Chapter Two - The New Girl Whom Everyone Knows

Light filtered through the box blinds of my window and the twittering of birds was loud enough to wake the dead.

For a moment I lay in bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling trying to work out where I was and then the events of yesterday came flooding back. I sat up and groggily tumbled out of bed then slowly felt my way over to the bathroom.

I scowled blearily at my reflection in the mirror and let water pour into the sink; my eyes were gritty, my hair was one massive knot and my pale skin looked strange in the early morning light. Finished with my critical analysis of my looks I dunked my head into the basin, scrubbing until I felt fresh and clean and went back to the bedroom to prepare myself for school.

My wardrobe was just about empty – since Mum and I had shared clothes back in Phoenix, I had been a bit stingy about taking clothes with me. Two pairs of jeans, one skirt, a few blouses, t-shirts and two sweaters stared blankly at me from the drawers. Too tired to bother with making a decent outfit from my pitiful collection, I settled for a light pair of jeans and a simple white shirt and tossed a jacket over the top to counter the cold Forks weather.

Charlie was walking out the door as I came down the stairs.

"Morning, Dad."

He nodded. "Good luck at school, Bells. Don't shy away from other students too much – but stay away from the gang members!"

"Okay."

I lingered in the house for as long as possible trying to delay going to school. I was shy… I hated attention and here in small town Forks, as a new student I was going to be a novelty. I bustled around the kitchen as I made breakfast – the fridge was near to empty, Charlie obviously wasn't too fussed with grocery shopping, I was going to have to do it myself when I got the chance.

Finally I dragged myself to my truck, glowering when rain began to fall the moment I stepped outside. Forks' weather sucked. I grumbled to myself and shoved the key in the ignition, squeaking as the truck roared then drove off.

~x~

The receptionist glanced at me as I walked into the office, water droplets rolling off my hair and clothes and soaking into the carpet.

"Are you new here, hon?" she asked.

"That's right, my name's -"

"Isabella Swan, right? Chief Swan's daughter," finished the receptionist smiling secretively. She handed rifled through a filing cabinet and pulled out some sheets, spreading them over the counter. Carefully she went through my schedule with me and highlighted the quickest ways for me to get to each class. She also gave me a slip for each of my teachers to sign then wished me luck.

I thanked her and turned around into something solid. The Edward guy – or whatever his name was - from before was standing in front of me and I had, yet again, walked straight into him. He was wearing the same leather jacket as he had worn last night and he was as attractive as ever. His piercing, seemingly guarded, green eyes stared into mine then he brushed past.

I blushed for no reason and quickly left the room to sit in my truck and avoid the rain whilst attempting to memorise the map – I didn't want to stand out any more than I already did by walking around with a floppy piece of paper in front of my nose for the rest of the day; plus, what was I going to do if it got wet and the ink ran?

I waited for the downpour to ease before heading off to my first class, blushing every time I noticed a person openly gawking at me.

"Excuse me, you're new here, right?" asked someone, falling into step with me as I walked by him. He was gangly and had jet black hair – his face was full of energy. He looked like the overly helpful, chess-club type.

"Isabella Swan, right?"

The corners of my mouth turned downwards slightly. Did everybody know who I was? "It's Bella," I corrected him.

"Alright, Bella then; my name's Eric," he said with a smile. "Do you want help finding your first class?"

"Uh – I think I know where I'm going. I've got English with Mr. Mason in building three first."

He smiled broadly. "Same here; follow me, I'll take you there."

Reluctantly I followed him to class and cringed inwardly when he began to quiz me about myself and Forks.

"Have you been to Forks before?" he asked.

"I lived here until I six, then my parents got divorced and I ended up moving to Phoenix with Mum," I replied quietly, talking to my feet.

"So you haven't been here in a while, have you?"

"I used to visit Dad when I was younger but only for a day or two."

Eric nodded as we stepped into the classroom. He shrugged off his raincoat and hung it on one of many hooks that lined the wall beside the door. I mimicked the action. "Right, here we are. You'll need to speak with Mr. Mason and introduce yourself. I'll save you a seat."

"Um… okay…" I replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable at being approached so openly.

Following Eric's instructions, I walked up to the teacher and handed him the slip. Like the students he gawked slightly – though only after he'd read my name – but hid his expression quickly and sent me to an empty seat in the back corner of the room without making me introduce myself to everyone else. I blushed as I walked down to the other end of the room knowing that the other students were studying me with their eyes. I saw my name on a few people's lips. I was been right; word got around quickly here in Forks.

