AN: I was browsing hottopic . com, and this idea popped into my head. What if Bella worked at Hot Topic, and Edward and her met that way?! Lawl. Oh, well. I'm going to write it, and see where it takes me. D. ALL HUMAN! There's your warning.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or any of its characters. Or Hot Topic. Or whichever car I end up using for Bella. XD
Chapter 1: First Glance
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Groaning, I reached over towards my nightstand and smacked my alarm clock, trying to turn it off. When this didn't work, I simply felt along the cord to the wall and unplugged it. However, before I could fall back asleep, my roommate, Alice burst into my room forgetting, yet again, to knock.
"Bella! Wake up! It's our first day of work today! We can't be late!' Alice exclaimed, ripping the covers off of me.
"Alice! Shut up!" I shouted, covering my face with a pillow to block out the sudden intrusion of bright light.
Alice and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. When going through old photo albums at my dad's place, it was rare to find a picture without a diapered, black haired girl next to me. Our friendship survived through the years, although we are nearly polar opposites. Alice is hyperactive and loves attention. On the other hand, I am mellow and hate being in the spotlight. I guess it's true what people say. Opposites do attract.
"Fine. I'm awake. See?" I asked sarcastically, sitting up in bed.
This wasn't good enough evidence for her.
Smirking, Alice wrenched me out of bed so hard that I nearly smacked my head into the wall opposite of my bed. For such a small person, Alice is very strong.
Admitting defeat, I made my way to the shower, knowing that Alice had already taken one today. Stepping into the shower always helps me wake up. The hot water soothes me, but instead of it making me sleepy, it has the exact opposite effect.
After a good half hour, I got out of the shower and began my getting ready process. Putting my hair up in a towel, I walked back into my room, heading straight for my closet. Before settling on my outfit, I spent at least 15 minutes shuffling through my clothes, looking for something appropriate to wear. Luckily, I practically lived at Hot Topic, so working there wouldn't be a problem. There wasn't a dress code, so I could pretty much wear whatever I wanted.
Even though it's summer, Forks is always cold. Based on this, I decided to wear my anchor shirt, orange jeans, hi-tops, studded belt, and earrings. For my makeup, I used glittery black eyeliner with silver eye shadow. I wasn't in the mood to do much with my hair, so instead, I just straightened it and clipped my bangs back with yellow bobby pins. (Links for clothes in profile!)
Making sure I had my Ipod, cell phone, and wallet, I screamed for Alice and walked out the door to my car, a Saturn Sky Roadster. (Yeah… I watch project Runway too much)
After Alice got in the car, I backed out of the driveway and began the ten minute drive towards the mall, where Alice and I would begin work today. Pulling into the parking lot, I maneuvered my car into a spot close to the entrance. In a town like Forks, Washington, where there was nothing to do, so the mall was a popular hangout from the moment it opened to the minute it closed. (Er… I don't actually know if there's a mall in Forks. And if there's not…then we're going to pretend. Lol!) Even though it was only ten in the morning, there was already a decent amount of cars in the parking lot, signifying the start of a very long day.
When Alice and I arrived at the store, the manager, Jasper, gave us a brief overview, seeing as how we had already been taught nearly everything the week before at orientation. When Jasper walked away, we introduced ourselves to the other people working there.
"Hi…I'm Bella, and this is Alice," I muttered, staring at the ground.
"Hey, I'm Rosalie, and this is Emmett," A girl answered with a voice like wind chimes. Looking up for the first time since entering the store, I got a good look at my new co-workers. Rosalie was tall and blonde, and very beautiful. Emmett was…well, big. There was no other way to describe him. Judging by the way they were standing, I got the gist that they were dating.
"So, do you guys normally get a lot of people in here?" Alice said, looking around.
"Well, it depends. If this oaf stays behind the counter where nobody can see him, then we get decent business," Rosalie said, grinning at us. Emmett placed his hands over his heart, pretending that she had hurt his feelings.
Laughing, we all talked until the first people started showing up.
"Ew. Why do people shop here? It's so…creepy!" I heard a nasally voice from the entranceway.
"I don't know, but let's get away from here before they infect us," an equally nasally, snobby voice answered.
