CHAPTER 1
FUN FACTS

WHEN Margo Richards moved to Forks, Washington in 2003, she was the first new person to come to Forks high school in years. A new kid hadn't moved in for "who knows how long," said one of the neighbors, let alone a kid with as big of a brain as Margo. She wasn't even supposed to be in the ninth grade when she arrived at Forks high; she should've been sent back to the middle school. But her and her big brain – that she named, Courtney – were awarded with the opportunity to stay in a grade above, seeing as she excelled in most test scores and could keep up with the pace of high school. Margo Richards never had a problem.

But, if she were being honest: Forks sucked. It was nothing compared to the sunny California weather that she had grown up in. Then again, growing up with her parents had never been too kind. Margo tended to block out most of the memories from her childhood, besides the dreadful court case that ensued over the custody of her. Her Aunt Jenny put up a good fight, good enough to win custody. God, did Aunt Jenny hate Margo's mother, and because Margo blocked out a lot of her parents' abuse as a child, she first thought that her aunt was trying to be mean and kidnap her. When she grew older, the reasons became clearer. Aunt Jenny got her out of her abusive home that gave Margo her big brain, and instead brought her to Forks, where Jenny said her big brain could "enlighten the students more."

It didn't enlighten anyone. In fact, most students found Margo Richards annoying. "She knows everything," Jessica Stanley had rambled. "God, she's such a know-it-all. Sometimes I wish she would just shut up." Truly, Jessica shouldn't be talking. Everyone knew she was a big-mouth since age six.

Eventually, Margo got used to the stormy weather and consistent rain. It was gross, but there was nothing she could do about it. But truthfully, she would love for it to be explained to her why the rain ceased once she left the border of Forks. That fact alone was mystifying. Even Courtney couldn't come up with a reason for that.

Aunt Jenny was a nurse at Forks Hospital, and because Forks had little to nothing to do, Margo was known to hang out in the waiting area, reading books and magazines she found around. She liked to sometimes talk with the saddened or distraught families that wandered through the waiting room, maybe telling them a positive story or two to keep them centered. She liked doing that; making people feel better. She understood why Jenny loved her job so much, but Margo knew that most of the time, her aunt was possibly lusting over the chief doctor, Carlisle Cullen, from afar. She was so infatuated with the blonde-haired doctor that Margo was sick of hearing about him.

Her aunt worked long hours, but she always tried to make time for her niece. Jenny knew how much Margo disliked Forks, so she frequently planned road trips just to get out of the damn town. Jenny liked the cold and rainy weather, plus living in Forks was pretty cheap, but she wanted her niece to be comfortable and have a happy home life before she became a full adult and left her care. Jenny got used to having the younger girl around, and didn't know what she'd do once Margo turned eighteen.

Margo got up at approximately six AM every morning, even the weekends. "An early start does the brain good," she told Aunt Jenny on her first day of Forks high. It was January 18th of 2005, Margo noted to herself as she changed the day on her desk calendar, which showed her a picture of a different dog every day. Looking outside her window, Margo saw what she always saw: patterns of raindrops gliding down the glass. Margo rolled her eyes and threw on her favorite green sweater, along with black jeans and boots. After gliding a brush through her pin-straight dark golden hair, Margo smiled to herself in the mirror, playing with the dimples in her cheeks. She hated her dimples, but Margo needed to practice the fake smile she'd throw at all the frowning faces she would see on this Monday morning.

She jumped down each step of the stairs in her aunt's house, which caused Jenny to spit out the small amount of coffee in her mouth at hearing the noise. When Margo found Jenny in the kitchen, she saw that her aunt had a perplexed look on her face. "What did I say about jumping down the stairs?" Jenny asked.

"Not to do it," Margo replied as she ripped open a new box of Raisin Bran. She looked to her aunt, who stood beside her with a raised brow. "C'mon, I'm not a kid anymore. Don't give me that look."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Sorry, thought Courtney would remember the words I say."

Margo grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, pouring some of the contents into her bowl of cereal. "She does," Margo smirked, "but let me be a little rebellious, okay?"

