Rosalie glanced in the mirror proudly. She was proud of her flawless complexion, her beautiful eyes, her perfect mouth, and her long locks of golden hair. She was proud to be Rosalie. She smiled gently. Her smile took even her own breath away.
"Mother!" Her voice called. She sounded like a million tiny bells.
"Darling." Her mother said, entering her room. "What is it?"
"Mother... I wish I had a man who bought me 10 roses everyday." She said. "I deserve that."
"You deserve 100 roses each day." Her mother praised her. Rosalie threw her head back and laughed. But inside she felt it was true. She stood up and grabbed the fruit basket from her mothers hands.
"Let me take this to Mrs. Masen." Rosalie said. Her mother smiled.
"Would you dear?" She asked. Rosalie nodded.
"I hear her son is quite the handsome young man." Rosalie said, and her mother winked at her.
Rosalie skipped down the road, but vowed one day she would have a man who drove her in a fancy car. She smiled all the way. She walked up to the elegant home feeling satisfied. She knocked on the door. A kindly looking women opened it.
"Mrs. Masen?" Rosalie asked.
"Yes." She answered.
"I am Rosalie Hale. I live down the street. I brought this fruit basket on my mother's behalf." Rosalie said. Mrs. Masen smiled.
"Please come in dear." She said, lightly. Rosalie followed her into the dimly lit house.
"You must meet my son Edward." Mrs. Masen said.
"I would love to."
"Edward!" Mrs. Masen called. Her voice echoing against the walls of the large house. A few minutes later Edward Masen came around the corner. His lips twitched when he saw Rosalie. Rosalie's eyes grew wide. He was the most beautiful human being she had ever encountered. He was even more extraordinary looking than herself. At first a twang of jealousy fluttered in her. But then she thought of how he was the best. Rosalie deserved the best. With this thought in mind, she walked towards him purposefully swaying her hips.
"Rosalie Hale." She said, in the most flirtatious voice she could gather. She put her hand palm down in front of him. He took it delicately in his own.
"Edward." He said, before kissing it. Edward's mother looked far more than delighted at the exchange.
"Join us for tea Rosalie?" Mrs. Masen asked.
"I would be delighted." She said. So together the three of them all sat down at the table decorated with a white lace table cloth. They enjoyed pleasant conversation. Rosalie showed off a bit, and flirted a great deal. But Edward seemed unaware of this. He never reacted in a flirtatious way. Finally their tea cups were empty. Mrs. Masen decided to be the one to bring attention to the elephant in the room.
"Perhaps one day you two will court?" She suggested. Edward's face grew grim, while Rosalie's grew delighted at the suggestion.
"Perhaps." Edward said, stiffly. Rosalie cocked her head in his direction.
"Perhaps." She repeated, uncertainly. "I do hope so."
"It was a pleasure meeting you Ms. Hale." Edward said, standing up.
"Please... call me Rosalie." She said, again flirting.
"Rosalie." He repeated. She stood up, and Mrs. Masen escorted her to the door.
"Do come back again." Mrs. Masen said. Rosalie promised too before continuing her route home. But this time she felt a great deal less satisfied.
Mrs. Masen walked into the tea room. Edward helped her to pick up the tea cups and take them to the kitchen to be washed. Mrs. Masen took every opportunity to shoot a disapproving look at her son.
"What?" Edward finally asked.
"She was very pretty." Mrs. Masen said. "She was also kind and weal-"
"And shallow." Edward interrupted her. "Flirtatious, and greedy."
"Edward!" Mrs. Masen scolded.
"My apologies for being so forward but we will never court. Mother, I don't want anything to do with that women. My manners will remain pleasant around her, but nothing the slightest bit romantic will bud out of our relationship." He said, firmly.
"Very well." Mrs. Masen said, coldly. She washed the last tea cup, and dried it before stiffly going back to her sewing room. Edward sighed, and went to finish a chapter of his novel.
The next day Rosalie showed up again. This time she was bearing fresh preserves.
"From my mother again." Rosalie said, handing them over to Mrs. Masen.
"You are such a dear doing all these errands." Mrs. Masen complimented, but Rosalie was scanning behind her for Edward.
"Join us for tea again?" Mrs. Masen asked. Rosalie smiled and accepted. Again polite conversation was had.
"Edward, why don't you tell Rosalie about that novel your reading. You seem very interested in it." Mrs. Masen said.
"I doubt Rosalie would appreciate me boring her." Edward said, cooly. "Besides you two seem to be getting along just fine."
