When the bell rang, Astrid gathered her things and left the classroom. She takes the map out of her back pocket and looks for her next class, AP History. As she walks to class, she notices that all the boys are staring at her and all the girls are giving her go to hell looks. It doesn't phase her, Astrid is used to both types of looks. Astrid walks into her History class and notices that Alice Cullen is in that class as well. Alice is sitting next to a guy with honey blonde hair and amber eyes like hers who looks like he's in pain. Alice smiles at Astrid and waves her over. Astrid smiles back and gets the teacher to sign her slip, then takes a seat on the other side of Alice.
"Hi Astrid," Alice says in a chipper voice.
"Hello, Alice."
"I didn't know you had AP History as well."
"Yeah most of my classes are AP, that's why my sister and I don't have any classes together."
"Who's your sister," The blonde guy asks.
"Bella Swan."
The blonde gives Alice a look, she didn't tell him that Bella had a sister. Suddenly the blonde remembers his manners.
"I'm sorry, where are my manners, I'm Jasper Hale."
"Astrid Swan."
"Well, Astrid, how are you liking Forks so far?" Jasper asks with a smile.
"Oh, I love it. I love the rain and the clouds, my poor sister though hates it. She can't stand being cold and wet. If it was up to her, we would have stayed in Phoenix."
"What made you guys move here?" Alice asks.
"Our mom got remarried and we thought it was best that they have some alone time together. So we decided it was time to spend time with Dad."
"That's very thoughtful of you," Jasper says.
"Yeah, that's us, the thoughtful sisters," Astrid answers with a smirk.
Jasper and Alice laugh.
After History, Astrid walks with Jasper to art class, where there she meets his sister, Rosalie Hale. Jasper introduces Astrid to Rosalie, Astrid offers her hand but Rosalie looks at her hand and only scowls at her.
"Geez, bitchy much?" Astrid asks, making sure it was loud enough for Rosalie to hear.
"What did you say?" Rosalie growls.
"Did I stutter, could you be any more of a bitch?"
Rosalie looks at her shocked, but she quickly recovers, "Watch yourself, little girl."
"Or what?" Astrid challenges.
"Or you may not like what happens."
"Oh please, I fought bigger, and kicked the shit out of them," Astrid says as she smirks at Rosalie.
Rosalie's eyes widen, then narrow, she was about to stand up when the teacher came in. Rosalie looked at the teacher, and sat back down, anger bubbling up in her. Suddenly she felt a wave of calm come over her. Her eyes narrow and she glares at Jasper knowing that he was manipulating her mood. Jasper decides that he should calm down Astrid as well, but when he focused on her all he felt was giddy excitement as if she was looking forward to fighting Rosalie. Jasper's brow furrows, never in his life had he felt something like that, this girl wasn't in the least intimidated by Rosalie. She was almost anticipating a fight.
Jasper was pulled out of his thoughts when the teacher announced, after signing Astrid's schedule, that they would be painting something they remember from their dreams. Jasper and Rosalie look at each other and roll their eyes, Jasper decides to paint something from his memory instead.
While he and Rosalie are working, Rosalie looks over and sees Astrid painting a pair of blue eyes, obviously belonging to a man. The eyes are so intense and expressive that Rosalie gasps, Astrid looks over at Rosalie and smiles. She isn't angry with Rosalie, just disappointed she didn't get to fight.
"Wow, that's beautiful, who do those eyes belong to," Rosalie asks.
"I have no idea, I dream about them every now and then, They're always looking down at me and talking to me in a happy, loving voice. I also hear a woman's voice talking to me, but I can never make out what she's saying."
Astrid wasn't about to tell two strangers that she was adopted and that she thought the people in her dreams were her real parents. After that, she went back to her painting and ignored Jasper and Rosalie.
Once class was over, Astrid left without saying a word, she looked at her schedule and noticed that it was time for gym, one of her favorite classes, add to the fact that she got to be with Bella. She met Bella at their lockers and they walked down to the gym together. Once they got there the coach gave them a change of clothes and they suited out.
It turned out that the girls were playing volleyball and the boys were playing basketball. Astrid and Bella were on the same team, so the whole time Bella hid behind her younger more aggressive sister. Astrid made sure that the ball never came anywhere near Bella. Until someone decided to hit it directly at Bella and Astrid wasn't close enough to block it. Bella closed her eyes and flailed her arms, whacking the ball at the head of one of the basketball players. He turns around to see who had hit him and spots Bella walking towards him.
"Are you alright? I warned them not to make me play."
"It's only a flesh wound." The annoying blonde boy grins and Bella smiles, relieved, Astrid rolls her eyes.
"You're Isabella and Astrid, right"
"Just Bella."
"Hi, I'm Mike. Newton."
Just then the girl that hit the ball towards Bella shows up, "She's got a great spike, doesn't she? So, you're from Arizona, right? Aren't people supposed to be tan
down there?"
"That's why they kicked me out." Bella mumble, as she starts to get uncomfortable.
