third chapter, full of shocks and crazy twists...enjoy!

The La Push students stood out among the vast amounts of students at school. They were tanner, and wore brighter colors than us, a very unusual; thing to do in Forks where your covered in an unclear haze of rain and shadow. The La Push kids mostly kept to themselves, at lunch in most classes, but there would be a rare occasion that they would have to communicate with you for an assignment or for something they needed help with. I was lucky to be in mostly senior classes, so I didn’t have to worry about that too much. If I sounded stupid, they didn’t say anything. Edward and Alice were avoided by them. I guess they do take their superstitions and old tales seriously on the reservation. Most of my classes were the same, no new students except for 3 girls in my Spanish and Paul and Jared, Jacobs other pack brothers in my History class. By this point I was getting accustomed to seeing Jacob around the campus, even though he tried his hardest to ignore me, although Edward said he was thinking about me a lot, about leaving me alone and how he would feel responsible if something happened to me, but what with Jacobs extra sensitive hearing, he scowled towards us and sped up his pace to get away from us. But it seriously surprised me when I walked into the Gym Wednesday afternoon and saw Jacob, Quil, Embry, Jared and Paul standing with a bunch of other La Push students just inside the door. Edward stiffened and wrinkled his nose, as the Pack did the same. You could feel the tension in the air, like static, and with me standing in the middle of them both; it was a very uncomfortable feeling. Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley, who were standing by the other side of the door, caught my attention by waving at me. “Bella!” Tyler was waving so hard it looked like his arm would hurt. “Hey, Bella, get your cute butt over here!” he teased. I heard Edward hiss under his breath and turned his glare on Mike and Tyler, who stopped shouting at his look, but kept waving half heartedly. I looked out the corner of my eye, and saw both Quil and Embry with a hand on Jacob’s shoulders, looking as though they were restraining him. “Um, I better go see what they want before one of them hits the other with his arm.” I said quietly and dropped Edwards hand and went over to the boys. “Hey guys,” I greeted them honestly curious. “What’s up?” They both looked so excited it was hard not to smile myself. “You’ll never guess what I just scored!” Tyler was practically bouncing out of his skin. There was a pause.
“Oh, am I seriously supposed to guess?” I asked unsure.
“No, you’d be wrong any way.” Mike laughed.
“I just got the hottest tickets in all of Washington to go and see…drum roll please…” Mike and Tyler pretended to play the drums in mid air. “Dah, Dah, Da-Da! Harajuku Dolls!” my jaw dropped, and my eyes widened. I had been looking for tickets to that concert for months! “Oh my god! No way!” I screamed mock punching Tyler’s shoulder. “Yes way!” he laughed returning the mock punch. “I got 4 tickets, one for me, one for Mike, one for Angela and one for…you!” I screamed and jumped at Tyler hugging him as tightly as I could. He laughed again. “Happy belated birthday Bella!” I laughed too this time, when I heard Coach Clapp come in and told everyone to settle down. I turned around and saw everyone crowding around the Coach. It was then I realized the severe lack of girls in the class. I found Edward in the see of heads and grabbed his hand, I was about to ask where all the girls were, when Coach Clapp said, “Ms. Swan? What are you doing here?” he looked at me with a confused look on his face. I looked around the room and saw my confused expression on everyone else’s face. “Um, I’m doing my daily recommendation of physical exercise?” I said uncertainly, all the boys laughed and the coach shook his head. “No, I meant, why aren’t you at home like the rest of the girls? Didn’t you eat the meat loaf?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t been eating much at all lately. Depression seems to do that to people.
“Oh,” he said still surprised. “Well, that uh, complicates things. See I heard all the girls went home with food poisoning…bad meat in the meat loaf. I hear there’s only 3 or 4 girls left in the entire school right now, and they have been put into a different class…”
I nodded not really listening. He was going to send me to the class of girls, and leave Edward with half of the Quileute werewolf pack, I just knew it. That would only start trouble. Usually I’m the barrier which stops them from doing anything to the other, because I could get hurt or it would upset me. I knew that Edward knows that too, I glanced up at his face and it was expressionless as he stared at the coach and the Quileute boys behind him.
“So, um, there in Building 6, Mr. Varner’s History classroom. I think Ms. Cope is supervising…so, uh, on your way.” He tried to hide the confusion in his voice by being stern. I turned away so he wouldn’t see the smile on my face at that miserable attempt and sternness.
“Okay guys,” his voice was normal now. “We’re playing basketball, so you guys go get into your gym clothes while I set up the hoops, then come back out and I’ll sort you into teams.” I heard the boys all mutter and walked towards their bags for their clothes. I was at the other side of the gym by then, picking up my bag, when Quil was beside me. “Hey Bella!” his voice was happy, Quil was really a sweet kid.
“Hey Quil!” I couldn’t help sounding not as depressed as I did before. His attitude was the best anti-depressants. “How are you? How’s Claire? She has to be in pre-school by now doesn’t she?” Quil had imprinted in a 2 year old girl named Claire about a year ago, I found out from one of the secret conversations we had when Jacob and the other wolves (besides Embry) were elsewhere.
He beamed. “No, not yet. But her mom’s moving to La Push, so I get to see her more now, so that’s good.”
I smiled at him. Claire was a lucky little girl t have Quil as a protector. “So, how have you b--?” he was about to question me about myself when Jacob was at his side.
“Quil, hurry up and get dressed. Clapp is getting impatient.” He used a serene voice that matched the mask he was wearing. I hated that face. It reminded me of Sam, the packs Alfa male. Although I got to know Sam and his fiancée Emily, I always hated when Jacob copied that expression. He wasn’t my Jacob when he wore it.
