Living the Life
Chapter 1: Company
BPOV
"Bella!" I heard my best friend and roommate Alice Brandon call. I saw her tiny form coming quickly down the hall from her last class of the week. I waited for her outside the classroom I just exited. We finished our classes for the weekend and had the rest of it to enjoy with our other roommate and best friend Rosalie Hale.
"Hey, Al!" I called.
"C'mon, let's go to Rose's building and get her so that we can officially start our weekend!" Alice squealed. We started walking out of our building among the few on the campus of Washington State and headed towards the building Rosalie was in.
When we got there we saw Rosalie talking to her twin brother, Jasper Hale. She looked angry. We walked closer and started to hear the conversation.
"C'mon Rose, please! I am begging you! It's only for the weekend then they'll be gone! I promise!" Jasper pleaded.
"Jasper, our guest room isn't finished yet and why can't they stay at a hotel?" she asked. Our house that we lived in had five bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and five bathrooms. Our parent's helped pay for it while we still pay the bills every month.
"Rose, they are my best friends! I can't make them stay at a hotel, and besides they don't really have the money to. Oh! Here come Alice and Bella, I'm sure they will say yes," Jasper said confidently as he spotted us.
"Jazzy, what are we going to say yes to?" Alice asked Jasper. Alice and Jasper have been dating since the tenth grade.
"You guys remember Edward Cullen and Emmett McCarty, right?" he asked us. We looked at each other and shook our heads no. "Oh. Well, they are my friends from high school. They need a place to stay for the weekend because they are moving into a house just off campus by ours. I was invited to live with them but I don't know if I am going to accept. Anyway, would you consider letting them stay at our place until they are moved in?" he asked. Alice and I looked at each other again and then nodded a yes.
"What?! You guys don't know them! They are pigs and jerks and arrogant!" Rose seethed.
"Rose, please, it's only for the weekend. You'll get over it," Jasper said and then turned to Alice and me. "Thank you guys so much! I have to call them," he said as he headed off.
"I hate you guys," Rose said as we started walking.
"Bee! Bee, wait up!" I heard my boyfriend, Mike, call. I turned around and ran up to him. I hugged him and he held me around the waist.
"Hey, babe," I said sweetly. He pecked me on the lips then let go of me to take my hand. We started walking over to Rose and Alice. "What are you doing tonight?" I asked.
"I have to study. I have a major test tomorrow," he said with an apologetic smile. I totally forgot that Mike takes more classes than I do.
"Alright, good luck."
"Thanks see you later, Bee," he said as he kissed my cheek. He hurried off toward the parking lot to get his car. I walked home with Alice and Rose.
When we walked in the door we were greeted by Jasper making the living room look like a bedroom.
"Jazz, what are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm setting up for the guys. They'll be here in like an hour," he answered.
"Alright, I'm going up to my room," I announced. I walked up the stairs and into my room. The walls of my room are a deep purple and I have an off white carpet. I sat on my bed and started working on an assignment that is due in a week. I had to write a prologue for a story topic I was given in my journalism class.
I was about half way finished when a knock interrupted me.
"Yeah?" I called.
"Edward and Emmett are here," Jasper said as he opened the door. I closed my notebook and put it and my pen on my bedside table. I got up and went downstairs with Jasper.
"Bella, this is Emmett," he said as he gestured toward a tall man that looked extremely fit. He has short brown hair with copper eyes. He looked like a giant teddy bear. "And this is Edward." He gestured toward a man that was smaller than Emmett but, from what I could see from his tight shirt, still had a toned body. He had messy bronze hair and green eyes. I looked at him for an extra second and he smirked. I blushed and looked away.
"Hey guys, I'm Bella," I said and then walked into the living room with Alice and Rose. I sat on the couch between them and started watching the television with them. They were watching Gilmore Girls.
"Hey! Let's watch a movie!" Alice squealed.
"Alright, I'll call Mike to see if he wants to take a break from studying and come watch it with us," I said as I got up to go into the kitchen to call Mike. I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. It rang twice and he picked up.
"Oh, shit. Hello?" he asked, sounding breathless.
