Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or any of the characters. Never have, and I never will - they belong to the amazing Stephenie Meyer, and I can only dream. I just like to play around with her universe - but I'm not making money. xD Unfortunately.
A/N: And once again, thank you for all the wonderful reviews. :) They really did make me smile, even the ones that were just two words. I really didn't expect this kind of response from this story, but I got it anyway, and it's amazing. I started writing most of this for fun, like I usually do, and I never meant to post it anywhere. I actually didn't intend to really finish it, but you guys are inspiring me, and now I think I know where this story is going - as well as a bunch of little ideas.
Okay, this chapter is still BPOV, but your next chapter will be EPOV, and a recapping of the last two chapters from Edward's view on things, except, there will be extra things, obviously, and you'll get to find out if you knows who the mysterious 'ringingbells' is. ;D
So, get to reading! I won't hold you anymore.
"Bella! Bella! Bella, damn it!"
I groaned, not too happy to be waken up, especially because I hardly got any sleep last night. I had been dreaming, and they always starred the boy I met online, what my meeting with him would be like. It was always the same, we were always laughing, talking about how we had always known each other all along - and the boy always had bronze hair, green eyes.
The boy was always Edward Cullen. I guess I was just mixing two events together in my head, it was kind of funny actually.
I finally opened my eyes to see a hyped up Alice jumping up and down, and at first I just wanted to throw a pillow at her and tell her to go away, until I saw her face; yes, she was definitely worried, which wasn't very normal for Alice.
"What's up?" I questioned groggily, rubbing at my eyes as I sat up in her bed, the sheets all tangled up in my legs.
"My parents are coming home, Bella! Did you see downstairs?" she all but screamed at me, her eyes wide. "I'm screwed! Get up! We have to fix this, like now!"
This happened often at the Cullen house. It seemed like Alice was always throwing some party while her parents were away, and then when they came back everything would be clean and she'd act like the perfect angel. It worked most of the time, too, but of course I always had to help clean everything up. Usually, I didn't mind. As much as I was different from Alice, we were best friends for as long as I can remember, and I loved the girl just like my own sister.
When she finally pulled me downstairs, she shoved a mop in my hand and told me to get the spilt drinks off the floor, and I hurried to do just that. It was the perfect wake up, right? As I made my way into the kitchen, though, I was greeted with the perfect beginning to my day.
There sitting in one of the kitchen chairs was Edward Cullen, and I think my breath hitched in my throat. As much as I was used to seeing him by now, I really hadn't seen him so much as I have in the last days, so close up anyway (I am not a stalker!). I was always over Alice's house, but he usually wasn't around, or he was in his room. Now here he was, sitting at one of the chairs in his kitchen, his hair in even more of a disarray than usual from sleeping, and in only a pair of pajama pants. I couldn't help but stare at his revealed chest muscles, seeming to flex and relax as he breathed, the smooth creamy skin seeming so inviting.
I think I started to drool, but he turned around the notice me, flashing me a bit of an easy smile as he ate a spoonful of whatever cereal he was eating. His lips were so full, and for a moment, I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Incredible, probably. His face looked angelic, the high cheek bones, the beautiful skin, the angled jaw…I took a moment to breathe, looking down and reading the box on the table; Lucky Charms. I giggled quietly, and he followed my gaze, smirking.
"Don't knock Lucky Charms. They're magically delicious." I giggled harder, shaking my head - where had the nerves gone? He was just so easy to get along with, and I never would have guessed. He gave me a curious look, and then gestured for me to sit next to him. I think I was in shock for a few moments, but after the surprise faded I got my limbs to move and slid into a kitchen chair.
He smiled at me when I did, and I think I melted into the chair. "Would you like some cereal, Bella?"
It should not make me happy that he actually remembered my name, but I felt a surge of excitement.
"Oh, I really should help Alice…"
"The parents just called, they're not going to be home until around five," he smirked, and looked at the archway to the kitchen where his sister could be seen, running around and throwing away empty cups and streamers, muttering some very colorful words under her breath.
"Do you think we should tell her?" I questioned, grinning. I wondered where my nerves had gone again, but just being around him made me feel at ease. Like I had known him all along, and never even known it.
"Let's not, and say we did."
We both laughed at that, and his laughter was truly something wonderful, like the most beautiful symphony ever written - something created by the gods, surely.
He passed me the box and rose from his chair to get me a bowl and a spoon, and I think I forgot how to breathe. Was I really awake right now, eating cereal with Edward Cullen? I had always thought of him as someone I could watch and crush on, but would never truly meet. I wondered sometimes what it would be like to talk to him, but tried to convince myself that he would be just like every other jock at the school was, arrogant and a party animal. A jerk, in short.
