The banging on the door is what woke me up. I roll over and open one eye, looking at my alarm clock. I sigh and open the other eye. Climbing out of bed, I make my way out of my room, through my apartment and to the door. Whoever is at the door has some nerve to wake me up at seven on a Sunday morning. I gaze through the peep hole.
Standing outside, looking impatient is my cousin, Bella. Behind her is Rosalie. The three of us have been best friends since we were freshmen in high school. Our friendship started during lunch when Bella tripped and spilt her jello on Rosalie; thus, starting a food fight. Bella and I escaped to the bathroom and when we got there, we found Rosalie trying to get the jello off her shirt. I used my fashion knowledge and told her exactly how to remove it, then helped her. We've been friends ever since then.
"Finally!" Rosalie exclaims as I pull open the door. They march in and I follow them into the kitchen, lazily rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
"You guys have keys you know," I grumble as I start to heat water in the tea pot.
"We conveniently forgot them," Bella said.
"Conveniently?" I ask, as I get out three mugs.
"Well, we forgot them accidentally," she says, "However, on the ride over we decided it was convenient because the knocking on the door would get you out of bed."
"Gee, thanks," I say.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Mary Alice Brandon," Rosalie scolds. I make a 'harrumph' sound and roll my eyes.
"Anyways, we've come with good news and bad news," Bella says. I put tea bags in the mugs and pour in the water.
"And what's the news?" I ask as I hand them both their mugs and they sit down at the kitchen table. I take a seat and look at them expectantly.
"My brother is back in town," Rosalie says. Rosalie's brother, Jasper Whitlock Hale, was back in town; great.
"Is that the good news or bad news?" I ask snidely. Jasper was a junior in high school, when I was a freshman. We were kind of friends, but never insanely close. I always sort of liked him though and we did date each other for a little while when I was in college. He never felt the same way.
"That's actually the good news," Bella says. I raise my eyebrows and Bella looks pointedly at Rose. Rose, looks down at her cup of tea and sighs.
"The bad news is… he's engaged," she says. I then proceed to choke on my tea.
"Now, Alice, be calm," Bella says when I finally clear my airways and wipe my mouth of spittle.
"I am calm," I say. I sip my tea, in small gulps so that if either of them drops a bomb like that again, I won't have enough tea to choke on in my mouth to begin with.
"Sure you are," Bella says, rolling her eyes. I just glare at her and she looks at me with an expression that basically says 'Don't argue, because I am absolutely right'.
"Alice, I don't think he's over you," Rosalie says. "This girl, Maria, she's a complete bitch. He met her at work. AT WORK! She must be messed up. Plus, I completely hate her, and so does Emmett and so does Edward. We all think he was much happier with you. He loved you. I still don't know why you ended it."
Ah yes, another lovely detail about the rocky relationship that is mine and Jasper's. I broke up with him. I had a good reason though! I didn't think he loved me. I mean, I wasn't exactly sure if I loved him, but I knew that he just didn't feel as strongly about the relationship as I did. Plus, he was about to move to a whole other state. I was finishing college and had to stay, but he was leaving. A long distance relationship, especially one he wasn't that fond of, definitely wouldn't have worked.
"Maybe you're just not giving her a chance," I say.
"Trust me, I gave her a chance!" Rosalie exclaims.
"She called Rose fat," Bella whispers. My eyes widen and I look at Rosalie. She just had a baby four months ago, and in my opinion she was almost exactly back to her figure that she had before.
"Did she call her that in front of Jasper?" I ask.
"Of course she didn't!" Rosalie exclaims. She seems to be in the mood for exaggerated exclamations this morning. "She cornered me, acting all innocent. She said that she knows Jasper wants me in the wedding since I'm his sister, but if I'm going to be her bridesmaid I'm going to need to 'lose weight'."
"Maybe she didn't mean it?" I try to reason. However, this doesn't seem likely.
"At least you get to be in the wedding," Bella grumbles. I look at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Edward, Emmett and Jasper's friend from work, Peter, are the best men. Maria's sister's Nettie and Lucy, and Rosalie are bridesmaids. So, poor Charlotte isn't in the bridal party either," Rosalie says.
"Was that Jasper decision?" I ask.
"Of course not," Rosalie says. "But Maria wants things to be 'perfect'. She needs her sisters and Jasper wants me in it and his friends. However, that's all she's going to allow to be in the bridal party. If Jasper could have his way, I'm sure he would let Charlotte and Bella be in it too. Maria says that would throw off the bridesmaid-to-best man ratio."
"Jasper could get more best men," I say.
"That's what I said," Bella said.
"Bottom line is that we all hate her. She asked Jasper if Emmett takes steroids, and Jasper thought it was funny, so he told Emmett. Emmett just laughed it off, but he told me later on how pissed he was," Rose says.
"Then she told Edward that his hair color might clash with her wedding colors," Bella says.
"He is a little on the ginger-y side," I say, Bella glares, "But in a hot way," I say quickly.
