Bella
I have a question.
Why does it always feel like last period is as long as all the other periods put together? And for some reason, having Math last period is even worse than most other classes. Could it be that there's a need to actually use your brain doing this Calculus crap? Or is it just that they slow the clocks down? That the admin are sitting in their offices, watching the students suffer and laughing?
I don't even think that I'm being melodramatic. I mean, honestly. I don't think that clock has ticked for minutes now. Maybe the power's off. Maybe the clocks have stopped, and really, we only have two more minutes of this. Instead of ten.
I look at my watch. Damn. Class still has ten minutes to go.
This is ridiculous.
I consider laying my head on the desk, but I realise that maybe, just maybe, Mr Jones wouldn't love it if I did that.
Oh, screw it.
I decide that the best way to do it would be to drop a pen, bend down to pick it up and just not come up again. I turn to look out the window, and, in doing so, knock my pen onto the floor. I sigh exasperatedly.
I'm quite good at this acting thing. When no-one's watching, that is.
I go down to pick it up, but as my head makes contact with the desk, a piece of paper makes contact with my head. Grudgingly, I sit up and unfold it.
Nice acting. Don't fall asleep, please. I'd be the only one awake. And it's not like I have a choice!
Alice. That pest. My plan was so brilliant, too!
I scribble a response. I'm tired. Leave me alone. And anyway, I need to go shopping tonight to grab some supplies. I'd like to be conscious for that.
I hear an excited intake of breath as the note is read.
Can I come? We can go to the mall on the highway.
I guess. I don't need anything exciting. My pen died, and Charlie doesn't seem to keep any in the house. Plus, I kinda need a new binder. And some highlighters. And orange juice. Still interested?
Of course! It'll be great. They've opened a new book store. You want to go check it out?
Cool. If we've got time. I can't get home too late.
"Isabella, would you kindly share whatever it is you are discussing with the entire class?"
"Mr Jones, I was just... well..."
"It's my fault, Mr Jones," Alice says, smoothly. "I was asking Bella about the solution to question 3b. I didn't really understand how you worked it out, but I didn't want to interrupt."
Mr Jones looks thrown. After all, Alice is an A-student in Calculus, while I tend to scrape B-minuses on a good day. He's saved from answering by the ringing of the bell.
"Saved by the bell," I mutter to Alice as she passes my desk, and she giggles. "See you by my locker?"
"Nah, at my car. I'll drive."
"What about my truck?"
"Rose'll get it to our place."
I move towards my locker, weaving through a sea of impatience. I completely understand the feeling of wanting to get out as soon as possible, but really. Is it absolutely necessary to shove like that?
Jamming my Math books in, I grab my notebook and Biology text book, slam the locker shut and head for the exit. You'd think that going with the tide would mean that it was easier.
Apparently not.
I meet Alice by her car, where she's chatting to Rosalie and Edward. I smile at Rose, before hugging Edward excitedly.
"Can you believe it? Three more days!"
"I know. It's unbelievable. Three more days, and I'm yours forever. And you're mine. Ready to become Mrs. Cullen?"
I sigh teasingly. "Oh, I'm not so sure. Should we put it off for another year or two?"
He looks at me seriously. "Bella, honey, whatever you want to do is fine by me."
I meet his eyes gravely, before grinning and leaping at him. Our lips meet passionately, and when we break away I feel elated. I still can't believe that I'll be married in three days. It's the most exhilarating, petrifying feeling in the world.
Alice coughs indiscreetly. "I'd love to let you two be together forever, but your forever doesn't start until Sunday. Until then, all of us are welcome to Bella. And we're going shopping."
I sigh.
Saying goodbye to Edward, I sling my backpack into the boot of Alice's car and clamber into the passenger seat. Alice jumps into the driver's seat, blows a kiss at Rosalie and we drive off.
She's in an even better mood than usual, and I'm treated to fourteen renditions of We're Off To See The Wizard before we get there. Alice parks in the tightest space I have ever seen and we head into the mall.
"OK! Where first?"
I pull a list out of my pocket. I need orange juice, highlighters, a binder and a new pen. And I'd kill for some M&Ms. Alice reads over my shoulder.
"Looks like it's Staples first. And then we can head for the supermarket. And you've got to come and check out the new stuff they have in Sephora. We need to get some new stuff for Sunday. Oh, and those shoes that I've been talking about are at that little store by the fountain. I was thinking that they could be another option for the wedding – can you tell me what you think?" She babbles on.
I laugh, feeling a bit overwhelmed. All I need is stationary and juice. But it's fun to spend time with my future sister-in-law.
We head for the office store. I grab a pack of highlighters and some pens, and try to locate Alice. She's trying to find, in her words, the most gorgeous binder ever. Needless to say, she's not having much luck.
