"Really? And where were you from?" The girl with glasses seemed very excited. After finding a place to sit, she started chatting with Mark.
"I lived in Brazil with my mom. I moved here to live with my dad." Mark's voice was polite; he didn't mind answering questions like that.
"Are your parents divorced? Oops... you don't have to answer that, I'm sorry for being nosy." She had an apologetic look. She was so excited to talk to Mark that she got a bit carried away.
"It's okay. Yes, they are," Mark replied.
Seeing that he wasn't offended, the girl continued the conversation. Soon after, more people approached them — a blonde girl, an Asian guy, and another blonde boy.
Looking at the three together, Mark felt like he had seen them before. But no matter how hard he tried to remember, it only felt like déjà vu.
"Can we sit here?" the blonde girl asked shyly. Before Mark could respond, the Asian guy pulled out a chair and sat close to Mark, placing his hands on his shoulders.
Mark raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
"You must be Mark Sanchez, the new transfer from Brazil. Just like the rumors said, you're really handsome," he said with a grin.
"Really? News travels fast in this small town." Mark had a playful tone. He didn't mind the casual approach, so he didn't push the other guy away.
The Asian boy, noticing Mark's friendly vibe, looked thrilled.
"Yeah, news spreads quickly. And I'm Eric — I'm the eyes and ears of this place."
Pointing at the blonde girl, Eric began introductions: "The blonde is Jessica."
"The girl with glasses is Angela."
"And this is Mike."
"Hi," everyone greeted.
"I'm Mark. Nice to meet you all."
Hearing their names, Mark remembered who they were. He didn't show any surprise on his face, though. Aren't these Bella's friends? he thought.
"You're really handsome. Are you a model?" Jessica asked. Mark was surprised by the question but replied, "I'm not! What makes you think that?"
"Well, your looks. You're pretty popular with the girls — look how they stare at you," Eric said.
"Yeah, I even feel a bit jealous," Mike added with an envious tone.
"Well, it's not like there aren't other handsome guys around," Jessica said.
"Others?" Mark asked, confused.
"The Cullens," Angela said.
Mark raised his eyebrows — that's exactly what he thought. Is this world a parallel reality of Twilight?
"Yes, the Cullen family. They're all stunning, like they walked out of a painting," Jessica added.
"What are their names?" Mark asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
Before anyone could answer, Mark noticed five people walking toward the cafeteria. There was no mistaking it — they were the most beautiful people he had seen so far. Compared to the movie, they were on a whole other level.
All of them had very pale skin and incredibly attractive faces. Mark felt like his own appearance was only slightly better than theirs.
"The muscular one is Emmett, and beside him is Rosalie." Still watching them, Mark noticed a smile on Emmett's face as Jessica started pointing them out.
"The short, quirky one is Alice, the guy with curly hair is Jasper." Mark nodded to show he understood.
"The last one, in the back, is Edward." Mark, silently observing, noticed Edward glance in their direction. Mark smiled politely and nodded.
But Edward didn't respond — he just looked away and kept walking. Mark didn't mind. He was simply being polite because he'd been staring.
"Are they siblings? They don't look alike at all," Mark said.
"Actually, they're all adopted by Mr. Cullen and his wife," Alice replied.
Mark nodded thoughtfully, wondering when Bella would move to Forks. Things were getting more interesting.