Today was my first day of school. The mere thought of it made me feel extremely anxious and I just wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. Suffice it to say, the day wasn't off to a great start.
"Te echo de menos todos los días." (I miss you every day.) I mumbled to myself, feeling a throb in my chest, akin to heartburn, but alas, not one to go away as quickly.
"Out with the old, in with the new!" I exclaimed with forced enthusiasm, my lips pressed together in a grim line. I adjusted my ripped jeans and put on a thin, long-sleeved forest green shirt. Before grabbing my backpack, I spotted a worn-out brown leather jacket on my bed. It used to belong to Trishton. I delicately put it on and lifted the collar to my nose, taking in the familiar aroma of fresh pinewood and firewood smoke.
I walked down the stairs feeling a bit less happy than usual. This morning, I woke up feeling grumpy. While taking a shower, I accidentally turned Charlie's water faucet the wrong way and ended up getting hit with freezing water. Then, while leaving the small bathroom, I accidentally hit myself in the eye with the door. I didn't look in the mirror afterwards so I wouldn't see any potential injuries. But, as I came downstairs, it was evidently now very pleasing to the eye.
"What happened Caroline?" asked Charlie, his 'Best Dad in the Town' mug halfway to his mustached lips. His caterpillar eyebrows were furrowed suspiciously. I was entertained by the thought he found my black eye suspicious, I hadn't gotten into a midnight massacre with a ninja.
I rolled my eyes, opening a cabinet and pulling a mug out, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the casual fight I got into with the bear next door." I said dryly. He blinked, then turned back to reading the paper. It was probably normal for him for his older daughter to come back with clumsily resulting injuries, so why not his younger one too?
"What happened Caroline?" asked Bella as she came down the stairs. I sighed, honestly! One of the main reasons I didn't have conversations I deemed with people to be stupid was because I usually had to repeat things several times! And it was highly annoying on a whole new level! It made me want to smash my head against a wall several times while screaming on the inside. It probably sounds like an over-exaggeration, but that really is how I feel.
"I defended our home from a burglar," I told her.
"I thought it was a bear fight?" said Charlie with a small cheeky smile. I quickly popped four pieces of toast in the toaster and Isabella jumped to my high amusement when they appeared a minute after of slow roasting.
I buttered them and began to scarf down my first one when Charlie leaned over the table and took one, taking a massive bite out of my toast. I stared at him with an indignant look and he seemed to realize his mistake.
"Er, sorry. Didn't think you were going to eat all that," he said. I blinked with an 'unbelievable these people!' expression and he uneasily looked back at his paper.
"Caroline are you going to ride with Edward and me to school?" asked Bella. I scoffed slightly.
"Absolutely not! You think I need some 'big strong man' chaffering me about? I think not! I can walk perfectly fine with my own two legs," I sniffed. Charlie grinned, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
"Er-well. . .A simple no would have worked," said Isabella, sounding unsure of her response. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, finishing off my third and final piece of toast. I swung my backpack on my shoulder and slipped into my black converse high tops that I absolutely adored with my heart and soul. They were like the embodiment of joy into wearable fashion on your feet. I'd tried explaining it to Charlie, but he said he just didn't understand. I'd responded with, 'It's 'cause you're a man. You wouldn't get it,' and I think he was slightly offended but relieved that I'd stopped trying to explain to him the embodiment of joy in my high-tops.
I was out on the driveway that had a bit of ice on the edges when Isabella's boyfriend pulled up in his silver Volvo. I skidded to a stop on the ice at the end of the driveway, looking like a surfer, when Edward got out.
"Are you riding with us?" he asked, with that weird, old, formality.
"Nah. My legs work perfectly fine unlike sweet, incapable Isabella," I said in a mocking voice. His eyes narrowed slightly but not in a threatening way. More of a curious one.
"You're gonna walk the whole way?" he asked. I raised my eyebrows, looking around for something he could've been distracted by because he must've not heard me.
