Scars
"You...don't…want me?"
"No."
My eyes snapped open to the irritating buzzing noise of my alarm clock. I groaned and hit the snooze button as hard as I could. I forced myself out of the comfortable bed and stumbled into the bathroom in my tiny apartment. While I was showering, I thought about my dream, wishing that I could forget it. I hardly ever had that dream; I hardly ever even dreamt at all. Though, if I were going to dream about him, today would make perfect sense: my twenty-second birthday.
Three years since I moved away from Forks to go to college, three years since he left. I turned off the shower and, with a towel wrapped around me, carefully stepped out of the shower. I dried my hair and fixed it into a half-up, half-down style. I got dressed in a pair of jeans and a green camisole that had a gray, floral print cardigan to go over it. The outfit was an early birthday present from my mom in Jacksonville.
I gathered my books and the keys to my ever-faithful truck. I locked my door behind me and walked down the two flight of stairs to the front of the building and out to my truck. I drove carefully in the rain. I'd gotten used to the rain while living in Forks, and now the rain that beat down in Portland comforted me and reminded me of home. I pulled into the parking lot of Cascade College, parked my car in the first spot I saw, and went to my classes.
~*~
Classes were over for the day, and I was worried about the evening that Angela, Ben and Guyden had planned for me. I had shushed Guyden each time he attempted to wish me a happy birthday, but he was relentless. I stood in front of the driver's side of my truck as I searched through my purse for my car keys. I felt hands wrap around my waist and lips at my ear.
"Happy Birth-" I cut Guyden off by pulling away and raising my hand.
"No."
"Bella," he sighed, "come on."
"No," I said with finalization in my voice. I retrieved my keys and unlocked the door while Guyden stared at me. "What?" I asked.
"You're cute when you're mad," Guyden said and grinned his cute boy grin. I rolled my eyes at him. "Happy B-" he began, but I climbed into the cab and shut the door. He walked around the front of the car to the passenger's side, but I locked the door before he tried to open it. I grinned at him from the cab, and he narrowed his eyes at me.
"Come on, Bells, I need a ride home!" he called. I sighed dramatically and unlocked the door.
We chatted absently about classes and other trivial things on the way home. I pulled up at his building and turned the car off.
"I'll see you a little later tonight," he said. I sighed.
"I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Nope," he popped the 'p'.
"Yeah, I'll see you later," I said. He leaned over and kissed me.
~*~
Two hours of torture, but I had to admit that Angela and I looked hot. She was wearing a short denim skirt and a lavender halter top with black strappy heels. I was forced into a black mini-dress that was also a halter with a deep, plunging neck line. Angela and I had argued for a good ten minutes on whether or not I would wear the wedged heels or my flats. I kept telling her that I would kill myself if I wore the heels, but we finally came to an agreement that I would wear the wedges but bring the flats with me, just in case. On top of all that, there was all the makeup that Angela had smeared onto my face, and my perfectly curled hair; I was already feeling a little overwhelmed.
Angela and I took a taxi to the club we were suppose to meet Guyden and Ben at. When we entered the club, I groaned. It was stuffy, smoky, crowded, and loud. We searched for a few minutes for the guys. When we finally found them, the first thing Guyden said to me was "Babe, you look hot!" But there was a drink in his hand, and lord knows how many he'd had before that.
Guyden was a sweet guy. He was cute, too. He had shaggy blondish hair and dull blue eyes. He was strongly built and a foot taller than me. But he was just like any other college student. He liked going out to party and getting drunk a lot. And I don't blame him; I've had my fair share of drinks. I've never gotten completely hammered, but I've been pretty buzzed.
I looked around the crowd and saw the normal things: couples grinding against each other in gross ways. Some people taking shots and some people dancing alone. Then I saw someone that made me stop breathing. A guy standing by the bar, his hair messy, his skin pale. I couldn't quite make him out because the lighting was so off here. I was in a trance staring at him.
"Bella, are you okay?" Angela asked, putting her hand on my shoulder.
"Angela, look," I said, gesturing in the man's direction, "doesn't that look like…" I couldn't finish.
"Come on, let's go get a drink," she said, and I nodded.
~*~
I had no idea what time it was. I didn't care what time it was. What I did know was that I was wedged in a taxi with Guyden, Angela, and Ben going to a karaoke bar downtown, and for some reason I was so excited. When we finally got to the bar, and got out of the car, we raced into the bar, but I tripped over my heels and crashed onto the concrete. We all laughed and Guyden helped me up.
The karaoke bar was calmer than the club had been. It was mostly empty except for a guy sitting at the bar, two girls sitting at a table watching the man on stage sing a horrible rendition of "Basket Case" by Green Day. The four of us got more drinks from the bar and sat at the table. As the man onstage finished the last few lines in the song, Angela and I agreed to go up there together. Everyone in the bar faked clapping as the man got off the stage.
Angela and I stumbled up on stage, shifted through the song list, and decided on a song by The Smiths. As the music started up, the boys whistled and yelled.
Good times for a change
See, the luck I've had
Can make a good man turn bad
I had to admit that we sounded pretty awesome.
So please, please, please
Let me, let me, let me
Get what I want this time
At this point Angela and I had started swaying back and forth until we almost stumbled off the stage. After the song was over, we made our way off the stage, and Guyden and Ben made their way onstage. Angela and I sat down and watched as the boys sang "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles.
"Bella," Angela called. I looked over at her. "You are my best friend ever. I mean it. Even in high school, I liked you way more than Jessica or Lauren. Lauren was a bitch and all Jessica did was bad talk you and talk about Mike."
"Oh, Angela, you're my best friend, too."
"Best friends share secrets, right?" she asked, and I nodded. She leaned her head in, "I like Ben." She giggled hysterically.
"Guess what?" I said.
"What?"
"I still like Edward." I said and then giggled with her. "But, shush, don't tell Guyden, because I like him too."
The boys finished their song and they came off stage. Guyden immediately came over to me. He wrapped me in his arms and began kissing me. Little butterflies flew through my stomach. He pulled away and looked at me.
"Can I say happy birthday yet?" he asked. I shook my head. He kissed me again and I threw myself into this one. "How about we get out of here?" Guyden said when he pulled away. I nodded, not knowing what I was doing.
Each chapter is going to be based on one song instead of my playlist thing. This chapter-
Scars by Papa Roach
So what do you think? Is it gunna go somewhere?