Esme POV:

I stared down at the Geometry exam I was taking. There was no way I would pass this stupid thing. I passed everything else, and I even got through Geometry with an A minus, so if I flunked the exam, I would get a B, which isn't bad. This one question was so hard that I skipped it. I scanned my eyes down the paper and tapped my pencil lightly on my desk a few times. Damn, they were all hard. I sneaked a peek at the next page and sighed. It was tough, so I had to guess.

Come on, Esme, just another half hour of this torture, then it's summertime! And summer means a babysitting job, Mom teaching me how to drive, and lazy days with Carlisle, Renee, Carmen, Charlotte, and Siobhan...

My mind wandered whenever I was bored or frustrated. I tried to get myself back on track, but last night's phone call wouldn't leave me alone.

"You got the job,"

"You got the job,"

"You got the job,"

"I got the job," I whispered to myself confidently. "I really did it,"

I would start tonight. The woman who hired me, Lily, trusted me completely when I told her I had plenty of experience taking care of my four year old twin sisters Vera and Bree and my six year old brother Edward along with Carlisle's nine year old brother Jasper and his eleven year old sister Kate, Charlie and Renee's three kids-six year old Bella, eight year old Alice, and nine year old Emmett, and Siobhan and Liam's newborn daughter, Maggie. And Carmen's daughter, Angela, who was six and all the Native American kids from the La Push reservation...yeah, you could have mistaken me for a kindergarten teacher if you saw me with all those kids. Don't get me wrong, I love children, but it's hard to get everyone together when there's something huge, like a wedding, going on. I had started babysitting with my friends, Carmen, Charlotte, and Siobhan, when we were thirteen, and when Renee was in her last year of college with three little kids on the loose. We helped her out a lot. She was pregnant, yet again, and her baby, Cynthia, would be born in a few weeks. She was eight years older than us and she used to babysit us when we were kids to when we graduated elementary school and could stay home alone by ourselves. All of us lived just a few houses away from each other, but no one knew Lily Hale, her seven year old daughter, Rosalie, or Lily's husband, Charles. The kids we knew, knew Rosalie from Forks Elementary, but Lily never asked me to babysit for her little girl before. Maybe Rosalie told her mom about me.

I let the pencil drop to the floor as I closed my eyes while resting my hand on my cheek. I bent down to get it, but Carlisle beat me to it. He handed me my pencil and then I blushed. "Thank you,"

"Spacing out again, Es?" he asked, chuckling quietly.

"This test is so hard!" I rolled my eyes and tried to focus. I made silly answers that I knew were wrong for the rest of the exam, and when I handed it into the teacher, I was ready to make a run for it out the door with Carlisle and my girlfriends.

My mind drifted off to Carlisle. He was my best guy friend who I've known since we were in second grade. When I was in middle school, I developed a crush on him because he was a great talker and boy, was he handsome! But all the girls liked him, and I would probably remain his best friend forever. We went through everything together. We both made treats, swam, played basketball and tennis, played on the swingset, loved kids, and were close to our families. We knew lots of things about each other. There wasn't a secret in the world that we kept from each other. The only secrets we kept, we both knew and no one else did. Well, maybe I lied...I secretly love him. Not just some schoolgirl crush, I was crazy about him. Whenever we hugged, my insides melted and my legs felt like jelly. I loved his voice. When his mom died recently from a longtime illness and a coma, I let him cry on my shoulder. When my father abandoned me and my mother, he stayed with me until I stopped feeling bad. I thought we were meant to be together, because he never actually went out with any girls, and I had no romantic interests in guys except for one in middle school, but the crush only lasted for two weeks. My crush on Carlisle had lasted for two years, but so far, we've been nothing but a pair of close friends. The girls always said we'd look cute together, but I denied it. I wouldn't believe them until he and I were a couple.

We only lived a block away from the school, and when I got home, Carmen, Charlotte, and Siobhan waved goodbye to me, leaving me alone at my house with Carlisle. I opened the door with my key and we both walked in. Right away, Vera and Bree came running up to me at full speed while squealing and hugging my legs tightly. I struggled to walk until Carlisle picked up Vera. I picked up Bree, and we both sat on the couch, sitting the girls in our laps.

"Hi, Esme, hi Carlisle!" they said in unison. Twins were funny that way. They also thought it was clever to confuse everyone. They were identical, with curly brown hair and green eyes, a miniature version of me. The only way you could tell them apart is when they played or how they talked. Vera was more calm, like me and my mom, while Bree was a wild little girl, like Edward. There were times when they pretended to be each other, but they also had different birthmarks. Bree had one on her leg while Vera had one on her arm. We used to use wristbands with their names on them when they were babies and couldn't talk to express themselves. They were still grinning up at us.

"I know I am holding Vera," he said, poking her little nose while she giggled.

