The Rise of Lydia Rowe ↠ Jasper Hale (ON HOLD)

[1.02] the infamous cullens

LYDIA'S ALARM WENT OFF at six-thirty Monday morning, pulling her out of a dreamless sleep. She groaned softly, rolling over to quiet her alarm. It took her a few moments to make herself sit up, rubbing her eyes as she yawned.

She made quick work of showering, putting her hair into a bun to keep it from getting wet. It took too long to dry right, so she would probably just wash it that night when she had time to deal with it. She got dressed and did her makeup carefully, wanting to make a good first impression at her new school. Just as she was putting on the finishing touches, Johanna called, "Breakfast is ready, Lydia!"

"Coming!" Lydia replied. Examining herself in her full-length mirror, she smiled. She'd chosen a pair of high-waisted skinny jeans and a slightly-cropped pale pink sweater with her brown ankle boots. When she deemed herself ready for her first day at Forks High School, she grabbed her backpack and went downstairs.

She sat down at the breakfast bar after getting a plate of scrambled eggs and toast from her mom. "Thanks," she said, digging in. Her mom set a glass of water next to her plate, grabbing her own breakfast and sitting down next to Lydia.

"Are you nervous?" Johanna asked, taking a bite of her jam-covered toast.

Lydia swallowed her food before answering. "A little, but at least I know Gwen," she replied. "Hopefully we'll have a lot of classes together."

"I'm sure you will," her mom said. "It's not a very big school."

Lydia chewed on a bite of eggs, her mind lingering on a less than pleasant thought. "Do you think people will find out about what happened?"

"Not unless you tell them," her mom told her. "Your name isn't in any articles since you're a minor. No one should know."

Lydia nodded. "Does Michael and his family know?"

"Mama told them there had been an incident, but that was all she told them," her mom answered. "We thought it would be best to let you decide who to tell."

Lydia gave her mom a grateful smile. "Thanks." She looked down at her phone, seeing that it was almost time for Gwen to pick her up. "Gwen should be here any minute," she told her mother, setting her empty plate and glass in the sink. 

"Don't forget your raincoat!" Johanna reminded her.

Lydia grabbed her raincoat from coat rack and doubled back to kiss her mom's cheek and say goodbye before going to the front porch to wait.

After about a minute, Gwen pulled into Lydia's driveway. Lydia smiled at her, hurrying to the passenger seat and getting in.

"Hey," Gwen said. "You look cute."

Lydia smiled. "Thanks. I'm trying to make a good first impression," she told her. "You look cute, too. I love that jacket."

"Thanks," Gwen said with a smile. As she pulled out onto the road and started the drive to school, she asked, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as a new kid can be, I guess," she replied.

"Well, you're not the first one this year, surprisingly," Gwen told her. "We had another new girl last week—the police chief's daughter. She's a junior like us."

Lydia nodded. "That's good. At least I'm not the only new kid."

Gwen pulled into an empty parking spot not too far from school, seeing as they still had about ten minutes before the first morning bell rang. She accompanied Lydia to the office, the two girls making idle chat as they walked.

The secretary gave Lydia her schedule, locker assignment, and a slip of paper to be signed by all of her teachers. As they made their way to Lydia's locker—which was luckily across the hall from Gwen's—Gwen looked at her schedule. "We have a few classes together, and lunch, obviously," she said, studying the paper. "You're taking AP French?"