A/N: Over ten thousand views! That's just amazing! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Seriously people, no matter how much I wish I did, I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT!
CHAPTER 38:
ELLA'S POINT OF VIEW:
I closed my eyes and took in a big breath before opening the car door and exhaling as I got out into the cold September air. The parking lot was filled with students talking and laughing, happy to be starting another year at the school at which they had built strong friendships with those around them. Me, not so much. It turned out that my friends weren't coming here after all. I would have to start all over again. A small part of me told me that it was a good thing, but a larger part told me that it would be hard, and so not worth it. I wondered if I would regret my decision.
I walked up to the building and went inside. The main office was in a room next to the main entrance, so I decided that would be a good place to start. I had never been here before, and I had no idea where I was going. A map of the school would be nice.
"Hi. I'm Gabriella Dixie Cullen. I'm new here, so I was wondering if you could get me a map of the place," I said to the woman at the desk.
"Of course. Wait just a minute while I print out your schedule," she said.
She gave me my schedule and a map and highlighted the route to each of my classes. She gave me a packet of information, which included my locker number. I walked around until I found my locker. There was a girl with blonde hair at the locker next to mine.
"Hi," I said as I walked up.
"Hello, I'm Taylor," she said.
"I'm Ella," I introduced.
"So are you new here?" she asked.
"Yeah, are you?" I asked.
"Yep. What grade?"
"Ninth," I answered.
Her face lit up. "Me too."
"Cool," I said.
I put my stuff in my locker. I barely had enough room. I had way too many decorations.
"So do you know anybody?" I asked.
"Yeah. Four friends from my old school," she said.
"Lucky, I don't know anybody," I said sadly.
"Do you want to sit with me at lunch? I could introduce you to my friends," she offered.
I smiled genuinely. "That would be great."
The first bell rang indicating that I should hurry up and get to class.
"Well, I'll see you later," I said before walking off.
"Bye!" Taylor called.
I didn't talk to anybody during that first class. I had found myself too shy to speak up. No one said hi to me either. It was just one of those awkward first day of school situations. Totally embarrassing and totally unavoidable.
The morning passed quickly and I was on my way to lunch to hopefully make some friends. It was such a change from the previous years. Each time I went back to school in the fall, I had no fear of not having any friends. Here I didn't know anybody's first name.
I was so enveloped in my thoughts that I didn't notice the person that was standing in front of me. I crashed into that person, dropping my books in the process.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" a voice said angrily.
I looked up and felt my knees weaken when I saw who it was.
Alec.
"I am so sorry," I said nervously.
"Wait, Ella?"
"Yep, it's me," I said quietly.
"You look so different. Did you lighten your hair or something?" he asked.
"No, it just became a lighter brown over the summer," I answered.
It was silent.
"Look, I'm sorry for how I treated you last year. We aren't friends, not even remotely close, but, just, stay out of my way, okay? I won't bother you, you won't bother me. And don't try to start something, because it won't work, got it?" he said.
I nodded. He walked away without another word.
I slowly made my way to the cafeteria. I was so not expecting to ever have to face Alec again. At least he didn't seem as mean as he was last year. I was still going to avoid him as much as possible though. Not only because he wanted me to, but also for my own happiness. I didn't need to start crying at school because of him again. I needed to man up and not run away and hide from my problems.
"Ella! We've been waiting for you," Taylor said as I approached the table she and her friends were sitting at.
"Sorry. I had to do . . . something," I said.
She introduced me to her four friends, Kerri, Tasha, Clara, and Marlene. They didn't really pay much attention to me, and just talked amongst themselves. Taylor tried to include me into the conversation a few times by asking me questions about my old school, but after a few short, boring answers from me, she gave up. I just bit little pieces off of my apple and listened to their conversation.
The rest of the day passed quickly. It was only the first day of school, but I had hours of homework. I was struggling to fit it all into my backpack when Taylor approached me.
"Hey, I thought that you would've been more into the conversation at lunch today," she said.
"I guess I just didn't find it that interesting," I said dismissively.
"Are you saying that my friends are stupid?" she asked angrily.
"No, not at all. I'm just saying that I wasn't really interested in the conversation," I said. Truth to be told, I didn't even know what the conversation was about.
"Well don't expect to be friends with me or any of them anytime soon. Or ever," she snapped before walking away with her nose high in the air.
God, why did she have to be so bitchy? I slammed my locker shut and walked outside to find Mom waiting in her Porsche SUV. I got in and slammed the door like I did with my locker and went back to seething at Taylor and her band of bitches. Hey, that could be a thing.
"I'm guessing by your actions today wasn't a very good day?" Mom asked lightly.
"Nope," I said.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
"Not really."
It was silent only for about ten seconds before I slipped off into a rant.
"I know absolutely nobody! I met this girl named Taylor and she introduced me to her friends, but they are all just bitches! So is she! I don't get along with anybody! To make matters worse, Alec of all people has to be here. He wasn't mean to me, but he still doesn't want anything to do with me. And to top it all off, I've got hours of homework to do!"
