The first half of my second day at school turns out to be quite uneventful. I see a lot of the people I'd met yesterday. I get to sit at a crowded lunch table. The conversation turns to fandoms and I find out that Jessica is a Potterhead too. We spend the next ten minutes excitedly discussing which Hogwarts house we're in and why. Then we make a list of people we wish we could use silencio on. (Mr. Varner, the trigonometry teacher tops, by the way.)
As there's a lull in the conversation I notice that the undercover cops have a member missing. Edward hasn't showed. I wonder why. Doctor's appointment, probably.
During biology Mike invites me to a trip to the beach. A lot of people are going, Jessica, Eric and Angela included. I accept immediately. It would be great to hang out with them outside of school. Also, I want to become their friend before the be-nice-to-the-new-girl phase is over and they're not obligated to invite me places.
After school I decide to make a trip to the grocery store to get ingredients for a nice dinner for dad and I. As I sit in my truck, mentally listing the ingredients for steak and gravy I see the Cullen kids getting into their car. Their silver Volvo clearly stands out in the rows of second-hand cars. Nice to see that they believe in humbleness and modesty, in addition to ending world hunger.
I get home, start dinner and then go upstairs to do homework and answer email. My mom's emailed asking how everything's going. I write back telling her that Forks is beautiful, if a little wet. It's fun to drive through big puddles in my truck, though. It's just not fun when someone else is driving through big puddles in their truck and I happen to be standing too close.
Mom says she's forgotten where she left her keys, and would I know where they are? I doubt it, I write. It's been three days since I left Phoenix, and knowing mom she's probably misplaced them again from where I remember them to be. I tell her that I'm making new friends and then send her the list Jessica and I made of people we want to silencio sometimes (but only after removing mom's name from 8th place. Sorry, mom. I don't always care about paragliding in Lithuania.)
Dad comes home and watches TV while I finish putting dinner together. He watches Masterchef and while I'm in the kitchen I pretend to be a contestant on the show too. The Australian Masterchef, though. I don't fancy being called an idiot sandwich by Gordon Ramsay. I call the judges (dad) in to sample the food and take my seat.
Dad says the food smells good but then eats in silence. In my head I'm having a dramatic meltdown during my elimination from the show when dad says, "So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?"
I tell him about Mike, Eric, Angela, and Jessica and our shared love for Harry Potter. He smiles at that and then tells me that Mike's family owns a sporting goods store. "Good kid," he adds.
I decide to ask him if he knows anything about the Cullens. He says Dr. Cullen is a great man. When I say that his kids stand out at school he gets defensive and starts talking about what a great doctor Mr. Cullen is and how people should stop trash talking his children just because they're new in town. Dad forcefully insists that the kids are very polite.
I'm new in town too, I just don't exude aloofness and act like a seahorse caught in an ocean full of squids, I think, but don't say. "I'm not denying that Dr. Cullen is a good man, dad," I say instead. "His kids tend to mostly keep to themselves, is all I'm saying." He calms down and we talk of other things, like the news and the big game coming up on Thursday.
The rest of the week's days pass as normal school days should, regular classes and loud lunch discussions. I sign up for book club. Jessica's a member too. I have a lot of fandoms in common with the others, so I'm looking forward to our meetings. I visit the local library over the weekend but I've already read most of the titles. I'll just have to buy books online. (Amazon to the rescue.)
Monday morning brings with it a Wuthering Heights quiz. I kind of feel like a cheater since I've already studied this book back in Phoenix. I keep the guilt at bay by helping a nervous Mike prepare, asking him questions from the text. I like the way he looks at me expectantly when he gives an answer and the way his eyes light up when he gets it right.
When we walk out of class bits of cotton seem to be falling gently from the sky, covering the grass and treetops. "Wow. It's snowing," Mike says. I've never seen snow before. If Mike is unable to look away I'm absolutely hypnotised. I stand there for a while, arms held out and mouth agape, staring at the heavens that drop this magical substance on us. I kind of look like an idiot. Or a zombie. Or an idiot zombie. Then my socks get wet and I decide to go in.
Inside the building isn't much better. The students of Forks High School have decided by unspoken consensus that snow day means indoor snow fight. Snowballs are flying in the air and getting to my next class feels like a game show challenge, with me ducking, half-running and jumping to avoid getting hit. Mike and Eric seem to be having a full-on battle, scrunching up used snow from the ground to throw. They sure know how to recycle.
