Forks was absolutely beautiful. Kit had never seen so much nature all in one place and it was all alive and green. Everything was green: the trees, their moss-covered trunks, their branches hanging with a canopy of green leaves, the ground covered with ferns. She loved it.
There were times when it was hard. Forks was a town where everyone knew everything about everyone. They had all grown up together, gone to school together, graduated together. Forks was a small town and as Kit had been told numerous times before: they didn't get many newcomers.
But that didn't mean the people of Forks weren't kind and Kit always tried to find the positive in every situation. As Kit continued to go to school and adjust, she made a few friends. Some of the guys at the high school were a little too friendly, but Kit was polite nonetheless.
She was sitting at the table with one of her new friends, Angela Weber. Angela was shy and had the warmest brown eyes that were friendly and inviting. She was kind enough to help Kit with some of her homework while they ate lunch.
"And then you just carry the one..." Angela pointed to Kit's paper, "And the answer is forty-five!"
"Forty-five," Kit drawled out, writing the answer down. She beamed, "Wow, thanks Angela! You make it look so easy."
Angela blushed and shrugged, turning back to her lunch tray, "Well, I took the same class my Sophomore year."
Ben Cheney, a boy who stood 5'7", had black hair, golden brown skin, and dark brown eyes grinned. He was of Asian descent and as he pushed up his glasses while looking at Kit announced, "And she got an 'A'!"
"Ben," Angela scolded, her blush only increasing.
"Perhaps you should try integrated math," Jessica suggested, from her place beside Lauren, "You know...if you're a bit slower."
Kit flicked her eyebrows up, but didn't respond verbally. She had no response to that. At least not a very nice one. It would have been sarcastic and probably would have made Jessica even more irate.
Kit didn't understand the sudden change in Jessica's attitude and she quickly glanced up to see Katie avoiding any eye contact. The red-head had been oddly quiet and snappy in History, only giving brief nods and shakes of her head instead of the long paragraphs and energetic responses she usually gave. It was strange.
"Hey, Kit," Bella smiled and nudged her, obviously trying to diffuse some of the tension that had set, "I read that book you let me borrow."
Kit gasped excitedly, her homework immediately forgotten, "You did!?"
Bella nodded and pulled out a worn copy of A Girl of the Limberlost, handing it back to Kit, "I liked it."
Kit's face fell and she arched an eyebrow, "And…?"
"I cried at a few parts," Bella admitted. She grinned, "But I like my book better."
Kit laughed, "No, Bella. Ugh, don't you understand how wonderful this book is?"
"Yes," Bella promised, smiling, "But Wuthering Heights will always have a special place in my heart."
"Fair enough," Kit chuckled and returned the book to her satchel, "Excuse me, I'm going to use the restroom."
"I'd hurry," Bella cautioned, getting up to throw away her lunch, "The bell is going to ring."
"I'll be back before then," Kit promised, slinging her bag over her shoulder before she took her leave of the cafeteria.
The cool air hit her skin, causing goosebumps to break out, but Kit paid them no mind, the covered sidewalk that led to one of the bathrooms shielded her from the rain. She had leaned quickly that it rained constantly in Forks. And if it didn't rain, then it was overcast with a high chance of rain.
She didn't mind, of course. Kit loved the rain and its soothing sound. It was her own personal lullaby when she tried to fall asleep at night.
After she finished using the bathroom, Kit turned on the water and began to wash her hands, humming a soft song to herself. When she was finished, she grabbed a few rough paper towels from the dispenser and dried her hands.
A hand landed on her shoulder, nails digging into Kit's skin and she gasped loudly when she was whirled around, her head reeling with the force of it.
"Who. The. Hell. Do. You. Think. You. Are?"
Kit blinked and found herself looking up into the fishy green eyes of Lauren. Even though the cornsilk blonde was only a couple inches taller, her presence was still intimidating.
"Um," Kit blinked and looked around the bathroom. She hadn't even realized that she was being followed, "Pardon me?"
"Pardon me," Lauren mocked in her snotty voice. She sneered, "You heard me."
Kit frowned, "I-I'm sorry, Lauren, I don't quite under-
"Shut up," Lauren snapped, "Quit it with that posh and proper nonsense. No one's buying it and frankly it's annoying."
