So this was inspired by Dollhouses by Melanie Martinez. She's absolutely amazing, and you should all check her out. I also just love Kellan Lutz in general, and wanted to write about him. Hahaha.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, or the title, only the story and any mistakes.
He had been watching her.
Ever since he had moved here, he had been watching her.
She was gorgeous.
She was entrancing.
She was almost perfect.
She was a doll, and she was all sorts of broken on the inside.
The first time Emmett McCarty ever saw Rosalie Hale he knew that he would go through all kinds of hell trying to get her. She was walking down the hallway, next to two other girls that he later found out were her two best friends; or at least, her two best friends for everyone else to see. The longer he watched her, the more he realized that she didn't actually have friends, not anyone that really knew her.
Rosalie had been living in this town all her life, and the Hale's were known to everyone, they were sort of a big deal. Her mother had probably experimented with every kind of plastic surgery and breast implant there was out there, and her father had probably experimented with every secretary under the age of twenty-four out there. He was the director of the towns biggest company, and employed almost every parent of the kids they went to school with.
Emmett had moved here because his mother had passed away and he was moving in with his aunt. It was because of his mother that he knew Rosalie was faking it, was just putting on a front to everyone. It was because of the way she smiled that he recognized the tightness in her cheeks and the way she tried to force her eyes to match her mouth. He recognized it because it was the exact same face that he had practiced in the mirror, every day, before he walked out the door.
His mother was an alcoholic, and she was abusive when she drank. Her liver was what finally gave out on her, she had been waiting a long time for a transplant, but alcoholics didn't get classed as a high priority on the waiting list. Despite the fact that it had always been the two of them against the world, they weren't close. Emmett had learnt a long time ago that he had to depend on himself—except when his Aunt Esme Cullen came around. She always fluffed around him, made him feel special, remembered his birthday and sent him money on a regular basis.
He loved his Aunt, and he got on well with his Uncle Carlisle Cullen.
They didn't have kids so they spoilt him.
And, as cruel as it sounded, his mother passing away and leaving them as his legal guardians was the best thing that had happened to him.
He felt safer.
His grades got better.
He was happier.
But he was still just as aware of his surroundings as before.
And it wasn't hard for him to pick up the one girl worth paying attention to in his new school.
Not that other girls weren't nice. It was a reasonably wealthy neighbourhood, and the school was one of the best around, but that didn't mean everyone was snobby and stuck up. His aunt and uncles neighbour, Edward Masen, was his age and they struck up a friendship, and he introduced him to his friends and he liked them well enough. He joined the soccer team, because he had always been good at the sport, although because it was their second to last year at school, he ended up only as a reserve. He was okay with that, though, because sometimes he still got put on the field, and he had fun with the rest of the boys.
Rosalie was also a cheerleader—the head cheerleader, to be specific—and so that helped too.
They practiced the same time as the soccer team, and they were at every game, even the away ones, so he got to see her dancing around in the tiny little skirt and that made things very okay. She always had this smile on her face, and acted as though throwing the pom poms in the air and yelling out chants was what she wanted to do, but when they moved to get a drink or come over and talk to the boys at half time, that smile disappeared.
Edward's girlfriend, Isabella Swan, was also at most of the games, although she wasn't on the cheerleading squad. She was friends with one of the girls on the newspaper, Alice Brandon, who walked around with a perpetual grin on her face. Emmett made a mental note that Rosalie seemed to actually enjoy talking to Bella Swan, more than the girls that she pretended were her best friends when she was walking the corridors at school.
"Yo, McCarty!" Jasper Whitlock shouted from where he was standing next to his girlfriend, Alice, the one that Bella was friends with. "You coming to the party tonight?" Emmett looked over at the boy and grinned.
"Yeah, of course," he replied with a nod.
"See you there, man," Jasper gave a mock salute with a grin before throwing his arm around his girlfriend and heading off the field, his uniform jacket hooked over one finger and thrown over his shoulder. Emmett always went to the after parties; they were fun, and he had a good time with the boys, but he never got drunk. He had never been drunk and something made him think that maybe he never would be, given his experiences with alcohol from childhood with his mother.
He showered once he got home, and had dinner with his Aunt Esme. Carlisle had been called away after there was an accident on the freeway, and Emmett asked her if she wanted him to stay home, so that she didn't need to be alone on a Saturday night.
