When Day Ends and Night Begins
A Twilight Fan Fiction By Puppetstrings19
Disclaimer:
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.
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Chapter 2: Alice's House
Sitting in the back seat of the Volvo with four strangers felt pretty awkward. I tried my best not to glance around me, and busied myself by fluffing my damp hair out of my scarf and wiping away the raindrops that lingered on my bare thighs.
I didn't know why I accepted Alice's invitation to hang out at her place. I wasn't desperate for friends or anything, I actually rather liked being alone.
In Phoenix, I never had a large group of friends. It was usually just me and two other girls who would hang out on the weekends. My friends had a lot of other friends, however, but I'd always been kind of loner.
I guess partly the reason why I decided to hang out with this group was because of Edward. I knew that was a pretty lame excuse, even while admitting it to myself. But I was slowly becoming obsessed with figuring out if he was the same boy I had been friends with as a toddler. I knew he was. I could feel it in my gut. So it made me suspicious as to why he didn't recognize me. Part of me wondered if he was pretending, because after all, it had been over ten years since the last time I'd seen him. It's not like we even knew each other anymore.
Still, to be honest, I guess Edward wasn't the only reason I had accepted Alice's invitation today. Leaving Phoenix and everyone I knew behind, including my mother, made me feel lonely. A distraction seemed like a good way to handle the situation. At Charlie's, I knew I'd sit quietly with him at dinner and then I would make my way upstairs to cry myself to sleep. If by hanging out with a group of teenagers to get drunk would help keep the tears at bay for at least a few hours, then I would gladly accept.
"What about him?" Emmett said, eyeing an old man with a black fedora.
"Too old," Edward murmured.
"Him?" Rosalie asked, pointing towards a young man who climbed off of a black motorcycle.
We all watched him walk towards the liquor store. His walk oozed cockiness.
"Try her," Jasper said, gesturing to a fifty-year-old woman in a large beige coat.
Emmett pulled out his wallet before dashing out of the car into the rain.
I watched as he approached the lady. He was much larger than her and I could see the sparkle in her eye, even from here, as she looked up at the young handsome man before her.
Emmett smiled at her, said a few things, and then placed a hand over his heart as he threw his head back in laughter. The woman laughed along with him.
I smiled at the scene before me. Emmett was trying to charm this woman into buying him beer. And it worked. The woman nodded a few times before taking the bill from Emmett's hand and walking into the store.
Emmett turned to Edward's car and threw two thumbs up with a huge grin on his face.
All four of us laughed.
My eyes flickered to the rearview mirror.
Edward was still watching Emmett out of the front windshield. His eyes looked bright green in the afternoon light. I couldn't help staring at him until he dropped his gaze and began fumbling through a thick CD case.
"So, Bella. How are you liking Forks High so far?" Rosalie asked. She had bright blue-green eyes, the same shade as Jasper's.
"It's okay," I said. "I'm not really used to being the center of attention, but other than that, it was fine."
"I bet you miss Phoenix, huh?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I don't really like the cold and the rain so much. But…" I shrugged again.
"How come you moved to Forks? It's not exactly the sunshine state." Jasper added.
I saw Edward's eyes jerk up towards the rearview mirror.
"Well, my mom remarried. His name's Phil and he plays minor league baseball and he travels a lot. My mom would stay home with me, but I knew it made her unhappy, so… I decided it was best for both of us if I came to stay with Charlie for a while."
The three faces were nodding at me when Emmett suddenly pulled the passenger door open. He was carrying a 24 pack of Coors beer.
"Coors?" Edward asked with a laugh. "Really?"
"Hey, the woman did us a favor," Emmett defended. "Give her a break."
We all laughed as Edward started the car and headed towards Alice's place.
The rain had picked up and I draped my scarf over my head as I climbed out of the car.
Jasper was the first to reach the door, and he pulled it open without knocking. We all entered, and wiped our dirty feet on the entryway doormat before shuffling our way towards a stairway that led to a basement at the back of the house. I glanced around me as I followed suite.
Alice's place was smaller than Charlie's. It smelled like flowers and very faintly of perfume, like shampoo or lotion. Passing the living room, I saw there was one sofa covered in a crazy floral print, some candles on a nearby coffee table, and a small flat screen. The curtains covering the windows were sheer and a light shade of lilac. The kitchen was small as well, and had a little breakfast table in the center with a few mismatched chairs. Overall, very feminine and cozy.
