I wrote a story similar to this once before, but I eventually slipped away from it. Only posted three chapters and lost the inspiration for it. Hopefully with this one, my muse stays strong.

-Naz

I pulled the turtleneck tighter against my body. I tried harder to shut my eyes and go back to the blissful nap I was taking. But my body jolted as the van went over a huge bump. My eyes fluttered open and I inwardly groaned as I realized I couldn't go back to my nap. The nap I had was the only thing that allowed me to avoid a conversation with my best friend.

I nose wrinkled once again as my senses came across the musky scent of the van. I really have a difficult time getting used to it. It smelled like old cheese stuffed into an old shoe. I rubbed my eyes and shifted my eyes towards the front of my car. My best friend, Alice, was laughing away. I always envied her for her laughter for they sounded like chimes. She was sitting in the passenger seat, laughing at what her boyfriend, who also happens to me by best friend Jasper, said. With his shaggy blonde hair, I could still sense him laughing as his shoulder shook.

Alice looked at him with this special twinkle in her bright blue eyes. She graced a beautiful smile on her perfectly straight teeth which complimented her porcelain skin. She was extremely petite, standing at exactly five feet. With jet black hair and cropped hair, she was beautiful in her own way.

In a way, she was kind of the opposite of Jasper. He had blonde hair with sun-kissed tan skin. He was six feet tall and towered over Alice when they were together. While Alice was the loud, boisterous and extremely friendly girl to any stranger, Jasper was more quiet and subtle to his approach. However he was different when you got to know them.

As I leaned away from the window, I suddenly realized I was stuffed underneath a light blanket. I rubbed my eyes and settled on going back to sleep again. As soon as I pulled the blanket closer to my body, I heard my name slip from their lips.

"Do you really think Bella will enjoy herself?" Jasper whispered. I rolled my eyes. I could obviously still hear him.

"Why are you even whispering? She's fast asleep." I could sense Alice turn around.

"I don't know. I just don't feel comfortable forcing her to come along somewhere she never wanted to go in the first place." Jasper cleared his throat. "To be honest, I don't feel comfortable around her cause we're like strangers."

I slightly cringed at his words. I can't deny they stung, mainly because he was right. I estranged myself from many people. Jasper, who was my best friend before Alice, included.

"Come on, Jasper. That's not fair," Alice protested.

"Look Alice, I've known her since I was fourteen. I have never felt like this with her. Ever." He took a deep breath. "It just sucks to feel like you lost someone that resembled a sister."

And suddenly, I wish I was back in my dorm, listening to music at a deafening volume to blare out the sounds of the outside.

Alice scoffed. "You don't think it sucks for me too?" I can imagine Alice shaking her head. "But you have to be patient. Sometimes even give her a little push. I miss my best friend just as much as you miss yours. Give it a little time."

I deeply swallowed and couldn't help the tears that approached my eyes. To hear Alice defend me like this, I knew I didn't deserve it. I wanted to tell her I was too mangled to be fixed so quickly. I was an unmanageable mess. Jasper was the realist while Alice was the dreamer. But despite everything, I just wanted something to stop the dull the pain in my chest. Anything.

I closed my eyes even harder and attempted my best to blare out their words. I really didn't want to be in this stupid van, in the middle of god knows fucking where. I'd rather be in my dorm in solitude.

Sooner or later, I felt myself slowly succumb to sleep. Right before I did, I heard Alice speak three words.

I have hope.

-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-::-

"Bella. Bella. BELLA."

I groaned as I opened my eyes. My vision went from blurry to clear as I came across Alice's bright blue eyes. She was looking at me with a wide smile.

"We're at their hotel. You hungry?" She was sounding awfully cheerful. I stretched my limbs and rubbed my eyes. I groggily looked at her for a few seconds until I felt like I gained full consciousness.

"No, I'm fine." My voice sounded a little scratchy. I shivered as I felt the cold air from outside seep in through the open door.

"Oh crap. Listen I gotta use the restroom. Take your time to come inside and I'll meet you in the lobby." Alice zipped up her jacket and put on her hat before rushing out into the snow. I couldn't help but smile as I watched her tiny legs trudge through the white blanket.

I slipped out of the blanket and leaned towards the backseat to get my jacket. I zipped myself up and put on my gloves and hat. I stared at the hotel long and hard with a grim smile. I'm never eager to meet new people, with the required pleasantries and greetings.

But I already knew Rosalie, Jasper's older sister, who supposedly invited us over for this ski trip that her boyfriend set up for us. Rosalie, like Jasper, had blonde hair and shared many of his features. Back in Seattle when I was growing up, I remember noticing how beautiful and confident she was. With icy blue eyes and the straight nose, she always gave off that intimidating vibe. She knew how Jasper and I were best friends in high school, and took the time tell me once that she liked me better than the other girls. Other girls as in Jasper's girlfriends. Other than that, she has always been persistent to give me the cold shoulder.

Apparently, her boyfriend has an uncle who owns a huge ski resort in British Columbia. His uncle raised him and since he had the proper hookups, everything would be provided to us for free. I'm just grateful its only one person I have to make introductions to.

I opened the gritty door on the van and whimpered at the instant contact against the brisk cold air. I trudged along the two foot snow until I finally approached the entrance. Shaking off the snow, I sighed as the warm heated air hugged my form once I walked through the entrance.

The inside of the lobby was beautiful, filled with more people than I imagined. People were running around with their luggage, talking incessantly into their phones. My lucky guess were canceled flights from the snow storm.

I saw Alice sitting at the other side of the room, wedged between a frustrated mother with a crying baby and an old man with a bad cold. Alice was too distracted by her phone to notice. As I walked towards her, she looked up and smiled.

