~*~ Chapter Two ~*~
It was actually another two days before Bella started attending Forks High School. Charlie had kept her home both Monday and Tuesday that week. In part, it was to remain on the side of caution, but mostly Charlie did it to mollify Renee. Bella's mother had called on Monday, hysterical over not having heard from her daughter in twenty-four hours. When Renee had learned this was due to the injury, she pitched a royal fit. Charlie took the tongue-lashing from his ex-wife, guilty over not having thought to call Renee when he'd had the opportunity during those first few hours he'd brought Bella home. It was all Bella could do to persuade her mother not to catch the next flight into Washington, that Charlie was taking care of her just fine, and that she wasn't returning to Phoenix as soon as she felt better. The whole family had compromised. Bella would stay home from school another day, and call her mother every two hours to let her know that she was okay. Bella wasn't terribly excited about continuing a bihourly routine, but as she was already on the schedule, and as she'd be allowed to sleep fully that night, there was no reason to stop.
As Bella's health was just fine, there was also no reason for Charlie to take another day off from the station. Yet since he had, and he had no intention of leaving Bella alone under any circumstances, she persuaded him to take her to the grocery store. The kitchen had almost nothing in it, for Charlie was a take-out or canned goods kind of cook. The familiarity of grocery shopping (Renee was too scatter-brained to remember to do it herself) soothed the remaining nerves that left Bella on edge. Taking over kitchen duties was reassuring. Selecting enough food for the week, Bella planned a steak and potatoes meal for that evening.
"Jesus," Charlie muttered under his breath when he helped her unload onto the register's conveyor belt. He didn't think that he had ever seen so much food purchased at once. "What on earth do we need paprika for?"
"Chicken enchiladas, deviled eggs, any number of things," was Bella's answer. Her father's puzzlement had her torn between amusement and tolerance.
"Deviled eggs? You planning on going to a shower sometime soon?"
"It's just a possibility, Dad. I'm not planning a three course meal for every night of the week, I'm just getting a few ingredients for the future." Bella shrugged. "We'll probably have the enchiladas this week."
"Mexican," Charlie muttered again, and this time Bella couldn't help crack a smile as amusement won out. Renee had been -and still was- a terrible experimental cook, and Bella was sure her father hadn't forgotten.
"It'll be yummy. You'll see."
"Uh-huh." Charlie swiped his credit card automatically before looking at the amount adding up on the register. "Jesus."
(~*~)
The morning, so far, had not been terrible. There had certainly been a lot of kids looking Bella's way, and after a little while most of them seemed familiar to her. She remembered that the tall black-haired boy in English class was named Eric, though his last name hadn't hit her yet. It was promising that Bella recognized a face here and there, but embarrassing as well, for she had gone to elementary school with almost all of them.
Entering the classroom in building two of the segmented school, Bella passed her office slip to the trigonometry teacher. The slip was to be turned back in to the main office at the end of the day after collecting the signatures of each of her teachers. To prove that she'd made it to all her classes, Bella supposed. Ms. Cope, the secretary, had taken a keen interest in Bella's health. It may have been that her father needed to provide a reason to the office as to why his daughter didn't start on Monday as planned, but Bella was quite certain that small town gossip had lead to the red-headed middle-aged woman's thoroughly skewed knowledge of Bella's injury.
Mr. Varner took the slip from her and nodded. "Isabella Swan?" He looked at her expectantly and Bella nodded, not bothering to correct the first name.
Then the nightmare happened.
Setting her slip on his desk, unsigned, Mr. Varner pressed on. "Why don't you just stay up here while the class settles in. You can introduce yourself."
Bella stared at him in disbelief. This was high school. She was a junior, probably like most of the students in the room. Surely such patronizing wasn't needed. Yet, Mr. Varner didn't crack a smile or make any sign that he had been joking. There had been only one or two students that hadn't yet entered the classroom, and those that were talking amongst themselves soon sat in their seats. The whole class had their faces turned towards the front of the room, eyes on her. Mr. Varner sat down, leaning back in his chair.
"Um… hi." Bella could feel the blush heating her cheeks as she stammered. It wasn't the best start. "I'm Bella Swan."