Pissed, I turned around from where I was restocking shelves to see who was being so ignorant. Naturally, it was two of the bitchiest girls I know at school. Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley are the ice queens of the school. They spent every waking moment at Hollister and American Eagle, and shared the common belief that people who shop at Hot Topic are freaks.
"Hey, Jessica!" I exclaimed, surprising myself.
"Bella? You work here?" Jessica said, only barely managing to conceal her distaste.
"Yeah. I practically live here anyway, so I might as well. Now, care to tell me what is so creepy about the store?" I asked venomously. I had lived my whole life being called names, but I hated stereotypes.
"Uh, well, just listen to the music!" Jessica said, as though this settled her point. The music, in fact, was Lexington by Chiodos.
"What about it?" I snapped back, not realizing that Emmett had walked up behind me.
"Do we have a problem here girls?" Emmett boomed.
"Oh, uh…no!" Lauren managed to squeal out before she and Jessica practically ran away.
"Emmett! You didn't have to scare them like that!" I said, but the reproach was lost, due the fact that I couldn't stop laughing.
"Excuse me? Can you help me with something?" A velvety voice asked, stopping my laughter abruptly.
EPOV!
After waking up this morning to my best friend Jasper screaming in my ear, I wasn't exactly in the best of moods. After Jasper left, I sat on my bed for a few minutes, pondering what to do today.
There weren't any movies, and besides, there wasn't anybody that I knew here yet that I'd be willing to go with.
I had just moved to Forks from Chicago to live with my best friend, Jasper Hale. I would be attending his highschool, Forks High School. The move was brought upon by the fact that it was either that, or move to Siberia, which was where my father, Carlisle Cullen was being transferred to.
I spent a few more minutes deciding where to go, and finally decided to go to the mall and get some new clothes for the upcoming school year.
I took a quick shower, then made my way to my closet with a towel slung loosely around my hips. (Cue pathetic swoon) Today, I decided to wear my Tripp skinny black jeans (Don't Own!), black and white checked shirt, hi-tops, and a belt with monsters on it. Walking out the door, I grabbed my lifelines, which were my Ipod, cell phone, wallet, and car keys.
Locking the door to the apartment, I strode quickly to my car, a silver Volvo. Getting in, I plugged my Ipod into my car, and then started my baby. Finding the mall was extremely easy. I just hoped that they had a Hot Topic here. I would explode without one. Shocked, I pulled into the parking lot, noticing that it was already halfway full, besides the fact that it was only a little bit after ten o'clock in the morning. Finding a space as close to the mall entrance as quickly as possible, I walked inside and immediately noticed my heaven on earth, Hot Topic.
Walking over, I noticed two scantily clad girls in the entrance. Groaning, I slowed, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. However, I wasn't far enough away that I couldn't hear it.
"Ew. Why do people shop here? It's so…creepy!" A nasally voice drifted to me, and I instantly grimaced.
"I don't know, but let's get away from here before they infect us." If I hadn't seen the other girl's mouth move, I would have thought it was the same snooty girl.
"Hey, Jessica!" This time the voice was beautiful, almost musical.
"Bella? You work here?" the girl, Jessica said.
"Yeah. I practically live here anyway, so I might as well. Now, care to tell me what is so creepy about the store?" Bella asked, her words low and fierce.
"Uh, well, just listen to the music!" Since I was getting slowly closer, I could now hear it. It was my current favorite song, so I didn't understand her distaste in it.
"What about it?" Bella retorted, and I noticed a very muscular guy walk up behind her. It was probably her boyfriend, which wouldn't surprise me at all. She was so beautiful that it was impossible to imagine her as single.
"Do we have a problem here girls?" the man said, clearly trying to stop the potential embarrassment on Jessica's behalf.
"Oh, uh…no!" The girl who had first spoken screeched, before she and Jessica ran away, looking as if they would pee themselves.
"Emmett! You didn't have to scare them like that!" Bella exclaimed, bursting into laughter. Her laughter was nearly as beautiful as she was.
Entranced, I picked my pace up and entered the store.
"Excuse me? Can you help me with something?" I asked, breaking into her hysterical laughter.
AN: YAY! I like it…how about you guys? Tell me what you think by using that pretty little review button in the bottom left corner of the screen. Oh, and if you guys have any bands that you would like me to put on display, just tell me, and I'll most likely do so.