I disclaim these characters. Without further or do, I thank SM.
Chapter 2
I walked into the chemistry lab, smiling. It was my favorite class of the day for many reasons. I was so good in here. I was a natural when it came to all things science-related. That, and Eric Yorkie was my lab partner.
I sat down next to him, smiling at him in all his zitty-faced, oily-haired glory. His personal hygiene wasn't the greatest but he was cute in the face and he loved chemistry just about as much as I did. We always got A's on our projects and he was unbearably sweet to me, something I learned to cherish over the years of treatment by none other than Edward.
He grinned back, pushing his round, wire-rimmed glasses back up to the tip of his nose. He needed to get his frames tightened; they were too loose and I've told him many times but I've come to learn he's a huge procrastinator. At times it got annoying when I was dependant on him during an assignment that I didn't quite get done but he always got it to me with little time to spare. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on him for it; it was my fault I wasn't finishing my homework all the time. It just came so easily that I would put it off until last or sometimes forget about it. There for awhile my grade almost suffered because of it.
"Hi, Bella," he said, his eyes straying to the back of the class. My eyes automatically turned, too. "Did you hear there's a new student? Her name's Alice Brandon. She's…" he gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, "pretty."
My brows furrowed as my stomach trembled nervously. He thought she was pretty? I looked to Eric, watching as his eyes followed the pretty girl's body to the floor and back up again. I paid no attention to the way she looked; I was too busy trying to suppress the gush of unpleasant emotions spiraling through me at once. All of my flustering about how I looked around him; all of the pretty smiles I tried to shoot him; all of the worrying about if maybe he liked me too; all of it was out the window in that moment.
I slumped forward in my seat, my head automatically bowed to stare at my feet. I was beyond embarrassed. I should have known that had he liked me too, he would have acted just as shy as I did. I should have known, damn it. It was Eric Yorkie, the shyest boy of the juniors. His Adam's apple would've bobbed every time I smiled or laughed at one of his lame jokes, but that's just it, it never did.
I kept scolding myself inwardly as I avoided his gaze for the remainder of the class period, sneaking peeks at his new crush. She was very beautiful, with cropped black hair that was spiked in every direction and deep blue eyes. She had pink glasses that sparkled in the light and a perfectly clear, porcelain complexion. She was definitely Eric's type; she seemed nerdy the way her nose was buried in her book for the class period, obviously oblivious to the lecture that Varner was giving. I tried to rationalize the jealousy I was feeling; she was gorgeous but she wasn't conceited, I could tell that much. She seemed to avoid the gazes of the students as best as possible when she would look up from her book and keep the conversation at a minimum.
I sighed then, fiddling with my fingers in my lap.
Eric leaned over to whisper something in my ear then. "Annoying, isn't it? He's ranting on about stuff that you and I already know."
I stole a glance at him, nodding and trying my hardest to smile back at him as he grinned knowingly at me. That wasn't the reason for my sigh, but I was glad he thought it was to save myself from further unwanted embarrassment.
"Hey, Bella?" he whispered.
"Yes?" I whispered back, looking at him from underneath my lashes as I scribbled pointlessly in my notebook. I needed to occupy myself with something; I was forbidding myself to think about him anymore. It's all I ever did in my spare time in this class when I could openly sneak glances at him, but now that was definitely out of the question.
"You haven't said two words to me today. What's up?"
"Oh," I blushed far too openly for my liking and hid my face from him as un-awkwardly as possible. "Nothing, nothing." I mumbled, waving it off.
He didn't let it go so easily. "Did those stupid Jocks get to you again? Cause, Bella, you shouldn't let that get to you as much –"
Easy for him to say. But then again, he was treated like dirt by them too. But no one particularly believed that they owned him like he was a peice of property.
"N-No," I stammered, looking at him wide-eyed. "No. Shh." I nervously stole a look at Varner, who kept ranting on. I shook my head. "No, I just don't feel good today, that's all."
