AN: I'm sorry it's been so incredibly long since I've updated. I was struck with inspiration this week and so I decided to get this chapter out to y'all. Hope you enjoy!
Bella didn't show up that night at the diner.
"Who does that girl think she is, honestly. I give her an invite that most people would die for and she turns me down? Seriously?" Rosalie exclaimed, angrily biting into her burger. From his spot in the booth next to her, Edward rolled his eyes. Luckily for him, only Alice saw.
"Come on, Rose, don't you think you're acting a little too Mean Girls even for you?" Rosalie didn't dignify Alice with a response, choosing to glare at her instead.
The doors to the diner swung open then and Angela walked in, trailed by a newly familiar face. Alice was the only one of the three facing the door, so they had yet to notice, but Alice's face must have signified something to Rosalie because she whipped around in her seat. Her face when she turned back to the table could no longer be called subtly angry. Anyone in the diner would be able to detect Rosalie's anger, and pretty much everyone would be able to figure out the source of the anger. The source, of course, was making her way with Angela to the booth that Emmett and Angela had occupied the previous night.
If Alice was completely honest to herself, she could understand Rosalie's anger. Was Rosalie's right to be sleeping with Emmett? No. But now Bella had chosen Angela after Rosalie very publicly invited her to the diner.
Edward, on the other hand, was trying not to break out in a smile. He couldn't believe that Bella had the guts to ignore Rosalie's invite, no matter how nice Angela was. Maybe that girl wasn't as naive as he thought she was.
Bella didn't even glance at the table as she sat down, chatting with Angela and their waiter, a kid named Max. Edward didn't know if she didn't see them or just didn't care enough to look over at them.
"This is not happening." Rosalie said, barely seeming to be speaking to the group.
"Rose, relax, I'll go over and talk to her." Edward said.
"Like hell you will." She spat at him, grabbing his hand to force him not to move from the booth. He gently removed his hand from hers.
"Relax, she'll be over here in a second." With that, he moved from the booth.
As Edward made his way from the booth he couldn't help but berate himself for his choice. Walking away from Rosalie was something he was going to live to regret and on top of that he had no clue what to say to this new girl. Angela smiled when he got to the booth. Of course, she'd smiled at just about anyone she saw which drove Edward insane. He barely resisted rolling his eyes at her.
Bella just looked curiously at him.
"What's up, Edward?" Angela asked, pausing to wave to somebody at the door.
Edward turned to see Emmett standing in the doorway, staring at them. Great, just what he needed, to deal with Emmett McCarthy today.
Emmett seemed scared as he made his way over to the booth, most likely afraid that Edward had told Angela his dirty little secret. Edward smirked at him as he sat down, a reminder that he could, at any time, tell his girlfriend about his affair.
"What's going on?" Emmett asked cautiously, leaning over to kiss Angela's cheek before glancing at Rosalie, across the diner. He always took the time to glance at Rosalie. Edward didn't know how Angela didn't notice it.
"I just stopped over to say hi to Angela and Bella, here." Edward said, turning to Bella. "We were looking for you today." He said, tilting his head to asses her. She seemed nervous, fidgeting with her blue shirt. So maybe she did have some sense of the faux paus she had committed today then.
"Yeah, I ran into Angela after school and I figured you guys would be here anyways and we could all just sit together." She said.
Oh, sweet, naive, new girl. She had yet to realize that there was no way Rosalie was going anywhere that Angela was. Bella's eyes darted over to the booth Rosalie was currently at before looking back at him, her brown eyes wide and innocent. Angela smiled kindly at her before Emmett said what everyone was thinking.
"Angela and Rosalie aren't friends." He looked ill saying their names in the same sentence and Edward couldn't believe that he hadn't been caught yet, the idiot.
Angela shrugged. "She's never really liked me, I don't really get it, but it's fine." She said, always the upbeat one.
Edward looked at Emmett again who seemed to be dying. He doubted Rosalie came up often in conversations around here.
"Well, Bella, maybe you can come over and join us?" He continued. Bella looked uncomfortable, a look Edward didn't often inspire from girls.
"I just ordered so..." She trailed off, looking apologetic. Edward was stunned. Girls rarely said no to him in general and the opportunity to sit with Rosalie and Alice as well was one that all found impossible to resist.
"Alright, then." He said, tapping the table with his knuckle. "Maybe I'll see you around some time." She went pink at the suggestion and he smiled, pleased to finally get a proper reaction out of her.
She was beautiful, he decided that. And he did enjoy the blush that rose to her cheeks. It was so genuine, something she couldn't fake, and it felt like a breath of fresh air after dealing with Rosalie's manipulative ways for years. Rosalie certainly didn't make it easy for him.
"Or I have a little time right now." He said sliding into the booth next to Bella, which only caused her cheeks to redden more and Edward's smile to grow. He slung his arm over the booth, delighted to find Emmett looking angrily at him from across the table.
"This is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous." Rosalie said to Alice.
"Rose, it's fine, she's free to make her own decisions." Alice said.