"And I am holding Bree," I confirmed as I looked at her leg and saw the mark. "You better not be tricking us, you silly little girls!" I tickled Bree and then Carlisle copied me with Vera, and they were both dying of laughing fits.

"I am so glad to be out of school!" Carlisle said, and I sighed dramatically.

"I know, so am I! So many big things are happening, such as our joint sweet 16 party on July 8th, Renee's pool party just after her baby is born, and my new babysitting job! I mean, I've babysat before, but this is a new customer,"

"Are you nervous?"

I shrugged. "Just a little. I'm shy around people I've never met, but I'm sure I'll adjust to this new family,"

"I can tell you'll do great," Carlisle assured me. "Rosalie's probably not that much different than the other kids her age who we both are familiar with,"

"I'm not worried about Rosalie. I warm up to kids easily. I'm talking about like impressing the parents. I've never met Lily or Charles before. I mean, what if they're rich snobs? What if they hurt Rose? What if-"

"You'll be fine, Esme," Carlisle put a hand on my shoulder. "Just be yourself,"

"Thank you," I smiled at him.

"No problem," He patted the hand that was on my knee and squeezed it a little. I tried not to show how much I liked that little touch.

"Hi, guys!" my mom called to us. My stepdad followed her through the door. They had just gotten home from work. My sisters and brother walked from the nursery school to my house with their teacher's help, just before me and Carlisle got home from school.

"Hey, Mom, hey, Dad," I greeted them, standing up and letting Bree run loose, which made Vera jump out of Carlisle's lap as well. I called my stepfather 'Dad' because he was more of a dad than my birth father had ever been.

"Hi, Anne and Eric," Carlisle said after me. He used to call them Mr. and Mrs. Platt, but they insisted that my friends could call them by their first names. I hugged my parents and asked if they needed any help, but they didn't and said that I could hang out with Carlisle until it was time for my job. Carlisle's dad, who was a religious freak, called him just then and he groaned, knowing he had to go to church and leave me. He hated church, but his dad made him go.

"Say hi to Jas for me," I said while he gave me a warm hug.

"I will. Bye, little rascals," he said, ruffling my sisters' hair. "Bye, you guys," he waved at my parents and walked out the door.

"Where's Edward?" Mom asked.

"Holed up in his room, probably," I mumbled.

"Come on, Annie," Dad was saying as they walked up the stairs. I followed them and started getting ready for my job. I curled my hair a little more so it would have bounce. I put on a pair of white pants and a purple blouse. I wanted to look pretty, responsible and neat looking, but not sexy. I also touched up my makeup so they would know I cared about my looks. When it was time for me to go, I yelled for my mom because I couldn't find her. I heard moaning outside their bedroom door and I knocked, not wanting to see free porn.

"Hey, Mom, you ready to take me?"

"Sorry, honey," she apologized. There was some rustling as she got herself dressed and she walked out the door while saying to Dad, "You get the kids for a while, I'll be back,". He responded with, "Have fun!"

"Thanks, Dad!" I shouted as I ran down the stairs, pulling my mom with me.

"Darling, you move too fast for these old legs," she chuckled as we strode out the door

"Mom, you're thirty-five, that's not old,"

"Thank you, baby," She tousled my hair and then we got into her car. "Now, where is this place again?"

"Lily told me it's on our street but more in the back, down the alleyway," I directed her to the house as we coasted down our street. "Down there," I pointed to a distant house with trees surrounding it. It was a little darker in this area, but it was still light outside. The trees were blocking the sun, that was all. She drove closer, and I saw that the house was white with green shutters and a black door. They also had a stone porch all around the house.

"You gonna be okay?" she asked, still holding my hand while I tried to open the car door.

"Yes, Mom, I'll be fine," I kissed her cheek and she kissed my forehead.

"Call me if you need anything," she said as I was getting out of the car.

"I will, don't worry," I promised her.

"Have a great time, sweetie," She pulled out of the driveway as I waved goodbye and thanked her.

I cautiously walked up the steps and went to knock at the door. I took a deep breath while looking behind me. My mom was gone. I would be with strangers now. There's nothing to be afraid of, I reminded myself, and continued to knock on the door a few times. I rang the doorbell, and a tall dark haired man opened the door, dressed in a suit and tie. He was so big that it hurt to look up at him. He had bushy eyebrows and a mustache that raised when he smiled down at me. "You must be Esme!"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm Esme, uh...Esme Platt, Rosalie's babysitter?" I said it as a question.

"Oh, right. Lily, Rosalie, she's here!" he shouted. Wow, he was so loud.

A woman with blonde hair down to her chest who was just a few inches shorter than him appeared behind him. She had blue eyes and pale skin with a faint blush on her cheeks. She smiled widely and outstretched her hand. We shook hands. "I'm Ms. Hale, but please, call me Lily. You have to be Esme,"

"Hi, Lily. I am she," I grinned. "And where is Rosalie?"