Again, it dawned on me how very few people must really know Edward. I wondered why he kept it hidden that he was such a good pianist, or why he acted so arrogantly in front of his friends - was it really that important to him? Or was it something more? I found myself longing to know, and it bothered me a bit. A day ago, Edward had been a fantasy, a crush, a far off dream or something.
Now I knew how much more difficult it just got to watch him - to watch him with someone who did not deserve him, to watch him find love with someone else, all through the eyes of his sister's best friend.
It hardly seemed fair.
He passed the bowl to me and handed me to the spoon, nodding to the sugary cereal he had been eating, and gesturing to the milk with a grin on his face.
I grinned back, something almost involuntary as I poured my cereal. "Yum," I giggled, taking my first bite and not being able to take my eyes off of him.
"Yum is right. What did I tell you? That's good stuff."
"It's not good for you, though," I objected, rolling my eyes at his almost cocky expression, when I knew he was kidding around. He reminded me of someone, but I just didn't know who at the moment.
"Touché."
We ate in comfortable silence for a few moments - and that's because we were interrupted. Of course I expected Alice to come rushing into the room and arch an eyebrow at the scene in front of her, but what I got was much worse. I think I choked at the sight of beautiful Rosalie standing in the archway, smiling as she took a seat next to Edward - then glared at me, once she realized I was here.
"Hey, Eddie," she cooed, kissing Edward's cheek. And I really, really wanted to punch her out right there, trust me. "Talking to Alice's friend? How nice."
Edward nodded, and I was sure he flashed me an apologetic smile, turning back to Rosalie with a halfhearted grin. "Yeah, I was showing her the magic of Lucky Charms," he joked quietly.
I had a feeling Rosalie didn't appreciate sugary cereal - or Edward's sweet side.
"How cute."
Rolling my eyes and resisting the urge to hurt this girl, I rose from my seat and moved back into the living room, smiling at the sight of my friend, still jumping around and trying to get the vacuum to work.
"Hey, Alice?
"What, Bella!" she screamed, turning to glare at me. "I need to get the damn vacuum to work, and you're in there having breakfast in the kitchen. I hope you made me a toaster pastry, and you know I like lots of that icing stuff on it, and I hope the floor is spotless because -"
"Your parents aren't going to be home until five, Alice.
"Oh."
We both laughed for a while, Alice rolling her eyes at herself and rolling the vacuum into the closet again, before she seeming to realize something; I gulped as she turned around, her hands on her hips.
"And how did you find this out? Did you answer my phone?" There was a teasing smirk on her lips, but I shook my head.
"Well, your brother was in the kitchen, and he told me." I figured I might as well give her the truth; what if Edward told her later? It seemed like the best idea.
"Oh." She considered this for a moment, before groaning loudly and glancing in the direction of the kitchen. "Is Little Miss Thing in there, too?"
"Yeah, unfortunately."
We both rolled our eyes, and I had to bite on my lip to keep the question from slipping from me. Had Rosalie stayed the night? I know it really shouldn't matter, but it really did to me.
"She just marches right in here, without an invitation! Like she owns the place, or something. You know the guy I said I might hang out with tonight?" I nodded my head, though I only vaguely remembered her telling me about the guy. I think 'cute' was the adjective I left off on. "He's her twin. And they're complete opposites!"
"Wait, Jasper Hale?"
Alice nodded.
"Isn't he a senior?"
"…And?" I rolled my eyes, grinning. Only Alice. She was the social butterfly of the school, and she happened to be one of the most gorgeous girls there, but in a different way. Her spiky black hair seemed almost untamable, just like her brother's, except hers was very short and stuck out in every which direction. She had very petite features, and it gave her a pixie-like appearance. If there was one word to describe Alice's beauty it would probably be ethereal.
The house phone started ringing, and Alice bounced over to the little side table to pick it up. She talked for a few moments, a pout on her features, and I wondered for a moment if that boy, Jasper, had cancelled on her. That theory was disproved when she bounced over to me, frowning and handing me the phone, mouthing 'Charlie'.
"Hey, dad."
"Bells!" he called at the other end. "I need you to come home now. There's something important I need to tell you." I bit on my lip, wondering what it was.
"Dad? Is it something bad?"
"Definitely not," I could practically hear him grinning from the other side of the phone, "I think you'll be pretty happy."
I nodded, then a second later I realized he couldn't see that, sighing. "Alright. I'll be ready in fifteen minutes or something. See you then."
Alice gave me a look, and I could only shrug as I headed upstairs to gather my stuff up, Alice following after me with a million questions I really couldn't answer. My dad was never usually this excited; what was going on, then? Apparently it was something that would make me 'pretty happy', but this was Charlie, so you could never be too sure.
"Your cousins are coming to stay! It's just a couple of weeks, but they're coming all the way from Arizona. I thought I would be nice and invite them over, you are an excellent cousin to them, after all. They love you."
