A/N- Hello, ello! Basically, sorry. Hope you enjoy this! Already have another chapter and a half written. I'm tryinggg!
Thank you dnmann, ShadowCub, and Harley Quinn Davidson for your reviews! Enjoy guys!
Bella
My first day with Mrs. Valentine went well. For most of the afternoon, we just sat and talked. We got to know each other a lot better and we sorted out some of the finer details of what she wanted to do with the store. Her mom came out a few times and spoke with us, but they seemed rather tense with one another, so she didn't stick around for very long before saying goodnight and leaving for the day.
Mrs. V. asked that I call her by her first name, Lindsey, when we're at the store. She said she hates being called Mrs. Valentine, but that she knew the school wouldn't allow it any other way. I agreed, but I still slipped up every now and again out of habit.
She's more awesome than I imagined she'd be. I knew she would be my favorite teacher based on what she teaches, but I never imagined we would have so much in common. We both love the same authors and find the same books to be our favorites. I can easily see myself opening up to her as a friend. As it turns out, she's a pretty young teacher, so she's extremely easy to relate too.
The day ended well though, and we figured out exactly what to do with the store.
When I get home, Charlie is still at work, so I make myself something to eat quickly before heading up to my room for the night. I finish the little bit of homework I have; then after putting it all away, I pull out the packet from the Emergency Room.
Glancing over it quickly, I notice it says something about icing it for the first few days to help keep my arm from swelling up in the cast and cutting off circulation. I head downstairs to make an ice pack. However, I didn't realize Charlie came home, and I about bump into him as I round the corner into the kitchen.
We both stand here awkwardly for a few moments, not having interacted once since I arrived.
"Excuse me." I finally mutter, and make to move around him.
I hear him heave a deep sigh, but it stops short when I see his eyes lock on my arm. "What happened?!" He barks.
"Nothing." I tell him dismissively.
"It doesn't look like nothing." He replies rudely. "Did you get into a fight or something?!" he starts with the assumptions.
"No." I tell him through gritted teeth. I find a zip-lock bag and begin filling it with ice.
"Then what happened?" he demands again.
"Why do you even care?" I ask him vehemently, only sparing him a quick glance before adding a splash of water to the bag and sealing it.
"Forget it then." He concedes, before turning away and walking with heavy steps towards the living room.
I close my eyes against the unwelcome sting of tears as I lean against the counter for a moment. When I'm finally able to will it away, I grab a few paper towels to help with condensation and run back upstairs, slamming my door behind me.
Sleep doesn't come easily, as I toss and turn with thoughts of Alice and the things she said to me today. The words, "we're going to be great friends", repeating like an annoying anthem. Then there's the odd temperature that I felt from both her and her adoptive father's hands; I've never felt hands so cold on anyone. And their eyes, I noticed, were the exact same color. Alice's fathers were a tiny bit darker than hers, but golden colored eyes aren't something you see every day; as a matter of fact, that makes three Cullen's with some shade of golden eyes.
If I wasn't thinking about that, though, then I was scolding myself for letting her affect me so easily. It just seems like the second she's anywhere near me, all my emotional walls start chipping away. I kept willingly and unwillingly smiling at her. I was showing an interest in her interests!
But I don't know anything about this girl! I shouldn't feel this desire towards her; this need to be close!
Then again, I never will know her if I don't try to know her.
But still! She could hurt me just like everyone else has. And I can't afford that. Tomorrow, I'll reign in my emotions. I won't completely shut her out, because she did do something nice for me today, but I need to be more cautious around her then I have been.
When I finally fall asleep, it's early morning, and my alarm goes off not long after. I get up and grab my shower bag and the zip-lock bag that now houses warm water, and head toward the bathroom. Cutting the zip-lock, I tape it around my plaster-covered arm and take a quick shower.
Once I'm done getting ready, I head downstairs and silently thank God, that Charlie is gone so I can eat breakfast in peace.
I'm only half-way through though, when there's a soft, but noticeable knock on the door. Confused as to who would be here at this early an hour, I head towards the door and open it up slowly. I'm shocked to find the keeper of my thoughts standing on the other side with a radiant smile and rain dripping from the tips of her spiky hair.
"Good Morning!" She chirps happily.
