The coffee house was smaller then I was used to in Phoenix. But then again so was the entire town. Coming from a big city to a small town like Forks Washignton was a hard transition. One I was still in the process of trying to grasp, never mind adjust to. Thanks to my Moms worries, at the first sign of any problems on my side of life I was shipped here to live with my Dad, Charlie. Not that I didn't like my Dad, I just didn't like where he lived. And now that's where I lived.
Walking through the door I could see that it was all one room. It had a counter filled with pastries, sandwiches and of course coffee, pushed to the right, using up most of the front window space. To the left and throughout the back were multiple areas for people to sit together using all upholstered furniture and low coffee tables with the exception of what looked like an old kitchen table and chair set in the back right corner. The couple sitting there must have an open view of the entire room being higher up then any of the other sitting areas. The walls were painted a dull yellow to help pull together the assortment of miss matched furniture. Each couch, ottoman and chair spread through the great room had dark red, blue, green and orange blankets thrown across their backs. People were sitting in small groups throughout, sipping coffee and leaning towards each other in soft conversation. The area had a comfortable sociability about it which will hopefully help me with my unshakable awkwardness. Jessica lead me to counter where she order some drink I have never heard of before. My eyes were still wondering the room when she grabbed my arm so I could place my order to. "Uh, can I have an..." I tried to race through the menu above the counter but I couldn't quite retain any of the words I was reading. "Tea, do you have ice tea?" The girl at the counter seemed annoyed and looked at me like I was stupid. "Uh, yeah. Unsweetened?"
Her obvious battle with untamable friz was enough of a punishment for me so I just answered her unfazed.
"Yes please." I paid and followed Jessica to an unclaimed couch and coffee table.
"So Bella, you totally have to hear what Mike said to me!" She just about jumped out off of the cushion trying to get closer to me. It was at times like this I wondered why I was friends with her. I was never the type to sit around and talk excitedly about my boyfriend. If I did have a boyfriend I would probably want to be with him right now. Not stuck in some coffee house named 'Grind it Up'. But she was the first person to talk to me in this town and I completely owed her for saving me at the gas station. Not every knows how to pump their own gas.
I was stranded at the pump just staring at the nozzle in pure fear when she came up to me and asked if I needed help. Its not like people don't pump their own gas in Phoenix its just that I never had my own car before. She was my savior that day and I owed her for it. So I dealt with her gossipy nature and her mumbled criticisms of my wardrobe and apparently lack of style.
The mean counter lady brought us our order over and I could tell she was thinking of dropping it on me. I just looked her in the eyes and she walked away. Funny I can stare someone down but not order off a stupid chalk menu.
As the door creaked open my eyes casual drifted towards it. My mind, currently concentration on the conversation I was have with Jessica, did not follow. It was a habit of mine. No matter what I was doing when someone walked into a room I always looked up. I don't know what I was looking for, or expected see, but none the less I always looked. Today was no exception.
"So I asked him, 'Did you notice --'" It took a total of .002 seconds for my eyes to lock onto the newest occupant of the room. It took me a total of five minutes for my mind to catch up after. The most enchanting being floated into view slowly moving from around the open door. The room seemed to fill with a smog that muffled all conversations and noise. There was another with her but I didn't notice. How could I? It took all of my concentration to try and absorb all the details of her appearance. She was short but not out of proportionate to the rest of her body. Her height seemed normal even though now I knew she was considered quite small. I remember thinking - no, thinking wasn't the right word, there were no thoughts in my mind. I got a feeling, a sense of her. A sweet, light breeze of a girl. Like she glided right out of some fantasy romance novel. She was made of all goodness and nobility but was one of those creatures that you later found out was not completely human. And beautiful. My god was she beautiful. The kind of face that made you want to look around and make sure that others could see the rays of light coming off of her. Her hair was dark and short that seemed to have a tamed mess to it; sticking out in unpredictable directions. She was wearing a deep yellow dress that fell off her body to her mid thigh. The dress had mostly no form to it, leaving the contours of her body to your imagination. Dark tights covered her legs and heels seemed to give her some much needed height. Her lips were not a dark red, something you would expect from a pale girl with dark hair, but a shade that suggested healthy life. Her lips curved into into a half smile and when her eyes locked with mine their golden hue seemed to darken into a bourbon caramel that warmed my stomach much like the real thing would. Her eyes danced with excitement and mischief which added a depth of character to my innocent fantasy book image. That is when my mind caught up with my eyes.
