5
When I first received a ride from Edward Cullen, it was in April. The rain began to decant early in the morning, the white noise easing me into a half-awake state, still longing for the slumber I had an hour prior.
As soon as I had walked out of my house, I was drenched. My mother couldn't drive me because she had an early meeting so I was fastened to the sidewalk. I moved slowly, too tired to walk more quickly. The umbrella offered some refuge, but not much as my Converse were soaked through and my socks were not going to dry anytime soon.
Five minutes into this endeavor, I saw a car slow to a stop and I turned and froze. My heart began to race but sped up even more when I watched the window roll down and Edward's concerned features met mine. His sister, Alice, sat in the passenger seat, smiling.
"Would you like a ride to school?" he asked.
I nodded. "Absolutely," I responded, running over and lowering my umbrella before hopping into the backseat. "Thanks," I said to him.
He nodded, eyes meeting mine through his rearview. I looked towards Alice who already had her hand extended.
"It's so nice to meet you, Alison! I'm Alice," she said enthusiastically. Way too happy for the morning. I wanted to know how she did it, her eyes looking just as tired as mine. Coffee addict? Always a possibility, I supposed.
I shook her hand, noticing that it, too, was freezing cold despite the warm interior. I mustered a nervous smile. "It's nice to meet you, too, I'm Alison." Then I cringed and said, "You...already knew that, sorry."
She chuckled. "It's alright. I'm glad we picked you up, I had a feeling it would be much heavier than usual."
Edward chuckled and I felt as though I was missing something quite crucial. "It's very much a gloomy day," he noted but it sounded to be more directed to himself rather than Alice or I.
"It's always like this in Forks," I joked, laughing to myself. Alice only smiled.
I looked at the water spattering against the windshield. The sky was dusty, the green trees even more saturated. It was funny how the atmosphere could change a person's perspective. It was more foreign and new to me this way, the trees looking more like neon lights than trees.
"I'm glad Edward and I could make a friend at school, it's hard being new in such a small town," Alice rambled to me. I noticed her indication of me as her friend. Since when were we friends? I'd gladly accept the title, of course.
I nodded. "I think it takes a while for people to get used to change but they will." She nodded and Edward's lips turned at the corners. "I, for one, really like change."
Alice beamed over at me.
Neither of them asked why I was walking instead of having my mother take me. And I didn't ask why a fifteen-year-old boy was driving with his fourteen-year-old sister with only a permit to his name.