The Right Swan: Edward LS

Chapter 11

THREE YEARS AGO - Third P.O.V.

"Hey, Nathan."

Fourteen-year-old Toni greeted her friend. It was their first day of freshman year in high school, and they were currently at lunch. They had changed a bit over the years, physically and mentally. Toni had short, chin-length hair, and had dropped the baby fat that she had. She was sporting a red softball shirt and a pair of jean shorts that came to mid-thigh.

"Hey, Toni. How was Forks?" fifteen-year-old Nathan asked his friend. He had started growing out of his gangly frame and had grown several inches. He stood at a height of 5' 9", a couple of inches above Toni's height of 5' 5," and he no longer wore glasses, opting for contact's instead. The contacts were still a bit uncomfortable for him, but he was steadily getting used to them. His auburn curls started straightening themselves out and were wavier than anything else and the light freckles that used to adorn his face were practically nonexistent. Hitting puberty was the third best thing to happen to him. The first best thing that had happened to him was meeting Toni and the second-best thing was whenever he was taken away from his mom.

Last year, Nathan's mom had beat him so badly on a school night that he had bruises all over him in the shape of fingers and hands. His mom made him go to school the next day, which was a mistake on her part. He was sent to the principal's office immediately after his homeroom teacher looked at him. The principal had brought in the guidance counselor and she had asked him multiple questions about his home life. He was a bit scared to say anything, but he eventually broke down and told them everything. Child protective services were called and they took Nathan away after they assessed his home. Thankfully, he was placed with a foster family that lived in Phoenix so he could still hang out with Toni.

"It was amazing! We went fishing a lot, and he even let me take a short hike through the woods," Toni said excitedly. Nathan smiled at her.

"It seems like it was very fun."

"It was! I just wish you would have come," she pouted while placing her hand on his. He sighed.

"You know I couldn't. Maybe next year," he offered.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Look, Toni, I-" Nathan started but was cut off from their friend Mandy. Mandy slammed her tray down on the lunch table and huffed out a ragged breath. She plopped herself down and looked straight at Toni.

"You will not believe what I heard this morning," she exclaimed.

Toni, who was confused, looked at her and asked, "What?"

"This morning! I overhead Sammy who told Lisa that she heard from a friend of hers that Dean was searching for a dark-haired girl that he saw in the hallways."

"What does that have anything to do with any of us?" Nathan asked. It made no sense to him. Was this some kind of fairytale? Cinderella, maybe? Who tries to find some girl they've never talked to and barely caught a glimpse of? Besides, what would a senior want with a freshman? Mandy huffed in frustration.

"It has everything to do with us. Well, more like Toni."

"Listen, Mandy, just because I have black hair doesn't mean anything. Who is Dean, anyway?" asked Toni. Mandy dramatically gasped and threw her hand over her gaping mouth. Her long blonde hair swished back and forth as she grabbed ahold of Toni's shoulders and started shaking her.

"You don't know who Dean is?!"

Toni rolled her eyes and pushed Mandy's hands off her shoulders. She always wondered why her best friend was so dramatic.

"No. I don't," Toni said blandly as she reached for her food. Today they were having popcorn chicken and Toni loved popcorn chicken.

Mandy leaned in towards Toni and said excitedly, "Dean is only the hottest boy in this school. He's also a senior and he has this bad boy aura around him; like an 'I don't care' attitude."

Toni made a look of disgust. Why would she want to go out with someone like that? Why would she even want to go out with a senior? Sure, he could be cute, judging by Mandy's description, but he had to be at least 18. She was only 14 and still considered a minor.

"And your point is," Toni drawled out. But she didn't get an answer. Her friend was staring to the right; she wasn't paying attention to anything Toni was saying. Toni looked that way to see an attractive boy walking her way. He had long, chestnut hair that was knotted up at the base of his neck. He had deep hazel eyes and was wearing a plain black T-shirt with ripped jeans. He was tall, at least 6 feet tall, and had an impressive muscle mass. He was looking her way and smirked when he caught her eye.

Toni felt someone shaking her shoulders and saw that it was Mandy's hands, again. She then proceeded to look back up at the boy who she assumed was Dean. She could hear Nathan scoff beside her, yet she couldn't remove her gaze from the senior making his way towards them to ask him why he was acting that way.

She downcast her eyes, allowing her hair to hide her face when he reached the edge of their table. She started twiddling her thumbs in nervousness and refused to look at him.

"I've been looking everywhere for you."

She looked up at Dean and smiled. What he said was corny, but she wasn't sure how to act around older boys.

"Sorry," she said. This made his smirk grow as he sat down at the rounded table.

"My name's Dean, but you probably already knew that. Welcome to high school," Dean said.

Toni smiled. "Thanks. This is Mandy and Nathan, and I'm Toni."