"O-Okay," Kit whispered. She was backed up against the sink and Lauren was definitely in her personal bubble. Kit couldn't move and the porcelain was digging into her back.
Lauren rolled her eyes and flipped her hair, "I dated Tyler and Mike in my Sophomore year and I plan to date Tyler again. Conner's been dropping hints about Prom, but I don't know. We'll see."
"I don't-
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Lauren snapped again, "Be quiet!"
Kit clamped her mouth shut. She prayed that Lauren couldn't see her shaking hands that were becoming slick with sweat. She had never been in this position before and she wasn't too fond of it.
"Did you run out of guys to hook up with down in Hampton?" Lauren demanded, "Is that why you moved? No one else to shack up with?"
Kit's mouth fell open in disbelief. She wholeheartedly agreed with her mother on the fact that she had been born in the wrong era and that she could be a little naive and unwordly, but that didn't mean she wasn't knowledgeable of any type of slang.
Finally gathering her wits, Kit shook her head, "That's an awful thing to say, Lauren."
Lauren snorted, "Do you think I care? No, I don't. Now, I'm going to say this once: I don't want to see you talking to Tyler, Eric, Conner, or Mike. Do you understand me?"
Kit's eyes darted to the side, "N-no?"
Lauren's eyes widened and then narrowed, "Excuse me?"
"No," Kit repeated, slowly, "They've been really nice to me and I have no reason to stop talk-
"I'm your reason," Lauren interrupted, "Understand?"
"No," Kit repeated, her answer honest, "I don't, actually."
Lauren's cheeks turned red, "Stop talking to the guys. Point blank. Slut."
Kit's mouth fell open again. Wider this time, but before she could respond, Lauren had smirked and left the bathroom, leaving Kit alone once more.
Kit stood there for a moment, unsure of how to react. Had that really just happened? She had only seen those kinds of things on TV. I mean, obviously she knew those kinds of confrontations actually occurred in real life, but never in a million years did she think she would be involved in one, and the thought of someone calling her a slut had never crossed her mind. Even at her old school, she always tried to stay out of people's way, not wanting to upset anyone or do something wrong.
Blinking again, Kit turned to face to mirror and clutched the sink, taking a deep breath. She wasn't scared of Lauren, not at all. The whole incident had just caught her by surprise.
She took another deep breath and smoothed out her outfit, trying to appear less frazzled. She wore a long-sleeved soft pullover knit in a cozy peach color piped with pink, a self tie bow was over the shoulder. She wore a white mid-circle high-waisted swing skirt and a pair of peach retro pumps with a four inch cone heel. At the side of her hair, she wore a large white single dahlia pin-up hair flower.
After taking another moment to compose herself, Kit left the restroom, her eyes downcast as she gnawed on her lower lip, lost in thought. She didn't really want to go back to the cafeteria, but she had promised Bella that she wouldn't be gone long and it was clear the other brunette was awkward and uncomfortable with a few people at the table.
Kit was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't see when she almost ran into a large boy. She squeaked in surprise, but was saved when chilled hands wrapped around the tops of her arms.
"Whoa, there," he joked, easily steadying her when she tripped, "Are you all right?"
"Oh," Kit gasped and looked up, her eyes widening at the pools of bright liquid gold she met. They were so pretty and full of emotion as he stared at her with equal amounts of awe.
The boy stood roughly 6'5", his form filled out, but not overweight, just muscular. He was very handsome with dimples and slightly curly, dark brown hair that almost looked black. His skin was pale.
"Emmett," Alice cleared her throat, a smile on her face.
"Oh," Kit gasped again and jerked out of Emmett's hold, startling. She recovered quickly, though and beamed, "Hi, Alice!"
"Hello, Kit," Alice greeted, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Kit replied. She moved her eyes, noticing the group of siblings standing around Alice. They were all extremely beautiful and they shared the same skin pallor and gold eyes. She could easily recognize who was who from when Jessica had pointed them out on her first day of school.
"Hi," Kit greeted. She looked at Emmett first and held out a hand, "I'm Kit Algren."
