It wasn't a normal day. I could tell that much when I stepped outside that morning. And I was right. As cliché as it sounds, today was going to be the first day of the rest of my life. I knew that.
Lilly was walking quietly next to me as I roamed thru the aisles of books at our local library. She wasn't normally this quiet; after all, she was only two years old. Maybe she sensed it to. The odd misplacement of something, the feeling that something wasn't quite right. As we approached the end of the aisle, Lilly was more herself again. She was jumping around, as usual, her little light brown curls bouncing as she moved. I finally saw what she was looking at, the children's book section. And of course, her favourite person was there too. Alice Whitlock, the pixie-like black haired woman that read the books at 10 o'clock every morning. She was grinning widely when she saw Lilly approaching. Really, Alice had a heart of gold; she was one of the best people I knew. Of course, she was also my best friend, so I was a little biased.
"Lilly! What are you doing here?" She squealed. Alice was almost a kid herself. I wish I were kidding. If you stuck Alice in a diaper, she'd just look like an oversized baby. Excluding the fact that babies were fat, and cute, not beautiful, and only had two words in their vocabulary.
"She's helping her mom find books for class, Alice. Would you mind watching her for a second?" I asked her. It wasn't like if I was unsure of her answer, she loved Lilly, but I knew that sometimes she just didn't need a two year old devil to watch. Alice nodded her head as Lilly tugged on her hand, signalling she wanted 'up'.
I turned back to the aisle I had just been walking thru, and collided, quite dramatically I might add, with someone. When I looked up, beautiful, sparkling green eyes met mine. Of course, he (for it was a he), would be offended by beautiful. Handsome, maybe, or perfect would probably be better words to describe those eyes. Those eyes weren't the only perfect thing on him. His hair, a beautiful brownish- blond was in a careful disarray, and his skin was pale, possibly even paler than mine. His arms were sculpted, muscular at worst. He wasn't exactly Mr. Universe or anything, but yes, he had muscles. His lips were red, almost to a point where I thought he was wearing a pale lipstick. And on a boy, that was quite red. Those lips were twisted in an amused manner. He chuckled softly, then moved his hand, which I now noticed was outstretched towards me. I grabbed it, and he pulled me up from the ground.
"Sorry Miss. I wasn't watching where I was going." He said in a smooth voice. It sounded like... velvet, if that's an appropriate way to describe someone's voice. I smiled nervously.
"It's okay... neither was I, it seems." I said formally. Since when was I formal? I sounded like a Jane Austen Novel. Well, almost. His amused smile grew wider. I released his hand. I had been holding onto it for a while. I blushed. This had never happened to me. Not even with Lilly's father. Granted, I didn't even technically know who Lilly's father was.
"Hi. I'm Edward Cullen. Have I seen you before?" He asked me. Cullen? That was Alice's maiden name. Oh, so this was her brother.
"Probably. I bring Lilly here when Alice reads." I answered his question, groaning internally. Now, there was no way that we could see each other again. One: Alice would forbid me from dating him; she said it went against 'Girl code'. I wish I knew if that was real or not. Two: I had a kid. All the guys that I've told Lilly about no longer spoke to me. It was like having a kid was a dangerous disease that everyone had to stay away from. Of course, he didn't quite know that she was my daughter.
"Mommy, go now, pwease?" I heard Lilly beg, tugging on my hand. When I looked at her, smiling despite myself, she stretched her tiny dimpled hands upwards, silently asking for a lift. I obliged her, and hoisted her up. Edward chuckled softly when she turned to him, most likely smiling widely.
"This must be Lilly. Hi! I'm Edward." He introduced himself to the tiny two year old. She reached out and patted his cheek.
"Edwawd. Mommy, is Edwawd youw fwiend?" She asked me in her broken English. I shook my head.
"No, we just met hun. Where's Auntie Alice?" I asked her, wondering where her temporary babysitter had wandered to.
