Bella's Point of View

Settling into the apartment would prove to be a little tricky, that much I could already tell. Of course, the building was really old and outdated, nothing to brag about in those regards. The plumbing was in rough shape, Rene admitted it was a bit of a hit or miss when it came to hot water being available for showers. Not to mention the sink in the kitchen has a continuous drip that drives me insane during the quiet hours of the night. Not that there were many quiet hours to speak of. This apartment building was full of noisy teenagers, mostly the students of Dartmouth, who didn't have the funds to live in the campus dorms. They are rowdy, obnoxious drunks by the sounds of it and the walls were paper thin.

This was all a bit much to get used to, it's crossed my mind several times to just pack my things back up and go back to Forks. I missed my old room, the peace and quiet, I've come to really enjoy all the plantlife and greenery of Forks. Hanover was really similar in that regard but it felt so foreign and strange to be anywhere else. I guess I was beginning to understand Charlie's apprehension of ever leaving.

I was sitting in the kitchen, with a bowl of cereal, watching the tv that sat across the room. The kitchen and living room was part of an open floor plan. Which gave the illusion that these spaces were bigger and more inviting then they appeared. But in fact, the kitchen was so small, a stove couldn't fit, there was only a microwave and a few counters. The fridge was wedged on a side wall, by itself. The living room was probably the size of the guest bedroom. It held a single couch and just enough room for the television, that Rene had dropped up on a few moving boxes. She hasn't gotten around to completely unpacking her things, even though it's been a few weeks since she's moved in.

Rene had already left, early this morning with Mia. She thankfully didn't wake me but left a note of the fridge, wishing me a good first day. I wasn't optimistic. I'm not sure if it's because of this crappy apartment, or just the fact that I was really missing Forks. I had an hour before I needed to leave. And the thought of just staying home was strong. Why did I think I could do this? Why was I putting myself through all this? I wasn't happy and Mia was already beginning to miss Jacob. We have only been here for a day. And already, she has called Jacob three times. She wasn't dumb, she knew we were far away from the place she considered her home. I could see it on her face. The disappointment.

I finished the last couple bites of my cereal and placed my bowl in the sink. If I didn't get out of this apartment, I really would talk myself out of going to school. I had to remind myself, there was a reason I was here. No one said this was going to be easy. I just need to try. Keep moving forward, it's bound to get easier.

Dartmouth was an ivy league school, so I was preparing myself for the crowd of people I'd be mingling with. I've gotten over a lot of my discomforts of getting unwanted attention. It's something I can't control, so there was no point in paying any attention to it. I knew I would probably stick out from the rest of the students. After all, most of them are rich, privileged brats. They were accepted into the school from personal connections and social standings. They would be able to sniff out someone like me. Here just by luck. I made the grades necessary to be accepted and after being put on a waiting list for a short amount of time, I was accepted. I'm not sure how, it wasn't an easy school to get into. But I never questioned it. I just jumped at the opportunity.

As I got into the car, which Rene had graciously gifted to me, I began to fiddle with the controls. This car came with an internal GPS, which I was thankful for. When it came to directions, I wasn't too good at getting from 'point A to point B'. But this would make it much easier. I took a deep breath, before pulling out of the parking lot. Things like this didn't make me nervous anymore. There were far worse things, then people staring at you. Judging you. Gossiping about you. At this point of my life, I couldn't care less what people thought of me. I didn't want or need friends while I went to school here. My priority was my daughter and my education. I had a goal and I wouldn't let anyone distract me from it.

The drive was a bit longer than I expected. The way Rene spoke, it was only a mile away, but it was closer to five miles. I'm glad I decided to drive today. I considered just walking the mile to school, since it would have benefitted me getting more into shape. Well, a five mile walk is a bit much to start out with. Not to mention I'd probably have to leave really early in the morning to make it to school on time, if I was walking.

The school was magnificent, it sat in a very rural setting, amongst trees and luscious green grass. Constructed of bricks and favoring a very old-fashioned architecture, something you would see in the late 1700s. It put me in mind of the old asylums built in the past. It was haunting. Cold. Uninviting. Although that was just my initial opinion. I'm sure it wasn't nearly as daunting as I'm making it out to be.

I circled around the grounds of the university until I found the student parking lot. Just as I expected, all the vehicles here were luxury and sports cars. I didn't care. No, I didn't come from a rich family, I didn't have money to buy lavish, frivolous things like porsche, lamborghini or mercedes benz. Who really needs a car like that anyway? It's a mode of transportation, did you really need the brand new behind it. They all still had four tires and a steering wheel. What was the big deal?