"I'm sorry that you didn't make any friends, Sweetheart, but you've got to remember that it's only the first day. You know how the saying goes, first day, worst day. And as far as the homework goes, I'd be happy to help you," Mom offered.
"Thanks. It just been one badass day," I grumbled.
"I'll always help you. You might want to lose that tone and language before your father gets home though," she said.
"I'm sorry Mom. It's just, I expected today to be a lot better. Everything's just so, different," I said.
"Well, it's a new school and new experience. I'm sure you'll make friends soon though," she said.
"I'm not so sure about that," I said.
"Ella, how many girls did you talk to today?" Mom asked.
"Five," I answered slowly.
"And how many high school students are there?"
"I don't know, like, seven hundred."
"So let's cut that in half and say that there are three hundred and fifty girls. You met five of them, so let's say that there are about three hundred and forty-five girls that you have yet to meet. You ought to be friends with at least one of them by the end of the week," she said.
"But I've seen a lot in my different classes throughout the day, and none of them even said hi to me," I said.
"Sometimes you have to say the first word, make yourself noticed."
"I'll figure it out," I said dismissively.
Once we got home, I went straight up to my room and threw my stuff down on my bed. I ripped the ponytail that held my braided hair together before plopping down on the bed. I grabbed my fuzzy blue pillow and buried my face into it. I cried the tears of today into it.
I cried for Taylor and her group of brats. I cried for Alec, the meanest person I've ever met. I cried for Discovery, and how I wished to go back. I cried for all of my old friends at my old school, wishing that they'd all appear at Prep. I cried for everything that had upset me today.
"Ella Honey, what's wrong?" Dad's soothing voice asked. I jumped; I hadn't heard him come in. He must have gotten off work early, it was only six o'clock.
"Baby, talk to me," Dad ordered softly.
"I had a horrible day!" I cried. I probably sounded like a five-year-old.
"I'm sorry to hear that Sweetheart. Do you want to talk about it?" Dad asked kindly.
"I already told Mom. Go ask her if you want to know."
I felt a cold hand on my hair. "I will later, but right now it looks like I need to comfort you."
Dad pulled me up into his lap and turned me so that I was facing him. He pulled me into a hug and simply held me.
"I don't fit in very well at school," I explained.
"Everybody's different Sweetie," Dad said.
"I didn't make any friends today though. I'm too different," I cried.
Dad didn't have anything to say to that. I didn't want a response either.
"Do I have to go back to school tomorrow?" I asked, giving him puppy-dog eyes.
"I'm afraid so Darling. Is it that bad?" he asked concernedly.
"Can't you and Mom just homeschool me?" I begged.
"Ella, I don't have the time and social interaction is very important. Especially in maturing years," Dad said.
"There's no social interaction if I don't have any friends anyway," I said.
"Bottom line, you're staying in school. If you're really that unhappy, I can try to enroll you into a different one," Dad offered.
"No, I can do this. You and Mom are both right, I need to give it another chance. I need to stop running away from my problems," I said with a sudden boost of confidence.
Dad smiled. "That's my girl. Should we go get you some food now?"
"Can you order pizza?" I asked, batting my eyelashes.
Dad chuckled. "Of course."
Ninth and tenth grade passed quickly. During that time, I only made two friends, Courtney and Katrina. The nice thing was, they were super awesome. Another awesome thing? I had a new boyfriend. His name was Mitchell Brown and he was football captain of the Johnnie's. Courtney and Katie had football player boyfriends too. It was the last day of eleventh grade before Spring Break and Courtney, Katie, their two boyfriends, Liam and Shawn, Mitchell, and I were all sitting at a lunch table in the cafeteria.
"So Ella, are you in?" Courtney asked me.
"I don't know. I mean, we're sixteen, some of us seventeen, so don't you think going to a college Spring Break party is kinda out of our age range?" I asked.
"We were invited though. Almost everyone in our grade is going. It's just that bar in downtown Seattle," Katie said.
"All right. Fine, I'll go. I'm going have to lie to my parents though, they'd never let me out this late, especially to go to a college party. Can you guys help me think of something?" I asked.
"Just say that you're going to the movies with us," Mitchell said.
"Okay, I guess that works," I said.
"I'll pick you up with my bike at the end of your driveway at ten o'clock, okay? Party starts at eleven," he continued.
"Sounds good."
"I so can't wait! Can you believe it? sixteen and seventeen-year-olds going to a college party!" Courtney squealed.
"How cool are we?" Katie said happily.
The bell rang, signaling that we had to go to class. I threw my lunch tray away and walked out of the cafeteria. Much too soon, it was time to go home and lie to my parents. Great.
My heart pounded as I descended the stairs to the living room where my parents were sitting, talking about their day. I had spent the entire time from four o'clock to now, which was nine-thirty, getting dressed and preparing the lie I was about to tell. I was wearing a low-cut white tank top, a short black shirt that was hidden by a knee-length blue, and brown Ugg boots, but I had a pair of black heels with white polka-dots tucked in my purse. I took a deep breath before entering the room.
"Mom, Dad, I'm going to the movies tonight with some friends," I told them.