"Rosie, Esme's here," Lily whispered to something behind her. A little blonde head peeked out from behind Lily's fancy black skirt. Rosalie showed me a gap-toothed smile and widened her blue eyes. She looked like a mini Lily. She was so adorable. I bent down to her level, and she looked away shyly.

"Hey, Rosalie, I'm Esme, I'm gonna take care of you when your parents are gone,"

Rosalie waved at me and put her little hand in mine.

"Oh, and Esme, my name is Charles Evenson," the man introduced himself. I wondered why Lily kept her maiden name. That was strange.

"Hello, Mr. Evenson," I said, bowing my head for some strange reason. He shook my hand.

"Esme, you may be shocked at hearing this, but I wasn't the one who knew about you. Charles actually saw you in a park helping a little kid who had fallen off the swings and he thought our daughter Rosalie would be in the best care with you," Lily beamed proudly and squeezed her husband's shoulder. He smiled fondly down at her and nodded. "It's true,"

"Oh, that's great, well, thanks you guys! Anything you need me to know?"

"Rosalie will have spaghetti, which is in the fridge, and if she's a good girl, she gets a treat for dessert. You make it, but she shows you where it is. Then, give her her bath, read her a bedtime story, and put her to bed at eight. We'll be home around ten, so we need you here until then," Lily instructed me.

"No problem. Have a blast, you two," I waved at them while they waved back. They got into their car and drove away. I was surprised that Rosalie didn't cry when her parents left. I guess she passed that stage where kids missed their parents when they were away.

Rosalie was twirling around in her pink princess tutu while giggling, and I made sure she didn't get any sauce on her outfit. We took a few pictures together and then I gave her a brownie sundae, my specialty. Oreo ice cream on top of a brownie, with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles on top, and a banana and strawberry on the side for health reasons. Luckily, she loved bananas and strawberries.

"My mom taught me how to make this, and I'm passing it down to every kid I know. So, you like it?" I asked her as she started digging in.

"This is yummy! Thanks, Esme!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart," When she was finished, I helped her wash off the chocolate that was on her fingers and around her mouth. She had a nice bath and she loved the bubbles. I made sure she didn't splash me or the floor, and then I dried her off and let her get her princess pajamas on. She got out a book, Cinderella, and opened it to page one. I read the whole thing and she was almost fast asleep. I thought I had gotten her to fall asleep when she asked me to turn the night light on in a tired voice, so I did.

"Ready to sleep, honey?" I asked, smoothing back her hair. She snuggled into her covers and laid her head down on the pillow.

"I want to talk to you for a while. I'm a little shy, but now's the time. First of all, how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen, and I know you're seven," I said, poking her tummy as she giggled. "So, how's second grade?"

"I love everyone except this guy, Royce...he keeps pushing me in the sandbox and saying I got cooties cuz I'm a girl. I can play with boys!" She pouted.

"That's right. I suggest you throw sand at him,"

"No need. My friends always do. Everyone hates him, except these dumb girls. I have no idea why. I guess because they're older,"

"Well then, you know what? Those guys are just stupid. You can play with boys even though you're a girl who is much younger than they are, and how old are these kids, anyway?"

"They're in fifth grade. Emmett and Alice and Jasper don't like 'em. They're my best friends,"

"That's good, baby. Their older sister and brother probably taught them how to behave. The other kids have no class or respect for good girls like you,"

"Thanks," she said, closing her eyes.

"Anytime," I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. I patted her cheek and left the room silently, closing the door. I watched TV until Lily and Charles came home.

"Shhh, she's sleeping," I whispered to them. "I loved her, it was wonderful to take care of her,"

"Thank you so much, Esme," Lily reached into her purse. "Here's a twenty," I took the money and got out my phone to call my mom for a ride home.

"I can walk you home," Charles offered. "It's only a few blocks away, but I don't want you going home in the dark,"

"Of course, thank you," I said. He looped his arm through mine as we walked down the steps. I thought it was a little weird, but he said he was just making sure I wouldn't fall. He let go, but kept his hand on my back as he guided me to my house, or rather, I led him there. The numbers on the houses were lit up.

"So, Esme, you're in high school, right?"

"Yeah,"

"I'm forty-two, by the way,"

"Oh, um, where do you work?" It was strange that he told me how old he was. Lily didn't even do that yet because I barely knew her. Maybe Charles was just one of those cool dads.

"The bank. I'm very busy at home and in my office at work,"

"I love your daughter. Thanks for walking me home. I guess I'll see you later," He squeezed my hand, and once again, I felt slightly uncomfortable with the contact.

"You're welcome, dear. See you around, Esme," he said, giving me a big smile as I walked into my house. It was warm inside, while the air outside was very cold. The shadows out there were creepy, and it felt as if someone were following me.

Why did he call me dear? I guess he was just really nice. Stop worrying, I told myself, he's just a caring father figure to everyone who isn't his daughter.

This summer would be quite a memorial one.

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