Chapter 8
The number one topic at Forks High School the next day was the murder in Seattle. It was not like anyone knew any new information, everything was still a mystery. No news. Nothing. And maybe that was the reason everyone felt the need to talk about it.
Some were scared. Some freaked out. Some were weirdly interested. Constantly people made up new theories. This was the end of the world, the end of the United States. It was all crazy. Some were shocked that this kind of reaction never followed the almost daily crimes committed.
Bella tried not to listen to most of the theories she heard in the hallway. She could easily get lost in her thought spirals and she didn’t want that. Too many things were going on in her life right now anyway. She wanted to know about the attack but at the same time it was no use to discuss empty theories.
Over the week the discussion died. There was still no information, no hints nor proofs. It was pointless. And so the theories died and with them life in Forks got back normal. Bella was overwhelmed at the end of the week from all the new impressions. New people, new classrooms, new classes.
Drama turned out to be a special class for her. Not only because Bella wasn’t the biggest fan of standing in the spotlight and doing things she wouldn’t usually do, but also because Alice was also in Drama. But Alice did not come to class once that week. At first Bella didn’t really care, she was even a little glad that she was not going to embarrass herself in front of Alice on those first days but when Alice still wasn’t at school on Friday Bella began to wonder. Maybe Alice had some illness and therefore she wasn’t able to come to school often? Maybe that was why she had been in the office the first day of school? Or maybe Alice was just one of these kids who skipped school at any possibility.
The only thing that made the situation even more suspicious was that also all of Alice’s siblings were missing school. Jess and Mike had already made up the theory that they just decided to join a cult so they wouldn't have to go school anymore as they were so much better than everyone else in Forks, but deep down in her stomach Bella had the feeling that something was wrong with the Cullens. She couldn’t tell why, but she felt like the siblings were people who genuinely tried to be good at school. That impression she had only gotten from Edward, and he was an asshole, but he was so ambitious that Bella thought the same of the rest of the siblings. Maybe their adoptive parents had very high standards for their precious bundles of joy?
Bella hated that she spent so much time thinking about the Cullens. But every time she walked down the hallway at school or drove to the grocery store in “downtown” Forks, she looked out for Alice.
Over the weekend she tried to forget her. Charlie went fishing with Billy and another friend, so Bella was alone. She didn’t feel lonely, she was used to it. Her mom always went out on the weekend, but Bella had never been the one to party. She enjoyed staying up late watching TV or reading. Only at one point she thought about Jess and that maybe she could have asked her and the others to hang out, but in the end she was glad to have the weekend to herself.