My father looked confused when I didn't answer him right away, and I groaned, shaking my head.
"Are you serious?" I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Yes, Bells. I thought you would be excited…"
Excited? Yeah, right. My cousins are Victoria and James. They are the most annoying little kids you'd ever meet, and I've nicknamed them 'Double Trouble', or the 'Terrible Twosome Twins'. They're really that bad, yes. Victoria is a little fiery redhead who's always making trouble and trying to blame on anyone in near vicinity, which usually ends up being me. She's got a bad attitude, and playing games with her is nearly impossible - she's a sore loser, and she has a thing for throwing tantrums. James is a little bit nicer, but he has Victoria wrapped around a finger. The girl will do anything for him, and he usually has her doing his dirty work; then again, James has done his fair share of pranks.
One time, he stole my bras and used them as sling shots. The next day, I found Victoria wearing one. They're just both annoying, and when they're being nice, they like to hang until you do something with them, which I guess is just a kid thing. If it was just that, I would think it was cute; again, that's if they weren't monsters in disguise, chubby cheeks and adorable broken sentences and all.
"Where are Aunt Irina and Uncle Laurent going this time?" I groaned, hands on hips.
"Europe. They're dropping the kids off this Friday. C'mon, be nice, Bells. They're your cousins, and they're only five!"
Figures. I'm official babysitter for as long as they're staying. Oh, well - maybe I can drag Alice down with me.
After that little conversation with my dad was over, I made my way back up to my room, grabbing my cell phone to tell Alice the news. Except, she didn't answer, and I was guessing she was with that Jasper kid.
"Hey, Alice. It's Bella - the Terrible Twosome Twins are staying over for a couple weeks. Anyway, I have something to ask, so call me back when you get this. Later."
I hung up the phone after leaving the voicemail, and I was sure there was a pout on my face. It didn't seem fair I had to be dragged around and blamed for my overactive cousins, who seemed to love to get me in trouble. My aunt were always travelling, and this seemed to happen a lot. Alice's cousin Emmett was amazing, and he was actually a good friend of mine, considering I used to, and still do, spend most of my time at Alice's houses. Victoria and James hate me - and seem to be out to get me. Why, I will never know.
I think the pout fell right off my face as I finally got my computer to load though, and realized who was signed onto my messenger.
Ringingbells: Look who it is!
Playingthekeys: Back from your friend's house? Or are we still stealing computers, here?
Ringingbells: Asshole. I'm back, yeah. And I just found out I'm babysitter for however long my cousins are here.
Playingthekeys: Something wrong with your cousins? I happen to like kids. How old are they?
Ringingbells: It figures. You're a lameass. And they're five.
Playingthekeys: Girls, boys? Both?
Ringingbells: Does it really matter? Both. Fraternal twins.
Playingthekeys: Sounds like fun. I wish I could help with that - hah! Which brings me to my next question. You said that you live in Washington state, right?
Ringingbells: Right. And?
Playingthekeys: Well, so do I. So, wouldn't it make sense we meet up somewhere? We've been talking for a long time, unless you're worried I'm a child molester, which is perfectly fine. Although, I suppose I should be more worried about meeting a real life stalker. Hm.
Ringingbells: You. Are. An. Ass. But, where would we meet? I mean, it should be somewhere central - I have bad sense of direction. And I might want some witnesses, in case you are, you know, a molester.
Playingthekeys: Well, that's ironic. A stalker with bad sense of direction?
Playingthekeys: Seattle sound good? We can discuss the details later, I need to go.
Ringingbells: Is it your boyfriend? I think we established you like men, correct?
Playingthekeys: Now which one of us is the ass? It's my girlfriend, in case you were wondering. At least I can actually ask someone out - not stalk them and steal their clothes.
Ringingbells: I did not steal his clothes! And I talked to him! Twice, now!
Playingthekeys: Goodbye, Bells.
Ringingbells: See ya, Keys.
Playingthekeys has signed off.
Ringingbells has signed off.
A/N: Aren't I clever, fitting in James and Victoria like that? xD No, not really. I just had to do it. Well, Bella's cousins are visiting! And trust me, this might have a big effect on the story later, so it wasn't just something I wanted to add in there, no.
And yeah, I intend to use a bunch of Twilight characters in different parts of the story, as different people - see how I fit Emmett in there? I love Emmett, so you'll probably seem him appear in the story later. :) Whether he has a big part I can't tell you, yet, so you'll just have to keep reading.
I've been asked if there will be any Jake in this story - and yes, there will be. Probably not how you expect there to be, though. ;D You'll see, right?
Anyway, good job clicking that Review button! Now click Mr. Review button again - he's all lonely. :) Make him smile, too, just like you reviews do to me!
Pretty please with icecream and an Edward on top? ;D
-Nick
