I make it back to my locker, feeling much better about my future in Forks. My first day at the new school wasn't as disastrous as I anticipated, which is a shocker. I managed to actually make a few friends and I didn't make as much of a fool of myself as much as usual. I open my locker and remove the textbooks and one of the books from the reading list for English, thoroughly not looking forward to the heavy homework load I'm facing tonight.
I rip the grocery list I managed to make during PE, having written things down during the brief times I wasn't watching Alice. I almost start heading to the parking lot, then remember I have to turn in the slip with teachers signatures on it. I turn mid-step and make my way to the office. I open the door and am shocked to see Edward Cullen, talking quietly but animatedly to the woman from this morning.
"There has to be another class. Any other class, any other time." He was saying in a low, seductive voice.
"I-I'm sorry, sweetie, but all other classes and times are full. There really isn't anything I can do." She said with an apologetic hint to her voice, obviously thrown by the way he was talking to her.
Just then, he straightened up and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. And I swear, if looks could kill, I'd have burst into flames where I stood. "Never mind, I can see nothing can be done. Thank you for your help anyway." And with that, he shouldered past me and out the door.
I shake myself out of my stupor and hand the slip to the woman behind the desk, trying my best to plaster a smile on my face.
"How was your first day?" She asks me kindly.
"Fine, I didn't manage to get lost too much, which is a relief." I lie about being fine, but try to cover it with some truth at the end.
"I'm glad to hear it. I sure hope you continue to enjoy it here." She says, and I can tell she means it.
"Thank you. I hope so too!" I start backing up as I am talking, and as I finish the sentence I turn around and open the door, giving her a wave as I head out and toward the parking lot.
I get to my truck, hood pulled up over me as it started to rain a little heavier sometime between me getting my books out of the locker and when I was in the front office. I hop into the drivers seat, turning the engine over and cranking the heater up. I hit play on my phone and let Practice Makes Perfect by Cute is What We Aim For play through the tiny speaker on it. The radio in the truck works, but only plays radio and cassette tapes. I hate commercials and don't own any cassette tapes anymore (unfortunately), so I have to make a mental reminder to either add a new radio or one of those cassette to AUX converters to my Amazon cart.
I back up carefully, as students are still making their way to their own cars, and wait in the line out of the lot. Looking ahead, I can see the shiny silver Volvo, and I'm not surprised to see that some of the Cullen's are gathered around it. Of course, the beautiful people own the most expensive car in the lot. There are only three of them standing around: Edward, Jasper, and Emmett. Edward still has a gloomy look on his face, and Jasper and Emmett seem to be play fighting with each other and laughing, obviously not letting their brother's mood ruin their fun. Alice and Rosalie then make their appearance, walking toward their car from the main building. Well, walking probably isn't the right word. Rosalie is more gliding gracefully, while Alice walks with a graceful lope that looked like it belongs on a runway.
Rosalie wraps her long arms around Emmett's neck and gives him a kiss that definitely is not PG. After a few minutes, Jasper taps Emmett on the shoulder and they tear themselves away from each other. Well, for the most part, as he was still holding a hand to her ass cheek. I look over at Alice, and am sad to see that the beautiful smile she was wearing while walking with Rosalie to the car has vanished and is replaced with a sad look.
Edward seems to be talking to her, and whatever he says causes her to go from her poised posture to a more aggressive one. Jasper appears next to her the moment her mood appears to change and places one hand on her shoulder and snakes his other around around her waist to pull her close to him and away from Edward.
It's at this moment I remember what Jessica told me at the lunch table about the Cullen's being together. I remember Angela chiming in to say that Jasper and Alice could just be close, but seeing the way Jasper holds Alice, I think maybe Jessica's statement is more accurate. I don't know why, but thinking about it causes my heart to sink through the floor. Suddenly, a honk wrenches me from my observations, and I realize the line in front of me is gone and I am now holding up traffic. I steal one more glance toward the Volvo as I pass by and can't even get a last look at Alice, like I wanted, because my eyes were instead drawn to the murderous look that Edwards black as coal eyes are giving me.
I don't have much time to mull over what Edwards issue with me is or my reaction to seeing Jasper holding Alice, as it is only a two minute drive to the Forks Outfitters Thriftway. This is pretty much the only grocery store in town. Make that the only store in town, in general. It hold groceries, household goods, souvenirs (why anyone would want a souvenir from here, I don't understand), and an Ace Hardware. It is pretty much a mom and pop version of Wal-Mart, which isn't all that bad honestly. I get to shopping, and my mind immediately shuts out the events of the days and I focus on the mission at hand.
45 minutes later I walk through the door, loaded down with way more bags than I should probably be trying to carry. I hate to make more than one trip though, as it is still raining pretty heavily. Mindy is excited to see me, and I have to use my stern voice to make her back up so I can get through the door, which I hate to use with her. I make it to the kitchen and get all the bags down on the table and open the back door to let her out. I put all the groceries away while she is outside, Chip having just made a brief appearance to sniff in a few of the bags.
When everything is put away, I open the door and call for Mindy. She bounds back in and starts tapping her paws on the floor excitedly, ready for me to play with her. However, I look at the floor and realize she tracked mud in. I tell her to sit and stay, and run upstairs to grab a towel. I come back down and Mindy is where I left her, not having moved. I use the towel to clean off her paws and dry her fur a bit. When I'm done, she shakes, getting the water I didn't manage to transfer to the towel all over the floor.
I roll my eyes, using the towel under my foot to clean up the mud and water. When I've gotten as much as I can up, I drape the towel over the back of the chair closest to the window that no one uses and run upstairs to put the sheets and comforter in the washing machine and start it up. It's 4pm, so I have an hour to get dinner ready before Charlie gets home. I go back into the kitchen, pull out a couple thick sirloin steaks from the fridge, place them on the counter, and pre-heat the oven. I head into the living room and grab a rope toy out of the basket, causing Mindy to lose her mind.
She grabs one end, me still holding on the other, and we play tug of war. I'm taunting her, shit talking, and dragging her around the living room while Chip looks on from the top perch of his tree. After ten minutes, we lose the rope and just start wrestling around on the ground. She steps on my boob at some point, causing me to yelp. To show she's sorry, she starts licking me anywhere she can get to, causing me to laugh like a little kid and try to shield my face.
After half an hour of play, I go back into the kitchen and wash my hands up to my elbows, having gotten dog slobber all over my arms when shielding myself. I put some olive oil in a pan and place it on the stove, turning the gas burner on to pre-heat the pan. While the pan heats, I rub a couple potatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper, poke them all over with a fork, and wrap them in aluminum foil. I place them on a sheet and put them into the oven. Grabbing the steaks, I season them with salt and pepper and then put them into the now heated pan.
I let them sit for a minute and then flip them over and cook on the other side. I take a garlic clove and start crush it, getting the peels off, and grab some thyme and butter from the fridge. I place a knob of butter in the pan and when it melts, put the garlic and thyme in as well. I keep flipping the steaks every minute, until they are almost done, and rub the garlic over the tops so they get some of the flavor. When they are cooked to a nice medium, which I check by pressing my finger into them (Thanks Gordon Ramsay for teaching me how to cook a decent steak), I put them onto a plate to let rest.
I open the oven and flip the potatoes over, switch the sheets from the washer to the dryer, and then go back into the living room and remove my books from the backpack I placed by the door. I crack open the math book, wanting to get the worst of the homework out of the way first thing. Just as I finish the last question, I hear the door open and the stomping of boots on the mat. This must have startled Mindy, because she lets out a quick bark before running over to greet Charlie at the door.