"E-Emmett Cullen," he replied, placing his cold hand in hers, "Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure's mine," Kit smiled widely, moving her gaze, "Hello, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward. It's nice to finally meet you all."
Jasper was the first to show any reaction, arching a single eyebrow. Kit's emotions were completely positive. She was happy, that was for sure and that wasn't the norm when people looked at them. Even the hallway's emptied quickly when they walked through. The other humans were commonly wary and scared.
"Hello," Rosalie finally said, narrowing her eyes, "Now, if you'll excuse us."
"Rose," Alice scolded gently, "Don't be rude."
"That's okay," Kit promised, "I should have watched where I was going. My fault, reall-
"Kit, I—ah!" Bella had both of their textbooks in her arms, along with Kit's homework. She had tripped, sending everything in her arms all over the ground.
"Oh no," Kit covered her mouth with her hand, choking on a laugh. She jumped when Edward suddenly tore down the covered area, heading for another building with his fists clenched. She frowned in worry.
"Don't get worked up over him," Emmett smirked playfully, "He'll be fine."
Kit nodded and after a moment, she returned her attention back to the group of siblings and smiled weakly, "I hope he's all right. Ah, I should go help Bella and make sure that she's okay. It was nice speaking with you all, and thanks for catching me, Emmett," she touched his arm briefly, before going to Bella's aid.
"Hey," Kit greeted, kneeling on the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Emmett glance at her before he and his siblings continued on their way, "Are you okay, Bella?"
"Fine," Bella's face was flushed as she tried to gather the books, "I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" Kit asked uneasily, "You didn't scrape your hands or anything?"
"No," Bella climbed to her feet and stumbled a bit, moving to the side as other students left the cafeteria.
Kit stood up, brushing off her skirt with one hand, her books held to her chest with the other, "Okay. I'm sorry I took so long. Thank you for getting my stuff. I appreciate it."
"Yeah," Bella said, clearly distracted, "No problem. Um, what were you doing talking to the Cullen's?"
Kit was surprised by the question, but she answered, "I met Alice my first day of school and she's found me in the library a few times. I literally just bumped into Emmett and met the rest of Alice's siblings. Why?"
A hot flush spread across Bella's cheeks, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Ah, j-just curious. Um, I-I was starting to worry when you didn't come back. So, I grabbed your stuff, but..." she trailed off with a grimace.
"Yes, I got...held up in the restroom," Kit murmured. She shifted her weight, "I'll see you in gym?"
"Mhm," Bella smiled, her flush gone, "Bye."
Kit waved and went the opposite way of Bella. As she made her way to the right building, she passed Lauren and Jessica who glared openly at her. She quickly looked away, though, focusing more on the cracks in the old concrete.
The rest of the day passed by without incident. In English, they had a pop quiz on The Great Gatsby which Kit had finished after dinner the night before. A girl who sat next to her appeared to be struggling, and after the test was over, Kit had given her some of the notes she had taken previously.
In gym, they played badminton and Jessica continued to try to hit the birdy at Kit's head and send her evil smirks and death glares. It didn't help that Mike asked to be on a team with her and kept smiling widely. Kit smiled back, but she was sure they looked uneasy and forced.
"Whore," Jessica coughed as Kit walked past her to put her racket back.
Kit pursed her lips and forced herself to keep her gaze forward. She had been called names before: weird, odd, loner, loser, and freak. But never something so vulgar. And it wasn't true. Kit had never even kissed a guy or held hands, let alone slept with one. As cliché and old-fashion as it sounded, she was saving herself for marriage.
She followed the other girls into the locker room, heading straight for the old locker than had seen better days. She thought it was weird that there were gym lockers at the school, but not regular lockers, but while she changed, she could hear Lauren talking about her.
"Bella was one thing," Lauren grumbled to Jessica, changing out of her gym clothes, "But a little baby Sophomore!? No way! She's not even pretty."
"That haircut," another girl that Kit didn't recognize snorted, "And those clothes? Um, it's not the 1800's anymore."
'Stick and stones, sticks and stones,' Kit chanted inside her head, placing her folded gym clothes into the old gym locker. Kit waited for Lauren and her friends to leave the locker room before she went out, heading straight for the parking lot. She had agreed to let her father drive and pick her up for the first week, but now she was driving herself.
