Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all of the characters.
Chapter 1: You're It, You're The Ultimate.
"Alice." I wailed. "Will you please stop trying to make me a life-size Barbie doll? We have over 8 hours before we go out."
"Bella, be quiet. Look, you'll thank me for this later. But right now, just sit still and pass me them curling tongs over there, please." She pointed on her bed and a box with the tongs in it sat neatly on the edge. I reached over, grabbed the box and handed it to her before sitting down reluctantly. She grinned and plugged them in the nearest socket to heat up.
"Okay. Now while they heat up, lets get your makeup done." She reached in her cosmetic bag which sat on the table next to her. When she pulled out a thin tube, I almost shrieked. Well, I did shriek. "Alice. No. No way. You are not putting liquid eyeliner on me. If anything, use pencil. I hate liquid." She just laughed.
"Relax, Bells. If you loved me you'd let me do this." She stated and opened the tube, bringing the liner to my eye. She applied a thin line to my right eye and then moved onto my left. When she was done, she pulled out a pencil, but this time, when she was done applying it to my face, she smudged it a little bit.
"Where are we going tonight anyway? There must be some reason you decided to glam me up." I asked conversely. She laughed.
"We're going to Tulio Ristorante in Seattle. Then we're going to find a bar. Sound cool?"
"Yeah. I love Italian food."
"So do me and Rose, so that's why we reserved a table for 7." She finished with the eye pencil and instead, brought out some gold eye shadow. She gently applied it to my eye lid, and then up my brow. She then blended it with a light red. When she was finished, she stood back and admired her work. I smiled sheepishly at her.
"Oh, mascara! How could I forget?" She rummaged in her bag until she found the mascara and then gently, smoothly, brushed it on my lashes. She twisted the top back on and smiled.
"Now time for your hair. Are you ready for Alice Brandon?" She grinned and brushed a little section of my hair. With her fingers, she separated some of it and placed it inside the curling tongs. She pulled the tongs through my hair and then she pulled it off at my ends. My hair was immediately wavy. She continued like this throughout my whole hair and, when she was done, she covered my eyes with her hand and sprayed hairspray to make sure the waves didn't loosen.
"Now," she stood, "go and find Rose. She has your dress and shoes. Then come back here and show me how hot you look. Got it?" She grinned. I nodded and walked off to find my roommate, not bothering to look in the mirror as I walked through the hall. She was in my room, sitting on the edge of my bed silently. When I walked in she grinned and pulled me to my floor length mirror. The girl staring back at me wasn't Bella Swan. The girl staring back was a stranger.
Interrupting my thoughts, Rose sat me down on the bed and handed me a box. I raised an eyebrow and opened it suspiciously. But what I found inside made me both happy and in awe at the same time. I pulled my dress out of my box and held it up in front of me, running my hands over the sequins that ran from my left breast down to the waistline.
"Oh my- thank you so much Rose!" I ran up and hugged her. She laughed and pulled away from me. "H-how much did it cost you to buy this?" I asked, stuttering in awe.
"Oh, it was only 520. Y'know not that much." She giggled. It was worth more than anything I owned. I felt loved.
"B-but why did you buy it for me? You look so much better in strapless dresses."
"Because, dear Bella, you're too innocent. You should show off your curves a bit more. When was the last time you had a boyfriend?"
"Um…well, never."
"Exactly. Don't be afraid to show off your sexiness." She grinned, "Anyway, get your ass in that dress."
I unzipped the back and lay it down on my bed whilst taking off my shirt and jeans. When I was in my underwear, I slipped the dress on over them and attempted to zip up the back, but my arms weren't long enough.
"Rose?" I called down the hallway, "Um…a little help?" She appeared in my doorway within a few moments and laughed at me trying to reach down my back. She zipped it up for me and span me round so she could see. She grinned happily.
"Now all you need to do is take off your bra."
I hesitated and stared at her confused.
"Oh come on, Bella. Don't be a wimp." I scowled and drew my arm out of the left strap, doing the same to my right and twisting it around and over my head. I must admit. It looked better without the straps.
"That's better," she smiled, "now for the shoes."
She went over to a box and opened it for me, sitting me down on the bed and forcing a shoe on my right foot. I tried to protest, but she forced another one on and made me stand up. At first, I couldn't stand straight. I had never been one for heels. She made me walk in them. I could only walk a few steps before having to grip the door knob for support. She laughed and help me walk straight, stalking into Alice's room where she was teasing her hair. She looked at me through the mirror with a grin on her face.
"W-o-w. How hot are you?" She smiled and bought me to the mirror. My mouth hung open. I wasn't Isabelle Marie Swan anymore. I was beautiful.
