Disclaimer: All characters belong to Miss Stephanie Myers. I am only borrowing them.
"Bella!" Alice shrieked running into my arms. Alice is my best friend, and has been ever since we were kids. Alice and I were living proof that you don't have to see your friends every singly day to remain friends. We haven't seen each other in three years. After high school, we each had different plans. She went to college in California chasing after her own dreams, while I followed a boy across the world. New york, to be exact.
"Alice!" I shrieked dropping my bags on the ground and throwing my arms around her. The last time I saw her, her black hair fell down to her waist, she looked like a pole, she stood 5'0 tall, and she never dressed up. I guess you could say she – we – were late bloomers.
Looking at her now I didn't see the girl I knew three years ago, I saw stranger. Her once long black hair was now short, and spiky. Unbelievingly enough, she pulled it off. She was no longer a pole; she finally got boobs, maybe not a C cup, but at least a B cup. She was also taller; although that part had more to do with the heels she was wearing.
"You look so different," Alice announced looking me up and down. I suppose I look just as different to Alice as she does to me. My once shoulder length brown hair now fell to my waist, and it was no longer a curly, frizzy mess. I finally figured out the beauty of hair product. I no longer had braces, I finally figured out the wonders make-up could work, and I no longer dressed in over sized clothes. I'm a much different person than she remembers.
Being the friends that we are, we talked at least once a week on the phone, for a minimum of one hour. We talked about everything, from boys to finals. While we didn't see each other every single day we still remained best friends. In reality, no one could ever take Alice's place. She's been with me through thick and thin; she's my ride or die.
"I could say the same for you," I said, running my fingers through her short black hair. "You cut it all off!" I mocked horror. Alice gave a bright smile.
"It's too hot in Cali for long hair. I was dying. Besides, I think I pull off the short look pretty well." She ran her fingers through her hair fixing it. "It is weird to run my fingers through it when nothing is there though." She admitted. "I wanted to surprise you." She explained why she hadn't told me about the cut.
"I thought about dying my hair blond. Almost did it to." Alice scrunched her nose up in disgust. She always thought my hair was a beautiful shade of hazelnut. Yes, hazelnut.
"Never die your hair. I will murder you." She linked her arm through mine.
"Where's mom?" I questioned talking about Esme. Strictly speaking, Esme was her mother, not mine. However, when your own mother ditches out on you when you're 13, and your best friend mother steps in as the mom role she becomes your mom. Esme helped me through my first heartbreak, encouraged me to follow my heart, even if my heart was telling me to follow boy around the world, she told me no matter what, I had place to come home. She also let me know I wasn't dying when I got my first period. Charlie, my dad, is great. For some things you just need a mom. Thankfully, he understood that.
"Inside," Alice informed me dragging me into the house. "We'll get those," she pointed to the bags on the ground, "in a minute. Carlisle, the new step dad, isn't bad. In fact he's a lot better than my own father. He's caring, funny, loving, and most importantly he makes mom happy. He has a son, like I told you. He's pretty spoiled, but well mannered. Emmett's friends are with us for the summer as well," Alice explained to me. There was a lot I missed out on in the three years I had been absent from home. Esme got remarried; I was invited to the wedding, but didn't go. I thought Esme was going to disown me, but she told me, with finals coming up I needed to focus on school. There was more to the story I just couldn't bring myself to tell her why I couldn't come home.
"I thought I heard you," Esme announced wrapping her arms around me. As always, she was wearing an apron covered in flower. Most of my memories with Esme are in the kitchen. "Let me look at you," she said pulling away from me. Her eyes roamed over my body before she gave a light smile. "Beautiful. You were always beautiful though." She wrapped her arms around my waist. "How is New York?" She questioned immediately walking Alice and I into a living room full of people.
"It's New York," I said with a slight smile. Esme rolled her eyes motioning for me to spill every detail that she'd missed out on.
