Prologue
Dying young was never in my plans. How many teenagers actually spend time thinking about stuff like that anyway? I certainly hadn't expected something like this.
Staring down the bitch across the room, the one who thought she had some claim on me, I realize with unflinching certainty for the first time in this whole thing that I was completely out of my league with all this stuff.
As the grin stretches across her face the truth of the whole situation hits me. She used all of my natural, protective instincts to get me here. It's all been a well-played game, with my life on the line.
I can't help still feeling I made the right choice in coming back home to Forks, even as the psycho begins her trek across the room to end my life as I know it.
Chapter 1 - Did I mention he's perfect?
I am actually doing this. That thought was running on repeat through our surprisingly quiet ride to the airport. After finally finding a space in the airport parking garage, it was with a less than concealed huff that I killed the engine.
"So, who will you miss more me or her?" They were the first words my mother had said to me in more than ten minutes, maybe a new record for her.
After giving me all of two seconds to respond she asked, "Well?"
It did the trick and I laughed. "Oh, come on, how do I decide between my mother and my baby?" I asked in return. Not only would I be leaving my mother behind in the Arizona sun but also my 1966 Chevy Nova that I had spent over a year rebuilding.
For a moment she laughed with me but then turned serious, "Dan, you really don't have to go." This was a line I had heard at least a thousand times in the past week since making up my mind to do this.
"I want to go." It wasn't even a lie and she knew it. That was the main reason she was actually letting me, that and I was seventeen. My parent's custody agreement let me decide for myself to live with my father if I wanted to. Of course, there was that whole other thing too but I wasn't dwelling on that right now.
"I'm sure if you and Phil just tried a little harder…" This was a line I was getting tired of hearing.
The truth was I liked Phil and am actually a lot like him. I've been told quite a bit that I am an alpha male, Phil is also an alpha male. Now as the alpha male with seniority in my house I like things a certain way. You add another such person who suddenly wants everything his certain way and is having sex with my mom then we pretty much have ourselves a problem.
If I actually hated Phil, it would probably be different but I don't. Main reason, he actually makes my mom happy and takes care of her. While a very alpha guy in general, he isn't toxic which is how I aspire to be too. He actually treats my mom right, unlike so many before him. Let's just say I made sure all those assholes were old news. Phil actually talked to me before he proposed, which I thought was old fashioned but classy. Phil was different from the start but we find ourselves at what I should have foreseen as the inevitable conclusion of cohabitation.
"Mom, now is the best time for you and Phil to be close. You are newlyweds and going on the road with him makes sense. You get husband and wife time, me and dad get father and son time, everybody wins."
Again, not even lying. For some weird reason people assume because I live in another state with my mom that I'm not close with my dad and that's totally not true. I talk to my dad three to four times a week and have always loved the weeks in the summer that I got to spend with him since my folks split up.
This will be my first time back to Forks since I was twelve as my grandparents had started getting older and dad decided to spend our summers together with them in California.
"I know it's hard since Greg…" I cut her off.
"Not talking about that." In my firmest, that's final voice.
From there we were quiet again on the walk to gate, probably twelve minutes, another new record. The silence was finally interrupted by, "Say hi to Charlie for me, yeah?"
I simply nodded as I pulled my mom in for one last hug, whispered "Will do, love you mom" and then I was off to the Pacific Northwest.
I had just pulled my check bag from the carrousel in baggage claim when I saw my dad wander in. He was in full uniform or regalia as I like to tease him. As duly appointed Chief of Police of the small town of Forks, Washington it was a rare sight outside of the nearest fishing hole to see him dressed any other way.
We approached at a normal pace, both of us smiling. We stopped a few feet apart when he greeted me. "Brendan." His grin bloomed into a full out smirk. "Charles." I shot back for his nerve to actually use my full name. This had been a running joke between us for years as our first greeting after not seeing each other for a while. Neither one of us preferred being called by our full names.
