First Day

As Told By Edward Cullen

First day of high school, and I was the new kid.

My adopted father, who had been a well-respected doctor in Denali, Alaska, had uplifted our lives and moved our whole family south because he had been offered a position as Chief of Medicine. That meant that my next four years would be spent in this impossibly green hell hole- otherwise known as Forks, Washington.

"Are you excited for your first day?"

If it had been anyone but Esme asking the question, I would have just growled and glared at them, but it was Esme, and I owed her more than anyone could fully comprehend. That's why she got a shoulder shrug and vague "I dunno" in reply instead.

"I know you don't really want to be here, Edward," Esme laid her hand on her shoulder after parking the car in front of the school's administration office. "But Forks is a nice place. Try to enjoy it."

"I grew up in Denali, Mom. It's where I lived for all my formative years. I had friends there. Here, everyone will know everyone else except for me. I'll be an outcast. That could end up having traumatizing effects for someone my age."

Esme rolled her eyes at my dramatic speech.

"If you were a girl, I'd say you're a drama queen. Go and get your schedule and try to be optimistic, Edward. You're kind of stuck here even if you don't want to be."

This time I did growl and scowl at her, which just caused her to laugh at me as I exited the car and entered the office.

The next fifteen minutes were spent getting my schedule from the overly happy Mrs. Cope and being introduced to Eric Yorkie, who had the same homeroom as me and would show me around the school. Eric had greasy black hair, large black glasses, and a case of acne that desperately screamed for some Oxy treatment.

"Well, you're lucky because it's first day of freshman year so the popularity scale hasn't really been decided yet for us… of course, we all know who will be at the top. Most of us have been together since elementary school, so I doubt it will change," Eric began once we left the office, looking rather gloomy. "Especially not now that Bella finally agreed to go out with Mike. That pretty much guarantees them the spots at the top."

"Bella and Mike?" I asked, trying to sound interested even though I wasn't.

"Yeah, Mike is pretty much the most athletic freshman, and Bella is the police chief's daughter. She just moved here a couple of years ago but, you know," Eric shrugged. "She's hot, so she's popular."

Hot and probably had a crappy personality to go with it. I was relieved that we had made it to homeroom. It meant I didn't have to hear any more about the social hierarchy that had run my classmates since (if Eric's description were accurate) most of them were still in diapers.

The next three hours were filled with Trig, English, and Science. I sat next to a girl named Jessica whose hair seemed to somehow defy gravity in Trig. She used the word 'like' so much that I could almost feel my brain cells dying with every other word she said. In English and Science I sat beside the infamous Mike that Eric had told me about. He was blonde and had the whole "All-American" look going for him. He also seemed like a prick and completely ignored me in favour of talking to his buddy about he had scored the "super-hot" Bella Swan with his "mad kissing skills."

I was almost one hundred percent positive that this Bella Swan must be a total idiot. I couldn't see anyone willingly dating that ass otherwise.

Lunch found me sitting alone at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria. I was picking at my salad when the chair across from me pulled out and Eric sat in it.

"Hey dude, how did your morning go?"

Dude? Who says dude anymore?

"Fine," I replied simply, deciding not to alienate the one person who seemed to be interested in cultivating a friendship with me.

"Damn… I think she's gotten even hotter since school ended. Look at those curves," Eric was staring wistfully at the cafeteria doors.

I looked over, because not doing so seemed impolite.

The girl stole my breath away.

Part of my brain registered that the girl, whoever she was, was talking to Jessica from Trig- the rest of it was completely focused on her however. She had long chestnut brown hair that fell almost to her waist. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and my fingers itched to run along it. Her eyes were large and doe brown. She was listening to Jessica and nodding with a serious expression, but those eyes were laughing at some secret joke that only she knew.

"Who is she?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly. I looked at Eric, who was looking at me with a knowing expression.

"Dude, she's Bella Swan. Gorgeous, and completely off limits to all of us."

This was Bella Swan? This gorgeous goddess was dating that prick Mike Newton?

"Why would she date Mike?" I asked before I could stop myself. Bella was nothing like what I expected. She was a rose amongst the thorns, a goddess amongst mere mortals, and way, way too good for some dickhead from Forks. Eric looked at me incredulously.

"Isn't that obvious? He's the guy all the girls want. The rest of us don't really stand a chance. You might have, I suppose, if you played sports, or if you weren't new. But she's taken," he sighed. "The rest of us can just dream."

I did that for the rest of the afternoon. Dream about Bella Swan, I mean. It kept me distracted through Gym and Spanish. When the end of day bell rang it actually startled me I was so distracted.

I picked my way through the crowd of the hallway towards my locker. Just as I was about to get there, a pencil case fell in front of me, spilling its contents. I bent down to help the owner pick everything up and came face to face with Bella Swan.

"Thank-you so much," she said, smiling a beautiful smile at me, and accepting the pens I held. "I'm such a klutz. I'm always either dropping stuff or tripping. I should really come with a warning label."

"Uh… it's…" my voice was cracking so I cleared my throat. "It's no problem. Really. I'm Edward Cullen, by the way."

"The new doctor's son," Bella said, accepting my offered hand. Her skin was soft against mine and I felt myself longing to not let it go. "I heard about you. News around here travels faster than a wild fire. I'm Bella Swan."

"I know," I replied too quickly, and felt a blush rise in my cheeks. "I mean… well… people like to talk."

Bella gave me a smile, and her eyes once again held that amused look, and I wished that I knew whatever joke it was she did.

"Hey, babe. You ready to go? My brother's gonna give us a ride?"

I almost growled at Mike Newton as he came up and wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulder. Bella seemed almost uncomfortable at the action of affection, but she didn't move her arm so I assumed it was just wishful thinking on my part.

"Oh, yeah. Just let me get my bag. It was nice meeting you, Edward."

"The doctor's son?" Mike sized me up. "Hey dude, I'm Mike."

Honestly, what was up with these people saying dude all the time?

"Nice to meet you, Mike. Yeah, I'm the doctor's son. Edward Cullen."

"Huh… well… we'd better be going, Bell. You know Doug hates to wait."

"Bye, Bella!" I said. I wasn't sure if she heard me as Mike whisked her away too quickly for her to reply.

"How was your day?" Esme asked when I got in her car.

I opened my mouth to tell her about Bella, when I saw the girl herself and Mike across the parking lot. Kissing.

"Let's just go home," I muttered, turning my face away and feeling as if my heart were breaking.

I hated being the new kid. I hated it almost as much as I hated Mike Newton.