He continued to stare at me funnily, as if I'd grown another head. "Okay…"
Once class was over, I didn't even bother to jot down the assignment or wait for Eric to pack his things to walk to our separate classes together, since they were both the same way. It was cowardly of me but I tried to avoid him and his new infatuation for the rest of the day and I don't think it went by him so easily unnoticed.
My frowns kept deepening as I spent the remainder of the day avoiding basically every living, breathing human being in this school. I took the back ways to class i.e. through the gym, the hallway behind the swimming and weight rooms where the pop machines and the nurse's office was.
If I couldn't face Eric, I was at a loss to who was considered a friend anymore. But maybe I was just being overly dramatic about it. If I just put this behind me, I wouldn't have to risk my only real friendship with Eric. I weighed my options, pondering the pros and cons during AP English and finally settled that it was best I get over Eric now. His friendship to me was too valuable to throw away over another girl. I mean, so what if he liked this Alice girl? I swallowed forcibly. The idea was unsettling to say the least, but it wasn't completely unbearable…
At the end of the day, as I was packing my books into my locker besides my Chemistry textbook, figuring I could skim through the chapter incase Varner decided to throw in a pop quiz tomorrow morning, I heard the tinkling voice of what sounded like soft, velvet bells. I didn't recognize the voice to be of anyone's that go to this tiny little school, and it was coming my way.
I'd forgotten we had a new student today though, and her voice was extremely familiar as I recognized the mess of cropped black hair and pretty pink glasses that were settled firmly on her tiny pug nose. Her blue eyes locked with mine then, and a smile so dazzling adorned her face.
No wonder Eric thinks she's cute, I thought sadly. She was very pretty when you really looked at her and she smiled at you like you were more than just a mere pupil to her gaze. I smiled back timidly, lifting my hand awkwardly to wave slightly.
She took that as encouragement I guess, because she began walking my way. I panicked, worried about what I would say to her.
"Hello," she said as she shrugged into a tiny, green pea coat. She tied the sashay around the waist of her coat and buttoned the top. "My name is Alice Brandon." She extended her hand out for me to shake, which I accepted as formally as I possibly could. Her skin was warm and smooth. Her gaze was friendly and almost comforting had she been anybody else but herself.
We pulled our hands away at the same time. "Hi, I'm Bella Swan."
She grinned happily. "Oh, I know. You're in the science club?"
I blushed. Did everybody know? "Yeah."
She bounced to the tip of her toes excitedly. "Can I join? Or is it too late?" she asked, her voice hopeful.
Taken aback, I giggled slightly. "Yeah, you can join. Just talk to –" I faltered there, worrying about referring her to Eric, captain of the club. I gulped as subtly as possibly, pretending that the break in my voice was accidental. "Just go see Eric. He's the captain of the club. I'm sure he'll let you right in." I bit my lower lip. "You like science?"
She nodded urgently. "I love it! Do you?"
"Anything and everything about it." I laughed nervously.
"Me too!" she said, grabbing my forearm. "We'll be awesome friends!"
I suddenly felt guilty and responsible for her well-being. She noticed, the expression on my face mirrored on her own.
"Um, I know it sounds strange but…" I heard laughter and lockers slamming all around and I jumped, spinning abruptly to face them. I reached blindly for her hand behind me and grasped it when I found it, and she seemed surprised but complied as I dragged her along and in the different direction of the bastards that came from the locker rooms.
We ended up in the doorway of the janitor's closet. It was awkward and tight where we were standing; only a few inches of space were separating me from her. But I stared at her with a new found confidence that brewed within me. Maybe it was because I didn't want her to have the same ridiculing I had on the same every day basis. She certainly didn't deserve it at all. But if the Jocks laid one eye on her, she'd be a goner. Her looks screamed nerd from a mile away with her glasses and the overalls and Converse she was wearing.
She starred up at me dubiously. "Is there a reason why we're standing in the janitor's closet, Bella?" she tapped her foot impatiently. "The bell rang. I want to get out of school."
"I know, it's just…" I gulped. "Stay away from any guy that looks like a complete douche bag. They're usually wearing jerseys or cocky grins. You know."
