You Are My Home

Chapter 5 - Fresh Blood

Gabriel's POV:

After the first day at school, it didn't get much different, each day being a repeat of the last and over the past two weeks it had become the new normal. The Cullen's were still pretending like I didn't exist and Rosalie was especially enthusiastic about ignoring my existence if her silence in geography was anything to go off. Every so often I feel her gaze on me, her sight leaving a trail of fire in its wake, but whenever I go to catch her eye she turns away and doesn't glance at me again for the remainder of the lesson.

"Have you heard?" Jessica asks, sitting in her seat that's adjacent to mine and Emma's in Biology, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"Hello Jessica, yes I'm feeling great today how are you?" I say sarcastically, earning a few laughs as people overhear our conversation and she just rolls her eyes being used to my sarcasm by now.

"There's a new student today" She announces, looking like a kid on Christmas morning and I laugh at the drama of it all.

"Oh yeah? What's her name?" I question and just like that the lid comes off as she rifles facts at us left right and centre, clearly having done some eavesdropping in her last two lessons.

From what I caught her name was Isabella, an 18-year-old girl from Phoenix who had come to stay with her dad who also happened to be the chief of police. Before she could carry on her rambling the teacher comes in demanding silence and I chuckle, hearing Emma stifle hers next to me too. Jessica could be a handful but she was a good sport at heart, her self-centred tendencies easily being overlooked in favour of her slightly better qualities.

After that, the new girl is all anyone can speak about, her name being said in almost every conversation. The fact makes me feel sorry for her, I remember how I felt on my first day and I promise myself that I'll find her at lunch to make sure she has at least one friendly face to make her feel better. When lunch rolls around I catch sight of her sitting with Angela, Jessica and Mike, my smile relieved when I see she's made at least a couple of friends in such a short amount of time. Angela calls me over and I move swiftly towards their table, being careful to avoid the rushing bodies crossing my path.

"Gabriel this is Isabella Swan,  the new girl in town" She chides and I laugh, sticking my hand out for the awkward girl to shake timidly.

"It's nice to meet you Bella" I interrupt, seeing the correction on the tip of her tongue, and she sends me a grateful smile in return.

"I was just telling her about the Cullen family" Jessica jumps in and I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"You should chill out with that Jess, it might come back to bite you" I tease, not paying any attention to the family in the corner.

"Who's he?" Bella whispers and I follow her eyeline, seeing that she's captured the attention of Edward and I grimace slightly.

"That's Edward, he's a bit...quiet. He doesn't say much" I tell her, watching from the corner of my eye as he goes to sit with the rest of his family and I turn away before I can catch sight of Rosalie.

"None of the girls are good enough for him so I wouldn't bother" Jessica tacks on unhelpfully and I see Bella nod, the action not quite matching the look on her face.

"Wasn't planning on it" She mumbles and I raise my eyebrow as Edward continues to stare at her with a deadly gleam in his eye.

"Yo Gabe! Heads up!" I hear someone holler and I turn, catching the apple lobbed in my direction from the football table seated in the other corner of the cafeteria.

Laughing I hold up the apple in thanks, taking a bite out of it as Mike laughs along with me. I'd tried out for the team after a week of being here and I got in as a first-pick wide receiver, everyone was astonished at how I managed to catch everything Mike threw to me. We were a good duo and I was looking forward to the game we had later on tonight, even though it was only a friendly.