Title: Somewhere In Between
Author: Courtney
Email: courtneystovall@yahoo.com
Rating: R
Category: Bella POV; Alt-Universe
Summary: Bella wakes up one morning to find everything she knows in life has changed
overnight. Now, caught in some sort of strange reality, can she ever find her way back to the way
things used to be . . . and does she really want to go back?
Disclaimer: I own them all and they'll be appearing this fall on *my* network, ok?
Author's Notes: I wanted to write an alternate universe fic for Young Americans where everything
was just a little different than it had been on the show and in trying to come up with something, I
ended up with this. It's not exactly what I had in mind but we'll see how it turns out I guess.
--------------------------------------------
Part 3
It was barely six-thirty the next morning when the sun peeked into the window by her bed and
woke Bella from sleep. She yawned, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she stretched her legs
beneath the covers like a cat. Then, just as she was about to open her eyes and face the day, a
thought crossed her mind. Where was she? Would she open her eyes to find herself in the
Rawley Girl's dorm room that she had fallen asleep in the night before? Or would she wake up
back in her own bed in the garage apartment she'd known all her life?
The question went unanswered as she continued to avoid reality, choosing instead to keep her
eyes shut as she pondered her alternatives. On the one hand, she had spent the majority of the
previous, very weird day wishing that she had never woken up in the bizarre alternate universe
she was in. None of her friends knew her, her family was who knew how many hundred miles
away, and even those who were supposed to be her friends just mostly thought she was weird
and avoided her. Why on earth would she want to stay there? But then, she'd met Ryder . . . and
things had changed. She'd found someone who didn't care if she were a little odd, someone who
was happy to just sit and talk and who somehow managed to make her feel better despite not
really knowing what was going on in her head. She'd miss him; if she woke up back in her normal
life, she knew that he would be the only thing about that place that she would miss.
She'd been lying in bed with her eyes closed for a good fifteen minutes by that time and she knew
she'd have to get the courage to open them eventually. The more she thought about it, the less
sure she was of where she hoped to be. She felt sure that she would be happy to find her
bedroom instead of the dorm when she looked around her, but she was also sure that she would
be more than a little disappointed. Because, even if Ryder did exist in both worlds, the Ryder
she'd just been getting to know the day before was a far cry from the stuck-up Rawley boy she'd
come to know that summer. If she were back where she belonged, she'd lose any chance she
might have had of getting to know him.
'Okay, just open your eyes,' she said silently to herself. 'No matter where you are, it's not going to
change just because you wish it were somewhere else so just open your eyes and get it over
with.' So, she took a deep breath . . . and opened her eyes.
The navy and white dorm room from the day before greeted her. She was still here. Strangely
enough, she felt relieved. Maybe it was totally crazy, but she wasn't quite ready to leave this
place.
Pushing her long, blonde hair back from her face, Bella swung her feet over the edge of the bed
and stretched again. Today would be nothing if not interesting, that was for sure. According to
"Jackie", today was orientation day. They were to be in the common area at 8am for a school-
wide meeting, then they'd be given their final class schedules, meet their teachers and all of that.
She was a bit anxious about the whole thing, but also kind of excited. She'd never been to a
private school and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted the opportunity to see
what it was all about.
Glancing over at the other bed, she saw that her roommate was unmoved by the daylight. She
was still sound asleep, her head submerged in covers and one foot sticking out from the blanket
over the side of the bed. She smirked a little, thinking that Jake was never much of a morning
person either.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty, it's almost seven," she called over to her hibernating roommate.
"Ugh, mmhmb-mbhhu-uhmm," came the muffled reply.
"Uh, excuse me?" Bella responded.
Finally, Jackie's head emerged from the covers and she shot a cross look towards the blonde. "I
said, my alarm clock is set for 7:30. Now, be quiet so I can get back to my dream."
Bella opened her mouth to reply, then thought better of it and just shook her head. Jackie was
already buried back under the blankets anyway. And since Bella had showered the night before
and gotten dressed before she attempted to rouse 'the beast', she figured she might as well leave
well enough alone and get an early start. Besides, what difference did it make to her if her foul-
tempered roommate were on time? With that thought in mind, she grabbed her book bag and left.