"Edward." Mrs. Masen said, her tone hinted with warning.
"Would you like to hear about it?" Edward asked. Rosalie nodded, and smiled. For the next half hour Edward told her about the novel in detail, hoping to bore her. Sure such a bimbo of a girl would eventually get the message and give up. But she remained with an entranced expression on her face. Half way through Mrs. Masen excused herself to go and wash dishes.
"Bored yet?" Edward asked Rosalie.
"Not at all." She said. "Please continue." He raised an eye brow.
"You don't strike me as the type that would be interested in this kind of thing." He challenged.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked. "You mean you think I am a shallow, ditzy bimbo?"
Edward hesitated, and finally he nodded.
"Well just because I am beautiful does not mean that I am all those things. It is not a package deal."
"My apologies, but it is possible that you are just a good actress." Edward said, wearing a smirk. Rosalie stood up enraged.
"You are so narrow minded." Rosalie said, angrily. She barged out calling her gratitude to Mrs. Masen as she left. A moment later Mrs. Masen stood at the doorway looking at Edward.
"What on earth happened?" She asked.
"Rosalie got offended." He said, honestly.
"What did you do?"
"I called her a shallow, ditzy, bimbo." Edward answered honestly, and his head hung ever so slightly. Mrs. Masen stood with her mouth wide open.
"You need to learn to hold your tongue young man." Mrs. Masen said, angrily.
"One day someone will appreciate my honesty." He replied. Mrs. Masen just angrily bustled out of the kitchen. Rosalie did not come to their house all that week.
The following Saturday Edward and Mrs. Masen dressed up for the annual neighborhood picnic. They walked down the street, and all gathered around. Rosalie and her family stood. Rosalie looked like a vision in her pale blue skirt, and matching shirt. Her hair looked particularly shiny and the sun reflected off of it in a way that had several young men's jaws on the floor. Mrs. Masen hurried up to her family introducing herself. Edward did not follow, instead he turned to socialize with other families. The whole time Edward avoided making eye contact with Rosalie although he could feel the heat of her stare on his back.
"Edward?" He heard a voice behind him say. He turned to see Rosalie standing there.
"Rosalie." He replied, cooly. She waited.
"If you are waiting for an apology, or for me to take back what I said don't expect it." Edward told her. She looked up at him.
"You had no right to judge me so quickly." She protested.
"I get a good sense about people." He replied.
"You are such a jerk."
"That... might actually be true." He said, squinting from the sun.
"Why am I so attracted to you?" She asked, in a voice so low it was not audible to him.
"We should start over." She decided aloud.
"I'm Edward Masen." He introduced himself.
"Rosalie Hale." She said. They smiled, and laughed. But Rosalie's smile faded. Because she knew it was getting urgent. She needed Edward. She pulled him behind a into a private corner where no one would overhear her.
"Edward Masen, do you love me?" She asked, in a single breath. He looked taken aback.
"I met you ten seconds ago." He said. She gave him a warning look, to show she was not making jokes.
"No." He said. "I think you are shallow, and dit-"
"Edward I know you think that!" She snapped.
"You are beautiful Rosalie, I'll admit that. But that's not the only thing that matters, you should learn that. Don't worry, some idiot will marry you. He'll be handsome, and rich everything you need. But if he had any class he would see you for what you are. You are a beautiful beautiful person on the outside, but your insides are rotten. But many men won't look on the inside so don't worry."
He brushed past her, leaving her with tears in her eyes.
"My insides aren't rotten." She whispered to herself. She brushed away the tears, and walked back out to the picnic. Edward stood, and laughed at someone's joke. He glanced at her, and his then his gaze shifted back to his friends.
Rosalie walked up to him.
"Good bye." She whispered. "Friend."
"Good bye." He replied. She looked up at him, her eyes full of curiosity and hurt. His lips twitched.
"Thank you." She breathed.
"What?"
"Thank you for being honest with me." She whispered. He nodded, and she turned to leave. Little did he know, she would go home only to cry herself to sleep for the next month.
A month later she went to the market and ran into Edward. Literally. She bumped into him knocking the apples out of her hands. He bent to help her pick them up, and again they straightened.
"Thank you." She said. He smiled.
"You were right." She said. He cocked his head, in question.
"Some stupid, handsome, rich man came along. His name is Royce." She said. He nodded.
"He loves me." She whispered. "Loves the way I look. He overlooked the shallow, ditzy, bimbo me."
"Maybe he loves that too." Edward said. She smiled.
"I get praised all the time. You were the first person who ever pointed out my faults, and now the praise seems like a joke. It feels like a lie."