"Whatever, kid," Jenny said, taking a long sip of her coffee. She straightened out the scrubs on her body before remembering something and snapping her fingers towards her niece. "Hey, got any fact of the day?"

Margo nodded, pausing a moment to chew the bran flakes in her mouth. "Did you know there have been two versions of the Canadian flag?" She asked, which caused Jenny to shake her head. "The 1957 version of the Canadian flag evolved in 1965. There was a Great Canadian Flag Debate and everything that took place from 1963 to '64, and then a new design was chosen."

"Interesting," Jenny muttered while placing her now empty coffee cup in the sink. "I'll see you later, kiddo. Gotta get to work. I'll try to be home by ten tonight." Her oxfords squished against the hardwood floors as she grabbed her jacket.

Margo leaned against the sink, lowering the bowl of cereal in her hands. "So you get paid to stand there as Doctor Cullen's assistant as you drool over him?"

Jenny spun on her heel. "That's not what I do!"

"Then what are you gonna do today?"

Jenny's mouth opened, and then closed. She struggled with an answer, furrowing her brow in confusion. Eventually, she settled on huffing towards her niece and mumbling, "I will see you later."

•••

The rain always made it difficult for Margo to drive, but like other quirks about Forks, she grew accustomed to it. The drops slid down her windshield with ease, covering the little vision her 2004 Ford Windstar gave her. This minivan was handed down to her once Jenny grew tired of it, and while Margo liked smaller cars more, she obviously took the free car after getting her license. It was a dark teal color with spots of gray from the paint chipping off.

Margo would arrive at school twenty minutes before it started. She would park in the same spot everyday, and everyone knew which one was hers: second row of the lot, fifth spot in. Margo spun the wheel as she pulled into the school's parking lot, seeing very little cars. She liked it this way. Margo drove down her row, ready to turn into her usual spot, but quickly pressed down on her brakes at the sight of a 1960s orange truck parked in spot.

Margo's brow raised in confusion. She turned down the song on her radio, inspecting the car with narrowed eyes. Eventually, she saw the person in the driver's seat look out their side window, meeting Margo's eyes. It was a girl driving, and she had quickly turned away from the mirror when she saw Margo's glare. Margo hesitantly parked beside the new truck, turning to look inside. The female driver was leaning back into her seat so Margo could barely see her, and she had her jacket pulled up.

Margo decided she'd cut the girl some slack. She was obviously new, which left Margo skeptical since it was the middle of junior year. There hadn't been a new student since she arrived two years ago. Margo grabbed her book bag from the passenger seat and zipped up her rain jacket before hopping out of her minivan. She locked it and turned to the red truck in front of her. The female driver looked over, and upon seeing Margo staring, she quickly slid down more in her seat.

The driver wasn't going to cooperate. Margo knocked on the passenger window, whispering into the old glass, "I can see you in there."

The girl looked up again, and after realizing that she couldn't go unseen, she pulled down her jacket. She reached over and lowered the window, allowing raindrops to fall inside her car. Margo sent the girl a fake smile. "You're new here, I'm assuming?" She asked, to which the girl nodded. "Well, you should know you're in my parking spot. So, just remember that."

"Oh, um –" The new girl found herself at a loss for words. Her brown eyes flickered to anything but Margo's. "Sorry," she muttered finally.

Margo cocked a brow upward. "What's your name?"

"Bella Swan," the girl croaked.

Margo nodded slowly. "Being the new kid here is tough," she replied, and then quickly continued, "but as long as you stay out of my parking spot, we should be all good, okay?"

Bella's mouth dropped. She cleared her throat and bobbed her head in agreement.

"If you need a spot to sit at lunch, my table always has seats available," Margo grinned big before laying out her hand. "I'm Margo Richards. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

•••

A/N: You guys will come to realize (or it just might be evident here) that Margo is the type of annoying smart kid we all hated in school lol. I mean, I definitely had people like her in high school and even now in college and I'm not too keen with them, but it's just one of her quirks!

Hope you liked the first chapter!!!