Okay, so here's the basic need to know stuff. The events of Twilight happened, but without Jasper (hard to imagine but I will get to that later on). They also happened earlier, like in the 80's or 90's (I've yet to decide). This also takes place in a 2020 without Covid. Anyway enjoy.
My mom and dad were arguing again. From my small room, I could hear the shouts gradually rising like a symphony in Carnegie hall. In times like these, I always wondered why they had me. Maybe when they were younger they had a mutual affection for each other, but for as long as I could remember they hated each other. And unfortunately they didn't like me. Strangely, I sort of understood why they felt that way. I strained their marriage, and I kept to myself most of the time. I was not the most open of people.
The moment I heard the sound of one of my parents stomping up to their shared room, I opened my window, grabbed my phone and Beats, and headed onto the roof. Our home's roof was sort of flat with a barely noticeable slant and had dark brown tiles that were unmovable. Due to that, I was able to lounge out here and listen to music while my parents raged World War Three in our home.
As soon as I reached my usual spot, I laid down on my back, placed on my headphones, and turned on my music. My mood always determined my choice in what albums or playlists to play. Right now, I was feeling slightly angry that my home life was for lack of a better word, bullshit. Scrolling through my library, I decided on Green Day's American Idiot album and let the sounds of punk rock block out the sounds of the outside world. The only thing that reminded me I was at home was the surrounding forest of Forks, Washington. If there was a center of civilization, this was the town farthest from it. When my parents told me we were leaving LA, I would have guessed anywhere, even Soviet Siberia, before guessing that the destination was Forks. The town was the most boring place in the world and had the worst weather imaginable. It was always cloudy, misty, cold, and wet-ish. Even in the summer I wondered if it would start raining.
My train of thought was then derailed by a brief flash of black and white out in the forest. I had no clue what it was, but my rationale side of my brain decided that I was probably seeing things. However, I got the strange feeling I was being watched by something just beyond the tree line. Slowly, I removed my headphones and listened. My parents' argument was over, and now I was free to reenter my bedroom. Out of curiosity, I gazed at the clock on my wall. The time read 9:00 and as soon as I looked back at the window, it appeared that the sky had darkened. Despite not having dinner, I decided to hit the sack and have a big breakfast the next morning before the journey into my Junior year of high school. At some point when everything outside my window was black, I fell asleep.
The following morning, I was awoken to the feelings of hunger and the sounds of my stomach. Meandering my way down to the kitchen, I wiped the sleep away from my eyes and slowly strolled down the steps. Once I arrived at my destination, I dug through the wooden cabinets of the kitchen until I found some cereal and a bagel. Some much for a big breakfast. The rest of the morning passed in a blur as I prepared to make my journey into the hell known as high school. There was a brief glimmer of hope in my mind that said that this high school might not be like my last one. My previous school had been on the outskirts of LA and was pretty much your stereotypical inner city school. The halls were messy and always carried the smell of cigarettes. The teachers were uncaring, hypocritical jerks and at least a quarter of the students smoked something. Despite being the worst place to learn anything of value, there was only one good thing at that school, my friends. They were the kindest bunch of outsiders you could imagine. They always let me crash at their place when things went on the fritz at home, and we shared a common interest in surfing. They were the people that bought me my first hardboard on my fifteenth birthday. Among our little group, there were three of us including me-Phil Minta, a nerdy, skinny kid who knew more about computers than was good for him, Dave Johnson, the blonde pretty boy who liked cars, and then me, Rhett Carson, the quiet one. They were practically family to me, and we spent countless hours down at spots like Zuma Beach surfing and goofing around. When my parents told me I was leaving LA, it felt like my world had shattered, but I survived. And I still used Discord to talk with them.
When my trip down memory lane ended and my breakfast had been eaten, I went upstairs, grabbed some clothes and took a shower. For today's wardrobe, I decided on a plain white t shirt, blue jeans, and black hoodie that carried the picture of a man smashing a guitar with the words "London Calling" written beneath it. As soon as I was dressed and the rest of my daily routines were finished, I departed for school.
It was a long walk to Forks High School, roughly about thirty minutes, but when I got there, it appeared that I was one of the first students to arrive. The student parking lot was virtually empty except for a few cars here and there. When I walked into the administration office to grab my schedule and necessary locker info, I was shocked to find that this school was going to be nothing like the one back in LA. The floor was basic linoleum, but without the marks of being constantly treaded upon, and their were no signs of trash or tossed aside cigarettes in view. Maybe this place wasn't going to be so bad. Once my necessary materials had been acquired, I went to my locker, deposited the superfluous binders and other junk, and wandered my way to English class. Just as I reached the door, I heard the sounds of the student body arriving. Loud chatter, the shuffling of feet, and the parking of cars filled my ears as I entered my first class. The teacher didn't notice me, but that was alright. I was accustomed to being unnoticed. Of all the classes I had, English was probably going to be my favorite. This opinion was based solely on the reading list. To Kill A Mockingbird, the Great Gatsby, and Gone with the Wind were the books I would get to enjoy reading this year. Compared to every other class, this was a knockout.
Nothing of interest happened during the morning. Every class basically just welcomed the students and went over the material we would be covering throughout the year. Not one actually made us do anything other than acquaint the students, including me, with each other. Again, nobody seemed to notice me, and at lunch, I was forced to find an unoccupied table to deposit myself while I ate. Since there was nothing to do, I decided to kill the time by reading the Great Gatsby and listening to Bob Marley, while everyone else conversed with each other. As time slipped by, I snuck a look at the clock only to find that there were still forty minutes of lunch left. As I looked back down, my eye glanced at the door as they entered. For the first time since arriving, I saw the Cullens.
Like everybody, I knew who they were. Their dad was pretty famous around town for being the best doctor at Forks General Hospital, and his children were very "unique" and strange people. I could see why. They walked in together in what looked like a very scripted manner. The big, muscular one and the blonde came in first, followed by the two dark haired ones, and lastly, the one with the short hair entered, or more accurately pranced in last. Not one of the Cullens acknowledged the existence of any of the people in the cafeteria. They seemed to be in their own little bubble world. Then the short haired one looked at me and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. All I could think was what the hell? All of sudden, she departed from the course of her family and took up residence at my isolated table.
"Hi, I'm Alice," she said. Words failed me and my face turned red. She offered her hand across the table for shaking.
"Uh, Rhett Carson," I said as I shook her hand. When I felt her cold, pale skin meet with mine, my heart stopped and she smiled again. I don't believe in love at first sight, but she definitely had enchanted me by only saying three words. Something told me this be the first of many encounters with Alice and the rest of the Cullen Clan.