Astrid is beginning to get pissed off that these people are making her sister uncomfortable and is about to say something, but Bella grabs her hand and very discreetly shakes her head.
Now that class is over, Bella and Astrid make their way to the cafeteria, where they sit down with Mike and the girl Jessica. Eric shows up and squeezes in between Astrid and Bella.
"Mike, you met my homegirls Bella and Astrid?"
"Oh, your homegirls?" Mike asks
"My girls," some African American guy says and kisses Bella on the cheek then leans in to kiss Astrid.
Astrid pushes him back, grabs his arm and pins it behind his back, and slams his head onto the table. "Don't even think about it, asshole. You don't know me or Bella and I didn't hear my sister give you permission to kiss her. In case you didn't know, dick, that's sexual harassment. Come near my sister or me again and I'll kick your ass then report you to my dad. Got it?"
"The boy, whose name Astrid found out was Tyler, nods his head. She lets go of him and he runs off, everyone at the table stares at her.
"What?"
"That was awesome." A girl named Angela says, "How did you do that?"
"Oh, I took martial arts in Phoenix."
"Why would you do that, Tyler's hot," Jessica said snidely
"I don't give a shit if he's the hottest guy on earth, that doesn't give him the right to kiss me or my sister without our permission," Astrid tells Jessica while glaring at her, Jessica shrinks in her chair.
At that point, the doors open and four of the most beautiful people walk into the cafeteria. Astrid glances and looks away, completely uninterested, she's already met three of them. But Bella is fixated on them.
"Who are they," Bella asks
"The Cullens," Angela says
Jessica leans in, swinging into gossip mode.
"They're Doctor and Mrs. Cullen's foster kids. They all moved down here from Alaska two years ago."
"They kinda keep to themselves," Angela informs Bella
"That's because they're all together. Like, together together. The blonde girl, Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Duncan..."
The girls look over at them, while Astrid eats her food and looks at a magazine.
"... they're a thing. I'm not even sure that's legal." Jessica says.
"Jess, they're not actually related," Angela tells her friend.
"Yeah, but they live together. And the little dark-haired girl, Alice, she's really weird... she's with Jasper, the blonde who looks like he's in pain."
"Oh yeah they're both really nice, I met them earlier. Rosalie's a bitch though, almost got into a fight with her." Astrid said without looking up from her magazine on ancient weapons.
The other girls turn and stare at Astrid, Bella shakes her head. "Astrid, you didn't."
"Didn't what?" Astrid asks innocently.
"Pick a fight our first day here."
"Kind of, yeah. Oh come on Bells, it would have been a glorious fight. I would have kicked the shit out of her."
Angela and Jessica just look at each other. Bella laughs at her little sister's antics, then sees the last two Cullens enter.
"Who are they?" Bella asks, causing Astrid to look up and notice the two boys that have just come in.
One is Lanky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He seems inwardly turned, mysterious. More boyish than the others. Bella can't take her eyes off him.
The other is big, brawny, like a weightlifter, but a playful glint in his eye. They're both smiling and joking with each other.
"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen," Jessica tells Bella.
Suddenly, Edward and Emmett look over, as if they heard Jessica from across the room. Edward's eyes meet Bella's. But he seems... confused. He looks at Astrid and his confusion only deepens. Bella quickly looks away. Astrid, in the meantime, is completely oblivious to the fact that Emmett is now staring at her.
"They're totally gorgeous, obviously. But apparently, no one here is good enough for them. Like I care. Anyway, don't waste your time."
"I wasn't planning on it," Bella tells her.
"Wasn't planning on what, Bella?" Astrid asks.
"Going after either one of them."
"Either one of who?"
"Well, if you'd stop drooling over the swords and look up you'd see who we were talking about," Bella tells her little sister.
Astrid sighs and puts her magazine down, she looks up and looks right into the eyes of Emmett Cullen. He smirks at her and winks, Astrid raises an eyebrow at him then goes back to her magazine.
"Oh them, the big guy looks like an ass and the thin one looks like a douche."
Jessica gawks at her, "How can you say that they're totally gorgeous!"
I didn't say they weren't but that still doesn't make my statement any less true."
Just then everyone at the Cullen table starts laughing, except for Edward and Emmett, as if they all heard what Astrid had said. Astrid's brow furrowed, did they hear what she said, not like she cared. But that would be weird if they did considering that they were across the cafeteria. Astrid shrugs and puts her magazine away.
"Come on Bells, it's time to go."
"But the bell hasn't even rung yet."
"Wait for it," Astrid says.
Just then the bell rings, Astrid smirks, "Told you."
"How do you do that?"
"It's a gift, come on let's get to our lockers."
Astrid leaves the cafeteria with Bella trailing behind her. In the meantime, two Cullens wait a while for everyone else to clear out. Alice turns to Jasper.
"Oh, I like her."
"Me too."
"Astrid might be perfect for Emmett," Alice tells her mate.
"You think so?"
"Maybe, I can't see her future, which is very frustrating, but I like her attitude."
'You may be right, Darlin' " Jasper says as he kisses Alice's head and the walk out.