"Um, yeah. That is what I just said, isn't it?" I said slightly sarcastically. A smile twitched at the edge of his lips.
"Alright." he chuckled before going inside to retrieve Bella. I noticed though that he wasn't wearing a jacket even though there was a chill in the air, weird.
Advanced Spanish Three was my first class as I glanced at my schedule. Then Biology II, English, Calculating Complicated Algebraic Formulas and Advanced Mathematics, then P.E and Study Hall. Wow, who even names their math class Calculating Complicated Algebraic Formulas and Advanced Mathematics? That is literally the stupidest thing ever.
I had to ask for direction and nearly made it on time right before the bell rang.
"¡Ah! Debes ser Caroline Swan, la hermana de Bella, ¿verdad?" (Ah! You must be Caroline Swan, Bella's sister, right?) said the petite, Spanish woman.
"Sí." I replied quickly. I handed her my slip to sign and waited for her to give me a seat. She signed it quickly with a flourish and looked around the class for a place for me to sit. I was the youngest in the room much to my embarrassment and disappointment.
"Puedes sentarte con. . . ¿Qué tal allí con Jasper? ¿Te parece bien, Jasper?" (You can sit with. . . How about there with Jasper? Is that okay, Jasper?) said the Spanish teacher.
"Por supuesto señorita Daniela," (Of course Miss Daniela,) said an unruly, blond-haired, boy who looked to be around seventeen. He was extremely pale and his eyes were a goldish color. He had the same skin color and eyes as Edward, maybe they were related?
"¡Bien clase! Hoy trabajaremos en llevar una conversación en español con fluidez. ¡No se permite el inglés en absoluto! Te estoy mirando Max," (Good class! Today we will work on carrying a conversation in fluent Spanish. English is not allowed at all! I'm looking at you Max) said the teacher teasingly. There were two people at each table as I sat down next to Jasper.
I smiled and could literally feel my anxiety at meeting a new person reach a new sky-high when I suddenly remembered; I hadn't taken my anxiety pills this morning. I immediately became extremely more anxious at the remembrance.
Please, please, please, please, please don't let me have an anxiety attack on the first day! I thought frantically as I slowed my breathing down to help.
"Hola señora. Soy Jasper y tú eres la hermana de Bella, ¿verdad?" (Hi, ma'am. I'm Jasper and you are Bella's sister, right?) said Jasper with a friendly expression. I suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of calm hit me and sighed mentally. I became more relaxed and was suddenly grateful for the mysterious cause of my diminished anxiety.
"Sí, Caroline." I said, introducing myself. He nodded and smiled faintly.
"Tu hermana es muy simpática. ¿Te llevas bien con ella?" (Your sister is very nice. You get along well with her?) he asked. I chuckled softly and thought about how Bella had used all the hot water this morning.
"Depende. Cuando usa toda el agua caliente en la ducha, entonces se enfrenta a un día difícil conmigo. Espicamente cuando ella esta besando a su novio en la cocina," (It depends. When you use all the hot water in the shower then you face a tough day with me. Especially when she's kissing her boyfriend in the kitchen) I pretended to gag and he laughed.
"Ah, sí. Ese sería mi hermano Edward." (Oh yeah. That would be my brother Edward.) he said. I raised my eyebrows, huh, didn't know that Edward had any siblings. Jasper seemed to sense my confusion and laughed. "¿No te habló de mí ni del resto de sus hermanos?" (Didn't he tell you about me or the rest of his siblings?)
"¡No! Y estoy un poco ofendido." (No! And I'm a little offended.) I teased. He chuckled and I noticed that he was staying as far away from me as possible. "No lo estés. A veces simplemente se le escapa. Sin embargo, para empezar, está mi novia Alice, has conocido a Edward, Rosalie, Emmet y mis padres adoptivos. Carlisle y Esme." (Do not be. Sometimes it just slips away. However, for starters, there is my girlfriend Alice, you have met Edward, Rosalie, Emmett and my adoptive parents. Carlisle and Esme.) he said.
