Hey everyone. So this is my first try at writing something creatively. It's kind of a bit of fun but I'd really appreciate any comments, advice or reviews.
When I first read Twilight, I read Bella as having a much more sarcastic sense of humour than I think most people read her as having. So I figured I'd explore that a little. I also wanted to playa round with the idea of what makes each character "human" so no vampires here unfortunately.
At the moment I don't have anyone proofing my stuff except me so sorry any errors I've missed.
I hope you enjoy.
The droplets of water flicked out over the counter and down my shirt, mostly missing their supposed target of the flat bread in front of me. I chuckled to myself and absent-mindedly rubbed the damp splatters down my front as I tossed the bread under the grill and turned my attention to the microwave. My soup popped loudly in the carton and I rushed to pull it out before it could explode. Slopping it into the ready bowl, I grabbed cloth and wiped up the splodges of goo, smiling at some of the permanent brightly coloured marks that no amount of bleach would budge; my housemate had some… creative… ideas on how best to use kitchen appliances. I swiped my bread and flicked off the grill, picked up my tray and scuttled back to my room.
I plonked myself down at my desk and cast a guilty look at the books and folders which seemed to glared at me from the floor and shelves. I knew I should be reading, or writing one of my many essays, or organising my notes, something at least vaguely productive maybe, but I quickly pushed the guilt away. It's a Sunday. Sundays were made for home comforts and wonderfully empty minds. If I couldn't indulge my brain with some time off now, when could I? My eyes slid over to my laptop screen which glowed at me like a welcoming smile. My flatmate, Alice, left early this morning for one of her dance classes and as it was lunchtime and she had not reappeared I could safely assume that Jasper had made an appearance. If he had come by to pick up his sister she would undoubtedly be over at Rose's place now soaking up every second in his company she possibly could. I stretched out and grinned; perfect! I had my own little secret treat that I hadn't had a chance to enjoy for a fortnight.
As an English major had to read a lot so it may seem odd that I would choose to spend my free time reading fan fiction online. Okay so a lot of it was terrible, or repetitive with bad grammar and obvious plots but I loved it. I loved seeing people put their own spin on the books; I loved seeing the characters and events in new ways; I loved seeing how much people got from the original stories and I loved that they shared it all so willingly. Every now and then you would find a gem but even the rubbish got my respect; they were putting themselves out there. A lot of the people on my course were literary snobs, trying to outclass each other with their ability to quote Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens or Marlowe all the while forgetting that they had been the pop fiction writers of their day. I had a real soft spot for the tacky and truly awful. Alice said it made me stand out amongst a class full of cardboard cut outs but even she didn't know about my Sunday secret. Maybe I was a little embarrassed- my inner academic scolded my poor taste- but maybe I just didn't want to have to justify something I enjoyed on such a simple level.
When I finally heard the front door snap shut and Alice sing out a greeting I had already logged off after two very contended hours and was pulling a sheet of cookies from out little oven. Baking was another traditional activity for a lazy Sunday in our flat. Alice drifted into the kitchen and I was surprised by her mood; usually after any time with or even near Jasper she was so… well… jazzed!
"Hey Alice, you want a cookie? Fresh from the oven!" I waggled the tray at her and she took one with a small smile lifting the edges of her mouth. "So, what's up? I was expecting you to be all Jazzed up." I teased lightly. Her mouth hitched up again at our silly in joke and she bit into the cookie before sighing heavily.
"Bella, why are men so useless?" she moaned. "He has to know how much I like him. He just has to. I'm not so psycho stalker but I'm hardly playing it cool." I chuckled at that; Alice was as close to being obsessed as I could imagine anyone being without actually resorting to stalking but it was true that she kept a handle on it while Jasper was actually nearby. "But he doesn't act on it. Ever. In fact he does the opposite. He goes on a date. With his ex!" Alice threw up her hands, launching the cookie at the ceiling. We both laughed when it hit me in the face on the descent.
"Okay so I need more details" I dragged out of our kitchen area over to the sofa. Apart from our bedrooms and the bathroom, our flat was one big, open plan, room. I pulled her down onto the cushions and shook the crumbs out of my hair. "Start from the top, I assuming you went for lunch a the union with Rosalie and Jasper after dance class? When you say ex do you mean Maria? And what do you mean "date"?".
"Yes, yes and well, okay, so it wasn't like a 'date' date. She was passing through town for work or something and wanted to catch up. Flimsy excuse if you ask me though. She is apparently seeing someone else now too but Jasper said she quickly changed the subject when she found out he was still single and wouldn't talk much about the guy. I bet she was just testing the water, seeing how Jasper would react. A Psychology major and supposed human behavioural "genius" should be able to see that. She's like his human blind-spot or something."
