A/N: Hi, welcome back! My apologies for the late chapter, I really did want to get it posted last night, but things didn't work out that way. I promise I'll try to be better at consistent updates in the future!💙

I posted a character aesthetic board for our leading lady, Mackenzie Forge, on my TikTok (sunset_hale) and Instagram (sunset_hale) if you're interested in checking it out, and I plan on making more boards in the future!🎨😊🩷

Anyway, enough of my rambling! Without further ado, I hope you enjoy Chapter 2!😊💜💖💜💖🦋

"You make what doesn't matter fade to gray. Life is good and that's the way it should be." -Echosmith (from their song, "Bright")

Kenzie's POV

"Hi, is this seat taken?"

Not expecting to have my drawing session interrupted, especially not by a voice that practically radiated joy and sounded like the jingling of little bells, I looked up from my sketchbook, eyebrows furrowed in confusion until I met the soft, golden eyes of none other than Alice Cullen.

"No, it's not; it's yours if you want it. I'm pretty sure I scared away the last guy who sat next to me," I replied, laughing a little at the memory.

"Thanks," she smiled, sitting in the seat next to me and setting down her bag before turning back to me. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you scare him away?"

"Well, I tend to listen to music while I draw, and I was in the middle of a sketch, tapping my feet to the beat," I started, mimicking tapping my feet on the floor, "and I got a little too distracted, so when I moved the book, it hit my textbook, which fell on the floor with a loud smack, scaring the crap out of the poor guy next to me," I finished, lightly slapping the desk to emphasize my point.

"Wow, yeah, that would do it," she managed to say before erupting into giggles, shaking her head fondly at the image.

I couldn't help but join in, chuckling as I playfully retorted, "Well, in my defense, it wasn't completely my fault! The textbook deserves some blame too!"

At that, our gazes met again before we dissolved into hysterics, laughing so hard I felt my eyes welling up with tears, and I couldn't believe we didn't fall out of our seats.

Eventually, we regained our composure and I wiped the joyful tears from my cheeks, thanking the stars that the teacher and most of our classmates hadn't arrived yet. Though at the same time, I don't think I would've cared if they had.

Alice was great company, with her intent listening during my story, carefree abandon of being herself despite what anyone else thought, and her kind demeanor overall, refusing to sit next to me without checking to make sure I was okay with it first.

Alice shook her head again, though this time, her expression was one of amusement and realization, as if a lightbulb had come to life over her head, but I doubted any lightbulb could be bright enough to match her.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Alice Cullen," she said with a bright grin, extending her beautifully manicured right hand.

"It's okay, no worries. I'm Mackenzie Forge, though you can call me Kenzie or Ellie if you want; most people do," I replied with a smile as I gently shook her offered hand.

"That's a nice name. Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, but why Ellie?" she asked, smiling apologetically.

"Thanks, so is yours. No, it's okay, Ellie is part of my middle name, Elliana," I explained.

Alice tilted her head to the side, as if in deep thought. "That's sweet, I like it," she nodded. "Well, Kenzie, I have the feeling we're going to be good friends."

"Yeah, me too," I grinned, nodding in return, and her face seemed to brighten even more – if that was even possible – at my response.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We spent the rest of the bell chatting, only being briefly distracted by the teacher taking attendance. When we compared our schedules, we noticed we also shared the same art, choir, and algebra classes, along with lunch, of course. As the last few minutes ticked by, we agreed to talk more later and exchanged phone numbers.

"Hey, do you want to sit with me and my family at lunch?" she questioned, a hopeful light in her eyes.

As much as I didn't want to let her down, I replied, "I'm sorry, I can't today. I already promised Angela I would sit with her and help with the newspaper. I would love to tomorrow, though, if the offer is still open," I explained.

To my relief, Alice's joy didn't dim at all, and she joyfully nodded. "Absolutely, I'll make sure to save you a seat!"

"Thank you, I'm looking forward to it," I responded, putting away my art supplies and settling my bag over my shoulders while Alice did the same. A few seconds later, the bell rang and we made our way to the door.

