Bella Swan - Forks, Washington
Monday, August 23, 2004
I felt drawn and tired the next morning as I got myself ready. Dad was already gone, but he left a note wishing me luck on my first day of school. I ate breakfast at the small table in the kitchen, the bright yellow cabinets only partially faded after seventeen years. Mom had painted them on impulse, hoping to brighten up the space a little, all it did was draw attention to the size of the kitchen and the distinct lack of counter space.
As I made my way through the house, I noticed he hadn't done much since the last time I visited, with a row of pictures showing my life in succession. Their wedding picture, a picture of the three of us just after I was born, my first day at school and so on. The last several were professional photos of me that Mom had made me sit for each year, a way to give Dad something so he wouldn't miss me as much. The pictures gave me the impression that Dad's focus had always been on me, and my absence had been a massive hole in his life. It left me feeling sad and more than a little guilty.
I didn't really want to linger in the house alone with those feelings, so I left early for school. The truck started up easily, but roared into life and made me jump a little. The interior was tan leather, which was aged but in good condition and had a vague scent in a strange combination of tobacco, gasoline and peppermint. The radio worked, but was clearly an antique and was tuned to a classic rock station. Thankfully, beyond the need to double clutch, I was able to drive it without any problems. Unfortunately a fogbank had settled in and engulfed the tiny town in a blanket of white that made driving through Forks utterly nerve wracking.
Forks high school was a relatively modest place, with a few large buildings and an adjacent athletic field that stuffed together a baseball diamond right next to a football field. In the back of the main building I could just make out a large square that seemed to branch off of it with a single narrow hallway connecting the two structures. A third building was just out of sight through the fog, but I knew it was there according to the map I'd been given in the packet the school had sent Dad before my arrival.
The lot was mostly empty when I arrived, and I felt myself sigh again as I made my way inside to check in at the office. The space was just a converted classroom with more decorations and no chalkboard. The floor was a generic gray speckled tile that was probably made with asbestos, some scattered desks and an attempt at bringing it to life with a few potted plants. There was only one person working, an older woman with frizzy bright red hair, sitting behind a desk with a nameplate on the front edge designating her as "Shelly Cope - School Administrator". I attempted a smile as I approached, but could tell it came off as forced. Her return expression was bright and oddly comforting, as she motioned for me to sit down.
"Isabella Swan?" She asked, almost rhetorically.
"That's me, I prefer Bella though." I corrected her, hoping the use of my full name wouldn't become a trend. While I planned to use Isabella as an adult, I wasn't quite ready to give up my childhood, so I stuck with Bella. She nodded with a friendly enough smile, and turned towards a long table set against the interior wall. Dozens of metal baskets were laid out on top, although she didn't take anything from them. Instead she opened up one of the short filing cabinets nestled underneath the table and pulled out a thin manila folder with my name on the label. As she opened it up I could see my transcript from Phoenix on top. She flipped those pages to the bottom and pulled out a stapled bundle of papers and handed them to me.
"Here you go, your schedule and some details about our facilities. There is also your locker location and combination in there, and another map to the grounds in case you lost the one we sent you. There's a list of books you'll need too, you can get them in the library. Last is a page of all your teachers, get that last sheet signed by each of them over the next couple days and hand it in by the end of the week." She had rattled off the contents clearly by memory, and looked at me fully for the first time when I started to flip through the bundle. "You'll fit in just fine here dear, we rarely have discipline issues and as far as I know none of the students bite."
"Good to know, thanks." I stood and gave a slight head bow towards her, and then left as quickly as was polite. I knew my first class was on the other side of the building and I didn't want to get lost. The layout wasn't confusing exactly, but it also wasn't how I thought it was laid out. Instead of three large buildings, there was a large interior courtyard and through that open space each of the surrounding structures was labeled as separate buildings, despite being physically connected. I made my way towards the door marked with a sign for the library, and found it to be a bit larger than I expected with about two dozen rows of books clearly marked by genre and a couple rows for text books.
The librarian was a young woman, maybe a bit out of college, sitting alone with a cart full of very worn textbooks separated in specific bundles, perhaps for the various class blocks. A small line had already formed, and she was taking down names and handing out books in turn. I took a spot behind a tall dark haired girl with black framed retro glasses and a kind expression. She glanced back at me, and did a small double take.
"Bella." The girl said as though familiar with me. I narrowed my eyes slightly, but couldn't think of who she could be, still searching for the names of the girls I used to play with during my summers in Forks with dad.