"Oh, you sweet boy," Esme shook her head and smiled at him, ruffling his hair affectionately. "I'm going to sit down with a glass of wine and the latest episode of Orange is The New Black. I'm not alone. I'm going to be fine."
"If you're sure..." Emmett still looked uncertain.
"Go!" Esme urged him with a laugh. "You can take my car," she tossed him the keys to her car. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving. It was just after eight, and the party wouldn't be starting properly for a few more hours. But it was at Jasper's house, so some of the boys would already there, as well as Alice and Bella. He drove over, parking down the street so that he wouldn't risk getting boxed in by arrivals after him, and was able to get out easily to go home. He had slipped into a pair of jeans and a simple white tee-shirt that he had had to admit, made his arms look pretty damn good, although you couldn't see them giving he had a jacket over the top.
"Emmett! Man, you're here!" Edward yelled as Emmett walked up the driveway to the house.
"Are you already drunk?" Emmett laughed as he saw the way Edward was holding on tightly to Bella's waist.
"No!" Edward protested.
"Yes," Bella corrected with a laugh.
"That didn't take you long at all," Emmett reached the house and held out his hand. Edward slapped it in a greeting and then the three of them turned to go back into the house. There was some music going, but it wasn't too loud—nowhere near as loud as it was going to get as the night went on. It also wasn't the typical party bumping stuff, something a little more rock, which he appreciated, even though he knew that was going to change as more people arrived.
"Emmett!" Jasper was standing in his kitchen, measuring out some drinks before sliding over the counter to Alice, and the other to Rosalie. Emmett smiled at the two girls, although his eyes lingered on Rosalie, practically skimming straight over Rosalie. "You want a drink?" He asked.
"Got any Ginger Beer?" Emmett asked.
"Just for you, my man," Jasper grinned at him, nodding to the fridge. Emmett appreciated that they never pressured him into drinking. They always asked, but they knew the story of his mother, and they respected his decision to abstain. He pulled out a bottle of Ginger Beer and ripped off the tap, throwing it into the bin and then taking a long drink. Alice leaned in and whispered something to Rosalie, and then both of the girls started laughing.
This was the real Rosalie.
Giggling and her shoulders slouched, her expression looking free and happy.
But that would all change; give it a few hours.
"Rose! Babe!" Came a call from the doorway and Emmett sighed, realizing that it wasn't going to be a few hours. It was going to be now.
"Hi, Tanya," Rosalie straightened up, the smile slipping from her face as she nodded at her friend.
"Have you seen Royce?" Tanya Denali asked, her gaze skimming around the room.
"I don't think he's here yet," Rosalie replied, her lips tightening at the corners. Emmett never took his eyes off her, catching every micro-expression that flitted across her face. Royce King—Royce King the Second, he mentally corrected himself, because he was a douche and never let people forget that he came from a good bloodline—was Rosalie's sometime boyfriend. Or at least, that was the story that went around.
Emmett never actually saw them acting like a couple.
He more saw Royce strutting around and acting as though he owned Rosalie.
She never looked happy when she was with him, and whenever Emmett had seen them kiss in public, she always looked as though she was just waiting for him to move back so that she could wash out her mouth.
Emmett didn't understand why she kept up whatever charade she had with him, but then again, he didn't really know Rosalie Hale.
It was a couple of hours later, before he saw her again. It was around eleven thirty, and almost everyone was drunk. So far, the only exceptions that Emmett had come across was himself and Bella, who was attempting to keep Edward on his feet as well as handling a very drunk and flighty Alice. Emmett laughed as Alice flung her arms out, spinning around the lounge so that her short skirt flipped up and flared outward, showing off the lacy purple underwear she was wearing.
There was something incredible about Alice; she just didn't give a shit about what people thought of her.
Rosalie was with Tanya and Irina Grace, the three of them standing at the front of the lounge with drinks in their hands. Tanya was laughing and swaying her hips, sending flirty looks around the room, mainly directed at Royce who was standing with a couple of his buddies. Irina was playing the bored and above it all card, studying her nails and rolling her eyes. Rosalie was just drunk. Extremely drunk.
And unhappy.
Emmett's eyes followed her as she said something to the two girls and then made her way across the lounge, toward the kitchen. He was about to follow after her when someone bumped his elbow. He turned to see Jasper standing there, a beer in his hand.
