Taking Chances

Note: This story was published July 10. My idiot of a brother deleted it is so I am reposting it (July 11). I don't think it will be too big of a deal since it only had like 50 hits. Just thought I would clear any confusion up!

Summary: Irresponsible and cocky Edward Cullen works as a valet parker for a high end restaurant. When a crappy old truck pulls up for him to park, he enjoys himself a little too much. Oh, there will be problems. Two-shot.

Rated T for Edward's potty mouth and bad assness.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Twilight or its characters. If I did, why would I right fanfictions about them when I could be swimming in cash?

Edward POV:

"What time is it?" I asked for the twentieth time- that hour.

"One minute later than what I just told you," Emmett, my co-worker and best friend, groaned.

Emmett and I both work as valet parkers for some fancy restaurant that I hate. Why people waste their money on an overpriced meal that gets eaten in twenty minutes is beyond me. Everyone that comes into this restaurant has damn good cars though. The only reason I applied for this stupid job is to drive the cars! Getting paid fifteen bucks an hour to park fancy cars is a damn good job. And the tips! The people that come here are loaded! So yeah I might bitch about the job, since it gets boring just sitting outside waiting to park a freaking car when people are completely capable of parking the damn car themselves, but for a twenty-year old college kid, this is the life. The moment I got the job, I told Emmett, and he immediately applied and got the job too. So we are in this shit together.

A red Mustang suddenly pulled up to where I was waiting. It had sleek cherry paint and looked like it could go from 0 to 100 miles per hour in five seconds. Damn.

Now this, my friends, is the reason I put up with my job.

Emmett was practically drooling as he saw the black leather interior.

"I will get this one," I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.

"Aw, no way man! I want to drive this one!" Emmett said, resembling a two year old whining about not getting candy.

"Sorry Em. You took the last car, the black hummer. It's my turn now." I smiled at his defeated expression.

I immediately went to the driver's door and opened it like a perfect gentleman- just the way I was taught. A strawberry blonde in a very short dress stepped out of the car. She grabbed my hand to hoist herself out of the car, which was completely unnecessary if you ask me. But hey, you do everything a customer wants to get a big tip.

"Why thank you," the girl said with flirtation clearly in her voice.

"No problem," I smiled back.

Hot girl and hot car? I really scored tonight. For some reason, I always had girls throwing themselves at me. (Not that I am complaining or anything, I love that shit) But I wasn't a one girl kind of guy. I liked to 'play the field' as Emmett called it. Now don't get me wrong, I am not one of those man whores who date five girls at a time. I just don't have relationships that go anywhere. Girls always ruin it by talking about their "feelings" and all that shit that comes with the female species. I can't handle clingy girls who feel the need to sit at home all night eating their feelings in ice cream just cause I have to cancel a date on them.

So who am I not to flirt back? Why not, right?

"You're quite the gentlemen," the girl giggled childishly.

Well damn, this was just too easy. Hell, I could be making out with her right now if I wanted to. But where is the fun in that? I like a challenge.

"Can I have your keys?" I asked, deliberately making my tone indifferent.

"Of course!" the girl scrambled and got out her keys, lingering when she handed them to me.

When I didn't say anything more, I could practically read her mind. Yeah, I was that good cracking the code of girl emotions.

Oh shit, I said something wrong, didn't I? And here I thought he was interested. And now he looks like he could care less about me! I am not boring. I am not boring, am I? Damnit, I am boring! Think… what can I do to strike up another conversation? Clothes… shopping… hair… nails… Robert Pattinson… No, no, no! Ugh!

Girls are just that simple, and I am just that good.

"I think you should go in to the restaurant. The tables are going to fill up, and I have more cars to park," I commented.

She sighed, but walked away anyway. And that was how I figured she wasn't worth my time. When a girl gives up that easily, there is no fun in the chase. Oh well. At least she had a wicked car that I would get to drive.

I got in the car and revved the engine. Damn, what a nice sound that is. I pressed my foot on the gas and was pleased to see how quickly I lurched forward. I drove the car at a normal speed towards the parking deck where Emmett and I put the cars. What our employers didn't know was that the deserted parking lot next to the deck was always put to good use. I am positive we would be fired if the employers knew what we did, because even I had to admit it was pretty stupid. But when you are a college kid, shit like that doesn't matter. You just do whatever your friend (Emmett in this case) suggests, even if you know it's a bad idea.