"Mike? Are you studying?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, baby," he said, but it wasn't to me. "Shit. Hey, I'll have to call you later, I'm busy with Jessica. Yeah, keep doing that," I heard and then some grunts before he hung up. I stood there frozen with the phone pressed up to my ear. When the phone started beeping I dropped it. It hit the floor with a bang.
"Bella?" I heard Alice call. She walked in and came over to me. "Bella, what's wrong?" she asked."I-I'm going to bed," I stuttered quietly. I pushed past her and ran to my room. I slammed my door and slid down the wall. I pulled my knees up to my chest and started crying. There were a few knocks on the door.
"G-go away!" I yelled. Someone came in anyway. "I said go away!"
"Bella, I know that you don't really know me, but do you want to talk?" Edward asked. I shook my head. "If you want to talk just tell me, okay?" he asked. I nodded my head. He got up and started walking out.
"Edward, wait," I sighed. He stopped and turned around. I shut the door and signaled for him to sit next to me. He sat down facing me.
"So, you want to talk?" he asked. I nodded. I took a deep breath.
"My boyfriend of six months cheated on me and I don't know how long it's been going on."
"I'm so sorry, Bella. How do you know though?"
"I called him and he was having sex with her. He was having sex while talking to his girlfriend on the phone," I cried.
"Who is he?"
"Mike Newton," my voice cracked.
"Mike? I know him. I saw him with that Jessica girl. Oh," he said as realization hit. I nodded. I looked away as more tears came. He put his index finger under my chin and turned my head. "Don't waste your tears on him, Bella. If he couldn't see that he was the luckiest man alive he is an idiot."
"Thanks," I smiled.
"C'mon, let's go back downstairs," he smiled. He got up and then helped me up. I sat down on the couch by Rose and Edward sat on the floor by Emmett.
"You okay?" Alice whispered into my ear.
"Yeah, I guess," I whispered back.
"What happened?"
"Mike cheated on me."
"That bastard!" she said loudly.
"Alice!" I yelled.
"Who is she worked up about?" Emmett laughed.
"No one," I said as I turned back to the television.
"Sorry," Alice whispered.
"'S fine," I sighed. I didn't even notice what we were watching until it was over.
"I love Gone in 60 Seconds!" Rose squealed.
"I hate it," I said.
"You seemed very into it, though," she pointed out. I was speechless. What was I going to say? I was only starring at the television and not watching it? They would think I was nuts. I shrugged instead of saying anything.
"I'm going to bed," I announced. I went up to my room and shut the door. I began throwing away everything that I had been given by Mike or anything that was his. By the time I was finished my room seemed to have about half of the stuff that used to be in here. I crawled into bed and cried myself to sleep.
***
"Bella! Wake up! Wake up!" Alice and Rose yelled.
"Five more minutes," I mumbled.
"No!" they yelled. They each grabbed one of my arms and pulled me off the bed. I screamed at the top of my lungs as they did. I landed with a thud on my carpet.
"Damn! Ouch," I yelled.
"What is going on?" Jasper asked. He saw me on the floor and laughed.
"I hate you all," I said as I got up and pushed past Rose into my bathroom. I brushed my hair and teeth and went back out into my room. Jasper was still in here.
"Uh, hi…?" I said waiting for him to say something.
"I heard what happened with Mike. I'm sorry, Bells," he said.
"It's nothing," I said quietly. "He's an ass. Its fine, I'll get over it," I shrugged. He came over and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around him and he rubbed my back soothingly. Unexpectedly, he threw me over his shoulder. "Jasper! Put me down!" I yelled.
"Nope," he laughed. I tried kicking him but I couldn't because of the way I was on his shoulder.
"Jasper! I hate you so freaking much!" I yelled.
"Bella, shush, Edward and Emmett are still sleeping," he hushed me. I only screamed louder.
"Shut up," Emmett mumbled. Jasper finally put me down in the arm chair.
"Thank you," I said to both Emmett and Jasper. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed some coffee. I started sipping it and went to sit with Alice and Rose at the table. "What are we doing today?" I asked.
"Clubbing!" Alice and Rose yelled at the same time. I only had one word to describe what my day ahead would be like. Ugh.
"Do I have to go?" I whined. Alice gave me a death glare. "Alright, alright! I'll go!" I said as I held my hands up in defeat.
"Go where?" Emmett asked coming into the kitchen.