I brought my fingers to my hair, fingering a wave in shock. It felt so silky and I almost burst into tears right there and then. I did actually start crying. My eyes were wet with tears. But when I felt my cheeks for the black streaks, I smiled. Good thinking Alice…
"Now for the finishing touches," they both beamed. Alice smeared some red lipstick on my lips and Rosalie added a bright headband to bring out my bangs. I was relieved that I looked so stunning. I actually felt and looked decent for once in my life. I felt like I could do anything. But then I noticed something.
"Why aren't you two dressed yet?"
"Well…you were the main priority, because we both know that if we let you dress yourself, you would just wear jeans and an old shirt. And that's not something you wear to a bar. We both have dresses, but they're nowhere near as hot as yours." Rosalie smiled.
"Wait a sec…why am I supposedly the hottest one? Why not you two?"
"Because you deserve it, Bella." In the second before I blinked, I could have sworn I saw Alice wink at Rose after her sentence. They were both fitting their dresses on and quickly applying makeup.
"Oh." I glanced at the clock. It was 4 in the afternoon. "So what are we gonna do for the next 3 hours?" We all laughed.
"Well, the limo should be here soon. We'll tell the chauffeur to take a slow ride along the beach before we strike Seattle." The way she said it, it sounded like we were on a mission. And what was that about a limo?…
Just as she finished speaking, we heard a car horn beep outside our apartment. Rose and Alice sprang me to my feet and I almost tripped from my heels getting caught in the carpet. When I flinched, they laughed and helped me down the stairs slowly. These shoes were going to be hard to get used to…
Outside, the limo shone as the sky was just darkening. It was early autumn, so the sun set a little earlier. There was a slight breeze in the air but it wasn't cold. It was reasonably warm for October. Alice and Rose helped me into the back seats on the limo and then came to sit next to me on either side. I noticed the champagne and TV in the corner. The driver pulled up the divider to give us privacy and he started driving.
"Well this is luxurious." I giggled. I wasn't used to this kind of luxury.
"Yep. I know. Who wants champagne?" Alice squealed and reached into the corner, pulling off the 3 glasses and pouring some in each. I took a sip immediately but gagged as I drank too fast. Not to mention the drink was sour, so it made my tongue tickle. They both laughed at me.
"Yeah, I forgot to tell you its sour." Alice grinned. I glared.
I looked out of the window and noticed the reds, purples and oranges that mixed with the blue sky. Sunset. It was beautiful, the way it blended with the now dark sea and light golden sand. There were a few people on the beach watching like I was, in utter curiosity and awe. The limo was silent as I daydreamed.
"Bella?" I span round to meet Alice's gaze. She was smiling.
"Yes?"
"Do you want to know why we glamorized you?"
"You said we were going to Tulio Ristorante and then to some bar."
"Yes, but that's not the only reason."
"What's the other reason?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Alice grinned.
"Oh, Alice…tell me. Please." I pleaded. I was anxious now. Stupid, yellow Porsche owner.
"Sorry, Bella. I can't tell you. It's a secret." She giggled and I glared at her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alice give Rose a wink and stifle a smirk. I was more eager to learn about their little plan than I was to go through with it.
The rest of the way to the restaurant, we laughed and sang along with the radio in the back seat. My favourite was when Barbie Girl came on and everyone knew the lyrics. We danced in our seats and had a blast. But my good mood was soon ruined when we reached the restaurant: I found out about Alice and Rose's little plan.
"You put me on a date?!" I screamed at them as they walked away from my table and sat across the room from me. I was furious! Not just about what they did, but the fact that they put me on a date with, of all people, Mike Newton. I had known him since Highschool. Me, Alice and Rose had just graduated college.
I cursed under my breath as I grabbed the nearest menu and pretended to skim for a meal. I picked out the first thing I saw.
"I'm having smoked salmon ravioli." I announced glumly, sinking in my seat and looking around the restaurant. It was pretty busy. Mike looked at me confused, and then said he was having the same. I sighed and a waitress came round to order our drinks.
"Hello, my name is Shannon. I will be your server tonight. What would you like to drink?" She eyed us both quickly, then glanced back down to the table.
"Umm…I'll have a coke." I said and Mike said the same thing. I glanced at him, and once Shannon left, I decided to confront him.
"Why are you ordering the same as me?"
"I happen to want the same as you."
"Okay." I sighed and looked at my watch. It was 7:05. 5 minutes had passed and I already wanted to leave.
"You look nice tonight."
"I know." I said quickly. He seemed taken aback, but before he could say anything, Shannon arrived with our drinks.