While in line for lunch at the cafeteria I notice that the Cullens are back in full force. I feel a bit uncomfortable. Everyone generally agrees that they're a bit odd and keep to themselves but Edward seems to dislike me in particular. Dad's words come back to me – "they're all very polite". I don't know how polite he is to dad but Edward is almost hostile towards me. Maybe he's that kid in kindergarten who acts like an angel in front of the teacher but then pulls your hair out as soon as her back is turned.
I try to join into the lunchroom conversation half-heartedly. If Edward glares at me today, I'll complain to some authority. I shouldn't have to put up with his aggressive behaviour. Actively making me feel uncomfortable is practically bullying. I try to convince myself that I don't care about them but can't help getting just one glance.
They have snow in their hair and on their clothes, so they must have had a snow fight. Within their exclusive group, of course. Can't associate with us commoners.
"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica informs me.
"What? Why? Does he look angry?" I ask.
"Um, no? Should he be?" Jessica replies.
"No," I say, relieved. You just saved yourself from getting a detention, mister, I think in my most threatening voice.
Mike announces a grand snow-fight in the parking lot after school and is received with joyful and enthusiastic shouts. My socks are wet anyway, might as well enjoy too. I smile, taking in the playful atmosphere. I love the camaraderie in the air, the feeling of being a part of something. I'm lucky to have met someone as friendly as Mike on the first day.
Unfortunately, it starts raining and all the snow is washed away but Mike promises everyone the championship will take place the next time it snows.
By the time I reach my biology classroom I've all but forgotten about Edward Cullen. Until he walks in, that is. I expect him to ignore me but he says hello. He introduces himself and makes general conversation. He seems friendly enough today. I keep up my side of the conversation but I don't really like guys who waste perfectly good food and laxative pills.
Today's assignment is to identify stages of mitosis is onion root cells. We start the analysis and I end up brushing Edward's hand once by mistake. His hand is freezing cold. After-effects of the snow fight, I guess. Edward and I work fine together as lab partners. He's quite smart actually. Neither of us makes a mistake and we're done early. I notice that his eyes are yellow instead of the usual black. When I ask him if he got contacts he says no, so I decide to get up and see if Mike needs help. I have no time for liars.
I have to come back to my seat when Mr. Banner comes around to check our worksheet. He seems satisfied with the results. Edward strikes up a conversation again. "Too bad about the snow, huh?" he says.
"Yeah," I say, a little sadly. My first ever snow-fight, postponed.
"So, you must be finding it hard to adjust to Forks, coming from Phoenix," he says.
"Well, it's definitely different, but not in a bad way. Change is nice," I say.
He asks what prompted me to move to a place so different from my home and I tell him about mom and Phil and Phil's baseball career. "You don't like Phil," he guesses.
"No, he's fine, really. My mom's happy, that's what's important," I say.
"So your mom packed you off to Forks to be with him," Edward says.
"What? No! I wanted my mom to be able to live with Phil, I wanted to live with my dad, and I wanted to move to Forks," I inform him. God, he's so presumptuous. Who is he to make all these assumptions about me and my family? I'm quite done talking to Edward Cullen. I stare resolutely at the blackboard.
"Am I annoying you?" he asks in a laughing voice. Yes, I think. "No," I say, because saying yes would be rude and unlike him I have manners.
"I just…don't understand you," he says finally.
"Do you usually understand people within fifteen minutes of meeting them?" I ask sarcastically. I can't help it. If he can be insolent so can I. To my surprise, he smirks. "Something like that," he says. At this point I won't be surprised if the Cullens are part of a mind-reading cult.
Mr. Banner calls the class to attention and discusses the answers to the worksheet. Class ends and Edward runs out of class like he just heard the new Dolce and Gabbana menswear collection is out. Mike comes to get me, complaining that all the slides look the same anyway. "You're lucky you had Cullen as a partner," he says. I'm kind of hurt. I'm not too bad at biology myself. I let Mike know I've done this lab in Phoenix so he knows I'm not dependent on that rich white kid Edward.
"Edward seemed quite friendly today," Mike comments. "Eh, he's kind of arrogant," I say and Mike smiles. We're on the same team in P.E. Mike's pretty good at volleyball. I'm not too bad either.
As I'm pulling out of my parking slot I notice Edward standing and staring at me. Probably trying some freaky mind tricks from afar. I give him a thumbs up to wish him good luck with that and then drive home.