Downstairs was Alice's room. There was a small canopy bed, a large comfortable looking red sofa, a small retro television, and a fluffy orange rug. All of the walls were lined with wooden panels. Christmas lights hung over many shelves and some were nailed in a square on one wall, giving the impression of a window. There were posters and magazine clippings everywhere of various bands, actors, and models; some I recognized and some I didn't. There were also a few psychedelic posters with crazy checkered patterns in neon colors.
Alice was sitting on a large purple beanbag chair, while Mike, Eric and Angela sat on the red sofa. They were all laughing and smoking cigarettes. The smoke tickled my nose.
"Finally!" Alice yelled as we entered the room.
Emmett laughed while ripping open the box of beer. He passed one to each of us.
I cracked mine open with the others.
Once everyone had a drink, Alice took the half empty box upstairs to the kitchen.
Jasper took a seat on Alice's purple beanbag and Rosalie made herself comfortable next to Angela, so I walked over towards the short bookcase beside the TV.
I removed my backpack, sat on the fluffy rug, my back to the many books. I crossed my legs carefully, tucking the front of my skirt down to cover my crotch.
Edward sat to my left, his legs crossed too.
Emmett sat by Rosalie's feet, leaning against the foot of the couch.
I gazed around the room as some of the guys and girls began removing their blazers, getting comfortable in the dim room. It looked like out of a movie. A handful of teenagers, smoking cigarettes, drinking beers, and wearing preppy school uniforms. It was kind of cool, and kind of comical at the same time.
I glanced at Rosalie as she pulled off her coat. She was very shapely, with long blonde hair and long legs; she was many inches taller than me. She didn't wear tights or knee high socks. She was the only other girl I'd seen today with bare legs. She pulled off the preppy, schoolgirl look easily. Maybe it was her confidence?
Edward removed his blazer as well and pulled out a carton of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. He pushed his sleeves up to his elbows and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag before letting the smoke escape his lips into the still air of the room.
I looked away and took another drink from my beer. It was good, and still very cold. I gulped half of it down, and then coughed as the fizz burned my throat.
When Alice came back, she turned up the music to some rock band playing through her stereo. She swayed her hips a bit and clapped her hands loudly, trying to get everyone's attention.
We all looked up at her.
"I'd like to make a short announcement," she said. "I want to thank Bella Swan for joining us today." Alice clapped and the other's joined her.
I laughed while flipping my hair over to one side, unsuccessfully hiding my blush.
"And, as new friends," she continued, "I think it's important that we all make her feel very welcomed. And of course, we must make sure she get's thoroughly smashed tonight."
We all laughed again, and I shook my head at her, a smile spread wide across my face.
Alice laughed loudly; I couldn't really tell if she was joking.
"Okay, maybe not smashed," she said. "But I do think its time to get this party started!" Alice opened her blazer, and tucked into the front of her skirt waistband was a quarter empty bottle of tequila.
Everyone roared, hooting and clapping louder still.
I laughed along with them.
As the bottle was being passed around, Alice gathered a handful of sparkly decorative shot glasses from a nearby dresser and held them out for everyone to take.
"Some of you might have to share," she said. "I don't have enough for everyone."
Edward took the last one, but I didn't comment. I decided I would ask Alice if I could borrow hers once the bottle got closer to me.
When the bottle was passed to Edward, I watched as he poured the tequila to the rim before turning to hand it to me.
I met his gaze.
"Here," he said. His voice was deep, but smooth. "You first."
I hesitated before taking the glass from him and gulping it down. I did it quick, I didn't want to taste it.
I cringed and coughed as it burned its way down my throat. I took a sip of my beer to stop the bitterness on the back of my tongue.
I'd had tequila before, but only a couple of times blended in a mixed drink, or a margarita. Never like this. I laughed at myself as my eyes continued to water.
I looked up at Edward, who smiled crookedly back at me before he poured himself a shot and threw it back like a pro. He didn't even flinch. He swallowed quickly and then took a drink from his beer as a chaser.
Edward leaned forward onto his hands and knees towards Alice who reached to take the tequila from his outstretched hand.
My eyes flickered to the creamy exposed flesh from his lower back as his shirt had ridden up. I could see the hem of his black boxer briefs peeking out beneath his tanned school pants. I glanced at the wallet straining against his back pocket and his car keys clipped to the belt loop on his hip. I could see the slight indentation of the muscle in his lower back and two small dimples above his butt. I swallowed and looked away.
What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn't take my eyes off Edward Cullen.
We all talked about school and our classes. Many of them continued to ask me questions about Phoenix and what it was like. I quickly found that many of them had never traveled outside of Washington.