"Get back Mindy, let me get my belt off, sheesh." I can hear a grin in his voice. I get the feeling he regrets having never had a dog in all these years he has been alone. They really are great companions. "Hey Bells, something smells amazing. Whatcha cookin'?" He makes his way around the corner, rubbing Mindy's head as he goes.
"Steak and baked potatoes, with a side salad. It's almost ready, let me just get the potatoes out and put the salad into a bowl." I say as I'm heading to the kitchen.
I grab the old oven mitt from the hook on the side of the fridge and pull the sheet of potatoes from the oven and place them on the now cooled stove top. I open the fridge and grab the bag of salad from the shelf, grab a big bowl from the cabinet next to me, rip open the bag, and dump the contents into the bowl. I grab some A1 and dressing out of the fridge door. While I was doing this, Charlie (unprompted, which is a nice surprise) set the table with cups and silverware, and has two plates in his hands, obviously antsy to get some food. I put the bowl in the middle of the table and let him get his plate ready. I get my plate of food and sit down across from him, drizzling dressing over my salad.
"So, how did your first day of school go?" He asks after sighing from relief that the food isn't as bad as I'm sure he thought it was going to be. He eyed it suspiciously at first, obviously remembering mom's cooking and thinking that rubbed off on me. Mom isn't necessarily a bad cook, she just can't seem to do things traditionally. She loves to experiment, which means 90% of what she makes is inedible.
"It was better than I expected. I already made a few friends and managed to not embarrass myself too much."
"That's good to hear, kiddo! Who are the lucky kids?" He noticed I sounded genuine, which I can tell is making him more and more hopeful that I won't up and leave before even settling in.
It takes me a second to answer, having taken a huge bite of steak. "Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, Jessica Stanley, Angela Weber..." I decided to not add Alice to the list, as I'm not 100% sure what's going on there.
"Hmm, they're some good kids. Nice families. Mike Newton, his family owns the sporting good store. They make a killing from the hikers that pass through here. I haven't had much trouble from them." He says, surprising me by getting a second helping of salad and another potato.
"D-do you know the Cullen family?" I stutter a bit, having not made the decision to actually ask until my mouth decided for me.
"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure, he's a great man. Best damn doctor the town has had." He shocks me with his answer, as I've never heard him sound so awed.
"Well, the kids. They're a little... Different. I notice the other kids at school don't treat them very nicely." I started to get a little quieter toward the end of the last sentence, ending it in a whisper when I see Charlies face get red. Unlike every other time since I got here 24 hours ago, it isn't from embarrassment, but from what looks like utter fury.
"I don't get why people have to live up to the stereotype of 'small town, small minded'. Dr. Cullen is one of the best surgeons around, could be making five times what he makes here in his choice of any hospital in the country. Everyone should be thankful his wife wanted to live in a small town rather than a big city. Now, don't get me wrong, I was hesitant when they first moved into town. I mean, five adopted teenagers all living under one roof has to cause some tension. But, they have not caused one speck of trouble. That's more than I can say for the kids of most of the families that have lived here for generations. I really wish people would just grow up and not scoff at anything that's different than what they're used to."
When he finally finishes his rant, which is the longest I can remember ever hearing him talk in one sitting, I start to worry that he won't be able to open his hands again. As he started to really get into his speech, the grip he had on the knife and fork in his hands got tighter. By the end, his knuckles were so white from the restricted blood flow and the veins in his hands were starting to bulge, along with the one in his forehead. I keep quiet, giving him a chance to relax and ease his grip on the silverware in his hands before I respond.
"They seemed nice enough to me. Alice Cullen talked to me while we headed to gym class... You know, they're all really attractive." I added the last bit without even thinking of what I was saying. I mean, come on. That is not something you say to your dad that you have barely spoken to throughout your life.
"Ha, you should see the doctor. I've seen him have to fend off a few nurses at the hospital. I even overheard a woman plotting to fake being sick just so she'd get to see him. I swear I saw a male nurse ogling him too, at one point. It's a good think he's happily married. His wife, Esme, is a lucky woman to have such a devoted husband." He says the last bit with an almost jealous note to his voice. I get the feeling he feels just as enamored with the wife as the nurses seem to be with the doctor.
We ate in silence after that, which in no way was uncomfortable. It's just how we are, which I feel relieved at. Mom, not being able to stand the quiet, would start drilling me about every small detail of school by this point. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom to pieces, but I'm kind of relieved to be away from the constant chatter that surrounds her.
When we finished eating, Charlie decided to show his appreciation of dinner by helping me with dishes. We managed to eat all the food, so didn't have to bother with leftovers. He helps me clear the table, then stands next to me silently while I wash the dishes, taking them from me when I finish them so he can dry them and put them away. I feel a tradition forming, which is a nice feeling. Mom is so erratic, it's hard to develop any kind of routine with her. Charlie is certainly a creature of habit, so it won't take long to make this a new habit for him.
After we're done, he grabs a beer from the fridge and plops down on the couch, turning on the TV to a hockey game. It looks like the Oilers versus the Sabres, whatever teams those are. I grab my textbooks and sit down in the recliner against the wall to the side of the TV and work on the questions at the end of the chapter in the textbook that Mr. Mason wanted us to answer, letting the background noise of the game help me concentrate (I can't focus on anything if there is silence). Next is history, which also has me answering questions at the end of the chapter. However, because I'm a history nerd, I go ahead and read the next few chapters and answer those questions as well. On separate papers, of course. I'll turn them in if Mr. Jefferson decides to have us do this for every chapter.
I finished by 7pm and just sat watching the game with Charlie, absently petting Mindy, who was laying on her bed next to me. Chip got into my lap the moment I put my textbooks away and got comfortable, so I pet him with my other hand. I stop actually paying attention to the game and start going over the days events. Namely, the phone number burning a hole in my back pocket. I had entered her number in the contacts list on my phone as I walked away from gym earlier that day. I lay back in the recliner pondering how to go about texting Alice.
I don't want to seem too eager, so decide not to call or text her today. But, what is the appropriate amount of time to wait? More importantly, what do I say? I have no idea how to start a conversation with someone I don't really know. I realize, she figured out more about me when we talked and I learned nothing about her... Not only that, but I need to figure out what that feeling I got was when I saw Jasper holding her. Was it jealousy? No, that's impossible. I don't even know her, how can I be jealous of him?
I'm jolted from my thoughts from a loud snore coming from the couch. Charlie fell asleep at some point in my contemplation. I pull out my phone and wake up the screen, shocked to see that it is already 11pm and I haven't even taken a shower yet. I decide to wake Charlie up so he can get to his own bed. I doubt sleeping on the couch is good for him. I look down at him and smile at him. He looks much younger now, his face erased of the usual concern that adorns it. He's actually pretty young looking, considering his age.
The only thing that may let on to his true age are the the slight lines around his eyes. However, this is more due to the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles than to wrinkling from age. Even his hair is free from grey hair, which I hope I inherit from him. I inherited more traits from him than I did my mom, and not all good ones. I hope this is one of the good ones I will get. My mom is a year younger than Charlie and is already dying her hair to rid herself of the greys. I already am awkward enough, I don't need to add getting grey at a young age to it.
I shake him awake, noticing him automatically lower his hand to the spot on his hip where his gun usually sits. I make a mental note to never wake him up if he falls asleep in uniform. After a few moments, he finally focuses, realizes it's me, and makes his way upstairs, never saying a word. I turn the TV off, let Mindy out real quick, dry her paws off, and make my way upstairs to my room. Mindy and Chip follow and take their usual spots on the bed while I grab my pajamas from the pillow. I take a quick shower, not running the hot water out like I want to since I should have already been asleep by now, and get dressed. I brush my teeth, not bothering to floss. I'll do it in the morning, and I'll make sure to give them extra attention to make up for it.