"I'm sorry, do we know each other?" I said wincing slightly, feeling embarrassed if she had been a friend when we were little.
"No it's okay, I wouldn't remember me either. I'm Angela Webber, my father is the town minister. Mom babysat for you a few times over the years when your Dad had duty." The name suddenly rang a bell, and I was surprised how easy it was to pull on those memories of my time in Forks.
"Angela, right. Sorry, I think I actively repressed my time here." I gave her a sheepish grin in apology.
"I wish I could do that, this is about as exciting as it gets. New year, same people, same teachers." She looked a little forlorn, perhaps tired of her life in Forks. I couldn't begin to guess, but it did give us a bit of common ground.
"Could be worse, could be a no-one in a big school." I said, knowing my time at my school in Phoenix wasn't all that great.
"I can imagine the advantages of anonymity." Angela's expression was a bit hard to read, but something in her tone made me think there was more to her desire to hide.
"There's anonymity and then there is being a loser. I fit into the latter category." I smiled wistfully, I wasn't good at self depreciation.
"I somehow doubt that. You shared your juice box with me, kids don't usually share." Angela said very confidently, and it took me aback. I had to think back and I couldn't find the memory she was talking about.
"I have very few memories of when I was five." I admitted with a short blast of air through my nose concealing a laugh.
"I didn't like apple juice and you loved cranberry, but you gave me yours because you didn't want me to do without." She said as if her explanation was enough. Although after a few seconds, I could vaguely remember the moment she was referring to; a trip to a museum with a few other families. Someone had brought bag lunches for everyone, and Angela drew the short straw.
"I bet you would've done the same. Besides, I don't hate apple juice, so I was probably just fine with that trade." I shrugged, telling a little white lie when in fact I didn't like apple juice very much at all.
"It was your favorite though, and honestly at the time I wouldn't have given up my favorite thing. But I would now, you taught me that. I'll see you around." She was next up and got her books, and then waved as she ran off to her first class. I watched her go, still trying to wrap my head around what she had said.
I picked up my books and made my way out into the cold again, a light rain just starting to fall had cleared up the fog almost completely. Looming above the building roofline a copse of trees rose like brown fingers into the sky, ending in sharp green points. They felt oddly oppressive, but I shook it off and closed my coat closer around me as a sharp gust of wind slammed into me, stinging my eyes with rain so cold that it gave me an instant headache. I was momentarily disoriented until I noticed the door with the giant 3 painted above it, and made my way to the last classroom down a long hallway with lockers. I ended up being the last student to arrive.
"Miss Swan?" The teacher looked up as I entered, and I nodded in confirmation.
"Guess I'm the only new student." I said, feeling awkward, as the room stared at me. He motioned me over. I heard whispers, and my name was mentioned a few times. Confirmation that I was the subject of gossip, the daughter of the Police Chief's flaky ex-wife had finally come home to stay after seventeen years. What could have induced her to come? What had she done at her old school? Had she been expelled? I doubt any of them guessed the truth, except maybe Angela who seemed to know me almost too well.
"Let me have your sign-off sheet, you can hang up your coat over there. Next time, leave it in your locker." He almost barked the order at me, so I just stood and frowned at him.
"First day, new school, and I haven't found my locker yet. It is pouring down rain and the fastest way to this class is through that courtyard. I may have to bring my coat to class on occasion, I do apologize if I drip on the asbestos laden tile." I felt my eyes almost widen involuntarily when I realized what had just come out of my mouth. I wasn't normally assertive, although I had never really been a wilting flower. My issues tended to be related to people treating me like a child, and not anything related to rebellion or authority. The teacher's eyes narrowed, as he took my sign off sheet and pointed towards an open seat at the back of class.
Not really sure what else to do, I shrugged and hung up my coat, and then took the seat he pointed towards. A few minutes later he started, and seemed to have calmed down enough not to glare at me every few minutes. The first part of class went over the syllabus for the semester and I was mildly disappointed to note there was nothing I hadn't already read. I did wonder if I remembered to pack my old papers, reasoning that using my own work could hardly be construed as cheating. After he was done he asked us to read the first few pages of the prologue of the Canterbury Tales aloud, picking on me as the first volunteer. I stood and cleared my throat, while public reading was not my favorite thing, I had spent most of last year preparing for a play that fell apart at the last minute.
