Chapter Two | first day part one

Despite a part of me wanting to start a conversation with Esme I couldn't bring myself to do it. It always took forever for me to say what I wanted to say and though she had decided she would help me around the school I didn't want to be even more of a bother than before.

So, I sat quietly as Esme drove down the main highway to the high school, which resembles more of matching houses than a loaming multiple storied building. There were overhead paths that went from building to building with nicely trimmed bushes on either side of each pathway.

The first building happened to be the front office. I almost wanted to ask Esme to go into the building to gather my information I needed before coming and helping me out of the van. I knew it was wrong of me to ask this, and I needed to gain some more courage, so I kept my mouth shut as Esme pulled into the parking lot and got out of the van and came around the van to pull my wheelchair out, and then unbuckle me from my seat before sitting me onto the wheelchair.

I kept my head down and peered at my fingernails, as my mind went to Leigha and how just last night we were talking about girlish things. I didn't want to be ungrateful towards Esme, but I wished Leigha was here. I was only used to a certain amount of people, then again, and I wasn't someone who enjoyed change at all.

Esme pushed my wheelchair into the front office, where I was greeted with a blast of air conditioning. If I weren't wearing my hoodie over a shirt, then I knew I would have been shivering uncontrollably. Thankfully that didn't happen, it was almost as though Esme had a foresight of how cold the front office was going to be, then again, I wasn't the first student in this high school or any high school that Esme took care of, so it was kind of obvious the schools would be completely cold even when it wouldn't make sense to do so.

I brought my head up enough to take in the scenery around me. The office had padded folding chairs that lined on either side of the walls. The carpet was orange flecked commercial, with potted plants that were all the crevices of the front office. The room was cut in half by a counter, where a woman was sitting behind the desk. She was large, with red hair and was wearing glasses, her glasses complimented her shirt when it came to the shades of purple she was wearing.

"Good morning, Shelly. I'm here to get Bella's schedule and blueprint of the school." Esme made sure to give a bright, cheerful smile as Shelly–actually Mrs. Cope now that I was pulled close enough to the desk to see the name tag. Mrs. Cope nodded her head and went into the backroom to get the proper papers I would need for the day.

Coming back into the front room of the front office, Mrs. Cope handed my papers to Esme before she turned her attention to me.

"Hello, Bella. On behalf of everyone here, I would like to welcome you with open arms to Forks High. I know that you have Mrs. Cullen but if you ever need someone else to rely on here you can always count on me."

I kept my head down when she first started to speak, partly because I was still quite tired from waking up this morning earlier than usual, and another being I didn't want to feel sympathy from the woman. I didn't want this much attention on me, especially in matters such as this. It only made me even more embarrassed when Mrs. Cope claimed that she would always be here for me if Esme wasn't there for me, she was here to have me rely on her. Not the main secretary of the high school.

Esme pushed my wheelchair out of the front office building, making sure we were a little bit further away from the building before I took a deep breath. She waited patiently for me to gather my courage up before I tapped my fingers against the arms of my wheelchair to let her know I was ready for us to get to my first class of the day, English with Mr. Mason.

Mr. Mason was waiting outside of his classroom when we went down the main hallway of the English department (well actually each building only had one hallway for each subject, because of how small the high school population was). He had his hands clasped together in front of him as the glasses that were upon his nose sent out little glints from the pale, bluish tinge of light that came from the windows. He was dressed in a generic nice teacher ensemble–the nice sweater, with the dress pants and matching hued dress pants. His hair was combed down, nicely. He was cleanly shaved, there were no prickles or thick facial hair upon his pale skin.

"Good morning, Esme. Good morning, Miss Swan. There's a recording tape already on your desk from this lecture I had pre-recorded earlier this week. You don't have to worry about a thing, I've also heard you enjoy listening to audiobooks and are already familiar with this semester's authors we will be going over," Mr. Mason said as we came up to him, earning a relieved smile from me, one that was shaky, but one that let him know I appreciated him telling me this.

Esme pulled me into the classroom, where there were conversations that were going around me. Most of the conversations that were happening around me had to do with me. They were ready to see me in their classroom, since I was a unique case in this town. Not only did I have a disability that would put me in a wheelchair, said disabled teenager ended up being the chief-of-police's daughter! That meant things were even more interesting in their opinion.

Yet when I was pulled into the classroom everything became silent. There wasn't any laughing, anymore conversations when they saw me. They were seeing what I looked like, and not what they thought I looked like. I didn't look up at any of them and give them a shy smile, instead I kept my head down and didn't pay attention to anyone around me. Esme pushed me without stopping me and trying to get me to talk to any of them, she understood my weariness and she respected it.