I get back to bed, hit play on the sleep playlist on my phone, plug it in, and place it on the nightstand. I push Mindy and Chip off the bed and quickly put the new sheets I almost forgot about on the bed, pull the comforter up and get comfortable. Mindy and Chip get on the bed and snuggle in the moment I stopped moving. I relax, letting Enjoy the Silence play quietly in the background. It ends, transitioning to Just Can't Get Enough, but I fall asleep before it finishes.
I wake up the same way I always do, Mindy breathing into my face and Chip pawing at my eyes. It's 6am, way too early for me to be awake right now. I sigh, knowing they wouldn't wake me unless they really needed to go out. I get up and head downstairs, Chip racing ahead of us. Charlie is sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. He looks up when I come around the corner at the bottom of the stairs, chuckling a bit when I sleepily bump into the couch. I go to the back door and let Mindy out, then sit down into the chair across from Charlie, placing my arms on the table and resting my head on them.
"You know, I can let them out for you in the mornings if you want. I know how much of a morning person you are not." He smirks at his own cleverness.
"That would be awesome, dad. I don't see how you do this every day..." I mumble into my arms, not having the energy yet to lift my head.
"Years and years of practice." He chuckles.
After a moment, I hear the chair squeak from him getting up and the tinkling of the mug being placed in the sink and water running as he rinses it out. I finally manage to lift my head up and see him grab the towel I left on the chair last night and open the door to let Mindy back in. He gives her a quick rub with it, then places it on the floor and gets her to step on it. He grabs her paws and gently wipes them off with the towel. He picks it up and folds it back over the back of the chair next to me, a bit more sloppily than I did the night before.
"Alright, well I'm heading out. I may be a bit later getting home tonight. One of the swing shift dispatchers called out sick, so I'll be covering for a few hours. The night person will come in a few hours early to cover the rest of the shift. Have a good day at school." He said all this while making his way to the door and putting on his belt and holster.
"No problem, I'll leave some dinner in the fridge for you. Be safe, dad." I say and he is stepping out the door.
"Always am." He says over his shoulder.
I decide I might as well make myself some breakfast, since I'm up. I scoop some food that I got yesterday at the store into Mindy's and Chip's bowls and then pour myself some cereal. I catch up on messages from mom while I eat. She's sent me at least twenty since yesterday after I got out of school. She asked the usual questions. How was school? Did you make any friends? Any cute boys you may be interested in? How were your teachers? Has anything changed around there? I answer them all, leaving out the incident with Edward in Physics and whatever is going on with Alice. When I finish my cereal and catch mom up on the gossip, I put my bowl in the sink and rinse it out. I give Mindy a pat on the head, rub Chip down his back, and head upstairs to get ready for school.
I put on a similar outfit to yesterday, just a different color: jeans, black t-shirt, black hoodie, black sneakers, and the leather bracelet. True to my word, I brush my teeth, do some extra meticulous flossing, and gargle with some mouthwash. I head back downstairs and look at my phone, surprised that it is already 7:15. I put my textbooks that I forgot to put away into my backpack, grab the keys from the table by the door, and head out with a simple "be good" called over my shoulder to the animals.
On the drive to school, I listen to Stupify by Disturbed (I've made it to the Ds now, hehe). If you haven't guessed by now, I have no favorite genre. I will literally listen to anything that sounds good to me. Rock, Jazz, Classical, Country, Pop, Hip Hop, etc. The only thing I will probably draw the line at is polka, but I may even find something I like there someday. While I rock out, I start thinking of what I'm going to face today. I somewhat know what to expect, after yesterday, which is a relief. Hopefully the novelty of me being new will have worn off, but I doubt it after only a day.
So, I'm steeling myself for some more gawking and whispering. More so, I'm not looking forward to Physics. However, last night while I was relaxing in the recliner, I decided I would confront Edward about his behavior, planning on being firm and brave. Knowing me though, it would come out more meek and awkward. Still, I can't let him get away with treating me like some garbage that got dumped next to him. There is only one thing that has me excited for school, and that is the prospect of seeing Alice again in Drama. Not necessarily PE, because today I don't get to sit on the sidelines again, so I will most definitely embarrass myself...
I pull into the parking lot ten minutes later and park in the same spot as yesterday. I can't help it, I am a creature of habit. It is only 7:30, so I still have 45 minutes until the first class starts. I decide to turn the engine off, but leave the car on so the radio can continue to play, and just continue listening to Disturbed (I managed to find one of those converters at the store by the register, much to my surprise). I hope it will succeed in getting me pumped for the day, especially my confrontation with Edward.
At 8:00, after having listed to the whole The Sickness album and starting Believe, I turn the key all the way off, grab my phone and bag, and head across the parking lot toward the main building. As I walk, I can't help but to look over to where the Volvo was parked the day before, eager to get a look at Alice and the other's. To my disappointment, the Volvo isn't there. In it's place is a very nice looking red convertible, which still screams Cullen's to me, considering how ostentatious it looks to be. I can't be sure though, because whoever the owner is must already be heading to class.
The rest of the day continues much the same as the previous day, with Eric escorting me again from English to Math. We get to the door just as Mike is walking in, who stops to greet me with a big, goofy grin. I couldn't help but notice the quick glare he gave Eric, right before I turned my head to walk inside. Oh God, I hope that doesn't mean what I think it does. I have no interest in Mike or Eric. I honestly don't have any interest in anyone at this school, save for maybe Alice.
Wait, what? No, Alice is just a potential friend. Besides, she is with Jasper. Right? I shake my head to get rid of my mental word vomit and head inside. Anyways, I'll ignore the look exchanged between Mike and Eric and hope neither of my new friends make any moves on me. I don't want anything to become awkward between us and certainly don't want to lose the first friend's I've made at this school.
Mike joins me, taking the seat next to me (much to the annoyance of the usual occupant, who Mike just grins at), and is about to say something to me. However, before he can do more than open his mouth, he is cut off by the bell and Mr. Varner immediately starting class. I can't help but smirk at the face he is making, obviously annoyed that he didn't get to say whatever it was he was planning on saying. I try to listen to Mr. Varner droning on about factoring polynomials, but end up lost in a daydream while doodling on the corner of my scratch paper about two minutes into the lecture.
The bell is what finally brings me out of my thoughts. I look down at my paper and see that what started as a doodle in the margin of my paper has turned into a full page drawing of two medieval dragons circling each other in the shape of a yin-yang symbol, with one of them blowing fire and the other ice at each other. I'm not much of an artist, but I can't help but feel this is a great idea for a future tattoo, maybe, so I fold up the page and pocket it.
"That drawing you did was pretty cool. Do you like dragons or something?" Mike asks as he follows me out the door and toward the stairs, no doubt escorting me to History like yesterday.
"You saw that, huh? I like dragons, yeah, but I honestly wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing. I was kind of in my own world and letting my hand do it's thing." I shrugged at the end, but can't help feeling kind of proud of my drawing after he said it was 'pretty cool'.
"Well, you must have liked what you did too, since you kept the drawing."
"Yeah, I think it may have potential as a future tat." I say, starting to think more about a background to go with the drawing.
"You like tattoos?" He says, looking and sounding shocked.
"Not all tattoos. I hate when people get them just to get them. I mean, they're pretty permanent. I feel you should only get tattoos that have meaning to you, so you don't regret them later. They're such a pain to try to cover up. Removing them altogether is expensive, painful, and can take up to a year to come off completely."
"You sure know a lot about tattoos..." Such an astute observation, I roll my eyes slightly, but I don't want to offend him, so stop myself before he notices.
"I have a friend in Phoenix who is working on being a tattoo artist... So, are you from Forks? I don't remember seeing you when I used to visit my dad."
