Chapter 2: chapter 2 the new kid
The truck didn't drive as smoothly as Charlie's cruiser, but it still got Bella from point A to point B. And though it didn't move all that fast, she felt secure in a big box of metal. It was like her own little suit of armor, protecting her from the rest of the world. When she finally got out of the truck, she almost felt naked, having finally slipped into her newest reality. She had parked in an empty space, a good quantity of other cars having already arrived. Bella noticed that many of them were like hers in the fact that they were slightly outdated. At least her car didn't stick out all that much. She pulled her bear back pack on and cradled a book against her chest. If she could just seamlessly blend in, she'd be fine. Taking a breath, she moved forward, the cold wind of the morning biting at her face. The weather was defiantly a new experience in itself. Upon waking up that morning, she half expected to be roused by the golden rays of warm sunlight that so often greeted her face. But this morning, she awoke to the bleak, clouded day outside her window. She guessed it was something she would just have to get used to.
With her rubber boots squeaking beneath her, Bella made her way into the school building. She rifled through her pocket before bringing up a slip of paper that had her class schedule printed on it. She observed the small lettered numerals and asked around, until she stumbled upon her first class. Unfortunately, her inane sense of direction caused her to be about fifteen minutes late. Timidly, she opened the door, to see the teacher in the middle of writing something on the board. He turned his eyes over to her, as did the rest of the class – a kind of domino effect that Bella always a pored. He smiled politely at her.
"You must be Isabella Swan?" She nodded and made her way in with a careful step. The teacher turned to the other students, who were all looking at her curiously. It was obvious that some of them noted her last name. "Everyone this is our newest student, Chief Swan's daughter. She just moved here from Arizona. Why don't you tell a little about yourself?"
Bella shifted uncomfortably, moving her gaze about the room. She hated the spot light. She knew that people constantly made judgments the first five seconds of meeting a person. "Um… hi," she said, waving a bit. The class just stared at her, as if waiting for the girl to perform some sort of amazing stunt. "Well… um… My name's Bella and… I… like to read… and stuff…" She trailed off, a couple students chuckling at her nervousness. However, the laughter had more cheer then malice to it. The teacher clapped his hands.
"Right. Well, I'm Mr. Tesler, as I'm sure your schedule already pointed out. Now let's see… Who can I pair you up with?" He turned and tapped his chin, looking from face to face. However, everyone seemed to have some form of partner. As far as Bella could see, anyway. Perhaps she'd just end up with two partners? It might be easier then an abrupt, one-on-one interrogation with a single partner. However, Mr. Tesler seemed to find someone. "Ah, there we are. Ms. Cullen, you're still lacking a partner, right?" Bella blinked and tried to find whoever this "Ms. Cullen" was, but couldn't seem to find her. That is, until every head in the class turned to the very back. That's when Bella saw her.
Sitting in the far back of the class, slumped down in her seat, was a girl. She had a chalky, pale complexion that was nearly pasty. Her eyes were sunken in and her face was horribly gaunt. She wore a thick, dark sweatshirt and black leather gloves, her hood sitting atop her head. Her long hair was a faint caramel color, and her cheekbones were high and prominent. Her eyes fell on Bella, and she almost seemed to sneer. Bella didn't particularly want to sit beside this sour looking female, but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She moved to the back and took her seat, putting her bag to the side. As she settled, Cullen turned away from her, scooting an inch or so to the side. Bella couldn't help but feel insulted and looked to the table. She didn't say a word to her.
"Oh, and Edythe?" Cullen looked up, though it appeared to be against her will. "Since Bella's new here, why don't you show her around? So she won't be late again…" Bella smiled sheepishly at the teacher, but said nothing on the matter. She was not born with an internal compass.
"Can't someone else do it?" Edythe asked bluntly. Her voice was low and sullen, with a growling, gravely undertone. Bella rounded to her in disbelief. She hadn't even said hello, and yet she acted as though she'd insulted her. All she did was sit beside her. What was the harm in that?"
Tesler frowned at the request. "No," he said shortly. "Now be nice, Ms. Cullen. This is Miss Swan's first day." Edythe only huffed and folded her arms in a pout, turning her head to the side. "And take your hood off," the teacher added. Edythe shot him a glare before yanking the top part of her jacket off. Bella frowned and took out her book. As the teacher began the lesson once more, Bella jotted down a couple of notes, continually passing glances at the blatant emo who sat beside her. Maybe she was just having an off day? Maybe she just wasn't one for human interaction? Bella couldn't say she didn't relate. Still, it was no excuse for her to be so rude without even knowing her. In the middle of class, when the teacher gave them free work time, Bella had no real option but to speak to her.
"Um… Edythe, right?" She refused to look at her. Bella continued. "What… what exactly were you guys doing before I got here? I need to do a little catch up work…" She stopped when she abruptly pushed over her notebook.
"Have fun," she chided, propping her head in her hand and looking away. Bella just about pouted then and pushed her note book back. She spared her a glance over her shoulder.
