Chapter 3:
Bad luck seemed to follow wherever I went and for the life of me, could not figure out what I'd done to piss off the universe.
I was good at being invisible, blending in with the wall. I liked to compare myself to Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Only he had friends. I did not.
I briefly contemplated that perhaps I'd passed out and hit my head or that I'd died and was sent to an alternate planet, because no way did someone have this much bad luck.
Edward bit the tip of his pen glaring intensely at the blank screen, ignorant of the hoard of people filing into the room.
He sat at the table.
My table.
Oh Lord was I being tested.
Either this was some sick prank and I'd end up horribly humiliated or he just wanted to be as annoying as possible.
I contemplated turning around and walking straight out of the room. I contemplated faking being sick to get a pass to the nurse. I contemplated a lot of scenarios but of course, luck was not in my favor.
It never was.
"Isabella!" he called loud enough just for me to hear. He nodded to the empty seat beside him. "Sit down."
Sit down… did I dare?
"I don't bite."
How was I supposed to know that…
His usual seat was at the front of the room beside Mike Newton, a blonde-haired boy with the energy of a golden retriever, and who I was convinced was born without a brain.
"Mike's been nagging me about taking Jess to Formal. The guy won't shut up about it. You know how Mike is."
No actually. I did not know how Mike is.
I sat down, reluctantly, on the edge of the seat. Mr. Mason switched on the projector, illuminating Romeo and Juliet. We were halfway through the movie and I seriously did not understand the hype. The romanticism of suicide would be the first reason.
"I just had to get away from him, ya know?" Edward continued to ramble.
I pulled out my notebook, his voice going in one ear and out the other. I hated small talk, it was the bane of my existence. I'd rather slit my writs than be forced to sit through this.
I'd thought about it many times before but that would only draw attention- something I did not need.
"… like sorry for intruding and everything but it's refreshing for once not to be harassed. I don't have to worry about that with you."
What? My brow quirked up.
"Cus' like you know," he stammered. "You don't talk."
He liked my silence. That's why he sat next to me. Was that supposed to be a compliment?
"Fuck." He tugged at the ends of his hair. "That was rude of me."
No kidding really?
"Sometimes I say idiotic things I don't actually mean. Alice- my sister- says I've got a problem with that. You seem like a nice person and everything. Tell me I'm not screwing this up."
My lips twitched as I fought to keep the smile off my face. It was kind of funny, watching him struggle for the right words to say. People did not know how to act around me. I was an enigma to most people.
"You kno-"
"Mr. Cullen. Please be silent or kindly remove yourself from the class."
It was silent, the movie playing. Mr. Mason glared at us from the front of the room. Heat rushed to my cheeks and he didn't talk again for the rest of class.
ooOoo
It seemed I'd attracted the attention of the Cullens. The strange behavior from English continued into History with the appearance of the pixi-like girl. She floated across the room, gingerly seating herself beside me as if it were an everyday occurrence.
"Hi, Bella!"
What in the actual fuck?
"You don't mind me calling you Bella, do you?"
The girl talked a mile a minute and there was no escaping Alice Cullen. There was no turning away or faking being ill. It's almost as if she could see the future, anticipating our next move.
It took a certain type of person to deal with Alice and her non-stop chatter.
I was not that person.
But she didn't seem to care.
Grinning like a maniac she bounced in Angela Webber's usual seat. Her dark hair spiked out in all different directions and wore a pink cashmere sweater and faded jeans. I looked like a slob compared to her… then again most people did.
"No."
She smiled wider if that were even possible.
"My mom mentioned running into you at the store. I just thought I would say hello! We've never really spoken before, have we?"
No, we had not and it was just the way I liked it. Her energy burned out any that resided within me. Some people just weren't compatible with each other. While she was fire, I was ice… quickly melting.
"My mom called your father last night about dinner," fuck. "I'm excited you're coming over! She's finally got an opportunity to use the new crockpot she bought. I hope you like stew."
She winked, oblivious to the pulsing veins in my neck. Charlie was sure to be on my case now.
"Oh, Jasper!"
His mop of blonde hair was the first thing that caught my attention and the second, was the tiny lift of his lip. He was smiling. At Alice. I don't think I've ever seen him with an expression that didn't resemble boredom.
"Jazz, say hi to Bella. Sit! Sit!" she urged him toward the empty table in front of us.
Piercing blue eyes gazed back at me. His head tilted to the side just slightly and he said, "hello."
"I was just telling Bella how excited we are to have her over! Don't you think it's exciting?"
She was like a kid with her nonstop chatter and I sighed. Mr. Smith was late as usual, and I found myself wishing for his static tone.
Anything to make her go away.
"... oh please, Bella! Sit with us at lunch!"
Wait, what? My head jerked up, eyes narrowed.
"No," I said pretty forcefully, my voice was just above a whisper. They heard me plenty clear and Alice began to frown.
"B-but why?"
Did I need to give an answer?
"Ali…" Jasper started.
"I just thought it would be nice, that's all. I understand if you don't want to sit with us." Alice got up suddenly and left the room.