I decide to ask more about him, hoping to change the subject. I really don't want to think about Phoenix, as that will just remind me of how much I'm missing my mom and Jeana. I also don't want him asking more about tattoos. I don't trust myself not to let slip that I have some myself.
"Oh, that's pretty cool. And no, my family moved up here from Sacramento when I was ten. They decided to move to a smaller town and start a business. They own Newton's Olympic Outfitters. I work there part-time now." He didn't sound too happy about working at his family's business, which makes me believe his parent's forced him to.
"Why did they want to move to a small town?" I ask, actually taking interest in his life, which takes me by surprise.
"Honestly, I think it's because they were afraid I would end up running with the wrong crowd. I guess they think a small town can't have as negative an affect on me as the big cities can. I'm their only kid, after all. So, they're a little extra protective of me." He shrugs, and I notice a hint of sadness when he tells me he is an only child.
I guess he must wish he has siblings to hang out with at home. I can't relate though, I enjoy being alone. That and I already had to take care of mom, as much as she would deny it. I am glad I didn't have a little brother or sister to take care of too. That just makes me more appreciative of Charlie, since he can obviously take care of himself... Save for the cooking, of course.
"Well, thanks for walking me to class again. You really don't have to, I think I know where it is now." I smirk at the end, making sure he knows I am not mad at him for being my escort.
"No problem... Well, it was nice talking with you. I'll see you around!" He waves over his shoulder as he walks away toward his next class.
I saunter into History and take my seat by the window and Angela, who greets me with her shy smile again. I take out my text book and decide that I'll just go ahead and start reading on my own now. I know Mr. Jefferson is just going to bore me again if I try to listen to him, after all. I finish reading about the Bear Flag Revolt, and decide to start jumping around in my book.
While flipping through pages, a word catches my eye, but I can't for the life of me figure out why it means something to me. Well, it's actually a name. Quileute. Why does this sound familiar? I start reading about them and discover that it is the name of the Native American tribe at La Push, which is just fifteen or so miles from Forks. That's why! Jacob and Billy are Quileute's. I remember going to First Beach in La Push and playing with Jacob in the sand, making sand castles while our dad's watched TV in Billy's house, which is on the beach.
I decide to read what little my textbook has about their people, curious about their history. At least, maybe I can talk about it with Billy or Jacob next time I see them. I read about the Treaty of Olympia, signed in 1856, which pretty much required the Quileute people to give up all but one or two square miles of their land to the United States government. There is also a small snippet about how a man wrongly claimed the land for himself in 1889 by burning down over 25 houses on the reservation.
This unsettles me and starts to make me feel a little sick. I hate how the United States came to be by stealing land and what the man resorted to just to try to stake claim to something that wasn't rightfully his. I can't read anymore, and decide to let Mr. Jefferson's droning be background noise for me while I stare out the window and try to think of something else until the bell rings.
When it does, I grab my bag and go to the cafeteria. I had decided to just carry all my text books with me, since it really is only four of them and I really don't want to come all the way back up here after PE again. I wait in line for the completely bland and unhealthy cafeteria food. (I mean seriously, how do they get away with feeding us this hot garbage?) Today is something that (I think?) is supposed to be Salisbury steak with gravy, runny mashed potatoes, soggy broccoli, and a cocktail fruit cup that probably has enough sugar in it to keep me going better than the Energizer Bunny. I grab a juice again and head to the table with Angela, Jessica, Eric, Mike, and the others whose names I still haven't memorized.
When everyone starts chatting with each other, I use the distraction to glance over to the table by the windows. I'm nervous, not really sure if I'm prepared to have those piercing eye's looking at me with hatred again, but chance it anyway. When I look up though, there are only four people at the table. Edward isn't here, which strikes me as odd, since the rest of his siblings are. This doesn't bother me though, because at least now I can get a better look at Alice from a distance without him boring a hole into my face with his intense glare.
Today she is wearing skinny jeans, a denim jacket, some kind of white shirt underneath, and what looks to be black calf-high boots. She isn't talking, just staring off out of the window, looking solemn. I don't know why, but it hurts me to see her looking sad. I get an urge to go over to hug her and make her smile. I push it away, though, and look at her siblings instead.
Rosalie is wearing jeans and a navy blue sweater, with heels matching the color of her sweater. To her right is Emmett wearing a t-shirt today and I can see that he is wearing jeans and sneakers now that I can get a better look under the table. Jasper, sitting to his right again, seems to enjoy wearing the same style of clothes. He is wearing another long sleeve button up shirt, but this time he ditched the sweater vest. The shirt isn't as tight fitting as yesterday, so you can't see the muscles I noticed he has. Under the table, I see dress shoes and khakis, although I get the feeling they are designer like everyone else's clothes.
After admiring their wardrobe, I look up at their faces and notice that Alice isn't the only one looking blue. Well, actually Jasper is the only other one who looks glum, staring at the untouched tray of food in front of him. Emmett has a slight grin on his face, and seems to be trying to get the attention of Rosalie. She, however, looks slightly angry, staring out of the window with an extremely hostile expression. Despite his size, I fear for Emmett's safety. Rosalie is obviously not in the mood for his goofiness, which he seems to finally realize as his goofy grin fades to a frown and he starts to stare at the table in front of him
I tear my eye's away and focus on my table buddies conversation, instead. They're talking excitedly about some upcoming trip to the beach on La Push. Eric is standing on his chair, mimicking surfing. Everyone at the table starts giggling, including me, when Mike kicks his chair and makes him fall over. He managed to catch himself on Angela's chair next to him, but still turned red at our laughter. He turns a glare on Mike, not intimidating him in the slightest, causing the baby-face to roar with laughter. I look at my phone and see the bell is about to ring, so I get up and tell everyone I'll see them later. I deposit the untouched contents of my tray (no way was I going to eat that questionable meal) into the trash and put my tray away.
Even though he wasn't at lunch, I still feel anxious about Physics. He may still show up, after all. I doubt it though, because I have the sinking suspicion that the mood of his siblings is due to his absence. I got to the lab early, and am relieved no one else is in the room. Although, not too relieved. The bell had just rung to signal the end of lunch just a minute ago, so Edward still has time to show up. After another minute or two, students start filing into the room.
Mike and Eric are among the last in, play wrestling with each other, obviously continuing what was started in the cafeteria. I grin at them, entertained with their shenanigans. They finally stop when Mike got Eric in a headlock and gave him a vigorous noogie. After a few seconds, Mike let him out of the hold and Eric hastily begins to fix his hair, earning a smug smirk from Mike. They take their seats just as the bell rings and Mr. Banner starts the class.
Edward never shows up, which is kind of a relief. I manage to pay a bit more attention to the class, since now I don't have a tense bundle of nerves sitting next to me and making me feel like I have some kind of contagious disease. I realize now that Mr. Banner is actually kind of entertaining to listen to. You can tell he is passionate about Science, which he translates to his teaching. He isn't monotone like the rest of my teachers, and is more animated when speaking of Thermodynamics. I manage to take notes and am actually excited that we will have a lab on the subject next week.
By this point, the bell has rung and I get up to find myself flanked on either side by Mike and Eric, which makes me feel uncomfortable and claustrophobic, as they wait for me to gather my things and walk me out the door.
"So Bella, you didn't say much at lunch when we were talking about our trip to La Push. Did you not want to come?" Eric asks when we make it out to the hall.
"Oh, I didn't know I was invited." I said, wracking my brain to see if maybe I forgot that they asked.
"Well, it was kind of implied since you were sitting at the table with us." Mike answered.
"Sorry, I guess I didn't catch that. When are you guys going? And just so you know, I don't surf. I have a hard enough time balancing while standing still on a flat and still surface. I can't imagine what would happen if I try to keep my balance on a surfboard that's being knocked around in the ocean. Although, it seems Eric has the same problem." I joke, managing to succeed in getting Eric to turn a nice shade of crimson.