Dad broke first as was also true to tradition and pulled me into a hug. "I missed you kid. I see you went ahead and grew some more." That brought the smile right back to my face. I was very pleased with the couple extra inches I'd grown since I saw him in the summer as I was now 6'3" and officially taller than him.
"So, how is your mom?" That was a loaded question. Mom has always been a bit proprietary over me growing up and for me to decide to come live with him full time was not to her liking. However, in the end she couldn't fault my logic for getting distance between me and Phoenix and letting her settle into her new marriage.
"She'll deal. She has her new man to keep her occupied." It was a relief to be able to say things like that to him and know that he was long over her and his laugh in response just proved it.
As we loaded up into his standard issue Ford Crown Victoria cruiser he casually mentioned, "I may have located a vehicle for you. I am well aware of the trauma you're feeling at leaving your baby behind but I think this could give you a new fun project to sink your wrenches into."
He instantly had my attention; cars were just about my most favorite thing in the world. Before I could respond he spoke again, "It's actually a truck, a 1963 Chevy Step-side to be specific."
"Where did you get it?"
"Well, Billy had been driving it for a while but he's recently been confined to wheelchair and doesn't get around as easy." Hearing that dimmed some of my excitement. Billy Black had been my dad's best friend going way back before I was born. He lived down on the La Push reservation at the coast not far from town. I had great memories of fishing and hunting with him and my dad when I was little.
"You didn't tell me Billy was in a wheelchair dad!" My tone was accusatory and as much as we talked, I couldn't believe he hadn't told me.
Knowing he was caught, he brought one hand off the wheel in a placating gesture, "It's a pretty recent development Dan really, it's an old injury that's just caught up with him. He's in overall good health, the old wolf will outlive us all."
From there we settled in for the long drive from Seattle to Forks. Dad decided to take the ferry across Puget Sound rather than drive around, which was fine by me I loved riding the ferry. The salty air going across the sound reminded me of childhood and simpler times. Times before things like best friends… Nope, still not going there.
The rest of the trip back to Forks was easy. Dad and I talked about cars, sports and TV, all of our usual topics. He didn't bring up HIM, which I was thankful for.
Finally, we were there. As we pulled into the driveway, I couldn't help but notice the faded red truck sitting next to the cruiser. Guessing this was my new ride, I immediately jumped out to inspect my new project. Unsurprisingly, the door wasn't locked, a common thing in small town like Forks so I went to pop the hood. As I was moving towards the front of the truck a set of keys were flashed before my face. "Come in once you've checked it out but don't take too long," was all dad had to say before leaving me to my inspection.
I didn't have tools right in hand so there was a limit to how much I could do in the moment but with the key was able to fire it up and watch the engine in motion. I had to admit for a truck that age it was running pretty well. Whoever Billy's mechanic was, they did a good job keeping this thing in shape. Satisfied I would have a solid ride to school in the morning, I shut it down and turned to the house.
I laughed out loud at the wreath still hanging on the front door even though Christmas was three weeks ago. Deciding I wasn't going to live in a house still repping Christmas in January, I pulled the wreath of its peg and took it with me into the house.
It had been five years since I had been back to my first home and boy had it changed. Gone was the faded white paint and scruffy front yard. Instead, fresh blue paint with white trim covered the outer walls with a freshly mowed lawn and neatly trimmed hedges. I wondered if he'd done anything with the inside which became apparent as soon as I stepped inside, upgrades could be seen all over the main level. The front room was modernized and the fireplace had a gas insert rather than remaining wood burning. The kitchen sported new cabinets and laminate flooring. Stainless steel appliances were now the norm.
These changes must have cost a pretty penny. I knew his salary wasn't huge and mom had always gotten a healthy child support from him. I turned to my dad with a bit of awe and found myself asking, "Holy crap dad, you aren't on the take or anything are you?"
His response was to chuckle and shake his head rather than be offended for which I was glad. "No Dan, not on the take, just frugal with money and good at finding deals."
He noticed the wreath in my hand. "Been meaning to take that down." He walked over and took it from me. "Need any help getting all that up to your room?" he asked, motioning to my bags he had brought in while I was checking out the truck.
