smol update lmao


Bella had always been something of an odd duck, what with her quiet countenance and inability to hold a decent conversation without looking like she'd combust if she had to hold eye contact for another minute.

And it wasn't to say that she wasn't smart, or didn't have her own thing going on in that (thick) head of hers -rather, it was just that my cousin, and her father, preferred to express themselves through action, instead of words. It was a well-known fact that Renee, Bella's equally odd duck of a mother -though in a completely opposite way- was very much a person that didn't pay attention to, well, anything. Bella, growing up had had to figure her own shit out from an early age, or risk being burned to a crisp by both her mother's relentless energy and Baking Hot Phoenix.

It was to avoid this baking, that Bella really did have her shit together, contrary to what many might assume upon seeing her. As chaotic children ourselves, Forrest and I always found it entirely too amusing when our cousin would come visit, and cast judgmental eyes upon us, and the environment we called our own. She wouldn't condemn you with words, or even make it obvious that she had a nasty eye on you, but as with everything that involved analyzing Bella Swan's behavior, the key was always looking at the little things.

The furrowed brow she got when she was displeased(disorganizing her novel collection), the crinkle in her nose when she found something distasteful (dirty socks on the floor), or even the darkening of her eyes when she became upset (because why Maude, can't you just fold the plastic bags properly?).

It was inevitable, in a way, that not long after moving in with her and Uncle Charlie, she would cast those big brown, judging eyes on me. Yeah, Bella was a nag, and living with her for a prolonged amount of time was sort of like being an ant under a magnifying glass, but you got used to it, and learned to keep on your business even with the heavy weight of Bella constantly on you.

Of course, I understood that this was just another aspect of her personality, and I wasn't even mad about it when I knew that Renee had needed that kind of constant surveillance, and at the end of the day, my cousin was really just watching over me with genuine concern.

Mais, pour l'amour de Dieu, it sure was annoying.

"So, Bella is trying to keep you away from this weirdly attractive family?" asked my brother, his voice coming through the phone sounding just as skeptical as I felt. "For what reason?"

I kicked my legs on the wooden rocking chair I sat on, giving him a shrug through the video call we were on. I was on the porch of the Swan home, facing the rainy street and the neighbors that still liked to pretend I wasn't actually staying for an extended duration. On an early Thursday evening, the street was quite lively with people ending their day, and the sound of tires sloshing down wet roads was ever present, from cars and bicycles alike.

"Like, I don't know?" I answered, and Forrest squinted, now visibly confused. "I mean, she's trying to be subtle about it, I guess, but we know she wouldn't know subtle if it bit her in the ass."

"True,"

I nodded, sipping on the tea I'd brought out with me and giving a group of cycling preteens a dirty look when they pointed at me. They cycled faster. "I don't know man, and also, did I tell you she was apparently jumped by a bear in the summer?"

My brother ran a hand through the tight curls on his head - what my own hair would look like if I didn't fight to straighten it for convenience – and gave a laugh of disbelief. "You did, yes, and again Maude, she's clearly not okay," he said, and it was nice to know that I was valid in my dismay.

I honestly had no idea how Bella had managed to fly the story with the other residents of the town. You only needed to look at her for a moment to know that she wouldn't voluntarily be in the vicinity of any sort of wildlife, let alone isolated in the wilderness, and yet we were somehow believing that a bear got her when she was on a hike alone?

Worst part is, no one actually knew the details of the incident. I'd asked Eun-Ha about it the next day, because she seemed like the only one in our little posse that could actually rub together two braincells and form a coherent thought, but even she'd drawn blank.

Yeah, but Bella was really weird last summer, Eun-Ha had added with a dismissive shrug, before she'd resumed shoving her tongue down my throat in the empty classroom I'd ambushed her in.

"Do you think she actually enjoys hikes now?" I asked thoughtfully, and then we both burst out into breathless laughter at the concept, because, wow?

It was while I was wheezing on the rocking chair that Bella's Red Fossil groaned into the driveway, her small form sitting behind the wheel like she could barely see over it.

"Our resident nature enjoyer is back," I said wryly, to which my brother only laughed harder at. "I'd better go help with the groceries before she trips and loses an eye."

"Yeah, good luck with that," he gasped, and I hung up with a snort.

Hopping down damp porch stairs, I met my cousin as she was pulling up the canvas to uncover her purchases. She'd gotten enough to get us through the week, but I'd be in charge of our next grocery run, as was the new rule.

"Forrest says hi," I said, and though he didn't actually, he wouldn't disprove the sentiment, especially because it was known that Bella appreciated my brother more than she did me.

The small smile she gave while handing me the bags was evidence enough. "I hope he's doing well," she said, and she really was genuine about it, bless her. A neighbor stopped their car by our house.

An older man, greying, just around her dad's age, popped out the window to wave, heedless of the rain. "Bells, tell your daddy that we want him up with Old Books tonight, would ya?" and he had that weird Forks accent that eliminated all Rs and replaced them with some type of A-syllable variant. Like, Maine, but with none of the fancy yachts or champagne.