Alice knew what Rosalie wasn't really telling her. Rosalie was less likely to care that Bella had shown up to the diner with someone who wasn't her. No, Rosalie was mad that the person had to be Angela. Angela who was currently the girlfriend of Rosalie's secret lover. Bella hadn't made a bad choice in her actions, she made a bad choice in her company, not that she could possibly know that.
But, for once, Alice actually felt bad for Rosalie. She may be a manipulative bitch sometimes, but she was Alice's best friend and this hadn't been the best year for her. She was still alone in the house, without her parents or twin brother.
Jasper and Rosalie were very different, at least in Alice's opinion. Rosalie got her popularity from fear and her good looks while Jasper was popular for his kindness to everyone. Edward always told Alice that she just idolized Jasper and didn't see his faults, but she did. She knew that Jasper was aware of his wealth and good looks in the same way that Rosalie was, and he did sleep around, but he had a kind aura. That's how Alice always chose to think about him, a little rough, but with an extremely pure aura.
Meanwhile to find Rosalie's goodness you had to really dig, not that Alice really minded. Rosalie meant well with her friends, but she was too used to the money that her family had getting her whatever she wanted and Alice understood that, even if she had come from a very different life.
"When's Jasper supposed to get back?" Alice asked, trying to draw Rosalie's attention away from where Edward talking to Bella. Rosalie turned back to Alice and sighed, shaking her head.
"I don't know, he called me yesterday, but I missed it and he never left a message." She twirled the straw in her soda, looking distracted.
Jasper and Rosalie were extremely close despite their differences. It was unusual for their parents to just take one of the twins on a trip, but their parents saw Jasper as someone who could possibly take over the company in the future and wanted him with him on the business trip. They didn't see the same fate for Rosalie, sadly.
"Rose, do you need me to stay over again tonight?" Alice asked, reaching out her hand to place on Rosalie's.
That seemed to be the push over the edge that Rosalie needed. She sprung from the booth, her hand ripping out of Alice's. Her hand raked through her blonde hair as she angrily grabbed her purse from the booth.
"No, Alice, I'm not a child, you know, I can handle myself." With that she stormed out of the diner, leaving nearly everyone staring after her. Rosalie had driven here in Alice's truck, so she knew she was probably waiting for her outside the diner.
Alice placed her head in her hands, allowing herself one quiet moment before grabbing money out of her purse to place on the table and walking out of the diner. Of course Edward had beat her out there, his arm wrapped around Rosalie as they sat on the curb. Alice looked around the parking lot at the setting sun and the cars pulling away. Not many people remained in the diner but she had no doubt that the entire school will have heard about Rosalie's little breakdown by tomorrow.
"Rose, you're losing it, come on." Edward pleaded, trying to get her to calm down and pulling Alice's attention back to them.
Rosalie was angrily staring at her phone and when Alice stepped closer she could see that she was dialing Jasper.
"Oh, Rosalie." She sighed. Alice couldn't help but feel bad for her friend in that moment.
Edward finally wrestled the phone out of her hand. Rosalie turned to him, looking furious with tears streaming down her face and pounded her hands on his chest angrily. Edward barely reacted and simply pulled her close to him. This is why they worked, Alice noted as Rosalie relaxed against his chest. Edward would always know what Rosalie needed in that moment.
"I want my brother, I just want my family." He rubbed soothing circles on her back as Alice looked back at the diner, thankful they hadn't drawn anyone's attention. She leaned down to whisper in Edward's ear.
"We should get her to the truck." He nodded at her, guiding Rosalie to her feet and keeping her under his arm as they went to Alice's truck.
Edward had put Rosalie in the backseat and shut the door when they heard the bell from the diner's door echo across the lot. Edward turned to see Bella hurrying across the parking lot, coming to a stop right in front of him.
"Edward, I meant to give you this earlier." She said with a smile, handing him a small sheet of paper with her number on it. She seemed unaffected by Rosalie's little scene in the diner and didn't even seem to notice Rosalie's presence in the backseat, although she just might not be able to see her through the tinted windows.
Alice watched their interaction curiously, Edward's face relaxing for the first time since they had left the diner as he looked at the number and then at Bella.
"I'll keep this safe." He said, putting the paper in his pocket with a genuine smile. Bella smiled back, pushing her hair away from her face shyly. Before anything else could be said, the door to the truck swung open and Alice braced herself for the worst.
Instead of coming out fighting, Rosalie was openly sobbing to Alice's surprise. She opened her arms and Edward stepped into them, comforting her. Rosalie didn't often lose control like this, but when she did there was little anybody could do to calm her. She just had to get it out of her slid into the backseat with her and shut the door, leaving Alice and Bella alone in the parking lot.
Alice played with the keys in her hand, jiggling them as she thought over her plan.
"Screw it." She mumbled under her breath and Bella looked over at her curiously. "Come on, get in." Alice said, motioning to the passenger side door.
"Are you sure?" Bella asked, her eyes flitting to the backseat of the truck.
"Listen, she's not going to care much about you personally when she's in this state and if you're planning on hanging around Edward, she just has to get used to you." Alice said, moving around to the driver's side and starting the truck. A few seconds later the passenger door opened and Bella slid in, careful to keep her eyes away from the backseat.