“Bella, Coach said you’d better go, or else he will make you participate, which none of the guys want.” He didn’t mean to make it sound as harsh as it came out I told myself. I nodded silently. “Cya, Quil.”
I headed toward the door, when Edwards arms wrapped around my waist. I turned and looked him in the eye. It was a tormented expression that looked back at me. “I’ll meet you outside building 6 as soon as class is done okay?” his eyes were smoldering in a manner that was over whelming. “Don’t come here, or to the car, I will get you and Alice from building 6 as soon as the bell rings. Do you understand?” breathless, I just nodded. He kissed my forehead and pushed me towards the gym doors. As I walked across the campus to building 6, I was wondering what he meant. Why did he want us to wait? Was something going to happen? I tried to calm my hysteria when I got to the right building. I knocked on the door timidly and waited. “Come in.” Ms. Cope said in her wistful voice. I opened the door and stepped into the classroom. Oh, this just kept getting better and better I thought to myself. The first person I saw was Alice sitting on the windowsill on the far right of the classroom. As I glanced around I saw Angela sitting just a few inches away from Alice, she smiled and waved. My heart skipped a beat when I looked on the closest side of the classroom to me. Leah Clearwater stared at me, not meanly, but not nicely either. Just next to her was Lauren Mallory, my human enemy, even though I had done nothing intentional to her in my past. Not that I’d known anyway. “Come in dear.” Ms. Cope said smiling.
I took an unsteady step forward into the classroom towards the desk at the front of the room.
“Sorry I’m late,” I mumbled to her. “I didn’t know that the classes were split up.”
Alice waved to me to come and join her and Angela. “That’s okay, dear, it’s just all the boys are playing sport and Mr. Greene thought the girls might just like to relax…you know talk about girlie stuff and stuff…” she finished awkwardly. I just nodded and shuffled towards Angela and Alice. As I approached I saw Angela shudder delicately. “You okay Ange?” her face was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and it was very pale.
“I don’t feel so good…” she groaned to her feet. I was about to tell her to go and see the nurse, but Ms. Copes hearing was better than I expected. “Ms. Mallory, would you take Ms. Weber to the nurse’s office please?” Lauren looked up from her magazine annoyed. She sighed, “Fine…” she got up and put Angels arm over her shoulders and heaved.
“I’m going to go and open the doors for her girls; will you be okay for ten minutes alone?”
I gaped at her. She couldn’t be serious. One vampire, one werewolf (correction, one mentally unbalanced, heart broken werewolf) and me. A measly little human, who has to stop the two before they can kill each other?
“Yeah, we’ll be fine Ms. Cope.”
My jaw dropped lower when Leah answered the question. I looked at Alice and she looked equally as shocked, and also a little frustrated. Oh yeah, she can’t see werewolves with her visions. She wanted to know what Leah was up to. So I was I actually, though I would never admit it.
Ms. Cope, Lauren and Angela left the room, and it was silent. I was staring at the floor, Leah was looking at the door, and Alice was glaring at Leah.
“So, I hear you’re getting left behind as well.” My head snapped up, and I saw Leah looking at me. Her face wasn’t as angry as the last time I remembered her looking at me last. Her expression was sympathetic.
I was still gaping at her when she continued. “I have to stay here too. Seth too. We’re not old enough apparently, even though I’m older than Jacob, Quil and Embry and their going.” She was still staring at me. I tried to rearrange my facial features into a less obvious form of shock.
“Sam told Emily last night. She told him that if he leaves her, then he shouldn’t come back. He’s devastated. The real reason I’m staying here, is to take care of her…and you.” She met my gaze evenly even though mine were almost popping out of my head.
“Your stronger than you look though.” She added lightly, as if talking to herself now. “I bet, as soon as their gone, you’ll be better off. Emily will be better off. Let’s face it, we all will.”
Alice hissed and jumped to her feet. I got to my feet as well and stood in Alice’s path. This was so strange. Leah didn’t move at all when Alice jumped up. She just stared at us.
The door opened and Ms. Cope’s head was in the tiny crack. “Ms. Cullen? Could you give me a hand please? Ms. Mallory has gotten sick as well and I can’t take them both.” She shot a pleading look at Alice, who nodded, her eyes still on Leah, and walked quickly and silently to the door. It was quiet for a while. Leah and I just looked at each other. I felt tears in my eyes. She got up and sat next to me. Hesitantly, she put her arm gently over my shoulders. I lost control then, and just cried. I turned into her shoulder and sobbed harder. She patted my head, not in a condescending way, but in a sympathetic manner.
“We’ll be okay.” She promised quietly. “I’ll take care of you and Emily, and you guys can take care of me.”
I nodded weakly. “It hurts!” I cried furiously. “They say that they love me, but they always hurt me! And it hurts and I try not to feel and I try to forget, but it doesn’t work and the pain is too much to handle and it hurts!” it was such a relief to get this off my chest. I had been suffering in silence for the past 3 days and now it finally bubbled to the surface.
“For the past few days, I have tried to be strong, and have been keeping my emotions in check by not saying anything and pretending that this isn’t happening, but it is and I can’t handle it! I haven’t eaten for 3 days because my chest hurts and I know that they will come back, I know that, but I don’t know when, and that fact…it-it-kills me! If they keep doing this to me, I don’t know if I can trust them anymore! I don’t know who to trust!”
Leah rocked us back and forth for a while, as I tried to control my crying.
“You can trust me, Bella.”
I looked at her and her beautiful face was full of honesty. I smiled at her and she smiled back.
“You know? I think I always knew that I could trust you, Leah. You’re the only one not afraid of telling me the truth whether it hurts or not.”
She smiled a half a smile, and said, “You can count on that, dude.”
We laughed in synchronization, and I could tell even though we weren’t there yet, this would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.