CHAPTER TWO
Bella goes back to school on a Monday.
The sky is a pale orange, the sun not quite out but not hidden by rain clouds either. Instead of the usually frigid air that happens around this time of year, there's nothing but a cool breeze. Bella smiles. The weather, calming and smooth, makes her feel like today is the day for new beginnings.
Halloween will be coming up soon, and Bella actually looks forward to it. Not because she wants to dress up or anything, but because she loves the way the crispness of the October turned to November air makes her feel, like every lungful she takes in is healing her. Also, the part of her that occasionally indulged in childlike whimsies loved stepping on freshly fallen pinecones and leaves. She remembers how last year, despite seeing other classmates play in the leaves outside, Edward had gripped her arm tightly and held her back, believing it was too juvenile.
After damn near a year of not talking to any of her other friends in high school, Bella was determined to at least apologize to them today. Them being Jessica and Angela. Bella didn't want anything to do with Lauren or her bitchy attitude, and the less she saw of Mike the better. Jessica and Angela had been nice to her from the start, though, with no ulterior motives, and they had made an effort to include her in the conversations at the lunch table.
She'd never had many friends growing up, her only interactions with people her age being her summer visits to Forks when her father would take her to go see Jake and the other kids on the reservation. When she was with her mother, though, she didn't have the time nor the patience for children, despite being one herself. She was just always so busy making sure the mortgage was paid and the lights were on, and she didn't have time to play in the mud outside with her neighbors.
Having friends now, though, was a surreal experience, and she couldn't believe she blew it.
When she started dating Edward, she stopped seeing them. Of course, she saw them in passing in the hallway or maybe the parking lot, but when Edward was around, it was like she had tunnel vision. Her eyes only locked on Edward and she followed him around like a lost puppy, sitting with him and his family during lunch.
Bella drummed her fingers against the steering wheel as she looks around the parking lot. She had arrived fifteen minutes ago and was just watching everyone else file in. She saw a few students do a double take at the sight of her signature beaten up truck and point, whispering amongst themselves.
She almost laughed out loud at how they must think of her; local girl who spiraled when her boyfriend leaves her suddenly shows her face in public again.
While not quite ready to confront all of the baggage she had piled up inside of her, she knew that she had to be ready for the occasional jab or two at her about Edward leaving. At the end of the day, she could go home and wallow in her room if it really got to her, but she refused to lay in bed again all day. Being stationary in her own filth had done nothing for her wellbeing.
Bella glanced at the clock on the dashboard.
School started in twenty minutes.
Usually, Bella would have arrived early to secure a good parking space near the back so that way, when school was letting out, she didn't have to fight too much to get out of the parking lot. Today, though, she'd chosen a spot right in the middle so that, when Jessica and Angela arrived, she'd be able to see them and hopefully cross paths with them before they were swept away to their different classes. Bella supposed that she could always see Jess in homeroom, but she wanted Angela to be there at the same time so she wouldn't have to repeat herself. And confronting them in the cafeteria was a big no no, because the last thing Bella needed was for Lauren to cause a scene just as she was about to redeem herself.
Jessica's Prius rolls up and parks nearby, and from the corner of her eye, Bella can see Angela get off the bus near the end of the parking lot.
Go time.
Bella took a deep breath and got out of her car, shrugging her backpack on and closing the door.
By the time Jessica is out of the car and has gotten herself situated with her books and backpack, Bella's already standing directly in front of her.
The surprise on Jessica's face turns quickly into annoyance, and Bella falters for just a second before she forces herself to get the words out.
"Hey," Bella greeted, playing with the strap of her backpack.
Jessica arches an eyebrow and gives a curt, "Hey," in response, clearly expecting the three letter word to be the end of their social interaction for the century.
Angela's just now getting halfway up the hill, and her head turns in Bella's direction. Bella motions for her to come over, but doesn't leave Jessica's side, afraid that Jess would haul ass into the school the second Bella wasn't standing in the way.
Angela hesitantly comes over, clearly as baffled as Jessica is at Bella's presence, although she was much too nice to say anything about it. Bella greets her and Angela just nods back.
"I know you guys probably hate me," Bella says. "And that's justified. Last year, I was new to the school and I didn't know anyone, and you guys were really nice to me and made sure to include me at the lunch table and invited me to go places with you guys outside of school. And I never really appreciated that." Jessica's hardened face softens just a bit. "Me being shy and introverted is no excuse, I should have put more effort into our friendship. You guys were giving a hundred and fifteen percent, and, on a good day, I was maybe giving twelve. And then I started dating Edward, and then I cut you guys out completely, and I swear, I never meant to do any of that."
Bella's throat has become thick with emotion, and she blinks rapidly to keep the tears at bay. Angela gives a watery smile, encouragement for her to continue, and Jessica doesn't look so hostile anymore, instead clamping her lips together to hide the way her bottom lip trembles.
