A/N Just going to start by saying thanks for giving this a try =] I'm kind of excited about starting so I'll make this quick:
This is my first fanfic so reviews are appreciated (and inspirational).
And a special thanks to my beta MrsEmmettCullen27, for without her the story never would have actually made it onto the internet and the story would have so many grammar errors it would be illegible.
Without further delay, enjoy! (I hope):
I stared into sparkling green eyes and felt my heart swell. The beautiful green eyes of the one person in the world, the one person that I would give everything to. The eyes that stared into the soul, the essence of whole world.
"Mommy, puhh-leaseee!" Ava whined.
My eyes moved from her hopeful eyes down to her lips, pushed out into her "puppy dog" pout. When I didn't say anything immediately she pushed her hands together and laced her fingers together.
Adorable.
"Alright, just one," As soon as the words left my mouth she jumped off the couch and ran into the kitchen of our apartment. I followed behind her and watched and she climbed up onto the bar stool, using the counter to steady the swivel of the seat, and grabbed her Tootsie Roll jar. I went over grabbing my phone off the charger. I patted her head and she unwrapped her candy and she looked up at me beaming.
"Come on baby, we're going to be late." She climbed off the chair and ran, putting on her kid sized pink Uggs; courtesy of Alice. I grabbed my bag, and used my phone to call Alice as I ushered Ava down the stairs and into the lobby.
As Ava ran over to Mike, the doorman, I called Alice.
"Davey stop, what did we talk about? No eating markers! I don't care if they smell good-"
"Alice?"
"Sorry Bella hold on. Just go wash your mouth! Hey, you on your way?"
"Yup. We're on our way out." I moved the phone to one hand as I checked my purse for the medical files of the new kids. Alice and I own a daycare that's stationed in a classroom we rent out in the local elementary school. We have about 10 kids and while it's not a lot, it's a handful for one person. We take turns, I run it during the day while she does her day job. She's a personal shopper for the local "rich-bitch" mall, where all the rich housewives spend their days buying clothes that cost more than entire wardrobe. It's the perfect job for her because she gets to satisfy her shopaholic-induced cravings, while not actually having to spend. She memorizes hundreds of brands and has to rememorize all the perks of the different designs. She complains that she has to remember more lines than Julia Roberts. I swear soon I'm going to have to send to her a clinic for obsessive shopping; then all she'll have to remember is, "I'm Alice Brandon, and I'm a shopaholic." She actually gets paid to do it, and gets store discounts. Plus she gets to leave her four-year-old son Davey at the daycare with me. All in all, I wish I were as lucky.
I have another job as well, just something to make ends meet. Thought unlike Alice, mine is at night and I get off at about one in the morning. Which is why Alice and I trade. She runs the daycare at night and I get to leave Ava there while I work.
"I don't have a client until noon, so I can stay for a little bit." I moved my phone from my ear and saw it was seven forty-five and we had to be there by eight. Whenever Alice doesn't have a client she stays to help out.
"Okay, we're heading out the door."
"Later."
I walked up to Ava and Mike and smiled as I heard her animatedly telling him about something she saw on T.V. Mike was a kid twenty-one who was working as a doorman during the day to help pay for school. He was a sweet kid; with boyish good looks, and looked liked a typical California boy with his blonde hair and baby blue eyes. He adored Ava, which was good because she loved to talk. While she was picky about who she liked, but she seemed to take to him right away, which I could only assume meant he was genuine. After spending all day with kids, I've learned that they have this sense; Alice calls it the "Ass Radar". They just seem to know when someone is good…or an ass.
"Come Ava, Aunt Alice is waiting and Davey just got those new Legos remember?"
She gasped loudly and waved to Mike as she grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door chanting, "Come on, come on, come on." I smiled at Mike and he tipped his uniform hat as I passed.
We got to the school in about ten minutes, Ava bouncing the whole time. I parked and brought Ava inside, stopping at the end of the hall to grab the mail from our mailbox.
"Ugh!" Ava grunted, frustrated with my slow pace. She ran down the hall as fast as she could, missing the door, stopping short and running backward as opposed to turning around before she burst through the door. I shook my head and walked down the hall.
"Where's your mom baby?" I heard Alice asking as I walked through to see Ava pulling off her shoes.
"Always two steps behind. That never made any sense until I had kids."
"You have a girl."
"So?"
"So shut up."
I laughed at Alice. She loved her son more than anything in the world, but she often talked of his high energy. Though her parents felt no sympathy for her, "Like mother, like son." I had to agree, and Alice admitted on several (usually drunk) occasions that she understood her parent's complaints now.
I sat down next her and she slid my coffee mug across the table. We were sitting in the makeshift kitchen, which consisted of cabinets used to keep some snacks for in between lunch, a mini-fridge for water and juice boxes, and a table with chairs. I noted that we probably looked ridiculous sitting in the baby chairs at the short table.
"Thanks." I drank my coffee as she drank her tea, for the last thing Alice needed was coffee. She was constantly hyper and alert, which was good, because otherwise Davey would run amuck.
We sat and watched the kids for a few minutes before Alice interrupted the silence, "White dress, white Prada heels."
I looked at her and quirked an eyebrow in question.
"Their wedding, Ava's going to have a big white dress, and white Prada shoes." I smiled and looked back at them, sitting on the floor with the Legos. Ava had just run out and Davey took the one off the top of his and stuck atop her tower. She thanked him and they went to get the Lego people. I think Alice was right. The first time Alice had said that they would get married was something I'd never forget.
