Skylar here! So, this is by far our most, um, controversial story. It's fairly short, about 24, 25 pages in my handwriting, but keep in mind that one page on Word=three pages in my handwriting. It's freaking huge. Anyway…I use that word a lot…I need to get back on topic…this is the story of betrayal, heartbreak, and…gay love. Actually, that's overdramatic. It's just stupid, quirky, and downright mean to the characters, and I'll shut up now so you can see just how stupid, quirky, and mean it is!
RPOV
It all started with a perfectly innocent game of Spin the Bottle. But did it stay that way?
Hell no!
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
"Shut up," I moaned, slamming a pillow down over my head. Yes, I am aware that an alarm clock is an inanimate object and that I was talking to it. It was four in the morning. Give me a break.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Stupid bet. I'd lured Dimitri into playing Guitar Hero in the commons with me by telling him I'd come to training half an hour earlier for every song he won and half an hour later for every song I won. We'd drawn a pretty good crowd.
That bastard kicked my ass.
Beep.
Beep—
Crash.
I sat up and glared at the shards of glass and plastic now littering my floor. A few weakly glowing green numbers managed to tell me is was 4:03 AM before flickering out.
Yeah, that's a great way to wake up. Just throw your alarm clock against the wall. Sighing, I slid off the bed and staggered toward the bathroom. I'm not too coordinated in the mornings. I stepped into the shower—the only good thing about getting up this early is that you're basically guaranteed hot water. I took my time, letting the warmth billowing around me wake me up. Robotically, I lathered, rinsed, etc., and then stood under the scalding water for a minute or two before getting out, then dried my hair, brushed my teeth…yawn. God, I hated getting up so early. It was too quiet. Normally I'd welcome such stillness, but this was abnormal. Just people shifting in their beds and tree branches scratching at the windows.
I dressed quickly, since I was about to be late—a deep red lace cami under a low-cut dark gray hoodie and black short shorts. Once I'd bound up my hair and found my shoes, I sprinted across campus to the gym. It was somewhat warm, given that it was April, but I was still glad I had the hoodie.
"I'm not late!" I called as I opened the door. Still, I made a quick scan of the room. Everything was as it should be, and Dimitri was leaning in the corner. I'd learned my lesson about not paying attention when I waked in here last week.
I stopped short when not one, but five laughs were my reply. "Okay, who are the tagalongs?"
Four other figures stepped out of the shadows. They were all pale, with gold eyes, and beautiful. I recognized them all but cared about one in particular. My eyes widened. "Alice!"
The short girl with spiky black hair smiled warmly. "Rose!" She ran over and hugged me. "I haven't seen you in forever."
Dimitri cocked his head slightly. "You know each other?"
I nodded. "She helped out Lissa and me in Portland." I looked back at Alice. "You explained that whole thing, right? It's not like you can pretend to be dhampir for long."
She nodded. "Edward took care of that."
I started to reply when the air was suddenly crushed from my lungs by hard, cold arms. I coughed. "Good God, Emmett, don't take the term 'bear hug' so literally."
His laugh rumbled through the gym. He released me. "I think we need a rematch of the fight in Portland, don't you? Let's see how much you've learned in six months."
I looked at Dimitri. "Can we?"
He waved us over to the sparring mats. "Go ahead. I can see what he knows so far."
Emmett's eyes lit up. "Sweet. Come on, Rosie-Pop, let's see what you've got."
Bad move. For that nickname, I'd make sure I kicked his ass.
I made the first move, a punch to his chest that would have earned me an A if Dimitri had been grading me. A human would've broken their hand. I didn't. He countered with a kick to my stomach. If I'd forgotten how strong he was, that would have been my reminder. It slammed into me and nearly knocked me off my feet. His next hit was a little slow; I saw my opening. As his fist sped forward, I slipped quickly behind him and smashed my elbow down between his shoulder blades, then ducked and swept his feet out from under him. He may have had his strength, but I had speed and grace. He didn't stay down long enough for me to pin him, instead shooting up and dragging me up in the process. I knew what he'd do and I knew I couldn't stop it. Sure enough, he flipped me over him and dropped me. I had enough sense to protect my head. the only way I could win was a fake-out, so I acted like I couldn't get up. As expected, I quickly felt his weight crush the air from my lungs. He may have pinned me, but not for long. In a flash, I flipped us over, crashed my knee into his stomach, pinned him, and "staked" him. "Dead," I announced, rolling off him. "Suck that."