"Nah, I got it" was my simple response. With my backpack slung over my shoulder, I grabbed my two big bags in each hand to lug them up to my bedroom. Purely for effect, I made a show of flexing my muscles as I passed dad on the way to the stairs to prove the point of my not needing help. His only response was to chuckle again as I passed him. So, sue me, I'm a seventeen-year-old boy who likes working out and appreciates the fact I have a strong, tall body.
As I open the door to my old room, I notice some changes here too. The walls have been repainted in the same light brown as my room in Phoenix. Nice touch dad. I think to myself, definitely touched he would go to the trouble. I'd picked out that paint myself after finally getting permission from mom to change the color. Also in the room was a selection of workout equipment, including a Bowflex machine, again just like the one I left behind in Phoenix.
It hit me in that moment that dad was making a real effort for me to be happy here. It made me feel warm inside in a way I hadn't in quite a while. Knowing there was somebody who knew me well enough and cared enough to do these things for me because they wanted me to be happy was pretty awesome.
As I started to put away my limited stuff my thoughts drifted to school that I be attending starting tomorrow. Dad had already taken care of enrolling me so it was just left to me to show up. I knew in advance that attending Forks High would be big transition from what I was used to. Easily only one tenth of the size of my old school, everyone here would know each other and have a lifetime of history. I moved away when I was five so I never went to school with any of the town kids and my summers here were filled with time with dad at home and on the reservation. I would easily know more kids from La Push than kids from Forks. I would be the new specimen in the experiment of high school. Of course, just being the new kid would make me stand out like a sore thumb but being tall and built would add to that.
Then there was the other thing. It hadn't been a big deal in Phoenix and our school had a zero-tolerance policy for bullying but I had no idea how a small town like Forks would react to a gay kid joining their school. Hopefully my size alone would keep those with ideas at bay. I came out as a freshman and don't intent to ever hide who I am. That said, I don't exactly exhibit what many would think of as stereotypical gay traits. A few kids in the LGBT Alliance back home actually gave me shit sometimes for not showing my pride enough, just because I'd prefer to wear a white t-shirt and my letter jacket instead of something more colorful. I have a rainbow pin on my backpack and if that wasn't enough for any of those clowns then whatever. Otherwise, it wasn't a big deal.
Telling mom had been a piece of cake, her response was "Oh my god honey now we can talk about boys." Needless to say, I did not have many conversations discussing boys with my mother, besides our types are very different. I'd been a little more worried about telling dad. He had never given me any reason to think he was definitely anti-gay but he was raised in a small town.
Eventually though, I did tell him and his response was awesome. He just said, "Oh, ok. Well now, all the stuff I told you about girls still applies. Make sure you show them respect and make sure they respect you. Oh, and tell your mother you may need condoms in more than one size." Mortifying but awesome.
Right there I decided that I would keep my rainbow pin on my backpack and let the coming out process happen naturally.
I knew absolutely zero teenage boys who were morning people and I was no exception. Nonetheless, upon my alarm going off, I dragged my zombie ass into the shower which helped me wake up. After my shower I stood at the sink to put in my contacts. After blinking them into alignment, I looked myself over in the mirror.
I was a good-looking guy, basic All-American sort of look, according to many girls and a number of guys from back in Phoenix. My chocolate brown hair is so dark it looks black most of the time but showed off the brown in the sun, was currently at medium length and was easy enough to style with a comb and a little gel. My workout routine kept my body in good shape, with defined muscles including abs so I never really had reason to worry about how people saw me.
Breakfast was a quick bowl of cereal and some toast with dad who warned me that most days he would already be gone but he wanted to see me off today; what was I 10? At least he wasn't actually taking me to school.
As I opened the door, I realized there was fine mist in the air and cringed as my jacket didn't have a hood. Oh well, no time to go looking for a ball cap now, so I made my way out to my truck. It started right up and I was on my way to my new school.
As I pulled up to the school, I noticed students already milling about so I was later than I had originally hoped. I knew I needed to go to the office to get my schedule so I parked as close as I could to the sign that read front office and head inside.