She nodded. "I will. Jerks aren't my type anyway. Why are you telling me this?" she quirked a perfectly manicured brow at me skeptically.
"I mean, once word gets around that you're joining the science club well…" I didn't exactly know how to put their demonic ways into words. "They think that they own us, and the school."
"'Us'?"
"No offense, Alice, but, you're class A nerd." I blushed, hoping it wouldn't insult her too terribly.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh. Well, no jerk jock is going to stomp all over Alice Brandon." She proclaimed proudly, turning on her heel to retreat without glancing back at me.
I sighed, placing my hand to my forehead. She certainly didn't know what the hell she was about to get her pretty little self into.
-
I pulled my wool coat tighter to myself, hunching my shoulders as I braced myself against the cold coming out of the building. It would be a suicide mission if I avoided going to Edward's car and deciding to walk home, so I relented, running to his car – narrowly avoiding a slick patch of black ice along the way – and began hopping from foot to foot in order to keep my heart rate racing and keep warm as I waited for him to finish talking to his fellow bastards. How or why he took so long after I'd had that whole conversation with Alice was beyond me.
I distinctly saw a hint of a smile grace his full lips before it vanished as he saw me. I groaned, hoping he wouldn't be in one of his moods. I swear to God the boy had more mood swings than a pregnant woman.
When he finally reached the car, he stopped in front of me, looking behind me and into the passenger seat of his Volvo before his eyes slid back to my face slyly. He smirked at me, reaching behind me to open the door. "It was unlocked, you know," he murmured, pushing me inside gently.
I brushed his hands away quite simply, biting my tongue to keep from making a vile remark at him.
He noticed and chuckled, walking around the front of the car. How I wished I wasn't in the passenger seat; if I had the key and I was in the driver's seat, I'd have fun his ass over. Then maybe backed up on him again. Then run over him again. A couple more times of that before bailing.
He looked at me strangely when I giggled quietly to myself as he got in.
The drive was silent and always, always awkward. I glared through the windshield the whole time, not welcoming the embrace of my house that was to come. I didn't ever want to come home after school. But I didn't want to be there either if I really thought about it. When I really thought about it, I just didn't like being places that anybody else was. Put me in a deserted meadow in the middle of nowhere and I'd be happy. Here, with Edward, at home, with my parents, I wasn't. I wouldn't ever be.
The ride was quicker than usual as I was so wrapped up in my thoughts. I didn't look back at him as I got out, but he called my name.
I turned to him sharply, my eyes, if they could shoot daggers, they'd have nailed him so hard he would've dropped dead. But unfortunately, they didn't, and he stared amusedly back at me. "So I was thinking," he said conversationally, as if I was sitting inside still and not standing outside in zero degree weather. "I was thinking that maybe I could come in and do homework with you, instead of make you do it." He kicked the algebra that was lying on the floor towards me, unbuckling his seat belt. He winked at me, "Generous of me, right?"
I panicked then. "No, go home." I said, grabbing his algebra. "You're not welcome." I said nervously, my voice breaking.
His eyes did that scary thing they did; they darkened in color and had the violent edge to them so suddenly that I had to blink to see if he'd really changed from his relaxed, amused expression to something so horrifying the next. "What?" he snapped.
My arms felt completely numb as I held the algebra homework tighter to my chest. "I-I said you can't come in, not today. I'm sorry." I said, turning quickly and running away. Always the fucking coward.
How dare he invite himself in? I thought irritably as I opened the front door as quietly as possible. He was still out there in his car, just watching me go. What if he heard the reason for my panic?
I shut the door behind me, slinging my back against the floor. I hurried towards the steps, trying my best at creeping. I didn't reach the first step. Not before there was a crash, and a sickening scream that followed.
Fuck. I trembled violently, dashing up the steps at a speed that would have been my end had I not been so scared. Where was the pride I had earlier today? I felt like a puppy who'd been whipped. I hated myself for it. For everything.
He could never come in; not in my house. Not with my God forsaken parents.
And, now it's your turn. Do review, please.
You know it's greatly appreciated, of course.