"How about this one?"
She cringes. "Bella! It's black. And ugly. It'll rip in five minutes. And it only costs three forty-nine. Can't you spend a bit more and get a nice one?"
"Some of us aren't made of money, Alice."
"Yeah, I know. I could buy it for you if you wanted."
"Alice, please. I'm not a charity case. I've got enough money to buy myself school supplies."
"I know, but -"
"How about this one? It's easy to open and impossible to catch your fingers in."
"Bella. Honestly. It was designed for people with arthritis! It's got an Ease-Of-Use commendation. That's really, really not cool."
I sigh. She can be such a pain when she wants to be.
"Alright... how about this one?" I hold up another one. "It's a..." I read off the label "a 'Plastic Frosted Binder'. And it's kind of cute."
"Are you sure that you want to get it here? There's that little stationary store by Walmart; I'm sure you could find something really nice in there."
I sigh. "You're starting to get on my nerves. I'm getting this one."
"Fine!" She sticks out her tongue at me. I stick mine out back.
An old lady walking down the aisle tuts under her breath. "In my day, we couldn't get away with that sort of behaviour! A young lady knew how to behave!" she mutters.
Alice giggles. "I bet you I'm older than she is."
"Probably."
I pay for my supplies, then turn to Alice. "OK, Master Fashion Guru of the Universe. Where are we going now? Is there a designer juice boutique in this place?"
"Of course. But I'm guessing you don't want to go there. You want a carton of the cheap stuff, don't you?"
"That sounds about right."
She sighs condescendingly.
"Oh, shut up."
We meander in the direction of the supermarket, pausing every few stores to admire the window's contents. Alice looks longingly at a necklace in the window of Tiffany's.
"That's gorgeous, isn't it? I'll have to tell Jasper that I'd like to get it. He's going through a phase of buying me presents, but he wants to be told what to buy."
"Right..."
When we finally make it to the supermarket, it doesn't take me long to locate the juice or the candy. I survey the candy section, calculating which method of sugar ingestion would be the best.
"What does it taste like?" Alice asks quietly at my elbow.
"What does what taste like?"
"Chocolate."
"Um... it tastes sweet. And tempting. Once you've had some, you never want to stop."
"Sounds a bit like blood to me."
"I wouldn't share that with the entire supermarket. And nice metaphor, but I don't know what blood is like, do I?"
"Bella, don't get me started. You're not being changed until Edward's happy with it."
"I don't see where the problem is!"
"It's a huge decision. Honestly, I don't think you realise what you're getting yourself in for."
"Of course I realise!"
"Not really. Until you've been a – one of us" she remedies as another customer makes their way down the aisle "you don't understand."
"Well, how am I going to understand until I'm changed?"
"Bella, I really don't want to have this fight right now."
God. It's a catch-22. I'm so sick of being told that it's not the right time, or the right place. I want to be with Edward forever. And not just a human forever.
"Can you pay now? I really want to show you these shoes."
Yet another inspirational distraction from the one and only Alice Cullen.
I grab a pack of peanut M&Ms, pay and am dragged towards the shoe store at the fountain. Last week when she was here, Alice located these shoes, and she's been talking about them ever since. I'm quite curious.
As I suspected they would be, they're stunning. Purple chiffon, with a peep-toe and heels about four inches high. If it weren't for those infernal heels she's been planning on me wearing, she'd almost be my height.
"They're gorgeous, Alice. Really beautiful." And they were. Perhaps they were even more gorgeous than the other three pairs she has at home.
As much as I love that girl, she has an awfully large collection of shoes.
"So you think I should get them? I'll ask Rose what she thinks, and I can always bring them back."
I snort. I don't think I've ever seen her bring anything back to a store. Must be nice to have unlimited funds like they do.
She catches my glance and suddenly looks annoyed. "I'll have you know, Isabella Swan, that I've brought plenty of things back in my time. Anyway, it's boring, not being able to sleep. Means you've got lots of hours with nothing to do. So don't judge me."
Jesus. When did this trip become so tense?
Oh, right. Probably about the time that she complained about not liking the binder, and I said that I wanted to be a vampire. I'll admit, it wasn't the first time. Or the thousandth.
She buys the shoes. I see her calm herself as she stands at the till, and she's smiling again as she comes over to me.
"Shall we go to Sephora?"
"OK."
Sephora is one of those stores that you can smell before you see it. It begins before you round the corner: it smells of make-up, of lipstick, and, of course, that odour of a hundred perfumes mingling together.
Alice grabs a basket and dashes to her favourite perfume, spraying a sample card liberally with it. She inhales contentedly. It's called Happy, and she raves about it. She calls it her transportable Jasper.