"You kinda look a little creepy, ya know?" Jasper noted.
"What are you on about?" Emmett laughed.
"Watching her," Jasper stated. "You're always watching her." Emmett's smile dropped from his face and he swallowed hard.
"Oh, you noticed that, aye?" Jasper just laughed.
"You're kidding, right? I'm pretty sure everyone's noticed it!" He replied. Emmett cringed and looked down at the bottle in his hand. Jasper's smile fell and he frowned, reaching forward to punch Emmett lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"She's got a boyfriend," Emmett stated.
"No, she doesn't," Jasper replied. "She has Royce. He's more like...A douche who follows her around and thinks he's her boyfriend."
"How do you know they're not together?" Emmett tried not to come off as too interested.
"Alice is friends with Rose—you know, proper friends with her, not like those other bimbos that she hangs out with. Rosalie broke up with Royce at the beginning of the year, and she told him that they were properly over," Jasper said. "I mean, I'm sure there was a lot more to it, but I didn't really listen." Emmett nodded his head slowly and then looked back up as he saw Rosalie come back into the room. "Just go over there, man. I mean, the worse she can do is tell you to fuck off, right?"
"Great. That's great," Emmett rolled his eyes. "You could be an inspirational speaker, you know that?"
"I'll look into it if all else in life fails," Jasper smirked. Emmett watched as Rosalie re-joined Tanya and Irina. None of the girls looked happy, and when Rosalie took a step back, Tanya tried to reach out and grab her arm. She spat something out at her and turned on her heel, stalking through the crowds, pushing people out of the way and snatching a cup from someones hand before disappearing again from the room. "I would be going after her right about now," Jasper said pointedly. Emmett nodded, putting down his bottle of Ginger Beer and following after her. She disappeared outside and Emmett had to edge around a couple of girls who were making out against the doorframe. He would have taken a few minutes to appreciate the sight, much like the other few males in the hallway, but he shook his head and quickly went out the door, after Rosalie.
There were a few people out the back of the house, a group of them in a circle, passing around a joint. Emmett lifted his eyes to look around and then spotted Rosalie, sitting on a tyre swing that was hanging from a sturdy branch. The swing must have been there for years, because Jasper was the youngest in his family, and he was now seventeen. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked over to her.
"Hi," he gave her a small, nervous smile. Rosalie lifted her eyes slowly, letting out a huff before dropping her eyes back to the ground and taking another drink from her cup. "It's pretty cold out here."
"I'm fine," she said shortly. He raised an eyebrow as he looked her over. She was wearing a tiny ruby red dress that showed off her long legs, and she had on a pair of black high heeled ankle boots. Even though it was dark in the corner of the backyard, he could see the goosebumps on her skin. He didn't say anything as he took off his jacket and handed it to her. Rosalie hesitated, and then spread it over her lap so that it was covering her legs. "Thanks," she muttered after a few minutes.
"No problem," Emmett gave her a wider smile, crossing his arms over his chest. "What are you doing out there anyway?"
"I just needed to get away from all of it for a bit," she shrugged. "Why are you out here?"
"I followed you," he stated bluntly. Her head whipped up at his statement and she frowned at him.
"Why?"
"I wanted to talk to you," he admitted, wondering if going with the truth now was really a good option, or if it would just result in her telling him to piss off. For a moment, it looked like she was on the fence about which path to take, but then she just tilted her head to the side, her curly blonde hair falling over her shoulder.
"Why?" She repeated.
"You looked sad," he said. Rosalie's perfectly arched eyebrows pulled together and her eyes narrowed as she look another drink from her cup. "What are you drinking?" She looked down into the cup, swirling it around and then snorting in a very un-Rosalie like manner.
"I have no idea," she muttered. "It's awful." Emmett laughed.
"So why are you still drinking it?" He questioned.
"Because I want to get drunk? I don't know," she shrugged again.
"I'm pretty sure you're past drunk," he told her.
"Not drunk enough," Rosalie hissed, throwing back the rest of her drink and then throwing the cup onto the ground. Emmett looked down at the cup and then back at her.
"Wanna talk about it?" He asked. Rosalie looked taken aback by his question and then gave a short laugh. "What is it?"