"We're going clubbing," Rose said before she walked out.
"Why does Rosalie hate me?" he asked.
"I don't know. She remembers how you were in high school and thinks that you haven't changed," Alice shrugged.
"I can prove that I've changed!" he said excitedly.
"Good luck, Rose is…well, let's just say Rose will be Rose," Alice laughed. "Well, I have to take Bella to go get read. See you later, Emmett," Alice said as she towed me.
"No! Emmett help, please!" I pleaded as I tried walking in the opposite direction. He was about to make a move until Alice stopped him.
"Touch her, and I kill you," she threatened and used her death glare. Emmett took a step back.
"I hate you Alice!" I yelled. I fought against her grasp but for her tiny figure she was still strong. She pulled me into her room and into her bathroom. I sat down on a stool that was now permanently a part of Alice's bathroom because we are in here so much. She started on my make-up and Rose came in a couple minutes later with hair supplies.
About an hour later they finished and gave me a pair of jeans and a shirt to put on. The jeans hung tight to my legs and the shirt looked like a corset with spaghetti straps in a light shade of blue. I wore a pair of tennis shoes instead of high heels due to my lack of coordination.
"I am going downstairs to get some water," I said as I stood up.
"Hang on, Bella. Rose and I are almost done!" Alice said excitedly. About ten minutes later we were all finished and we looked hot. Rose's hair was perfectly straight. Alice's hair was spunky with spikes. My hair was in loose curls down my back.
We walked downstairs and walked into the living room. Jasper and Emmett were finishing on putting their shirts on while Edward was looking through his bag for his. He was shirtless and from the view I had his abs looked perfect. My breathing hitched. You don't know this guy. He could be a total ass just like Mike. I kept telling myself this. I had to get out of the room to stop thinking these thoughts.
"I, uh, am going to, uh, get some water," I said as I walked into the kitchen quicker than necessary. I went to the fridge and got a bottle of water out. I hopped up onto the counter and started drinking.
"Why did you rush out of there?" Rose asked as she came into the kitchen.
"I didn't," I lied.
"Yes. You did," she disagreed.
"Why do you think that?" I asked.
"I think that you were affected by a half naked Edward," she smiled. I gave her a look that said "you're kidding me".
"I told you guys in the bathroom that I was thirsty," I pointed out. "Besides, I just broke up with Mike," I said as I looked away.
"Hey, hey now. No crying tonight. He doesn't deserve your tears, Bella. He is a total douche, sweetie." I laughed.
"I guess you're right. Not about Edward, but about Mike," I laughed.
"What's not about me?" Edward asked as he came into the kitchen. He went over to the fridge and grabbed a Pepsi.
"Nothing," I said quickly.
"I see," he said. He was clearly unconvinced.
"Ready to leave, Bella?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, let's go," I said as I hopped down from the counter. I linked arms with her and left Edward alone in the kitchen. "Al! C'mon! Let's get going!" I called. She came skipping down the stairs and up to us.
"Ciao!" we yelled as we walked out and started laughing. We walked to the club, Prime, that was down the street from our house. We waited in line and finally got in.
"Let's get some drinks," I suggested. We walked up to the bar and ordered three different brands of beer. Alice got Miller Light, I got Bud light and Rose got Budweiser.
"Try this," Alice said as she waved her beer in front of my face. I took a sip and it burned going down my throat.
"Gross!" I spat. I shoved it back at her and took a swig of my beer. We took our beers and went out to the dance floor. We started grinding into each other to the beat of the music.
"Look who's here," Rose yelled. We looked over at the door and the guys were here. We continued to dance as the guys made their way over. Alice went with Jasper and started dancing.
"Would you like to dance?" Emmett asked Rose.
"Why not," she sighed as she went with him and a smile crossed his face. I started dancing by myself.
"Bella, do you want to dance?" Edward asked. I looked up to see a smirk on his face.
"Sure," I accepted. I went over to him and started grinding into him. A smile played on his lips. I took another swig of my beer.
"How old are you, Bella?" he asked as I swallowed the beer.
"Nineteen." He looked at me and then took my beer. "Excuse you!" I scolded as I tried to get my beer back.
"You are not getting this back. You are underage and you shouldn't be drinking."
