self_composed | if i got three wishes, first i'd find out all about how wishes work

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

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."

From:

edgeofyourseat

"Can't help you there," he says serenely. "Y'know, this is the longest I've gone without skipping gym in ages."

From:

self_composed

"I got the impression you usually came to gym even before. You like Ms. Finch and whatnot."

From:

edgeofyourseat

"Yeah, usually's not the same as always," he says. "Maybe you're a good influence."

From:

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?"

From:

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."

From:

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."

From:

edgeofyourseat

"October. I'm good at not getting caught."

From:

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.

From:

edgeofyourseat

"Yep. It's a talent."

He tags along beside her, not close enough to crowd.

From:

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.

From:

edgeofyourseat

This time, he even puts his seatbelt on without prompting!

From:

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."