Choice

Chapter 6

Bella POV:

I jump off my bike and look around at my new school. It is much larger than the one on the reservation. I notice that most of the cars look old and rusty, but one shiny Volvo stands out. I seem to be the only one with a motorbike.

The person with Volvo must take care of their Volvo as well as I take care of my bike.

I head to the office to get my schedule and scan it. First period, English.

The first half of the day breezes past, and finally, I head to the cafeteria for lunch.

I enter the lunch line and look around for a place to sit. A girl from my Spanish and Trig class walks up to me and introduces herself.

"I'm Jessica Stanley! I haven't seen you around here, are you new?"

"Uh... yeah. I'm Bella Swan, I recently moved here from La Push."

I see another girl with glasses and bangs walk up to us.

"Hi, I'm Angela!" says the girl. She seems really nice. She has this warm look, unlike Jessica who seems fake.

"Do you guys want to sit down?" I ask.

"Sure!" Jessica says and pushes her way to a nearby table.

"So, who do you know here?" Jessica asks.

"No one. I just moved a couple of days ago."

"Oh, well I can introduce you." She starts to point out people's names, but none of them really get my attention until she gets to the Cullens.

"That's Emmett Cullen, with the curly hair, and those two are Alice and Jasper. Oh, and the gorgeous blond is Rosalie."

"Who's the bronze-haired boy?" I ask.

Jessica blushes and looks down. "That's Edward. He doesn't really pay attention to the people here. No one' good enough' for him. Don't even try." She says sheepishly.

"Wasn't planning on it. I have a boyfriend. But how do you know?"

I see Edward's face turn towards us.

"That's a story for another time," Jessica replies.

Ring.

We get up at the sound of the bell to our next classes. I check my schedule; Biology.

I start making my way to Biology, and as I enter the class I see Edward Cullen sitting at a table alone. None of the other seats are empty, so I know the teacher will put me next to him. Being his biology partner will help me get to know him better, and figure out why he and his family are here.

"Hi, my name is Isabella Swan, but I go by Bella," I say to the teacher. He looks pretty friendly.

"Welcome, I'm Mr. Banner. You can take a seat next to Mr. Cullen over there." He nods towards Edward.

I knew it. I walk to the table and sit down. I take in a deep breath, but he doesn't smell bad like Sam said he would.

He actually smells... good. I can't explain it, but it's like warm honey, sweet lilacs, and sunshine at the same time.

Edward shoots a glare my way- that's weird. But as soon as he takes a breath his face goes soft. Maybe I smell good to him too?

"Hi, my name is Edward Cullen. You are?" He asks. His voice is so soft and warm.

"Bella, Bella Swan," I say.

"So Bella, where did you come from?" He asks.

"I moved here from... " I hesitate. If I tell him I'm from La Push he might be suspicious. "...Arizona. I moved here recently."

"Ok...?" He says.

"Um... we should start. Have you done this before?" I ask, quickly switching the subject.

"Uh, yeah. I can do the whole thing if you'd like," he says in a condescending tone.

"No, it's fine. Let's work on it together." I reply. He doesn't seem nearly as bad as my family said. In fact, he seems pretty nice.

"I guess. You can go first."

I peak in the microscope. "Anaphase."

He doesn't bother checking my work.

I slide the microscope over to him. "Prophase." He takes even less time than I did. I narrow my eyes and peer into the microscope.

"Metaphase." We keep going back and forth until we've finished them all. I notice that we're the first ones done.

We continue talking for the rest of the class. He is really nice, but I should still be careful. We're natural enemies. But then how will I figure out why they're here?

We head to my locker and part our ways. I feel sad as I watch him go away. Wait, what?! How did that thought get into my head? I shove that thought into me "Think about later" box.

The rest of the day passes by in a blur.

I get into my car and head home. Charlie gave me a key, and when I enter, I see Jacob standing there.

Edwards POV:

My whole day has been pretty normal, until lunch. Everyone's thoughts are about the new girl. She's not that pretty. I hear her little friend Jessica's thoughts- they're talking about me? I decide to ignore them. Better to not get wrapped up in all the high school drama.

The bell rings and I walk to biology. I head to my empty table and wait for class to start. The new girl walks in. She looks more natural than most of the fake girls here. And she definitely looks better. Unlike Jessica, she is pretty without makeup, while Jessica looks like she's wearing pounds of it.

She takes a seat next to me and I scan her. And then her scent hits me. She smells like strawberries and freesias- unlike any vampire or human thing I've ever smelled.

We talk a little and complete the assignment. I can't admit to myself how much her mere presence has affected me. And the worst part: I can't hear her thoughts.

This is gonna be interesting.

I try to make conversation, and it turns out she is pretty easy to talk to. I actually enjoyed Biology today. She is kind and sweet. I can feel myself growing closer to this girl beside me.