"Boy's college, give us something here, Bella," Alice lectured with a slight wink. Alice already knew almost everything about New York. She knew how much I'd grown to hate it, but also how much I loved it at the same time.
"I'll spill later. You spill first," I said deflecting the conversation from me.
"Oh! Introductions," Alice announced smacking the palm of her hand to her forehead. It sounded like it hurt, at least somewhat. "You know Emmett already," she said as the big teddy bear like man, who happened to be Alice's brother, got to his feet. If I didn't know Emmett so well he would have been the kind of man I would be afraid of. He was tall, muscular, and looked like he could toss you across the room with the lift of one finger. For Christ's sake, the boy's muscles had muscles.
"You got hot," he said before pulling me into a bear hug.
"Can't. Breath." I patted him on the back. He gave a low chuckle before letting me go. "Were you implying I wasn't hot before?" I joked licking my lips. Emmett shook his head giving a booming laugh that seemed to echo through the house.
"You were kind of cute. You know, in that nerdy Ugly Betty kind of way." I smacked him lightly in the chest.
"Such a confidence booster," I muttered.
"This is Rosalie," Alice announced pointing to the gorgeous blonde. Her long blond hair fell into perfect ringlets, and even sitting down I could tell she had a beyond perfect figure. She belonged on the runway, not in some small town no one even knew of.
"Hey," she said nodding her head.
"This is Jasper. They're twins, how cool is that?" Alice gushed. "They're Emmett's friends from college and wanted a get away." I looked from Jasper to Rosalie noticing just how much they looked alike. You could tell they were related, they shared the same intense ice blue eyes, and the same color of blond hair.
"Where's Carlisle and Edward?" I questioned, remembering Alice had told me they would be here.
"They're meeting us at the restaurant. Carlisle had to pick up Edward from the airport," Alice explained with a smile. "Emmett, help us lug Bella's stuff into my room so all us ladies can go get ready together." Alice pulled Emmett out to my car, which was older than I was. I was honestly surprised it didn't break down on my way here.
"I think this is worse than that God awful truck," Emmett muttered grabbing the two heaviest bags from the trunk. Alice and I grabbed the two bags I'd dropped in the dirt.
"Don't diss the car. She might hear you," I whispered lightly kicking him. "So, is the dinner fancy? Alice didn't tell me much about Carlisle, or Edward," I explained grabbing the last two bags.
"Carlisle seems cool. He's rich, some kind of big shot doctor. He knocked some chick up in high school, did the respectable thing and married her. About five years later he caught the chick cheating and that was that. Edward spent the school year with his mother, and summer with Carlisle until he was fifteen. When he was fifteen he decided to stay with Carlisle full time, and go see his mother when he could. I've met the dude once, at the wedding, but if you ask me he's spoiled rotten. Anything he want's, he gets," Emmett explained. Normally Alice was the one for gossip, but she didn't exactly gossip about her mom's lovers, or in this case, husband.
"So, normal rich boy," I said with a smile. Emmett dropped the two bags upstairs with Alice and gave Rosalie a smile.
"You ladies don't have too much fun without me." Emmett winked at us.
"Get out perv," Alice, Rosalie, and I said at the same time.
"Fancy dinner?" I questioned Alice, opening the first suitcase. She only shook her head hovering over my suitcase lifting up the dresses.
"Not overly fancy," she explained scanning the dresses in the suitcase. "Wear this," she handed me the only black dress I owned. "It should stop just above you're knee, it's open back, but classy. It'll make a good impression." I wondered off into the bathroom slipping out of my road trip clothes and into dinner clothes.
"So, have you decided what you're doing yet?" Alice questioned as soon as I got out of the bathroom. She was referring to the conversation we had on the phone last night. I told her New York wasn't where I wanted to be. I was too far away from everyone I loved. I wanted to come home, I wanted to switch schools, and I no longer wanted to be stuck in a place I hate. "I think you should transfer to Cali with me. We could do our senior year together, graduate together, everything like that," she gushed. Originally it had been our plan to go to college together. Looking back now, I wish I had stuck with that plan. Following a boy was the worst mistake I've ever made.