There weren't too many spaces available, but I managed to slide into a space, next to a sleek black Volvo. It was just as pompous as the other vehicles in the lot, but out of all the cars here, I was least afraid of bumping into this one.

Today was chilly, the sun has yet to reach us through the clouds. Rene informed me the summers are warm and wet, the winters are freezing and snowy, and it is partly cloudy year round in Hanover. It reminded me a lot of Forks. I had hoped that we would have gone somewhere a bit more sunny, but there was just something pulling me here. It was a feeling deep down in my guy. Even though I was a bit skeptical, especially after seeing the apartment I would be staying in, however the sight of this school had boosted my spirits a little. This was it. The beginning of my new life.

There were a few students walking around the massive campus, all appearing distracted, their faces were in their books, some of them nonchalantly strolled the area, with headphones in, others were jogging in workout attire. It was relatively peaceful. No one bothered looking in my direction.

I held tightly to the school map that Dartmouth had sent me in the mail. I just had a few places to stop, before I could make my way to my first class. I had to admit, this place was huge and built like a maze. All the buildings looked identical, yet there were signs posted out front with the names of each hall it represented. I hadn't realized that this would be quite so confusing. My sense of direction was really becoming apparent. Time began to dwindle quickly and I was beginning to feel a bit panicked. If I didn't find this first office soon, I wouldn't be able to make it to my first place.

There was a small, picnic area that I found myself in, with a grand fountain at the center. It was beautiful. The flowers and greenery really captured my attention. And for the fact not many others were around. Just one person. A man sat pointedly at the fountain with a brooding expression on his face, his eyes scanned over the pages of a thick textbook. A gust of wind jostled his bronze hair for a moment, just in time for him to inhale.

Hesitantly I approached the man, taking note of how his body tensed. His eyes flickered up from his book, he peered at me, under his eyelashes with strange golden eyes. I felt a knot begin in my stomach. His jawline was tight as I stood in front of him. The way he looked at me, with just… repulsion. If he didn't look so furious, I would have thought he was probably the most handsome man I've ever come across. It was enough to start a slight trembling to my legs. I almost lost the courage to even speak.

"E-excuse me, do you know where the main office is?" I said, clutching my bag a little closer to my chest. The way he stared at me, it was unsettling. Like he instantly hated me. It didn't make sense. But maybe that's what I should expect from his snotty rich kids. He could tell that I wasn't worthy of this school. He knew I was broke and didn't belong here. Was that why he looked at me with such contempt on his face? Well, I refuse to care. Either way, I wasn't going anywhere. I will stay here and become a doctor.

Instead of answering, his arm sharply pointed towards the building that sat directly behind us. His gaze was dark and unfriendly, he turned rigidly away from me. It appeared that he had begun holding his breath.

"Thanks," I muttered lamely and quickly scampered off in the direction of the building that he pointed to. I wanted to put some distance between us as quickly as possible. Before he ended up saying something rude or hurtful. As strong as I was trying to be right now, I still was in a bit of a fragile state. I lacked a lot of self confidence. Especially since Jacob had tossed me to the side. I felt that no one would ever see me as someone worthy. I had fooled myself for too long. Of course Jacob broke up with me. I was nothing. A dumb, human girl. With nothing interesting or exciting about me. I couldn't turn into a wolf, like him. Like Amelia.

No. I need to stop thinking of myself like this. I needed to stop comparing myself to others in my life. I was me. And I was worthy of being here. And I am worthy of possibly finding someone new some day. But I knew that wasn't any time soon. Not when I felt like this. Not when my heart was calling out for Jacob. Not when the pain of being away from him still hurts this much.

As I walked into the building, I was pleasantly surprised to see no one other students inside. A well dressed woman sat behind the desk. She had a very formal dress on, crisp white, along with a pair of thick red glasses that sat at the edge of her nose. Her short hair was smoothed back at the top of her head, a perfect, neat blonde. She looked exactly how I pictured a Dartmouth instructor would look. But she was just a secretary. I could only imagine what all the professors would dress like.

I felt under dressed for a moment, even more so when the women glanced at me, taking note of my clothing. She didn't appear impressed in the slightest. I almost thought she was about to turn back to continue her work and completely ignore me. She probably would have, if I didn't speak up.

"I'm Isabella Swan, here to check in for my first day." I said, clearing my throat as I presented her with all my paperwork, along with my driver's license and other important documents.

She clicked her tongue, giving me a once-over again, before she began sifting through some of the papers on her desk. Her manicured nails skimmed through everything in a fast motion. "Sorry dear, I don't appear to have anyone with that name on my list." She gave me a sickly sweet smile, before shoving my papers back to me.