Silence. Eighteen faces stared blankly at her. A glance at Mr. Varner showed that it wasn't enough to let her off the hook yet. Taking a deep breath and facing the inevitable, Bella surged on. "I just moved back to Forks from Phoenix. Arizona. There was a lot more sun there."
"Then why aren't you tan?" some wiseass called out.
"My mother's part Albino."
This earned her a few appreciative chuckles from around the room, including the blond freckled boy who had spoken. The name "Gordon" popped into Bella's head. Mr. Varner was not impressed with her sarcasm. Probably afraid she'd say something else he thought inappropriate, he quickly signed her slip and gave it to her. Bella sat down next to a girl with curly dark hair, relieved it was over. As Mr. Varner began sketching on the board something that could have been the schematics of the Mars Rover for all Bella knew, the curly-haired brunette leaned over towards Bella. "I thought we agreed that your mother was part fairy."
Startled, Bella looked up. "What?" A light dawned. "Jessica."
Nodding, the girl grinned at Bella. Jessica Stanley had been Bella's closest friend in the first few years of school. A chatterbox and playmate, they both had giggled over Bella's mother being a little absent-minded. Their second grade teacher had used the word "airy-fairy" in class, and the two girls had latched onto it. When third grade came around, Bella had grown a bit quieter. It was a natural change, but the arguments between her parents had made her feel a little less social. Becoming passionately more interested in skirts and pre-teen pop idols, Jessica had stopped hanging out with the more introspective Bella months before the big move out of Forks.
It would be interesting to see how the connection reestablished itself now. Jessica turned out to be in her Spanish class the next period, too. It was inertia to walk with her into lunch and sit with her group. Bella didn't know many of the names of the kids also at the table, but she recognized the blond round-faced boy from her first period English class. She tried to keep up with the conversation at the table, but most of the chatter was about things with which she wasn't familiar. The baby-faced boy, Mike, seemed eager to help put her at ease.
"So, it must suck, huh, coming here from all that sunshine."
Bella nodded politely, appreciating the intention behind the comment, if not it's obviousness.
"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. I moved here from California when I was ten. You'll get used it."
"After seven years?"
"Huh?" Mike frowned before his face lit up with comprehension. "No, no, it's great. Especially if you like the outdoors. My parents own the outfitters store downtown. You could come by some time, I'd show you around, find you a discount."
Beside Bella, Jessica lost the happy smile she had on her face while talking to a quiet girl across from her. She turned and frowned at Bella. Mike didn't seem to notice. "Do you camp?"
"Um, no." Bella shook her head emphatically, determined not to find herself in the middle of a situation she didn't want to be in. "No, I don't really do anything other than the occasional walk."
"Hiking, great!" Mike's spirit refused to be dampened. "Do you need some-" But Bella lost track of what kind of boots his father kept in stock at his store. A prickling at the back of her neck had started to creep along her skin, almost causing her to shiver. Bella turned her head to find a tall boy standing at the entrance to the cafeteria, his black eyes boring into her. He had curly honey-blond hair that was just long enough to tickle his brow and tease his neck. His skin was a cool pale that surpassed her own. The way his dark gaze focused on her made Bella feel as though she should back slowly away before turning around into a full run. The unsettling sensation tingled down her arms and legs, and Bella almost huddled in against herself.
A girl came up behind him, smooth and graceful, grasping his forearm. She was petite, with spiky short black hair that made her skin seem all the paler, and her lips unusually pink. The black-eyed boy turned to look at her and his face softened. It relaxed into the kind of expression that Bella had only ever seen on the face of an actor. Clearly this girl was his girlfriend. They were a beautiful pair.
The girl seemed to whisper something as she looked back up at him, only her lips barely moved. Together they crossed further into the cafeteria towards the food counter. The boy's posture held stiff, and he didn't look in Bella's direction again. The girl, however, glanced her way as they passed the table, and Bella was startled to see her eyes. They were a pale butterscotch, strangely reminiscent of another pair of eyes she had seen very recently.