"She didn't say much about me," Bella says. "That's probably because she doesn't have to ruin about the possibility of me 'ruining her bridal party'. However, I think she told Peter that he needs 'sharpen up'; as in a new haircut, teeth whitener, that kind of stuff."
"What am I supposed to do about all this?" I ask. "I doubt I'm even invited."
"You're not," Rosalie said. "The bitch made that clear, as well."
"Oh really?" I ask.
"Apparently, Jasper has talked about you a lot in the past and she doesn't want you any where near the wedding," Bella says.
"Then why did you guys wake me up so early in the morning to tell me all this!" I ask, annoyed.
"Because, we want you to come," Rosalie says, with a sly smirk on her face.
Ten months later…
"I can't believe I'm doing this," I say.
Nessie rolls her eyes and keeps driving. She's Bella's little sister, and my cousin as well. She got invited to the wedding and her boyfriend, Jake, was going to be out of town. However, she was allowed to bring a guest. So she RSVP-ed to the invite, saying she would be bringing a guest; not mentioning I would be said guest.
"Don't worry about it Alice," she says, "If you're busted before you get the chance to do your thing, just say you're here to say 'congratulations'."
I nod and close my eyes. This was insane; I can't believe I let Bella and Rosalie talk me into it. Plus, there was the added pressure of Emmett and Edward. Then, eventually Nessie and Jake met Maria and joined in on the plan, and the pressuring. They didn't like her as much as my other friends.
So, I was pressured by my peers into doing this. Back in middle school, when we were lectured about peer pressure in Health class, I never thought that it would happen to me. I always thought that my friends wouldn't do that kind of thing. Now, I was twenty five and being peer pressured, go figure.
"What if I can't do it?" I ask, "Or what if it doesn't change anything and he still marries her?"
"That would suck," Nessie says. I nod and look out the window. The last time I saw Jasper was when I broke up with him. 'It broke his heart,' Rosalie had said.
Nessie pulls into the parking lot next to the church and takes the keys out of the ignition. She looks at me and asks, "Are you ready?"
"I think so," I say.
"Do you know the plan?" Nessie asks. She, Bella and Rose had been carefully planning this and instructing me on what to do ever since I gave in five months ago. However, I had a feeling that they were planning this even before I agreed to it.
"Yes, of course," I say.
"Then let's go," Nessie says. We get out of the car and look around. There are plenty of people milling about, shuffling into the church, or just talking to relatives or friends, soaking up the sun. Nessie and I slip inside. We take a seat in the middle pews, behind some tall relatives of Jasper and Rosalie's.
"Good thing you're short," Nessie mutters, slouching a little more.
"Shut up," I whisper, flicking her arm.
I look around and see Jasper's friends and family. They seem to out number the people that I don't recognize and I think that Maria must have invited a large majority of the people. Everyone is dressed in pastel colors. I assumed they would be, it being late spring and everything. I look at my own dress, and then at the pamphlet I was given at the door. I raise my eyebrows as I rifle through it.
"Hey, Alice, keep your head down like that," Nessie whispers in my ear.
"Why?" I ask.
"I think it's almost time to start," she says. "Jasper is up there."
"Okay," I say, trying to fight the urge to sneak a peak at Jasper.
I try to think about what I might say. I'm so nervous I can feel my foot twitching. I take a deep, calming breath and close my eyes. Then I hear a voice, it's raised, and barely audible. However, it's coming from some back room. I glance behind me. It doesn't seem like any one else has noticed. I look at Nessie, she has noticed.
"I bet that's Maria," she says. It makes sense that she would become even more of a bridezilla today and yell at her bridesmaids. It's probably Rosalie that she's yelling at. I bet she would be Maria's first pick for blaming things on someone else, considering the other two bridesmaids are her sisters. Soon the voice has stopped, or just lowered, so that I can no longer hear it.
"Hey," someone says. I look over and see Bella. She's sliding in on my other side, exactly as planned.
"Hey," Nessie says. "How much longer?"
"Like, two minutes," Bella says. I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
"Don't worry, Alice," Nessie says. She pats my shoulder and for a little while, I'm comforted.
However, soon that feeling sinks when I hear every one quiet down and the organ starts to play. To me, it doesn't seem like a happy kind of song. Not one I would want to get married to at least. It's more like a death march. Emmett, Edward and Peter have appeared beside Jasper. Then I hear the doors open and I watch a girl who is probably one of Maria's sisters walk down the aisle; Rosalie follows. Behind then comes another sister. Finally, Maria emerges, being escorted by a man who is probably her father.
Finally Maria has reached the alter and I can barely listen to what the preacher is saying. All I can think about is when I first met Jasper. The first kiss I shared with Jasper. When we were dating, how chivalrous and kind he always was. How I stupidly broke up with him because I didn't think he could handle a long distance relationship. I had told myself that it was because he didn't feel the same way.
Now, I realized that I was stupid. I broke up with him, because I was the one who couldn't handle a long distance relationship with him. Not because he didn't feel the same way. But, because he felt exactly the same way and I think that it scared me. So I rejected him, and ran away from the best thing that had ever happened to me.