"Ouch Eric, she got you there!" Mike laughs, earning a punch to the arm from Eric. "We were thinking the weekend after next, since there are supposed to be some decent waves for surfing. Although, not everyone is going to surf. Mostly just me, Eric, and Jessica. Angela and a few others will be going too, so you won't be alone. Usually some of the local kids will stop by and hang out too, which is cool." Mike answers.
"I'll think about it, but it does sound like fun. Thanks for the invite! You guys better head to your classes before you're late though. I was almost late yesterday, and don't want a repeat myself." I waved them off and headed to Drama, managing to not get lost this time.
Alice is waiting in the same chair, and grins at me when I walk in. Will I ever not blush when she looks at me? I hope so, 'cause I dunno if my body can survive the lack of blood everywhere except my face. I sit down next to her, but we don't talk this time. Mrs. Goff is watching us while she's talking about the upcoming play she is going to start holding auditions for next week, You Can't Take it With You.
Such a typical high school play. I wish they were more original, not that I really care. I don't plan on auditioning for an acting role. I'm more suited for behind the scenes work, like lighting or making sets. Alice, surprisingly, seems just as disinterested. I got the feeling she was more outgoing, so would have thought she would be more interested in auditioning.
Mrs. Goff handed us scripts for the play, so that anyone interested could study and be prepared to audition for the part they want. I took one, not even glancing at it, knowing I won't be trying for any of the parts. I noticed Alice did the same, only she put it away in the bag by her feet. At this point, Mrs. Goff gave us permission to talk amongst ourselves, most likely intending everyone to decide on a character to audition for and begin practicing lines with each other.
I, however, had other plans. I had been working up the courage to talk to Alice, who seemed to revert back to looking sad like she did when she was gazing out the window in the cafeteria. I was wondering if it had anything to do with Edward's absence, so decided to ask her about it. Gently though; I don't want to scare her off.
"Hey Alice, you okay?" I guess that's a good start.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah I'm good. Just daydreaming is all." She gave me a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Do you want me to leave you alone? I don't want to interrupt you..." Please say no, please say no.
"No no! Actually... I was hoping to get to know you some more." The smile reached her eyes this time, which strangely made my stomach flip.
"I'd like that. I was hoping to do the same... Get to know you, not me. Since I know me pretty well." I grimace and mentally smack myself for my stupidity.
She hit me with her musical laugh again, delighted with my rambling. "I know what you meant, Bella. What did you want to know about me? We talked about you the most yesterday, so it's only fair you get your chance to ask me a few things."
Suddenly my mind blanked. I had mentally prepared oodles of questions, but now that she put me on the spot, I couldn't think of them. I sat there with my mouth opened for a minute before spitting out a random question. "What's your favorite color?"
"That's not what I was expecting to be your first question." She giggled a bit, then became serious as she thought it over. "What do you think my favorite color is?"
She caught me off guard, asking me a question instead of answering mine, but I thought it over regardless. "I'm sure most people would think it's yellow, pink, or purple. From what I've gathered from hearing people talk about you; you have a bubbly personality, are creative, and seem to be more outgoing than the rest of your siblings. But, I get the feeling none of those would be it, despite the fact that you seem to be pretty girly..." She snorted at that, but otherwise remained silent.
I thought about it for a few seconds longer, then made my guess. Although, calling it a guess didn't feel right. For some reason, when I made a mental list of colors, I felt a pull to two colors.
"I'm thinking maybe brown or red."
"What makes you relate those colors to me?"
"I thought I was asking the questions?" I sigh as she gives me a mischievous grin. "I associate brown with someone who has a friendly and approachable personality, is helpful, and will lend a hand to those that need it. Someone who is responsible, trust worthy, and confident. I relate it to a few other things, but those things I don't think apply to you."
She tilts her head to the side, which looks utterly adorable, and gives me a look that tells me she wants me to explain, so I continue.
"Well, you have been nice to me and I feel I can talk to you about anything. You showed more interest in my feelings than anyone else I have talked to at this school. And you just EXUDE confidence. I'm sure the responsible, helpfulness, and lending a hand traits will make their appearance before long."
"Hmmm,... And what about red?"
"Red, that one I associate to people who have a lot of energy, are competitive, passionate, impatient, who relies on instincts, and wants to be the center of attention. I get a feeling all these things relate to you, despite the fact I only really just met you, so it's hard to pick if brown or red would be your favorite color. Although, I could be completely wrong... Now, are you gonna answer and let me finish asking my questions, or are you going to keep shooting questions back at me?" I finish with an eye-roll. I notice I've gotten comfortable with her again the more I talked, so feel okay with joking around more.
She laughed her chime-like laugh at my annoyance, sobering up after a minute to finally answer me.
"Sorry Bella, I'm just curious about how you think. People are usually easy for me to predict, but you throw me off my game. I'll answer your questions, I promise... I won't comment on what you said about what you think my personality traits are, I want you to figure those out for yourself." She winks at me after saying that. "As for what my favorite color is, you were right about it being brown. Red isn't far behind, but there are some things that red makes me think of that I don't like. What's your next question?"
Now that I'm feeling more relaxed, my list of questions is slowly trickling back to me. I decide to keep it simple though, not wanting to risk souring her mood.
"What is your favorite movie?"
"Hmm... That's a toughie. I guess right now it would be The Princess Bride. That could change though."
"That's a good one, definitely in my top ten. Alright, I think I get one more question and we are even."
"I didn't know we were keeping tabs on our question counts." She is smirking at me, which I find to be... Kind of hot.
"Well, I figure you asked me three questions yesterday. I'll ask my three, then we can go for a tit for tat deal after." I don't mention that this is part of my OCD, which I've been trying and kind of failing to keep under control.
"Alright, that seems fair. What's your last question?"
"Um... So, I noticed your table was one short today. What's up with Edward?" I ask, hoping beyond hope that the mood isn't ruined.
"Oh, um... He isn't feeling well. I don't think he will be back this week. Don't worry though, our dad is a doctor, so he will be fine. Now, I do believe it's my turn! My question is what are your favorite color and movie?" She smirks, and I'm too relieved that she isn't mad at me to be annoyed that she just asked me two questions in one or that she is just repeating mine.
"I have a lot of favorite movies. I guess it would be the Fifth Element right now. I don't know why, but I can never get tired of watching that movie. Although, I feel that way about a lot of movies. So, it's easier to narrow down favorites by genre than to pick an overall favorite. As for my favorite color, how about you take a guess." I stick my tongue out at her, giving her a taste of her own annoying medicine.
She giggles at that, causing butterflies in my stomach at the sound. "I guess that's only fair. I haven't really heard anything about you, since you just got here, so I'm at a bit more of a disadvantage. I'll try to take a guess though... You are obviously a naturally generous and caring person, often putting other peoples needs before your own. Since you moved out here, putting your moms needs before your own happiness... I notice you have some animal hair on you, so that makes me think you have a love for nature." I instinctively look down and start brushing fur off of my hoodie. I really shouldn't have worn black. "You don't seem to be impulsive, and you think before you act. I'm sure there is more to learn, but based on those things, I think green is your color. Am I right?"
"I don't know if I'm generous or any of that, but you are right. Green is my favorite color." She gives me the biggest grin when I confirm she is right, and can't help but to grin back.