"When in April the sweet showers fall, and pierce the drought of March to the root, and all the veins are bathed in liquor of such power as brings about the engendering of the flower, when also Zephyrus with his sweet breath exhales an air in every grove and heath." I kept my voice even and low using the rhythm of the words to create a cadence. I wanted to continue but he cleared his throat, interrupting my flow.
"So what do you think it means Isabella?" He had a raised eyebrow, his eyes slightly wide with curiosity. Would the new mouthy student have a real understanding of the passage?
"Um, I prefer Bella. So Zephyrus is the Greek god of I want to say the west wind or Spring. I think his breath is a metaphor for the rain and winds that come with the change of seasons. The language is kind of heightened, but it sounds to me like it is describing that wind spreading across the land. The groves and heaths are probably trees and the British grasslands. It would seem like a magical time, as the flowers return after the drought of winter, which usually ends in March."
"That's ah, well said. Eric, next part." He sounded impressed enough that he looked around the room and I sat back down. A gangly black haired boy stood then and perched his book on a pair of thin arms. Looking down he seemed a bit lost and started, clearly uncomfortable reading aloud.
"Exhales, um… an air on, I mean in every… wait she did that part. Upon the tender shots, ah, shoots, and the young…" My eyes glazed over a little and I found myself staring outside wishing the rain to end.
I kept my attention on the reading enough to hear several other students stumble though their passages. Some had no trouble, others clearly hated to speak in public. After thirty minutes going around we'd barely gotten through two pages of the text, and he assigned the rest of the prologue for homework. Once the bell rang I got myself together and made my way out towards Government with Jefferson. Which was on the other side of the entire structure in a section called building 6. I wasn't sure how they organized things, but it seemed to be as inefficient as possible and required another run across the courtyard to make it in time.
Thankfully I wasn't the only poor soul forced to choose this route, as a small group of us made the mad dash through the downpour. I almost tripped over my long coat three times, but at least Angela was there and kept pace with me. We were joined by two others as we made our way into building 6.
"Bella, I was hoping to catch you again. These are my friends Jessica and Lauren, we're all headed for Government." Angela said with a welcoming smile, undiminished by the rain.
"Me too." I said slightly out of breath. Cold Autumn showers were nowhere near as pleasant as the spring rains I had been thinking about after reading Chaucer.
"I bet this is a lot different from Phoenix, huh?" Lauren asked somewhat snidely.
"Very." I replied, trying not to let my sarcasm shine through again.
"That's a fairly arid area right, so it only rains a few times a year?" Angela added.
"That's about right, I think last year it was like five times and the city practically shut down from shock." I said mostly in jest, although there had been one major downpour that caused a ten car pile up.
"I wonder what that's like?" Jessica wondered aloud.
"Sunny." I said slightly monotone.
"You clearly didn't take advantage of the sunshine." Lauren said with a mild look of distaste on her face, her own tan was dark enough that I could tell she spent too much time in one of those salons with tanning booths. Or was it spray on? I was starting to examine her hair line when she took a step back.
"My mom is a vampire, so I'm genetically allergic to the sun." I kept my expression serious, and they all looked at me strangely before I shook my head and let out a vague smile before marching off towards class. My locker number caught my attention along the way and I stopped and unloaded my extra books and coat, which was actively dripping. Thankfully it was a tall locker and my books fit on the top shelf.
I turned to find Angela lingering nearby. "Sorry about that Lauren has no sense of humor and Jessica... she's, um, difficult."
"It was a bad joke, I should've gone for skin bleaching or something." I motioned towards class and we began to walk. "They're your friends right?"
"Yes, well most of the time. Lauren is never really that nice, but we grew up together so I'm sure she'll grow out of it. Jess, well she's Jess." Angela kind of shrugged, her expression a bit hard to read.
"Right, I suppose I'll figure it out. So are you in B or C block?" I asked, realizing that I liked this girl and I hoped to have another class with her.
"Oh, I'm in C, and you're in A right?" She confirmed what I had hoped, A and C blocks shared at least three classes for most of the week. I had Spanish next with her, and then after lunch both Biology and the dreaded Gym.
"Do you have a lab partner for Biology yet?" I asked, feeling hopeful.
"Ben asked me this morning, or I would've totally partnered with you." She frowned, clearly upset by the idea that she was giving me the brush off.
"Is Ben your boyfriend?" I asked, ignoring the implication in her tone.
"Um, no." She blushed heavily, and bit her lower lip.
