It was hot. Not just hot though, hot for Phoenix – a place where cooking an egg on the sidewalk is something you could actually do... if you wanted sand and grit in your eggs. The street in front of the airport was positively hazy with the day's heat radiating from it. The sweat was dripping down my sides, and out from under my hair.
Even so, I was going to miss this.
My life in Phoenix was never a typical one, but it was mine, and it was where mom was. Now, mom wanted to be with Phil, and I couldn't stand in their way much longer. Phil was a minor league ball player, and traveled for games. Mom just sat home and waited for their short periods of time when he was close enough, or on leave long enough, that he could make it home. It wasn't working, for either of them.
So I made a choice, and now I was off to see Charlie – Dad – in Forks, my reluctant home away from home. Up 'til I was fourteen I used to spend two weeks there with Charlie every summer. More recently, however, I'd convinced him to come to Phoenix instead. Neither of us were really sun people, but I liked the city, and he liked spending time with me.
Forks was not a city. It was barely a town. Situated in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula, and home to just over three thousand people, it was a drop in the bucket compared to Phoenix. No Starbucks, no Barnes and Noble, not even an internet cafe.
But Charlie was sheriff there, and it was familiar at least. I hoped it wasn't going to be too much of a hellhole, especially with the money I'd saved up to buy a car there. I knew I couldn't take Charlie driving me to school in the cruiser every day; it was going to be rough enough the first few, and that was one of the things I could feel myself dreading about the change. The list, as small as it was, irked me ever so slightly. I'd never really been super close with my mom, but she was my mom and I liked having her close. Being away from her was going to suck.
As we pulled up to the drop off point, I unfastened my seatbelt and grabbed for my carry-on bag. I'd packed light, just a single suitcase aside from my carry-on. I only needed to get started there, I could pick up the things I needed later – once I got my new (to me, anyways) car.
Slipping out of the back seat of the Jeep, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Phil had already made for the back to grab my suitcase, and when I turned I saw that mom had gotten herself at the ready just outside my door. I plastered on a determined smile, and met her with a hug.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Bells," Mom said, squishing me with one of her more overbearing hugs. I didn't mind, and squished her back as best I could.
"I'm going to miss you too Mom," I admitted, looking over her shoulder to Phil. "And you too, Phil." Without a word, and without her seeing, I mouthed 'Take care of her.'
"I'll miss you too, Bella. And don't worry about your Mom, I'll keep an eye on her for you," Phil said, smiling.
Breaking the hug, and taking the suitcase from Phil, I spun only somewhat gracefully around to face them both. "Love you guys," I said, and then headed into the airport. My plane was leaving soon, and with my luck I'd need all the time I had just to get on it.
Behind me, my mom called out "Don't forget to call!"
I made a mental note, but couldn't find the strength to spin back around or reply.
Charlie met me at the airport, the bright white cruiser rolling up just as I exited the terminal. I was fairly sure he'd taken liberties and just parked in one of the drop-off zones and rolled up once he saw me, but he didn't say anything and I wasn't about to ask. Charlie was good like that, things didn't always need to be vocalized.
On the way home, we talked a bit about the trip, my journey through the airports, and about mom and Phil. It was all just surface level chat, the kind you'd get if you saw an aunt you hadn't seen in a year or two and had to catch each other up. Charlie didn't have any other family, so I heard about his job, the diner, and his friend Billy in La Push. It was on the subject of Billy, that I began to notice the uptick in Charlie's voice that meant he had something to announce.
I swallowed, hoping it wasn't something I was going to have to adjust to while I was trying to get my bearings. And then I saw it.
"Surprise, Bells." Charlie was succinct, but I got it. He'd bought me a truck! A big, old, sturdy truck. The kind you'd see in mint condition having disintegrated one of those new fiberglass cars all over the road. It was perfect.
"Wow Char-, I mean Dad. Thank you so much! I hope it runs well, because I don't know a damn thing about—"
"It runs like a top, Billy said Jacob just put a new motor in it and tuned it up for you. He says he's got your back if it breaks down, but he'd bet his—well, he says it's as solid as it can be, and I trust him." Charlie nodded, the way he did when he approved of something with every fiber of his being. It was a Charlie thing, and I got it. He liked the truck, and I should too. I did.
"I trust you." I said, simply. And then I added "And Billy, and Jake. You've always been a good judge of character, Dad."
Our eyes met for a moment, and he nodded ever so slightly. The Charlie nod. I felt the smirk creep at the corner of my lips, and turned away, hopping out of the now-stopped cruiser and heading for my brand new truck.
This move might end up going better than I ever predicted at this rate, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. There was still school the next day.
So, after a full once-over of my brand new (to me, anyways!) truck, I headed inside with Charlie and got to putting my things away in the room at the front of the house. The one that had been my room up 'til I was fourteen, and had been untouched other than cleaning since – or so it seemed.