"Right here. Don't worry; I had no intention of letting her out of my sight, until she decided that running between the aisles to find you, while I shamelessly flirted with a new freshman at college was a good idea. I swear Lilly is a fifteen year old rebel in disguise." Alice huffed, bouncing next to me. "Edward? What are you doing here? I thought you vowed never to set foot in any place I work in, for as long as you live? Or where you searching the area for the newest meat?" She said icily. Did I mention that Alice and Edward were complete opposites? That Edward was a completely self-centred jerk, and a player, while Alice was more of the uptight, kind, putting everyone before herself type of person... and was a cheerleader in High School? Well, she stopped that when she got herself pregnant with her long-time boyfriend Jasper Whitlock. He proposed a week later. They were married the next morning- no joke.
Suddenly, Edward's kindness was not as appealing to me. Even his crooked grin seemed like poison that could potentially kill me. I studied his features once more. Again, his beauty struck me, but this time, he wasn't peacefully beautiful. He was, all in all, dangerously gorgeous. As if one more look at him could cause me to die, Alice dragged me by the arm, away from him. Glancing behind me, I found that Edward had left. Of course, he isn't interested in me. And for some sick reason, it hurt. I didn't like being rejected- no one did- but I was one to suffer in silence, I didn't vocalise my pain.
"That's your brother? Did he change? At all?" I asked, hopefully. Sure, he seemed like a poisonous snake now, but if he had changed, I don't think that he'd look exactly the same. So, maybe I should explain things, a little. I had known the Cullen's since I was in seventh grade. I had moved from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington. Let's just say that Alice, being hyper 99% of the time helps when you're looking for a good friend. Edward was the untouchable older brother (Girl code, remember?). I had my thoughts though. And I had dreams.
"What! No! He's the same self-centred... ugh!" Alice screeched, exasperated. That's one thing about Alice. She can get away with just about anything; even in a library. She was what my father called a 'Licensed Trouble-maker'. I truly was confounded by that statement.
"I see, and does he still not know whether or not it's Tiffany that he's dating, or if it's Rosalie?" I questioned, almost sarcastically. Lilly was fidgeting in my arms, so I put her down, and held onto her hand.
"Huh? Oh. He and Rose broke up a year ago. Where have you been, under a rock? It was all over the press or all over everyone's blogs. It was nuts. Tiffany dumped him a month ago, decided that he wasn't good enough for her." She giggled, and I shook my head. "Anyway, yeah, he's still got at least fourteen different girls, all ready to hang off his arm for about half an hour, and then be cast away into the dust, as soon as he's tired, or finds some new legs." Alice was practically growling at the last part. Then it hit me.
"Me? Why me? I'm not new; we've known each other for what... seven years, since when is that new?" I squeaked. Alice was glowering at the floor, but when she looked up, she looked apologetic.
"Because you have a kid, that's why." She stated simply, before leaving me to my thoughts, taking Lilly with her. I stood there, numb. So that's why he had liked Lilly. He just thought... ugh. I could hardly even think that. It was insane. Well, I would give him a piece of my mind, if I ever saw him again, that is. I turned around, and went to the children's book section, where loud squealing and high-pitched giggles could be heard. I stopped just outside the small archway, leaning against the bookshelf there. Lilly saw me, and jumped into my arms. I waved goodbye to Alice, who was reading another book to the demanding toddlers. My phone began ringing.
"Hello?" I asked into the phone.
"Hey Bells! It's Jake. So, I was wondering if you and Lilly wanted to come over. Amy's getting her land legs, and Leah's going crazy. It should be fun!" He laughed. I nodded, then realised he couldn't see that thru the phone.
"Yeah sure. When, tonight?" I asked. It seemed like a good idea, plus Lilly would have someone to play with for a while. Sometimes, I swear that she was around adults too much.
"Tonight... around six. Is that okay for you?" Jake clarified.
"Sure, bye Jake." I answered, hanging up. He never got to say the last word, when I was around. I looked at my watch, it was almost lunch time. Lilly noticed too, and was starting to whimper a little. I raced home, and got her a little bit of lunch, grabbing water for myself. I heard the doorbell ring, and went to answer it.
"Coming!" I yelled, when they didn't stop ringing the doorbell. When I opened it, I was surprised. "Rosalie? What are you doing here?" Yeah. Secret about me, Rosalie was my sister. I wasn't exactly crazy about that fact, but I did love her. As much as I could when she treated me like I was dirt. She was crying. And I don't mean the quiet trickle of tears. I mean the loud sobs, and the waterfall of salty tears. Sucking in a shaky breath, she began ranting.