She grabs her bag and stands up just as the bell rings. She has a great sense of time, sheesh. I get up too, grabbing my bag, and we walk together out of the room in a comfortable silence. Suddenly I remember that PE is next, meaning we will be changing in the locker rooms together, which causes my heart to start pounding. I notice out of the corner of my eye that Alice drifts a few inches further away from me and her posture becomes a bit more stiff, which doesn't help me. She doesn't glare at me like Edward did, so I think maybe whatever was bothering her has drifted back into her thoughts and caused her to tense up.
When we get to the locker room, I'm too nervous to change in front of anyone. So, I instead send a text to my mom and pretended to be busy with my phone until everyone leaves. I get the feeling Alice knew I was nervous, so didn't try to talk to me while she changed or stick around when she finished. Instead, when she was changed, she gave me a small smile and told me she'd see me out on the court.
Gratefully, I got Coach Clapp to give me sweatpants and a sweatshirt as my gym clothes instead of the usual t-shirt and shorts. I really have low self-esteem, especially when it comes to my body. I also don't want to add to the looks I already get for being the new girl, because of my tattoos. You know, since, at just barely seventeen, I am technically underage and shouldn't legally have any.
I make my way out of the locker room and onto the court just in time to line up to be sorted into our teams for the day. Alice is in the middle, and I can't help but sneak glances her way. She's wearing the typical gym shorts and t-shirt. However, they fit a little big on her, despite being what I'm sure is the smallest size. Regardless, it's impossible not to admire her legs. Her smooth, pale legs look to me to be the legs of a dancer; defined with firmer looking muscles and curvier, for her size. I can make out the muscles in her arms too, showing they are toned, but not overly muscular. After a few seconds of admiring Alice's body, I remember that I'm in PE and about to have to participate.
I face forward, waiting for my name to be called. Coach Clapp is splitting us into six teams, reading from the student list in alphabetical order. Alice is called and placed on the B team, taking her place with two others that were called before her. She looks up and catches sight of me, giving me a warm smile. She looks away, and I notice her body tense for a moment before relaxing again a few moments later.
I also noticed that her golden eyes seemed to glaze ov-... Wait, gold? Weren't they black yesterday? I'm snapped from my mental questioning when I notice her smile is replaced with a slight frown and she throws a glare at a blonde girl standing a bit down from me to my left. The blonde is called up not long after, her name is Lauren Mallory apparently, and is put onto Alice's team.
I don't have time to dwell on what is going on with Alice for long, because the coach has called Jessica Stanley, who is right before me alphabetically, to team A. Coach calls me up and I am placed on team C. The last one called is Angela, since her last name is Weber, and to my relief she is placed on my team. The coach then tells us which teams we will be facing today, and I start to feel queasy when she announces that we will be going against team B.
It's bad enough that I am in PE with Alice, who I admit I'm starting to really like, but now I have to stand (or more likely fall) in front of her and embarrass myself while we face off in Volleyball? My hand-eye coordination is almost non-existent, so I most likely am about to get a ball to the face, and I'm too scared to even laugh at the obvious "that's what she said" joke there.
Alice must have seen the fear on my face, because she gives me a quick apologetic look before she tosses the ball in the air for a jump serve, which she aims to Angela who is on the opposite side of me. Angela, taking me by surprise, manages to make contact with the ball and bump it over the net. Lauren Mallory manages to dive and keep the ball from hitting the floor, setting it for one of her team-mates to spike over the net.
Angela, being pretty tall at 5'10", manages to block it and knock it to the floor on our opponents side, scoring the first point. Honestly, I wasn't expecting sweet and shy Angela to keep up in a sport, but she actually ends up being the one to carry our team pretty much the whole game. I had managed to tell my team before the game started that they should keep the ball away from me, and they seemed to have taken my warning to heart, because I managed to go almost the entire game without having to move. Almost.
We, or rather the rest of the team, are leading in points: 9-7. The other team hadn't really taken advantage of my obvious lack of contribution, so I allowed myself to relax a bit. This was a mistake though, because Lauren Mallory seemed to notice. I managed to look up in time to see that she was giving me an evil smirk, having hit the ball full-force in my direction. The only movement I managed to make before the ball made contact was turn my head slightly, which I'm glad I did because it definitely would have connected with and broken my nose if I hadn't.
Still, getting hit in the cheek with a volleyball isn't fun, and it knocked me right to the floor. Through the haze that has clouded over my eyes, I just barely recognize the shape of Angela's head bent over me, or at least I think she is. Her face is blurry and my ears are ringing, but I think I hear her asking me if I'm okay. I shake my head a bit, hoping to shake away the static in my ears and fog in my vision. Angela's face is replaced by what I can make out as Alice's gorgeous heart-shaped one. As I repeatedly squeeze my eyes shut, trying to push away the mist in my eyes, a sweet, melodic voice manages to break through the ringing in my ears, which I instantly recognize as Alice's.
"Oh my God, Bella! Are you okay? That looked awful." She sounds worried, which I don't like hearing in place of her usually mellifluous voice.
"Really? It felt pretty wonderful, actually. I just love taking balls to the face..." I grimace as I touch my cheek, which is a little tender. And honestly, at that stupid ball joke too.
I look over and, thanks to my vision clearing and the ringing subsiding, I can see that Alice is fighting to hold back a smile. Sweet, my joke actually worked.
"That was a terrible joke. But seriously... Did you not see that coming?" She says, an obvious hint at the double entendre.
She just barely manages to hold a semi-serious face for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, which echo's throughout the gym, amplifying the wonderful sound. I can't help but laugh with her, managing to forget the pain in my face as I do. It also earns us a few looks from those on our respective teams.
"And you said my joke was terrible?" I manage to say after our laughter dies down.
"Hey, it got you laughing too!" She says as she nudges me with her shoulder. She hops up and grabs my elbow to help me up to my feet.
"Thanks. I think I'm fine now, was just taken by surprise is all." I say as I rub my cheek, which doesn't hurt nearly as bad now.
"That Lauren is such an asshole. Everyone else on our team noticed that you didn't want to play, so were avoiding hitting the ball near you. Lauren, wanna be queen bee that she is, can't stand to lose. You guys are winning, so she just had to take advantage of you, trying to steal a win... Ugh, I can't stand her."
Alice glared at Lauren the whole time she talked, which Lauren didn't seem bothered by. Lauren noticed Alice, but just tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and continued talking to her friends on the other team while everyone was giving me a chance to recover. When I looked back at Alice, I'm surprised to see that her glare is replaced with a devious grin.
"Well Bella, if you're feeling okay, I think we should continue our game. We still have a few minutes before the bell..." She gives me a wink, which puzzles me, as she makes her way back to her side of the net. On her way over, she shoulder checks Lauren, who calls her a bitch.
"Um, okay..."
Angela, who had stepped away to give Alice and I space when she came over, looked at me quizzically. I just shrugged and went back to my corner. I don't relax this time though, instead keeping my eyes on Lauren. I'll be damned if I let her catch me off guard like that again. I may not be good at most sports, but I'm not weak. I'm so accident prone and clumsy, I have managed to get myself to tolerate pain rather well. I've also had plenty of things thrown at me, thanks to being bullied in school back in Phoenix for being the weird pale kid (among other things), so I've gotten pretty good at dodging things being thrown my way. Lauren caught me off guard this time, but she won't get to a second time.
It's Alice's turn to serve again, and she goes for the same jump serve as the start of the game. However, instead of hitting the ball over the net, she manages to smack the ball right into the back of Lauren's head, causing her to fall face first into the floor. Lauren managed to cover her face with her arms before making contact, though.
Lauren's friends rush to her side, helping her up immediately. I notice she's gotten some of those nasty floor burns on her forearms from sliding on the gym floor. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help but smile a bit at Lauren getting her just desserts. I look over at Alice, who was explaining herself to Coach Clapp, who conveniently saw Lauren get hit, but didn't seem to notice it when I got hurt.