"Maybe we should fix that." I gave her a knowing grin, tilting my head slightly to examine her expression more closely. She was looking down and was obviously embarrassed by the suggestion.
"I couldn't." She said as demurely as possible, almost drowning in virtue.
"We'll see." I said playfully, giving her a mysterious smile.
We then moved into the class and found Lauren and Jessica had saved us seats. It didn't take long to get a read on their personalities. Lauren was smart, but arrogant, perhaps believing she was the smartest person in the school. Jessica was possibly the smartest person in the room, but with a personality a bit like my mother. She was bright and bubbly, but with a sharp wit that she used to dance around any conversation we attempted to have between the four of us. And it was the four of us, as I was roped in within minutes of sitting down. Lauren and Jessica were both in D block, which only shared two classes with me, Government and Spanish. So we all left the class together and braved an hour of cross referencing the teacher who only spoke Spanish as she went over the syllabus and the first lesson.
Then I was on my own again, and in the one class I could actually use a friend and study partner; Trigonometry. I managed to get a spot in the back row next to an odd looking guy with gorgeous blonde hair and almost completely black eyes. He looked vaguely uncomfortable, but answered all the questions asked of him perfectly in the cleanest southern accent I'd ever heard. His name was a bit unusual too, Jasper. The kind of name popular maybe a century ago and usually handed down or inspired by some famous person. He only glanced at me once, and clenched his jaw slightly as if deciding against something before the bell rang, and then was out the door before most of the class had even gotten it together to stand.
It had been a long morning already, and while lunch would be an interesting experiment in whether I had actually made some friends, I wasn't really in the mood to deal with a lot of people. So I made my way towards the cafeteria slowly, arriving just in time for the line to dwindle to almost nothing. Most of the hot entrées were down to dregs, but they were all foods I wouldn't touch anyway. Save for one kind of sad looking grilled cheese sandwich. Instead I made my way through the salad bar, and grabbed a piece of questionable looking chocolate cake. As I turned towards the din of students, I could see Angela's table, and was somewhat happy to see Angela and Jessica wave me over. Lauren looked uninterested to the point of boredom, and almost as for effect she yawned.
There was one other table I noticed, far in the back near the window was a group I hadn't noticed before, save for Jasper, the blonde haired boy with the southern accent. Sitting next to him was a mountain of a guy who seemed too old for high school. He had short dark hair and a square jaw that would've made Brad Pitt envious. The third guy at the table had bronze hair and chiseled features that gave him a unique profile. His movie-star looks seemed out of place in such a small school, in fact all three of them could've easily fit into the popular crowd at my old school, but they seemed kind of isolated.
There were also two girls sitting with them, the first was tiny, and almost looked too young for high school. She was waifish to the point of worry, with delicate angular features, like something straight out of a fantasy novel. Her hair was midnight black but glossy and spiked out pointing in every direction. The actual length was difficult to parse, if flattened out it would probably hang to her shoulders, but it was impossible to tell. She glanced at me directly as I took them all in, and a small mysterious smile danced across her features before turning and speaking at the last member of their group, who was the only other girl.
She was sitting next to the mountain, and their proximity gave me the impression they were together, but her body language was odd as though she was with him, but not happy with him. She was even more stunning than everyone else at the table, and completely the opposite of the fae-like girl. She had strong features and golden hair that was gently waving, cut in a style that was a bit outdated but still perfectly framed her practically flawless face. She looked over at me after the first girl did and I briefly met her eyes. It was a strange moment in time, frozen, and as we stared I felt something pass between us.
It was overwhelming and inexplicable and I could tell from her widened eyes she felt the same thing. I immediately broke eye contact and tried to shake it off as a figment of my imagination. That's when it hit me, despite how different they were, at the same time they were very much alike. They all had perfect alabaster skin, even more pale than mine, and the same strange black eyes as Jasper. They also had dark shadows under those eyes-purplish, almost as if they had all been in some fight that gave them broken noses. I couldn't stop staring as I made my way slowly towards the table and sat down between Angela and Jessica.
"And she's discovered the Cullens." Lauren's dry sarcasm drew my attention away from the beautiful strangers. While still trying to put a finger on why they stood out to such a degree. They were beautiful, perhaps almost unnaturally pretty, like some airbrushed photograph you would find in a fashion mag, or perhaps a Botticelli painting. Angelic, flawless, perfect.
"The Cullens?" I asked, turning towards Lauren who rolled her eyes at me.
