A Morning Girl

It was strange to step back into a high school after becoming a college student. I was never one to feel too nostalgic about my high school days, but there was an element about this place that made me miss it. I couldn't exactly put my finger on what it was that I had missed about a high school until I saw a small group of girls sitting at a table, copying off of each other's homework. That was exactly what I missed: a high school work load. It's strange how all of the homework and projects I had stressed over in high school suddenly seemed a lot easier now that I was in college. Assignments here were easier: they could be turned in later, you were often encouraged and reminded to study, work, and finish assignments, the majority of the work and assignments were done in the school rather than outside of it, the list went on and on.

Oh yeah, these kids don't know how lucky they are to have it so easy. They would once they reached college. In college, it's sink or swim. In high school, it's daycare for teenagers. I knew this now.

I moved through the busy halls of Forks High School and tried to make my way to the main office. I had no idea where on earth Mrs. Applegate's class was, and following directions on how to get there only got me more lost. I stopped four students: a very eccentric Asian boy, a very tall black boy with an unusual shirt (for some reason, it read Team Tyler's Van), a very pretty girl with brown hair, and a more dorky looking girl with braces and glasses. They all seemed friendly enough, and they all attempted to point me in the direction of where to go. Unfortunately, being that I am completely retarded when it comes to directions, all I heard out of them was "Left, right, right, right, left, left, left, and right left on the end!"

All in all, it wasn't entirely helpful. What can I say? I seriously have a problem. I figured if I cannot find it on my own, perhaps someone should just lead me to this place.

"Excuse me!" I called over the crowd of students before making my way over towards a very tall boy. My hand reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm really sorry to bother you but if you could show me how... to... go to... the... office...?"

I was truly at a loss for words. I do not think that I have ever been so caught off guard in my life. The boy that I had approached turned to look at me, and his appearance caused my words to die in my throat. For one, his skin was deathly pale. That is no exaggeration: he was as white as the walls and looked every bit as sickly as you can imagine. I was unsure if he had a health issue or if he was an albino, until I noticed that his eyes were a strange amber color instead of red or pink. Also, his hair wasn't white. But his physical appearance was the least of my concerns: his facial expression made me feel so incredible awkward. At first, took a deep breath through his nose and his entire face twisted. His eyes bulged, his lips pressed together, and after a moment his hands slapped over his nose and mouth, as if he was either going to throw up, or if he just smelt something really, really bad.

...Jesus Christ, did he have to look absolutely revolted by me? I know for a fact that I had showered and made a point not to fart while in the presence of someone. What the hell could possibly be this guy's problem?

"O...kay, then..." I muttered, then quickly stole another look around. "Uh, hey!" I moved after another person, a girl this time, and touched her arm. "Sorry, excuse me..."

"Hi!"

This time I had recoiled, if only because the next person I had stopped had been the exact opposite: rather than looking revolted by me, she looked absolutely THRILLED to see me. She was petite, also very pale, and had short black hair that was cut in a feathered pixie style. Very Final Fantasy. She seemed very cheerful, a lot more inviting and friendlier than the creep from before, and was all smiles. So I smiled back.

"Hi," my tone was still awkward, but gradually becoming more comfortable. "I'm sorry, I um... I'm just looking for the office, because I have no idea where this teacher's room is: Mrs. Applegate? Do you think you could show me the way there? I don't know my way around..."

The girl smiled and nodded. "Not a problem, I'll show you the way then! I'm Alice. Alice Cullen."

"Valerie... Valerie Swan." I replied.

Then she did something unexpected. Rather than lead the way for me to follow behind her, she moved in to hug me, which once again caught me off guard. I thought I heard her whisper something, but I was a little too stunned by her actions to pay attention to her whisper. When she pulled away, her small hand slipped into mind, her fingers gently holding onto me, and then she began to lead me down the hall.

While this carried on, that strange boy I ran into had been watching the entire ordeal. He remained completely silent as he watched us. When I looked over my shoulder to see if he was still watching, I noticed that his expression had shifted from disgusted and sickly to irritated and bitter. In fact, the gaze he was giving me now looked more threatening than I would have expected. I rose my eyebrows, then looked away from him, following Alice down the hall. Seriously, if he didn't want to be completely ignored by two girls, maybe he shouldn't have acted like such a creep.

"Did you know that boy?" I asked Alice as we continued down another hallway. She had glanced over her shoulder to look at him before he was out of her sight.

"That's my foster brother, Edward." she said, then grinned at me. "I never saw him look at someone quite like that before."

For some reason, her tone immediately made me think of what disgusting smell that kid must have noticed when he was looking at me. And I immediately became self conscious and assumed that it was me that smelled so bad. So without thinking, I lifted up my left arm, leaned my head towards my armpit and inhaled the scent of soap and deodorant. This action had succeeded in catching Alice completely off guard. I didn't notice just how strange her expression was until I lowered my arm, took a handful of my long hair, and began to sniff that.