"I got so caught up, you know? Hottest guy in school wanted someone plain and boring like me, and I just cut you guys out because I wanted him to like me. I completely changed who I was to impress some stupid teenage boy, and that so violates the girl code." Jessica's giggles are followed by tears that she hastily wipes away. "I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm sorry. And, if you're open to it, I'd like to start over. Be a real friend to you guys this time, if you'll have me."
Jessica's arms lock around Bella and Angela's neck, yanking them together in one teary group hug. The three of them sob and smile as they clutch at each other, Jessica's mascara completely ruined, black streaks running down her cheeks. Angela's glasses have been knocked askew from the force of her collision with Bella and Jessica.
"New code, from here on out," Jessica declares, holding her head up high as they pull back from each other.
Her hair, which had been straightened, is now frizzy, the strands looking like they wanted to escape from her scalp; her hair against Angela and Bella's hair had created a lot of friction. The makeup that was once so carefully done was now smeared across her cheeks and around her eyes, making her look like a raccoon.
Bella thought she looked absolutely gorgeous.
"Doesn't matter who the guy is, we do not let him tears us apart. He could be Edward Cullen two point oh, and he'd still be dead to us. Understand? This is a pact, bitches. The three of us are going to be friends for the rest of our lives, this is non-negotiable."
Jessica put her hand out, and Bella smacked her hand on top of hers. Angela puts her hand on the pile as well.
"I've never liked boys much anyways."
Friendship restored, Bella is sure that nothing can ruin her day.
She and Jessica had gone to their homeroom, waving goodbye to Angela as she went to hers. Bella encouraged Jessica to tell her about her life, catch her up on what she's missed. So far, she's learned that Jessica's father got a promotion, and that her mother has picked up yet another hobby.
"My parents try to put on this happy front when I'm around, but I know they're not happy together," Jessica says as they sit in the back of the classroom. The teacher has yet to call roll. "My dad's promotion is good news, but my mom keeps spending money on these hobbies that she never sees through and it's driving my dad insane. You're so lucky."
"How?" Bella asked, baffled at the turn in conversation.
"Your parents divorced years ago, and they're better off. Now you have your dad, and he seems chill. Much less of a hard ass than my own father, which is weird because I figured having the police chief as your father would be the makings of a teenage tragedy."
Bella laughs. "You know me, Jess. I don't go to parties, I don't drink, I don't do drugs. I go to school and I go home. My dad never had to be a hard ass because I don't do anything."
"We've got to change that."
"You want me to do drugs?!"
"No!" Jessica rolled her eyes so hard Bella thought they would fall out of her head. "I mean, you have to live a little, start going to parties. I'm not saying you have to go buck wild and dance naked on a table, but you can't stay in the house all day. Ages sixteen to twenty nine are our prime years, baby, and we've go to live it up."
"I'll think about it," Bella said, and she actually meant it.
She wasn't much of a party person, but Jessica was right, she had to get out of the house more. While Bella very much enjoyed reading for fun of rewatching her favorite movies, she didn't want to do that everyday for the rest of her life. And that comment about this being her prime really stuck with her. She knew that people could be old but still be lively, but Bella didn't want to wait decades before she lived her best life, she wanted to live a good life now. When she was eighty, she wanted to be able to look back at her seventeen year old self and be happy that she got those life experiences.
Bella and Jessica part ways at the end of homeroom, and the next three hours that pass are filled with her teachers welcoming her back with pitying glances, and her classmates laughing at her behind her back.
Bella...wasn't as bothered as she thought she'd be. Sure, it hurt that so many of her classmates could so easily laugh at the fact that Edward ditched her and she'd fallen into a pit of despair, but she wasn't super focused on it. She had more important things to worry about, like improving her relationship with her father, confronting her mother over her disgusting lies, apologizing to the Blacks, and hunting down Sam. Not to mention waiting for her father to get back to her with the women's programs in Forks. Bella was a little worried at first about attending meetings in such a small town where she would easily be recognized, until she realized that it wasn't anyone else's business what she'd grown through with Edward. And even if the townsfolk did begin to speculate that the Cullens weren't as squeaky clean as previously believed, what did she care?
They abandoned her. They treated her like she was an object. They didn't even have the decency to give her a proper goodbye. So if her neighbors began to think of the Cullens in a bad way, served them right.
Bella meets back up with Jessica and Angela in the cafeteria, and the three of them head to the lunch line. Bella grabs a slice of pizza, the grease staining her fingers as it spilled off the plate, and a can of Sprite. Jessica looked like she wanted to grab a salad, but instead went for the pizza as well. Angela had packed a lunch that day.
Once Bella and Jessica paid, they hunted for a table, not really wanting to sit with Lauren in the others that day.
"Let's sit at the Cullens table," Angela suggested, looking at Bella. "First step to getting over your crappy ex-boyfriend? Take over his territory."
And so the three monopolized the table that used to house the Cullens, eyes on them from every angle.