Jasper shot me a glare. "Nice." he hissed and then followed her into the hall.
Shit. Was the girl crying?
I hadn't meant to hurt her feelings- honest to God! I didn't think she'd actually cry… had no one told her 'no' before?
ooOoo
The rest of the day passed uneventfully much to my relief. Alice and Jasper never came back to class and to say I didn't feel the tiniest amount of guilt would be a lie. Perhaps I'd been a bit harsh.
The guilt followed me home to an empty house. Charlie was working late and I was alone the rest of the night. This was rather a common occurrence, probably every few days. Curled up on the couch, my eyes blinked heavily. The sun faded quickly, the living room plunging into darkness.
Was this what depressed people did? Laid in the darkness, alone for hours? I'd like to argue that I'm not depressed but merely tired. It was an exhaustion more than one simple lack of sleep but ten thousand sleepless restless nights. But who was I to argue with professionals? Carmen said I was depressed so I must be. It was just another abnormality about myself to navigate around.
It was easy for the time to pass, my body melting into the couch. I hoped it would swallow me whole, send me to a different universe- a happier one. Simpler.
Though of course wishes never came true. It would ruin the meaning of a wish if everyone got what they wanted.
Instead, I sat up, letting out a ragged breath. My bones ached with unease as I rubbed away the sleep from my eyes. My mom, Renee always warned of the dangers of becoming a couch potato (her words, not mine). Charlie was one, she never failed to remind me. It could partially explain his behavior: irritable and cranky half the time. The other half he was just distant, doing the bare minimum to ensure I didn't off myself.
It wasn't like before though and it's crazy how the time flew by. Seven years ago. It was three months after having arrived and three months without my mother. She'd promised to never leave. She'd promised we'd be a family and live in the perfect little house with a white picket fence. I thought we had that with Phil. I liked him a lot, he was my favorite out of all of the men. It was the happiest day when he came with the news of the house in Florida. All our dreams were coming true and could finally be rid of the motel and burning Arizona sun.
But there was only room for two.
Just as quickly as my hopes had been raised, they were dashed.
That's how I ended up in Forks with a father who'd never asked for me and without a mother who'd never had a need for me. That's when I'd given up on dreams, wishing, and happily ever afters because they only existed in fairytales.
ooOoo
I swore the house rattled every time the door slammed shut. It wasn't an old house but the floorboards slanted on the second floor and every other step seemed to creak with any amount of weight. The louder the creek meant Charlie was home. He had a heavy step, nearly stomping up the stairs in an exaggerated manner. It's how I knew it was him.
He turned the corner, stopping at the doorway.
Sitting at the table, I sipped a hot cup of coffee, ignoring the searing pain in my mouth.
"G'morning."
I nod.
He came home late last night. Was it around two? Three? The time was blurry with my mind half-asleep. I just remember the stomps of his heavy boots and a brief pause outside my door.
"Smells good, Bella."
I liked to cook. Charlie liked me to cook. Food made even the grumpiest people happy and if not for me, we'd starve. I do not know how he survived for so long without a decent, unburnt meal. It was a crime how easily everything was burned.
Helping himself to a warm plate of eggs and bacon, we sat in silence.
I shivered, wrapping the old shawl tight around my shoulders. The air was frigid, icy pellets of rain slamming the window panes. I'd always hated the rain. Any wet cold weather was a thorn in my side which made Forks just about the absolute worst place to live.
At the same time, I could live without ever feeling the Arizona heat again. Peeling skin and sunburns were an unwelcome time.
"I'm working late again tonight," he said suddenly. "Might be at the station all night and tomorrow."
"Ok."
I could feel his stare, heavy and cautious. Was I supposed to say more? I had nothing else to say. Like I said before, this was normal for him.
He decided to continue. "We're working on a big case right now, it's all hands on deck."
I know. This is the part where I was supposed to gasp and take interest but to be honest… I did not care.
But still, I had to be polite.
"What's the case?"
He shrugged, nonchalant. "Don't go around saying anything," like I would, "but a worker was found dead out at a warehouse. It's the second since Waylon."
He gulped and his hand-formed into a fist, knuckles whitening. They were best friends and his death three months ago was a real punch to the stomach. The entire community mourned the man and I'd never seen Charlie grieve as hard. It was even more than when my mom and I left, all those years ago.
"Was it an animal?"
It's what the first death was reported as. Possible wolf attack. They were common but rarely attacked unless provoked.
"We aren't sure," he admitted. "The injuries were the same as the first, but this time, there was a human footprint."
Human? My head shot up, eyes wide.
"I'm only telling you this to stay safe. Don't get annoyed but I placed pepper spray in your bag. We don't know what we're dealing with here. I don't want you getting hurt."
"T-thank you," I said.
Another moment of silence passed and when I said nothing else, he left.
For sure, I thought he'd mention the Cullens but perhaps he'd forgotten. It was bound to come up though, eventually.
ooOoo
Author's Note:
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you all to those who have reviewed and liked, I really appreciate it! The more reviews I receive, the more I'll post, I love seeing what you all have to say! I should update again soon!