The interior was much like other schools I'd attended. Bright fluorescent lighting illuminated the hallway with lockers running down each side. Again, noticing a sign advising me I was at the office I entered a small receiving room with hallways going both directions to what I assume were staff offices. A secretary was stationed at the main counter so I figured it was best to start there. The first thing I noticed about her was her bright purple shirt and thought that the LGBT Alliance back home would have definitely approved.
As I approached, she looked up and asked, "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, hi. I'm Brendan Swan, I'm here for my schedule."
Recognition popped into her eyes, "Of course, we have been expecting you. Let me get your schedule for you."
She moved over to the computer down the counter and began typing away. As the printer next to her started up, she spoke again. "You will need to take this paper around with you to all of your classes so each teacher can sign it and return it here at the end of the day. I hope you like it here at Forks Mr. Swan."
She then handed me the mentioned paper for signatures but my actual schedule and a map of the school. Forks High was laid out very differently from my old school. With several buildings connected by walkways rather one large, six-story building like I'd had before.
While I hoped that being the sheriff's' son could lead to me being able to get out of things like speeding or parking tickets, I felt like not testing that on the first day would be a good idea so I hightailed it back out to my truck to move it to the student parking lot.
Based on how late I had arrived at school, I was likely lucky just finding a spot on the far end of the lot from the school. As I began walking back towards where my map was advising I would find building three, the mist from earlier had not stopped at all and was now clinging to my hair. Maybe the extra minute to find that cap would have been worth it.
Being the gearhead I am, I can't help but critique the selection of cars I see in the parking lot as I walk towards the school. Back In Phoenix, it was a pretty big mix with some kids driving pretty low-end junk to others with high end models. Here the nicest thing I see in the whole lot is a year-old Silver Volvo, a nice, safe car but not cool. I would have though at least one kid in this town would have an old muscle car. Even if it was in crap condition, old cars have such style and deserve their due. My truck was the most vintage thing here, disappointing.
As I got closer to the mob of students moving like ants to their various destinations, I began to see that people were noticing the new specimen in the tank. Heads we turning to follow my movements and I decided to start a timer in my head to see how long it would be until the first brave soul decided to make the leap and talk to me.
Amazingly, no one approached me until I had reached the room for my first class, English. I noticed a pattern of other students stopping to hang up their coats and put umbrellas into a rack by the door. I followed suit and hung up my jacket. After that I walked over to the teacher, who my schedule identified as Mr. Mason, to get him to sign my form. He was a shorter, aging guy with a bald spot but seemed friendly enough. He sent me to an empty desk with a reading list.
Skimming the list, I found that there were actually a few new things there that I'd be reading for the first time. While far from nerd, I always was good with learning things so while some kids might be disappointed to have new things to read, I was happy with the result.
The end of the period was signaled by a high-pitched buzzing sound. What ever happened to an actual bell? As I grabbed my coat I was finally approached by a student. He was a skinny, Asian Kid with glasses whose head barely came to my chin but he'd been in my class so I assume he was also a junior.
"So, you're Brendan Swan?" Either an overly helpful type or a fan, neither is really appealing.
"I go by Dan actually." Several heads seemed to swivel at that. I hadn't noticed all the people who had stopped to listen to our conversation, such as it was.
Completely undeterred, Mr. over helpful asks, "What is your next class?"
Deciding to throw him a bone, I check my schedule again, "Government with Jefferson in building 6."
"I'm heading that general direction; I could show you. Eric, by the way."
Eric kept up a general chit chat on our walk asking me about Phoenix and talking about the weather. He kept it light though, so I figured it he wasn't so bad.
The rest of the morning passed by much the same way. More helpful souls guided me to my classes. Only one teacher, Mr. Varner the Trig teacher, was a big enough ass to make me introduce myself to the class like it was third grade. I figured if I was going to be the new specimen no matter what why not go with it. I actually reminded the good students of trig class that I was actually a Forks native and was glad to be returning home all the while flashing my winningest smile/smirk. Hopefully that would help begin the process of humanization.