I took a little detour from the parking deck and drove the Mustang to the parking lot. That's when the 'bad idea' came to life.

The engine roared to life as I hit the gas at full force. In just five seconds, I was nearly at seventy miles an hour. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I sped around corners. The parking lot was pretty much just one big circle, but Emmett and I used it to our favor. We made sure to go only do this with the really nice cars and only one of us went at a time- getting caught would definitely be bad- but it was too exhilarating to stop.

Life is about fucking up, am I right?

After five minutes of pure fun, I finally slowed down and drove to the place I should have gone first, the parking deck. I didn't need any suspicious workers at the restaurant wondering why I went missing, so I didn't drive around too long.

I parked the car and walked back to the front of the restaurant with a content smile. Emmett was sitting lazily on a chair since there were no new cars that pulled up. When I sat down beside him, he asked, "Was it awesome?"

"So freaking awesome," I replied.

"Dude, I am so jealous right now," he replied.

"You can have the next good car," I said, knowing that almost every car here was a good car.

"Obviously," he said with an eye roll.

A few minutes passed, and we sat in silence while we waited. I was still in my own little world, thinking about that car. Maybe I should show more interest in that red head. Then I could spend more time in that car… I am sure I could convince her to let me drive it. Nobody denied Edward Cullen of anything. With my charming personality, good looks, and "panty-dropping smile," I could have her putty in my hands. Hmm… maybe I should learn her name first. It is never good when you forget a girl's name- or God forbid- call them by the wrong name. I can tell you by personal experience the only thing that will get you is a handprint on your face.

"Customers," Emmett said excitedly.

"Why are you so excited to park a freaking car?"

And then I saw her… She was glowing, beautiful, radiant, extraordinary… She was everything I wanted in life. She was perfect for me.

"The new Silver S80 Volvo," I whispered, salivating at the beauty- the car that had plagued my dreams.

"Woah." Emmett was awestruck.

"I will take her," I mumbled incoherently.

"What? No!" Emmett practically shouted. "You said I could take the next good car. We take turns in our friendship, Eddie."

Damnit, he was right. Now why the hell did I have to say something so stupid? Jesus, I am an idiot. I was now losing the opportunity of a lifetime.

"But you can have… that car," Emmett said, pointing to the vehicle behind the Volvo.

I couldn't conceal the look of pure horror on my face as I gazed at that thing. It wasn't even considered a car in my mind. It was an old, rusted, beat up Chevy truck. It looked old enough to have been around when the freaking Cold War was going on. Who the hell would drive that piece of shit? And at this restaurant?

Emmett doubled over in laughter as he saw the look I was wearing. "Have fun with that thing," he winked.

Damnit, I had to open up the door for this person, didn't I? It was probably some fat, ugly, chick inside who would fall on top of me when I opened the door for her. She would probably then have a heart attack and die on top of me. Well, at least she will die happy.

I grudgingly went to open the door. I had my hand on the handle (redundant much?) when the door shot open and almost clocked me. If it wasn't for my speedy agility, I would have been in a lot of pain. See, I knew I wouldn't come out of this uninjured.

"I am perfectly capable of opening my own door," the owner of the car, definitely a girl, said. "But sorry I almost hit you."

And then I looked up and saw the girl that almost killed me. She was… pretty. She had long, shiny brown hair and brown eyes that were naturally big. Where the hell was this ugly, fat chick I was expecting?

"You're not ugly," was the first thing that came out of my uncensored mouth. Damnit, this will not end well!

"Well gee, is that a compliment?" the girl asked sarcastically.

Oh… so this girl has an attitude. Interesting.

"It could be," I said coyly. "Now your truck on the other hand… that thing is ugly. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it ever before."

The look of rage on her face told me that that was not the right thing to say. Uh-oh.

"I will have you know that my truck is a classic. Yes, it might not be in the best condition, but it has more character here than all those other fancy cars."

I rolled my eyes at her rant. See Edward, you wish for a challenge, and this is what you get! Karma is a bitch.

"If you call tackiness a trait, than yes, it has a lot of character," I said, just to spite her.

"Listen buddy, you are just the valet boy. I am pretty sure you are supposed to just take my keys and park my car. As much as I would love to park my truck myself, it seems like that is not allowed at this stupid restaurant. Last time I checked, attitude and disrespect is not part of a job, now is it? So I would appreciate it if you would just shut up and park my damn car!"

"That was harsh," I commented, amused by her outrage.

