New Moon: Chapter 1
“Thanks a lot,” I said, adjusting the bags on my hands and feeling their dead weight drag me towards the ground. At least I felt that way. Heat rose through the asphalt, sinking through the soles of my sneakers.
“It was fun, Bella!” Jessica gushed, getting into the car as Angela and I opened the back door of the white car. “And eighteen’s a big deal, whether you believe it or not.”
“I don’t like a lot of fuss,” I said stiffly, buckling the seatbelt and leaning back.
“Really, Bella?” Angela asked, her voice just a bit too innocent.
“Obviously. Whose birthday...party only has two other people? You could have invited so many other people: Mike, Eric, Lauren, even that Cullen guy-“
“Not Cullen,” I said automatically. “Just a girls’ day out is enough for me.
“Jesus, I still can’t believe you ditched him,” Jessica muttered, pulling out of the mall parking lot rather too quickly for my taste. Or perhaps she was driving normally and having been in the car of two Cullens was warping my sense of speed.
“Ditched Cullen? Are you still on this?”
“You’re ruining her birthday,” Angela said peaceably, digging through her own bags of shopping.
“Yeah,” I said, liking this idea and leaning forward. “You’re ruining my mood.” Jessica gave an exaggerated sigh and I sat back. Angela grinned at me; I smiled back.
The reason why I only wanted these two to hang out: I was comfortable with them. Maybe not as comfortable as with my Phoenix friends, but I felt comfortable. I felt like they had moved beyond being polite with me.
I grimaced at the idea of Cullen.
Alice had begged for an excuse to have me over at the house again, but refused to come along with my regular ‘party’, pointing out that my human friends were undoubtedly uncomfortable with any Cullens’ presence. I couldn’t even understand why Alice wanted to have me around, but I agreed to spend half the night at the Cullens’ house. I didn’t even know what was going to happen.
And I only had an hour to finish my homework. I sighed at the thought of the homework just as Jessica pulled up in front of my house.
“Thank you both so much,” I said, trying to inflect as much enthusiasm as possible into my voice as I tried to pull my feet out from between bags of shopping.
“But it was so much fun!” Jessica said, bouncing out of the car. Angela got out, her movements as controlled as ever. I fell out, cursing at the bags. Both of them giggled. “You had fun, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, staggering onto the sidewalk. “Yeah. Thank you so much.”
Jessica’s hug was tight and almost choking, a contrast to Angela’s careful, loose hug. And then, they went into the car, Jessica still babbling “Happy birthday!” and some other things that I couldn’t quite discern in the fading light. I waved as the car sped off.
Charlie opened the door once I reached the porch. He had been watching for me. “Hey, Dad,” I said, giving him an one-armed hug and stumbling past him.
“You got a lot done,” he said, hands on his hips, as my backpack fell onto the floor as well.
“Yeah, still got tons of homework,” I said, cursing under my breath. I dug through my backpack, looking for my homework.
“You didn’t tell me you got Cullen as a tutor.” I froze, my math binder still in my hand.
“Cullen? Which one?”
“Happy birthday!” Alice ran towards me and hugged me; I squirmed in her tight embrace. Way too tight. Forks people and their overwhelming friendliness.
“Thanks,” I choked out once Alice let go of me. She snatched the math binder from my hand.
“How much homework do you have?” Alice asked, flipping through the reams of papers, her eyes flitting faster than any humans should.
“We need to get it done as soon as possible.”
“What?” I said weakly as she picked up my backpack far too easily and danced into the kitchen as if she lived here. Charlie watched her with a small smile on his face.
“You have to admit, she can get things done. You two can leave once you’re done with the homework. Which shouldn’t take too long.” He went into the living room and sighing, I dragged myself into the kitchen, where Alice had already stacked up my binders and opened up the first assignment.
“Really, I loved senior year,” Alice chirped.
“You only attended junior and senior year,” I mumbled, sitting opposite of her.
“Beside the point,” she said, giving me a dazzling smile. Why was it that they looked like they had been under the knife since they were five? But they hadn’t been. “Anyways, not much at all. We’ll get through this easily.”
“I don’t need help,” I snapped, pulling my English binder over to me. “Sorry,” I muttered.
“It’s OK, Bella. I know you’re naturally grumpy. It’s my job to make you more cheerful.” I choked at the idea and bent over my homework.