"I'm thinking about it. Truth be told, I can't afford New York. Everything's so expensive." Alice shook her head in understanding. Rosalie, Alice, and I stood in Alice's room utilizing her mirror to do our hair, and make up. Rosalie took her time fixing her make up, and touching up her curls. Alice redid her hair completely, and applied her normal, every day make up. I took my hair out of my bun, and curled it to perfection, applying minimal make up.
"Emmett told us a lot about you," Rosalie announced applying red lipstick. "He said you were like a sister to him." She handed me the tube. "You don't seem anything like the girl he described though?"
"How did he describe me?" I was honestly curious as to how Emmett described me to people who didn't even know me.
"He said you were shy, awkward, sickly sweet, and that you and Alice were both different than most of the sluts around here." She looked me up and down. "The lipstick is for you. Trust me, it's going to kill everyone," she explained watching as I applied it.
"And what do you think?" I found myself questioning her. I couldn't get a clear read on Rosalie. She seemed nice enough, but she didn't seem like the kind of girl that had a lot of other girl friends.
"I think you've changed. You don't seem overly shy, or that awkward. You seem like just another girl trying to figure out who she is. I haven't really figured out what I think of you just yet." She admitted.
"Girls, let's go!" I heard Esme yell. I grabbed the black heels that went with the dress running down the stairs. Esme knew me all to well. "You're wearing heels?" She snickered shaking her head back and forth. "At least a doctors in the house if you decide to plummet down my stairs again." Emmett gave a chuckle at the memory.
"Do you remember that?" He boomed glancing down at the rocks then to my bare feet. Without another word he tossed me over his shoulders carrying me across the rocks.
"What happened?" Jasper and Rosalie piped up as he tossed me in the jeep. Esme took the passenger seat, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and I all sat tin the backseat. The jeep sat five comfortably, and it fits six when you were jam-packed.
"Ok, so Alice, Bella, and I were wrestling. Well, I should say Alice and Bella are trying to jump be, so I got a little rough. Alice was on my back punching me, Bella was hitting my chest, and they were trying to prove how self-sufficient they were. They were trying to get Esme to let them go into town alone, in the middle of the night. Only problem with this is that we were right next to the staircase, and I moved as Bella hit my chest, and she somehow ended up taking a tumble down the stairs. Now mind you, Bella is the biggest klutz in the world, so falling isn't a new thing for her. Alice and I run down the stairs watching her body slowly turn purple, and this bitch lets out a laugh," he rolled his eyes at me helping everyone out of the Jeep. In reality we could have just taken a shot stroll down the street to get here. The newest restaurant to grace Forks, Washington. "A fucking laugh, right?" He said as the hostess escorted us to the booth that already had two people sitting at it.
"Language!" Esme snapped, glaring at him. She hated it when he used foul language.
"Sorry," he said sliding into the booth. "So anyways, she laughs and get's up, like she didn't just fall down a flight of stairs and says look who isn't so tough now, Em. Let's see you fall down those stairs and not cry like a little bitch."Emmett finished the story making Alice chuckle, while Rosalie and Jasper both gave loud laughs.
"Smooth," Rosalie got out between laughs.
"There are much worse stories," Emmett informed them. I gave a light blush; Esme only cleared her throat calling our attention to the other two people at the booth.
"Bella, this is Carlisle, and Edward," she said pointing to the two men. I was drawn to the younger man with the emerald eyes. There was something about him that seemed to pull me in. Something about him that made me want to get to know him, an unfamiliar feeling for me. Usually, for me, there isn't an instant pull to anyone because I never measure anything by your appearance. This man though, was devastatingly handsome. His eye's seemed to look into your soul, his unruly bronze hair looked uncombed. He looked dangerous.
"Hey," Edward said nodding his head. Apparently I was staring.
"You got Bella blushing, Eddie," Emmett teased. Edward glared at the name Emmett had used but he didn't comment.