"¡Familia muy grande! Nunca debe haber un momento aburrido." (Very big family! There should never be a dull moment.) I noted. He chuckled and shook his head.
"Créame, no lo hay. Entonces, ¿por qué te mudaste aquí y no con Bella antes?" (Believe me, there isn't. So why did you move here and not with Bella before?) he asked curiously. I sighed and tried to think of the best way to explain it without explaining the real reason.
"Bueno, supongo que solo quería irme de México. Quiero decir, es agradable y todo y en realidad me iba a ir antes, pero. . .algo surgió y tuve que esperar un mes más." (Well, I guess I just wanted to get out of Mexico. I mean, it's nice and all and I was actually going to go before, but. . .something came up and I had to wait another month.) I shrugged.
"¿Viviste en México?" (Did you live in Mexico?) he said surprised.I nodded and he seemed to think back and smile fondly but offered no explanation. "Eso explica cómo sabes español con tanta fluidez." (That explains how you know Spanish so fluently.)
"Gracias, amable señor." (Thank you kind sir) I teased.
"Por supuesto mi señora!" (Of course my lady!) he teased back. But, of course, he had to circle back to a subject I wanted to stay away from like a rabid dog. "Entonces, ¿por qué te retrasaste?" ( So why did you delay?) I sighed and the rare smile instantly slipped from my face.
"Uh, un funeral." (A funeral) I said quietly. Even mentioning it made my body feel weak and want to cry and never stop.
"Oh lo siento."(Oh I'm sorry.) he said, making me angry. Sorry doesn't fix anything, does it?
"Está bien." (It's fine) I snapped and wrapped my (Trishton's) jacket tighter around me. "¿Puedo preguntar qué pasó?" (May I ask what happened?) he asked gently.
"Claro, no significa que responderé," (Sure, it doesn't mean that I will answer,) I said cheekily, smirking. He thankfully moved away from the conversation. I was wanting class to end so I could go to the bathroom and take my spare Anxiety Pills that I kept in my bag thank god.
"¿Te gustaría almorzar con mis hermanos y yo? Bella se sienta con nosotros también," (Would you like to have lunch with my siblings and me? Bella sits with us too) offered Jasper.
"No se. . .Isabella puede ser un poco. . .mucho," (I do not know. . Isabella can be a bit. . .much,) I said, trying to look for the right word.
"Ah, sí, está un poco descoordinada." (Oh yeah, she's a bit uncoordinated.) said Jasper with humor.
"¿Levemente? ¡Todavía tengo una cicatriz del momento en que se deslizó por las escaleras en la casa de Renee y me trajo con ella!" (Slightly? I still have a scar from the moment she slipped down the stairs at Renee's house and brought me with her!) I said with amusement.
"Eso suena como ella," (That sounds like her) agreed Jasper.
"¡Muy bien todos! ¡Fue una clase excelente! Sin embargo, ¿quién era el MFS?" (Okay everyone! It was an excellent class! However, who was the MFS?) said the teacher, clapping her hands together.
"¿Qué es un MFS?" (What is an MFS?) I whispered, not taking my eyes off the teacher.
"Hablador más fluido. Lo inventó ella misma y alguien es elegido al final de la clase. Normalmente soy yo, pero parece que esta vez podrías ser tú," (More fluent speaker. She made it up herself and someone is chosen at the end of the class. Normally it's me but it seems like this time it could be you) he said quietly back. Wait-what? And indeed it was me.
"¡Carolino! ¡Eres el MFS de hoy! Felicidades," (Caroline! You are the MFS of today! Congratulations,) said the teacher. My eyes widened and a horrified expression worked its way onto my face. Jasper chuckled beside me, seeing my absolute displeasure at being pointed out.
Then, the class was dismissed. Finally, I relented. I turned to Jasper and sighed, "Nos vemos en el almuerzo," (I'll see you at lunch,)