"Do you have some kind of problem with me?" she asked in a low voice. Edythe narrowed her eyes and picked up her chair. Then, in a very pointed fashion, she turned it away from her and sat it so that her back was facing her. Bella felt embarrassment and anger rise within her. Especially when she heard a few snickers from the other students. No doubt they were enjoying the show. Before she could stop herself, Bella picked up her own notebook and hit her in the back of the head. She didn't seem to expect that and jumped slightly, turning to look at her. "Look. I don't know what your problem is, but all I want to do is get through this first day surviving." She sighed and set the notebook down as she continued to look at her, though her mouth was closed now. "We don't have to be friends… I just… I don't want to make enemies on my first day of school. Ok?" There was another little pause before Edythe corrected her char and laid her head down, still turned away from her. Bella sighed and looked down at her own work. She guessed she'd have to figure things out on her own.
When the bell finally rang, Bella began to put her things away. By the time she was standing, Edythe was gone. She looked left and right, but she seemed eager to get out of the class anyway. No surprise she wouldn't listen to the teacher and show her around. Not that she would even want her to do so if she was simply going to be foul to her. She just hated the feeling of making an enemy. Shaking her head, she pulled on her back pack and headed out of class, pulling out the sheet of paper. Thankfully, she made it to her math class just as the bell rang. The introduction given by the teacher was much more brief and painless, and the student she sat beside wasn't nearly as disagreeable. She was a girl with long, light hair and a few freckles along her cheeks. She was charming enough, with just the right amount of baby fat left in her face. She brightly introduced herself as Jessica.
"So you're from Arizona?" she questioned. Bella nodded. "Must be a big change coming here…"
"I used to visit every year. I'm living with my dad now."
"No kidding? Hey… your dad's Chief Swan, right?"
"Yeah…" She tapped the desk with her pencil. "He's happy I'm here."
"Well that's good. How are you liking the school here so far? Is it different then down there?" Bella's mind went to her new lab partner.
"It's defiantly interesting…" she said honestly. She shook her head. "Sorry, some girl was giving me a hard time last period."
Jessica blinked. "Really? Who?"
"Edythe Cullen is her name I think," said Bella with a shrug. Jessica's eyebrows went to her hairline. "What?"
"Why was she giving you a hard time?" It seemed to be genuine curiosity.
"Uh… well she's my new lab partner. I sit next to her." Jessica's face revealed even more surprise, until a smile curled around her lips.
"Oh man…" She patted Bella's shoulder. "My condolences, Bella. You have a very hard road ahead."
"Really? Is she that bad?"
"From what I hear, she's worse then that." She scrunched down, gossip clearly being her favorite topic of discussion. "She started coming to school just a few months ago, actually. She was home schooled up until then by her dad."
"Who's her dad?" Bella asked, moving down a bit to be level with Jessica.
"Dr. Cullen," she continued. "He's a specialist. He only makes house calls. Never comes to the hospital unless it's something very important. They all live in their family house out of town."
"They…?" For some reason, Bella had a sickly feeling in her stomach.
"Her family. She's got four brothers and sisters. The word is they're adopted because they're all mostly the same age. They don't come into town that often." She shook her head. "Anyway… Edythe. She's got some major problems. I mean major problems. I heard that when she was little, she tortured small animals just to see what they would do." Bella's stomach tied in knots.
"Tortured…? How?"
"Ropes, bags, water… anything she could get a hold of. She got worse as she got older. One time, this kid got on her nerves, and then the next day, he was gone. Just vanished."
"Oh that can't be true," said Bella with a frown. "…Can it?"
"No one really knows," Jessica admitted. "But you can't doubt that she's creepy…"
Bella nodded. "Yeah…"
"But her whole family's like that," she pressed on. "The dad's ok, I hear… I haven't met him but my uncle once had a case of the flu. A really bad case… Dr. Cullen made a special trip and treated him. At a really low cost, too."
"Wow. Sounds generous."
"Yeah…" Jessica trailed off then and shook her head. "Well anyway. Good luck with Edythe." Bella smiled bitterly and looked up to the teacher, figuring she'd need a little more then luck to get herself through biology.
When lunch rolled around, Bella hurried to the lunch line, quite famished as the lunch there was a bit later then the lunch in Phoenix. She began to fill her tray, Jessica having tagged along with her, and inched down the line. Just as she turned to go sit down, her eyes once more fell onto the dark figure that was Edythe Cullen.
She sat in the corner of the lunch room at a small, broken down table. She had no lunch in front of her, but instead, drank from a sole thermos. She sat alone, no one daring to even go near her. Bella didn't blame them. She constantly wiped her mouth as she drank from the thermos, putting the napkins in her pocket, rather then leaving them on the table. An odd thing… Then again, Jessica did say that she had problems…
"This way, Bella." The girl blinked out of her day dream and headed over to a slightly crowded table. They all turned as the two made their way to it. "Everybody, this is Bella. She's Chief Swan's daughter." Bella gave a meek greeting and sat beside Jessica, starting on her lunch. Eating was a good excuse not to talk. One of the boys, Mike, spoke with a loud voice, his hand on Jessica's lower back. The two seemed to be a bit of an item. It made Bella remember how Carrie used to be back home. She took her apple in her hand and idly began to play with the stem. She missed having her by her side. She was such a playful person to be around, and always made her smile. She could be a bit too touchy feely at times, but Bella got used to it. Besides, she'd love it when she would hug her from behind out of nowhere…
"Oy! You awake there?" Bella blinked and looked up to where one of them was addressing her. Tyler, she believed his name was. He had slightly large teeth, with dark skin and tightly curled hair, resting on the edge of his head. He smiled at her. "Jessica was just telling us about your new lab partner."