"It's one beer, lighten up!" I complained.
"Bella, it's illegal. Is this what you do when a guy dumps you? Drink at a club?" he accused.
"Keep the beer, Edward. I'll get another," I spat.
"No you won't. I.D. please," he said as he held out his hand.
"Hell no," I said as I started stalking away. He grabbed my waist and twirled me and I thudded into his chest.
"Bella, I'm serious. Give me the I.D." he once again held his hand out.
"I'm serious too. Hell. No," I repeated slowly. I tried to move his hands from my waist but he wouldn't let me. "Let go of me," I spat.
"Please, just humor me. Give me the I.D."
"No, I am not going to give you the I.D. it belongs to me. I can keep it if I want. It's the only way I can get into a club."
"Bella, it's illegal."
"I haven't even known you for a day so I don't think that you should be trying to change how I live. Now let go of me." I shoved his hands off of my waist and stalked off. He let me leave without any word.
EPOV
Bella came over to me and started dancing with me. She took a drink of some beer. That's weird; I could have sworn she was a few years younger than Rosalie.
"Bella, how old are you?" I asked.
"Nineteen," she said nonchalantly. I took the beer from her. She tried grabbing for it but I wouldn't let her have it. "Excuse you!" she said.
"You are not getting this back. You are underage and you shouldn't be drinking."
"It's one beer, lighten up!" she complained. One beer? Is she crazy?
"Bella, it's illegal. Is this what you do when a guy dumps you? Drink at a club?" I asked.
"Keep the beer, Edward. I'll get another," she spat.
"No you won't. I.D. please," I said as I held my hand out
"Hell no," she said and started walking away. I grabbed her waist and twirled her so that she was facing me and I could let her know that I was serious about this.
"Bella, I'm serious. Give me the I.D." I said as I again held my hand out again.
"I'm serious too. Hell. No," she repeated slowly. She tried to remove my hands from her waist but I wasn't finished yet. "Let go of me," she spat.
"Please, just humor me. Give me the I.D." I asked again.
"No, I am not going to give you the I.D. it belongs to me. I can keep it if I want. It's the only way I can get into a club."
"Bella, it's illegal."
"I haven't even known you for a day so I don't think that you should be trying to change how I live. Now let go of me." she shoved my hands off of me and stomped off towards the door. I let her leave because I didn't want to get her too mad.
"Edward! Why did Bella just run out like that? She seemed pretty upset," Alice said as she came over to me.
"It was nothing," I muttered.
"It was not nothing. She doesn't get worked up like that easily."
"I asked her how old she was and when I found out her age I took her beer from her and tried to get her I.D. Then she got pissed," I sighed.
"I'm going to go see if she's all right," Alice said as she was about to turn away.
"I'll come with you, I owe her an apology," I said as I followed her. Everyone else seemed to follow us. We walked out of the club and saw Bella walking down the street. "Let me talk to her," I said as I jogged up next to her.
"Hey," she said quietly as she looked down at her feet.
"I came to apologize. What I did in there was rude, and I'm sorry," I apologized.
"Why do you have to apologize? I was the total bitch. I'm underage, I know. But can't you just let me have my fun? I'm turning twenty in a month so I'm not too far off from the legal age. It just blows that I have to be the youngest. That I have to be the one that isn't allowed to drink. I want to be able to participate in what my friends are doing," she explained.
"Bella, I know how you feel. I'm the youngest between Jasper and Emmett too. I used to have a fake I.D. too. I got caught with it though. I was let off with a warning because I didn't have a criminal record but I could have gone to jail, Bella. I don't want to see that happen to you. Please, just understand where I am coming from with this."
"I'm not going to get caught. I know what I'm doing," she protested.
"Fine, just don't expect me to have sympathy on you if you get caught with that I.D." I said.
"Good. I wasn't planning on it. I don't need your sympathy." She started walking off.
"Hey, Bella. Wait, Alice wants to talk to you," I sighed. She stopped, turned around and pushed around me.
BPOV
I'm being a bitch, I realize that but I barely know the guy and he is asking me to give him my I.D.? Hell no.
I pushed around him and went over to Alice.
"Hey, Alice," I said as I came over to them. She pulled me aside so that everyone was in front of us.