Dad laughed once and said, "And what makes you think we will let you go out that late?"
"Dad, c'mon. I'm just going out with some friends to celebrate Spring Break," I said.
"Which friends?" he asked, becoming serious.
"Courtney, Katie, their boyfriends, and Mitchell. We're sort of triple-dating.
"Ella, I'm sorry, but I will not allow you out that late," Dad said sternly.
"Carlisle, they just want to go out and celebrate Spring Break. They're just going to the movies," Mom said.
"What time will you be back?" Dad asked.
Shit. I had to choose my words carefully here. I needed not only to give an acceptable timeslot, but also one that would not be a lie.
"Well, the movie starts at eleven, so I'm guessing that it'll be no later than two," I said slowly.
"Absolutely not," Dad said.
"Ella, you can go. Just call us when it ends, okay?" Mom said.
"Esme!" Dad shouted.
"Carlisle, let her go. We have nothing going on tonight or tomorrow so there's no reason why she can't go," Mom said.
"Oh I can think of a few," Dad said.
"Of course you can. Ella, go. Before I have to physically hold him to the couch," Mom said.
"Thanks Mom. I'll be careful," I promised as I closed the door.
I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I got out the door. That had been close. I walked to the end of the drive to find Mitchell already waiting with his black motorcycle.
"Hey, did it go okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I just have to be back by two," I told him.
"No problem," he said and started up his bike.
It would take a half hour to get to the bar. I thought about what the party might consist of. I had never been to one before, obviously. It was a college party, so there would probably be smoking, drinking, drugs, and sex. Lovely. I just hoped that I could pull this off. If I didn't, my parents would never let me out of the house again. At least not if they didn't have me on a leash or something.
I could hear the loud music pounding out into the street as we approached. Mitchell pulled into the parking lot and shut off the bike. He got off and was about to go in when I stopped him.
"Wait just a sec," I said.
I pulled of the skirt and tucked it into my bag after taking out the shoes. I put them on and put my purse in the storage compartment on his bike.
"Okay, I'm ready," I announced.
We walked in and immediately spotted Courtney, Liam, Katie, and Shawn waiting for us by the door.
"Hey Ella! You look awesome!" Katie acknowledged.
I blushed. "Thanks."
Mitchell led me to the back of the bar where the rest of the football team were smoking and drinking.
"Hey, glad you could make it," one of the football players, Tim, said, clapping me on the shoulder.
I was kinda surprised when I saw Mitchell whip out a pack of cigarettes and light one. He stuck it in his mouth before lighting another one and holding it out to me.
"Here," he said.
I took it from him.
"Um, thanks," I said.
"Have you ever smoked before?" he asked.
"No," I answered.
"Ooh, gonna make a good girl go bad, are we Mitch?" one of them said while elbowing him in the ribs.
I blushed and stuck the cigarette in my mouth as I saw them do. It tasted disgusting, but there was just something . . . great about it.
"It's so . . . relaxing," I said.
Mitchell smiled. "That's the point. I could tell that you were a little on-edge, so I figured a smoke would do you good."
"You gotta try the beer too," Katie said, sipping a mug of her own.
"Aren't we too young?" I questioned.
"The people here don't care, as long as they get money," Liam said.
"Someone go get me one then," I said.
"On it!" Courtney said.
I threw the cigarette away and took the beer from Courtney. I held it cautiously to my lips. I sniffed it carefully. It smelt okay. I took a tiny sip. It was disgusting.
"She doesn't like it, I can tell," Shawn laughed.
"I do too like it," I said and took a huge gulp. I almost choked, but luckily I didn't.
Two cigarettes, three beers, and a White Russian later, it was time to leave. Mitchell and I walked out, nearly stumbling down the curb.
"Are you sure you can drive?" I asked, my voice slightly slurred.
"I'm fine Babe," he said, his voice slurring similar to mine.
It was drizzling, so the ride home was wet and cold. We got to the drive with a half hour to spare. I was glad it was raining, because it wouldn't look weird if I was soaking wet. I put on my cover-up clothes and dunked myself in the river to get the smell of smoke and alcohol off of me. I walked back to the house, shivering and praying that I would pass.
"Ella! Why are you so wet?" Dad asked when I walked in the door.
"A motorcycle in the rain might have something to do with it," I said, happy that my voice didn't slur.
Dad looked me over carefully for a few minutes before finally letting me go. I felt like doing a victory dance once I got to my room. I got in the shower and scrubbed myself from head to toe to get the smells of the night off. I got out and flopped into bed, exhausted by the stress of the party.
A/N: Things are sure about to get interesting this Spring Break. The reason I skipped so much time is because I really need to start making the transitions into the sequel. I'm also running out of events. There are more chapters to come with interesting events, but I just needed to make Ella older to do them. I hope that this chapter wasn't too confusing. Just to sum things up, Ella is sixteen and in tenth grade. And we all know what happens when someone is sixteen! Please review, favorite, and follow. Also vote on my poll. Last thing, I created a one-shot When The World Comes Crashing Down so you might want to go check that out. New chapter for this story will be posted by Friday at the latest. Thanks for reading!