It was Ava's first day of nursery; this was before we'd opened the daycare, before I got my night job, and before I'd even met Alice. I had just started working as a sales girl at Macy's, and dropping her off was killing me. I walked her in and she was huddled to my side, sucking her thumb, something she only did when she was nervous. She was two at the time, and I was afraid she would be shy and introverted like I was growing up. I didn't make many friends that way, and spent countless Friday nights alone. That's probably why I made such an obvious mistake.
I hugged and kissed Ava and she went off onto the rug and grabbed some Legos. I noticed the rug was least populated area, harboring only one other little boy. The boy had black hair and piercing blue eyes, which were focused intensely on his Lego tower. I had to admit, for a preschooler the kid could kick my ass in a Lego building contest.
I walked to the other side of the room where parents were allowed to observe for a little while in case one of the little ones freaked out on the first day. I watched as Ava built a tower, sitting in her typical position, butt down, knees bent and pushed flat against the floor, bending the bone between her thigh and hips so that her left leg bent out to the left, her right leg out to the right. She put the top Lego on her tower when her hand slipped and her tower came crumbling down. She blinked a few times, before her lip pouted and she looked around to see if anyone saw. When she was satisfied that nobody had witnessed it she just started down and her eyes glossed over with tears. She bit her lip trying to hold them in and I had to resist the urge to go comfort her. She needs to do this, I told myself. She can't be like you. As much as I tried to reassure myself my resolve was crumbling, especially when she looked up again to check to see if someone was watching. She looked down again, thinking no one had seen, but she hadn't looked behind her. The little architect from before had seen her tower fall and her sad face, he tilted his head to the side and looked, so he saw her tears when she turned the second time. He went onto his knees and pushed his tower carefully until it was sitting in front of Ava. The teacher made her circuit passed them and interrupted Ava staring at the boy with her mouth open in shock.
"Ava! Did you build that tower dear?"
"Yes she did. "
"He helped me." I was shocked as Ava spoke up.
"He did, well it's beautiful. Who came up with the idea?"
"She did. She has bwans and bwuty too." The boy responded and Ava looked down and blushed so hard it put tomatoes to shame. My heart melted.
The teacher's mouth dropped and she laughed. "Where did you come up with that Davey?"
He shrugged, "T.V."
I watched as the teacher left and Ava and Davey started talking and making another tower.
"Looks like we have a wedding to plan." I turned to see a short girl with spiky black hair and those familiar blue eyes.
Davey and Ava were inseparable and soon Alice and I were as well. Five months later we opened our own daycare, and six months after that, well here we are.
By eight-fifteen the daycare was filled with kids and Alice and I ran around like crazy, until noon when she left for work. Then I was left to run for myself.
I cooked, cleaned, chased, scolded, and washed the mouths of children (Davey started a trend) for another five hours until Alice came in. I hugged and kissed Ava thanked Alice and drove home to get ready for work. This is where I envied Alice and her luxury mall job. I put on my low cut tank top, and matching short shorts.
I got back in my car and drove into down was there with five minutes before my extremely long shift started. I walked into the clock room and saw my friend.
"Hey Rose."
"Hey Bells." I could hear the rowdy, horny guys and the blaring music from outside the door. I sighed heavily.
"Hey, at least your not going up on the stage tonight."
"Are you?" I questioned her.
"Mmm, not tonight." She decided.
"I gotta get out, I'm over my break, see you out there. And remember, your not one of the whores, if anyone gets to handsy tell me. I'll kick their ass, job be damned."
"Thanks Rosalie." She returned my smile as she walked through the door, the music and catcalls getting louder for a second before the door slammed closed after her. I stared at it for a second before punching in and pulling hair up.
I'm not exactly proud of what I do, but it provides the extra money that the daycare doesn't. And I'm not a stripper, just a waitress. Rose is a waitress to, though if she goes shopping she'll do a little dance and stop when she's clad in only underwear; just for the extra cash. The only reason I even picked being a waitress in a "gentlemen's club" was because of the logic. One, the hours are longer. Two, can easily work at night, which fit the Alice situation. Three, the guys are usually drunk and horny, so usually I get an above average tip. And four, sometimes even a drunken wolf-whistle can boost a girls self esteem. I'm not exactly…well Rosalie. Rose is tall, skinny with curves, blonde hair, blue eyes, and legs that go on forever; usually donned with heels that could kill. And me, I'm average height, brown hair, brown eyes. If I didn't have decent sized tits, I probably wouldn't have gotten he job, though Rose and Alice tell me otherwise.
I grabbed my notepad and circular plastic tray and walked through the door, instantly blinded by the sight of one the stripper girls, shedding her shirt and grinding against a guy who looked like he had died and found the promised land in the same day, after coming back with his lottery winnings. I noticed that it was a girl named Jessica, a nice girl who had taken the wrong path in her younger years, dropped out of college, and there she stands.
Well actually she was sitting in his lap and grinding him now…
Rose was suddenly behind me whispering, "Oh god. Bella look." She pointed to a table in the corner and I saw the back of two easily recognizable heads. The one that led to a bigger body, the one with the curly brown hair filled me with excitement and the other one, the one with the unmistakable bronze tousled hair, well…
That one made me want to punch something.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A/N Well that was the first chapter! I hope it was to your liking, likings? Either way- I have the second chapter planned out and just have to type it up so if I see that enough people like it I'll post it! Reviews would help. Just saying.