I quickly slurped mine up. I could do without the small talk from Mike. I would rather eat on my own…
He watched as I placed my empty glass down and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I was too hungry to speak, so I fiddled with my nails until my plate was in front of me.
I ate quickly, not really tasting the food, and not keeping eye contact with Mike. He was the most boring male alive and I could do without his mindless staring at my chest. It was making me feel self conscious. With my luck, he announced he needed the bathroom and headed off to the men's. I felt relived to be able to eat without his eyes on me.
I hadn't noticed the music before. There was a pianist in the corner of the restaurant. He kept his eyes on the keys as I looked at him. He had short, tousled bronze hair and green eyes. He didn't look much older than I was. I continued looking at him until he noticed me, our eyes meeting. I blushed and scooped up a forkful of ravioli. When I looked again, he was looking at the keys.
I somehow couldn't stop staring at him. He was so out of my league, but I could not stop. He was so good looking. When he ended the song, he looked up at me and smiled, using his index finger to beckon me over. I blushed, walking over to meet him and he winked playfully at me.
"You looked like you were having fun there." He smirked.
"Oh yes. He's such an interesting guy." I said sarcastically and he chuckled.
"How's the ravioli?"
"I'm not sure. I was too busy ignoring Mike that I haven't really tasted it yet. How's the fingers?"
He smiled, "Oh they're just a little sore. My hours aren't up yet though." He sounded sad on the last part.
"Oh. Well after I've eaten, I'm going dancing. Hopefully, without Mike. If he dances with me, I will run away. And no one likes running in heels."
He chuckled, "Well I guess that's easy enough to explain."
I saw Mike walking to our table. "Well I guess I better go. He's back."
"Oh, wait, before you go, can I know your name?"
I smiled, "It's Bella." And then I walked back to the table. Now that Mike was back, I tuned out of his annoying voice and concentrated on my food. This made it easier to block out Mike's conversation with himself.
I turned around and saw Alice and Rose sitting, eating like they didn't even notice me. But I saw Alice's head turn a fraction toward me when I looked at her. I looked away for a second, and when I looked back, they were being served by a waiter. A pervert, I might add. It didn't take long for them to order their desserts and he walked away. I decided to go and talk to them.
"Hi, girls." I said as I sat in the spare seat.
"Hi, Bella. How is the date going?" Alice said this with a hint of humour in her voice.
"About that..Never. Put. Me. Through. That. Again." I said through gritted teeth. They laughed.
"Chill out, Bells. It was just a bit of fun. And besides, you seemed to be getting on better with Mr. Piano." Rosalie smirked.
I giggled, "Yes. But come on. Have you seen him? He's gorgeous!" I smiled and looked at him. He had a look of concentration of his face, but his eyes showed a hint of amusement. They followed my gaze and then looked back to me. They both had grinned.
"Oh no," I groaned, whishing I hadn't said that. They laughed.
I saw Mike get out of his seat and leave a 20 on the table. He looked bummed off with having to pay but this only made me smile. Finally, after all these years, he realizes what a boring and short focused person I am. Hopefully, I'll never see him again the rest of my life. But the day that happens, I'll be president…
Alice and Rose quickly ate up their desserts and they paid. As we were walking out of the exit, I caught the eye of Mr. Piano and waved with a grin. He smiled and waved back. As we closed the doors behind us and got in the limo once again, I felt flushed and happy inside. Alice seemed to notice and nudge Rose, who then came me a smirk. I just grinned the whole way to the bar.
"3 Cosmo's please." Rose said as she walked to the front bar. The man behind the bar eyed her chest with wide eyes before making us our cocktails. She glowered at him.
"Here you go, darling." He said as he placed our 3 glasses on the bar. She paid him quickly before he could ask for a tip. We sat at a small table in the corner and Rose ranted.
"The men around here are such creeps. There was that waiter earlier and now him. Just because a woman is wearing a dress that shows off her cleavage, does not mean that men are invited to perv on us." She glared at the bartender. She took a swig of her Cosmo and immediately hopped onto the dance floor. Me and Alice followed suspiciously. She was acting really crazy. Then suddenly it hit me.
"Alice? I think that bartender spiked her drink." I whispered, barely audible over the loud music. But she heard me.
"We need to get her out of here, now!" She said just as quietly.
I went onto the dance floor and reached for Rose's arm, which was outstretched in front of her. I tried pulling her away but she wouldn't move. Then I was suddenly pushed down by a fat man, and with everyone dancing, I was getting constantly kicked. I tried standing up, and when I was up, I saw Rose's blonde hair flowing behind her. I grabbed onto her, pulling with my strength until she decided to move. But by this time, Alice was helping me.