"Who are they?" Bella asked Jessica after the stunning couple had gotten in line for food.
Jessica turned to look, though a knowing smirk on her face made Bella think that she already knew.
"Alice Cullen and Jasper Whitlock. They're the Cullen foster kids, and they're dating." She grinned at Bella, eyes full of excitement at being the one to deliver this juicy tidbit. Truthfully, Bella was a little surprised at this information, but she focused in on the more pertinent piece of Jessica's gossip.
"Cullen, as in Dr. Cullen at the hospital?" That was what was familiar about the boy and girl's pale skin. It was the same tone as Dr. Cullen's. Only if they were foster children, then they weren't blood relations. How could Dr. Cullen and this Alice both have such a similar rare eye color and not be related?
"Ooo, met him, have you?" Jessica grinned salaciously at Bella, who looked blankly back. Jessica seemed to realize she was being a little too forward, and dialed it back a bit. Her tone became more neutral and informative. "Jasper, though, is more like a young cousin. He and his older sister Maggie lost their parents in a car accident like a decade ago, so they moved in with their relatives: Dr. Cullen and his sister Esme. Easier for three of them to raise Jasper than just the sister, I guess. They must've liked it, because they adopted Alice a little later." Jessica shoved some food in her mouth. "Wonder how everyone reacted when the two of them got together."
"So they haven't been living here long?"
Jessica shook her head. "Uh-uh. The whole family moved here only two years ago. Dr. Cullen has been great to have at the hospital, and his sister Esme occasionally substitute teaches at the middle school. The cousin, Maggie, keeps the house, I guess."
Bella looked back over at the Cullen teenagers. They had filled their trays, and sat at the empty end of a long table, keeping to themselves. They seemed to be conversing in intense whispers and neither touched their food. Bella couldn't help watch them throughout the rest of lunch. They were obviously outsiders, like her, a couple of kids that were more of an oddity than she was in this small-town school. As she watched them, it wasn't just their estrangement that caught at Bella's interest. It wasn't only their pale skin and strange eyes. It was the way that they interacted with each other, like the gentling of Jasper's face when Alice had touched his arm. They might be getting raised by the same family and living in the same house, but what the two of them had together- it was for real.
(~*~)
Alice and Jasper weren't in any of Bella's classes. As much as Bella might have liked to get to know them better, she was overwhelmed with the attentions of the kids that she did cross paths with. Mike Newton had turned out not to be just in her English class, but her Biology II and Gym classes as well. Since Bella was without a partner, Mike and Anna Novak, his lab partner, had taken her in. Bella had thought that she'd be a third wheel, but Mike's consistent attention left Anna as the odd man out. Mike also carried her books as they walked together towards Gym. He was beginning to remind Bella of an overeager lab puppy.
Among the circle of kids from lunch, Angela Weber was also in Bella's Bio II class. A naturally pretty girl with brown hair and glasses, Angela was quiet and unassuming. Bella felt more at ease and able to relax around Angela than any of the others. Lauren Mallory was another girl from the lunch table, and clearly Jessica's best friend. Bella only vaguely remembered Lauren, but the memories were tainted with negativity. The fact that Lauren didn't seem to like Bella now was hardly surprising, as Bella felt sure that they hadn't gotten along then.
Eric, whose last name turned out to be Yorkie, ran yearbook and newspaper. He was almost as chatty as Jessica, but with slightly more wit. He had once gotten into a debate with Bella on the merits (or lack thereof) of Jane Austen. Bella wasn't sure if either of them came out the winner. She still held fast to her worn copy of the collected works, and she'd yet to see Eric with anything other than James Patterson in his hands.
Tyler Crowley was the athlete among the group. Antsy and never restful, he often had a hackey sack in the air while walking between classes. Bella had once had the urge to try to grab the sack from him before it fell onto his turned foot, which surprised her, as she was never ever inclined toward anything involving speed or catching. As it turned out, Mike had done exactly that, only he'd engaged Tyler in a game that they kept up even after Bella had left them to make her way to Government.
Ben Cheney, who had a Chinese grandmother, was the most ethnic student in the school. He was also the shortest of the boys at the table. Just as quiet as Angela, Bella still had yet to figure him out, but so far he was good company.
