Just the Girl

Chapter 1

Moving to Forks had never been in the plan. There was not a single person in the world who woke up one day and said, "You know what sounds awesome? I'm gonna move to the rainiest corner of the continental United States." Bella, however, fool that she was, was doing just that. She sat on the bed in her room, the only change that had been made to her childhood home in eighteen years. She had been born in this very town. She had grown up in this very room. Tomorrow she would get all the supplies she needed to remake this room. Tonight? Tonight, she would wallow in the misery of falling asleep under this oppressive, cold, rainy night.

Bella's nightmares involved dark woods where the rain never stopped, sunshiny beaches that she couldn't reach, and her mother crying as she left. She wasn't quite sure how they tied together, but there was one thing that was clear to her when she woke up: She was going to be miserable. Bella walked downstairs and wandered into the kitchen, hoping Charlie at least kept milk and cereal on hand. That hope was quickly dashed. The fridge contained old pizza, a six-pack of beer, a motley arrangement of sauces and a jar that contained one pickle. Bella shut the fridge and saw a note on the outside of it.

Held up by a magnet was a note that read:

Bella, I am so sorry I didn't manage to go shopping before you got here, and then I got called into work this morning. You mentioned you want to paint your room, so here's 300 bucks. Get what you need for your room and whatever groceries you think we need. Dad.

Pinned under the note were three hundred-dollar bills. Bella wondered if Charlie kept that kind of money in the house, knowing that as a small-town sheriff, he probably did. Bella pushed that thought from her mind and smiled at Charlie's thoughtfulness. She was sure he felt weird about having a teenage girl in the house, but he was clearly going to do his best. Bella walked to the front door to grab her jacket when she remembered that she had no way to get to the store. She held the jacket in her hand before she looked at the front door. There was a note taped there too.

Bella, I promise, I will not always communicate through notes. There's a surprise for you in the driveway. The key is on the back of this note. Have a good day kiddo!

Charlie didn't sign this note. Bella flipped it over. On the back, a small silver key. On one side it said 'Ford.' Bella pulled the key off the paper and flipped it over. There was a horse on the other side of it. Bella's heart started pounding as she wrenched the door open. Parked in the driveway was an old Mustang. It was poop brown and had rust spots over the rear wheel well. Bella looked into the window. The tan leather seats were old and cracked. The gear stick was missing the knob on top. It looked like someone had taken a large nut of some sort and twisted it on, making a makeshift handle. The car was a piece of shit. Bella got in, turned the key and listened to the engine start right up. She didn't like it.

She loved it.

Bella tried to open the glove compartment. The compartment stuck, so Bella had to hit it twice. It was still stuck, so for good measure, she kicked it. It dropped open aggressively. The papers in the compartment fell on the floor. Bella laughed as she grabbed them. There were receipts from its last inspection, a tattered manual that came with the car, a wrench and half a pack of cigarettes. Bella shoved everything back into the glove compartment, with the exception of the cigarettes. She shoved the cigarettes into her hoodie pocket to throw away. Her dad obviously didn't get the car from a dealer. She ran a hand over the steering wheel, the dashboard. She turned the key in the ignition and the car roared to life. Bella smiled at the sound, as loud as it was. She put the car in gear and headed for the nearest hardware store.

The store was easy to find. Everything in Forks was on the same main road. She pulled in to the parking lot, noting the way people turned and looked at the noise her car made. Her cheeks burned, so she hurried to shut the car off. Bella wasn't used to people looking at her. In Phoenix, she was painfully normal and incredibly unassuming. Nothing about Bella Swan screamed 'look at me' and that was by design. Bella didn't join teams. She didn't join clubs. She didn't share her stories, her art, or her music. Her plan to pass through high school unnoticed had been a resounding success so far, and she had no plans to change that. After a public fall out with her best friend in middle school, Bella was saving her best self for college. She hoped her beautiful, noisy Mustang wouldn't ruin that plan for her.