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It was a long week. Devon still struggled a bit to adapt to a completely different lifestyle than he was used to, where he received shouts and blows from his father every day. But he really tried. In fact, everyone was trying. Charlie and Amy wanted to adapt to Devon and make him feel comfortable, and Devon, in turn, tried to adapt to the lifestyle of people he hadn't known until a week ago.
And everything seemed to be going more or less well, although, of course, he had only been there for a week. It wasn't easy for any of them because the atmosphere still felt very uncomfortable, and no one knew how to start a conversation without making it awkward.
It was on Friday in his chemistry class that he felt he had had enough and just wanted to go home and sleep all day. However, to his surprise, the boy he had collided with on Monday sat next to him. He was an easily memorable guy for how handsome he was.
Angela had told him his name was Edward, and apparently, he was very popular, just like his siblings. The Cullen siblings. Although they were very peculiar and didn't really socialize with many people. Which, according to Jessica's words, made them mysterious, fascinating, and much more desirable.
Devon glanced at him quickly and laid his head back on the desk to rest while the teacher appeared. Edward was very strange, and at that moment, Devon didn't feel like talking to anyone. The pain in his face was still quite strong, and the worst part was that he had forgotten his painkillers at home, so he would have to endure the pain all day.
"Are you Devon, right?" he heard the voice of the guy next to him, and he stood up to look at him again.
"The same. You're Edward, right?"
The named guy smiled a bit.
"The same," he replied in the same way.
Devon looked at him more closely; before, he had only seen him quickly, but Edward indeed had a beautiful face.
"How was your first week in Forks?" Edward asked, and Devon couldn't help but frown.
The conversation felt very strange. Very sudden. It felt like Edward knew something he didn't, and it scared him a bit. Besides, he spoke to him as if they were friends for a long time, which was even stranger.
"I guess it's fine. There's not much to say."
Edward nodded. He also didn't quite understand why he wanted to keep talking to Devon, but for some reason, he wanted to keep hearing his voice, wanted to have his attention a bit longer. Was that normal? It had never happened to him before. He had always avoided any kind of conversation with people.
"Where are you from?" Edward kept insisting.
Devon let out a short sigh of surrender and accepted that he would have a small conversation with Edward.
"Pennsylvania," he cleared his throat, "from Pittsburgh."
"It's very far from here," Edward even felt a bit silly for not finding the right words.
Devon looked at him curiously.
"It is. It was almost a six-hour flight."
Edward nodded.
"And what brought you to this place?"
Devon almost laughed but instead, something like a snort came out. He pointed to his eye, where the bruise still remained, although it was a bit smaller. Just a bit.
"I guess this is a good explanation. In my old school, I got into a lot of fights, and my father got tired of going to my school every week because they called him when I had a fight. He decided it was better to get rid of me."
Edward frowned. He wasn't very sure if he understood, even though he could hear Devon's thoughts.
"Your father didn't want you?" He didn't want it to sound bad, but that's how it was.
Devon let out a laugh but kept his brow furrowed.
"I guess it's a way of saying he hated me," he nodded. "It's kind of stupid because since he separated from my mother, he fought for my custody, and since he's a lawyer, he had various connections that made him win."
He quickly cleared his throat and spoke before Edward continued with his interrogation.
"How about you?" He didn't know why he suddenly started talking about his life, but it was better to change the subject before he kept ranting.
"About me?" It was Edward's turn to furrow his brow.
"Yes. Have you and your family been living in Forks for a long time?"
There was a short moment of silence. Edward seemed to be thinking about the most appropriate answer, although they already had a complete story for it. Alice made sure everyone knew it inside and out.
"Not really. We used to live in Alaska, but we moved because my adoptive father was offered a good job here. My parents wanted a quieter life, and Forks seemed to be the right place."
Devon nodded in understanding.
"Do you like it? I mean, Forks."
"I guess it's a good place. Although a bit boring."
He nodded in agreement. Devon had realized in the few days he had been there that nothing interesting ever happened. Everyone knew each other, and any gossip spread at an incredibly fast pace.
The conversation stopped when the teacher entered the classroom, and Devon stopped looking at Cullen. However, Edward kept looking at Devon for a moment longer. He didn't understand why he was curious about him. It's not like he had anything special. He didn't even know him really, and before that moment, they hadn't exchanged a single word.