Indeed, 'Old Books' was the Mayor, Terrence Booker, whom I'd met at the fishing contest and was actually good friends with Uncle Charlie. They tended to deal with any town issue together, which I supposed made sense, what with my Uncle being the Chief of Police, but this also meant that he usually spent later nights at work.

Bella grimaced, which I assumed was just her trying to smile in the face of all this aggressive neighborly familiarity and gave a stunted wave in return. "Sure, Jeff, I'll let him know."

I raised a hand to shield myself from the incessant patter, and Jeff startled like he'd been hoping I wouldn't make any sudden movements. He stared at me like he didn't quite know what to do with my presence next to a 'Bells' he'd probably known since she was toddler, before he blinked, gave Bella a nod, and drove away.

And that summed up my experience with the adults in this town quite well, actually.

Bella sighed, and wiped sopping hair from her face, before trudging towards the house. I made sure to let her walk in front of me. "I told him about your leg – and you know, the bear."

Bella didn't reply immediately, I believe she was too concentrated on making it up the stairs in one piece and breaking none of the eggs. For a moment I worried she hadn't even heard me when we entered the home proper with no visible reaction from her.

But when she turned to look at me when we got to the kitchen, all traces of a smile had left her face. "It happened a while ago, Maude. You didn't have to mention it."

I held up my hands to my chest, and gave her my most concerned look. "Bella, I don't understand why you keep brushing this off. The fact that you went through that, and didn't think to tell us is hurtful."

Bella rolled her eyes as she started unpacking, "Sorry I didn't interrupt your coke filled summer vacation to tell you about my freak accident, Maude. I'll be sure to alert you if it happens again," she said, dry as sandpaper.

I blinked at her, "Ok, uncalled for. I only did coke for like, half the summer, at most"

Bella stared. "My mistake."

I shrugged, "Yeah, no, it's okay," I said, moving to help her. "Anyway, my thing is, since we're going to be living together, we should probably be more…open with each other."

"Maude, you couldn't care less about what I get up to," my cousin said, and she didn't even sound moved.

I contemplated lying for that too, but ultimately decided she knew me a little too well to buy it. "Alright, fine, I don't actually -but I do care about you, you know that."

"Do I?"

"Could you not?" I asked, frowning. She shrugged, and put the milk in the fridge before turning to me with her hands on her hips.

"What's your goal with this conversation? I already told you everything there is to know about the accident," she said, and there it was, the small tell on her face that showed she was annoyed.

"I'm concerned for you –"

"Can you stop lying for like, one minute?" she interrupted with a huff, and I frowned at her.

The thing was, yes, I was lying, but wasn't it a bit hypocritical of her to ask me to stop when I wasn't the only one fibbing around here? Having a broken leg wasn't anything special, it wouldn't have been so weird if Bella had simply said she'd tripped over a leaf and broke it. I would've believed her, no questions asked, but come on, a fucking bear?

"All your friends might be idiots, but I'm not," I sniffed, glaring at her. "You're a shit liar, Bella, and it wasn't even that deep before you started trying to avoid answering. Stop being a hypocrite."

She looked like an affronted cat when she stared back at me, eyes dark and nose wrinkled, but just when I thought she was going to have a go at me, she breathed out rough breath and stomped out the kitchen, and out the house entirely.

I watched her climb back into the red truck through the window, and with no little amount of annoyance, drew the shades shut.

As much as I wanted to continue to pester my cousin about her suspicious ventures into the forests, I did have other things to do on my agenda; namely making sure everyone in Forks Highschool fit comfortably under my boot.

As a new student, it was easy for the other students to try extend whatever nonexistent clout they had my way in an attempt to, I don't know, be relevant for five minutes or something in an otherwise boring setting. It was unfortunate for them that I was a cat used to playing with much bigger fish, and my year in Forks was simply a box that I was ready to tick off as fast as possible.

I was here for a good time, not a long time, and I was going to make my explosion the brightest they'd ever seen.

While most of them would go on to graduate and live the same mediocre kind of life their parents were already suffering through, I had actual plans – long term and concrete plans to live an exciting life and make a name for myself.

Of course, one did have to start small. In this instance, small was ruling the school with an Iron Fist.

"Eun-Ha, have you ever considered being Vice-Student Body President?"

The day was Friday, and we had a free period just before lunch which we were spending in the library. It was surprisingly big, although in its defense I'd been expecting a repurposed classroom of something of the sort. Instead it was an independent building towards the center of the campus, where all of the students were allowed to study or borrow resources as needed. Not to say that any of the books were particularly up to date, or that their monitors were anything close to modern, but the place held its own, and had comfortable chairs to boot.

We were seated in a relatively secluded nook, behind several shelves that gave us a semblance of privacy, and we'd brought out our laptops to work on.