I respond like a fish out of water, and settle my hip against the door as I give up on attempting to formulate a sentence.
She giggles in turn and just continues. "I'm sorry to show up like this, but I remembered you mentioning yesterday that you walk to school, and it appears to be raining harder than usual this morning. And since you now have a cast on your arm, I thought I'd offer to drive you." She beams brightly and once more, I have no idea how to respond.
This causes me to spit out the first coherent thought that forms in my mind. "How did you know where I live?" I ask her skeptically.
"It's a small-town Isabella." She chuckles softly with an eye roll.
"Right." I nod. "I do have an umbrella. Kind of necessary when you live here." I point out to her.
She doesn't respond for a moment, and I see the light in her eyes dim just a smidgen. Knowing I caused it doesn't sit right with me, and I immediately regret it.
"But a ride sounds nice. Thank you for offering." I tell her softly.
Her smile lights up her face again and her eyes shine brightly once more. "Great!"
"I was just finishing breakfast." I tell her as I hold the door open for her to enter. "Can I offer you anything?" I ask politely.
"Oh," I see her eyes dart away from mine suddenly, "no thank you. I already ate." She says seriously, before finally turning back to me.
"Ok, well just give me a few minutes and I'll be done." I tell her as I direct her into the kitchen.
"Take your time." The smile from before returns and I just nod before sitting down at the table again.
I don't end up finishing though, because I feel awkward eating in front of her. Especially since she has a peculiar expression on her face while I do.
I tell her I'm full and dump the rest out so we can leave.
I lock up the house behind us and turn towards the driveway. I stop short though, and my jaw nearly hits the floor when I see the car that's sitting there in the falling rain. A bright yellow Porsche.
"I know. Pretty isn't she?" Alice asks when she sees my expression.
I just nod dumbly, which makes her giggle.
"I don't get to take her out much." She pouts cutely for a moment, then turns to look at me. "Ready?" She asks me as her usual smile comes back.
I just nod again, however, less dumb this time.
We both race to our sides of the car to avoid getting too wet, and moments later the car is purring to life.
"Seat belt, Isabella." She laughs at her own private joke and waits patiently while I do as she's asked.
When the car flies from my driveway and starts down the road in what seems like the same instant, I understand why. The entire drive, she has an amused look on her face; while I'm sure mine looks panicked.
We make it to school pretty early; though I'm not certain if it's because of her driving or if we happened to leave early. There are only a few cars in the parking lot, none of them belonging to her siblings either. Checking my watch, I see we have nearly half an hour till the first bell.
"So, tell me about yourself Isabella." Alice prompts almost immediately, and I can't help but chuckle at how abrupt her request is.
"Well, uh..." I trail off, and take a moment to look around. I'm not used to this kind of attention. It makes me think that I've lost all social etiquette because of it.
I look back at her, and she appears to have a genuinely curious look on her face, as she patiently awaits my answer. But as I look at her, the small amount of coherent thoughts that were formulating are disappearing as I look into her gentle honey eyes. Her face looks as perfect as porcelain, but appears soft. Her supple, dark lips are curved slightly upward into a cute smile that appears warm and inviting.
I can't help but feel extremely drawn to her and I don't know why. I notice her begin to chew on her bottom lip, as I feel my mouth go dry and my stomach fill with butterflies.
"Isabella." Her melodic voice whispers to me.
"Hmm?" I hum in response.
"Are you going to answer my question?" Her voice sounds almost seductive and when I look back into her eyes they appear to be smoldering in a way that makes my heart race as all the air escapes from my lungs.
I suddenly realize how close I've become to her over the last several minutes. While I struggle to even out my breathing, I drag in lungsful of her amazing scent. It instantly reminds me of sitting on the cliff and smelling the fresh air, except it's mixed with the intoxicating fragrance of flowers. I can't put my finger on which one she reminds me of most, but it makes me picture walking through a meadow covered in a variety of wildflowers; maybe some honeysuckle and jasmine.
I close my eyes and do my best to control my breathing, but it's a hard feat to accomplish. I lean away from her and crack the window. With the heat still coming from the car's vents, and the small proximity I was to her only a moment ago, the car has grown stuffy.