Had Charlie given it a once over before I got there? It was immaculate, and being as clean as it was I just had to put everything away nice. It took nearly two hours, the dark enveloping the street outside by the time I was done, but the room looked like it was truly lived in and mine once more. I even had my digital frame on the side table next to the bed, rolling through photos from Phoenix. When I glanced at it, Mom and Phil were smiling at me from behind the batting cage fences, goofing off in a picturesque embrace.
I sighed, and pulled my phone out of my back pocket, turning off airplane mode for the first time since I'd landed. Almost immediately, my phone began to go off with a slew of notifications from Mom.
Sitting down on the bed, I composed a message back to the first I'd received, time-stamped over eight hours ago.
Just realized I forgot to turn off airplane mode after I landed, sorry! Dad was waiting for me so I never even pulled out my phone until just now. I made it here safe and I'll send you another message after I read all these, get some sleep, and make it through school tomorrow – but it's already after 10 and I'm exhausted. Love you, and Phil too. xo.
I hit send, and flopped back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. A cold shiver ran down my spine, but I didn't feel cold at all. In fact, it felt quite nice in my room. Almost crisp, like a spring morning in a grassy state. The air was practically refreshing.
I was lost in comfort and fatigue when a knock at the door jarred me back into the land of the woken, my eyes shooting open from their brief lull. "Yeah, come in," I called out to Charlie, and his head appeared around the edge of my door as he cracked it open.
"Just wanted to say good night, Bells. And, uh, it's nice to have you here," Charlie said matter-of-factly, and then looked down at the ground, before drawing his gaze back up to her.
"Good night, Dad. I'm glad I'm here too," I replied, and after a moment he was gone.
Looking to my phone, I set my alarm, and then slipped off my clothes and got in bed. I had school in less than ten hours, and I was exhausted, so it was no surprise that my head barely hit the pillow and I was out.
The calm but uplifting beat of my alarm tone bleated at me until my eyelids fluttered open and I tossed back the covers, finding myself in a strange but familiar place. After only a few more moments of confusion than I'd have liked, things clicked back into place and I realized where I was and what I had to do. This was Forks, and there was school today.
Slipping out of my room and into the bathroom was smooth enough, I could hear Charlie downstairs messing with dishes, but then I had to call down to him when I realized I didn't know if he had gotten the water system fixed since she was last there or not. Cracking the door a tad, I called out.
"Charlie?"
"Yeah, Bells?" came his reply a moment later from the bottom of the stairs.
"Did you ever get that water system you were talking about for the shower, or do I need to warn you before I get in?" I asked, biting my lip.
"Jake put it in for me last week, Bells. Figured it was a good idea with the two of us here round the clock some days."
I sighed. Charlie could be so thoughtful, I'd have to remember to make him something good once I reacquainted myself with his kitchen, and figured out what he still liked. It had been years since I'd cooked for him, and though I wasn't great at it (clumsy and cooking don't really mix) I could manage if I took my time. I made a mental note of it, and yelled back my thanks before closing the door and starting the shower.
The next hour was a blur of hot water, a tornado of clothing, a light toast breakfast, and coffee; but before I knew it, it was time to leave. Charlie had left the keys on the table by the door the previous night, and though I hadn't touched them since, I was ready now. Striding over to them, I grabbed them by the ring, and then slid that ring into my house key ring.
Looking back on the empty house, Charlie already out the door for work a few minutes before, I sighed, and locked the door, pulling it shut behind me as I exited.
Hopping up into my new truck, I started the engine, which roared to life a little too loud for my taste. Ah well, nothing's perfect, I sighed internally, and clicked on the radio – which was old, but not quite as old as the truck. There was an aux-in port, which I made a note of for my phone, but it turned out the reception and sound weren't bad at all. A Metric song began to play, and I hummed along as I backed the truck out of the driveway.
My new truck was no speedster, and it probably chewed through gas like tic tacs, but it drove nicely enough, and it felt solid. Rolling up to the school parking lot I felt like Charlie had made a great choice in picking it out, and couldn't help but do so with a goofy smile on my face. Pulling into a parking spot and grabbing my things, I turned off the engine and slipped out the door onto the hard pavement. School awaited, and with it a bunch of people who probably already knew I was coming. Forks was a small town, and I was prepared to feel that today. So, one foot in front of the other, I headed past the straggling masses and into the school.
The office was easy enough to find from the main door, and the redheaded woman who ran it was both kind and efficient. She recognized me immediately as Isabella Swan (and I only had to correct her once), and handed me my timetable and a map of the grounds, wishing me a great day and a welcome to Forks. Of course, I'd been here before, but that seemed to be the standard response, so I thanked her all the same.
My first class was English, so I headed there once I'd figured out where that seemed to be on the map. It took me a little longer than it should've to find, but I was at Mr. Banner's desk just as the bell rang, and he directed me to my seat quick enough. I was sat beside a blonde girl who introduced herself as Jessica, and in front of me was a girl who I think was called Angela. I'm not the greatest with names, but I resolved to remember those two at the least.