"Alright, Bella. I think that we should get you some new makeup for the wedding." She starts snatching products off shelves. "I was talking to Rose and Esme, and we're thinking foundation, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, lipstick -"
"Sorry? Are you planning on using me as an ad for the latest products? Are companies paying for their makeup to be advertised on my face?"
Alice exploded. "Bella, trust me! I know what I'm doing. I've been around for quite a bit longer than you have, and I know how to do makeup. I did the makeup for Esme and Carlisle's last wedding, I did the make-up for Rose's wedding and I did it for my own. Please just trust me!"
"Oh, don't play that card with me! I know you've been around for longer than I have, but that's hardly my fault, is it?"
"Bella, I just want this day to be perfect for you and Edward! That's all I want!"
"Thanks for caring, Alice, but I'm not so sure that's true. Are you sure that you don't just want to model your perfection in front of the whole town?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" she hisses at me, and I do feel threatened. "I want this to be a day you'll always remember. My brother has been miserable for more years than I would like to imagine, and has been dreaming about this for just as long. Just give him this day!"
"Oh, so this is just for Edward? I don't matter that much, because I haven't been wanting this for as long?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it!"
I feel a tap on my shoulder.
"Excuse me," a quiet voice says. I spin, and notice a woman wearing a Sephora uniform and a name tag labelled Nicole, bearing a non-descript-looking bottle. "Would you like to try this new perfume? It's called Serenity."
"Alright," I say gruffly, and submit to being attacked by the bottle. Alice does the same. "Thanks."
"No problems." She smiles at us, and scurries away.
"Time to go?"
"You read my mind."
Ha-bloody-haha.
Alice takes the basket to the counter, pays for its contents quickly and we make our way to the car, and back home.
No Wizard of Oz songs this time. Instead, the radio plays 'Yesterday'.
When we get back to the Cullens, I mutter a 'thanks' and run inside.
"Edward, can we talk?"
"Of course."
We go up to his room, and sit on the bed.
"Alice and I had a fight when we were shopping."
Alice
I storm inside, and fling myself, frustrated, at Jasper.
"What's the matter?"
"Everything's the matter! That girl... I love her to death, but I wish that she'd understand. She spent half the trip complaining about not being a vampire. I don't think she can grasp how difficult it is to be us."
"Of course she can't, honey. But you can't expect her to understand."
"I know. I'd love for her to be with us for many, many years to come, but she's got the choice that we didn't have. Shouldn't we let her make it in an educated fashion?"
Bella
"... and then she said that I don't know what I'm talking about, and that I couldn't possibly imagine how difficult it is to be a vampire. And I know, but how am I supposed to understand and know and learn until I become one of you?"
"Bella, love, she's right. It was the most life-changing thing that's ever happened to me. Except for meeting you, of course. I think she's absolutely right."
"And she seems to think that being a human is perfect!"
Alice
"... and she was complaining about how I won't change her and rhapsodising about chocolate in the same breath. I don't think she knows what she wants. Apart from Edward, that is."
"That's a bit of a ridiculous example, honey."
"I know. But she seems to love so much about being human."
Bella
"I just don't think that she could last a day in my shoes!"
Alice
"At the moment, she couldn't last a day as a vampire! She's so happy and vibrant... I don't want that to be taken away from her just yet."
"Sweetheart, we're just going to have to accept that it will happen one day. Until then, we should let Bella do all the odd, human things she wants. Like... buying a binder that will rip. Or... 'rhapsodising' over chocolate!"
"I know. I know."
He kisses the top of my head. "You have plans for this evening?"
"I think I'm going to go and spend a bit of time in our room. Just think."
"OK."
I head upstairs, closing the door to our room. Lying down on our bed, I close my eyes, and try to figure out a way that I could have better solved the mess that was created today.
Bella
"I'd better head home, Edward. It's getting dark; Charlie'll be expecting me."
"Emmett was telling me today about some tradition that involves doing something for the three nights before the wedding. If I don't turn up tonight, that's why. OK?"
"Mmm-hmm. I love you."
"I love you too."
I drive home slowly, thinking the afternoon over. I really shouldn't have been so harsh on her. But at the same time, it was a bit of a case of 'do what I say, not what I do'. A vampire who can't remember being human, telling a human to revel in being a human.
That's a confused thought!
"Hi Bells."
"Hey, Charlie. Sorry I'm late. I went shopping with Alice to grab some school supplies. I got more juice, too. I'm putting it in the fridge. And I'm going to bed, OK? Homework's under control."
"You alright, honey?"
"Yeah. Just tired."
"OK. Get your rest. Big day this weekend."
I get the feeling that Charlie has adapted to the idea of my getting married. Renee is planning on heading over on Saturday, so she'll be here too. And hopefully, when the priest (Emmett) asks, there will be no objections.
I quickly clean my teeth, change into my pyjamas, and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