I hated hearing Alice sound so negative. She was so upbeat, all the time and coupled with her cheery stubbornness she often drove me crazy but I'd never trade it for this foreign hopelessness. It was just another sign to me of how much she liked Jasper. A single kind word or gesture and she'd be soaring higher than ever but at the flip side was that he was the only thing that could bring her this low. I decided to change tack.
"As I remember, Rosalie was never a fan of Maria and we all know Rose is not one to keep her opinions to herself"
"Ha! Rose is about as subtle as a brick to the face!" Alice cracked. This was more like the Alice I knew. "She was brilliant. She said she doesn't care if Maria has an agenda or not, she's not worth the time or the energy it takes to even say her name then changed the subject. She was back on the whole 'will dating ruin my dance discipline?' merry-go-round before Jasper could get a word in."
"She's still into Emmett then?" I questioned lightly. Rose met Emmett last year in our first semester and fell head over heels. Emmett was more than willing and hadn't dated any other girl since his one and only date with Rose. But being ambitious, disciplined, super independent Rosalie meant she had gotten in her own way so much that they still weren't together. Emmett may have been on a sports scholarship but he took his studies just as seriously as Rose whose major in engineering held joint top priority with her love and dedication to dance. She may not have had Alice's natural gift for movement but then again few people did; Alice couldn't walk in a straight line without looking as fluid and graceful as a ballerina on the stage. Still, Rose wasn't far off and she was much more ambitious than my pixie flatmate.
Alice didn't deign my obvious question with a reply, she rolled her eyes and rearranged herself on the couch. She flicked the TV on and began jumping through the guide to find. She looked absent-minded but I could practically hear the wheels spinning in her head as she dissected Jasper's every move and word. She switched to some fashion based reality show but the way her eyes suddenly sparkled went beyond her love for the fashion world. She whirled in her seat, her spiky hair practically quivering with glee.
"I totally forgot! It's Emmett's Birthday next weekend. There having a big party over at his place and we're all invited. Apparently his brother is coming down for it too." She smirked at that last comment. I had met Edward Cullen once before at one of Emmett's games. My co-ordination is notoriously poor so with my mind was back in the library with an assignment and not on the task in hand I had walked smack into him, drenching us both in soda. I stood there, gawping at the most attractive person I had ever laid eyes on as he shook ice out of his shirt, before mumbling an apology and running away. Not my finest moment. He had to leave right after the game so I wouldn't have had to endure the embarrassment for very long if only Emmett hadn't found out. He thought it was so hilarious it was his duty to tease me about it. I knew I must be frowning at the memory as Alice stifled a mischievous giggle.
"Woohoo." I snarked, my frown deepening. "Maybe I can douse him in orange soda this time? Or juice? Or dip" Alice had given into her giggles by this point and my tirade soon fell away into self-deprecating chuckles. "Really Alice, I don't need another chance to embarrass myself in front of him. I know you have a plan brewing. It can't be as simple a setting me up to make a fool of myself. I know it's Emmett's birthday but can't we make him a cake instead of giving him more ammo?"
"Okay, okay, so I do have a plan and it really doesn't involve you much at all. You just need to be my wingman, or girl. This party will so fun, it'll be a great place for me to make sure Jasper forgets all about Maria and her drama. I can show him how I am just so much more fun." She was beaming now. Gone was all the worry and angst, Alice never stayed defeated for long and I knew how much she loved to have a plan. "I'll have to go shopping. Or maybe I can do some tweaking" Alice was a Fashion and Design major and often raided both our wardrobes for old clothes which she could re-invent.
"Why bring Edward into it then?" Oops. I scolded my big mouth for not keeping schtum and letting Alice think I was as absorbed in her plan as I was. She didn't need to know I was wandering off into thoughts of bright green eyes and dishevelled bronze hair. Alice wasn't fooled but she let this one go.
"Oh I just wanted to get you onside." She twinkled at me. " I know how you feel about my Jasper 'schemes'". She stuck out her tongue and I grinned. Her good mood was always so infectious.
We both settled in to watch the TV, with Alice running commentary on the various outfits produced by the shows contestant. Every now and then she would have a flash on inspiration for her "Jasper party plan" as she now called it. My mind wandered back and forth between the week ahead, the party and, occasionally, Edward. I usually approached big parties with trepidation; they intimidated me and made me feel awkward which usually only exacerbated my clumsiness. But those emerald eyes kept flitting through my mind sending a tingle of excitement down my spine. As Alice sparkled over her outfits choices I found that I began to mirror her enthusiasm. Maybe this party would be fun after all.
Either way, I had a whole week of classes to deal with first.