Of the various people who did end up talking to me, only one had me mentally hitting the red alert button. The Asian kid from the morning had gone from helpful to overly-helpful really fast. Everyone else had at least respected my personal space but over-eager as I began to call him in my head, seemed to appear out of nowhere and seemed to want to insert himself between me and others as if staking a claim. At the end of my fourth period class, I was saved by a nice girl named Jessica who invited me to her lunch table, which was full of a fairly boisterous crowd.
I recognized a few of the faces from some of my morning classes but no names were fully etched into my brain yet. As I sat there immersed in the conversation while not so much actively participating, I began to wonder if this group was the popular kids. So far, I wasn't for or against joining this social circle but figured a quick scan of the room would be in order. As I looked over the occupants of my table and compared to those nearest us it did seem like the more boisterous and shallowly speaking, good looking kids were here at my table.
That idea lasted right up until I noticed them. On the far end of the cafeteria was a table with five kids seated at it, two girls and three boys. They all had trays of food but didn't seem interested in eating. They didn't seem to be talking either. The vibe coming from their table was as if the entire convention of being in that room was somehow beneath them. Normally, that would piss me off and have me turning away faster than anything but somehow, I couldn't find it in myself to turn away.
They were all quite different from each other but had some similar qualities about them. They were all very pale, looked like they could do with a good night's sleep and carried themselves with an aloof, perhaps arrogant attitude I noticed about them first. That is where the similarities ended. One of the girls was blond haired, likely tall and had an extreme Barbie esque beauty. The other girl was black haired but cut short, obviously short, more cute than beautiful. The boys were all quite different as well. The biggest, sitting next to the blond girl put my height and muscles to shame. The next boy, close the brunet, was honey blond, likely quite tall but not nearly as muscled as the first boy. Finally, the last boy was… perfect.
His hair was a shiny brown, maybe bronze would be more accurate. He had a lean build that probably had more muscle than you'd guess until you saw him without a shirt (I could only be so lucky). I could easily tell that standing up his head would neatly fit under my chin. His eyes were dark and very suddenly staring right into my own. It was a strange moment. It was like he was trying to figure out all of my secrets through that stare. Gorgeous or not, I didn't want anybody getting in my head. Not one to look away, I kept the eye contact until the cutie with the dark eyes broke contact. It was just a few seconds but unfortunately Jessica noticed the stare down.
"Well, that didn't take long." I heard Jessica say as she nudged my arm.
"Huh? What didn't take long?" I asked already guessing where she was headed.
"You should know right up front that they are both taken. They are the Cullens by the way."
"Both? Ok. So, who is who?" I asked in return.
"The girls are Rosalie, blond and Alice, brunet. Their boyfriends are Emmett, big guy and Jasper, blond. The last boy is Edward. Dr. Cullen at the hospital and his wife adopted them all. So, they are basically siblings but together. All except Edward but he doesn't seem to like anyone…"
Sounds like someone got shot down, I laughed internally. Not that I would likely find any better success but I guy can dream. Did I mention he's perfect?
"Just so you know, the girls being taken doesn't affect me at all." Her eyes widened and I think she got the message. I continued, "That's pretty amazing that the Cullen's would take in so many kids."
"Yeah, I met the doctor once when I went in for strep throat last year. He's really young. I've heard his wife can't have kids and that's why they adopted them."
"That's a pretty shitty rumor to go spreading around Jessica. Maybe it's true maybe it's not but either way she's a been a mom to those kids and deserves respect for it." I didn't realize my voice had gotten a bit loud and now the whole table was staring at me.
Angela, who was sitting on my other right who seemed kind enough that I decided to memorize her name, jumped into the discussion. "He's right Jess. We don't know anything about Mrs. Cullen but the kids are nice enough even if they keep to themselves."
I couldn't help asking, "Have they always lived here?" I couldn't remember a family like theirs from when I lived in Forks before.