* * * * *
The common hall was practically empty when she arrived so Bella found a seat at an empty table
and sat down to wait. Though she had tried to convince herself that this whole private school
thing might be fun, she was quickly remembering just how alone she was at this school. She
didn't know anyone; even the people that she *did* know. Everyone around her was pretty much
a stranger. Before, even though she'd always been one of the smart kids from a working middle
class home, most of her friends had been as well. She'd never been alone. On the contrary, she'd
been pretty popular in high school. But now she was . . .
"All alone?" she heard a voice behind her echo her thoughts. Turning quickly, she saw a familiar
face smiling back at her. It was Sean.
"Um . . . I'm, uh . . ." she stuttered, not sure what to say to the boy whom she'd known all her life
and dated for nearly a year. She'd stopped seeing Sean a few months before, at the end of
sophomore year, but this Sean probably wouldn't remember any of that . . .
"Sean McGrail," he said as he extended his hand and proved her right.
She attempted a smile and replied, "Bella Banks."
"You must be new around here. I don't remember seeing you before," he commented.
"I just started," she verified. "I suppose that means you're not new around here, then?"
"Hardly," he laughed. "It is McGrail . . . as in Dean and Mrs. McGrail. I couldn't get away from
Rawley Academy if I wanted to."
"Oh, you're the dean's son," she said, finally having a person to fill the 'Hamilton' role. Sean just
nodded. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Sean."
"So, uh, looks like we're both here a little early . . . maybe I could give you a quick tour?" he
offered.
"Uh . . . sure," she said, figuring that she had probably had a tour already, but she didn't
remember it. And it would definitely be a good idea to know where she was going if she ended up
being stuck here for a while.
Sean walked her around the school's main building, showing her the various offices and pointing
out a few important places in the building. She could tell by the way he spoke that he was used to
giving this tour. He'd probably been made to give the same tour to hundreds of new students.
Just like Hamilton, she thought. And he probably hated it just as much as Hamilton did. But then,
he'd volunteered to give her the tour. What exactly should she read into that, she wondered?
"And now it's almost eight o'clock so we'd better make our way back to the commons hall before
we're late for orientation," he said. "If you'd like, I can give you the full tour of the campus this
afternoon after all of this first day stuff gets wrapped up," he offered hopefully.
She smiled at him, recalling him in her mind as her gallant suitor to the spring dance the year
before. He always had this way of making her feel at ease. Even now with him not having a clue
about what was going on inside her head, she felt a little bit better knowing that Sean was
around. Deep down she still felt like she could count on him if she needed him.
"Thanks, I'll let you know," Bella replied.
Sean nodded, then said as they reentered the commons hall, "And here we are again."
There were a lot more students milling about by then and a few boys stood up to wave Sean
over. "You'd better go," she said as she gestured towards his friends. "Thanks for the tour."
"No problem. Uh, Bella, you're welcomed to join us if you'd like," he offered, but she immediately
shook her head no. It just seemed like a better idea to go this alone for a while instead of hanging
out with a table full of guys she didn't know.
"I'm fine, but thank you anyway," she assured him.
"If you change your mind . . ."
"I know where to find you," she smiled. He nodded again and turned to walk away and join his
friends. Bella watched him for a moment, then turned to the rapidly filling seats and scanned them
for an empty chair. Finding one, she quickly sat down next to several girls she didn't know, all of
whom seemed to be newcomers like herself. She sat silently as the first speaker took the podium.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's settle down," the man said. "Take your seats and listen up,
please. We have a lot to do today and we can't afford to get started late." Everyone found a chair
and, after a moment, the talking stopped as everyone focused on the man who was speaking.
Bella squinted a little as she focused on the man's face. She was only a little surprised to
recognize him as Martin McGrail, Sean's father. She'd always known him as a member of New
Rawley's police force, but apparently here his authority was reincarnated into that of the dean of
students. She listened as he continued to speak.
"Now, as most of you probably know, I'm Dean McGrail," he said. "On behalf of the entire Rawley
Academy staff, I'd like to welcome all of our new students and welcome back all of our returning
students. It's nice to have all of you with us and we certainly look forward to a great year here at
Rawley . . ."