AN: Short chapter. Mostly just trying to show that she has friends OUTSIDE of the Cullens. The next chapter should be more awesome!
Chapter 2
“It was fun, Bella!” Jessica gushed, getting into the car as Angela and I opened the back door of the white car. “And eighteen’s a big deal, whether you believe it or not.”
“I don’t like a lot of fuss,” I said stiffly, buckling the seatbelt and leaning back.
“Really, Bella?” Angela asked, her voice just a bit too innocent.
“Obviously. Whose birthday...party only has two other people? You could have invited so many other people: Mike, Eric, Lauren, even that Cullen guy-“
“Not Cullen,” I said automatically. “Just a girls’ day out is enough for me.
“Jesus, I still can’t believe you ditched him,” Jessica muttered, pulling out of the mall parking lot rather too quickly for my taste. Or perhaps she was driving normally and having been in the car of two Cullens was warping my sense of speed.
“Ditched Cullen? Are you still on this?”
“You’re ruining her birthday,” Angela said peaceably, digging through her own bags of shopping.
“Yeah,” I said, liking this idea and leaning forward. “You’re ruining my mood.” Jessica gave an exaggerated sigh and I sat back. Angela grinned at me; I smiled back.
The reason why I only wanted these two to hang out: I was comfortable with them. Maybe not as comfortable as with my Phoenix friends, but I felt comfortable. I felt like they had moved beyond being polite with me.
I grimaced at the idea of Cullen.
Alice had begged for an excuse to have me over at the house again, but refused to come along with my regular ‘party’, pointing out that my human friends were undoubtedly uncomfortable with any Cullens’ presence. I couldn’t even understand why Alice wanted to have me around, but I agreed to spend half the night at the Cullens’ house. I didn’t even know what was going to happen.
And I only had an hour to finish my homework. I sighed at the thought of the homework just as Jessica pulled up in front of my house.
“Thank you both so much,” I said, trying to inflect as much enthusiasm as possible into my voice as I tried to pull my feet out from between bags of shopping.
“But it was so much fun!” Jessica said, bouncing out of the car. Angela got out, her movements as controlled as ever. I fell out, cursing at the bags. Both of them giggled. “You had fun, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, staggering onto the sidewalk. “Yeah. Thank you so much.”
Jessica’s hug was tight and almost choking, a contrast to Angela’s careful, loose hug. And then, they went into the car, Jessica still babbling “Happy birthday!” and some other things that I couldn’t quite discern in the fading light. I waved as the car sped off.
Charlie opened the door once I reached the porch. He had been watching for me. “Hey, Dad,” I said, giving him an one-armed hug and stumbling past him.
“You got a lot done,” he said, hands on his hips, as my backpack fell onto the floor as well.
“Yeah, still got tons of homework,” I said, cursing under my breath. I dug through my backpack, looking for my homework.
“You didn’t tell me you got Cullen as a tutor.” I froze, my math binder still in my hand.
“Cullen? Which one?”
“Happy birthday!” Alice ran towards me and hugged me; I squirmed in her tight embrace. Way too tight. Forks people and their overwhelming friendliness.
“Thanks,” I choked out once Alice let go of me. She snatched the math binder from my hand.
“How much homework do you have?” Alice asked, flipping through the reams of papers, her eyes flitting faster than any humans should.
“We need to get it done as soon as possible.”
“What?” I said weakly as she picked up my backpack far too easily and danced into the kitchen as if she lived here. Charlie watched her with a small smile on his face.
“You have to admit, she can get things done. You two can leave once you’re done with the homework. Which shouldn’t take too long.” He went into the living room and sighing, I dragged myself into the kitchen, where Alice had already stacked up my binders and opened up the first assignment.
“Really, I loved senior year,” Alice chirped.
“You only attended junior and senior year,” I mumbled, sitting opposite of her.
“Beside the point,” she said, giving me a dazzling smile. Why was it that they looked like they had been under the knife since they were five? But they hadn’t been. “Anyways, not much at all. We’ll get through this easily.”
“I don’t need help,” I snapped, pulling my English binder over to me. “Sorry,” I muttered.
“It’s OK, Bella. I know you’re naturally grumpy. It’s my job to make you more cheerful.” I choked at the idea and bent over my homework.
AN: Short chapter. Mostly just trying to show that she has friends OUTSIDE of the Cullens. The next chapter should be more awesome!
Chapter 2