"Good." He said. "You enjoyed praise to much."
"You are brutally honest." She said.
"I am." He said, still smiling.
"I wish you loved me." She whispered. He smiled sadly at her. A small, apologetic smile.
"Royce loves you." He said. She shook her head.
"No... he doesn't love me and you know that. He loves my blonde hair, and my flawless complexion. He loves my pretty eyes, and my pretty clothes. He loves that part of me." She said, softly.
"Do you love him, Rosalie?" Edward asked. Rosalie looked down.
"Edward... as much as I fight it... your right. All I need is a handsome, rich man, and I can fall in love with him. I can pretend I hate praise, but all I want is to be praised all day long. All I need is love. All I want is love. Your right... my insides are rotten." She said.
"I don't think your insides are rotten." He said.
"But you said..." She trailed off.
"That was before I saw this side of you. You understand who you are, but you want to change it. You don't neglect it, and forget about it. You really are thoughtful. But you still are a ditzy bimbo." He said. Instead of storming off she laughed.
"Your forgot shallow." She reminded him. He laughed.
"That's right your shallow too." He laughed. She smiled sadly.
"I wish I weren't who I am... but I just am." She said, before turning to leave the market. Edward stared after her.
"I am falling for the bimbo." He whispered to himself. Then he chuckled. He ran his fingers through his hair, and began to run after her. But something pulled him back. He stopped, and walked back to the market. What ever pulled him back, kept him back.
He watched as Rosalie walked down the isle with Royce. Royce who didn't love her the way Edward did. Royce, who loved her for the way she looked. Royce, who loved her for being so stupid, and shallow. Royce... who he knew would make Rosalie happy.
"I now announce you husband and wife." The priest said. Rosalie's fairy tale came true, and she was smiling proudly. Royce was smiling as well.
It had been 5 months since the wedding and Edward hadn't recovered. He was in love with a married woman, and it felt bad. It felt weird. His mother kissed the top of his head, before heading off to bed. Edward sat thinking about Rosalie. A distant scream interrupted his thoughts. He listened, and the screaming continued. He hurried outside, and walked down towards the bump on the sidewalk that was screaming. His footsteps became more urgent as he recognized the bump. It was Rosalie. He came upon her blood dripping down her face, her clothing torn. She screamed louder.
"Oh god." She screamed. "Oh god."
"Who did this to you?" Edward yelled.
"Royce... and his friends." Rosalie gasped. "Royce did this to me."
"Oh god." Edward said, scooping her up into his arms.
"Oh god." He said, as he ran to the hospital with her. He hurried in and was greeted by a good looking doctor with blonde hair. He was extraordinarily good looking.
"Please doctor... help her." Edward said, as he handed Rosalie, who was now unconscious, over to him.
"What happened?" The doctor breathed. Rosalie spoked.
"They were drunk." Rosalie whispered. "They pulled my hair... and tore my clothes... they... they..." Then she fainted away.
"She's lost a lot of blood." The doctor murmured, before taking her into a room. Edward sat sniffling loudly in a chair.
"Oh god." He murmured. "Oh god." The doctor came out a few minutes later.
"She is dead." He told Edward.
"Dead?" Edward's mouth could hardly get around the word.
"I am so sorry." The doctor said. "She lost to much blood."
"It was her husband and his friends." Edward growled. "They did this to her."
"How did you know her?" The doctor questioned.
"We were friends." Edward replied. "Good friends. Her husband... her own husband murdered her."
"I am so sorry." The doctor repeated.
"Edward Masen." Edward introduced himself, and then realized the time for introductions was a bit off.
"Dr. Carlisle Cullen." He introduced himself. Edward nodded.
"What now?"
"We should notify the family." Dr. Cullen said. "The body... was unsalvageable... so the hospital with dispose of it."
"Dispose of it." Edward said. "As if it were trash."
"Does she have any family we need to notify?"
"Yes. Her mother and father. They live on West Berry Ave. 178." Edward said, before storming from the hospital. Carlisle looked after him, and he felt guilty. He soon turned to go and inform her parents that Rosalie died. The lie.
Edward stormed into his house to a very upset, worried mother.
"What happened? Where have you been?" She asked.
"Rosalie died." Edward said, with tears in his eyes. "Mom... she died."
"What are you talking about?" Her mother said.
"She was killed." Edward said, and he began to break down in his mother's arms. His mother smoothed his bronze hair comfortingly.
"Did you love her?" His mother asked gently. Edward could only nod before retiring to his bed.