Angela was the one to respond, I think my outburst had stunned Jessica. "They actually just moved here a couple years ago from somewhere in Alaska."
So, they like myself were a fairly recent addition to the town of Forks. They too knew what being the new specimen was like and in some ways, it seemed like they were still being treated that way. If I was under the microscope after two years, I'd probably keep to myself too. Nosy people.
I couldn't help but look back over one more time and again found myself catching the eyes of the smallest male Cullen. He had a gentle smile on his face, he almost looked grateful but there was no way he could have heard me even with my voice being raised from all the way over there. I gave a small smile in return and it was all I could do to tear my eyes away to finish the last of my lunch. Did I mention he was perfect?
As lunch came to an end, I realized that my next class, Biology, was also had by Angela so we walked together. When I got to the room, I repeated my introduction to the teacher I had practiced all morning and got my slip signed. Mr. Banner was obviously a far better teacher than Mr. Varner because there was no awkward intro required here. As he pointed me to my seat, I was slightly shocked to note it was sharing a work station with none other than Edward Cullen.
As I approached the table, I notice a decidedly different demeanor on the face of the boy. Instead of the gentle smile I had been graced with at lunch, I was now on the receiving end of one of the most hostile glares I had ever seen in my life.
For a moment I couldn't think of any reason this boy had gone from smiling at me a little bit ago to this almost intense hate I getting now. Then it hit me, he must have seen my rainbow pin on my backpack. It was obvious that other people had seen it today but nobody had commented or seem to have an issue with it until now. Suddenly this boy seemed a lot less perfect. With that in mind I walked over to our shared table and set my bag down so that my rainbow pin was basically pointed right at him and after getting out my notebook, I left it there instead of moving my bag to the floor like normal. His entire body was tense. He had rolled up the sleeves on his sweater and my earlier assumption of better-defined muscles under his clothes was confirmed but the way those muscles were coiled with obvious distaste made me angry.
His tense posture never left through the whole period. He was leaning as far away from me as he could the entire time while still sitting at the desk. I did my best to just ignore the jackass and keep my head in the lesson but with about five minutes to go, I finally turned to take a look at him what I saw in his eyes I would never forget. It was a look of utter loathing and revulsion, like if he could possibly do it, he would wipe me out in a moment.
I went from shocked to pissed off in about two seconds. Who was this kid to think he had any right look at me like that? I learned a long time ago that making a big scene in front of others rarely comes out well and since I'm the new guy even if Cullen here isn't a popular guy, he may have allies so I bite my tongue, for now. Did I mention he was definitely NOT perfect!
Before I really had a chance to get a hold of my feelings that weird noise was back signaling the end of class. With the bell went Edward Cullen. He was up and out the door of the classroom faster than I could imagine. I had just grabbed my bag and was all set to take off after him and give him a piece of my mind when the cute blond boy I sat with at lunch stepped over to my table. His name actually popped into my head, "Hey, Mike, right?"
His face lit up into a huge smile, "Yeah, that's me. You're Brendan."
"Dan, just Dan." I corrected him. Normally a boy this cute smiling such a puppy dog smile at me would get a better reaction but I was still thrown from what just happened.
"Dan, cool. Do you need any help finding your next class?" I noticed his eyes land on my rainbow pin and move back and forth between it and my face a couple of times before settling on looking at me.
"Actually, I'm just headed to the gym so that one should be easy."
"That's my next class too." His puppy grin hadn't diminished, even with my less than friendly attitude. I shouldn't let what happened with Cullen spoil an opportunity to meet a new boy.
As I walked to gym with Mike, I discovered he was quite the chatterbox. He was a California transplant, only having lived in Forks for six years. Turns out he lived in Fresno, which is the city right next to the town Clovis where my dad's parents live, small world. He was the first person I've known in Washington who actually agreed with me on the value of regular vitamin D, aka sunlight.
Just as we were getting to the gym, he decided to ask what had probably been on his mind the whole way there, "So did you happen to stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or something? I've never seen him act that way before."
