"Alice," Bella insisted, "can I please not go? You should know by now what I mean by 'No thanks, Alice, I don't actually like shopping a decimal of what you do.'"
"But I don't listen," she replied, knowing I wasn't going to try to beg anymore.
Of course she knew I hated shopping, but she took me along anyways. She always took me along to most places, except on sunny days, and I didn't understand why not. Sunny days were my kind of day. Sometimes she would also be gone for the weekend and I'd go to La Push to visit Jacob. He was like family to me, and it made me feel happy when I was with him. Sometimes I pretended he was the little brother I never had, though he looked way older than he was, maybe even older than me, even though he was a year and some months younger. I'd actually much rather go out with him because he understood what I liked to do and what I didn't better than anyone else.
Alice being my best friend, apart from Jacob, had moved to Forks with her family the same year I had. There was Jasper, her boyfriend, Emmett, her enormous brother, Rosalie, the incredibly beautiful one, and Edward. Every time I saw him I felt like there were butterflies in my stomach. Maybe it was because of the way he looked at me. It made me blush, so I preferred to keep a distance from him. At least until I figured out why I felt that way, exactly.
"Can't we do something other than shopping, your favorite pastime?" I asked.
"Why don't you like shopping with me?" The look on her face would have been heart-breaking if I didn't intend on stating my point.
"It's not you I don't like shopping with. It's the shopping that bothers me. You grab anything you think looks good on me, which could possibly be the whole store, and insist on buying it for me. To tell you the truth, not even f I was insane would I buy what you offered to." I tried to control my voice.
We were sprawled on the floor of her living room as Edward and Jasper came through the front door. Alice was at Jasper's side in a second. Edward looked uncomfortable being in the same room as…me, probably. There would be no need for him to be this way with his family.
"Jasper, don't you think Bella should come shopping with me? I know I am being arrogant, but this time you can choose whatever you like. It's going to be for a good cause," she explained, jutting her lip out a little.
"What cause?" I asked curiously. When there had been a cause, I was involved and nothing good had come out of her past "causes". I narrowed my eyes, awaiting her answer.
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Edward interrupted, directing the question toward Alice. His voice didn't fail to amaze me once more.
"If you're planning what I thin you're planning, don't," Jasper joined in the debate. It was weird how everything seemed to get so calm when he was around. It was like he had something to do with it.
"She is," Edward confirmed.
"But I saw it. We are going to have so much fun. Nothing is going to happen. Really!" she insisted.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
They turned toward me as f remembering I was still in the same room as them. I caught Edward's eyes for a fraction of a second before he turned his face away. I started to feel red. I forced myself to look at Alice, and she had a wide smile on her face, gleaming with joy of some sort. Jasper seemed to be amused by something for a second before turning serious again.
"I was planning on us: Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, you and me, going camping."
"Great thinking, I just love the wilderness," I answered sarcastically. "If you ask me to go, I'll say no; if you force me to go, choose a place near a hospital. Unless you don't want me getting hurt, please don't force me to go," I pleaded.
I was still sitting on the floor with my legs crossed, watching her reaction. Apparently, she didn't agree with me.
"Please, Bella, you have to go. If you do, I promise less shopping and you'll get to choose what to do for the next….month." I could tell it was hard for her to give up a month of shopping, but it made me feel better.
I looked from Alice to Jasper to Edward. He was looking away.
"Fine, but if we have to hike, prepare to take forever," I groaned. Alice started squealing and jumping up and down in glee.
"Yes! We're going camping!" she cheered, and when I looked at Edward again, I thought I saw something like frustrating or disagreement by my choice. Maybe he just didn't like me.