"What is it with you and talking?" She asked, her tone almost snide. "Since when do guys want to talk?" Her face suddenly closed down and she shot to her feet, swaying a little unsteadily on her long legs and high heels. "You know what? I don't know you!" He could see her mask coming back on, her eyes closing down and her lips flattening into a pursed line. It was the same façade she put on for everyone else, and Emmett sighed when he realized that their moment was over. "I don't know you, and I don't know why you want to talk to me—they either want me to make them look good or screw me over."
"Sounds like you've only ever met some pretty shitty guys," Emmett told her evenly, but she had clearly made up her mind.
"Here's your jacket," she snapped at him, handing over his jacket and then attempting to storm past him. Her departure was quickly halted by the fact that she had drunk legs, and she got her ankles tangled up and almost face planted on the wet grass. Emmett reacted without thinking, gripping her elbow and jerking her back to her feet, holding her steady against his body. Rosalie stared at him for a second before there was a noise behind them.
"There you are, baby," Royce slurred, walking over to them. Rosalie glared over his shoulder at him and Emmett turned around to look at the other man, his hands still wrapped around the blondes forearm. "Oh, who's this?" Royce tilted his head, needing to look up so that he could meet Emmett's gaze. Emmett stared him down, an eyebrow raised.
"I'm Emmett," he said, not returning the sloppy smile that the other man was giving him.
"Oh yeah, friends with Edward, right?" Royce was still grinning, as though waiting for Emmett to catch up and realize that he was meant to be smiling back.
"I am," Emmett said shortly. Royce shrugged and looked over at Rosalie. He glanced at the way Emmett was still holding her, but then just shrugged it off.
"You ready to leave? I think it's time to bounce," Royce told her.
"I already told you that I wasn't leaving with you," Rosalie said sharply. That drunken smirk was still on his face, although his eyes darkened slightly at her words. "And you're drunk. You better not be driving, Royce."
"Eh, it's just a couple of drinks," he shrugged it off. "And what to do you mean, you're not leaving with me? Babe—"
"Everyone saw you making out with Tanya in the hallway!" Rosalie spat at him and Emmett raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't seen Royce making out with anyone, but the asshole walked around as though everyone should be praising the ground he touched, so it wasn't exactly surprising that he found someone who walked around on a high horse, just like his. He was a bit taken aback that it was Tanya though. The bitch was conceited and thought far too much of herself, but her and Rosalie were friends. He at least thought Tanya would have stayed away from him—girl code and all that.
Clearly not.
"And I'm not your babe!" Rosalie was hissing. "We're not together!"
"Rosalie—"
"Can you take me home?" Rosalie swung her gaze to look up at Emmett. It only took one look at the unhappy and almost desperate fog in her eyes before he was quickly nodding his head yes. She gave him a quick, grateful smile, that may have been the most genuine expression he had ever seen her give, and was then glaring back at Royce. "Piss off. Leave me alone, Royce," she snapped before she was walking off, and dragging Emmett with her. He was pretty sure that the reason she was dragging him behind her was because she wouldn't be able to stand without any help.
They made their way through the house, passing by Bella and Edward, and then Jasper, who gave him a leery thumbs up, and then they were stumbling out the front door.
"How do you know I'm sober enough to drive?" Emmett asked as he pulled his keys out of his back pocket.
"I've never seen you drink at these things," Rosalie muttered, tucking her hand into his arm and leaning her taunt body against his. "You've always got water or Ginger Beer." Emmett raised an eyebrow at her as he turned partly to look at her.
"I thought you didn't know me," he reminded her of her earlier outburst. Rosalie narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say anything else, the pair of them walking in silence down the street until they reached Emmett's car. He unlocked the passenger door and waited for her to get in, before walking around to the drivers side. She was shivering again, so he handed her back his jacket. She pursed her lips, but then accepted it, pulling it over her legs. He pulled on his seatbelt and turned up the heat, pulling away from the curb and turning up the music. It was an old song, something by Cab, and he hummed under his breath as he indicated to turn onto the main street. "What's your address?"
"16 Willow Lake Crescent," she muttered. Emmett didn't comment on how the name sounded just as poncy as she acted and just started driving in that direction. He was surprised when the song changed and another old one, this one by Bullet For My Valentine, started playing, and Rosalie started singing under her breath.
"You know this song?"