Alice made eye contact with Edward in the mirror, seeing the caution in his eyes. Alice ignored it for once. She was sick of dealing with all of this by herself.
Alice drove straight to Rosalie's house, the entire ride spent in silence. When they got there, Bella's looked shocked, taking in Rosalie's massive house.
"Don't make a big deal out of it." Alice cautioned once Edward and Rosalie had left the truck. Bella nodded, still staring at the mansion.
Rosalie glanced at Bella when they got to the living room, but didn't really seem aware that she was there. Alice's headache returned as she once again got to take on the motherly role.
"Sit, Bella." Alice suggested, motioning to a huge white chair in front of the fireplace. Edward and Rosalie had already gotten settled on the other couch, Edward stroking Rosalie's hair as she curled up. Alice sighed to herself, pulling her hair into a bun and turning to Edward.
"I'm going to go grab some water for everybody, you order Chinese." She made her way down the silent marble hallway towards the kitchen, her footsteps echoing off the floor. It was spooky being in a house this large with nobody else, but Alice had gotten used to it over the years.
She pulled the water bottles from the fridge and sat them on the counter before sitting down at the counter herself and putting her head in her hands. She needed a minute to herself before going back there.
"It's eerie."
Alice jumped, her heart pounding as she turned around to find Bella in the doorway.
"You scared me, I usually can hear anyone coming." Alice said, her hand on her heart, feeling it slow down. Bella shrugged, making her way over to sit next to Alice.
"I took my shoes off, the noise made me feel like I was in a museum or something."
Alice laughed. "Yeah, without anyone here it does tend to feel like that."
"Where are they all?" When Alice looked at her in confusion she elaborated. "Her family, I mean."
"Oh, they travel a lot. And this time they took her twin brother, Jasper, with them."
"And he can just miss school like that?"
"Their parents are pretty big contributors to the school as you can imagine and so when they requested he be home schooled for a little while, the school didn't protest."
Bella nodded in understanding.
"Rosalie isn't usually like this, sometimes it just gets overwhelming for her." Alice explained, wanting to defend her best friend against what Bella might be thinking about her.
"It seems Edward's always there for her."
Alice let out a grin at Bella's tone. "You noticed that, huh?"
"It'd be hard not to." Bella said pointedly, picking at the grapes.
"Yeah, they're... complicated." Alice said, struggling to find the right word to describe them. "My recommendation," she continued, "don't be interested in Edward."
Bella nodded without saying anything, still staring down at the grapes.
Just then, they heard footsteps coming down the hall and Edward appeared in the doorway.
"Alice, do you know where Rosalie's purse is?"
"Probably my truck, why?"
"Gotta pay the delivery man."
Edward left and quickly returned with the Chinese food in hand.
"Shouldn't we get Rosalie?" Bella asked as Edward laid out the food. Edward looked at her, surprised she wanted anything to do with Rosalie.
"She's asleep." He said, grabbing a few plates from the pristine white cabinets. Alice was up and grabbing soda from the fridge, pouring it into glasses while Bella sat and watched them work.
Edward tried to pretend he wasn't, but he was examining Bella, trying to see if she'd show any reaction. Edward and Alice were far too comfortable in this house, it was practically their own at this point, and he figured Bella must be weirded out by that, but if she was, she wasn't showing it.
The second moved to the dining room and started to eat, Rosalie appeared in the doorway wrapped in a fuzzy white blanket. Alice moved over a seat, her plate scraping against the marble of the table, so that Rosalie could sit between her and Edward. Rosalie shot a look at Bella.
"What is she doing here?" She asked as she sat down, a bit of bite to her voice.
"Rose, relax she's cool." Edward answered for Alice. Rosalie didn't seem too pleased with Edward paying Bella any compliment but said nothing scooping some rice into her mouth.
Bella spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "I was worried about you back there at the diner-"
"Don't be." Rosalie snapped.
Alice put a comforting hand on her arm."Rose, stop it. She just wants to help."
Rosalie stared at Alice, trying to figure out why Alice would care at all about Bella. She was just some random girl from school that Edward would most likely have sex with and never talk to again. But what Rosalie found in Alice's eyes was loneliness.
Rosalie knew that she couldn't be considered the best friend in the world, but she was surprised that Alice had gotten lonely without her even noticing. Tears welled up in her eyes and Alice stroked her arms, most likely attributing the tears to her earlier breakdown. She felt awful for how terrible she was to Alice sometimes and if Alice wanted a new friend, Rosalie could try.
"Fine. Edward you're going home tonight."
Edward looked at Rosalie in surprise, putting his arm around her. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
She pushed him off of her, done with his comfort for the night, but feeling a little guilty about being so harsh. Edward was so good to her, she really didn't deserve him. But neither did this Bella girl, Rosalie had already decided that for herself.
"Yes. I think Alice, Bella, and I need a little girls' night." Rosalie said with a smile as Bella looked over, surprise and a slight amount of fear entering her eyes.
This was going to be an interesting night.
AN (again): Feel free to drop a review! Criticism or praise, I love to read them all and they really inspire me to write!