Chapter Two of The Underdog: A New Leaf

Recap:

One of the few things I liked about Forks High was that they accepted every homecoming nomination, so they allowed kids to back out easily, without a question. That actually was the one thing holding me back from being cold to Angela, even though her intentions were nice. She was a great friend for doing this, but my low self-esteem and shy personality didn't help with the attention. I already hated the stares I was getting from everyone in my class.

There was only one thing to do, and that was to back out and resign my nomination.

A Big Thank You to My Beta: TheGirlWhoReadFiction

Disclaimer: I do not own twilight or the characters used. I only own the idea of the plot.

Bella POV

"Angela Weber! Really, out of all things to boost my confidence, you do this?" I sighed, exasperated.

For the past twenty minutes, Angela had been trying to convince me to keep running. The whole morning passed by and it was time for lunch. As soon as we headed to our table, I separated Angela and I from the group. I confronted her about her crazy idea that I would actually win homecoming queen. I mean, look at me! Compared to the other girls, I would definitely be the underdog.

"Bella, you clearly don't see yourself the way I do! You have so much potential and you're not taking advantage of that!" Angela told me kindly. She had this idea that I was this gorgeous girl who wanted to be outgoing and fun. I admit, I do want to be outgoing and fun, but not like this! I would trip and stutter when I got on stage and I would have little to no votes. It would only embarrass me and bring my self-esteem down even more.

"Angela, I'm backing out and there's nothing you can do," I replied firmly. She knew I wouldn't actually back down, and just sighed.

"Okay Bella, but just know that I want this for you," Angela's soft voice spoke. She pushed up her glasses and turned to talk to Ben.

Angela knew I was holding something back, but she never pushed me. I was glad that she respected my wishes. Under my fear of embarrassment, I had a deeper reason why I didn't want to be crowned. There were only two words to explain: Tanya Denali.

In Phoenix, Tanya was my bully, I guess you could say. She teased me but I really didn't give her any attention. Honestly, I didn't care as long as I had my friends and enjoyed my day. Tanya got aggravated and started plotting something and I actually thought she left me alone. Little did I know her scheme would cause my downfall. I really didn't want to re-live the memories here during lunch, sometimes I broke down, and that would be embarrassing.

I escaped Tanya when I moved here to Forks to stay with Charlie, and I actually started living my life but in a different way. My confidence was crushed when I moved here and I felt downgraded to a "loser". I didn't bother to make any friends or even make contact with people. That was the way my life in Forks started and that was the way it stayed.

"Bella, are you okay?" Angela asked. I didn't notice that I stopped looking down at my book and was actually staring into space. I nodded my head and continued to read. The silence remained throughout the whole lunch period, which I was thankful for. At the end of the period, Angela and I grabbed our stuff and walked toward the science wing, as usual.

"Ugh, pray for me Bella. Mike Newton is my partner for the lab today," Angela groaned as we were walking. I let out a rare giggle and smiled at the thought of Angela and wannabe Mike working together.

"Ha-ha, your on your own, Ange," I replied to her. I felt bad for her. Mike Newton was as clueless as a stick and Angela was very smart. I hope he didn't bring Angela's grade down. I waved to her as a good-bye before she went to class; I had a weird lurch in my stomach as she went into her room. I shook it off as something I ate during lunch and continued on to biology.

That day we were learning about the skeletal structure of amphibians. It was really boring stuff and the hour droned on. About three quarters into the lesson, a loud scream interrupted and my head jerked up in surprise. Mr. Banner rushed out into the hallway as the class buzzed with curiosity. After five minutes, the principal came in, which caused my worry to shoot up. I could hear the ambulance from all the way inside the classroom. We were evacuated onto the front lawn of the school and I searched around for Ben and Angela. I found Ben but there was no trace of Angela.

"This can't be happening. No, it's not possible," Ben murmured into his hands. He was in the same chemistry class with Angela. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder and was concerned. Ben didn't act like this at school and I never expected him to act like this.