Class went slowly, the subject matter being Shakespeare's Macbeth. We'd covered that last year at my school in Phoenix, and I'd actually read it back in eighth grade originally. Shakespeare was old hat to me, though I still appreciated its beauty. Today's class was about apprehension however, and of that I was bored. The time whittled away mostly thanks to Jessica, who couldn't help but run down the class for me – listing the boys first, and then the girls I'd be competing with. She had no idea I swung for the other team, but that was okay. I wasn't the kind to advertise.
When the bell rang, Jessica, Angela, and a girl I hadn't talked to before named Lauren helped me get to my next class – math. Mr. Arreia was kind enough, and though he made me stand up and introduce myself he let me be brief, and then didn't call on me for the rest of the class. I was thankful; my math was top notch, but I hated being the centre of attention.
Class went by about just as fast as it had in English, my desk buddy Eric being a funny if a bit hyper. He talked up the local beaches, Mike Newton's parent's store just North of town, and some of his fellow classmates. He asked who I knew so far, and I mentioned Jessica, Angela, and Lauren – he warned me about the latter, but said Jessica and Angela were great. The way he said Angela's name, however, made me think he thought her more than great. I didn't disagree; Angela was probably the nicest and most genuine seeming person I'd met so far in Forks.
Near the end of the class I as relegated to the end of the desk and away from Eric for a pop quiz on graphing exponential equations. I quickly worked though the problems, and then spent the rest of class with my head down, watching the other students.
When the bell rang, I gathered my books and stuffed them into the backpack I hung from the back of my chair. Shouldering it, I followed Eric and Mike out the door, meeting with the girls in the hall. The group of us headed for the cafeteria, the day already half over.
A big, open room – probably the biggest at Forks High aside from the Gym, the cafeteria was filled with tables, and those tables were lines with benches. In the corner there was a small in-house food prep area offering sandwiches, fries, pizza, and other quick-grab items, but aside from the vending machines that was it. Thankfully, it looked spotless – which probably owed to its size. Being the second biggest building at Forks High is like being the second tallest kid in your kindergarten class; you're still small, and that's a dumb metric.
Fading back into the conversation, in which Jessica was naming the different cliques around the school (apparently they only had four to my school in Phoenix's dozens), I followed her and Angela to seats at a table with Mike, Eric, Lauren, and a bunch of other people I'd seen but couldn't remember the names of. Jessica reminded me, helpfully for once, that they were Tyler, Connie, and Laura.
As I looked around the room, the conversation rolling into a topic I'd yet to form an opinion on – Spanish class after lunch, I found myself drawn to a group of people sitting on the far end of the room. Three guys, two girls, all hauntingly beautiful. The blonde girl looked like she belonged in an issue of Maxim, and the tiny pixie-like brunette was almost glowing with the kind of beauty you saw in a ballet. The men ranged in size from small to giant, but all three of them had a severe, rugged beauty to them. Like a triplet of Corot in human form. Masterpieces, each one.
"Who... who are they?" I couldn't help but ask, and immediately I felt their eyes shift towards me, so I turned towards Jessica instead.
"Oh, don't bother. Those are the Cullens. They're... together. Like, 'together' together. Rosalie, the gorgeous blonde one with the attitude problem is with Emmet, the big, jacked one on the end. Alice, the tiny brunette, is with Jasper – the pained looking, lanky blonde guy. Edward's on his own, but don't think that'll help you. He doesn't seem to notice anyone here, so I doubt he'd notice you. He might be gay."
"Jessica!?" Angela snapped.
"What? You don't know. Ever seen him with a girl? I know I haven't." Jessica sneered, and I got the impression she'd tried. Hard.
"That's okay," I said, matter of factly, "I don't actually... like guys, like that."
Jessica turned back towards me, raising her eyebrows. "You mean, you like..."
"Girls?" Angela finished, since Jessica let it trail off.
I cleared my throat softly, and met Angela's eyes instead of Jessica's. "Yes, I like girls."
"Oh, that's cool." Angela said, dropping her eyes to her sandwich. "I like girls too."
"Angela?!" Jessica snapped, smacking her in the arm so hard she almost dropped her sandwich. "Since when?"
"Since always."
"But, you've seen me naked!" she half-shouted, covering herself with her hands despite the fact that she was already quite covered at the moment.
"Don't worry, you're not my type." Angela stated, barely reacting other than to blush profusely from behind the sandwich.
"I'm not?" Jessica asked, furrowing her brow. "Why not?"
And it was over. Nobody said anything about it, or commented on it again, lunch just trudged on like it had been, Jessica slightly pissed off that Angela wasn't interested in her.
It was all going pretty smoothly, until... "Can I sit here?" a sing-song voice asked from over my shoulder, and I turned to face the source.
There, over my shoulder, stood Alice Cullen. Black leather pants, black heels, tiny skin-tight white t-shirt, and a black half-jacket, tray in hand, smiling down at me like she was the sun itself.