"Doctor Cullen and his wife Esme, moved to town a couple of years ago with five kids. They are all sitting at that table." Angela explained, but the answer wasn't quite what I was looking for.
"Who are they?" I tried again, trying to impart my sense of awe.
"The big one is Emmett, he's almost twice the size of anyone on the team, enough to be the star quarterback and help us win some games, but he doesn't play sports." Jessica started, and her description gave me pause as if he could only be described by his size and physique.
"The blonde guy who looks like he's about to jump at a loud fart, that's Jasper." Lauren said with obvious distaste.
"Yeah, he was in my last class. He's southern?" I added from my own encounter with him,
"I think so, we know almost nothing about them except Doctor Cullen transferred down from Alaska. Jasper's twin sister Rosalie, doesn't have a trace of an accent. So the rumor is they didn't grow up together." Angela explained. I looked over at them again, and guessed the blonde was Rosalie because of her similar coloring to Jasper. Except they didn't have a single feature that looked remotely similar, which gave me the impression they were not really biologically related. I began to wonder if the Cullens had perpetuated the lie, or had the students just assumed they were twins. I had been staring at their faces for so long they they both turned to look directly at me, with Rosalie lingering a few seconds longer than Jasper.
"Hmmm, but they aren't all related?" I made it clear in my voice that I was making an assumptive and rhetorical statement more than a question, but as I turned back towards the group I was actually sitting with I caught each of the Cullens flashing a look towards our table. I wasn't sure if it was because they were aware of my frequent glances in their direction, or if there was something else drawing their attention.
"Rose and Jasper are adopted, but I think they started as foster kids, or Mrs. Cullen is their aunt, it's all kind of vague and they aren't explaining." Jessica practically grumbled out, her tone and mannerism massively impatient with the whole situation. But she had answered my question inadvertently, the Cullens were not the ones spreading lies. It was all rumor and gossip. "Emmett, Alice and Edward are all adopted too. Doctor Cullen and his wife are young, maybe late twenties early thirties and I don't think his wife can have kids." Jessica seemed to find their kindness odd or distasteful. Giving a good life to that many children was remarkable in my eyes, but Jessica didn't seem to notice my mild dislike of her tone, and continued. "You can probably figure out the rest."
As Jessica spoke I dared to look over again. This time I found the bronze haired boy, whom I assumed was Edward by process of elimination, was staring at us, specifically at me. His eyes narrowed, and obvious frustration began curling down his mouth into a frown. He looked away shaking his head slightly, and turned towards Alice who seemed to sigh and stand up in one fluid motion. She walked towards the exterior exit with a graceful lope, like she had spent her entire life on a dance floor. Then dumped her uneaten apple and unopened soda into the trash.
"It is kind of strange though, with them all together." Lauren seemed to hiss, leaning in conspiratorially.
"It isn't as if the couples are directly related. The twins are dating Alice and Emmett, so what?" Angela countered with a shrug.
"Yeah but they all live together. It's just creepy." Jessica shuddered slightly, and I had to suppress a bit of eye rolling.
"What about him?" I motioned with my eyes only toward Edward, only to find him staring at me again. His frown was gone but he seemed intent on something.
"Edward, no he's single. Not that anyone here is pretty enough for him." Jessica said with a small sniff of irritation.
"Just because he turned you down Jess, doesn't mean he's like that. Maybe he is just looking for the right person." Angela said in defense of the boy, which made me smile to know she had a kind nature. Glancing over at Edward again, I noticed he had turned away, but from the side it almost looked as though he were smiling. Rosalie and Emmett were talking to him, and stealing glances our way every so often.
"Angela!" Jessica's eyes were wide and her nostrils flared, she was clearly furious with Angela, and it left me with even less of a pleasant impression of her. I had only eaten a few bites, because the salad was wilted and the dressing tasteless, and I found myself not very hungry. Angela shook her head, and got up suddenly at the same time as me, her eyes welling up with tears. I held out my hand for her tray, and she gave me an appreciative smile before she handed it over and ran out of the cafeteria.
"Sorry about that. Angela is always about theatrics, you learn to ignore her." Lauren offered, but I didn't say anything, just giving her a vague nod in understanding.
"Later." I said as I turned away, and bussed the two trays before starting to head for class. I got about halfway when I saw a bathroom for the first time all day. I ducked inside and did my business before going over to the sinks and checking out my reflection. I looked a bit haggard, but not my worst, then as I turned off the sink I heard a sniffle coming from behind me.
