Life in south west Idaho was very different than small town Forks. For one, there were many more residents. Not everyone knew our names the moment we arrived; it was a nice change. There was more than one food store to choose from and many auto mechanics. I found myself a body shop willing to give me a chance under the hood for a low wage. It was enough to afford a decent apartment with money left over to open a savings account and still take Nessie out on weekends. Alice insisted on putting my funds in a lucrative stock market portfolio but I managed to get away with only giving her half the money I had when we moved. I wanted to support myself as best I could. The Cullen's did pay for my college tuition for which I was grateful. The apartment was a nice two bedroom with a view of the mountains. It had access to hunting grounds for Ness and enough forest where I could communicate with the pack without being seen. The Cullen's house was only five miles away so it was a very convenient location.
Their home, of course, was extravagant. It was set back in the woods much like the Forks house. It was two stories tall with high ceilings and large windows along two identical wings that jetted out either side and connected in the central living and dining areas. Each couple had their own bedroom, bathroom, and a closet bigger than my room at Billy's house. Ness had her own room on the lower level - technically the basement- which was furnished as tastefully as the rest of the house and had a separate entrance to the back yard. Being the only member of the family who slept, it was necessary to give her space away from everyone else so she wouldn't be woken up in the middle of the night.
I went over there every morning to have breakfast with Nessie in their gourmet kitchen. It was really a sight to watch Esme and Bella cook up delicious dishes like Spanish omelets and Belgium waffles every morning considering the smell made them practically gag. Bella had always been a good cook and Esme enjoyed helping her now that there were actually mouths to feed in the family. They had the most fun at breakfast, discovering new recipes for eggs- Nessie's favorite food.
I'd say the most difficult part of the move so far had been pretending in public that Nessie and I had only just met. I was able to blend in easily without anyone noticing I was from out of town. As far as anyone knew I was just like any other young man who had gotten a job and his own apartment when he started college. The high school in town had a lot more students than in Forks but everyone still noticed Nessie when she started in the fall as a senior so she had to admit she'd recently moved to the area. The family had strongly suggested she start out in a lower grade but Ness hated the idea. She said it was because she couldn't stand relearning what she already knew but I think it had more to do with the age she'd have to claim. She'd made so much progress the past few months getting Edward and Bella to start treating her like an adult, in her relationship with me and in other ways too, that she couldn't stand the thought of playing a 16 year-old high school sophomore. I was relieved when Carlisle stuck up for her, since no one took my opinion seriously, and suggested she enroll at the high school as a senior, spend one year in the local town, and then join us at the college the following fall.
Some days were more frustrating than others. Like the day about a month after we arrived when I'd borrowed the Volvo and picked Nessie up from school after her final class. She was standing outside with some friends when I pulled up. She had made a number of friends in the weeks since we'd moved to Mountain Home. There was a pretty girl named Ashley who seemed like a decent friend. She was sweet and naïve and didn't ask a lot of questions about the family. Another girl, Sadie, had curly black hair and always blushed when I made eye contact with her. It made me uncomfortable so I was glad I didn't see her standing with Nessie. But Ashley wasn't there either. The friends she was with were both guys. She had male friends back in Forks but it was different there because my relationship with her had been common knowledge. Even that Kyle kid knew better than to mess with Nessie Cullen's freakishly tall boyfriend and his "pack" of freakishly tall friends.