From there the speech only got less interesting as the dean went into various school policies on
grades, attendance, extra-curricular activities, and the like. Bella realized as she listened to the
long, boring monologue that perhaps private school wasn't so different from public school after
all.
It was after nine o'clock when the dean and the few other speakers had finished and the students
were released to have breakfast. After they ate, they'd all go to their "core teachers" class, which
Bella assumed was the equivalent of homeroom. She gathered her books and made her way
towards the cafeteria with the rest of the students.
Once in the cafeteria, Bella again found herself sitting alone. She pushed her already soggy corn
flakes around with her spoon and tried to ignore the bedlam around her as the rest of the student
body filed in for breakfast.
"Is anyone sitting here?" someone asked behind her and Bella looked up. Why was it that she
couldn't sit quietly alone for more than five minutes without some stranger coming up and trying
to start a conversation? And way was said stranger never really a stranger to her? Everything
about this place was weird, that was all she could figure.
"No, no one is . . ." she began to the girl who had spoken.
The girl smiled slightly and pulled out the chair to sit next to Bella. "Hi, I'm Paige Bennett," she
said as she stuck out her hand.
"You are?" Bella asked in surprise. "Uh, I mean, nice to meet you," she covered quickly. "I'm
Bella Banks." The girl just smiled again and turned to her cereal.
Bella, however, was practically in shock. *This* was Paige Bennett? The same Paige Bennett
who had rode surely over to Scout Calhoun that summer, every pore oozing with confidence as
she unabashedly flirted with the guy that Bella might-maybe-probably have liked? No, this
certainly wasn't the same Paige Bennett. True, she looked similar. If you disregarded the coke-
bottle glasses and the acne and the braces and the stringy braids in her hair and she dropped
twenty pounds then maybe, just maybe, with a little . . . no, a *lot* . . . of makeup . . .
"You're new, huh?" Paige asked, not looking up as she poured a packet of sugar over her bowl of
Cheerios.
"Uh, yeah," Bella answered.
Paige nodded. "I thought so. You didn't look familiar. I went here last year," she explained. "It's a
pretty good school."
"You like it here?" Bella asked, trying to make conversation and get the other girl to stop staring
down her breakfast.
"It's okay," Paige shrugged. "It's the tenth school I've been to . . . the only one I've been to for
more than one year."
"Wow, your parents move around a lot or something?" she asked.
"No, not really. I just get . . . tired of places." She was still examining the cereal as if it were about
to tell her some ancient prophecy and her voice sounded rather sad as she answered the
questions.
"Why'd you come back here, then?"
She shrugged again. "I guess I figured it was better than starting all over again."
"Do you know a lot of people here?" Bella asked.
"No, not really. I don't really have many, well, many friends, I guess," Paige admitted. She looked
pitiful, even with her eyes turned away and her face half hidden by her hair. Bella would have
never thought it possible, but she actually felt sorry for Paige at that moment.
"I don't either," Bella confided. "In fact, I think you're the first person at this school who has come
up and talked to me. Well, aside from the dean's son, but I get the feeling as nice as he is there
might be an ulterior motive in there somewhere."
Finally, Paige looked up and faced her. "Sean McGrail?"
"Yeah, he gave me a tour of the main building this morning," Bella said. "And he wants me to
meet him after lunch for a campus tour. I told him I'd see how the day went."
"He's cute," Paige said. "But, he's a jock. I mean, not that jocks are bad. Some people like jocks. I
don't personally dislike them . . . they just, well, they don't tend to like me too much I suppose."
"Yeah, they can be real jerks," Bella replied.
"So, are you going to go?" Paige asked.
"With Sean? Oh, I don't know. I was thinking about it but . . . eh, I might have other plans. I was
sort of thinking about seeing the town a little this afternoon. You wouldn't happen to be any good
at being a tour guide, would you?" she asked.
Paige's eyes lit up and she nodded. "I spent most of last year wandering around town when I
wasn't in class. I probably know this place better than the locals."
"Great, then it's settled," Bella said with a smile to her newfound friend. So far, this day was
starting out weirder than the last.