The class was exceedingly boring; mainly because I discovered that my English curriculum was revisiting just about everything I had learnt back in class when I'd lived with Mum and her new husband, Phil, in Phoenix.

Eric was waiting for me by the door when the bell rang.

"What have you got next?" he asked; I detected a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

I consulted my timetable and watched as disappointment flitted across his face, nevertheless he offered to take me there.

The rest of the morning passed in very much the same way with me being bored out of my brains during each class and numerous people accompanying me to my classes so that they could scope me out.

By fourth period I was beginning to recognise some faces. There was this one girl, a petite thing with wild, curly hair whom I sat next to during Trig and Spanish; she was friendly and chattered away despite my silence offering to let me sit with her friends during lunch. Having no other choice, I followed her to the cafeteria.

She introduced me to her friends; I smiled and failed miserably at filing their names away in my memory. I looked around; Eric from English waved from across the room but my eyes settled on the leather-clad group in the furthest corner of the room.

I recognised the three handsome young men who had been smoking across the street instantly; they were surrounded by other muscular youths and several pretty girls. No doubt other members of the Fork's Vampires gang. As if he sensed me watching him, the Edward boy looked up and caught my gaze – holding me motionless with his emerald eyes. It was only when he looked away that I could move again.

The girl from my Spanish class, Jessica if I remembered correctly - followed my gaze and grinned. "I see that the Vampire boys have caught your eye."

"No – it's not like that," I spluttered immediately, cheeks flaming like a beacon.

She giggled and flicked her wrist, dismissing my poor denial. "Oh don't worry about it. Everybody crushes on the Forks' Vampires top three but of course they have to give up because Rosalie – that would be the blonde sitting next to Emmett Cullen, the one who looks like a body-builder - has him wrapped around her little finger and the blonde boy, Jasper Hale is caught up with Alice the fashion queen – she's the little one with the short black hair; then of course there's the gorgeous Edward Masen with the reddish-brown hair on the left but he doesn't date… ever."

"Jess, you shouldn't crush her hopes like that – she should learn the hard way like the rest of us poor innocent girls," said a girl sitting across from us with a scowl.

Jessica smirked. "Don't mind her," she said laughingly in voice that was audible only to me. "Lauren's never gotten over the fact that Edward rejected her in front of the entire school."

Involuntarily my eyes wandered back towards Edward.

My new friend saw the action and frowned firmly. "Don't get mixed up with them, Bella – they're cute but they're trouble, the lot of them."

I frowned, so it wasn't just Charlie who was wary of the Forks gang members. How bad could they be?

~x~

I followed Angela to Biology, she was as shy as I was so we walked in silence – I was fine with that. Wordlessly she left me at the front of the room and sat at a black-topped table. I bit my lip when I saw that she already had a partner. Then I frowned when I realised that the only seat available was the one next to the apparently dangerous Edward Mason.

I handed the slip the receptionist had given me to the teacher and could have sworn that I had visibly paled when he told me to go sit with Edward Mason. I noted with apprehension that his voice wavered slightly when he told the same thing to the pretty boy himself. Wasn't that reassuring… maybe he really was as bad as everyone thought.

Hesitantly I set my books down on the bench and sat in my seat. "Hi, um you're Edward, right?" I forced a smile onto my face and forced the words out through my lips. My eyes flicked sideways to see his reaction.

He had stiffened in his chair, a handsome frown on his face and a crease in his brow. His eyes flashed angrily. I cringed in my seat and let my hair fall into my face. I was just trying to be polite!

As with all my previous classes, we studying something I had done in Phoenix. Nevertheless I wrote careful notes to keep myself from constantly looking at Edward through my hair.

He said nothing to me and I was too shy to say anything more to him. The tension was unbelievable.

He sprang to his feet when the bell rang and fled the room.

I watched him and slowly began to pack up my things.

"You're Isabella Swan – the new girl?"

I looked up and found a baby-faced with blonde-hair that had been carefully gelled into spikes smiling at me.

"Bella," I replied automatically. "I mean – yes I am."

"Need help getting to your next class?" He was as keen on helping me get around as Eric had been.

"I've got Gym next and I'm fairly sure I can find it."

He looked thrilled. "Excellent, that's my next class as well – I'll team up with you, if you like," he offered with an even wider grin.

I paled. "That may not be the best idea – I'm not exactly the most co-ordinated person…"

Mike chuckled. "That's alright."

I like him already he was optimistic and didn't care that I was shy; he talked about himself instead of asking questions about me like everyone else had. When I pointed this out he simply said he was sure that I had had enough of being asked about myself.