"We all know I blush when someone so much as looks in my direction," I said right back making Emmett lick his lips. That was never a good sign, when Emmett's lips twitching up in a smile accompanied it.
"Do you want to see Bella go cherry red?" He questioned. Alice gave a bell like laugh, but no one said anything.
"Don't you dare," I warned trying to look and sound threatening.
"Hey Bella,"
"Emmett," I warned. All eyes were on the two of us, most of them curious.
"I learned how to drive a stick shift the other day," I bit my bottom lip. "It's pretty easy once you get past first gear. You always said you wanted to learn to drive a stick, I'm more than willing to teach you how to drive my stick, if you want." That was all it took, my face turned beat red.
"You know, it took me three years but I've finally got a comeback." Alice clapped her hands together, and Emmett leaned forward motioning for me to bring it. "Your stick isn't worth my time." Emmett shook his head as if he were approving.
"Oh!" Alice shrieked patting my back. "Burn!" She was in a fit of giggles.
"Enough," Esme said looking at the two of us.
"Sorry," we both apologized immediately. The rest of dinner passed quietly enough. There was talk about how for once, every single room in the over sized house was going to be full of kids. Esme's eyes twinkled at the thought. She'd always wanted a big family, she said she was blessed with two kids, and that was enough for her. There was also talk about how Emmett was going to look for a job in Seattle as soon as the summer was over. He claimed he wanted one more summer to just be a kid before getting shoved into the real world. Apparently for him, college wasn't in the real world.
"Okay kids," Carlisle said dabbing his face with a napkin. "I promised your mother we would go see the ballet." Alice placed her hand over her heart. "Edward, you go back with Alice and Emmett, get to know each other." He suggested since they actually hadn't had a chance to really get acquainted. "We'll be home in the morning," he explained. Edward rolled his eyes slightly but made no move to argue with Carlisle.
"I was thinking," Alice said as soon as she climbed into the Jeep. This time she took shotgun. "We should soak in the hot tub. I could use a good soak." Emmett effortlessly helped Rosalie in the Jeep.
"Someone help her in. The last thing I want is for her to fall off and crack her head open." Emmett said shutting the driver's side.
"I'm perfectly capable of-"
"The last time you tried to get in this thing you fell backwards in a pile of rocks." Edward gave a throaty chuckle.
"You know," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "I think we should just wrap you up in bubble wrap," he suggested making Emmett chuckle. "From the stories he tells, you're accident prone." He placed his hands on my hips and I felt electricity run through my body. Did he feel that to? No, he couldn't have felt that.
"Bubble wrap?" I questioned letting him lift me into the car. "That might look a little strange." The ride back to the house was filled with the sound of Led Zeppelin blaring through the jeep. The only thing I could think of was just how close I was sitting to Edward. I was sitting so close I could tell he smelled…metallic?
"Bella, you can borrow a bikini of mine. The rest of you meet us at the hot tube in ten. That includes you, Edward!" Alice yelled dragging me up the stairs and into her bedroom. She threw me a basic black bikini I slipped into without another word. "What do you think of Jasper?" Alice questioned suddenly. I hadn't paid much attention to Jasper, he seemed like he was the quiet one of the group.
"He seems charming," I admitted. "Why?" I raised my eyebrow.
"I have an itch." I scrunched my nose at her.
"Shouldn't you get to know him before you scratch that itch?" I knew she was talking about having sex. She hadn't slept with anyone since some guy named Brandon six months ago.
"I didn't say I was going to sleep with him tonight. Just thinking about my options." She shrugged her shoulders. "He looks like he'd be able to…please me." I chuckled at her choice of words. She wrapped herself up in a towel handing me my own. I looked at myself in the mirror, observing my stomach.
"Do you think I look fat?" It was an honest question. I didn't own a scale, but it looked like I put on a few pounds. Alice looked my up and down pursing her lips.