I look at Jasper and realize that my time is running out. I force myself to listen to the preacher. If I don't I could miss my chance. Not like Bella or Nessie would let me. They're sitting on either side of me for a reason, after all. I look at Jasper. Rosalie was right. He doesn't seem, well, happy. Not genuinely happy at least.
"Speak now," says the preacher. Speak now, I think, what was I supposed to do when he said that?
"Or forever hold your peace," the preacher continues.
Everything is quiet and an elbow jabs into my side. I look at Bella and remember what I came here for; the months of planning for this very moment. I take a deep breath, close my eyes and stand up. I hear gasps and open my eyes. Everyone, or the people I don't know (obviously Maria's family), looks horrified. The people I do know, though, like Jasper's friends and family, seem somewhat pleased.
I slide out of the pew and stand in the middle of the aisle. For a moment, I just stand there, staring at my feet. Then I look up toward the alter. Maria is fuming. She is glaring at me with more fiery intensity than the sun. I make eye contact with Jasper. He seems shocked, however, there's something on his face that I never noticed when we were together.
"Hello, everyone," I say, looking around me. Jasper's grandmother waves at me and I smile. Rosalie mentioned that she despises Maria.
"I don't really do this, often," I say, "I never have actually." I chuckle nervously and walk further up the aisle. I hear a 'smack' noise and can envision Nessie and or Bella smacking themselves on their own foreheads, in embarrassment at how much I'm screwing up right now. I stop a few feet in front of Jasper. I glace at Rose, Emmett and Edward, I completely ignore Maria.
"I needed to see you," I say. "I just… I couldn't let you do this… with out telling you how stupid I was to end things with you. I love you, and was too afraid to realize that you loved me back."
"Alice," Jasper says.
"I understand if you hate me for doing this. However, I just know that this," I gesture around myself, "isn't what you wanted. You wanted to get married in your parents' back yard, or on the beach. Granted, who am I to be telling you what you wanted, I broke up with you, so I don't know shit."
"Alice," Jasper says, this time more impatiently than before.
"Just let me finish," I say. "I love you Jasper. You never struck me as the kind of boy who wouldn't marry his soul mate. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I always had the feeling that you and I were soul mates… so, I'm sorry of interrupting your wedding. You can go back to saying your vows now."
I look at him one last time and turn around and walk back down the aisle. I don't sit back down with Bella and Nessie though. I don't see how I could. My heart is aching so badly, that it would shatter if I had to watch Jasper say 'I do' to the she witch. Then, I hear thudding come after me. I turn around in disbelief and see Jasper running after me. He stops in front of me, slightly out of breath and smiles.
"I," he said, "am not going to let you leave me again. Especially not after you just did all of that."
"Jasper, I didn't think..." I say.
"Didn't think I loved you? Didn't think I cared about you as much as you cared about me? Alice I was going to propose to you the night you ended it," he says, reaching out and grabbing my hand he pulls me close to him.
"You were?" I ask.
"Yes," he says. "I loved you so much and thought that since I was moving, you could come with me."
"You loved me?" I ask. How could I have been so stupid? I was blind to what had been there all along.
"I love you," he says. I look up at him and find that his face is dangerously close to mine.
"Don't go all the way, man! Make her meet you half way!" I hear Emmett yell and I smile.
Jasper raises his eyebrows and smirks. I don't wait any longer. I stand up on my tip toes and kiss him. I feel his hands tighten around my waist and I have my hands knotted in his hair. We break apart and then I hear the clapping. I look over and see Jasper's grandmother clapping, along with the rest of Jasper's family and his friends. Jasper takes my hand and we walk back up the aisle. Maria is there, radiating anger.
"I'm sorry, Maria," Jasper says, smugly, "I still love Alice, and, as you can see, the majority rules."
He gestures with his free hand to his clapping guests. I know what he means by 'majority rules'. He certainly doesn't mean that most of the guests would rather see him with me. The majority of the guests are friends and family of Maria's. No, Jasper means that all (the majority) of his friends and family would rather he be with me. Maria stomps forward and slaps Jasper in the face. Then she marches back down the aisle, her sisters hurrying after her. Slowly, her guests begin to leave as well.
"That was oddly cliché," I say.
"She was into being typical and cliché," Jasper says, rubbing his cheek.
"Does it hurt?" I ask.
"Nah, I'm fine," he reassures me.
"I'm sorry I ruined everything," I say.
"You should stop saying that," Jasper says, pulling me close.
"Are you sure?" I ask.
"Positive," he says. He leans in and kisses me once again. When he pulls away we both smile.
"I'm so glad you were around when they said 'speak now'," Jasper says.
"I am too," I say.
Well, I've been working on this idea for some time now. What do you all think? Was it good? I considered making it a full length story, but decided to just make a one shot out of it. It was inspired by Taylor Swift's song 'Speak Now'. I'll put a link to it on my profile. Thanks so much for reading, please review and remember that Stephenie Meyer is the owner and creator of Twilight and its characters.
~EM~