"Hey you're finally here," she paused to put her phone away. "Everyone is at the café having hot chocolate. I was just waiting for you."

I felt myself slowly frown. "You didn't have to Alice, could've just texted me."

Alice rolled her eyes and stood up. She linked her arm with mine and smiled wide. "It's fine. You're my best friend."

I felt myself hesitate. "Yeah," was my lame response.

"Come on." Alice pulled me through crowds of people until we reached a dim lighted café, lit by twinkling lights. It had mini-pine trees adorned in every corner and only few people seated in tables.

We approached a table at a corner, which was the most secluded within the room. As we neared, I noticed Jasper laughing with his head laid back. Next to him was Rosalie, wearing an authentic smile that flashed her white teeth and ruby lips. Her hand rested on a huge muscular guy next to her, with deep dimples and dark hair. Like Rosalie, he had a perfect smile but laughed so loud that it caught the eye of a few people around him. Rosalie smacked him on the arm for being too loud but couldn't hide the smile on her lips.

Jasper stopped laughing long enough to notice us and his eyes softened as it rested on Alice. "Hey, allow me to introduce you guys." He stood up from his seat and embraced Alice into a hug. "Emmett, this is Alice my girlfriend," he paused to give her a kiss on the forehead, "and this is Bella, our best friend." He gestured towards me.

Alice smiled. "Nice to meet you. Congratulations on the engagement!" I nodded my head and said the same. "Congratulations."

"And guys, this is Emmett. Rosalie's boyfriend. The loud and obnoxious one." He gestured towards Emmett and gave him a light punch on the arm.

Emmett barked out a huge laugh and by instinct, I jumped. He noticed of course and gave me a smug smile. "Sorry Bella, didn't mean to scare ya little thing. And Thanks."

Rosalie smacked him on the arm. "See, I told you that you laugh like a hyena. Lower your voice you gorilla." Rosalie turned to look at us. She beamed. "Thanks." She lifted her hand to unveil the gorgeous ring on her finger.

Rosalie's eyes shifted towards me. "It's been a while since I've seen you."

I smiled. "Yeah it has. Like four years."

Emmett frowned. "Wait you guys know each other from before? But I thought you met Alice two years ago at Thanksgiving with the family."

Alice giggled. "Bella and Jasper have been good friends since way back. I became best friends with Bella at UDub and she introduced me to Jasper. Rest is history."

Emmett stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, until the gears in his head started shifting. "OHHH!" he loudly replied. He displayed his dimples as he smiled wide. "That's pretty fucking awesome!"

Rosalie's icy blue eyes flared at Emmett. "Can you lower your voice? There are kids in here."

Emmett gave her an apologetic smile, flashing his dimples. "Sorry baby." I watched as Rosalie's eyes softened. Emmett turned his body to face Jasper. "So what's my main man Jazz up to?"

"Nothing really, just majoring at engineering. So how's the wedding planning going?"

Emmett cringed. "It's been going alright you can say. NFL's drafting season is around the same time, so it's been pretty hectic."

The conversation between Emmett and Jasper continued, while Rosalie and Alice were chatting about wedding dresses. I felt myself slump a little and stare at my iPhone. I estranged myself from a lot of people, because I realized I had no one to text. Jessica, Mike, Angela, and etc. were all unread texts from months ago. Soon enough, they just stopped trying. Jacob's text message was all the way at the bottom, and I felt myself cringe.

"What the fuck!" I snapped out of my trance to look at the source. First thing I saw was a head of messy bronze hair, with a frown. He was stalking into the café, and looked around the room frantically. Once his eyes rest on our table, he began to stalk towards us.

As he approached I got a better look at him. He had emerald eyes, with a straight nose. His lashes were practically longer than mine, complimenting his high cheekbones. My focus reverted to his body, which was tall and lean like a swimmer's body. His black sweater hugged his muscles and complimented his pale complexion. He was beautiful.

He approached Emmett and looked like he was fuming. "Every fucking flight to Chicago is cancelled."

Emmett's playful posture turned rigid. He rolled his eyes. "I don't know man, reschedule the next flight. Not the end of the world."

"Every flight is canceled for the next week," the stranger gritted through his teeth. "Mother fucking nature kicked in and decided on a huge snowstorm over there."

Emmett scoffed. "Okay, and it's my fault how?"

The stranger glared. "You made me miss my last flight, that's fucking how." Emmett was about to open his mouth and I sensed a huge fight about to abrupt.

Rosalie shot out of her seat and came between them. "Jasper, Alice, Bella," she gestured towards the stranger, "this is Edward, Emmett's younger brother."

Edward head shifted towards us, as if he just noticed our presence. His ears were tinged with a deep shade of pink as his eyes shifted over us. I swear I felt his eyes linger on me for a few more seconds. "Sorry," he muttered. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "So what am I supposed to do for the next week?"

"You can come with us to go skiing!" chirped Alice. Although both brothers were facing different directions, they simultaneously rolled their eyes. For that quick second, I saw the resemblance.

Rosalie smiled wide. "That's a brilliant idea!" She leaned in towards Emmett to mutter for a quick second. I think she said "Good time to bond."

Edward looked at them with a poker face before he spoke up. "Great," he said sarcastically. He turned to leave and began to walk towards the entrance. His foot, however, caught onto the leg of the chair across from me and made him stumble.

His face turned into a light shade of pink from his ungraceful exit. I stifled a laugh and noticed his piercing eyes glare at me. He straightened up and walked away faster from us. I turned to look at everyone to see their reactions.

They were back to what they were doing before Edward came in.