I talked about the heat, the way the landscape looked, the plants that grew there, the smell of the air. The girls asked about my friends and then Rosalie embarrassed me by asking about boyfriends.
I blushed tomato red and admitted that I'd never had a steady boyfriend. I shied around telling them the whole truth.
Mike seemed to appreciate my response. He was watching me closely and small, but flirtatious smile growing on his lips.
I tried my best not to notice him; I didn't want to encourage him. I even momentarily wondered if he realized how obvious he was, but something told me he was trying to be obvious.
"So, what do you guys do here for fun?" I asked. "I mean, I'm not saying that this isn't fun or anything, because it is fun. I'm having fun. I am. I'm… just… curious?" I stumbled over my words and laughed at myself.
I was definitely getting a buzz from my beer and shot of tequila. I shook my head embarrassed.
"I think Bella needs another shot," Emmett said as he held the bottle towards me.
Everyone laughed, agreeing with him.
"Uh, I don't know about that," I giggled.
Jasper laughed and said, "Oh, come on. It's not even 5 o'clock yet. You'll be fine."
I gave a weak nod, and still giggling I reached for the bottle in Emmett's hand.
To my surprise, Edward reached out and grabbed the bottle before I could. I waited for him to hand it to me, but instead he offered me his gorgeous smile before pouring me another large shot in his glass.
Heat flooded my neck again as I took the glass from him.
"Wanna take one with me?" I asked, holding the glass up for a toast.
He laughed once before asking Emmett for his shot glass. I watched him pour himself a full shot. He clinked it against mine and together we gulped them down.
"Ugh!" I gasped.
Alice cheered me on. "Chase it with your beer, Bella!" she said.
I laughed at her and took a gulp from my now warm beer.
For the next hour, we all sat around laughing and talking.
Alice had me move to sit with my back to her so that she could play with my hair. She talked animatedly about some of the girls from school before Rosalie and Angela came to join in on the gossip. I was on my second beer when the three girls around me started talking about how annoying Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory were. They told me vulgar stories they'd heard and the current rumors at school. I was surprised by how detailed the rumors were, especially the ones about their sexual antics. When I expressed my surprise, Alice let slip that Mike used to date Jessica last year, which started an argument.
"Well," Rosalie said, "I wouldn't necessarily call it dating. They were strictly just fucking. Mike can deny it all he wants, but I saw the way Stanley looked at him last year. She was sprung off her ass."
"Jess said they were dating," Alice argued.
"No, Jessica bragged about her sex life to anyone who was within earshot. She never explicitly said the word dating."
"Who cares?" Alice said, shrugging as she tied a rubber band around the end of the tiny braid behind my ear. "It's not like you're a virgin, Rose."
"Yeah, but I don't go running my mouth about who I've let butt fuck me," Rosalie shot back.
"Who's been butt fucking?" Emmett asked with a smile on his face.
We all laughed at his expression while Rosalie waved her hand dismissively.
"I get what you're saying," Alice said, her voice lower now. "But we shouldn't judge Jessica because of who she's fucking or what she does in the sheets."
"I don't judge Jessica on who she's fucking, Alice," Rosalie said. "I don't like her because of how she talks about sex. She has zero self respect and it's really fucking irritating to listen to."
Alice sighed, and began talking about Lauren and how she had zero respect for women in general.
The three girls around me gossiped in hushed voices about the men in their lives and their sexual encounters over the past few years. I frowned, again reminded of my lack of experience.
We sat there in silence for a moment as Alice continued to braid my hair.
My eyes wondered around the room again, and of course I found Edward.
He was sitting on the floor, smoking a cigarette while he listened to the boys talk and laugh about god knows what. I noticed that Edward never really talked unless he was spoken to. He mostly kept to himself. He e smiled a lot and acknowledged people, but he didn't really contribute much to the conversations around him, nor did he offer his opinion unless directly asked. I couldn't help the curiosity that sparked inside of me as I watched him.
I began feeling much more curious about the person beneath the gorgeous face and polite gestures. I kept thinking about how he had poured me the tequila shots. He didn't have to do that. I hadn't asked him to, but he did it anyway because it was the polite thing to do, right? He noticed that I didn't have a shot glass, so he offered me his. I wondered if he was like that with everyone.
Edward got up suddenly and turned towards us. His eyes flickered from mine to Alice behind me.
Again I noticed that his gaze held little interest in me. He simply looked at me because I was watching him.