Reaching the back desk in the classroom, in the corner of the room, and was wheelchair accessible, it didn't take long for Mr. Mason came striding into the classroom. It also didn't take long for him to reign things in, making sure everyone was paying more attention to him than they were to me. He seemed as though he had eyes in the back of his head for whenever someone would even glance over at me, he would be spinning on his heels and asking that exact person a question for the test we would have at the end of the week.

Esme had a chair that had been put into the back of the classroom for her. She sat there quietly, writing down notes, as she softly hummed. Her legs were crossed lady-like, in such a manner any Royal Family in the world would weep at the perfection of her posture. She'd glance up from her papers she was writing on and give me soft smiles, a wink or two that made her golden irises stand out even more, as though to let me know that she was here if I needed to use her as an excuse.

Once English was over, Esme had begun to push me down the hallway outside of the classroom when the one brunette girl in the classroom that was seated near me and kept glancing back at me reached us. She gave a nervous smile, and pushed pieces of her hair behind her ear, before greeting Esme first, "hi! Mrs. Cullen!"

Esme gave a warm smile towards Jessica.

"Good morning, Jessica."

"May I see Bella's schedule? I was wondering if we had any other classes that we shared? I could look after her also, how hard can it be?" Jessica stated, rolling her eyes for a moment, as though she was being funny before her mouth fell open and her eyes widened at what she had just implied.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean…um…I should probably get going!"

Thankfully, the pretty blue-eyed girl rushed down the hallway red faced now. She was being innocent and didn't mean anything by it, but I could honestly say I was glad the girl realized her mistake and decided she would leave now. She didn't want to sound anymore idiotic or rude than she already was, when she had first come up to me and Esme.

"Are you okay?"

Two squeezes.

She pushed forward, knowing that we should probably be getting to my second class of the day, Government, with Mr. Jefferson. She was trying to assure me that even though Mr. Jefferson wasn't someone who was a smiling person, a welcoming person, he wasn't a mean person. She wanted me to make my own decision about him in the end, and obviously she was someone who tried to look at the best in people and make them sound better than they really were.

Mr. Jefferson was a burly man, while Mr. Mason was a tall and thin man–pencil thin. Mr. Jefferson had a buzz cut hairstyle with a cap on his head while Mr. Mason had thick locks of hair that were already turning premature gray, probably either to do with stress or genetics. It could be both. Either way, both teachers were stark contrasts of each other–both in appearances but also in personality wise.

Mr. Mason was calm, collected, and patient. Mr. Jefferson on the other hand seemed as though he was betting his family's house on a certain time we would arrive at his classroom. His eyes kept glancing down at his watch, before they would flicker upwards, and he kept clearing his throat every few moments. He did pause and look at us when we came close enough, for him to sigh in relief and gruffly acknowledge Esme.

"Mrs. Cullen. Try to get here as soon as possible. The last thing we need is for all the students to be chatting it up in the classroom. You know how much I value silence in my classroom and order," Mr. Jefferson informed her, enough for Esme to merely smile warmly at him (I noted though that the smile didn't appear as brightly as it did towards Mr. Mason).

"Of course, Mr. Jefferson. I'll make sure to get in contact with Principal Greene and let him know Bella will be taught by me when it comes to Government during this period in the library. Bella and I will be heading there now, so we can become accustomed to it instead of your classroom," Esme stated before she pushed the wheelchair so we could head towards the entrance/exit doors of the building.

"You can't do that!"

"On the contrary, Mr. Jefferson. I am allowed to exert my power as Bella's helper in this school when I feel as though her physical and emotional needs are not taken seriously. You can go back to your class," Esme added a moment later, without turning around. Behind us we could hear him grumbling something before he entered his classroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

Just like Esme had said she would do, she led me in the direction of where the library was. It was about the size I had expected for this school to have, nothing on the large scale but not too small. There were plenty of bookshelves and two rooms that were closed off for studying/testing. The librarian was a warm woman who looked as though she was on the edge of retirement and was on a first name basis with Esme. She welcomed us into the library as though she was my designated block teacher instead of Mr. Jefferson and gave me a small smile but nothing that was too overwhelming.

Esme brought me into one of the closed off study rooms and shut the door a good bit, leaving only a few inches open so I wouldn't feel completely claustrophobic. She pulled out a novel from her purse she had, one that was bookmarked, and I could tell it was one of those time period novels from back in the 1800's. It wasn't a classic novel from a classic author from that time period, but it was an author who loved that time period and should have been born in that time period writing a story of their favorite time period. So, it was just as good in my opinion.