"I am sorry I am being a bitch, I really am. But I really don't want to be here right now."

"Then why are you here?" I asked, asking the obvious.

"I am meeting the people in the car in front of me. It is my best friend's birthday. And now I am going to have to spend one hundred bucks on a meal that I don't even want."

I nodded, thinking that the restaurant's stupidity would be the only thing we would ever agree on.

"Are you going to give me your keys, or am I going to have to put my hand in your pocket to get them out?"

She blushed slightly at my words, leaving me confused. Why would she blush about that? Maybe it was just the lighting.

She hesitantly reached out and handed me her keys.

"I swear, if there is one problem with that car when I get back-"

"Don't worry," I cut her off. "This car doesn't fascinate me anyway."

Not as much as you do, I wanted to add.

"Fine," she huffed. "And don't expect a big tip. I still haven't forgiven you for mocking my car."

"Wouldn't want it any other way," I smiled.

"Come on, Bella!" a girl's voice yelled.

Bella… pretty name, pretty girl. Shit, I was starting to think like a girl.

"I have to go. Be careful," she warned.

I watched as she met up with two girls and a guy. The girl who called her name had blonde hair. I could tell she was the driver of the car because she was handing the keys to Emmett. By the look on Emmett's face, I couldn't tell whether he was more interested in the car or the girl. The guy had blonde hair too, and he was attached to the other girl's arm. He is so whipped! The other girl was short and had short, spiky hair. She was bubbling with excitement, clearly annoying Bella.

"Relax, Alice. It is nothing. In fact, I hate him," I thought I heard Bella say.

Damn, she hates me? I had never ever had a girl hate me. Yeah, some of them strongly disliked me when I broke up with them, but hate… that is a passionate word! I supposed I was a bit of a douche to her, but then again she was a bitch to me. Well shit, I think I just met my match.

I watched her go into the restaurant, feeling like a complete stalker. Edward Cullen did not stalk girls, they stalked him! Yet I had this strong yearning to follow her in there. To start an argument of course, I told myself.

I walked by Emmett who was sporting a huge grin. "I am in love," was all he said. "She fixes car for a living. And she is so into me!"

"Congrats," I said bitterly, hating how Emmett could find his perfect girl when the girl I talked to immediately hated me.

"Oh shut up," Emmett said, hopping in the car.

"Are you going to take it out for a spin?" I asked.

"Nah," he said, surprising me. "I actually like this girl. I don't want to fuck things up by totaling her car!''

I was impressed by his willpower. I had as much willpower as a person trying to loose one hundred pounds shoveling down a pint of Ben and Jerry's while coming down for a 'midnight snack.'

"Your loss," I muttered. I didn't need Emmett knowing I was jealous of him. That would blow up in my face.

Emmett drove off while I got into the old truck. I sat in the scratchy seat, amazed by how a person could drive this thing. I gunned the engine and was severely disappointed when I hit the gas. It was going so freaking slow! It was like driving through a time warp, that's how slow it was! I thought I was going to die.

After what seemed like hours, I finally pulled up into the parking deck. My first impression was right; this car is a piece of shit. Classic car my ass. But then a thought hit me… Could I get this car going more than thirty? Testing theories is the only way to prove scientific explanations, right?

So I pulled back out and drove to the parking lot, you guessed it! I wanted people to be able to say that Edward Cullen, the "valet boy," was the genius that got the old decrepit truck running. I would be a freaking legend. In my mind, at least.

Once I got to the parking lot, the journey began. I tapped the gas, slowly building up the momentum. It was a shift stick, but luckily I was taught to know both stick and automatic for the job, so I had no problem with that. I popped the clutch and all that shit until I was cruising around the parking lot. SLOWLY. I added more pressure to the gas. Hey, I was going faster! I was at twenty-five! Woo! I added more pressure… holy shit, I was now at thirty-four! I exceeded my expectations! But of course, I wanted more. I wasn't going to stop until I knew I hit the maximum speed. I pressed the accelerator as hard as it could go, relishing the feel of it. I looked at the speedometer and was amazed to see that I was going fifty miles per hour in this piece of junk.

Edward Cullen did it! He has now made history and deserves some kind of award for this shit… Aw, shit! Nobody can know about this, besides Emmett. I don't think it would help Bella and my's rather rocky relationship if I told her that I brought her car to new speeds.