It seems Alice convinced the coach that it was an accident, since she walked away back to collect the volley balls from the other games, since the bell is about to ring. Alice looks over at me and gives me a smug grin and wink. I roll my eyes at her, not able to hold back my smile, and make my way over to her.
"You really didn't need to do that, but thank you anyway." I nudge her shoulder and we start heading to the locker rooms.
"I know I didn't, but I wanted to. I mean, someone needs to teach her what goes around comes around. And I was happy to be the boomerang this time."
"Dude, you are so corny." I say, causing us both to snicker.
We are in the locker room by this point. Alice opens her locker, grabs her clothes, and starts changing. I blush and quickly turn around and get my locker open. Instead of going for my clothes though, I grab my phone and see that my mom has sent six texts since gym started. I sigh, reading through the messages.
Bella, how's the weather there? Is it raining?
I miss you so much!
I've been packing all morning, but can't seem to find my favorite blouse. Do you know where it is?
Phil say's hi, by the way.
Bella?
Bella, why aren't you saying anything?
I roll my eyes at my mom's impatience and set about responding, feeling eye's on my back, making me think Alice finished changing and is waiting for me. The thought excites me, but I need to set my mom's mind at ease.
Mom, I'm at school, remember? I can't answer the moment you message me.
I send an eye roll emoji after that, making sure she knows I'm not upset with her.
It's Forks, so of course it's raining. It's cold to boot! I miss you too, mom. Your blouse is at the dry cleaners. You were supposed to pick it up the other day. I set a reminder in your phone and everything! Tell Phil I say hi as well and I miss him! I love you mom. I have to get changed now. I had PE, ugh. So, I'll talk to you later.
I put my phone away and turn around to see no one is left in the locker room, except Alice, who I notice is now faced away from me with her face in her phone. I get the feeling she is giving me some privacy to change, probably sensing my reluctance before. Not wanting to allow the chance to escape, or keep her waiting, I quickly grab my clothes and change.
I'll take a shower when I get home, not that I sweat too much standing in the corner and getting hit in the face. Once I closed my locker, Alice put her phone away and turned around. I gave her a small smile, hoping she could see my appreciation in my eyes. She must have, because she smiled back and nudged me, hinting for us to head out.
We walked toward the parking lot in our comfortable silence again, glancing at each other every once in a while. When we got there, I looked up and noticed her other siblings by the red convertible. When I saw Jasper, I suddenly felt the urge to ask Alice about the rumors of her siblings. Apparently, my mouth decided to ask out loud instead of letting me figure out the proper way to word it.
"Hey Alice, is it true you and your siblings are in relationships with each other?" I winced and mentally smacked myself for letting the question slip out.
Alice looked at me, but I couldn't really tell what the expression on her face was trying to convey. "Do you think they're true, Bella?"
I start to rub the back of my neck nervously, not sure how to answer. "Well, Rosalie and Emmett obviously are. Kind of hard not to notice that they are a couple, especially after the kiss yesterday and ass grabbing. And I typically don't take stock in rumors, but I heard you and Jasper may be a couple too. I'm not sure if that is true, though I was curious after seeing him hold you yesterday in the parking lot when you seemed to get upset at Edward over something... I'm sorry, I know it isn't my business. And if you guys are, it doesn't bother me like I notice it bothers pretty much all the other close-minded assholes here. I was just wondering... You really don't have to answer me if you don't want to... I'm going to shut up now..."
I bowed my head and started to turn toward my truck, knowing I completely embarrassed myself again. However, I'm stopped when Alice grabs my arm and holds me in place with a shocking amount of strength.
She drops her hand and looks to me with a serious expression on her face and something in her eyes I can't quite make out. I look down while she speaks to me, unsure of how she is going to react.
"Bella, calm down. I don't mind answering you. I was just curious what your thoughts were on the subject... I appreciate that my siblings living together while being in a relationship with one another doesn't bother you. I know a lot of student's here are disturbed by that... Not to mention a lot of the parent's disapprove of the fact that my parent's allow it. But, to answer your question, no. Rosalie and Emmett are the only couple. Jasper and I are close, yes, but we aren't in a romantic relationship."
I visibly relax, not even realizing I was tense while waiting for her response, and a small grin creeps onto my face, but I notice and wipe it away quickly. God, what is with me? Why am I so happy to hear Jasper and Alice aren't together? I shake my head slightly then allow myself to look up, just barely catching sight of a smug grin on Alice's face before she plasters her serious face back on.
Suddenly a horn honks, startling me, and I look around and see Alice's siblings are waiting in their car for her. Rosalie is in the driver's seat, which doesn't surprise me. Alice turns her face to them and gives them a look which I can't see, then turns back to me.
"Well, I better go before my sister throws a bitch fit. I'll talk to you later Bella."
Alice gives me her most dazzling smile yet, which I feel makes my jaw drop slightly, before turning around and gliding over to get into the back of her sister's convertible. The moment she sits down, her sister backs up and then peels out of the parking lot, somehow avoiding an accident. I realize my jaw is still hanging and quickly shut it with a loud click as I turn around and get in my truck. I turn the engine on and get my phone plugged into the AUX cord, hitting play and continuing to play Disturbed from where I left off, while I let the engine warm up.
I had made it home not long after, deciding on the way home that I would keep dinner simple tonight since Charlie was going to be late. I let Mindy out and then started to make spaghetti, since I figure I can do homework while the sauce simmers. I turn on the stove to medium heat and grab a large saucepan from the cabinet. I pour some olive oil into the pan, and while it heats up, dice up some onion and garlic. Once the pan is heated, I saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. I stir in a couple of cans of peeled whole tomatoes, some salt, sugar and bay leaf. I reduce the heat to low and cover it. I set a timer to go off every ten minutes, then sit down and start my homework.
Before I get started on my Physics homework, I decide to send Alice a quick text, still feeling guilty about my questioning before we left school. I grab my phone and open a new message conversation.
Hey Alice, it's Bella. I just wanted to say sorry again for getting into your family's personal business. I hope you're having a good evening.
After my timer has gone off nine times, I stir in tomato paste, basil, and pepper. I set my timer again for every ten minutes and play with the animals this time, having finished my homework before adding the rest of the ingredients. Once the time has gone off twice, I set it again and start boiling the spaghetti noodles, which I had already prepped after the first timer. When the timer goes off for the third time, everything is done and I grab myself a plate and empty another bag of salad into a bowl for myself.
I listen to music on my phone, scrolling through Facebook, as I'm eating. I finished eating, but didn't get up since I am scrolling through Instagram now (Facebook started to get boring), when a notification pops up at the top of my phone screen. I was trying to finish reading something, so only caught a glimpse of the message before the preview went away. My heart started hammering from what I did see though. It's from Alice.
I pull down my status bar and select the message, fighting back a lump in my throat. Why does this woman have such a strong affect on me? I swallow the lump and read her text.
Hey Bella, are you busy?
Oh god, did I just squee like a typical high school girl? I shake my head at myself and hit the reply button.
Not really. I did my homework while I was making dinner and just finished eating. I am about to get the dishes done then go watch some TV or something. What are you up to?
I hit send, then rather than be one of those girls who sits and stares at their phone while waiting for a response, I decide to go ahead and clean up. I make a plate for Charlie and then put the rest of the leftovers into Tupperware and into the fridge. I wash up the dishes next, mentally telling myself to not go check my phone until I'm done. It takes me ten minutes altogether to clean everything up, which I feel is more than sufficient time to wait to text someone back without looking desperate.
I go back to the table and pick up my phone to see Alice's reply. I smack my forehead when I see that my phone was still on silent from when I was at school, and Alice's idea of a reply was to call me, which I missed. I open the phone option and call Alice back, which she picks up on the first ring, much to my delight.