"I like it," she mumbled, although she pursed her lips back together and didn't make another noise. Emmett didn't say anything, given the resting bitch face she was wearing, and they rode the rest of the way in silence. When they reached her house, Emmett raised his eyebrows as he took in the three storied, sprawling across the perfectly manicured lawn. Rosalie let out a huff through her nose and fiddled with the collar of his jacket, which was still on her lap.
"You okay?" Emmett glanced over at her. She nodded once. He licked his lips and shifted in his seat. "Have you got your keys and everything?" He asked as she began to slowly hand his jacket back and undo her seatbelt. Rosalie nodded a few times before letting out a sigh. "Everything okay?"
"What did you want to talk to me about before?" She asked him abruptly, turning in her seat to look at him.
"Oh, so now you're interested? Thought boys didn't want to talk to you," he was only teasing but he saw her body bristle as she took offence at his words. Emmett shook his head as he looked at her. "Come on, Rosalie—lighten up."
"Is that you wanted to say to me? Lighten up?" She snapped.
"No, I just—wow," he snorted quietly and shook his head. Then he instantly regretted it because it probably looked like he was laughing at her and that was kind of a dick move. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he finally said. "You looked pissed off and like you were fighting with your friends and then you took off by yourself and I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he finished the sentence off with a shrug, realizing how lame it sounded now that he was saying it out loud.
But when he chanced a look over at Rosalie, she didn't look as though she thought it was lame.
"Oh," she murmured. "Well...Thanks," she gave him a tentative half smile which he returned.
"So, uh," Emmett racked his brain for something to say, not wanting the awkward lull to return. "Why are you friends with Tanya and Irina if they—ya knew, screw you over?" Her face hardened and he could have kicked himself. Probably wasn't the smoothest thing he could have said.
"They're not my friends. They're...Acquaintances."
"Acquaintances?" Emmett's eyebrows arched. "Girl—people our age don't have acquaintances. We have friends, enemies and then everyone else."
"Yeah—acquaintances."
"You need to stop using that word. You are way too young to be using that word!" Emmett told her and then stared in surprise as she suddenly let out a laugh. It stopped as soon as it had started, and even Rosalie looked taken aback by her reaction. Emmett flashed her a grin and then decided that he might never get another moment like this so he might as well go for it. "You never look happy when you're with them—and you're always with them. So you kind of always just look...You always kind of look like you don't feel anything." Rosalie breathed out heavily through her nose.
"It's my doll face," she murmured.
"Your what?" He frowned at her.
"My doll face," Rosalie repeated, not too much louder. She fiddled with the hem of her drew which drew Emmett's eyes down to her shapely thighs. "I know. It sounds kind of stupid..." she sighed. "My mum was my idol growing up—you know how it is." Emmett didn't, actually, but he nodded for the sake of conversation. "She was always so perfect. Her hair was always perfect and she the prettiest dresses and these amazing high heels..." Rosalie was smiling again, but Emmett could tell that the smile wasn't for him. "She was an amazing person, and like my best friend." She took in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "My dad only started becoming really successful when I was about five or six. At the time, I only saw all the good things. You know—we moved to a big house and I got all these news toys and clothes and I got to have riding lessons. But what I didn't get until later was that heaps more changed for my parents as well..." she took in a deep breath. "Dad started drinking more and then he started fooling around with other woman when he was 'working late'." Rosalie's nose was turned up in disgust and she was breathing heavily and Emmett wondered if he was meant to interrupt at this point—say that she doesn't need to be telling him all of this. "At first, mum would call him out and argue with him. It was horrible," she visibly shivered.
"I'm sorry," Emmett told her, instinctively reaching out to tangle his fingers with hers, giving them a comforting squeeze.
"He hit her—more than once," Rosalie's hand tightened around his. "And then one day, she just stopped. It's like she became some kind of Stepford wife or something. And then one day when I was thirteen I was at Tanya's house—her dad works with my dad, so they would always throw us together as though that automatically meant we would be friends. It wasn't just Tanya there, she had some friends, and there was this boy," Rosalie paused again, her grip never loosening on Emmett's hand. "When I went to the bathroom, he followed me, and he kissed me. I was only a kid and I had no idea what was going on or what I was meant to do. I pushed him away and told him to stop. He pulled my hair and he hit me and said I wasn't 'playing like Tanya'. I started crying and went to find my mum and dad, who were with all the other parents. I told them what happened but my dad just looked...He just looked annoyed. And then the boy came out and he said he had no idea what I was talking about."