"I feel so powerful," Jessica laughed. cracking open her bottle of apple juice.
"I'm surprised you're not getting a salad," Bella said, wiping her hands on a napkin. "I remember you used to be obsessed with eating green."
"Mike's made it clear that he's not interested, and I refuse to adjust my eating habits to impress some boy. New pact, remember? To hell with men, I say!" She pumped her fist in the air.
"Speaking of men," Bella arched an eyebrow at Angela. "What happened between you and yours?"
Angela flushed, picking at the crust of her chicken salad sandwich.
"Ben and I didn't work out," she mumbled. "I guess my height is more intimidating than I thought."
"Okay, no," Bella snaps. "If he's insecure about your height then that's his personal problem he needs to work out on his own time. You're gorgeous, and if he can't handle that, forget him."
"All in favor of tossing Ben to the curb say 'I'", Jess says, and Angela laughs as Bella and Jess prod her into loudly proclaiming "I!" with them.
"We should have some girl time," Angela says. "It's been a while."
"What about a sleepover?" Bella hesitantly suggest. "I've never been to one and I don't really know how they work, but it could be fun."
"Woah, what do you mean you've never been to a sleepover?" Jessica demanded. "That's, like, a right of passage for a teenage girl."
Bella shrugged. "I never had the chance. My mom would probably fall apart without me if I stayed somewhere else for the weekend, and I just got to Forks last year, so I haven't exactly had many prospects lined up."
"Unacceptable," Jessica told her, and Angela nodded solemnly in agreement. "Next week, we get that Friday off because of teacher conferences. I say that Thursday night, we all go to my house and get you properly inducted into teenage girlhood. We'll get pizza, popcorn, scary movies, and I'll teach you how to put on mascara even if it kills me."
Angela grins, her foot knocking into Bella's. "Come on, Bells. It'll be fun!"
"Yeah," Bella said slowly, a grin spreading across her face. "What the hell, I'm in!"
Jessica and Angela cheer and hunch forward, drawing Bella into their plans.
Charlie clears the dinner table, rinsing off the plates and putting them in the dishwasher. It didn't get much use, as he and Bella preferred to hand wash dishes usually, but tonight he figure they could both use a break.
Bella had made grilled chicken for dinner, with a healthy side of broccoli and brown rice. When Charlie had poked at the greens, Bella had arched an unimpressed eyebrow at him. Much to his embarrassment, Bella had sat at the table with him until he'd cleared his plate of vegetables.
"You didn't have to give me that much broccoli," Charlie grumbled to Bella, who had just finished sweeping the floor.
Bella grinned, putting the broom and dustpan back in the corner. "It's good for you, Dad. You can't eat fried fish all the time, it's bad for your heart."
Charlie huffed, but knew she was right. He really needed to cut back on the greasy foods.
"Besides," Bella continued. "You won't be on this health kick alone. From now on, you and I are going to eat our weight in fruits and vegetables. Foods with low starch, low sugars, and drinking lots of water. Maybe we can even, I don't know, go for a walk a few times a week."
Bella said the last part quietly, as if afraid of rejection. Charlie shut the dishwasher and started it up before turning to face her.
"As long as we're in this together," Charlie said, and Bella smiled.
"I want to run something else by you too," Bella twisted her fingers together nervously.
"You aren't in any trouble at school, are you?" Charlie frowned, leaning back against the counter.
"No!" Bella assured him. "It's just...Jessica is having a sleepover next Thursday, she invited Angela and I, and I wanted to know if it was okay for me to go?"
If Charlie hadn't been aware of how damaging life with Renee was for Bella, he probably would've guffawed at the fact that Bella thought she had to be afraid to ask to go to a friend's house. After the small talk he'd had with his daughter, he understood that she didn't get the chance to be a child when she was with Renee, and that as a result, her social skills weren't really up to par, and she didn't know what was expected of her. Charlie thought it would be good for Bella to go to sleepovers and hang out with people her own age. Of course, Charlie loved spending time with her, but it wasn't good for a teenager to spend all their time surrounded by people twice their age.
"Of course," Charlie smiled, not missing the way Bella's shoulders slumped in relief.
Bella grinned back, a little more sure of herself.
"Okay, cool. Thank you," she mumbled bashfully. "You're gonna be okay with me gone for an entire weekend? School's cancelled that Friday, so I'd be gone from Thursday to Sunday?"
Charlie ruffled his daughter's hair, and she squawked in protest. "Relax, Bells. I'll be fine. You go on up to bed, I'll finish up in here."
Bella hugged and kissed her father goodnight before going upstairs, a huge smile on her face. She was going to her first sleepover next week! The movies she'd seen made them all seem like so much fun; horror movies, a pile of candy and chips, and an endless torrent of gossip. Bella was new to it all, but she was ready to embrace it.
She fell asleep that night buried under the covers, content with the way her life was going.