Bella's POV
The lights flashed and the music pulsed loudly in my ears. The sticky heat radiating off the sweaty bodies crowding the dance floor was making my head hurt. Even standing by the cracked open window, the evening may air was just as hot as inside if not warmer.
Everywhere I turned there were bodies swaying to the music- the night was still young and there I was, cowering in a corner. I pushed all my weight onto my tiptoes. This was a relief for my ankles which have been screaming in protest all night due to the suede death traps strapped to them.
Finally I could see Alice's tiny head bobbing up and down in the sea of people- not in the sea exactly, but right in the middle of it. Of course I would be perfectly welcome to join her- if I was brave enough. But that evolved me crossing the entire room and shoving through the dance floor which was a blur of short skirts and T-shirts.
No, it was far safer for me here with my back pressed up against the wall, breathing in what little fresh air I could get.
Besides, dancing had never been my thing and I'd best not try it out again here. The thought of the humiliation alone was enough to make my shudder.
I pushed my back closer into the wall as a group shoved past my in search of action. I kept my eyes trained on Alice's tiny frame as she bounced up in down in perfect time to the obnoxious music. If I were to lose her, I would have no hopes of finding her again- the place was massive.
Timeless, tall, graceful and white. The kind of homes that graced the pages of my mothers decorating magazines. I'm talking three stories, swimming pool, balconies, and enough rooms to make my head spin.
There seemed to be plenty of people here too. I thought once I caught a glimpse of a friend for school, but she disappeared amongst the crowd before I could even blink. At first I was stunned as to why she would be here, but then I remembered that everyone was supposed to be here. I, was here and that was saying something.
I took in a much needed gulp of fresh air as a kid five feet from me vomited violently and then collapsed. No one took notice of him but instead them simply step over him. Some even step on him. It was a small comfort to know I wasn't the only one being trampled.
I can practically hear Alice's warning voice back in the car. "Now Bella, you promise you'll be social tonight?"
I let out a groan. I wasn't really anti social- I swear I'm not. But the thought of the persons house I'm in made my stomach churn uncomfortably.
I didn't hate Edward Cullen. I just didn't like him. At all. There is a difference, trust me.
You see, I didn't really have a reason to hate him. I hadn't really ever talked to him properly. He was far off, untouchable, unattainable to someone of my social status. But I had seen him; saw the way he acted; I had even heard things about him from others. It was nearly pathetic how many trivial facts I knew about the guy.
To me, that was enough to dislike him.
"Bella!"
I snapped my head in the direction of my name being called over the monotonous voice of some rapper I couldn't name.
Oh, there she was.
"Alice." I said with a satisfying sigh.
She sauntered over to me, her body gleaming in the flashing lights. "So, I see you are still alone in the corner. Have you even tried to be social yet?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Very funny," I said with a sigh and I wasn't sure she was able to hear me over the pounding music. "Have you spotted him yet?" I asked, trying to shift the focus from me.
"Not yet." She said maintaining her grin. "But the night is young and I haven't really tried to look for him yet." She reached up and patted a piece of stray hair back into place. For a girl that had been dancing for an hour straight, she looked amazing.
Suddenly Alice was yanking my arm and pulling me through the crowd. The people parted way easily for her as she stormed past them. Now, why couldn't they do that for me?
She lead us into a living area typed room which was quieter and less packed. I let out a breath of relief to be away from the other, awful room.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you." She said slowly. "Now, Bella. What do we know about Jasper?"
"He's friends with Edward Cullen." I said with a grumble and crossed my arms.
"Well that doesn't help me." Alice said as she began to pace. "He'd obviously be with Edward, but Edward could be anywhere."
"Oh," I said. "So you're going to look for him then?"
"Not me." Alice said with a wicked grin. "Us. But I don't have the slightest clue as to where he might be."
"Like I said before, he'd be where Edward was." I said slowly, the light bulb going off in my head.
Alice didn't catch on. "And like I said before. Edward could be anywhere, Bella. This place is huge." She let out a frustrated breath.
"That is true," I said patiently. "But why would he be anywhere, when he could be somewhere in particular?" Alice just stared at my blankly so I dropped the mind games. "Look, if you were Edward Cullen; the host of one of the biggest parties of the year, where would you want to be?"
I could practically see the gears churning in her head. "I see where you are going with this." She said with a smile.
"That doesn't answer my question." I said, crossing my arms with my own grin on my face.
"If I were Edward Cullen, I'd want to be where the girls are." Alice smiled.
"Correct. And if you were the kind of girl who was into Edward Cullen, where would you want to be?" I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Where ever I could show off the most skin!"
"Right," I practically muttered. "Now let's find this pool of his…"
It took us about fifteen minutes of good searching to find our way out of the vast house and then another five minutes after that to scour the outside before we found the pool.
As soon I laid eyes on it, I knew I had had a stroke of pure genius, because what did we find?
Not only were there less people outside; less noise, less hype; not only was it beautiful and dark and had more room to move about in- but it also seemed to be the main attraction amongst just the people we had been looking for. The girls. And one certain tall, blonde guy that made my friend's heart beat quicken.
Jasper Whitlock, we have found you.