She had parked right next to Bella and the pale girl was climbing into her own car just as Kit pulled out the keys to the vehicle she and her mother shared.
"Bye, Bella," Kit called, opening her door, "See you, tomorrow."
"Yeah," Bella smiled and then paused, "Hey, do you want to hang out after school, tomorrow?"
Kit eyes widened in surprise and she pointed at herself, "You want to hang out with me?"
Bella chuckled, "Yeah? But if you don't want to..."
"Oh no," Kit winced, immediately feeling bad, "No, I do. That sounds fun."
Bella closed the door to her truck, leaning over so that she could see Kit out the passenger side, "Okay. And bring your homework."
"I will," Kit promised, climbing into her own car, "Bye."
The loud sound of Bella's engine, drowned out her own farewell and Kit could see the flush that spread up Bella's neck to settle in her cheeks.
As Kit drove home, she allowed her own thoughts to wander back. Not to the confrontation in the bathroom, not to Jessica calling her a name, not to the test in English, but to the golden-eyed boy that she had almost run into in the hallway.
Emmett Cullen was how he had introduced himself. His skin was hard and cold and her own hand had been swallowed up by his larger one. He seemed nice, though. The wide smile on his face showed off his dimples and sparkling white teeth, that looked a bit sharp, but it didn't take away from his childlike appearance.
His eyes were what really caught her attention. She had never seen eyes so bright. They were beautiful and his most prominent feature, in her opinion. They sparkled even under the florescent lights and were a brilliant shade of gold—like fresh butterscotch.
They were captivating and Kit was sure that if Alice hadn't spoken, she would have stood there for hours, perfectly content just to look into his eyes as he had stared into hers.
She could feel herself blushing and heat spread up her neck, causing Kit bite her lip self-consciously. She didn't understand where this feeling of—she couldn't even describe it—was coming from.
The first time Kit received a text message, she was at Bella's house after school, working on a Biology assignment.
"Oxyreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases and ligases are all classes of…?" Kit trailed off, tapping her pen against her mouth, "Enzymes."
"Right," Bella said, once Kit wrote the answer down, "And you've never taken Biology before?"
Kit shook her head, "Not really. More like general science. What about you?"
"I took an advanced class in Phoenix," Bella told her, looking over her own textbook.
"Really?" Kit asked, "So, then is the class you have now easy for you?"
"Easy," Bella repeated in a low tone, "I-it's interesting."
Kit looked up from her paper and then at Bella, seeing that the girl was blushing once more. Turning back to her paper, Kit worked on another question, "Oh?" she asked. It expressed an interest in what Bella was saying, but it wasn't too pushy if she didn't want to continue.
"I..." Bella paused and sighed, "I don't think my Biology partner likes me. He...did something for me—a nice something—huge. And...I-I think he regrets it."
Kit frowned at the sadness that she could hear lacing Bella's voice, "Why would you think that? If you don't mind me asking..."
"He just ignores me now," Bella said, tapping her pencil against the table, "He won't talk to me at all. I said hello and he barely moved his head. I think he regrets saving my life."
Bella sucked in a sharp breath, clapping her hands over her mouth. No, she was such an idiot! She wore her heart on her sleeve and it showed even at inappropriate times. She cursed herself internally and closed her eyes, hoping that Kit hadn't heard or suspected who she was talking about.
Seeing Bella's reaction, Kit focused intently on her paper, trying to pretend that she had no idea who Bella was talking about, "To regret saving someone's life? That's very...that's heavy. Perhaps there's a deeper meaning behind it. Maybe he has something else going on?"
Bella shrugged, moving her curtain of hair out of her face, "Maybe..."
"Hey, could you help me with this one?" Kit asked, pointing the end of her pen to question ten, "I'm stuck."
Bella breathed a sigh of obvious relief at the subject change and leaned in, "Sure. Oh, okay. You just-
She was cut off by the sound of a chime coming from the pocket of Kit's cardigan.
"I'm sorry," Kit murmured, pulling out her cellphone, "Let me l-look..."