"Well, you know how I used to date Edward? When we broke up, I had sort of been... cheating on him. It's not like he cared or anything. But being him, when he found out, he made a huge deal about it. So, now, the guy that I'm going out asked me if I loved him. Not too dramatic right? Well, I didn't know how to answer. He's just my boyfriend. I don't actually know him very well. But he's one of the school's star basketball players. So, obviously, it would just make sense for us to go out, right?" She said. It was like vomiting. Except, thankfully, it didn't stain the carpet. I had a kid that could take care of that. I didn't care about the high school level drama that she starred in. "Anyway, let me get to the point." She continued. I listened, but wasn't totally into it. "Bella, I'm pregnant." She rushed out. Well, that certainly caught my attention.
"Who's the father? Is it Edward, the guy you're dating, a random guy you picked up at one of the 'rage' parties you went to recently?" I asked sarcastically. She probably expected me to be panicked, and offer all of my help. If she hadn't noticed yet, I had a kid too. And I hadn't had any help from anybody when I was about to have her. Especially not from Rosalie. She was too busy sucking any guys face off.
"I... it's the quarterback of the football team." She sighed. Of course, how cliché of her; beautiful cheerleader gets pregnant; the quarterback of the football team is the father. It's like they walked right out of an ABC TV show. She knew I didn't care... no, couldn't care. Had she at least talked to me once after finding out I was pregnant, I might have slightly more sympathy. And to add to this 'dramatic' part of my life, it began to pour outside. And then lighting flashed, and thunder rumbled.
"Fine, I'll bite. Come on in." I sighed. Life just wasn't looking up for me. But, of course, my personal angel ran up to me, and hugged my knees. She peeked up at her aunt, who was a stranger to her. "Lilly, this is Rosalie." I explained. Rosalie was still crying, so she didn't notice Lilly until she ran up to her and started pulling at Rosalie's fingertips. Rosalie did her best to smile, but it still turned out to look like a grimace, and Lilly went right back to hiding behind my legs.
"Mommy, Wosawie is cwying!" She mumbled, most likely scared that Rosalie would try to eat her if she spoke too loud.
"I know hun. Come on; let's go get your favourite TV show on, 'kay?" I said, picking her up and walking into the living room, setting her down on the couch, and turning the TV on. I walked back to Rosalie. "Come on into the kitchen. Want some tea?" I asked her. I was polite. She was my sister, after all. I looked at the clock. Somehow, only half an hour had passed since I had talked to Jake. Time would need to pass faster than this, especially if Rosalie was going to be talking to me for a while.
"Well, where do I start?" The end would work best with my schedule. She droned on and on. Time thankfully did pass fast enough. Then she spoke the words that I knew where the real reason that she had come here. "Basically, I need money..." She trailed off. Whether it was from my furious expression, or from the ringing of the doorbell, I wasn't sure. I stood automatically, and sharply turned to answer the door. But I didn't like what I saw. Edward was waiting there, roses held in his hands. He smiled angelically at me, and I swear, I almost melted. He handed me the roses and stepped in, without technically being invited.
"So, I thought that I would accompany to your friends house." He suggested, and before I could speak he said. "Word travels fast. Plus, I'm fairly good friends with Jacob. He invited me too." And then he smiled that crooked smile, and I was done for. I had always had a crush on Edward, even when I was dating other guys. And if he changed, then I was willing to be his. Rosalie would of course be a problem. I had to leave soon, and she was still in the kitchen.
"Edward?" The question was asked with spite. Rosalie was standing in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed. She took turns glowering at me, and at Edward. Lilly chose this opportune moment to walk into the room, smiling.
"Edwawd!" She squealed, and ran to hug his knees. He smiled his crooked smile at her, and she blushed, and came running towards me.
"Right. Never mind then. I'll be going. Goodbye traitor!" Rosalie yelled, yanking open the door and running to her car. I sighed. So my relationship with Rosalie would never progress. I would always be the annoying little sister that got everything. I turned to see Edward wearing an amused smile.
"Traitor? Because I came to your house? Nice sister." He said. I picked Lilly up. Dinner would be long tonight.
"Let's go. I want to get this night over with." I called over my shoulder. I heard him chuckle, and close the door behind him.