* * * * *
Author: Courtney
Email: courtneystovall@yahoo.com
Rating: R
Category: Bella POV; Alt-Universe
Summary: Bella wakes up one morning to find everything she knows in life has changed
overnight. Now, caught in some sort of strange reality, can she ever find her way back to the way
things used to be . . . and does she really want to go back?
Disclaimer: I own them all and they'll be appearing this fall on *my* network, ok?
Author's Notes: I wanted to write an alternate universe fic for Young Americans where everything
was just a little different than it had been on the show and in trying to come up with something, I
ended up with this. It's not exactly what I had in mind but we'll see how it turns out I guess.
--------------------------------------------
Part 3
It was barely six-thirty the next morning when the sun peeked into the window by her bed and
woke Bella from sleep. She yawned, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she stretched her legs
beneath the covers like a cat. Then, just as she was about to open her eyes and face the day, a
thought crossed her mind. Where was she? Would she open her eyes to find herself in the
Rawley Girl's dorm room that she had fallen asleep in the night before? Or would she wake up
back in her own bed in the garage apartment she'd known all her life?
The question went unanswered as she continued to avoid reality, choosing instead to keep her
eyes shut as she pondered her alternatives. On the one hand, she had spent the majority of the
previous, very weird day wishing that she had never woken up in the bizarre alternate universe
she was in. None of her friends knew her, her family was who knew how many hundred miles
away, and even those who were supposed to be her friends just mostly thought she was weird
and avoided her. Why on earth would she want to stay there? But then, she'd met Ryder . . . and
things had changed. She'd found someone who didn't care if she were a little odd, someone who
was happy to just sit and talk and who somehow managed to make her feel better despite not
really knowing what was going on in her head. She'd miss him; if she woke up back in her normal
life, she knew that he would be the only thing about that place that she would miss.
She'd been lying in bed with her eyes closed for a good fifteen minutes by that time and she knew
she'd have to get the courage to open them eventually. The more she thought about it, the less
sure she was of where she hoped to be. She felt sure that she would be happy to find her
bedroom instead of the dorm when she looked around her, but she was also sure that she would
be more than a little disappointed. Because, even if Ryder did exist in both worlds, the Ryder
she'd just been getting to know the day before was a far cry from the stuck-up Rawley boy she'd
come to know that summer. If she were back where she belonged, she'd lose any chance she
might have had of getting to know him.
'Okay, just open your eyes,' she said silently to herself. 'No matter where you are, it's not going to
change just because you wish it were somewhere else so just open your eyes and get it over
with.' So, she took a deep breath . . . and opened her eyes.
The navy and white dorm room from the day before greeted her. She was still here. Strangely
enough, she felt relieved. Maybe it was totally crazy, but she wasn't quite ready to leave this
place.
Pushing her long, blonde hair back from her face, Bella swung her feet over the edge of the bed
and stretched again. Today would be nothing if not interesting, that was for sure. According to
"Jackie", today was orientation day. They were to be in the common area at 8am for a school-
wide meeting, then they'd be given their final class schedules, meet their teachers and all of that.
She was a bit anxious about the whole thing, but also kind of excited. She'd never been to a
private school and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted the opportunity to see
what it was all about.
Glancing over at the other bed, she saw that her roommate was unmoved by the daylight. She
was still sound asleep, her head submerged in covers and one foot sticking out from the blanket
over the side of the bed. She smirked a little, thinking that Jake was never much of a morning
person either.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty, it's almost seven," she called over to her hibernating roommate.
"Ugh, mmhmb-mbhhu-uhmm," came the muffled reply.
"Uh, excuse me?" Bella responded.
Finally, Jackie's head emerged from the covers and she shot a cross look towards the blonde. "I
said, my alarm clock is set for 7:30. Now, be quiet so I can get back to my dream."
Bella opened her mouth to reply, then thought better of it and just shook her head. Jackie was
already buried back under the blankets anyway. And since Bella had showered the night before
and gotten dressed before she attempted to rouse 'the beast', she figured she might as well leave
well enough alone and get an early start. Besides, what difference did it make to her if her foul-
tempered roommate were on time? With that thought in mind, she grabbed her book bag and left.