As the fog begins to clear from my muddled thoughts, I look back at Alice where she doesn't appear to have moved an inch. Her eyes are locked intensely on me, but what's weird is she doesn't appear to be breathing.
When she realizes I am looking at her again, she gives her head a light shake, but still I don't hear a breath give way from her lips. Maybe she just breathes quietly?
"What do you want to know?" I ask her finally.
"Let's walk." She says suddenly; shutting off the car, opening her door and getting out before I have a chance to answer.
Well that was certainly strange. I shake my own head to clear the onslaught of assumptions forming there. She more than likely realized my change in demeanor and my random closeness to her.
Shit! Wake-up call Isabella! While you may realize that you're attracted to this total stranger, you didn't stop to ponder if she was even into girls. Maybe she really does want to be just friends! Ugh, stupid!
My thoughts are cut short though when my door is suddenly opened and I'm met with one of Alice's curiously amused expressions.
"You coming?" She asks softly, a smirk pulling at her lips once again.
Mood swings much? I ask myself as I quirk an eyebrow at her, but nod and get out of the car.
Like you have room to talk. My subconscious thinks suddenly.
I silently agree with that before giving her a small smile for getting my door, and then follow her lead as we start walking through the still half empty parking lot. The few students that are already here are gawking at us with shocked expressions. I do my best to ignore them, and follow Alice through the quad, to a small trail leading through the woods.
We don't walk too deep into the trees and foliage before coming to a table set up on the trail. Though it's been raining, as always, it doesn't appear to have received too much of the moisture, so we sit down across from one another.
We're silent for a few moments, until I see Alice give me one of her wide smiles. I feel the corners of my lips twitch up and I sigh softly.
"So, you moved here from...?" She trails off.
"From Phoenix." I state simply. At the thought of this topic coming up, I feel my defenses start to rebuild themselves. I don't want to reveal too much when I'm not ready. And I'm certainly not ready, but she makes me relax with just a smile. This is going to be difficult.
"How long did you live there for?" She fires off another one.
"Since I was about a year old." I once again give her a short answer. I know she's not dumb and can put two and two together.
"And you decided to come to this, how did you put it yesterday..." She trails off for a moment, and I can see the playful smile forming on her lips, "to the most unsatisfying, wet place ever?" She chuckles at her impression of me and I roll my eyes, but can't help my own smile either.
"It was the best choice amongst the few I was given." I can feel the sadness creep into my expression, and when I see her own expression change, I know she can tell.
It's silent for a moment as she studies my face. "Do you want to talk about it?" She finally asks me softly.
I chew on the inside of my cheek. I can see the sincerity in her eyes, but the defensive side of my mind tells me not to trust her with that kind of information just yet. I look at the forest around us and take in the quiet sound of the drizzle hitting the trees above us. And see the slight movement of leaves and bushes from some type of animal scurrying around beneath it. Looking for anything else to focus on besides her vibrant eyes boring into me.
In the small distance, we hear the first bell ring and I try to hide the sigh of relief that comes from between my lips. That was a quick half an hour, but I'm a little relieved by it.
"I guess we should head to class." I tell her softly, only looking at her briefly, afraid to get lost in her penetrating gaze again.
I see her give a small nod before standing with me. We walk silently back to the school, once again receiving shocked expressions coupled with pointed fingers and whispers.
"Why is everyone so shocked to see us together?" I ask her, getting aggravated by everyone doing it.
"Probably because me and my family tend to stick together." She answers me softly.
More questions fill my thoughts about why she's hanging out with me then, and I know she can read the confusion on my face when she suddenly adds on.
"I have to get a book from my locker before class. I'll see you later, Isabella. Have a good day." She gives me a tight smile and then turns and walks away before I have a chance to respond.
I start walking to my own locker as thoughts swim in my head. What the hell was that all about? Why does she seem to be playing hot and cold, or something like it, with me? She seemed upset when I didn't want to answer her about my past, but then does the same thing when I ask her a question that I didn't even know would strike a nerve. What does she want from me?!
The first tardy bell rings and I curse under my breath, knowing I have about a minute to get to class before the final bell rings. Slamming my locker door shut, I head towards my class down the hall, pushing the thoughts to the back of my mind for now.