She gave a contemplative hum and looked at me knowingly. "President, sure. You know, I was thinking of running this year actually," she said, and I gave her a look.

"You're not liked well enough to win," I told her.

"You like me plenty," she shrugged.

I rolled my eyes, "You won't be winning them over with your make out skills, Eun-Ha."

She laughed, "I could start a kissing booth, I know that'll work," she replied, and I snapped my fingers, jotting the idea down on my notebook.

"That could work really well actually," I said, nodding my head before putting down the pen and leveling her with a look. "Look, hun. You're smart, and pretty, and honestly I love that for you. But not everyone is meant to be a leader, you know what I mean?"

She didn't even look offended, "Alright, I'll give you that," she acquiesced. "I don't much like anyone here anyway, and being Pres is a lot of work," she said, typing away.

"It's not about liking people," I told her frankly, "It's about cementing your own place in society. Highschool is kinda like the starting ground, and we're in our final year. It's important to start building your resume and carving your identity."

She snorted. "My Asian parents have already carved my identity for me, thanks."

I gave that an amused smile, "Let's run together, okay? Your parents would appreciate it."

Eun-Ha squinted at me, "Second place wouldn't ever satisfy them."

I raised my hands in defeat, "Everyone's always second place when it comes to me," I admitted and she rubbed her nose, shaking her head all the while.

"You're shit at pretending to be nice, Maude," she told me and I tried very hard to control the laugh that wanted to spill out and get us in trouble.

"All I have to is be better than Jessica, and I don't even have to be pretend with that," I said, and then I leaned back in my chair. "Anyway, Forks high has some serious issues. This place is dogshit, and I've barely been here a full week. The school could only benefit having me on," I explained, casting a look around the dusty library.

"I mean, there haven't been any meaningful changes in the past decade, but the Principal's got a stick up his ass and keeps clinging to whatever remains of his highschool nostalgia," she said derisively.

Indeed she was correct. Forks High had been around ages, and most of the residents who'd grown up in the town had attended. This meant that one could find a senior year book from like the eighties, and be able to find half those faces walking down the street, and the other half living in your own neighborhood.

Unfortunately, this brought no prestige to those who attended, in the grand scheme of things. The school obviously wasn't affluent enough for Legacy students to be given special students, when everyone was quite literally a Legacy student.

I recalled my own mother's yearbook with a scowl. I could find the exact spots all of her photos were taken, and if I tried hard enough, I could also mimic the deep displeasure she'd had at being part of the student body at all.

Well, I could understand.

But as pitiful as Forks High was, I really did believe I could help them, or at least lay some groundwork. Not out of any sort of kindness, but because I was genuinely worried for my college career. I hadn't realized just how bad the state of their curriculum was until I'd been given a list of only five electives to choose from, and none of them had been particularly engaging.

Not to mention, their extracurriculars were abysmal, and don't even get me started on the lack of community outreach programs, especially when the Native Reserve was right there.

It was mad behaviors, honestly, and fuck the bureaucracy for not giving a shit about these poor kids. I mean, everyone's college careers would be at risk because of their incompetence, regardless of how well they tested out. Schools weren't just looking at test scores anymore, and Forks needed to get with the program, asap.

Eun-Ha gave a sigh, and shut her laptop as the bell rang for lunch. "Jessica's gonna flip."

I wasn't worried about little Jessica Stanley. "Besides, nominations only start after Halloween. We have time still. It'll be too late for her to change things by then," I said, getting up and cracking my spine with a satisfying spine.

The dark haired girl looked at me with surprise. "It won't be easy, you know? She's won by a landslide last year, and was vice-president on the council before that."

"Jessica's an insecure airhead who's biggest claim to fame is being a natural blonde," I said, packing away my own things. "I mean, sure she's got good grades and a pretty smile, but things change, and her time is over."

Eun-Ha gave me a once over, tucking a strand of hair behind her head and pursing her pretty peach mouth. "You're not even a little worried?" she asked, holding out her hand for me to take as we left the library.

The surveyed the rapidly filling hallways as students rushed to the cafeteria. Already I was getting looks of appreciation, of interest and even envy. Both my parents were go getters, and Forrest and I had never been less than perfect at winning every game we played. Sure, the pressure was high, and sure it got overwhelming, but losing was, and never had been the option. At least this time I could say I was channeling my energy into something (relatively) healthy, as opposed to what my final semester at my last school had been like.

What was life without a little action?

"Worried? Why would I be?"

"Both her and her family have a lot of influence over the school. Her whole family's always been student president. I doubt she's just gonna roll over and let you steal it from her." Eun-Ha explained, like this was supposed to mean something to me.

"Eun-Ha, Jessica can roll all the way to hell, for all I care," I shrugged. "I always get what I want."


sorry to have been gone so long. life has really been kicking my ass the past couple of years. i'm going to keep writing though, because it makes me happy, and you guys reading makes me happy too. thank you to all of you who continued to read and review even while i wasn't around. please know that they really kept me going 3