When I pulled into the parking lot of Forks High School, my truck announced our arrival before anyone even saw us. It roared and coughed like it was offended by the idea of school, loud enough to turn every head in the lot. The sound echoed off the low buildings and damp pavement, and I felt my face burn as if I'd stepped into a spotlight instead of out of a driver's seat. Of course, all eyes were on me. Of course they were.
I climbed out carefully, already wishing I could disappear back into the cab, and immediately stepped straight into a puddle I hadn't noticed. Cold water soaked through my sneakers in seconds. Perfect. I shut the door with a wince and started toward the entrance, trying to make myself smaller, trying to pretend the whispers weren't about me even though they obviously were.
Inside, the air smelled like floor cleaner and wet jackets. I kept my headphones in, my iPod a thin shield against the world, and moved through the hallways while people openly stared. A few brave souls said hi, stretching the word like they expected something fascinating in return. Everywhere I turned, I could feel it - that low hum of curiosity. They were all talking about me. The new girl. The outsider. This was my personal version of hell.
I wandered past lockers and bulletin boards, squinting at room numbers, completely lost. The school felt like a maze designed to expose how out of place I was. That was when someone stepped directly into my path.
"You're Isabella Swan, the new girl. Hi, I'm Eric. The eyes and ears of this place. Anything you need. Tour guide, lunch date, shoulder to cry on."
I blinked at him, momentarily thrown off by the sheer enthusiasm of the introduction. He stood there expectantly, smiling like he'd just delivered a very professional greeting and was waiting for applause.
I studied him for a second, trying to decide if he was serious.
"I'm kind of the 'suffer in silence' type."
He didn't even blink. "Good headline for your feature - I'm on the paper, and you're news, baby, front page."
Panic immediately sparked in my chest.
"I - no, I'm not news - I'm, seriously, not at all -"
"Whoa, chillax. No feature."
The words no feature landed like a life raft in the middle of very deep social waters.
I exhaled in relief and quickly seized the opportunity before any new journalistic ideas could occur to him.
"Would you mind just pointing me toward Mr Varner's class?"
Eric beamed like I'd just handed him a medal for outstanding public service. Without hesitation, he spun around and started down the hallway. I followed a step behind, trying not to notice the way people glanced up as we passed. Eric seemed to soak up the attention like sunshine, while I did my best to shrink into the background and pretend the hallway floor was extremely fascinating.
"You've missed a lot of the semester, but I can hook you up - tutor, cliff notes, medical excuse.."
I nodded vaguely, hoping he wouldn't actually follow through on any of that.
Gym class was worse.
The boys' basketball team pounded across half the court, sneakers squeaking and balls thudding in sharp rhythm, while a volleyball game took up the other half. The noise bounced off the walls and filled my head. I wore the required gym clothes but avoided the volleyball like it might explode if it got too close.
Jessica, the team captain, was all energy and sharp commands, her voice cutting cleanly through the chaos. "Block it, Chloe! Yeah! Good attack!"
Unfortunately, the ball decided I looked like a good target.
It came flying in my direction, spinning fast and heading straight for my face. Instinct took over. I closed my eyes and flailed wildly, managing to smack the ball with far more force than I intended.
It shot off the court-
-and hit a basketball player square in the head.
"Ow!"
He turned, rubbing his temple.
I hurried over, mortified. "Are you alright? I warned them not to make me play."
He grinned, "It's only a flesh wound."
Relief loosened something tight in my chest, and I smiled back. The bell rang before I had to say anything else.
"You're Isabella, right?"
"Just Bella."
"I'm Mike Newton."
He held my gaze a second too long, like he was trying to memorise my face. I shifted awkwardly, unsure what to do with that kind of attention. Fortunately, Jessica appeared between us before the silence could stretch any further.
"She's got a great spike, doesn't she?" she said, nudging Mike slightly aside. Then she turned to me with a bright, appraising look. "So, you're from Arizona, right? Aren't people supposed to be tan down there?"
"That's why they kicked me out."
Mike laughed, and because he did, Jessica laughed too. I forced a small smile, feeling more like an exhibit than a person.
By lunch, the novelty still hadn't worn off.
In the cafeteria, I followed Mike and Jessica with my tray, trying to look like I belonged at their table. The room buzzed with conversations and the clatter of silverware. Eric appeared out of nowhere and squeezed into the seat beside me.
"Mike, you met my home girl Bella."
"Your home girl?"
Jessica smirked at me. "It's first grade all over again, and you're the shiny new toy."