Almost immediately I had noticed that my prediction hadn't been entirely accurate. Where was the leading man, Edward Cullen? I couldn't spot him anywhere amongst the people lounging about the pool. Surely he wouldn't leave his guests to lie around themselves. They needed someone to copy, to laugh with, to ogle at.
My eyes came to rest on the six or so girls that had flocked to the pool. Some of them sat at the edge of the pool, their toes just skimming the water, while a few of the others laid back on the tiles which didn't seem very comfortable. Some of them wore skimpy bikinis, while other wore skirts that were close enough to bikinis anyways.
They were all in my grade and everyone seemed to want to be friends with them. I had yet to make conversation with them, but it was fine with me. I had Alice and although she would drag me to torturous social events occasionally, she was better than an airhead any day.
By now Alice and I had subtly joined the group and had taken our place in some deck chairs a few feet from them, very close to her target. He had smiled at her already, as a greeting when we first awkwardly made our way into the group, but it was a little too warm for just a polite greeting smile. And he kept glancing her way- in very subtle ways.
Maybe Jasper Whitlock wasn't as oblivious to Alice as we had assumed.
These little things were lost on Alice however. I vowed to point them out to her when we were safely at home.
With nothing better to do, I turned my attention to three of the girls at the pool who were in deep conversation.
"…But I'm not sure. He just disappeared and he looked a little funny."
"What happened?"
"Nothing happened, stupid. He just left, but it's no matter. He'll come back to me soon enough." The first girl said with a grin.
"Of course he will," A third girl piped in. "He was all over you tonight. Did you did that?"
The first girl let out an airy laugh. "He was, wasn't he?"
Curiosity had gotten the better of me and I turned to place the faces to the voices.
Ah, well of course. I should have guessed. Tanya, Jessica, and Lauren.
Tanya, the goddess with the long legs and shoulder length hair that had a lovely strawberry tint to it. Her skirts were always short and her companions were always in tow.
Jessica wasn't the brightest girl in the group, and she wasn't the prettiest either. Her hair was obviously dyed a fake blonde colour which left it dull and stringy. Her clothes were more simple, though she did try to mimic Tanya's style to no avail.
Lauren was Tanya's closest friend. She had golden tresses that fell down her back neatly, and words that could burn a hole through your soul.
"Surprise, surprise. Look who's here." I whispered to Alice.
Her gaze followed my discreetly pointing pinkie and she let out a low snort. "That's just great."
They hadn't noticed us talking about them, so they continued with their own conversation.
"Anyways, I think he's going to ask me tonight." Tanya said with a smirk.
"Ask you what?" Jessica asked, oblivious.
"Ask her out you idiot." Lauren said in a gush. "Oh, he's just been hinting at it forever."
"I know," Tanya said with a perfectly rehearsed sigh. "Do you think we'd be good together?"
"Just perfect." Lauren said with a grin as she crossed her legs with a flourish.
The movement caught Tanya's eye and she let out another sigh. "God, I wish I had your thighs. Mine are so fat and ugly."
She was obviously fishing for compliments. She knew perfectly well she had curves to die for and that just about any guy was willing to kill for her.
"Oh, shut it. Your legs are perfect. My legs are disgusting." Lauren fired back.
So it was going to be one of those conversations. I could tell the gossip was over so I turned back to Alice.
"I'm sick of this" She whispered in a low voice. "There are only so many conceited gossip stories one girl can take before she loses her head. Any guess as to who Tanya was talking about before?"
"I'm guessing it might have been about, oh I don't know, Edward Cullen?" I said sarcastically.
"Bingo." Alice said with a laugh. "I'll be right back, alright?" Without a moments hesitation, Alice straightened up, put on her most dazzling smile and sauntered over towards Jasper.
I watched silently from my place as she strode confidently across the pool deck. I would be her back up if she needed it, but I knew she liked to operate alone when it came to guys.
"Hey," She said in a light, breezy tone, her eyes wide and beautiful.
"Hi," Jasper replied and an expression of confusion flickered across his face before it was replaced with a grin. Already, Alice's charm was taking hold of him.
And already my cheeks began to flush just watching the pair, so I let my eyes wander around the area. Then I caught sight of the friend I'd thought I'd seen earlier.
"Angela!" I called out a little too loudly.
She craned her neck towards the sound of my voice before her eyes found me. "Bella?" She asked as she jogged over. "Why are you here?"
I knew I shouldn't be here. "Alice," I replied simply but I couldn't hold back the grin of finding another familiar face here.
"Oh, where is she?" Angela asked as she took Alice's empty chair beside me. I nodded my head towards where Alice was animatedly telling some kind of joke, subconsciously leaning towards him.
"Are they going out?" She asked, turning back to me, her eyes a little wide.
"Not yet," I answered. "But that is the plan."
"They certainly look cute together."
"Yes." I said clearing my throat. "Are you here with anyone?"
"Ben," She said, a shy smile playing at her lips. "I didn't really plan on coming, but it's something to do, right?"
"That's true." I said, even though I would have preferred doing something else.
"So, do you want to go inside and dance or something?" I overheard Jasper ask. I had to twist in my seat to hide the smile that was tugging at my lips. Things were going well, indeed.