"What was up with that?" she whispered. "You were drooling over him before we came and now you hate his guts? What brought that on?"
"I told him I was nineteen and he started acting like I was two. He asked me to give him my I.D. and then when I told him no he wouldn't let me leave without arguing about it. I was a bitch about it but I don't think that he should be telling me what to do. I have only known him for what? A day?" I scoffed.
"Don't worry about it. Just give him a chance, okay? It would make Jazzy really happy."
"Alright, fine, I'll give him a chance. If I'm going to have him tolerate me I better go apologize."
"Okay, I'm going to walk with everyone else." I walked quickly up to Edward.
"Hey, Edward. I think I have some major apologizing to do," I said. He looked over at me to let me know that he was listening.
"I'm sorry for being such a bitch. I know what I'm doing though; I've had my I.D. for quite a while. I won't come to you for sympathy if I do get caught with it but I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted."
"It's fine. You barely know me and I shouldn't have tried taking it from you," he said simply.
We walked the rest of the way home with everyone else. From what I could tell Rose gave Emmett a chance and is starting to like him because she is flirting with him majorly. Alice rode on Jasper's back all the way home too.
When we got home I went straight to my room to change. I put on a pair of basketball shorts and a sports bra. I went downstairs and went into the living room.
"Bella!" I heard Alice say in a disapproving voice.
"What?" I asked as I looked at her. She stood up and pulled me by the arm towards the stairs. "What?!" I demanded when she let go of me.
"What are you wearing?" she asked.
"My pajamas?"
"What I meant is why are you wearing that?" she asked bluntly.
"I always wear this?"
"Bella! There are guys in the house, and not just Jasper," she said matter-of-factly.
"So what?"
"Never mind," she sighed.
"Hey, Al. Guess what," I smiled.
"What?"
"You're it!" I said and poked her. I ran and she darted after me laughing. I went over to Rose and pulled her up. I hid behind her and used her as a shield.
"Bella! Let go of me!" Rose complained.
"Hang on," I said to her. I started speaking to Alice then. "No tag backs!" I yelled and let Rose go.
"Damn it!" she said. She skipped over to Jasper and poked him. "You're it, Jazzy!" she said sweetly.
"I quit," he said simply.
"You can't quit! That isn't fair! You have to keep the game going!" I complained.
"I still quit," he laughed. Alice and I sat on the floor and pouted.
"Dude, are they always like this?" Emmett asked.
"Yeah, except most of the time it's much worse," Jasper said. Alice took her shoe off and chucked it at him. "Babe! What was that for?" he asked. She just smiled at him.
"So!" I said to change the subject. "What do you all want to do?"
"Let's watch Rent!" Alice suggested.
"Alright!" Rose and I agreed. Everyone else groaned.
"Hey, we watched Gone in 60 Seconds last night. Tonight you all have to watch Rent." The guys groaned again but watched it. Rose, Alice and I sang along to all the songs.
"I love Angel!" Alice gushed.
"Me too!" I agreed. "I wish I could have an Angel," I laughed.
"I'm going to bed," Rose said as she got up. "'Night everyone." She started walking off towards her room.
"Yeah, me too," I said. I walked into my room and laid on my bed. I slowly fell asleep.
***
The next morning I woke up and went downstairs. I found a note waiting for me on the counter. It read:
Bella:
We went out for coffee. You and Edward were still sleeping so we're going to bring you back some. Be home soon! Love you,
All of us.
P.S. don't be mean to Edward!!
I laughed at the letter because it was obviously written by Alice. I put the note down and grabbed a glass to fill with orange juice. I went to the fridge and pulled out the juice. After I filled my glass I sat at the table and read the newspaper. There was nothing interesting that was happening in Forks lately.
"Where is everyone?" I heard Edward ask from behind me. I jumped and put my hand against my heart as a reflex as if I was going to restart my heart. I got up from the chair and turned around. Edward's lips were pressed together in a hard line to keep from laughing.
"Damn it," I said. I sounded breathless. "You scared me. How the hell did you get in here without me noticing?" I asked.
"You were reading the paper and I walked in. I didn't sneak in, Bella," he chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. The others went to go get coffee. We were sleeping so they left us here and they are bringing us some," I explained what was in the note. Now if you would like to randomly appear other places tell me before you do so please," I mocked.