"T-Thank you."

Esme didn't look up from her novel, but she gave a slightly curled upwards smile towards me. An acknowledgement of me and letting me know if I didn't want to say anything else about the subject then it was fine. She would let me continue the subject if I wanted to, otherwise we could enjoy the peace and quiet of the library study room.

When the bell rang, signaling for my third class of the day, I ended up being pulled into the Trig classroom, which was taught by Mr. Varner. He was glancing down at paperwork, though he looked up when he could hear the wheels of my wheelchair coming into the classroom. He was on the edge of becoming middle-aged and had a worn out-tired look upon his face, but there was nothing about him that made me want to have Esme turn the wheelchair and leave the classroom. I just hated the subject, I hated anything math related.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cullen. Good morning, Miss Swan. I hope you've had a pleasant morning so far. If you look next to you, you can see your desk."

My heart dropped at the end of his introduction to me, my eyes flickering towards the desk that was pushed up against Mr. Varner's desk. He was going to have me sat in front of the whole classroom, front and center, so everyone would be staring at me. My hands started to shake, and I had some stressful noises coming from me, nothing that really could be put into words.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Mr. Varner probed, having decided he would indeed make sure to correct his mistake. I just kept glancing at that desk I would be forced to be wheelchaired to and having all those judgmental eyes on me.

"I'm sorry, no, that's inexcusable. There are one or two empty desks in the back. You may use one of those," Mr. Varner profusely apologized, as I hung my head down and looked at my hands that were in my lap. My face was flushed red, as everyone saw me having an emotional breakdown.

Esme pushed me towards one of the desks and I stayed still, as though this was Jurassic Park all the sudden. If I didn't move, then they wouldn't be able to see me.

Only, it wasn't Jurassic Park.

I was in a small-town high school, sitting in a wheelchair and constantly reminded of my cerebral palsy. I was feeling the eyes of that Jessica girl on me again, which didn't help either. I could feel the determination that was coming from her, letting me know she was going to have a second attempt at becoming my friend in the future.

I was fine with this not happening, but there was always that one kid in school who thought they should be the one admired for being so open hearted and kind. Oh, they were doing the right thing. Let us all applaud and tell you that you're amazing because you decide to go and hang out with the disabled kid! Yeah, no. I had enough experience in that field back in Phoenix. They only tried to be nice and kind to me because it looked good for them. Not because they were doing the right thing in general.

My last class before lunch happened to end up being Spanish. Mrs. Goff was more than accommodating when it came to my disability. She was just as helpful as Mr. Mason was. Other than the embarrassing moment with Mr. Jefferson (my soon-to-be-not-teacher), all my other teachers had seemed as though they had no problem with having a student that had cerebral palsy (even with the little slip up that came from Mr. Varner).

Esme made sure I was settled at my desk before informing me she needed to use the restroom. I watched her leave for a moment before the seat next to me was taken again. I noted in the corner of my eye the pink sparkly nail polish. Jessica Stanley was about to make her second attempt at offering a friendship with me.

"Hi, Bella. I'm sorry about how things were earlier. If you ever want to eat lunch with me and my friends, we'd love to have you. Or if you ever need a study-buddy you could study with me and the girls. One of my friends is Angela, and she's one of the main tutors for the students here, if you ever want help with someone your own age."

I slowly let my eyes flicker away from that hand that was on the table next to me, not knowing what to say. In fact, my mouth was becoming cotton mouthed. I didn't know what to do, and despite trying to think of what to do I just couldn't bring myself to say anything.

What if I embarrassed myself? What if I was too rude to her or I didn't say something she could understand? I opened my mouth without thinking, but before I could say anything Esme came bounding into the classroom again.

Jessica retracted her hand, as if realizing this time that if she wanted me to be friends with her, she would have me come to her. It was only the first day also, the last thing I wanted to worry about was finding a group of teenagers to be friends with. I had my helper for today, so it wasn't as though I would be completely alone today. I just wouldn't have any friends with me.

When the bell rang, signaling that it was time for lunch, Esme pushed me out of the classroom last. We were moving at our own speed, watching as the mass of teenagers around us all headed to the cafeteria. It was the designated lunch period for the whole school, since the school was so tiny in its population. There wouldn't be any need for them to split the lunches throughout the day.

Reaching the cafeteria, Esme gave a thankful smile towards one of the teenagers as they left the door open for us to go through and then them. The teenager gave a blinding smile towards Esme, blushing hotly, because of the fact that she was pretty, and he had gained her attention. The side of my lips twitched up in amusement at having caught that little motion.