As Bella gathered her things to head out the door that Tuesday morning, she groaned at the weather. The day before it had briefly snowed before turning to rain. The overnight drop in temperature had frozen the wet, and just about everything else along with it. While the trees outside looked rather pretty encapsulated in icicles, Bella had hoped she would be lucky enough to avoid this type of weather in late March. Sighing, Bella headed out to her truck, locking the door behind her.
The trees caught her attention again as she stepped onto the driveway. It had been years since she'd allowed herself to be in Forks during colder weather. It was rather… nice to see the slight shine and sparkle of the evergreen boughs.
The worn heel of Bella's sneaker slid against the smooth surface as Bella stepped forward, her eyes not watching where she was walking. It slid out from underneath her and Bella soon found her butt making hard contact with the cold ground.
"Ow," came the whimpered response after a few seconds of startlement. Slowly, Bella pushed herself back onto her feet, balancing her book bag against her weight. Her rear end throbbed with pain, and there was a slight jar in her lower back. Taking a few very tentative steps, Bella determined that she was fine. No permanent damage. Though she was getting a little sick of Charlie's front yard coming up at her suddenly.
Climbing into the truck, Bella was grateful to note that Charlie had remembered to put chains around her wheels before heading to work that morning. If only she'd thought the same of her own shoes. Sneakers with worn treads were hardly going to see her through until December. Bella supposed she was going to find a pair of boots at Newton's Outfitters after all.
Bella drove very carefully on the highway, her decked out wheels making the trip a lot easier than otherwise. Still, she was surprised to see some other vehicles speeding along past her, like that silver Volvo.
Were these drivers nuts? Bella wondered to herself. No, they probably were just used to driving in this weather.
Arriving at the school Bella almost pulled into the first open spot in the lot she saw, but she spied another further down. It was closer to the school building, and considering that she had already slipped and fallen once, Bella went for the safer option. Closer to the school meant less time out on the ice.
The school lot was full of cars and students, all toting their bags and readying for the day. As Bella climbed down out of the cab of her truck, she saw Mike, Eric and Jessica heading into the building, Angela and Ben trailing behind them. Alice and Jasper she also noted in the periphery, their pale skin almost blending into the white of the clouded sky.
She adjusted the strap of the bag around her shoulder and walked just a few steps when she heard the shriek of breaks behind her. Turning, she saw Tyler in his fishtailing van, hands frantically trying to regain control by turning the wheel. He'd obviously taken the turn into the parking lot too quickly for the ice. With a sickening crunch, the van spun sideways into two cars, it's front end hitting the back of a rusted tan Chevrolet while it's tail scratched along the side of a Honda. It came to a stop, resting in the empty spot that Bella had just passed by.
Students poured out around her, rushing from the reverse direction to get to Tyler and his van. Only Bella remained still, staring at the van and the crunch of metal around it. She had almost been there. She had almost pulled into that spot. It was just a couple minutes ago. She would have been standing out in the open when Tyler's van skidded on the ice.
Tyler. Oh my god.
Bella rushed forward, snapping out of the minute of shock to join the rest of those crowding around and shouting, wanting to know if Tyler was okay.
"Tyler!" she shouted with the rest, fear creating a high pitch.
"I'm here!" came his voice, and Bella felt her muscles loosen in relief.
Some teachers had arrived and shifted into emergency mode. Several people were as dumbstruck as Bella felt. She saw that Lauren had tears running down her eyes, and felt her first true moment of kinship with her.
"Don't move!" Coach Clapp was saying to Tyler. "We're going to try to get you out."
Sirens were audible coming from the highway.
Bella backed up a step, getting herself out of the way of the adults that were all rushing forward to help. When she looked up, she made eye contact with Alice Cullen across the lot. Alice hadn't been watching the panic around the van. She wasn't looking anywhere but at Bella, her face serious.
In that moment, Bella knew with absolute certainty that Alice Cullen was aware of exactly what had almost happened. Of who could have been caught between Tyler's van and the tan Chevrolet.