He sighed. "Damn. What is it with getting beat by girls lately?"
Alice laughed her twinkly laugh. "Clearly you aren't as badass as you thought."
Dimitri rolled his eyes. "Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Emmett—all of you go run three miles. Rose, run four and a half."
I shot him a glare. "How is it that I run a mile and a half more?" I knew the answer, of course: I normally ran four and a half. They'd just begun training, so they ran three. Dimitri just have me a dry look and pointed to the track. "Go."
I sighed. "Fine."
Half an hour later, I came back in. Dimitri had only run three miles with the others and left me out on the track for my last mile and a half. "So since we have an extra two hours…" I glared at Dimitri—"what are we going to do with them?"
He shrugged. "Decide what time you come in tomorrow?"
My lips quirked into a smile. "I've never known you to waste time."
"It's not wasting time," he argued. "We had our normal amount of training time. Why not enjoy the extra time?"
"I will beat you this time," I warned.
He raised a brow. "Based on past experience? I doubt it," he teased.
"Are you guys going to fight?" Emmett asked excitedly.
I ignored him. "Let's go to the commons, then."
Emmett's eager smile faded. "What?" What are you guys doing?"
We looked at him. "Guitar Hero," both of us said, as if we'd rehearsed it.
He stared. "Are you friends or something?"
"You could say that," I laughed. Dimitri met my eyes.
"They're in love," Jasper said suddenly.
Dimitri whipped around to face him. I just glared. "Hey, you didn't have to blurt it out."
He shrugged. "It's not like we're going to judge. Bella and Edward are, what, a hundred and ten years apart? Seven is like a week."
Dimitri looked at me. "I'm lost. How did he know that?"
"He reads emotions."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Guitar Hero?"
"Let's go."
~S&S~
"Yes!"
"No…"
I shot a smirk his way and shut off the Wii. "That makes three hours, Comrade.:
He rewarded my Guitar Hero badass-ness with a mock glare. "You've just utterly destroyed my ego, Rose."
"It needed to be knocked down a little." I straightened my fingers and then clenched them, trying to work out the pain. "You were getting a little too cocky after last night."
He smiled and pulled me closer than he normally did in public, He didn't normally kiss me in public either. I guess today wasn't exactly normal.
He did pull away pretty fast, but hell, it was more than I was expecting. "I'll see you later, Roza."
A pause hung in the air after he left. I sensed someone behind me and turned.
Shit.
My mother stood behind the couch, and her expression told me she'd seen the kiss. She glared after him a moment, then returned her gaze to me. "Was that forced?"
I stared. "Wha—no!"
"You're sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" I watched her cross her arms and prayed she'd let it drop. She wasn't dressed in formal guardian attire but a light green top, ruched and beaded under the bust, with fluttery sleeves. She'd traded her usual black slacks for well-fitting jeans, and her boring shoes for cute black heels. Her red hair tumbled around her shoulders and she actually wore a little makeup. She looked…pretty. "Okay, who's the guy?"
She looked startled. "What?"
"The guy." I gestured to her outfit. "You never dress like this. Is Abe here?"
"Don't change the subject," she snapped. "Are you and Guardian Belikov…" She faltered. "In love?"
"Yes," I said firmly. "Now why are you dressed like this?"
She sighed. "Oh…your dad's here for a week."
"Oh God," I groaned. "My father the snake."
She laughed. "Oh, Rose, he's not that bad."
"Yeah," I grumbled. "He is. All cryptic and mysterious and mobster-pirate and shit."
She shook her head. "Lord Szelsky is here for a week as well. I don't think it's coincidence your father suddenly showed up to visit for a week too."
"Of course not," I muttered. "It's so weird, having both my parents here."
She gave a sympathetic smile. "I have to go. Abe might have a…talk…with Dimitri. I'd tell him to watch his back." She left.
I sighed and went up to my room.
~S&S~