As we walked inside the Gym he added, "Watch yourself around Masen though… he's been in some dangerous stuff."

I bit my lip… so many people had warned me about him.

~x~

Gym was terrible… my lack of co-ordination had been obvious. People had sympathised and were fast to learn that I should be in the furthest corner of the room with someone covering my position and their own while avoiding entering the danger zone around me.

Exhausted by the exertion of trying not to kill anyone with my terrible flailing, I returned my paperwork to the receptionist then headed out to my truck.

I froze as soon as it came into view. There was a crowd of people around it, muttering and shaking their heads. I pushed past them and frowned.

'Stay away from Edward Masen' had been sprayed on the windshield of my truck in bright red paint.

What was it? A threat? A warning?

"Hey, Bella, is this your car?" asked Mike, coming up behind me with Jess beside him.

"Yeah it is…"

Jessica scowled. "What a cruel trick."

Someone thrust a bucket of hot soapy water and a sponge into my face. I turned my head and found short pixie-like Alice from the Forks' Vampires standing in front of me; she was holding a second sponge.

"Alright, clear off everyone! I'll help her clean it up!" she said, ushering the crowd away then grimacing at my truck. "Some people are just too obsessed… what weirdo would do something as stupid as this – not even Edward himself would spray paint this kind of message on someone else's ride."

I frowned and accepted a sponge, Jess stayed as well though she kept to my other side, away from the black-haired girl.

"What do you mean?" I asked Alice carefully.

"Oh, it's just that Edward's the only single guy in the top ranks of the Vampires so he's the one all the lovesick puppy dogs are chasing," she said with a laugh and scrubbing hard at the paint. "You're his lab partner right?"

How had she known that?

"The Vampires know all," she said with a wink then continued, "Edward has obstinately refused to let anyone sit in that seat all year and you, Bella Swan the new girl, get him to yourself by pot luck and he didn't say anything about it therefore saying that he accepts having you next to him. Someone's just gotten ridiculously jealous. Don't let it bother you."

She grinned cheerfully at me once the job was done.

"Thanks for your help," I said.

"No problem – oh and I'm Alice, but I'm sure your friends have already told you all about me. I'm right aren't I, Bella? Anyway, if you ever need a hand or if any of the Vampires bother you, give me a call and I'll get him off your back. See ya around!"

I stood there dumbstruck. I hadn't expected her to be so… nice…

Jess looked as surprised as I did. "Wow – she's really… out there," she said sounding slightly shocked. "Anyway, Bella – I know you're new to Forks and all, but Angela, Lauren and I are going to this party in a few weeks time, it's Rosalie Hale's" she grimaced "birthday bash and it would be a great chance for you to get to know some people. It's open invitation."

A party… inside I shrunk away from the idea. I hated parties. I searched my brain for an excuse. "I – I don't have anything to wear, I brought virtually no clothes with me during the move."

I nearly cried when Jessica's face lit up. "Great! Well the three of us are going shopping in Port Angeles this weekend so we can bring you along! You can get everyday clothes and a dress for the party!"

Ahhh! No! My plan had backfired…

Jess looked determined to have me come along.

I sighed and surrendered. It could be fun, I supposed, to hang out around with my new friends.

Author Note:

Thought I'd share with you the backgrounds of each character in this story.

Edward Masen is the younger brother of Esme. As a kid he was Bella's best friend and was very protective of her but after she left he began to change. He's now one of the Forks' Vampires best men and refuses to date.

Emmett Cullen comes from a broken family; his parents left him with his goody-two-shoes elder half-brother, Carlisle when they both committed suicide – though Emmett isn't very cut up about it because his parents were never very nice to him to begin with. He's the brawn and the co-founder of the Forks' Vampires high school gang.

Jasper Whitlock is Forks' genius bad-boy. He's the other founder of the Forks' Vampires and the brain behind every operation. He comes from a good family and only bothers with the gang because he's got nothing to challenge his intelligence.

Alice Brandon is the fashion police. She's open and friendly to everyone and don't really care what Jasper and the rest of the gang are up to as long as he has time for her.

Rosalie Hale is typical, manipulating daughter of a rich guy. She's cold and aloof and likes to help fund whatever trouble Emmett is causing.

Esme Mason is the broken-hearted elder sister of Edward. She's just been dumped by her fiancé over the phone and is extremely depressed.

Carlisle Cullen is too busy looking out for his younger brother and keeping his job to look for romance… but then he meets Esme.