"Angela?" I guessed, and a second later she emerged from the furthest stall from the door.
"Hey." She said as she slowly made her way to the sinks. She glanced over, her eyes slightly red from tears. I gave her a sympathetic smile and she managed one in return.
"Your friends don't treat you very well." I wasn't asking, but she nodded once.
"Sometimes. I think they are just not sure how to take a new presence in our group. It's probably just jealousy." She tried to deflect and defend, but I shook my head at her.
"Over what? I'm not pretty, I'm not especially smart and my dad is like the only cop in town which makes me a bit of a pariah." I rattled off like it was an indisputable fact.
"Bella…" She started but stopped and just shook her head. "Let me get cleaned up and we'll head to class together."
She took a minute to wash her face and check her hair, and then we took the long hallway around the edge of the courtyard. It took a few extra minutes, but it was nicer than braving the cold rain. Once again I was nearly the last person to arrive, and Angela reluctantly left to join her lab partner. Ben was average looking, but seemed to have kind eyes. I would withhold judgment until I formally met him, but he seemed worth her time on the surface. They had a moment of awkwardness before she sat down, and I made brief eye contact with her to encourage her to interact with him. She gave me a mildly imperceptible smile, then glanced towards the only empty seat… next to Rosalie Hale.
I found myself stopping almost involuntarily, and tried to pass off giving the teacher the sign off sheet as an excuse. Then I tried to make my way to my seat as casually as possible. I was about one desk away when I looked up to meet Rosalie's curious expression.
"Hello." Her incredibly pleasant alto voice greeted me, her eyes examining my face as if memorizing every line and feature.
"Hi, um… Rosalie, right?" I stuttered out, feeling a bit overwhelmed and more than a little intimidated sitting this close to her. She was even more beautiful close up, and she had this scent of honeysuckle and jasmine accompanied by a hint of gasoline and burned metal. It was the second layer of scent that really drew my attention, it was the kind of fragrance that belonged in a garage to a mechanic wearing overalls and cleaning their hands with a greasy rag. While not unpleasant, it spoke of many hours spent working with machinery and black grease. But her hands were uncalloused and her nails were manicured and polished without a hint of chipping or cracking. The nail beds were pristine and there wasn't a single scratch or scar on her fingers or hands. It felt strange and discordant, and I couldn't figure it out.
"Yes, and you're Isabella." It wasn't a question, but she smiled and slightly tilted her head with that same curious expression.
"Bella, I go by Bella. But you can call me anything you want." I replied and blinked a few times as I realized how that came off, snapping my mouth shut to keep from falling further into the hole I was digging for myself.
"Alright, then I prefer Isabella. It suits you." Her eyes lit up and we locked gazes for a couple of seconds. There was something more than curiosity in her expression, almost desperate and hungry. But the look in those eyes vanished the next time I blinked, and then she quickly broke contact.
"Rosalie…" I started, but couldn't quite form the words I wanted to say, so instead I turned towards the lecture Mr. Molina was about to start. "We should pay attention."
"Of course." She smiled and chuckled slightly under her breath before turning towards the front of the class. I tried to keep focused on the teacher, but I found myself sneaking glimpses at her. She was even more unbelievable up close, her blouse was clearly expensive with a high thread count. The shirt was somewhat loose fitting, but hugged her in just the right places to remain flattering, and she left the top two buttons undone, exposing just a hint of cleavage while retaining modesty.
Her sleeves were partially rolled up, exposing her forearms with skin so pale that I could see small blue lines running underneath. The more I looked I could swear at certain angles her skin appeared almost like stone it was so smooth. Her demeanor was relaxed, passive and quiet, and didn't look at me again for the entire lecture. Time dragged on as the lecture turned out to be far too familiar. I kept turning over in my mind what I had said. Was she aware of our conversation at lunch about her family? How could that have offended her? I thought we had started with a polite conversation, friendly even, she even declared wanting to call me by my full name.
Then the bell rang, and Rosalie got up quickly, and began to move past me. Her elbow grazed my lower back, causing me to flinch slightly in surprise, but then she passed me in a blink. I watched her practically run from the classroom feeling a bizarre form of whiplash. I knew I was attracted to her, but never in my wildest dreams imagined she fancied me back. Yet her reaction to me was weird, and I found myself thinking about her for the rest of the day, lost in a pleasant series of daydreams with her as the star around which my life would circle.