The class was quite long and heavy, but it finally ended, and Devon packed up all his things ready to go straight home. Before he started walking, he looked at Edward, who was still sitting; he seemed somewhat lost in his own thoughts. It seemed like he wasn't even breathing.
"Goodbye, Edward," he said out of politeness, but Cullen looked at him intently, and Devon continued on his way without expecting any kind of response.
He walked as fast as he could to avoid Jessica, who had bombarded him with thousands of words all week. He didn't want to be rude to her, so he had been listening to her as much as possible. Angela usually saved him from her, or sometimes it was Mike, who did everything to get the blonde's attention, and it was Devon's chance to escape.
Fortunately, he managed to reach the parking lot without interruptions. He got on his motorcycle with a big sigh, and before putting on his helmet, he felt an intense gaze on his back. He looked around until he found Edward Cullen, who was next to a nice Volvo. The other Cullens were there too, but they all seemed to be in their own business.
Devon gave him a smile and a wave, which seemed to confuse Edward because he frowned and turned to look at one of his sisters to say something. Devon laughed quietly and finally put on his helmet and drove home.
🥀
It was three weeks later that Charlie announced he would go to Seattle airport to pick up Bella. Devon offered to go with him, and Charlie accepted gladly because he knew it would be a bit awkward to be alone with his daughter. Also, that way, Devon and Bella could get to know each other a bit on the way.
Amy mentioned that she would make a welcome strawberry cake for Bella, so she had been baking since early in the
morning. Charlie had mentioned that it was her daughter's favorite flavor; in fact, he talked a lot about Bella. It was clear that he was really excited to have her at home.
The trip there was actually quiet and enjoyable; Charlie and Devon chatted for a while about school, and Devon asked Charlie about his job. The sheriff told him happily about everything he did and how happy he was with his job.
When they arrived, both went to the indicated terminal and waited patiently. Fortunately, they didn't wait too long when a slim and short girl approached Charlie.
Devon looked at her curiously, but honestly, she seemed like a very strange girl. She seemed very uncomfortable being there and greeted her father with even greater discomfort, unsure if she should just say "hello" or also give him a hug.
"He's Devon," Charlie introduced him, "Amy's son."
Bella looked at him and just nodded in greeting; for a moment, she seemed nervous, and Devon reminded him of a little Chihuahua that spends its time trembling. Of course, he didn't say it out loud.
"Hello," she mumbled between her teeth with discomfort.
"A pleasure to meet you, Bella. Charlie has told me a lot about you."
She seemed even more uncomfortable than a second ago, if that was possible.
"Well, let's go for the suitcases," Charlie broke the tense atmosphere, and the three began to walk.
Bella pointed out which ones were hers as they passed by the belt, and when they got them all, Devon offered to carry some. In the end, Charlie and he carried everything while Bella carried a nice cactus and followed the two guys from behind.
"I'll go in the back seat," Devon said quickly and didn't wait for an answer when he opened the door and got into the car.
Bella sighed relieved not to have to decide where each one would go, although she didn't really care if she went back or forth. She just wanted that awkward moment to end.
The way back felt eternal. Bella didn't talk much, and when she did, she only let out a couple of words, so it felt impossible to have a complete conversation with her.
"Devon is in the school you'll be attending," Charlie commented after a long and awkward silence.
Bella quickly turned to look at Devon, who gave her a smile. The girl seemed a bit relieved to hear that.
"That's great," she murmured. But this time, her tone of voice sounded a bit more animated.
That's how they found a topic of conversation. For Devon, it wasn't the best of topics, but at least he didn't feel the discomfort flowing through the entire car anymore. And so the journey back home became a thousand times faster.
Amy welcomed the three of them with a big smile and the exquisite smell of homemade food and cake. Bella was genuinely happy that her father had someone to take care of him. Amy seemed very nice and kind.
Devon stayed in the kitchen when Charlie and Bella went up for the girl to settle in her room.
And it was a couple of hours later that they received visitors. Charlie introduced Devon as Jacob and Billy Black. Son and father respectively. And that's where Devon discovered that Bella and Jacob had been friends in childhood.
Apparently, Charlie had bought his daughter a truck so she could get around. It wasn't really something extraordinary or fabulous, but it served its purpose, and Bella actually seemed delighted with the gift.
Jacob and Billy stayed for dinner. It was a very pleasant and fun night, although Devon was the first to retire to his room to sleep. He was really exhausted and hadn't done his homework, so he would get up very early the next day to finish it.
What would happen now with Bella's arrival in Forks?