"Hey, I thought you were supposed to be nice to me," he chuckled.
"You read my note?" I asked.
"Not all of it. I only read the P.S. part, promise," he said as he held his right hand up. "Nice outfit," he commented. I looked to see what I had on and blushed when I realized he meant my sports bra. "Why are you embarrassed?"
"No reason," I sighed as I got up to go to my room. I grabbed a blue tank top from my dresser drawer and went back downstairs. When I got downstairs Edward was reading the paper. I tried to be as quiet as I could when walking into the kitchen to see if I could sneak up on him like he did to me.
"Hey, Bella," he said without looking up from the paper.
"Damn it!" I said angrily as I stomped my foot.
"Did you seriously just stomp your foot? Isn't that only supposed to happen in movies?" he joked, his eyes still on the paper. I rolled my eyes. "I saw that."
"What the hell? Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?" I asked.
"No, but I can tell when someone is rolling their eyes at me. My ex-girlfriend used to roll her eyes all the time so I know when someone rolls their eyes," he shrugged.
I went into the pantry and grabbed the box of Lucky Charms. I got myself a bowl, a spoon and the carton of milk and sat down by Edward. I poured myself some cereal and milk and started eating. I put my feet in Edward's lap and he looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I just smiled and he chuckled.
"So, Bella, how did you meet Rose and Alice?" Edward asked.
"Our freshman year here we were roommates. Alice and Rose already knew each other because they went to the same high school which is here in Forks. I moved here from Phoenix. So I guess I met them from being in the same dorm as them," I shrugged.
"Interesting," he said.
"Oh, yeah sure," I said sarcastically. Edward just laughed. "Do you want to go watch some T.V.?" I asked once I was finished with my Lucky Charms.
"Sure." Edward scooted the seat backwards, with my feet still in his lap. He then stood and my feet went crashing to the floor.
"Thanks," I muttered.
"Anytime," he chuckled. I stood up and we went into the living room. We sat on the couch and turned the T.V. on. We ended up watching Wild Hogs.
"Hey guys! We're home!" I heard. It sounded distant.
"Shh, Bella's asleep," a velvety voice sang.
"How long has she been out?"
"About an hour."
"I'm up," I mumbled. I felt something shake underneath me. I opened my eyes slowly to realize my head was in Edward's lap. "Oh!" I gasped, surprised. I sat up quickly. I stood up and stretched. I heard the phone ring in the kitchen. "Got it," I said as I walked out of the living room. "Hello?" I answered.
"Hey, baby," Mike said sweetly.
"Why the hell are you calling me?" I asked rudely.
"Awe, Bee, don't be like that," He pleaded.
"Mike, you cheated on me with Jessica and answered the phone while you two were having sex," I spat.
"She means nothing to me. I love you."
"Don't give me that bullshit. We're over. Don't try calling me or talking to me. Bye Mike." I hung up the phone after that. Traitor tears were starting to blur my vision. I walked out into the living room to four sets of staring eyes. "What?" I asked angrily. I wiped a few tears that escaped my eyes.
"So, Rose and I were thinking. How would you guys like to go see a movie tonight?" Alice asked. I shot her a look that said thank you for saving me from that awkward situation. She smirked.
"That's cool with me," I shrugged.
"Same here," Edward agreed.
"Good we'll go as couples!" Alice said excitedly.
"What?!" Rose and I shrieked.
"C'mon, you two! Rose, you and Emmett are going to get together and everyone knows it. And Bella, you need to start dating again!"
"I just broke up with Mike. I know you guys heard because you wouldn't have stared at me like that if you didn't."
"We're only going as couples to get a discount on a special the theatre has tonight. But seriously, you two should consider going out with those two," Alice lectured as she pointed between Rose and Emmett and Edward and me. I glared at her. "Don't give me that look. Don't let Mike ruin your life."
"I'm not, but still. I just broke up with him not even five minutes ago."
"Fine," she sighed. "Let's go get you ready!" And so my torture began.
Hey Everyone!
Thank you for reading chapter one of my new story! What did you think? Any suggestions that you would like to see in this story are always welcome! Thanks again and I will update the next chapter as soon as possible!
Lots of Love,
Nikki