"No, you look hot. Share the wealth," she motioned to my breasts. "Let's go." I wrapped the towel around my body following her down the stairs. Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and Rosalie were already in the hot tube.
"So Edward," Alice said placing her towel in the pile. "What do you do for a living? Carlisle said you finished school in December." Alice got in the water sitting by Jasper. Alice had her sights set; she was going to get what she wanted sooner or later. She wanted to get laid.
"I got a business degree in school. I'm a mechanic at the moment," he explained easily. That explained the metallic smell. Somehow, he made even metallic smell edible. He was edible. I let my eyes wonder to his perfectly sculpted chest. He was muscular, but not overly muscular. He looked like something straight out of a magazine, with his abs, and that V. "See something you like?" His voice pulled me back to reality. I was staring again. My cheeks flushed scarlet. Emmett gave a loud laugh clapping his hands together.
"Maybe," I shrugged my shoulders. "More or less curious about the scar." It was complete bullshit. I wasn't staring at his scar; I just noticed the flaw in his otherwise perfect chest.
"What scar?" He shot back playing stupid. I rolled my eyes running my finger along the scar; it stretched from just below his nipple to just above his belly button.
"Oh, that," he gave a smile. "Car crash," he said nonchalantly. "It's my war wound. You guys got any war wounds?" He changed the subject. Thankfully.
"When I was seven I fell at cheer camp, and landed on a pipe," Alice pointed to the barely visible scar on her calf. "It use to be really gnarly, but I bought all these creams to make the scar fade." She explained.
"When I was sixteen I got in a dirt biking accident," Emmett lifted the shirt he was wearing. Emmett had the body of a God, but rarely showed it because of how the accident left him. His chest was scarred in every single space imaginable. Rosalie let her fingers wonder along the scars before she realized what she was doing and she tore her fingers away.
"I was eleven," Rosalie started, "and I wanted to prove to Jasper that I could hang with the boys. So, they shot an arrow into a tree and told me to get it. I got that fucking arrow, but I also fell off the tree." She turned around lifting her hair to show us her back. Emmett sucked in a breath.
"Shit," he mumbled touching her scar. "That's gnarly."
"I landed on a pine cone and something else. I cried, but I got that arrow." Rosalie smiled placing her hair back over her scar.
"I also got grounded for six months because I was suppose to be looking out for her." Jasper rolled his eyes. Jasper had many visible scars. "I, on the other hand, was actually in the army. So most of my scars are from war. This one," he pointed to the scar that stretched across his neck, "is from me being a jack ass to a girl." Emmett furrowed his eyebrows.
"What the fuck?" Edward voiced.
"This girl I was with was fucking weird. She always told me that she wanted my blood, because it called her. Bitch bit me and she like went all vampire status on me." He shook his head at the memory. "I had to get stitches. Imagine explaining that to your mother." He shuddered at the memory. Alice, and I were the only ones who found this funny, and we both erupted in a fit of giggles.
"This," I pointed to the scar that stretched up my thigh. "Is from falling off my friend – Jake's – boat. We were fucking off, and we were like fifteen, and he took me out for a joy ride in it, and we were jumping out of the boat because it was one of the rare hot days here. Only, when I jumped in, I got caught on a scrap of metal on the boat and it tore up my leg." Alice and Emmett just shook their heads.
"Any crazy ex's? Mine was like a two in one story," Jasper chuckled.
"This one guy I was with wanted me to use anal beads on him," Alice spouted off with. "He wasn't my boyfriend or anything. But after that I was like I'm out."
"Awe, so you wouldn't play with my asshole?" Jasper joked. Alice smiled.
"Only if you let me suck your blood." Alice joked back.
"Pleasure is all mine, Darlin'" he drawled.
"Get a room," Rosalie hollered covering her ears.
The rest of the night passed by quickly. We all stayed in the hot tub for what seemed like hours talking about random crap. We talked about where we saw ourselves in five years, and what we were studying. We talked about what it meant to be adults now, and how none of us really knew what we were doing, and how we needed to figure out our lives.
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