She had trailed off due to shock. She couldn't believe what she was reading on the tiny screen. The word 'slut' was written so many times that Kit lost count. Following the repetition were the words, 'Just trying 2 perfect my spelling. What do u think?'
Kit's heart stuttered in shock and her eyes widened slightly. The number who had text messaged her was one she didn't recognize as the only numbers in her cellphone was the land line to her house, Katie, Bella, and her parents.
She read the message over and over as if she would be able to uncover some secret code. No matter how many times her eyes scanned the message, she couldn't understand it. She couldn't understand why someone would send something like that.
"You okay, Kit?" Bella asked, after an intense few minutes of silence, "Did something bad happen?"
"No," Kit answered, a little too loudly. She cleared her throat, "No," she whispered. She returned the phone to her pocket "Just got distracted for a minute. So, question four?"
"Ten," Bella corrected.
Kit shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, "Right, my mistake. Number ten."
Bella nodded, beginning to slowly explain. She had seen the look on Kit's face when the girl had read the text message, but Bella knew better than to pry. Kit was her friend, but they didn't know everything about each other. She was sure Kit had her own secrets.
After all, Bella definitely had hers.
The second time Kit received a text message, it was on Saturday and she was preparing for the traditional weekend tea party with her little sister.
"Just pour the water in, like this," Kit tipped the stove kettle, pouring steaming water into the porcelain pink butterfly teapot, "Ta-da! Now, you can add the teabags and I'll steep them with the spoon."
Indigo was rather short for her age and she stood on her blue step stool, pulling the box of French vanilla tea closer to her, "How many?"
"Mmm," Kit narrowed her eyes in concentration, "Let's do four."
"K," Indigo added the loose teabags, a grin on her face, "And it will change color? Will it be white? Like ice cream?"
"Probably yellow," Kit answered, pressing down on the bags.
Indigo made a face, "That's gross!"
Kit chuckled and shook her head, "They're leaves, Indi and herbs and spices. It tastes a lot better than it looks."
"Are you sure?" Indigo asked.
"Positive," Kit said, just as her phone chimed, signaling that she had a text message. She abandoned the spoon in favor of digging her phone from her pocket.
"Who is it? Who is it?" Indigo asked.
'U think u actually look good with that hair? Looks like it was cut by a weed whacker. Ugly & disgusting. Shave it all off and put a bag over your head. Bitch.'
Kit grimaced, her hand automatically going to run through the short wavy locks. She thought her hair was fine. She had cut it years ago and kept the same hairstyle ever since. She liked it, her mother and father liked it...
"Kitty?" Indigo asked, seeing the look on her sister's face, "What's wrong? Hey!"
A tug on her shirt caused Kit to look up from her phone, "Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Indigo asked worriedly. She frowned, "You look sad."
Kit looked at the message again before she placed her phone back into her pocket. She shook her head, "No, Indi, I'm fine. Are the cookies on the table?"
"No," Indigo snapped her fingers, "No, I forgot. Hold on, I'll get them."
"I'll put the tea on the table," Kit called after her. She sighed, lifting the teapot with both hands so that she wouldn't spill it.
Four matching teacups were on the table and she looked up at the ceiling when the teapot was settled, "Mom, daddy, tea is ready!"
Her father came into the kitchen first, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. He pushed his glasses back up his face, "Remind me to call in another order for my contacts. I tore one of them."
Kit giggled, "Put another order in for your contacts."
"Ahahaha," Blake rolled his eyes, "I raised such a comedian."
Kit snickered, "I know."
Smiling, Blake brought his hand up to rest atop Kit's head, moving his hand down the side of her hair.
He scrutinized her appearance, "You okay, Kit Kat?" he asked softly.
Kit forced another laugh, "Do I look that awful?"
"No," Blake shook his head, "You look casual. I think that's the problem. I'm not used to sweatpants and t-shirts."
"It's a lazy day," Kit declared, throwing her arms up. She huffed and looked up at the ceiling again, "Mom!" she shouted.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Everly grinned as she went to her husband's side, "Hold your horses."
"We should get a horse," Indigo mumbled, a package of soft chocolate chip cookies in her hands. She looked up at her mother, "Hi, mommy."
