Traditional. [Jasper Hale]

ii. Memories

Because of Florence being cursed to live in her eighteen year old body eternally, she had to enroll in Forks High School to avoid any suspicions. It was nearly four months into the school year already, and she was not looking forward to enrolling this late.

It wasn't because of educational reasons because Florence had passed the majority of her one and a half centuries with her nose in some book or another. She had attended nearly twenty high schools, and had seven doctorates to her name, all from different universities, became fluent in seven different languages, and learned to play an abundance of instruments at a proficient, or better, quality. 

Florence's never ending thirst for knowledge ensured that she would not be behind academically in her new school scene but socially - that was another story. In a small town like Forks, new students had to be a rare occurrence. The same classes that attended kindergarten together were stuck through high school with one another, and her new presence had to be bound to gain some stigma or gossip around the school.

While Florence is a very social person, she doesn't quite enjoy mass attention. She is more of a one on one charismatic person rather than a widespread socializer. In other words, her socializing is usually on a more intimate level, and the very thought of the whole school knowing about her set her stomach into one big nervous knot.

When Florence pulled up in her modest baby blue Prius that she had purchased over the weekend that following Monday, she was almost reluctant to step out of the car. It was as if her Prius gave her some kind of shield from the outside world, and as soon as she stepped out, she felt as though she would be exposed, unprotected, and vulnerable to the harsh, critical eyes of high schoolers.

Waiting until 8:15 rolled around, just fifteen minutes before school started, Florence finally got out of her car, grabbed the bag that contained all of her school supplies, before rushing as quickly as possible past the parking lot and into the hallways of Forks High School. As she suspected, many of her peers' eyes were glued onto her, analyzing her, and she shuddered slightly at the cold gazes casted her way by strangers in passing. 

She quickly navigated her way to the central office, stepping gracefully through the glass doors. When she entered the room, it was as if she had taken a time machine back to the eighties. The fake wood paneling and bright orange carpet that was littered with the occasional stain made the decorator in her freeze for a moment. The place really needed an upgrade. The fake plants that were positioned on either side of the doors were coated with a thick layer of dust, the only other decor in sight was a small analog clock that hung on the drab wooden paneling and two arm chairs that Florence assumed were for people to wait in.

Florence stepped up to the feaux-wood desk, grasping the rounded edge of it with her hands, her knuckles turning white from her firm grip. She cleared her throat, "Uhm, my name is Florence Flannery. I'm a new student here. You should've gotten my transfer papers-?"

The sickly sweet lady glanced up, wrinkles formed around her eyes as she smiled at the thought that the new student the administration had been talking about for the past couple of days was finally here in the flesh, "Yes, dear, we did."

The short, older lady got a bit flustered as she searched on her desk for something. The lady let out a small cry of victory as she found the bright yellow paper she was looking for along with a plain beige paper, "Here you are: your time table and a map of the school. If you have any troubles at all, you are welcome to come back here and ask me, dear. I hope you have a good first day."

Florence cringed at her fake happiness, "Thank you, I will keep that in mind."

WIth that the petite girl turned on her heels, her navy skirt flowing around her knees lightly as she did so, and walked out in pursuit of her homeroom class. Glancing down at it, she saw that it was AP American history. Some of her nerves vanished when she saw the word history and were replaced with excited bubbles forming in the pit of her stomach, she had always had a knack for history. Living through most of it, she was still intrigued by even the smallest of details about every monumental event that shaped the world.

With a newfound bounce in her step, Florence made her way to room 148B. Glancing at the open door, she saw a scratched plaque that read Mrs. Chance which confirmed that she had found the right room. Surprisingly, most of the students had already filed into their desks even though there was about three minutes until the bell rang. Mrs. Chance herself was sitting happily at her desk, the young woman glancing up from her computer when she noticed Florence's movement from the corner of her eye, "You must be Florence?"

"Yes ma'am," Florence smiled gratefully at her when she didn't introduce the class, or the part that was there, to her.

"Splendid! You may take a seat next to Mr. Hale in the back. Jasper, could you raise your hand, please. It's the only seat we have left vacant," Mrs. Chance smiled at the new student, gesturing politely for Florence to take her seat.

Florence looked out amongst the sea of students as her eyes met with the young man that had his hand raised. His calculating eyes and golden waves made her stop in her tracks, not because he was so handsome, which he was, but because they were the same calculating eyes that she had known so long ago. The same calculating eyes that haunted her at night. The same calculating eyes that belonged to Major Jasper Whitlock.

***

(unedited)

(word count - 1,004)