"Bastard," Emmett growled, the hand not wrapped around hers folded into a fist on his knee.
"Dad just told me that I was imagining things and it was all in my head. Then he said I needed to stop being an attention seeker and go back to play with the other kids," she pursed her lips and leaned her head back against the head rest. "That night my mum came into my room and told me I needed to bite my tongue and keep my mouth shut. I needed to do this to protect myself because the men who can give us the lives we live don't like women who make a fuss. She said that I needed to find my doll face." Emmett's lips were pressed together so tightly they were white and bloodless. Rosalie took in a deep breath and then blinked about a hundred times, her eyelashes fluttering against her porcelain cheeks. Emmett had a feeling that she was getting rid of tears but he wasn't about to call her out on it. "Shit," Rosalie swore, pulling her hand away from Emmett and straightening out her dress. "I'm sorry—you must want to get back to the party. I have no idea why I've dumped all of this on you. I'm so sorry—"
"Rosalie, stop it," he told her, giving her an intense look that made her stop babbling. "I told you I wanted to talk. I wasn't lying about that." Rosalie gave him another part smile that made him feel ten feet tall.
"I can see why Alice and Jasper like you," she commented as she took in a deep breath through her nose and opened her door.
"They're good people," Emmett nodded. Rosalie looked back at him and then impulsively leaned across the centre console to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
"Thanks for the lift, Emmett McCarty," she whispered, getting out of his truck an walking up to the house. She had clearly sobered up a bit, although her steps were still a little unsteady. Emmett waited until she had disappeared into the house, and then he let a grin break out across his face.
She had called him Emmett McCarty.
Oh yes—she definitely knew who he was.
His body was buzzing for the rest of the weekend, thinking about his late night conversation with the beautiful Rosalie Hale. Esme commented on his good mood several times through the day, asking what was making him act like an idiot. Emmett had just shrugged her off with a kiss on the cheek and a whistle. As he waited for Edward and Jasper to pick him up on Monday morning, he tapped his foot impatiently.
"What up, McCarty!" Jasper greeted him as he pulled up at the curb. Edward greeted him with a nod and a grin as he got into the back seat and dumped his bag on the ground. But rather than pulling away, back onto the road, they both turned around and looked back at Emmett through the gap in the two front seats. Emmett looked between them.
"What?" He asked.
"You disappeared on Friday," Edward pointed out.
"With the gorgeous Ms Hale," Jasper added.
"And you never came back," Edward continued.
"And so we were just wondering..." there was a cheeky smile on Jasper's face and Edward wiggled his eyebrows lewdly. Emmett looked between the pair of them and then laughed.
"Nothing to report here, sorry, fellas," Emmett told them. "I just gave her a ride home." Edward narrowed his eyes at him, scrutinizing his expression.
"You wouldn't tell us, even if something had happened, would you?" Edward asked.
"Nope," Emmett shook his head and gave them a lopsided grin. Both boys in the front let out exasperated sighs but didn't push any further as they turned back around in their seats. The rest of the ride to school was filled with Jasper telling Emmett about the rest of their night at the party and Edward telling the pair about his dinner with Bella and her father, Charlie Swan, who was the towns chief of police. They had started an awkward tradition where the three of them would have dinner together every second Sunday, and Edward always walked away feeling as though he needed to look over his shoulder every two seconds. Apparently this time, Charlie was cleaning his hunting rifle on the kitchen table when Edward arrived.
School was a drag, especially since Emmett just wanted his classes to be over so that he could see Rosalie. During Physics and Maths, he caught a glimpse of sleek blonde hair in a crowd in front of him, but then he was jostled into his classroom by Jasper and one of his other friends. Maths had never dragged on quite this long in the past, and Emmett let out an audible sigh of relief when the bell went off for first break. Alice was waiting out in the hallway, looking like an adorable pixie with far too much energy, and she bounced over to them when they came out. She tucked herself under Jasper's arm and then sent a sly smirk over at Emmett.
"Looks like you made quite the impression the other night," she told him as Jasper pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
"Oh really?" Emmett tried to sound nonchalant, but there was a grin spreading rapidly over his face. "What has she—uh," Emmett was cut off as he accidentally bumped into another student because he wasn't paying attention to where he was walking. "What did she say?"