Everly smiled, "Hi, baby. Ready for tea time?"
"Mhm," Indigo grinned, her eyes bright, "Yes, please!"
"Great," Blake clapped his hands together, "Pinkies up?"
Kit chuckled as she took a seat. Laughing even louder when Indigo began to giggle. Her little sister's laugh was contagious and soon, the text message was forgotten.
Lauren flipped the phone closed and smirked, "Thank you, Katie. You're such a gem."
Katie shifted her weight from foot to foot as Jessica, Ashley Dowling who was another Sophomore with black hair began to laugh, "I-I don't know about this, Lauren..."
Lauren stopped laughing and she narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me?"
Katie shifted her weight again, exhaling softly. She looked around Lauren's large living room, before her gaze came back to rest on her black vans, "I just—well, what if we get in trouble?"
"We're not going to get in trouble," Jessica snapped, "Unless, you're planning on telling someone?"
"Katie," Ashley groaned, rolling her brown eyes, "Are you serious?"
"I'm not going to say anything!" Katie exclaimed, her eyes wide, "I just-
"I just," Lauren mocked, "What!? Spit it out."
"What's the point?" Katie blurted. She gestured to the silver phone, "Of the texting and stuff?"
Lauren sighed heavily, bringing her free hand up to massage her temple, "Listen," she spoke gently, "You're not popular, like I am. Everyone knows me, everyone likes me, and it's me who people want to be like. Do you understand how embarrassing it is to have a weirdo Sophomore just stroll in and try to take it all away from you?"
Katie flinched at the term 'weirdo Sophomore' and she shook her head, "No..."
"Does Kit know about your crush on Eric Yorkie?" Ashley asked suddenly.
Katie gasped whipping her head around, "Ashley!"
Lauren snorted in disbelief," You like Eric Yorkie?"
Katie was now the color of her hair and she lowered her head, shrugging, "...He's nice," she said, barely above a whisper.
"Whatever," Lauren rolled her eyes, "The point is, I've worked hard for my reputation. My whole life, really. I plan to win Homecoming Princess, Homecoming Queen during my Senior year, and Prom Queen my Senior year as well. And what do you need to do that? Popularity."
Jessica jumped in, "And did you know, I heard Eric talking about Kit the other day? He heard the jocks were asking her out and was talking about it. Did you know that? Hm?"
"Kit doesn't like him," Katie said matter-of-factly, "She wouldn't do that."
"She did it to us," Jessica gestured to herself and Lauren.
"She's nice," Katie said meekly, "Really, she's-
"Then you can go sit with her in the library by yourselves," Lauren suggested, "Is that what you want to do?"
Katie scowled, "N-no..."
"Okay, then," Lauren nodded in satisfaction, "That's what I thought."
"It's not going to be bad, right?" Ashley now looked worried, "Like, we're not going to hurt her or…?" she trailed off and scratched her arm in anxiety.
Lauren smirked and rolled her eyes, "No, we won't hurt her. We're just going to mess with her a bit. Okay, Katie?"
Katie gnawed on her lower lip, debating. She liked Kit. The brunette was pleasant to be around and had actually encouraged Katie to ask Eric out. Had Kit just been making fun of her? Kit was still new to the school and she attracted attention with the outfits she wore, but she kept her head held high with confidence. Surely, she could take a few jokes?
And Lauren had promised they wouldn't take things too far. After all, they had their whole lives to think about. Katie, herself had plans to be a veterinarian, and it was clear that Lauren had plans for her future too. The blonde was always talking about scholarships that she had already been offered.
Ashley spoke up again, snapping Katie out of her thoughts. Ashley looked as anxious as Katie felt, "And no one's going to get in trouble? Because...I've never even had a detention before. My mom would-
"No one will get in trouble, God," Jessica rolled her eyes in annoyance, "How many times does it have to be said: we're just going to mess with her. A few jokes and whatever. It's no big deal."
"We're just going to mess with her?" Katie repeated, looking pointedly at Lauren, "That's it?"
Lauren nodded curtly, "That's it," she confirmed, "Promise."
Katie sighed heavily, finally relenting, "Okay, then."