* * * * *
The common hall was practically empty when she arrived so Bella found a seat at an empty table
and sat down to wait. Though she had tried to convince herself that this whole private school
thing might be fun, she was quickly remembering just how alone she was at this school. She
didn't know anyone; even the people that she *did* know. Everyone around her was pretty much
a stranger. Before, even though she'd always been one of the smart kids from a working middle
class home, most of her friends had been as well. She'd never been alone. On the contrary, she'd
been pretty popular in high school. But now she was . . .
"All alone?" she heard a voice behind her echo her thoughts. Turning quickly, she saw a familiar
face smiling back at her. It was Sean.
"Um . . . I'm, uh . . ." she stuttered, not sure what to say to the boy whom she'd known all her life
and dated for nearly a year. She'd stopped seeing Sean a few months before, at the end of
sophomore year, but this Sean probably wouldn't remember any of that . . .
"Sean McGrail," he said as he extended his hand and proved her right.
She attempted a smile and replied, "Bella Banks."
"You must be new around here. I don't remember seeing you before," he commented.
"I just started," she verified. "I suppose that means you're not new around here, then?"
"Hardly," he laughed. "It is McGrail . . . as in Dean and Mrs. McGrail. I couldn't get away from
Rawley Academy if I wanted to."
"Oh, you're the dean's son," she said, finally having a person to fill the 'Hamilton' role. Sean just
nodded. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Sean."
"So, uh, looks like we're both here a little early . . . maybe I could give you a quick tour?" he
offered.
"Uh . . . sure," she said, figuring that she had probably had a tour already, but she didn't
remember it. And it would definitely be a good idea to know where she was going if she ended up
being stuck here for a while.
Sean walked her around the school's main building, showing her the various offices and pointing
out a few important places in the building. She could tell by the way he spoke that he was used to
giving this tour. He'd probably been made to give the same tour to hundreds of new students.
Just like Hamilton, she thought. And he probably hated it just as much as Hamilton did. But then,
he'd volunteered to give her the tour. What exactly should she read into that, she wondered?
"And now it's almost eight o'clock so we'd better make our way back to the commons hall before
we're late for orientation," he said. "If you'd like, I can give you the full tour of the campus this
afternoon after all of this first day stuff gets wrapped up," he offered hopefully.
She smiled at him, recalling him in her mind as her gallant suitor to the spring dance the year
before. He always had this way of making her feel at ease. Even now with him not having a clue
about what was going on inside her head, she felt a little bit better knowing that Sean was
around. Deep down she still felt like she could count on him if she needed him.
"Thanks, I'll let you know," Bella replied.
Sean nodded, then said as they reentered the commons hall, "And here we are again."
There were a lot more students milling about by then and a few boys stood up to wave Sean
over. "You'd better go," she said as she gestured towards his friends. "Thanks for the tour."
"No problem. Uh, Bella, you're welcomed to join us if you'd like," he offered, but she immediately
shook her head no. It just seemed like a better idea to go this alone for a while instead of hanging
out with a table full of guys she didn't know.
"I'm fine, but thank you anyway," she assured him.
"If you change your mind . . ."
"I know where to find you," she smiled. He nodded again and turned to walk away and join his
friends. Bella watched him for a moment, then turned to the rapidly filling seats and scanned them
for an empty chair. Finding one, she quickly sat down next to several girls she didn't know, all of
whom seemed to be newcomers like herself. She sat silently as the first speaker took the podium.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's settle down," the man said. "Take your seats and listen up,
please. We have a lot to do today and we can't afford to get started late." Everyone found a chair
and, after a moment, the talking stopped as everyone focused on the man who was speaking.
Bella squinted a little as she focused on the man's face. She was only a little surprised to
recognize him as Martin McGrail, Sean's father. She'd always known him as a member of New
Rawley's police force, but apparently here his authority was reincarnated into that of the dean of
students. She listened as he continued to speak.
"Now, as most of you probably know, I'm Dean McGrail," he said. "On behalf of the entire Rawley
Academy staff, I'd like to welcome all of our new students and welcome back all of our returning
students. It's nice to have all of you with us and we certainly look forward to a great year here at
Rawley . . ."