"I'll see you later, Ellie," she smiled as we left homeroom.

"See ya, Ally," I waved, and she turned back for a second, grinning at the nickname. Sending her a grin in return, I turned around and walked to my second bell.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Honestly, it already felt like we had been best friends for years, yet today was the first time we had ever interacted; well, interacted with words, that is. There had already been a few times that she had given me a friendly wave in passing, which I gladly returned, whether it was in the hallway, gym, cafeteria, or the library.

Alice and her siblings had arrived a few weeks ago, and they mostly stuck to themselves, so I had never really had any kind of interaction with any of them. Not that I could blame them for it, especially with all of the rumors and judgments my classmates made about them on a daily basis.

So, despite how ridiculous it might've sounded, as I settled into my seat in Chemistry, I felt like befriending Alice was the main highlight of my day, even though it wasn't even noon yet.

And sure, I had Angela, Laurel, Dad, my favorite goofballs, and my friends in Drama Club, to name a few, but it felt good to branch outside my usual circles and meet other good people. Because there wasn't a doubt in my mind that Alice was one of the sweetest souls I had ever met. Call me crazy or naïve if you want, but my dad and almost everyone else who knows me can agree that I'm a pretty decent judge of character.

I was snapped out of my reverie, quite literally, might I add, by a binder and textbook hitting the desk with a thud.

While I tried to calm my heart down before it could break out of my chest, I looked to my right, quickly locating the source of the jumpscare. It was one of Alice's brothers, though I couldn't place his name.

He met my gaze, his caramel eyes managing to express guilt and amusement at the same time as he spoke, "Sorry, I hope I didn't scare you too much. The other seats were full, and I noticed you sitting by yourself."

Looking around, I realized he was right, the rest of the tables were full, and wondered how long I'd been zoned out for. I knew his apology was sincere, though I also didn't miss the half-smirk across his features. "It's alright, honestly I needed the scare, and I appreciate the company. I'm Mackenzie Forge, though most people call me Kenzie or Ellie" I replied, extending my right hand, returning his smirk with one of my own.

"I'm Emmett Cullen, it's nice to meet you, Kenzie," he answered, shaking my hand, and I tried and failed to hold back a snicker; his hand almost completely covered mine.

He snickered too, spotting the source of my amusement before our attention was brought to the front by Ms. Mendoza, who quickly took attendance and started going over notes for the day.

We followed along, writing everything down, and I added a few doodles in the margins of my notebook. When Emmett noticed what I was doing, he gestured with his pencil, silently asking if he could join, and I nodded with a grin.

It was amazing we were able to jot down the notes and still draw pretty good little sketches on the sides of the paper, but we managed. I was impressed with Emmett's skill; despite his tough, masculine look, he made some nicely detailed sketches. Just more proof that the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover", is true.

 Soon enough, Ms. Mendoza turned off the projector, turned the lights back on, and wrapped up class with the usual announcements, "Don't forget your homework is due tomorrow. Unless you have a valid excuse, I won't be accepting any late work on Monday. Have a good day, and I'll see you tomorrow," she finished, the bell punctuating her statement.

"I'll see you around, Kenzie," Emmett said as he stood up and gathered his things.

"Bye, Em," I replied, smirking with satisfaction at his shocked expression as I left the room, heading to the cafeteria. Angela and I had a lot to catch up on.

A/N: So, what do you think? And yes, I know we haven't stepped outside of Kenzie's POV yet, but we will next chapter! I hope you enjoyed this, and thank you for reading!🩷💙🩷

🎶Featured Music: "Bright" by Echosmith

Question of the Day: What do you think of the character dynamics so far, and what dynamics are you excited to see in the future?

Kudos and comments are welcome (just keep them respectful)! I love seeing what you think, and feedback means the world to me!💜💜💜

Have a lovely day, and stay tuned for Chapter 3! See you in the next one!😊💖💜🩷💙💖