Pinned but Fluttering

Chapter 10

Thanks for being patient while I completed Evening Star. I can't believe it's done—all 140,000 words!! It's my first fan fiction and only the second work of fiction I've written since a college creative writing course 25 years ago.

Anyway, here's a rather short chapter of Pinned but Fluttering, but only because the chapter following it is rather momentous....

ENJOY!!!!

Chapter 10

I sat in my seat in English class, stunned by the bizarre actions of the strange boy who had sat behind me. I mean, his leaving seemed somehow linked to me.

But how? I didn't know him, and I seriously doubted that he knew me.

Angela looked a little shocked by the boy's attitude and actions as well. I looked at her, eyebrows raised questioningly, but she shook her head and mouthed, “Later.”

I nodded, understanding.

Trying to be subtle, I glanced over my shoulder at the girl seated behind Angela. Head lowered so that I couldn't see her face well, she was studiously taking notes as the teacher lectured on the historical background of Shakespeare's Macbeth. I decided to follow her example, jotting down notes as Mr. Mason spoke, paying special attention to the dates and places the teacher wrote on the board.

The class passed quickly, and the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. I quickly finished writing down the homework assignment from the board and joined Angela as we left the classroom together.

“Which class do you have next?” Angela asked.

I consulted my schedule. “Ummm, calculus.”

Angela pointed me toward the right building, and we parted with her smiling promise to sit together at lunch. I felt much less anxious about today, knowing that I at least had Angela to sit with at lunch. I had been afraid that I would have been sitting alone in a corner somewhere, watching everyone else socialize.

My anxiety over the first day of school definitely calmed a bit now that I had found a familiar face. Having Angela back as a friend was truly wonderful; it was as if we had picked up our friendship right where we had left off so many years ago.

I managed to survive calculus, despite the fact that I hated math, before making my way to Spanish. As I was one of the first students to enter the classroom, I slid into a seat near the back of the room again. Just a moment later the blonde boy whose desk I had practically landed on in English seated himself backward at the desk in front of me, facing me.

“So,” he said, grinning, “you're Isabella Swan, right?”

Tentatively I nodded. I wasn't going to be correcting everyone today regarding my name. I had preferred “Bella” since I was ten, but I wasn't going to make a big deal about it on my first day. I didn't mind telling Angela because we had known each other before, but that was the extent of my bravery.

“I'm Mike Newton,” he introduced himself almost cockily, as if I should know who he was.

“Hi Mike,” I replied shyly.

Mike reached out his hand as if to shake mine. But I froze, feeling panic rising in my chest. I didn't do well touching anyone...especially strangers. It had just been such a long time since I had been touched, plus I wasn't used to being around people. I just stared at his outstretched hand as if it were a deadly snake or something.

Mike's smile faded, and he looked at me funny. “You okay?” he asked worriedly, withdrawing his hand with a frown.

“Um, yeah,” I whispered shakily, avoiding his eyes. He probably thought I was a freak. Great.