So, I wasn't the only person to notice his atrocious behavior. I felt completely vindicated that that someone else saw it. "Yeah, he acted like that the entire class. Completely rigid, leaning away from me like I was diseased or something. I'm pretty sure he saw my pin and didn't like it."
It was the first time all day I brought it up directly to someone. I'm not one for big coming out moments but so far Mike had been cool and he didn't react badly to obviously seeing the pin.
"That's pretty stupid. Honestly, I don't really know him or any of the Cullen's really, they stick to themselves. If you're worried about more people acting like him, well there may be a few but mostly people are cool. I came out as bi last year and as you saw at lunch, I have plenty of friends. Nobody at our table will have a problem with it. And just so you know, if I had been paired with you in class, I would have talked to you and not acted like a jerk."
With that, Mike walked into the gym leaving me alone to think for a moment. Pretty sure I just got hit on there, which I normally don't like. I'm more the go after my prey type of guy but in that moment, after a guy I had already developed a superficial, lust-at-first-sight crush on completely dogged me, it felt nice that someone appreciated what they were seeing in me.
I wonder if Mike is looking for a boyfriend or some fun? Fun I would be into but more isn't something I'm looking for after how things went with HIM back in Phoenix.
I shook off those thoughts and headed into the gym. I always loved gym back in Phoenix. Only two years were required but I had planned to keep taking it through senior year. The combination of being fit and reasonably athletic meant I could do ok in most sports. Being competitive and liking to win didn't hurt either. Like with my other classes, I still had to get the teacher to sign my form. I had figured I wouldn't be able to dress out my first day but apparently Forks High provides uniforms to wear and the teacher, Coach Clapp was able to find me a set. It was just a simple pair of sweats and a t-shirt with the initials FS on the front but it would do. I changed quickly and headed into the gym to learn we were in the middle of a module on volleyball. Admittedly not my best sport but I was competent. Nobody would be losing an eye or anything.
All too soon the class period was over and I was headed back to front office to turn in my accumulated signatures. Did they really think I would ditch on my very first day? Stepping out of the gym, I found the mist that had annoyed me in the morning very refreshing after working up a sweat playing volleyball. I had nearly put the incident in Biology out of my mind by the time I walked back into the office but what I found brought it right back to the front of my mind.
Edward Cullen stood at the secretary's desk and from what I could overhear he was trying to get switched out of our shared Biology class for, his words, anything else. This asshole was that big of a homophobe that he couldn't even stand to be in the same class as me? Before I could completely finish processing this, the door behind me opened and another student whisked their way in to drop a note on the desk and head right back out. For some reason, her coming in caused Cullen to stiffen up, much as he had in class earlier and as he turned around, there once again on his face was that look of intense loathing that I had gotten from him before. In an instant he was turned back to secretary replying, "Never mind then, I can see that it's impossible." Then he turned and left the room his form still completely rigid.
I was livid and was going to give this guy a piece of my mind. I just had to turn in this stupid form.
The secretary, Ms. Cope by her nameplate I hadn't noticed that morning, asked me, "So how was your first day young man?"
"It was fine." I'm sure she could tell I was lying. A blind and deaf person could tell I was lying but she accepted my form and with a simple see you later I was out of there on my hunt for a certain definitely NOT perfect boy.
I made it to the parking lot, just as he was getting to his car. Should have known he would be the one with the stupid, boring Volvo. I wanted nothing more than to march over there and have it out with him but I noticed that he had been joined by his two brothers, large and extra-large. I can easily handle myself in a fight but that wasn't what I was looking for here. I just wanted to tear him a new one verbally but I couldn't be certain his brothers would accept that, plus if he's such a homophobe it probably runs in the family.
Feeling like I had no other choice, I decided to just head home. Getting home, I was still pissed so I decided to use the extra energy to work out. I had a routine I'd developed to maximize workouts on my Bowflex so I went to town. I probably overdid things a bit with how keyed up I was but dad getting home broke my stride. By that time, I was pretty exhausted and after wolfing down half the pizza dad brought home for dinner I crashed.