"Oh…" Bella looked down to her apple again. "Yeah… she seems to hate me for some reason."
"She hates everyone," said one of the girls simply. The name escaped her at the moment.
"But why?" Bella asked the group. "Why's she like that?" No one seemed to have an answer. Jessica looked over to her lone table.
"Hey… is your neck burning?" Bella was a bit confused but turned to see that Edythe was staring right at her. Almost as though she was hearing every word she spoke. It gave her a frightening thrill, but she soon calmed it, telling herself it was impossible. She was all the way over there, after all. She turned to the others as she looked away.
"Have any of you tried to at least talk to her?" she asked earnestly.
"And what?" Mike asked, cocking a brow. "Wake up to find our arms ripped off? No thanks."
"Yeah… she scares me too much…"
"Same here…"
Bella paused for a moment and looked back over her shoulder. Edythe was no longer looking at her, but instead, focusing on what she was drinking. She bit the inside of her lip. "Maybe… if someone tried to be friendly to her… maybe she wouldn't be so bad?"
"Oh? Well if you think that's the case, why don't you go talk to her?"
She looked at the others, apple still cradled in her palms. They all stared at her expectantly. With a twisting stomach, she looked back to Edythe. Once more, she too was looking at her. She curled her toes inside of her shoes and took a couple of breaths. "Ok…" She stood up, Jessica taking her arm.
"Wait… are you really gonna do it?" she asked, eyes widening.
"Well… yeah. I'm sure she can't be as bad as everyone thinks…" Or she hoped, anyway. With a nod, she left the table and carefully made her way over to the girl. She didn't seem to blink as she got closer, her back going ridged. Bella finally stopped, standing behind the empty seat that faced her. They stared at one another, the muscles in her face tightening and relaxing in rhythm. "Um… hi… Can I sit here?"
Edythe kept her eyes on hers. She didn't seem to blink. "If I say no are you still gonna?" There was a silence between the two. Finally, the girl caved and held out a hand. "Fine. Knock yourself out." Bella sat down, the two never breaking eye contact. She ran her thumb along the green skin of her fruit, which she still clutched close to her. Edythe took a sip of her thermos, and Bella dislodged her gaze long enough to look at the cylinder.
"Um… what's that?" she gestured to it.
"Soup," she said flatly.
"Oh. What kind?"
"Tomato."
"Any good?"
Edythe rolled her eyes, rubbing her temple. "Is there a reason you're harassing me or is it all for the enjoyment of your friends?" Bella turned to see that the group she had just been sitting with were all watching intently. Bella turned back to Edythe, looking as sincere as possible.
"I'm just trying to be nice… really."
"I don't need your sympathy, thanks."
"It's not sympathy," she said. "It's just being polite." You know, that thing that you can't seem to be? she added in her head. "I just… you looked lonely so I thought I'd keep you company."
"Oh well," said Edythe, her voice heavy with cynicism. "Thank you so much! I don't know what I would possibly do without someone like you! Why, you make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!" She took another drink from her thermos. "So is that all?"
Bella frowned at her and looked back to her container. "Why only soup? Aren't you hungry?"
Edythe gave her a stone like look. "I'm on a diet," she said evenly. Bella looked her over. Despite the frumpy sweat shirt, it was obvious that Edythe was quite thin. Perhaps just as much as she was.
"I think you might be over doing it," she commented. Edythe gave her a cool look.
"Says the girl with the spaghetti arms." Self consciously, Bella put her hands to her limbs.
"I don't have spaghetti arms…" she began, her voice a bit smaller. Edythe's eyes went to her shirt.
"And a flat chest," she added curtly. Her face filled with red at that comment. She stood then, feeling like a fool for ever giving such a self centered bitch a second chance. With all her might, she flung her apple hard at her. She dodged it, but it still got her point across. The cafeteria went a bit silent after that action, and they watched as Bella stormed out of the room, feeling the urge to break into a run. She strode quickly down the hall and into the bathroom, where she locked herself in a stall.
What a first day. She had never felt so humiliated in all her life. Nor had she ever felt like such an idiot. She pushed her forehead to the door, tempted to just call Carrie in the middle of class and seek her comfort. But she knew she'd get in trouble if she did. So instead, she just sat on the toilet, lamenting the choices that lead her up to that particular moment. She didn't cry, though she felt like she wanted to. But one thing was for sure.
She had decided that she hated Edythe Cullen with every ounce of her being.
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