From there the speech only got less interesting as the dean went into various school policies on
grades, attendance, extra-curricular activities, and the like. Bella realized as she listened to the
long, boring monologue that perhaps private school wasn't so different from public school after
all.
It was after nine o'clock when the dean and the few other speakers had finished and the students
were released to have breakfast. After they ate, they'd all go to their "core teachers" class, which
Bella assumed was the equivalent of homeroom. She gathered her books and made her way
towards the cafeteria with the rest of the students.
Once in the cafeteria, Bella again found herself sitting alone. She pushed her already soggy corn
flakes around with her spoon and tried to ignore the bedlam around her as the rest of the student
body filed in for breakfast.
"Is anyone sitting here?" someone asked behind her and Bella looked up. Why was it that she
couldn't sit quietly alone for more than five minutes without some stranger coming up and trying
to start a conversation? And way was said stranger never really a stranger to her? Everything
about this place was weird, that was all she could figure.
"No, no one is . . ." she began to the girl who had spoken.
The girl smiled slightly and pulled out the chair to sit next to Bella. "Hi, I'm Paige Bennett," she
said as she stuck out her hand.
"You are?" Bella asked in surprise. "Uh, I mean, nice to meet you," she covered quickly. "I'm
Bella Banks." The girl just smiled again and turned to her cereal.
Bella, however, was practically in shock. *This* was Paige Bennett? The same Paige Bennett
who had rode surely over to Scout Calhoun that summer, every pore oozing with confidence as
she unabashedly flirted with the guy that Bella might-maybe-probably have liked? No, this
certainly wasn't the same Paige Bennett. True, she looked similar. If you disregarded the coke-
bottle glasses and the acne and the braces and the stringy braids in her hair and she dropped
twenty pounds then maybe, just maybe, with a little . . . no, a *lot* . . . of makeup . . .
"You're new, huh?" Paige asked, not looking up as she poured a packet of sugar over her bowl of
Cheerios.
"Uh, yeah," Bella answered.
Paige nodded. "I thought so. You didn't look familiar. I went here last year," she explained. "It's a
pretty good school."
"You like it here?" Bella asked, trying to make conversation and get the other girl to stop staring
down her breakfast.
"It's okay," Paige shrugged. "It's the tenth school I've been to . . . the only one I've been to for
more than one year."
"Wow, your parents move around a lot or something?" she asked.
"No, not really. I just get . . . tired of places." She was still examining the cereal as if it were about
to tell her some ancient prophecy and her voice sounded rather sad as she answered the
questions.
"Why'd you come back here, then?"
She shrugged again. "I guess I figured it was better than starting all over again."
"Do you know a lot of people here?" Bella asked.
"No, not really. I don't really have many, well, many friends, I guess," Paige admitted. She looked
pitiful, even with her eyes turned away and her face half hidden by her hair. Bella would have
never thought it possible, but she actually felt sorry for Paige at that moment.
"I don't either," Bella confided. "In fact, I think you're the first person at this school who has come
up and talked to me. Well, aside from the dean's son, but I get the feeling as nice as he is there
might be an ulterior motive in there somewhere."
Finally, Paige looked up and faced her. "Sean McGrail?"
"Yeah, he gave me a tour of the main building this morning," Bella said. "And he wants me to
meet him after lunch for a campus tour. I told him I'd see how the day went."
"He's cute," Paige said. "But, he's a jock. I mean, not that jocks are bad. Some people like jocks. I
don't personally dislike them . . . they just, well, they don't tend to like me too much I suppose."
"Yeah, they can be real jerks," Bella replied.
"So, are you going to go?" Paige asked.
"With Sean? Oh, I don't know. I was thinking about it but . . . eh, I might have other plans. I was
sort of thinking about seeing the town a little this afternoon. You wouldn't happen to be any good
at being a tour guide, would you?" she asked.
Paige's eyes lit up and she nodded. "I spent most of last year wandering around town when I
wasn't in class. I probably know this place better than the locals."
"Great, then it's settled," Bella said with a smile to her newfound friend. So far, this day was
starting out weirder than the last.
* * * * *