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. "Can you look again, I even received the acceptance letter if you need proof. And I already paid the deposit to start my classes today." I pushed the papers back to her. That deposit was pricey, nearly a thousand dollars to guarantee my seat in all of my classes. There was no way I was turning back now. They took my money, I wouldn't be leaving.

The woman huffed, looking through my paperwork, her crystal blue eyes danced with annoyance as she looked through everything again. "What major did you apply for?"

"Medical," I said, trying to keep my composure. I was beginning to think this woman was doing all this on purpose. She had judged me, without knowing anything about me. She saw that I didn't look like the other students that graced the halls of this school. Was she trying to run me off? Did I really have to fight my way into this school?

Another wide smile came to her face, as she turned to a different stack of paperwork. "Oh that explains it. You must be the student that Dr. Cullen chose to be accepted." It almost sounded like she was taunting me.

"Dr. Cullen?" I repeated, watching as she pulled a single paper from the stack. She began getting all my things in order. She made copies, took her time high-lighting papers. And finally handed everything back to me, with a parking pass sitting at the very top of everything.

"That's right. For those students that don't have the financial ability to afford Dartmouth, Dr. Cullen pays off the tuition of one lucky student every year, so they can attend this prestigious school." Her tone was demeaning and frankly, she had successfully embarrassed me completely. I didn't know that had been the case as to why I had been accepted. I did think it was strange that there was no information on beginning my financial aid, but I figured it was a pay as you go type of school. I hadn't considered that my tuition was already paid in full.

I guess it all made sense now. That's why I was accepted. My grades were good, best in my class. But when it came to the social standing, the money; not to mention I didn't have any connections, or pull to get into this school, I fell short to the rest of those enrolled here. I guess I was more lucky than I had previously thought. Regardless as to how I got here, I wouldn't waste a moment of my time getting upset about it. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, to learn amongst the brightest minds. I wouldn't toss it to the side, just because I was offered a hand-out. I refuse to see it that way. And I don't care what anyone has to say about it.

Not the bratty students, or this pretentious secretary. No one would stop me from pursuing this new path in my life.

"Well, I'm grateful and I'll do my very best." I nodded to the woman, not letting her upset me any further.

A sour look came to her face as she shoved my papers into my arms. "Good luck miss Swan." Was all she commented, before turning her nose up and returning to her work. She didn't look up again. It was as if I had completely disappeared.

I turned on my heel and held my head up high, as I walked out of the office. I hadn't expected this to be a difficult stare. I thought at least the staff of this school would be polite and not so judgemental. But I had to realize, I wasn't in Forks anymore.

The rude secretary had highlighted each of my classes, but didn't both with any further detail than that. She could have at the very least showed me how to get to my first class. I wasn't at all familiar with the campus. But thankfully, the first class wasn't far. I had to pick up the pace a little, it was getting really close to the first class starting. In fact, I was the last one to make it into the room.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but being inside this classroom was far different than I had expected. The ceiling was so high and surprisingly, the roof was completely made of glass. Rain had begun during my walk over to this building. You could see the rain hitting the top of the building overhead. The thudding against the glass brought a tranquil feeling to the room. It reminded me of Forks. The gentle drizzle. But the massive room, completely filled with students, made the atmosphere a little less inviting.

There weren't many seats left, the only one open was one in the back of the room. I was reluctant to sit in the back like this. It made it harder to hear the teacher, or see the board when they write things down. The room was nicely lit and decorated in a very simple fashion. Sleek black tables, matching seats, pristine white walls, made of marble or some kind of stone. At the front of the room was the teacher's desk and a large screen sat to the side of it.

I was assuming this class would all be used on laptops. That's all I saw as I passed the other students. I couldn't afford one yet, but it would come with time. For now I would just write down the notes, or possibly use my phone to record lectures. I didn't actually need a laptop, it was just a luxury. One that everyone else had. I knew that before I even stepped in the room. This was how it was going to be. And the other students instantly took notice. There was a few that watched me with open pity, while the others snickered and whispered ignorant remarks. I didn't pay them any attention. Instead, I took my seat and attempted to get myself focused. It was time to get serious. I had to attack this. I was determined to do well.