"You know that I can't tell you," Alice smirked. "Girl code and all."
"I thought we were friends," Emmett pouted, playfully nudging her with his hips.
"We are friends," Alice grinned and nudged him back, jabbing her finger into his ticklish side. He jerked away from her and made a face. "Oi," she made a face at him. "Act cool." Emmett's chin lifted just in time to see Rosalie breaking away from Tanya and Irina and walk tentatively toward them. She had that look on her face—her doll face—and she was perfectly made up in a tartan miniskirt, a black blouse and cardigan, and her hair pulled to the side in a tight braid. "Hey, girl," Alice grinned at Rosalie and Rosalie looked at her, a small smile on her face.
"Hi, Alice," she said quietly. She cleared her throat and then shifted her eyes to Emmett. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Absolutely," Emmett was a little surprised by her request but he gave her a lop sided smirk. She blinked at him a couple of times before turning on her heel and leading the way toward an empty classroom. Emmett's heart sunk as he followed after her; her body language telling him that whatever it was she wanted to talk to him about wasn't a good thing. He closed the door behind him as he walked inside and then crossed his arms over his chest. "What's up?" Rosalie walked over to the windows and looked outside. She was flexing out her fingers at her side as she stood there, and Emmett studied the way her shoulders bunched up with tension.
"Those things that I told you the other night..."
"I'm not going to tell anyone about what you told me," Emmett assured her, his voice calm and low, so as not to carry out the door. Rosalie didn't say anything and Emmett just watched her, giving her the floor to speak. She turned around finally, and gave him a pretty smile, similar to the one that she had given him in the car and so completely different from the one that she was giving everyone in the hallway.
"I know," she told him. "And that's why I wanted you to ask me out." Emmett jerked his head back slightly, surprised by the comment.
"You want—sorry, you want me to ask you out?" He confirmed with her, his eyebrow raised. Rosalie licked her lips nervously and bobbed her head in a nod. "Uh, why don't you just ask me out?" Rosalie's perfectly arched eyebrows pulled together, almost in complete confusion.
"Because that's not how it works," she replied. Emmett stared at her in disbelief for a few more minutes before a grin spread across his face.
"Okay, Rosalie Hale," he drew out her name, liking the way that she watched his mouth as he sounded out her name. "I'll ask you out." She nodded again, her fingers twitching in anticipation. But as the silence drew out she frowned.
"Well?"
"Well, what?" He teased her lightly.
"Well are you going to ask me out, or what?" She asked impatiently.
"I am," Emmett nodded. "Just not yet." Rosalie looked taken aback.
"Why?"
"You know my full name, right? You pretended not to, when I first came up to you at the party, but then you said it when we were in the car," Emmett reminded her lightly and Rosalie's cheeks pinked adorably. "But you don't know all that much else. And while I knew that there was something that went on behind that mask you wear, I didn't know the details."
"Isn't that what dating is about? Getting to know each other?"
"True," he nodded with a half smirk, stepping closer to her. "But I think that we need to hang out in a group setting first. With Alice and Jasper, Bella and Edward. And then after that...That's when I'll ask you out."
"How do you know I want to hang out with all of them?" Rosalie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because you like them, and you want to be with people where you can be yourself. That's them. That's me," Emmett smiled at her. Rosalie still looked a little confused but she nodded slowly. "So have lunch with us today. And after school today, we're going out for milkshakes and burgers. Come with us."
"Okay," she nodded. Emmett grinned.
"Okay," he repeated back to her. Rosalie stared at him and then ducked her head, pulling her lower lip into her mouth as she took in the adorably boyish smile he was giving her. "So...Until I ask you out..." Emmett stepped forward and reached out to grip the edge of her cardigan, tugging her a little closer to him. She willingly stepped forward and tipped her chin forward to look up at him. Emmett's lips were over hers in an instant, brushing over her soft mouth and slipping both hands around her waist. The kiss was slow, and sweet, and while he urged her lips apart, he never slid his tongue into her mouth. When he pulled away, he brushed his nose against hers and gave her another lopsided smile. "See you at lunch, Hale," he promised, before turning on his heel and leaving the empty classroom.
Rosalie watched him go, her doll face completely dissolved, the tips of her ears pink, her eyes glowing and a full smile on her face.
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