When we got her off the dance floor and into the breezy air, she was acting as though she was drunk, though she had barely drank half a glass.
"She needs to sleep this off. Otherwise, she's gonna get herself hurt." I said, helping her into the limo. I got in after her, and so did Alice. The chauffeur began to drive us back home to our apartment. Rose's head lolled to one side as she slept in the back seat. I stifled a laugh.
"Well that was some night out." Alice laughed.
"Yeah, I know. We spend 5 hours getting ready, to spend 1 hour eating in which I as really bored and about 15 minutes in the club. Totalling 1 hour 15 minutes worth of girl time." I sighed. "At least I got rid of Mike." Mine and Alice's laughter filled the backseats.
The drive home was quiet, with Rosalie sleeping, we couldn't really be loud. But it was peaceful, nonetheless. I was gazing out through the window at the blurry trees and people and I let my mind wander. I was daydreaming so much, that by the time we got to our apartment, Alice had to nudge me to break me from my trance-like state. I chuckled and we both held Rosalie as we walked into our apartment.
It was dark when we first walked in, but when I clicked the light switch, it blinded me with the light. I carried Rose to her room and lay her down on her covers. I didn't want to wake her up to get her in her pyjamas. And her tiny snores were adorable for a person so loud.
"I'm gonna go for a shower." I announced, getting my pyjamas ready and locking the bathroom door. I let the water heat up for a few minutes before jumping in. The water pounded my back and shoulders with warm water and it felt nice. Halfway through conditioning my hair, Alice knocked on the door.
"Bella?" She called.
"Yes, Alice?"
"I've ordered a pizza." This surprised me. I wasn't really hungry, but I was happy anyway.
"Okay. That's nice. What movie are we watching?"
"You can choose when you get out. I just wanted to inform you before you go to bed." I could hear the smile in her voice.
I laughed, "Well…thanks."
I continued with my hair, and when I was done, I stepped out and put a towel around me, drying myself quickly and slipping on my pyjamas. I tangled through my hair with a hair brush and towel dried it before going to the living room where Alice was waiting happily. I smiled and sat down next to her. I picked a good looking film from a pile of DVDs she handed me and pushed it in the player, waiting for the movie titles to start. Just as the production company's name came on the screen, the doorbell rang. Alice went over to answer it.
Alice POV
I ran to get our pizzas. I didn't want them to get cold. But as soon as I opened the door, I was speechless. Lost for words, completely. The pizza man looked at me like I had sprouted a second head.
"I…Um…here's your pizza. That will be 15." The blonde haired man smiled at me and I forgot to breathe. When I broke out of my trance by shaking my head, I handed him a 20.
"Keep the change." I winked and he grinned.
He had light blonde hair and it sat in little fluffs on his head. His eyes were a light hazel and they shined nicely when he smiled. I breathed silently. He eyed me with a raised eyebrow.
"Sleepover, kinda thing. Movie night." I giggled and I heard him chuckle.
"Well I best be off. Got loads more deliveries tonight. My boss won't be happy if I'm late."
"Wait, before you go, can I get your name?" I asked anxiously. If I was to ever see him again, I would like to address him by his name rather than Mr. Pizza.
"Jasper." He smiled and walked back to his delivery truck. As he drove away, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, biting my lip and breathing out loudly.
"Alice? What's holding you up back there?" Bella shouted through to me.
"I…Uh…Oh nothing. Here." I walked into the room and set the boxes on the floor. I opened mine and bit into a slice quickly. Bella looked at me, confused.
"Why are suddenly hungry? And why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"
"About the ghost thing…umm…the pizza guy was hot. And I didn't actually eat much at Tulio, so I'm sorta starved." I said through mouthfuls. She grinned at the pizza guy thing.
"What did he look like?"
"Blonde hair. Hazel eyes. Nice smile. Named Jasper. I mean, how hot is that name? It suited him so much. I was breathless." I rambled on.
Bella suddenly grinned.
"What?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just…Alice loves Jasper. Alice loves Jasper." She sang playfully.
I laughed, "I don't even know how old he is."
"But you still love him." It wasn't a question.
"Love at first sight. How realistic." I sighed sarcastically. She laughed.
We finished our pizzas, finished the movie and it was getting close to 1 A.M. I yawned, stood up and stretched.
"Well I'm off to bed. I'm knackered. Night, Bells." I kissed her cheek.
"Night, Al." She waved as she went to her own room and closed the door. I flopped onto my bed and clicked off my light. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.