EDWARD POV

Of course I would have to be running late on my first official day at Goodell High School. So much for trying to make a good impression. Though, if I knew any better, I'd say that I really didn't have to worry about that. As much as it displeased me, I knew that being a baseball player made me an instant star in this area. But what if I wasn't such a good coach? I'm sure that I'll have an appointment with a noose if that's the case. It'd be best to just enjoy the good times while they lasted.

It's not that I don't have any faith in myself as a coach; it's just that I've never been one before. Believe it or not, this is not exactly my dream job. Don't get me wrong, I love baseball, but in reality I just needed to get away from everything back home. Right now, Charleston seems like a long way away.

I don't even know how I found this place, really. There's isn't a tree in sight, and I can see for miles. When the wind isn't blowing dust in my eyes, that is. Everything is just so . . .  brown. The somewhat non-existent August grass is even brown. Since when is grass brown?

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I was finally pulling into the parking lot of the school. There still weren't very many cars in lot yet, which was a good sign. Maybe I wasn't really running late. Maybe they were relaxed here about schedules.

I took a deep breath and removed my keys from the ignition. It took me a moment to adjust to the dry heat and wind as I stepped out of my car. After I closed my car door, I squinted toward the school. There was a tall blond man waving at me.

"Mr. Cullen!" He yelled as his arms flailed around like a newly admitted mental patient trying to escape.

I quickly snuck my hand up for a brief wave before stuffing it back in my pocket.

"Mr. Cullen, I'm Jasper Whitlock. I spoke to you on the phone a few weeks ago," he said to me while stretching out his arm in attempt to shake my hand. I quickly removed my hand from my pocket once again and grasped his hand firmly.

"I'm glad to finally meet you in person, Mr. Whitlock," I replied.

"Oh, please. Call me Jasper," he said.

"Alright, Jasper. Please call me Edward."

"Well then, Edward, come on inside. Since Ms. Stanley decided to go on an impromptu vacation this week, I've arranged the orientation for today," Jasper said as he held the door open for me.

"Ms. Stanley?" I asked.

"Yes. Jessica Stanley. She's our office assistant. She normally takes care of all these tasks like this, but she does have a fondness for a good party, too. A great fondness of parties that last for numerous days." He laughed.

"Oh," I mumbled.

Even though I had only spoken to Jasper on the phone, he seemed to be quite friendly. Actually, everyone here seemed to be quite friendly. I had usually kept to myself in the past, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try to make some friends. I remembered Jasper mentioning something about there only being one other new teacher this year. Maybe I could strike a friendship with him. At least we would have something in common.

"Is the other new recruit here yet?" I asked, as I grabbed a cup of coffee from the teacher's lounge.

"Oh, you mean the new A.P. English teacher?" Jasper responded. I nodded my head as I took a sip of the fresh, but stale coffee.

I didn't exactly know what this new guy taught, but English works. I was secretly hiding my B.A. in History from everyone. I'm sure we'd have something in common besides being slightly on the nerdy side.

"Well Bella, I mean Ms. Swan, won't be here for about another hour unless she's early. She kind of has a tendency to be early. That's why I told her that the orientation started at nine instead of eight." He laughed.

I simply smiled back and gave a slight chuckle. "That sounds like something I'd have to do to my mother. She always shows up at least thirty minutes early to everything."

"She should be here anytime now, I'm sure. She's really fun. You'll like working with her," Jasper commented. "I'll just go take a look to see if she's here yet. I'll be right back."

I nodded once again before taking another sip of coffee, and sank into the cushy couch in the lounge. I let my mind wander. Maybe being friends with the new girl wasn't such a good idea, after all. I let out a sigh at the thought of how I automatically assumed the teacher would be male. Thank God my mother can't read my thoughts. She would have smacked me upside the head for that conclusion.

I chuckled to myself thinking of my mother's reaction, when out I heard someone talking in the hallway. I glanced up to see who was entering the room. Before I knew what was happening, a woman with the most beautiful wavy, mahogany locks I had ever seen was in my arms, looking up at me with deep, chocolate brown eyes.