Once we entered the cafeteria, Esme pushed me in the direction of where a table was further away from all the others.

Only, instead of it being completely empty, there was a golden eyed teenage girl sitting at the table. She was short, very short, and very thin. To be honest if it weren't for her golden eyes and almost blue like pale skin, I wouldn't know it was one of Esme's foster daughters.

Yet, since she did have that skin tone and those eyes it was obvious, she was the foster daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. She was wearing a silver velvet spaghetti strap blouse with a white long sleeve shirt underneath it, dark washed jeans and some nice black heeled boots. Her obsidian hair was short and was hacked away on the top of her head. If it were on anyone else's head, it would have looked like a nightmare or lazy, but on this girl, it was a beautiful mess. She even brought her hand up, where she was wearing a cute silver charm bracelet covered to the brim with different charms, so she could wave at both her foster mother and me.

Esme went to say something only for the girl to hop up from her spot, revealing she really was as tiny as I thought she was, if not tinier. The girl brought her hand up, as a way to show she meant peace. "Please don't send me away, Mom! I just wanted to meet Bella first. Jasper is even buying her some lunch right now too!"

Esme's features became softer when she heard that part, enough that she let her eyes flicker down to me. "It's not my decision in the end, sweetie. It's Bella's. Bella, are you okay if my foster children come and sit with us while you eat?"

I made myself look at Alice, despite the fact I didn't like looking face-to-face with people that long. I could see there was no judgment that was upon her features. She was waiting patiently, and I knew she would respect my decision in the end. I tapped my fingers against the arm of my wheelchair two times, enough for Esme to confirm Alice and Jasper could sit with us while I ate.

Jasper came up not too long afterwards, revealing a teenage boy that had canary hued curls that cascaded against his long and thin shoulder blades. His eyes were very dark, though they still had a bit of gold to them, and his body was tight and almost secluded. I didn't know how to feel about him, though I did mumble, "t-thank you," when he sat my tray of food in front of me very softly, as though he didn't want to spook me.

Jasper nodded his head before he went and sat on the other side of Alice, which was on the side that was away from me. Alice reached into the pockets of her backpack before she pulled out some fashion and teen magazines. She even pulled out a pink sparkle inked pen from one of the pockets of her backpack, prepared to circle her favorite clothes she wanted for later or to do different quizzes the magazine company would put into them.

She let her hand that didn't hold the pen to reach out and take Jasper's, letting me know that she was comforting him. Esme gave a look towards Alice, and Alice pouted as she went to pull her hand away from Jasper's, only for me to make a soft noise.

"D-Dating?"

"Yes, we're all dating, except for Edward. I'm dating Jasper, and Jasper's twin, Rosalie, is dating our foster brother, Emmett," Alice supplied, enough for me to want to turn my head in the direction of the table she was looking at, but I didn't have the energy to. I swore I could feel them staring at me, burning holes into the back of my skull.

Thankfully, I soon was able to focus my attention on my lunch. It was just another processed meal that the school board had approved. Phil, my stepdad, had always made me lunch meals for the week and stuck them into the back of my backpacks when he was leaving for work–to make sure that I would have something already cut up and ready to be eaten. If he didn't do it himself then it would never get done, since Renee would forget to put them into my backpack.

I was sipping from the straw of a juice box, when I heard one of the cafeteria doors open and slam hard behind the person. Esme's jaw clenched for a moment, but she let her eyes flicker towards me again. I had a weird feeling that it was one of her children that were at the other table who had gotten up and slammed the cafeteria door behind them, hard.

"I'll talk to Edward later, I promise," Alice whispered to Esme, having thought I was still too into my own thoughts to hear this.

Edward.

The only teenager in the family that wasn't dating a foster sibling, or dating anyone, period. The one member of the family that had some tantrum at his table and slammed the cafeteria door behind him like the pubescent teenager he probably was.

I knew eventually I would meet the rest of the Cullen teenagers, but I didn't know how I would feel about meeting Edward Cullen.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: in case you were wondering, this fanfiction is made up of 32 chapters. There is no half-child between Bella and Caius. Women who have cerebral palsy can have children, but I'm more focused on Bella and her adventure of accepting and loving herself/along with Caius learning to show a softer side. Those who are reading the other two stand-alone trilogies: no half-ling children for them either. Instead, Bella forms a bond with Alec and Jane, since in the books they are 12 and are still children, themselves.

I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of 'AS I BREATHE'. Next chapter Bella will have her famous Biology scene with Edward. Only Esme will be there...so she'll be able to see the whole thing.

-Emmy

as always: Twilight doesn't belong to me