My eyes quickly slid down the length of his body. He had wide, muscular shoulders and obviously well defined arms. His collared shirt was a little wrinkled at his chest and stomach and his tan pants sat snug and low on his hips. He had full thighs, like a runner.
I let my eyes fall to my hands playing with the hem of my skirt.
"Bathroom?" he asked Alice. His voice sent a shiver down my spine.
"Of course." Alice waved her hand towards the stairs.
I glanced up again and saw Edward jog up the stairs in a few long strides, skipping steps as he went.
He was tall, maybe about 6 feet. Not as large as his brother, though. Emmett was much bigger, with thick muscles that covered his arms and chest.
"Bella," Rosalie asked. "Are you wearing any makeup?"
Her blue eyes ran over my face again and again.
"Not really. Just a little mascara and some tinted lip balm." I gestured to my backpack.
Rosalie's eyes went wide. "Wow, really? You have really great skin. Your complexion is so clear."
Rosalie took another drink from her beer before she crawled over to my backpack. She unzipped the small pouch in front and began digging through my space collecting. She opened the cap of my lip balm to twist out the purple-red stick.
"Can I?" she asked.
"Sure," I said with shrug.
She pulled out my small compact mirror and ran the lip balm across her small pouty lips a few times. She posed in the small mirror, analyzing her mouth.
"Damn," she exclaimed. "I love this stuff!"
I laughed at her as she turned the stick over and over, reading the cap.
"Oo, Bella!" Angela exclaimed. "Can I do your makeup?"
"No!" Rosalie snapped harshly. "Bella doesn't need makeup. Look at her face. She looks great and natural and real. She doesn't need all that shit you wear."
Angela threw her a small sneer.
I blushed. "Thanks, Rosalie."
She laughed at my pink face. It was only then that I became aware of Edward who was sitting across from me, watching the exchange between Rosalie and I.
I glanced at him, but he looked away before I had the chance to.
"You guys ready to go?" Edward asked, eyeing Emmett and Jasper.
They both looked as tipsy as I felt.
"Sure man," Jasper said, sitting up.
It was a little after 8.
We all stood up and stretched.
I tugged on the hem of my skirt again; trying to make sure my ass was covered before reaching for my backpack. We all walked slowly up the stairs towards the front door. Eric, Angela and Mike were getting ready to head out too.
"Edward," I heard Alice say a little ways in front of me. "You know where Chief Swan lives, right?"
"Yeah. No worries, Alice, I'll get her home safe." Edward hugged her with one arm before he turned down the front steps.
I watched their quick exchange before Alice suddenly turned to Jasper and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
He looked as surprised as I was, having caught them. But he smiled and hung back, letting the others pass him.
"Thanks for everything, Alice," I said as I passed her. "It was a great first day."
Alice smiled widely at me before throwing her arms around my shoulders and hugging me.
"No problem, Bella," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
I waved and walked towards Edward's car.
"Hey, Bella!" Angela called from the driver's side of her car. "I can give you a ride to school tomorrow, if you want. I pass your dad's place on my way to school anyway."
I accepted her offer and we exchanged our phone numbers.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Alice and Jasper embrace momentarily in the doorway of her house. He kissed her and held her to him for a moment before turning and running out to the car.
The rain had picked up, but I didn't really care. I was slightly buzzed and on my way home anyway.
I jogged over to the car next to Jasper, where he moved in front of me and climbed into the back seat with Emmett and Rosalie. I slid into the cold front leather seat next to Edward before he pulled away from the curb and raced away.
From the back seat, I could hear Emmett and Rosalie whispering, though I couldn't understand what they were saying. I kept my eyes towards the passenger window, watching the black trees fly by.
Edward's Volvo was a quiet purr against the radio, but he filled the silence by skipping through stations.
My eyes flickered to his right thigh; to the muscle that flexed as he maneuvered his foot from the gas peddle to the clutch.
We stopped at Rosalie and Jasper's place first. I was about to unbuckle my seatbelt, but Edward moved much quicker than I did. He parked and climbed out of the Volvo, maneuvering the seat to let Rosalie and Jasper out of the back.
"See ya," Jasper said, bumping Edward's fist with his own, and then Emmett's. "Night, Bella."
"Goodnight," I said, softly.
Rosalie tapped my shoulder and handed me a stick of gum. "Night guys and gal," she said as she slid out of the backseat.
I waved at them as I popped the gum into my mouth.
"Um, do you know where I live?" I asked Edward, timidly.
"Yeah. Chief Swan's place," he said as he climbed back into the car and pulled away from the curb.
"Yeah."