"Huh... well at least I know I wasn't the one who smelled bad..." I muttered. "So I wonder why he looked so sick?"

Alice rose an eyebrow at me. "Oh? You thought that he thought that you smelled bad? That's silly! You smell very nice, actually. Pantene shampoo has a lovely smell, and with all of the hair you have..."

"Wait, what?" I stopped in my tracks. "...Were you seriously... sniffing me, when you hugged me?"

She looked stunned for a moment, then pointed her finger at me. "...You just smelled your armpit right infront of me..."

...Fair enough. After my moment of retardation I guess she had the the right to be weird for a second too. I shrugged, and we continued walking.

It was strange, though... walking with Alice succeeded in stimulating plenty of curious thoughts and realizations. I watched her as we walked, trying not to make it obvious that I was observing her. She must have been seventeen or eighteen in order to attend this school, but she looked as though she was in her twenties. To make matters even stranger, the way she moved through the hall, with such grace and even with a little bounce to her step, reminded me of a little girl. Her pale skin did trouble me though: it was as white as her foster brother's and looked just as sickly. I know that people in Forks don't necessarily have the time to tan, what with all the clouds in the sky, but she did look as though she had some kind of skin disease.

...Actually, her hand was unusually cold. Freezing, even. Although her skin had warmed to make the heat of my hand, it was almost icy at first. She must have had some poor circulation in her fingers or something, and I would have inquired further on this matter if it wouldn't be completely rude to do so. She was probably asked about her pale skin on a daily basis from less tactful students, and that couldn't possibly be easy on her if she was diseased.

"Here we are!" she came to a stop and I noticed we were standing infront of a classroom. "Mrs. Applegate's room was a lot closer than the office, so I brought you here."

"Thank you!" I said, looking back at her.

I really started to notice then just how pretty she was, despite her really pale skin. Her face was small and heart shaped, and her dark hair complemented her fair skin perfectly. But the most noticable feature besides her awesome hairstyle were her eyes. She stared back at me with a pair of soft, bright, amber-colored eyes, just like her foster brother. I have usually been a sucker for piercing, blue eyes, if only because everyone in my family has dark brown ones. But I had never seen eyes like hers before: almost golden, a honey color. And the strangest part was, as I looked into her eyes, I felt a very warm feeling within my chest. My heart was pounding a bit harder than usual, but everything was feeling warm, comforting...

"Are those..." I gestured to my own eyes, "...is that your natural eye color or... are you wearing contacts?"

She looked stunned for a moment, visibly uncomfortable, but regained her composure. "...Contacts." she said.

"Oh... they're really pretty. They really make your eyes go... boom!" I said, gesturing with my hands to further emphasize the impact her eyes made. I felt stupid doing it, but she thought it was funny. "Well anyways... thanks for showing me the way here."

"Not a problem." she said, moving in for another hug.

That warm feeling had returned full force. With a smile, I decided to return her embrace. My arms folded around her and I leaned my head a bit closer against hers. She was so small, and yet the touch of her felt so stong and fit. After a moment, I pulled away a bit, just to whisper into her ear.

"...I have that exact same perfume." I said, causing her to chuckle.

"Now you're smelling me?" she teased as she pulled away.

"Well, you smell a whole lot more pleasant than my armpit!" I teased back, causing her to burst into laughter.

"I would hope so!" when our laughing had come to a stop, she moved away from me. "I will see you around, Valerie."

I waved to her and watched as she turned away and proceeded down the hall. I didn't realize it at first, but I couldn't help but smile at her even as she left. She seemed like a fairly likable person... maybe I should have asked her for her number or something. But then again, I wasn't sure how well she and Rosie would get along. Rosie did have a way of making people feel a tad bit uncomfortable or awkward with the way she behaved infront of her friends. Not that I minded her behavior, but people who weren't accustomed to her antics would have a lot to get used to.

...Still... it probably wouldn't have hurt to ask for her number. Just in case...

Just as I turned around to enter the classroom, I was met by a very white face, a pair of furrowing bushy eyebrows, and an intense stare. Alice's creepy brother had proceeded to scare me shitless.

"HEY!" I snapped, jumping as soon as I saw him. "For Christ's sake! Did you need to give me a heart attack!? And what are you glaring at?!"

He was still quiet, and he still looked as sick as humanly possible. But he never replied to me. He continued to leer at me, his look growing more intense with every second. And I was not enjoying this.

"Seriously, buddy, if you are trying to intimidate someone, try it on someone else, because you don't look scary, you look constipated. Now get the hell out of my way." I snapped.

His eyes went big for a moment, as if he couldn't comprehend what I had just said. And before I could open my mouth to say more, he grunted and turned away, speedwalking down the hall. I rolled my eyes and glanced at the classroom door.

"Creep ass..." I muttered. "Why is it that every high school comes with a potential ax-murderer? Would hate to think of what would happen if a girl broke up with him... assuming he could ever get a girl..."