"Ow"

Damn shoes, damn uneven sidewalk. No better yet damn Alice for picking this ridiculous outfit for me to wear.

Alice my best friend and my roommate had a particularly warped idea of what was appropriate wear for a simple dinner. Yes, indeed it was appropriate for any one other than a walking natural disaster.

I stood up and checked to see if anyone had seen. No one was around but that didn't stop my face from burning red with embarrassment.

Damn clumsiness.

I continued up the path to my favorite photo gallery where Alice had planned my birthday dinner. Yes 21 , the big two one. I didn't see what was so special about it, I didn't drink so it didn't hold the same appeal to me as others my age. But Alice is a fanatic about stupid traditions and she insisted on making a big deal out of it. And after weeks of argument I finally got her to agree to a simple dinner with a few close friends.

I caught my reflection in a window on my way up and stopped to straighten myself out. Crap, my knee was bleeding perfect and I had a tear in my hose even better. I ran my hands over the royal blue dress to smooth it out. Alice did know me so well. It looked wonderful it fit perfectly and the color looked great with my normally alien pale skin. She had arrived around 2 o'clock to "put me together" as she put it. My hair and make up were done to her approval and finally after an hour and a half of fussing she gave up.

I stared at the awkward girl standing on the other side of the path garden. I laughed a little trying to remember exactly why Alice and I were such good friends . The only thing I could think of was opposites attract. Alice was perfect, small and pixie like with jet black hair in wisps around her head. She was alive and bubbly and loved everything girlie. She spent hours shopping and she was good at it. She was even taking fashion design at NYU . The closest thing to fashion I would ever get was photography and that was seriously pushing it.

As I made my way up to the door I could hear music coming from inside. This frightened me because it was just supposed to be a few people for a small dinner and an early night.

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

"SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Oh my Lord!!!!

A flash of black ran towards me and I felt Alice grab me and pull me towards the bathroom.

"Honestly, Bella you can't even walk from your truck to the gallery with out doing yourself bodily harm." She grabbed some wet paper towels and demanded I take the hose off so she could clean me up.

"Alice you know I do good to walk in tennis shoes yet alone high heels. You could have picked some flats to wear tonight."

She looked up at me with a disgusted look, she still could not comprehend my lack of fashion sense.

" Ugh that will have to do. Now lets get you back out there the band will be on soon and you have a lot of rounds to make."

As she shuffled me out the door I gritted my teeth. There had to be at least 100 people there if not more. I took a sharp breathe.

"Be mad later, enjoy your night." and with that Alice hugged me and was off. Probably to find her boyfriend Jasper.

Ugh, deep breathes Bella this will all be over soon. I hope.

I tried to avoid contact with as many people as possible. I really disliked being center of attention. I had begun looking for Alice when I heard him……

"Test…One….Two…." and then a guitar sounded and drums set in. I looked towards the angelic voice and saw just that, an angel. He was standing tall on the stage with a guitar and microphone placed in front of him. He had messy bronzed hair that looked as though it hadn't been combed in weeks and he was lean and god like.

" I hear there is birthday wishes in order, so we thought we'd sing happy birthday.."

I was contemplating how I could be so lucky to have such a creature sing to me when a cake the size of my old Ford truck was shoved in front of me lit up with enough candles to burn a small village down.

Alice was standing in front of me beaming from ear to ear. I laughed a little at her joy. She always loved doing these things and it made me happy to make her happy.

As I watched her sing and clap her hands I remembered the first time we met a little over 8 months ago.

I had been walking back to the dorm from my Intro to Photography wondering who they were going to put in my room to replace Jessica. She had gotten pregnant and decided to drop out and move closer to her boyfriend in Pennsylvania. I reached into my pocket to get my room key. I hated having to be so buddled up. I had grown up in Phoenix with my mom and New York was like stepping into a walk in freezer.

I unlocked the door and immediately fell on my face.

"What the hell?" I pushed up against the suitcase I had tripped over.

"Oh sorry I didn't realize you would be here so soon….." The small voice was coming from the closet.

I stood up and looked around the corner. She was standing with her hands on her hips looking disapprovingly around her.

"I also didn't realize the closets here would be so small." She said as she pushed my clothes to the front.

"Oh sorry I'm Mary Alice Cullen but you can call me Alice." She extended her hand towards me.

"Isabella Swan but you can call me Bella." I took her small delicate hand noticing the strength in her shake.

"Let me help you" and I turned to grab a bag.

Of course me being me I stubbed my toe as I went to big up an oversized make up bag.

"Shit, ugh." Hopping on one foot to my bed.

"I think maybe I should just do it by myself I don't want to be accused of murder by Mary Kay." She said in a sing song voice. Her laugh was like wind chimes.

I laughed with her. "Yeah I should warn you I'm a walking disaster."

"Its ok my big brother Emmett is a bit of a clutz too so I'm used to it."

"Oh you have siblings" as an only child it had always fascinated me to hear stories of my friends families. My parents had split when I was baby and neither had remarried until recently when my mom married Phil. But there were never anymore kids.

"Yes two brothers.." she said with a grunt as she unsuccessfully tried to close the drawers of her now over stuffed dresser.

I was sitting on my bed watching her try to shove more clothes into the closet wondering how it could be possible for one person to own so many jeans when my phone buzzed. I took it out of my pocket.

"Hey mom" I said with out even looking at the caller id she was the only person who would be calling me in the middle of the day since she didn't work.

"Hey honey did your new roommate get there what is like is she nice……."

I listened to her ramble for a second watching as Alice tried to force our closet door shut. She almost got it when in an almost cartoon like way it popped open shoving her across the room and into the floor.

"Oh mom let me call you back ok love you" I hung up and ran over to help Alice up.

"Ugh I guess I'm going to have to figure something else out."

" You can use some of my drawers I don't really own a whole lot of clothes."

She turned and gave me this funny look like I had just said I didn't believe in brushing my teeth. She thought a moment.

"Ok but we will have to take you shopping soon."

I laughed at the thought of me galavanting around town from department store to department store.

"BELLA!!!" Alice's voice brought me back.

"Make a wish silly girl…." I looked up to where the angel had been standing he was gone I scanned the room and found him in the corner with a strawberry blonde girl. They looked like they were arguing but then she leaned up and kissed him.

Of course, that fits what would he want with me any way.

I turned back to the cake, closed my eyes ,made a wish and blew the candles out. The room went black.