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Bella brings two blank notebooks to school the next day. Her old one is safely computerized and boxed up with its predecessors.
At lunch, she sits with Angela; Jessica and Eric and Lauren sit at the same table but mostly talk to each other, and Mike is nowhere to be seen.
Bella is just about on time to gym, thanks to an overnight icing that means she has to pick her way with extreme care across the slippery grass or the slick sidewalks. The second time she falls down, she gives up on attempting any dignity at all, and, cradling her thwacked elbow, scoots the rest of the way to the gym on her rear. This leaves her with damp jeans but no further injuries, and they were a little damp anyway from the falls.
She doesn't have time to do more than smile and wave at Alice on her way to get her mat and get out of the way of careening balls. She spends the class doing the subset of her safe activities that won't stress her elbow.
self_composed
edgeofyourseat
At the end of class, Alice drops by her mat with a smile on his face.
"Hey guess what," he says cheerfully.
"Hey guess what," he says cheerfully.
self_composed
"You love your new notebook?" Bella asks, pulling it out and handing it over. "That is my guess."
edgeofyourseat
"I do," he says, kisses it theatrically, and hugs it to him.
"But nope! Dad fucked off to I forget where and Mom says you can come over for dinner again and she doesn't care what we do or where as long as we don't break anything she has to explain later."
"But nope! Dad fucked off to I forget where and Mom says you can come over for dinner again and she doesn't care what we do or where as long as we don't break anything she has to explain later."
self_composed
Bella laughs, at the antics and at the relation of Mrs. Hammond's attitude. "Sounds great. I have to do some nonzero amount of homework this afternoon, but I can do it at your house. Lemme call and tell Mr. Jenkins to tell my dad he's on his own for dinner again. Well, not quite, there's leftover mashed potatoes and half a steak..." She pulls out her phone and places the call, which goes a lot like the last one.
self_composed
"Yes, homework. I can coast in English with recycled essays, but I have to actually write things down for other classes, even if it's easy." She shrugs. "I want to go to college."
edgeofyourseat
"Dad keeps making noises about how if I was more responsible he could send me to law school. Pretty sure I'd rather die," says Alice. "We good to go?"
self_composed
Bella gets up, favoring the hurt elbow still. "Sure. I haven't thought as far ahead as graduate school yet. I'm not even sure what I'll major in. Maybe bio or something."
edgeofyourseat
"Can't help you there," he says serenely. "Y'know, this is the longest I've gone without skipping gym in ages."
self_composed
"I got the impression you usually came to gym even before. You like Ms. Finch and whatnot."
edgeofyourseat
"Yeah, usually's not the same as always," he says. "Maybe you're a good influence."
self_composed
"No wonder your mom likes me." She tilts her head and heads outside, looking grimly at the ice. She sits on it again. Scoot, scoot, scoot. "What do you normally do during the school day while you cut classes?"
edgeofyourseat
...Alice blinks at her method of locomotion.
Then he shrugs and keeps pace.
"Climb trees," he says. "Wander around town. Sleep. Once in a while I read a book."
Then he shrugs and keeps pace.
"Climb trees," he says. "Wander around town. Sleep. Once in a while I read a book."
self_composed
She sighs. "There's a reason I can't play anything in gym. I fell twice walking there, I'm just going directly to the safe undignified method this time.
"How long ago did you turn 18? My dad's always muttering to himself about truants, I bet he would have picked you up at some point if you were 17 and skipping school in Forks at any time."
"How long ago did you turn 18? My dad's always muttering to himself about truants, I bet he would have picked you up at some point if you were 17 and skipping school in Forks at any time."
self_composed
Bella laughs. "So it'd seem."
The parking lot has lots of cracks in the ice, and slush, too. This would be impossible to scoot over and is slightly less likely to tip her over. She gets up and moves very carefully towards her car.
The parking lot has lots of cracks in the ice, and slush, too. This would be impossible to scoot over and is slightly less likely to tip her over. She gets up and moves very carefully towards her car.
self_composed
Bella makes it to the car - walking the final stretch with the intervening cars as supports - without falling over. She kicks her front tire until the slush is mostly off her boots, and gets in.
She again waits until Alice is buckled in before going anywhere.
She again waits until Alice is buckled in before going anywhere.
self_composed
Bella drives with care, although Forks of necessity is pretty good about plowing and salting. "Apart from it usually being father-infested and this being a good opportunity, is there anything particularly cool to do in your house besides inspect all the pretty things in it? I did that one time already."
edgeofyourseat
Father-infested. Good one. He laughs.
"We didn't actually see the whole basement," he offers. "Or my room. But my room might be boring, I dunno."
"We didn't actually see the whole basement," he offers. "Or my room. But my room might be boring, I dunno."
edgeofyourseat
"She also skipped hers and Dad's. And Hilary's." He brightens a little. "Ooh, we can help Hilary cook, would that be fun?"
self_composed
"That could be fun!" Bella agrees. "I will copy all her recipes."