even after the bell rings, and only after I hear everyone scurry out the door do I peek my head up and wipe my tears.

The teacher's whose name I continually forget, gives me a sympathetic look as I stand, but says nothing as I walk out the door.

I'm not bothered again since everyone's main focus is getting out the school door to go home.

I stand lost in the swiftly emptying parking lot, unsure of what to do or where I go. I recognize none of the people getting into cars but that's only probably because no one in my grade can drive. None of the older kids have really caused me problems, at least no more than the rest of the sophomores and the continual stares that even the teachers give me.

Eventually, after the entire parking lot is deserted, I start walking in a random direction in search of a bus for transportation.

Renee never explained where they were, or which one to take. Hopefully I figure it out soon because I think that this is going to be a regular job of mine.

I really hope I don't mess up; I don't want my mom to hate me too.

A few more tears of frustration fall from my cheeks as my knees continue to throb and my hands continue to sting, and my feet start to ache from walking so long in no direction. For all I know, I could be walking straight into the dessert where no civilization is and the only living things around are the vultures to eat my dead and decaying body.

I trudge on in the one direction for what seems like hours, until I hear a car pulling up behind me. It's an old blue looking thing and I tilt my head curiously.

The door opens after a few seconds of me just standing there, and Mrs. Henderson steps out slightly, squinting into the sun at me.

"Isabella dear, where are you going?" She asks and I take a step closer to her.

"I don't know." I admit. "Do you know where the bus stop is? Renee never told me…"

An odd expression crossed her face, one that I didn't understand. Was that dislike? For what? For whom?

"That's five miles in the other direction honey." She walks over to the other side of the car, opening it wide. "Come now, I'll take you where you need to go."

Shifting my weight to the other foot and wincing at the dull throb, I duck my head. "I don't want to be a bother." I tell her. "I'm okay, really."

I flinch at her glare that I can feel burning into my head.

"You get your hiney over here right now, and you better set that little butt of yours in this here seat. I'm taking you and that's not a request."

"O-okay." Ducking my head further, I scramble to get into the old car with wide eyes.

She nods in satisfaction before rounding back around and setting herself behind the wheel.

"Now where were you going to take that bus to?" She asks kindly, voice much softer than before.

I shift, hugging my backpack closer to my chest. "The store. I'm supposed to buy groceries."

That odd look once again crosses her face as she pulls back onto the road, turning around and driving the direction I had just walked.

"And where is your mother?" Her voice sounds odd as she clenches her jaw.

"I don't know; she never said. She works right?" I finally turn to her, comfortable enough to look at her face as she keeps her eyes carefully trained on the road.

"Yes." She answers and we fall into silence. My eyes fall back to my hands where they clutch tighter at my rugged bag.

After a few more minutes, we come to a stop and I look out my window in surprise. There are an abundant amount of cars sitting in front of a variety of stores, including the one that I need. As I reach for the door handle though, a soft wrinkled hand stops me.

"If you ever need anything, you can come to me. You know where I am." She says sincerely, and I nod gratefully.

"Thank you." I say.

The next day during lunch, I find myself standing in her office with my eyes trained on the ground and a lunch bag in hand. My clothes are decorated in spilt food once again and I shift on my foot.

"Do you mind if I eat in here?" I whisper.

She purses her lips and merely nods tersely.

I slump to the ground by her desk to silently eat my bagged lunch.

A/N: Alright, another update. Be patient with me guys. Please review!