"Hey Bella! Sorry, you said you weren't busy, so I figured I would call you. I much prefer talking over the phone over text. Was that not a good idea?"
"Sorry! I didn't realize I never took my phone off of silent when I left school. I was dealing with dishes and leftovers before I looked back at my phone... So, what's up?"
"First of all, you have no reason to apologize for earlier. It's understandable to be curious about the rumors of my family, considering what they are. So, don't feel bad about it. Anyway, not much is up. I was just bored and thought maybe we could continue our questions game, if you aren't busy or anything."
I'm excited at the prospect of learning more about the mysterious Cullen's, so had to fight to hide my excitement. "Okay okay, I'll drop it. So yeah, that sounds like a great way to pass the time. Why don't you start."
"Awesome! So, what did you do for fun in Phoenix?"
"Well, mostly I spent time with my mom. When she wasn't doing whatever class she was into, that is. Mostly we would go for bike rides or hikes. When we didn't do that, she'd make me watch reality shows with her... When I wasn't with my mom, I was usually hanging out with my friend Jeana. We'd go hang out at the closest strip mall or at her house and play video games. I also had a part time job babysitting, so I'd do that a couple days a week."
"What classes does your mom take?"
"She's taken yoga, kickboxing, Zumba, Spin classes, knitting, swimming... Pretty much whatever is available to her while I'm at school or when I decided to hang out with a friend. She's more into them to gossip with people though, not to get into shape or actually learn something."
"Oh, cool! So, did you and Jeana do a lot of shopping or something?"
"No, we hung out at the mall more for something to do. We never had the money to buy anything, except something from the food court sometimes. Mostly, we just walked around and talked about random things... Hey, it's my turn to ask something!"
"Hehe, I was hoping you wouldn't notice. Okay, shoot."
"Where are you and your family from?"
"Well, we moved down here from Alaska a few years ago."
"Well, I was more wondering where y'all are from originally... I know y'all are adopted. I'm sorry if it isn't something you don't want to talk about. If it is, I can ask something else."
"I'm sorry, I'd rather not talk about that. It's not that I don't appreciate it, you are the first person at school to ask. Actually, you're the first person to talk to any of us without asking us out. It's just... It's hard to talk about. I hope you understand."
I was worried at first that I had upset her, but from the tone in her voice, I got the feeling that she was holding something back with me. I didn't want to press it though.
"Hey, I get it. Don't worry about it. I'm sorry if I upset you or anything. Are you serious though? None of the other kids at school have tried to get to know you guys?"
"Yeah. The only one's brave enough to talk to us just ask us out. No one has actually tried to be just friends with us. That's probably why there are all those negative rumors about us."
"Yeah, teenagers like to talk crap when someone turns them down. I'm sorry about that though. At least you have your brothers and sisters though, right?"
"Oh yeah, we're all very close. It doesn't bother us anymore that we don't have friends, because we're all best friends with each other... Oh, it's getting late! I better let you go. I'll see you at school tomorrow. We can continue this then. Have a good night, Bella."
I pulled my phone away and looked at the time. It's 10:30 already! "Oh shit. Yeah, it is late. Thanks for calling Alice, it was nice talking to you. You have a good night too. Sleep well!"
Just as I was hitting the end button, I swore I heart Alice snort on the other end. I shrug, since I was probably hearing things, and get up from the dining room table I have apparently been sitting at for the last several hours. Just as I make my way toward the stairs, the door opens and Charlie makes his way in, hanging up his belt by the door. He looks up at me and looks slightly confused, before a slight grin spreads on his face. At first I wonder why he's looking at me that way, then feel that I've got a big grin on my face. What the hell?
"What's got you so happy, Bells?"
"Oh, I'm just happy to see you Pops! How was work, father dearest?"
He glared at me then, grunting. I laugh, knowing he isn't going to like the variations of dad that I am going to call him. I make a mental note to come up with more for future torture of him.
"Work was fine. It's a small town, so not much going on besides the typical drunk and broken window."
"Oh, that's kind of boring. But, I guess that's good since it keeps you safe."
"Yeah, that's true." I noticed he had a slightly disappointed look on his face as he shrugged out of his jacket, making me think he'd rather there be more action. "Hey, wait a minute. Why are you still up this late? Shouldn't you be getting to bed?"
"That's where I was heading before you walked in, silly Swan." I smirked, lightly punching his shoulder as I walked by. "Good night, dad."
"Night Bells." He said as he kicked his boots off and sauntered toward the kitchen.
I do the same routine as the night before, only I actually floss this time. I make it to bed and notice that Mindy and Chip were already there and sound asleep, but I notice something is off. I look around, trying to place it. I realize there is a smell lingering in my room, like rich chocolate and strawberries. I get a strange and unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach as I make my way further into the room by my window, where I notice the smell is strongest. I take a deep breath, deciding the smell is a little strong for my taste, and figure that maybe a neighbor is baking and the smell is just seeping through the cracks around the window.
As I turn around to head to bed, something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. I look down at the window sill and can just barely see that the dust was recently disturbed. After thinking for a moment, I realize that maybe it's just from Belle or Chip having looked out the window. Shrugging, I get in bed and plug my phone in to charge, hit play, and let Disturbed quietly play in the background, continuing from where I left off. Now that I have time to just sit and think, however, I can't turn my mind off to fall asleep as easily as last night. Instead, I go over the day's events.
I was invited to go to First Beach with Mike, Eric, Angela, Jessica, and who knows who else. Despite my usual reluctance to spend time with more than one person at a time, I can't help but think about accepting the invite. I wonder if my social awkwardness is more to do with the fact that most kids in Phoenix didn't want to hang with me, moreso than me not wanting to spend time with groups of kids. Truthfully, only Jeana was ever nice to me.
The popular kids saw to it that no one wanted to befriend me. They spread rumors that the reason I'm so pale is because I do hardcore drugs, which made me Anemic. Even the Chess Club kids were too afraid to talk to me, fearing the little popularity they had would be tarnished if they were seen talking to me. Jeana and a few select others were the only one's who ignored them and made their own opinions of me.
I stop thinking of the bullies, realizing I've started crying, and move on to thinking of the rest of the day. I start smiling when I remember Alice saying she isn't with Jasper, and the look she gave me when she revealed that to me. Ugh, what is up with me and my feelings for Alice? I have only known her for two days now, yet I realize I'm crushing on her. I've never been interested in anyone, which was another reason I was bullied back in Phoenix.
I have never expressed interest in anyone, which I'm sure pissed them off. I didn't fawn over the cheerleaders or jocks like half of the student population. I didn't swoon over the theater or rich kids. At one point, I thought I may have had a crush on Jeana, but I realized that wasn't the case quickly. I just liked her for being nice to me, but just as a friend. I didn't really find her attractive in a romantic sense.
So, why do I suddenly find myself feeling giddy whenever I see or hear Alice? Yes, her beauty rivals that of Phyrne and her voice... God, her voice. I can't even find the words to describe her voice. The closest I can do is she has the voice of an angel, but that doesn't even do it justice... How did I go from finding no romantic interest in people, to not being able to stop thinking of this one woman for more than five minutes?
I'm sure I wouldn't be as worried about this if I knew how Alice was feeling. From the way she smiles at me, the things she has said, and the fact that apparently I'm the first person she has ever really talked to at Forks for more than a few minutes... I sense that she may be having some kind of feelings towards me too. I doubt as strongly as me, but maybe there is something there? I'll have to try to find out tomorrow. I have to know what the hell is going on with me... Alright, now that's decided, I need to get to sleep. I don't want to be half dead when I talk to her. So finally, after struggling to quiet my mind for three or four songs, I finally drift off.