

Lessons Learned

It hard having a famous father, just ask Bella Swan. Thats why she lives in Forks with her little sister. With her mom dead, her dad on tour, her brother across the country and her sister across the world, Bella is practically raising her sister. That is, until she gets a new biology teacher, Mr. Cullen. And love blossoms in a forbidden situation.


5. Befriending Alice Cullen

Rating 5/5   Word Count 1441   Review this Chapter

On Wednesday afternoon, the day after I Lina and Jules told me about their new friend, I was late for Biology. Tradgedy struck- I couldn't find my keys. I usually just kept them in my pocket, but today I had put them in my locker, because I was wearing basketball shorts with no pockets. My phone was safely in there, so I didn't think anyone had taken them. But it could've still been a prank. Pranks were usually targeted at Cricky and I. I mean, outcasts can take as many stupid jokes as you can throw at them, right?


I trudged off to class after unsuccessfully searching for my keys. I opened the door and slid into my chair while Mr. Cullen faced the board. Cricky mouthed 'Where were you' and I was about to tell her when suddenyl Mr. Cullen turned around and scowled at me.

"Do you have a pass, Miss Swan?" He asked, rudely.

"No." I told him, warily. I knew where this was going...

"Then I'm sorry to say I have to give you detention." He didn't look sorry. He looked filled with glee. Stupid, stupid glee. But there was a problem. I couldn't have detention.

I had to pick Lina up right after school. I guess I could call Mrs. Wilson to go get her, but she was sick. I could ask Cricky to take her home, but Cricky didn't have a car and it ws pouring out there. Derek might be able to...no, he was coaching basketball in the gym after school. That didn't leave me many options here. It was times like these when I was royally pissed that Damien and Allegra's lazy asses were so far away.

Cricket and I went off to gym and changed quickly so we could get out there and play. We were doing indoor volleyball, something I had yet to master but was working on. It was a lot of fun and I finally had an excuse to spike a very hard ball (that is not what she said) at Tanya's plaster face. Derek was setting up the nets when we got there.

"Hey, Coach." I grinned up at his tall form.

"Sup, Bells?" He asked, making the net straight.

"Nothin' much. You coming to Lina's recital?" I asked.

"Duh." He snorted. Derek loved Lina. He didn't have any kids of his own, so he liked to think of Lina as a daughter.

"Hey, Derek, do me a favor, will you? Keep Tanya off my team." I pleaded. Derek knew how much I hated Tanya, and she hated me.

"Will do, Bells." He told me.

More kids were filing in now, so Cricky and I went off to the locker room. Girls were always asking me and Cricky if they could get us a pass out of gym, considering we were tight with the Coach. But, sadly for them, I refused. I know Derek would do it for me if I asked, but I didn't want those girls getting out of gym just because they were too lazy to jog for ten minutes. These girls were only half way decent looking because they starved themselves. Cricky even caught Jessica making herself throw up in the girls bathroom last year.

Now, that was a laugh. Tanya had a 'personal trainer'. As far as I knew, it was a middle aged man her mother hired to clean the pool for her. Besides, Tanya couldn't afford a real personal trainer. Not that I'm a snob or anything, I'm just saying you shouldn't claim to have money when you really don't. I do have money, but I don't flaunt it. I pulled on my black basketball shorts and my white tee shirt. Cricket did the same, pulling her hair back in the process. I liked to keep my hair down during gym. It frizzed it out, which was not a good thing, but I liked the feeling of my hair flying around when I do something athletic. When Cricky and I were in the gym again, Derek announced that we would, in fact, be playing volleyball. He told us to get into groups of six and stand each group stand on one side of a court.

Since Cricky and I didn't have very many friends, we walked over to Angela and her boyfriend, Ben.

"Be in our group?" I asked, hopefully. Ben looked hesitant. Even if he was a nerd, he still had somewhat of a good reputation. Angela had gotten more used to us, so she agreed.

"We need two more people, though." She pointed out.

"No problem." Cricky scoffed. She looked around for a second before running off to the back of the gym. We waited, awkwardly until she cam back with a small girl and tall boy, I'd never seen before.

"Guys, this is Alice and Jasper." Cricky chirped. No pun intended.

"Hi, Alice. Hey, Jasper." I grinned.

"They're newbies." Cricket announced, excitedly. Jasper looked a little uncomfortable, but Alice looked completely at ease. She even looked a little happy to have made friends.

"Where you from?" I asked as we walked over to a court.

"We just moved here from Chicago." Alice announced.

"Ah, the Windy City." I nodded. "My brother was just there."

"Oh, really? Did he like it?" Angela actually asked this time. Even if people didn't like me, Damien was a legend here. Everyone knew he was a traveling musician.

"He loved it. He's thinking about settling there." I informed them.

"Oh, please," Cricky rolled her eyes. "He would never move that far away from Lina and you."

"I guess." I shrugged, unsure.

This was the longest Damen had ever been away. He usually went away for a good three or four months, came home for two months and left again. He'd been gone for six months now. He called every night to check up, along with Dad. Allegra called every Friday night, like clock work. She'd been developing a british accent, actually.

"I know so." Cricky reassured me, seeing my worried expression.

"Yeah, you're right." I shook my head in a lousy attempt at clearing it. "But I want to hear more about the newbies."

"Why'd you move here?" Ben asked, curiously.

"My Dad transferred locations. He's a docter, and thought this town could use a better hospital." Alice explained.

"So, you guys are brother and sister?" I asked. Jasper didn't look like he liked Alice in a sisterly way...

"Of course not." She laughed. Her laugh kind of sounded like the bells you heard whenever Tinkerbell flew. "Jasper is my boyfriend. My older brother moved here with us, along with his wife and daughter. His wife is Jasper's sister, so my dad let him move with us to stay with his sister and I."

"Oh, thats cool. So, how old is your neice?" Angela asked, spiking the ball weakly as it came to her.

"She's four and a half." Alice chirped. Her and Cricky would get along well...

"Really? Does she go to the pre school?" I asked, intrigued now. Could her neice be Lina and Jules's new friend?

"Yeah, why?" Alice asked. I noticed Jasper hasn't said much.

"My little sister goes there too." I announced, smacking the ball hard when it came my way.

"Small world." Alice laughed.

"Small town." Cricky chuckled.

"Is your neice's name Carly?" I asked.

"Yes." She answered a little skeptically.

"My little sister told me yesturday that the new girl, Carly, was her best friend." I laughed. Jasper actually cracked a smile.

"Carly doesn't make friends very easily. It's nice to know she has someone." Jasper said, releived.

"Lina, my sister, doesn't either. She has one friend, Juliana. But it's usually just the two of them. Until noiw." I shrugged.

"Swan!" Derek yelled from across the gym. "Quit your yappin' and play the game."

"You got it, Derek!" I called, saluting him. He rolled his eyes and went to give a few guys some tips on the game.

"You're allowed to him Derek?" Jasper asked.

"We are." Cricky corrected, jumping around like she really was a Cricket.

"His Mom has lived next door to me since my parents moved here, twenty four years ago." I explained. "He's over there a lot. He kind of helped raise me."

"Thats so cool!" Alice gushed.

"Do you have any older brothers? Sisters?"

"I have an older brother and an older sister." I told her.

"Yay! I have two older brothers. It must be so cool having a sister." She sighed.

"Eh." Jasper and I muttered at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed. I might just like these kids...