"What happened?" I questioned him and he looked up. His eyes were red, which surprised me.

"Mike Newton, that's what happened. The asshole did the lab wrong and it exploded. He left to collect the supplies before the accident, leaving Angela there clueless of what he did." Ben spoke with anger laced into his voice.

It took a few moments, but the words sunk in; Angela, explosion, ambulance, accident, and lab pierced my thoughts. I felt my eyes sting and for the first time I let my tears fall. That lurch in my stomach earlier was nothing but a warning. I didn't care if people were looking at my tear-streaked face. I was crying for my friend, for one of the only people who cared for me. I could already feel the pitiful stares boring into the back of my head, but I that didn't bother me at the moment. All I wanted at that moment was to know that Angela would be okay and be back in school the next day. However, I knew luck was not on my side. The students were excused from the rest of the day as they cleared the school from the fumes. I immediately followed Ben to the hospital, where we waited impatiently for news on our friend.

"Is anyone here for Angela Weber?" Dr. Cullen asked. I looked at his nametag again to make sure he was Dr. Cullen. Mrs. Weber raised her hand and we stood up, anticipating the news. One look at his sullen face told me that it wasn't good.

"The explosion shocked her and made her pass out. The toxins got into her system too. We got the toxins out of her system, but," Dr. Cullen stopped before clearing his throat, "she didn't wake up after the operation like she was supposed to… I'm sorry, but Angela is in a coma. The toxins raided her system, luckily we got them out, but not before they damaged her."

Ben's curses and Mrs. Weber's sobs faded away as I looked at the doctor. He was serious, and I could tell he sympathized for all of us. Not the fake sympathy that some doctors had, no, his sympathy was real. But I couldn't care less about sympathy now. The tears overflowed and fell down my cheeks. This was two times I cried already in a day and in public nonetheless.

"What about Mike, Dr. Cullen?" Ben spat out.

"He's perfectly fine. He didn't even get caught in the blast since he left the table before the accident occurred," Dr. Cullen spoke to us.

The asshole that caused this didn't even get hurt while Angela was in a freaking coma. The whole situation was messed up and unjust. I bet Mike didn't even feel that guilty.

After a few more minutes, I left the hospital and went back to my house. I didn't feel like cooking that night, so I ordered pizza and left my leftovers on the counter. There were far more important things than cooking that night, and my dad understood that.

I sat on my bed that night doing homework, mindlessly. I missed Angela so much, I then remembered about homecoming nominations. It was funny how my decision had changed because of one accident. I thought I was adamant on not going for homecoming queen, but after what happened I wasn't so sure. I knew Angela would be happy if I continued. There really wasn't anything to lose, I guess. My confidence was already quite low and I didn't have anyone to impress.

Maybe I should still compete. I would do this for Angela and that was what it would take for me to continue on. Before I went to bed, I took out the contacts my mom sent me a few weeks before and my platinum card. The next day there would be no school since the fire department were still removing the fumes, so it was a good time to go shopping for a new wardrobe. I knew it was going to take a lot of effort, but maybe I could actually win this thing. You never know. I took my Mercedes Benz keys out. I had to impress everyone and what better way to do so by going back to the old confident Bella?

Now was the time to change, and the accident with Angela made me strive even more. Today was the day I decided to turn a new leaf and change the shy me into something that Angela knew I could be…

A/N: There you go, chapter two . Anyways I really didn't get a lot of reviews on chapter one but I don't mind. I actually enjoy writing this story. I still accept reviews though, and any constructive criticism will be welcomed as well. There are no outfits and such for this chapter but the next chapter will be guaranteed. If you guys have any ideas to add on just review and I'll try to put them in I hope this chapter was fast enough for you guys considering I wrote it pretty fast. Ha-ha I hope you enjoyed this and I hope you continue to look forward for the next chapters. Reviews make me happy!