Edward pulled up to my dad's house a minute later.
I grabbed my bag and then turned to face both Emmett and Edward.
"Thanks for the ride, you guys," I said with a smile. They both smiled back at me.
"Do you need a ride to school tomorrow?" Edward asked. His eyes were now on the stereo as he flipped through stations again.
My cheeks burned hot. "Uh, no thanks. Angela offered to give me a ride."
He nodded once before meeting my eyes. His expression was blank as I stared back at him. I couldn't believe he really didn't recognize me, when I remembered his little face so clearly in my head.
Sure, it was ages ago, but I could still see the small child in him. The boy I was friends with all those years ago.
I opened my mouth, about to ask him if he remembered me at all…
"See you tomorrow, Bella," Edward said, halting the words in my throat.
"Yeah," I breathed. "See ya."
I jumped out of the car and ran towards the porch. Charlie's cruiser was there.
Fumbling with my keys, I saw Emmett climb out of the back seat and take the front. Emmett waved once before shutting the car door.
I breathed into my hand, sniffing subtly as I unlocked the door and stepped into the warm entry way.
"Bells?" Charlie asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Hey, dad."
"Did you have a good day?" he asked, eyeing my wet hair.
"Yeah, I met a lot of new people. It was really nice, actually." I ran a hand nervously through my wet hair. "It's really coming down out there."
"There's some Chinese take-out in the fridge if you're hungry."
"Thanks," I said as I removed my blazer and moved towards the fridge.
I warmed up my food fairly quickly and said goodnight to Charlie, before heading upstairs to call my mom and get started on some of the reading for my English class.
My mom was ecstatic to hear from me. She asked about school and my friends. I told her about my day, but didn't mention the alcohol or Edward. I would save that for a day when I had more time to talk to her. I told her I loved her and that I would call her tomorrow.
We hung up after about thirty minutes.
I pulled out the book of short stories I was given in English, and started reading while I ate my Chinese food.
After an hour, my mind began to wonder back to Edward. I couldn't concentrate on literature anymore, so I shut the book and placed it on my nightstand.
I got up slowly and walked towards one of my luggage bags.
I unzipped it carefully and dug through the layers of clothes. I found the box quickly. I opened it carefully, knowing I hadn't opened it in a very long time. My eyes fell on a small necklace my grandmother had given me before she died. I rubbed my finger against the smooth gold before I moved it aside and reached for the small picture buried beneath the various jewelry items. I pulled out the small photo and gazed at it.
In the photograph, we were sitting side by side on Charlie's front porch, the stairs painted freshly white. It was Edward and I. We each had one arm wrapped around each other's shoulders as we smiled broadly at the camera, our faces covered in chocolate icing.
I gazed deeply into the five-year-old Edward's face. He still had the exact same eyes and the same messy bronze hair. My heart ached at the sight of him.
Edward was one of the very few people I remembered from Forks. Even at such a young age, we had a special connection. I cried my eyes out the day my mom told me we were leaving. We had passed by Elizabeth's house the morning before we left. At the time, I didn't understand what was going on, but I knew I would never see him again. We held each other as I cried into his shoulder. Edward didn't understand why I was so angry.
I'll see you tomorrow, he'd said. And then he kissed my cheek.
I don't know why I believed him, but I did.
We made it to phoenix that night and I woke up the next day in a hotel room, confused and scared. Mom told me we weren't going to see Charlie for a while and that we weren't going back to Forks. That was one of the hardest days of my life. I left my dad, I left my home.
I looked down at the picture again, studying his little features.
How could he not remember that day? Why couldn't he recognize me? How did he forget?
Maybe too many things had changed and he didn't have time to think about me anymore.
I thought about Elizabeth again. I would have to ask my mother about her.
I placed the picture back in the box and slid the box beneath my bed. Grabbing my toiletry bag, I took a quick shower before climbing into bed and snuggling up under the covers. I lay there for a long while, wondering about him. Wondering if it was the same person, of if I'd simply lost my damn mind.
And I didn't know he had an older brother. Did he always have an older brother? Did his mom remarry? I thought about how Edward was acting at Alice's house today. The way he holds himself, the way he talks to people. The way he spoke to me. He offered me a ride to school, which I stupidly didn't take. I could feel myself obsessing over him. Needing to see him, hear him, speak to him. This impossibly beautiful boy had disrupted my mind constantly, all day. And now I couldn't get him out of my head.
I closed my eyes, eager for a new day. A new day to talk to Edward Cullen.
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Author's Note:
Till next time. xoxo