"Who is that?" I asked Jessica not caring that she was still attemting to fill me in on her lastest tiff with her boyfriend Mike. Her nose twitched with her annoyance but she turned to look anyway.
"Ohhh, yeah that's Edward Cullen. He's Dr. Cullen's son. Really hot but completely snobbish. Any girl that tries to talk to him winds up with freezer burn if you know what I mean," she finished giggling at her own joke.
My face contorted into confusion. Edward? Who the hell was Edward? That's when I noticed the girl's companion. A boy who was indeed very hansom and seemed to have the same fiction like substance to his appearance was standing next to the girl. He was dressed in some stylish jeans and a dark tee shirt that seemed very simple but the fit suggested it was expensive. He to was looking around the room, as if they were searching for someone. She had thought I meant the guy. Well that would make sense to her.
"Umm...is that his girlfriend?" God, now I just sounded like a pathetic teenager groping at some mini prince charming.
Jessica looked back over her shoulder and snickered.
"No silly! That's Alice. His sister. She is like massively weird," she seemed to be scratching at her nose like she was trying to cover her mouth. Jeez if you are gonna talk about people at least have the balls to say it with confidence. I looked back up at the two who were now sitting at a table in the corner with two others. Another boy that had to be on steroids or something. I immediately decided he was on the football team and considering his expression at the moment his IQ was probably stereotypical. And then there was the girl practically plastered on his arm. She too was beautiful but in a unnatural spends hours in front of the mirror type of way.
Edward was looking at Jessica with what appeared to be a look of disgust while Alice was leaning into Edward with a hurt expression. My heart ached immediately for her. What could have caused her to be so upset when not three seconds earlier she was smiling around? Had she heard Jessica? Did their family have some kind of super hearing abilities? Is that why Jessica was trying to hide her mouth? Then why say something so mean?
I looked to Jessica, a new found feeling of dislike towards her growing in my chest. She seemed to care less that the back table was sending her death vibes. Well I certainly wasn't going to get caught in the cross fire.
"I'm kinda pooped. I'll catch you Monday at school ok?" Jessica started to reply as I attempted to stand but the strap to my bag got caught on her chair and I winded up in her lap. She laughed at my clumsiness and grabbed onto waist to help stabilize me before I wound up on the floor too. I could feel my face turning red and I made myself giggle in an effert to seem less mortified while I quickly glanced around the room to see if anyone had noticed. Everyone was going about their own business thank god. I managed to pull myself upwards and all ill feelings towards Jessica dissipated in my gratitude from saving me from rug burn on my face.
"Man Bella you need to get your inner ear checked or something" she said between laughs.
I smiled brightly at her and shrugged, "but then I wouldn't be delightfully clumsy Bella would I?" I leaned down to kiss her on the check when my eyes caught a pair of black eyes staring at me. My breathe caught between my lips and I wound up making a squeaking sound as they met Jessica's cheek. I hovered in the position while I tried to decipher what was going on. Alice was blatantly looking at me, no glaring at me with the darkest expression I have received in a long time. Edward was tugging at her arm with his mouth bent close to her ear hurriedly telling her something that seemed to soften her grimace. Air gushed from my mouth that I quickly tried to form into words, "uh....see you tomorrow."
I straightened myself and used every fiber of my body to turn away from the back table and head towards the door.