I gave her an awkward smile, unsure how to respond to being compared to plastic.
A sudden flash exploded in front of my face, white and blinding. I flinched instinctively, blinking spots out of my vision as I looked up.
Angela stood there with a camera still raised, her expression apologetic.
"Sorry, needed a candid for the feature -"
"Feature's dead, Angela. Don't bring it up again." Eric leaned slightly closer to me, lowering his voice in exaggerated reassurance. "I got your back, baby."
Angela sighed in disappointment. "Guess we'll just run another editorial on teen drinking."
"Sorry. There's always eating disorders, or Speedo padding on the swim team -"
"Wait, that's a good one.."
They kept talking, but I wasn't listening anymore.
The double doors of the cafeteria swung open.
Something about the room shifted almost immediately, though I couldn't explain why. Conversations didn't stop exactly, but the energy changed, like a subtle current moving through the crowd.
A small group had just entered through the cafeteria doors.
They were impossibly pale, their skin almost luminous under the fluorescent lights. And they were beautiful in a way that didn't seem entirely natural, so striking it made everyone else around fade a little by comparison.
They moved through the cafeteria with an effortless grace that made the rest of us seem clumsy, like dancers weaving easily through furniture that had been placed in their path.
I leaned toward Jessica and Angela, unable to look away. "Who are they?"
"The Cullens," Angela said.
Jessica leaned in, her voice dropping into full gossip mode. "Doctor and Mrs Cullen's foster kids. They all moved down here from Alaska two years ago."
"They kinda keep to themselves," Angela added.
"Because they're all together. Like, together together. The blonde girl, Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Emmett…"
"... they're a thing. I'm not even sure that's legal."
"Jess, they're not actually related," Angela said gently.
"But they live together. And the little dark-haired girl, Alice, she's really weird-"
She was slightly shorter than average, slim and graceful, with short black hair that framed her pale face in soft, uneven spikes. She moved easily between the tables, light on her feet, her posture straight and calm.
Her eyes swept across the room slowly, thoughtfully, like she was searching for something important.
There was a faint haze in her expression, as if she had misplaced something only she understood and was quietly certain it had to be here somewhere. The loud cafeteria didn't seem to touch her.
Jessica leaned closer again.
"-She's single. Which is strange, because tons of guys have tried. She rejected every single one of them. I mean, who does that?"
Alice didn't look lonely or uncertain. If anything, she looked patient, like someone who simply hadn't found what she was looking for yet.
Jessica shifted her attention toward the honey-blond boy already seated at the Cullen table.
"And that's Jasper, the blonde who looks like he's in pain."
My eyes moved to him. He was tall and lean, his honey-blond hair neat against his pale forehead. There was something tense in the way he held himself.
Jessica continued, nodding toward the stunning blonde girl beside him.
"She's Edythe. She's with Jasper. They're basically inseparable. I mean, Dr Cullen's like this foster dad slash match maker."
Edythe sat close to Jasper, her posture calm but protective, her eyes sharp and aware. They didn't need to touch to show they belonged together. It was clear in the way they angled toward each other, in the quiet understanding between them.
"Maybe he'll adopt me," Angela joked.
I laughed softly, liking her more by the second.
Then I saw him.
He entered last, as if timing it deliberately. Tall and lanky, with untidy bronze hair that caught the light. He looked more boyish than the others, almost fragile, but there was something closed off about him, something inward and distant. He was the most striking of them all.
"Who's he?" I asked quietly.
"That's Edward Cullen."
As if he'd heard his name across the crowded room, he turned his head. His eyes met mine.
For a second, everything else blurred. But his expression wasn't what I expected. He looked… confused. Almost troubled.
I dropped my gaze quickly, my heart tripping over itself.
"He's totally gorgeous, obviously," Jessica went on. "But apparently, no one here is good enough for him. Like I care." She paused, then added, "Anyway, don't waste your time."
"I wasn't planning on it."
That was true. At least, I thought it was.
But I couldn't stop myself from looking again.
This time he was staring at me openly, his expression tightened by something that looked almost like frustration. It unsettled me in a way I couldn't explain. I let my hair fall forward, hiding behind it, as if that thin curtain could protect me from whatever was happening across the room.
[For those who might not be satisfied with this chapter because it's about 90% taken from the movie, the purpose of it is to let you see the scene as it originally appeared, so you can visualise the characters exactly as they were in the film.
Why was it so long?
Because it's the only movie scene where the MC hasn't been introduced yet.]