All of sudden, the car started making weird noises. I slammed on the brakes, knowing that these noises were not normal. I knew a lot about cars, and I can be the first one to tell you that the engine died. That translates to the car now won't start. Shit, shit, shit! Damnit, I just completely killed Bella's car. She is going to murder me. She is going to eat me alive. Oh, why did I always get myself into these unfortunate situations?

So, I did the only thing that made sense. I cried my eyes out. Ha ha, don't worry, I am kidding. I am not a freaking girl or some pansy. Nope, I called Emmett.

Emmett picked up on the first ring. "Where are you?"

"I am in deep shit," I replied.

"Oh shit. What did you do?"

"I might have killed the engine on that girl's truck."

"What the hell, Edward? Why were you driving that thing around?"

"I wanted to see how fast I could get it going."

"Well, you are a freaking idiot who must be missing important brain cells. Are you in the parking lot?"

"Yeah. And the only way we can move this thing is to get it towed. Either way, they are going to find out what we have been doing back here. Unless we can think of a damn good excuse on why I drove the truck back here. And I can't think of anything."

"Oh man. We are going to have to confess. And that girl… She is going to kill you Edward. And didn't she already like hate you?"

"I know, Emmett!" I growled.

I hung up the phone and ran back to the front of the restaurant. Emmett was standing there nervously.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Well, when Bella comes back out I am going to tell her that happened. I would rather her tell the restaurant what I did before the restaurant tells her. I think she should hear it from me first, so I can explain to her that I will pay for all the damage."

"Alright," Emmett drawled. "Do you think this will turn off her friend from liking me? I will kill you if she decides-"

"Shut up Emmett," I said, rolling my eyes. "It will be fine."

We waited there for two hours. It felt like an eternity. I was just waiting for Bella to walk through the door, demanding her car. And then I would tell her that I had some bad news… Damn, I really think tonight will be my last night on this lovely Earth. Goodbye world. Maybe I should write a letter to my loved ones. It will explain that it is too late to repent for my sins, but I have learned from my wrong doings. I can end it with, "I sure hope I am in heaven."

"Hi!" a female voice startled me from my mental goodbye letter.

"Oh God B-" I stopped when I saw it was the redhead, not Bella, who was talking to me. I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or sad that I still had to wait for Bella.

"Have a nice night?" she batted her eyelashes.

"Peachy," I replied. I wasn't in the mood to small talk with this girl right now. I was still writing the list of Five Things to Do Before Bella Kills Me in my head.

"So-" she started.

I cut her off. "I will get your car, Ma'am."

Call me cruel, but I used ma'am just to make her feel like old.

She looked miffed. Good.

I quickly retrieved her car and drove it back to her.

"Have a nice night," I said, and walked away before she could say anything else.

I sat back in my little chair, waiting for Bella. Fifteen minutes passed before I heard chattering voices. One of them sounded chirpy and bubbly, so I guessed it was the little one, Alice. Oh shit, that meant Bella was right here. Right now.

I wasn't ready for this.

Rose sauntered over to Emmett, who immediately left me to go get her car. Thanks for leaving me with no witnesses, I wanted to yell back at him.

Bella quickly found me, and she already had a scowl on her face. I guess the bill was higher than one hundred bucks… Well shit this already wasn't looking good for me! "Car?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm…" was all my brain could say.

"Can you just give me my keys? I will find my truck myself if I have to. I just want to go home."

"Bella…" I started, feeling nervous for the first time in a long time.

"What?" she asked impatiently.

"The thing is… The engine in your truck broke, so your car isn't starting. I wanted to see how fast I could get the truck to go, but I pushed it too hard. I am so sorry. I am willing to pay for whatever needs to be fixed. This was completely reckless of me, and I accept whatever consequences are needed, because I deserve them."

After my little speech was over, I looked up from the ground to see what kind of expression was in Bella's eyes.

And shit, were they are fire.

"You killed my truck!" she screamed.

Right before lunging herself at me.

A/N: Wow, wasn't that dramatic? This will be a two-shot most likely. If you all like it and want me to continue, I might even make it a three-shot. But I am writing two stories right now (One new story which will be posted any day), so this won't be anything major. I wrote this because I was getting a car valet parked, and for some reason I thought this would make a good story. I am sorry if there :) I have spent around five hours working on this chapter (it is pretty long), so it would be great if I got some feedback. If you have a story you want me to read, I would be happy to do so and review yours.

Also, if you go on my profile, you will find a link to my Formspring. You can ask me questions about this story on there!