There was a girl on one side of me and a guy on the other side. There was a good six feet between us. But once I sat down, I noticed the girl scoot a little further away. A look of disgust on her face. She hunched her shoulders and roughly looked away from me. It was similar to how that man had reacted to me. Although… he seemed more… angry. This girl just didn't want anything to do with me. The guy on the other hand only looked at me with open curiosity and a warm grin on his face. He seemed friendly enough. Which I wouldn't have figured, judging by his looks. He was massive, rippling muscles, he was undoubtedly a jock of some type. Maybe he was here on a sports scholarship. But that's not what made my heart do a flip. It was the same eyes. As the man from earlier. Gold. Such a strange color. Maybe they were related. Although they didn't share any of the same looks. They had to be related in some way. With such odd eye colors. But unlike the other guy, this one doesn't seem to mind me at all.

In fact, I flinched in my seat as he extended his huge hand out towards me. He flashed me a pearly white smile. "I'm Emmett,"

I blinked a few times, hesitantly taking his hand. I forced myself not to react to the coldness of his hand. It had taken me a bit by surprise. But I smiled in response. "Bella Swan, nice to meet you."

When our hands dropped, I noticed a few of the other students had turned around to stare towards the both of us with huge eyes and parted lips. Were they shocked that someone had actually talked with me? I suppose this guy did seem to fit into this crowd better than me. He had the name brand clothing, and accessories. It was obvious that he was wealthy. And attractive enough to be a male model. I'm sure he would be accepted here with open arms. Maybe that's why everyone was shocked. I didn't deserve to even touch this guy.

The thought infuriated me. I turned sharply to face the front of the room. Giving cold looks to the students still turnt around staring. They didn't seem intimidated by me. In fact, none of them so much as batted an eye as they glared back in my direction. The whispering had already started. I could only imagine what was being said. But I couldn't care less. I wasn't here to make friends. It's not like there would be one quality friend out of this group of people.

"You're a first year, isn't that right?" The guy said from beside me. There was no sign of malice from him. He seemed genuinely nice. He didn't look at me like the other students here. So, I did feel a bit more comfortable answering his questions.

"Yeah, what about you?"

"I'm a sophomore," He replied, leaning back in his seat nonchalantly. "Most of the others in this class are too. I think you may be the youngest in this class." An amused smile came to his face. "I'm guessing that means you are smart."

Unfortunately Emmett wasn't right about that. This may be my first year of college, but I had just turned nineteen. I'm sure I was probably about his age, or at least part of the older students in this class. But I wasn't about to correct him.

"I've worked really hard to get here." I said with a nod. I wasn't about to come out and say I was intelligent. Because if I was being honest with myself I most likely was just as smart as anyone sitting in this room. It was only luck that I was here.

"That much is obvious." He offered me a warm smile.

Before I could reply, I noticed everyone start getting quiet and turning back around in their seats. That's when my attention was brought to the front of the room. Like a dark knight, drifting into the room, that man from earlier walked in and went straight to the teacher's desk. He began rigidly sorting through the papers on his desk. His body was completely tense. Just like before.

He turned for a moment, his eyes flickering back to land on me. That same cold look was back on his face. Everyone seemed to notice as well. Emmett leaned over, nervousness entering his eyes. "Don't mind him. He can be… eccentric."

"I wouldn't call that eccentric. It looks like he is about ready to kill me." I whispered to him, feeling my heart begin to race.

Emmett seemed to go tense now as well as he watched down at the man. "I think he is just feeling a bit under the weather today. By the looks of it he is probably going to leave for the day. He'll probably make this a study hall." I noticed that all the warmth and kindness had left him. He just seemed… concerned.

The man turned his back to the class and in short jerky movements wrote the word Study Hall on the board, before gathering his personal things and leaving. Just as quickly as he had come in. He didn't look back in my direction again. Once he was gone, I realized that I had been holding my breath.

Emmett was right, although I'm not sure how he had known this was going to happen. Maybe this isn't the first time. I just wished that it didn't feel like it was my fault that the guy left. That look… it chilled me to the bone.

Wordlessly, Emmett stood from his seat, picking up his things as well.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked quietly, watching the serious look that came to his face.

"I'm going to go check on him, he might need a ride home. He's my brother. So it's cool if I ditch." He offered me a weak smile, before getting up and walking out of the room.

Brothers. Huh. I hadn't seen that coming. I figured they were related. But it was a bit surprising that they were brothers. Emmett looked like he was older than that guy. But I suppose that man could be incredibly gifted and ended up excelling throughout school. You would have to be, to be allowed to teach at Dartmouth. They both seemed so young, around my age, in fact. It was all hard to believe. But who was I to pass judgment?

This was turning out to be a very strange first day.

Thank you all for reading this update. I'm liking the plot of this story more and more. Still not sure what direction this will head in. But I'll update as ideas come to me. I appreciate all the feedback and will take some of the things said into consideration. Thanks again!