"I'd like that." I could practically hear the smile in Alice's voice.
I kept my back turned for a moment before a felt a light tap on my shoulder.
"Hey, Al." I said as I turned around.
She all but did a victory dance, but soon composed herself. "Listen, I'm going inside for a bit. Is that okay?"
"That's fine," I said with a smile. "I've got Angela."
"Oh, hi." Alice said nodding towards Angela before scurrying back towards where Jasper was waiting for her.
"So where is Ben?" I asked when Alice disappeared back into the house.
"Oh," Angela said uncomfortably. "I actually have to meet him back inside, but you can come if you want." She said while biting her lip.
I could feel my heart sink a little in my chest, but something like this was to be expected. "No, it's fine. Go ahead, I'll be okay on my own."
"Are you sure?" Angela asked, uncertain.
"Yes, don't keep Ben waiting." I gave her shoulder a nudge and she started back towards the house.
With nothing keeping me at the pool, I found myself wandering around the outside of the house. Right behind the pool were the gardens which seemed to swallow up all of the moon light that hit them. They gave me the chills so I steered clear of them and followed the outline of the house to the other side.
What I found nearly made me collapse with joy. Not only was it totally deserted, but there was a tiny play ground; complete with a swing set, a slide, and a small tree house inside the large maple tree that towered over the yard.
With the pulsing music as just a background, and the cool breeze sweeping my hair around my face, I slipped off my shoes and walked bare foot through the grass towards the little set of swings.
It had been years since I had been on a swing and the feeling of my body soaring through the air, back and forth, felt amazing.
Just when I was starting to get into it, I swear I heard I chuckle from somewhere near me. I dug my heels into the grass, leaving ugly brown marks, to stop myself. I all but leapt from the swing and swivelled my head around to catch sight of anyone who could be watching.
"Wh- who's there?" I called out tentatively.
The chuckle came again, but this time above me. The tree house.
I squinted my eyes and sure enough I could see a dark figure, barely outlined in the dull moonlight, sitting on the edge of the house, their legs dangling down.
"Sorry," I stuttered. "I didn't know there was anyone else here."
"No worries." Came a smooth male voice. "It's nice isn't it?" He asked.
"Yeah, it is." I said with a slight laugh and bent down to scoop up my shoes. "I'll go now."
"You don't have to." The man said and launched himself from the tree causing me to scream slightly.
"I won't bite." He said as he stepped into the moonlight and immediately I knew who he was. I suddenly felt way out of my comfort zone and my eyes wandered down to the grass. Maybe I should just walk away. He surely wouldn't be used to that approach.
"Are you alright?" He asked with what sounded like true concern. "Are you going to be sick?"
"Sick?" I asked, glancing up into his eyes. His emerald green eyes…. "Why would I be sick?"
He snorted. "You're at a party. There are plenty of reasons to be sick."
I found my eyes rolling towards the sky. "I don't drink, if that's why you are implying." I said, straightening my shoulders, feeling more confident. "In fact, I don't smoke or do drugs either."
He turned that over. "You don't look like the type." He said finally.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What makes you say that?"
He let out an easy laugh, knowing perfectly well he had offended me. I didn't like being branded, being told how I should act, being placed into a category. I wanted to walk away again. But as irritating as his laugh was, it also drew me in.
"I'm sorry if I offended you, but you just look smart."
"So to be smart you can't do what everyone else does?" I asked, pursing my lips. "By saying that, aren't you referring to yourself being stupid? You're the one hosting the party." I said crossing my arms.
"Ah, there we go. You get mad when I assume something about you, but then you fire an assumption back at me. What's to say I enjoy parties like these? What do you know about me?" He let out another amused laugh.
"I know you planned this party." I said lamely, because I could tell he had a point.
"Another assumption mistake." He nodded his head once but still managed to gaze up at me through his thick lashes. "This party wasn't supposed to be a big thing really. I guess that's what happens when you are well known and your brother loves to party."
I raised my eyebrows, not willing to accept what he was telling me. "That isn't what I heard.
"I'm just assuming here," He said mockingly before continuing. "But you seem like the type that ignores the various rumours floating around. Don't you know the truth can be blown way out of proportion?"
I ran my tongue over my teeth, mulling this over. I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not.
"What's your name?" He said with a smug smile.
"What?" His question had caught me off guard. I wasn't sure why he was still talking to someone like me. I didn't know why I was bothering to talk to someone like him.
"Your name," He repeated. "I think it's only fair I know yours since you seem to know mine." He let out another dazzling smile, and I hated him for it.
"Bella Swan." I said slowly, shuffling my feet along the grass.
His face softened a little. "Nice you meet you Bella." The smile still held on his face but it seemed more relaxed now, less forced. "I'm Edward Cullen."
He held out his hand, waiting. I deliberated for a moment before I placed mine in his. Instead of shaking it and dropping it like I expected, he tugged at me and dragged me back towards the play ground.
"Swing with me."
Alright, so I hope this is alright so far. PLEASE, please, please review and let me know what you think. Reviews and favourites and alerts make me beyond happy. Thanks so much for reading. :)