Thanks to all of you for reading! A huge shoutout to all my bitches over at UU.
Supermegalove to Naelany & Shalu…my splendiferous beta-chicks.
SM owns all that stuff. I own a bunch of yarn.
CH 3
The next few days were spent helping Alice do all the preparation for the camping trip. We used my truck to take all of the miscellaneous items that Alice insisted had to go. I'm fairly sure she believed we were going to be there for a month and not just the weekend. We set up several tents, and a larger shade tent for the food area. I did love camping. On Friday morning, we drove out with the last load of firewood, and our sleeping bags, backpacks and coolers.
Lucky for me, I did get a few hours by myself to get in some yoga. I left Alice at the campsite and walked about two hundred yards upstream and put out my mat. The peace and quiet here was broken only by the sounds of the stream and a few calling birds. I worked on my poses for about an hour then sat down to meditate for a few minutes. I was losing myself in the gentle burbling of the stream, the scents of the sun, and the warm earthiness, when my skin began to tingle and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I slowly opened my eyes and tried not to make any quick movements. I had no idea what might be out there, but my senses were suddenly going through their paces like a greyhound chasing a rabbit. I quickly glanced around me without turning my head. Trees. Bushes. Nothing. I turned my head a bit to the left and scanned the area. Water. Grass. Nothing. I slowly turned my head back to the right and scanned again. Rocks. Wildflowers. Nothing. Deciding it wasn't in my line of sight, I carefully shifted my body so I could see behind me. Nothing there, either. I took a deep breath and noticed that my skin had stopped tingling. Before I could give it a second thought, I grabbed my mat and ran back to where Alice was still setting up tiki torches. I slowed down as I got back into the campsite, trying not to look like a complete fool.
Alice looked up from the fire ring and cocked her head sideways, "Bella, what's wrong?" Pixie girl was observant. I glanced around at the tents in their strategically placed order. None too close, all within sight, but far enough away that conversation couldn't be directly overheard. I knew there would be lots of couples this weekend and figured the placing had a lot to do with other reasons too.
I took a deep breath. "Al, have there been any mountain lion sightings lately?"
"No, why did you see one?" Her eyes grew wide.
"No, I just…I dunno, I felt like something was watching me." I exhaled slowly. Charlie would've told us if we had anything to worry about; he was always in touch with the game warden.
"Well, maybe I should tell the guys to bring a couple of rifles tonight." She didn't look too worried, we all knew that the wildlife around here was mostly harmless, but it never hurt to be too careful. Most of the guys probably had rifles in their trucks anyway. They were raised that way around here.
"Yeah, that would be a good idea. Are you ready to head back to the house and get cleaned up?"
"Yep. Let's go shower and change. We've got about three hours before anybody arrives."
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We were relaxing on the front porch when the first guests arrived. Alice introduced me around, and I tried to remember all the gossip she had told me about each one. Alice was such a social butterfly, and knew all there was to know about anyone. More and more of the gang arrived over the next hour, and I was having a hard time keeping up with all the names, so I made up nicknames for them in my head. "Lowrider" for one girl, because her jeans left very little to the imagination. How did they even stay up? She was built like a stick, and she had to be going commando, because there was no whale tail. Then there was "Slave Boy" for one guy, he was following Lowrider and rushing to answer all of her demands. He was currently putting all of her gear into the back of my truck, along with a cooler and his gear. All he needed was a leash and a collar.
There had to be at least 15 people here by now, and they were all very nice. The guys were checking me out, even the ones with girls. I knew I was the new shiny toy in town, but I wasn't about to start up a relationship at this point. I wondered how many more were coming. Not that I'm uncomfortable in crowds, I actually enjoy them, but I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to have an intelligent conversation all weekend. Most of the girls were borderline idiotic, and the guys? Well, suffice it to say, I'd have to spray my "unavailable" vibe around like insect repellant. Oh well, when life gives you lemons make lemonade, right? I'd just have to settle for limp conversation, and maybe a few good laughs at others' expense. "There's Something About Mary hair" boy was certainly going to be entertaining. His hair was so over-gelled it looked like it would break off if you touched it. What was his name again? Ummm, Mike. His father owns a local sporting goods chain. He was already ogling me, and I could tell it wouldn't be long before I'd have to put him in his place.
My truck was full and the back of Mike's was about to be stuffed to the gills, too, when another truck pulled up. I recognized Jasper immediately as he got out. I wondered if all of his jeans looked like he painted them on. He turned to help a girl out of the driver's door, who I knew was Jessica. I remembered her poodle head and fake smile. She giggled at him as he set her down on the ground. She was dressed similar to Lowrider: tight jeans and a plaid button down over a tank. When they saw each other, they commenced the age old girl ritual of the "once over" and began gushing about one another's appearance. Then Emmett hopped out of the passenger side. I offered up thanks to the gods! I might have someone to talk to finally. I smiled at him as he walked over my way.
"Hey there, Banshee!!" Did the boy have an indoor voice?
"Hey there, yourself, Lug Nut!" I bellowed back. He laughed uproariously.
He noticed Alice then and picked her up into a big bear hug. "Hey party pixie!"
"Emmett! I…can't…breathe…" She was giggling when he sat her back down. She straightened her hot pink, ruffled, blouse and peered around him at the truck. "Where's Edward?" She put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and was rocking back and forth on her heels. She looked fidgety to me.
"Oh, he'll be over later. He's was working with that colt. You know how engrossed he gets when he's working." Emmett was scanning the crowd and acknowledging the guys with head nods.
"Well, I hope he gets there before you eat all the hotdogs." She was obviously very comfortable with Emmett. It was understandable, he had a very easy going personality. But her eyes weren't on Emmett, they were watching Jasper load something into the back of his truck.
Fifteen minutes later Emmett, Alice, and I, were driving out to the campsite with a small caravan of trucks behind us. Alice was going on about sleeping arrangements and who brought whom. This was apparently going to be the official summer kick-off party. All told there were 21 of us, and I was sure by the end of the weekend I'd know all their names and most of their bad habits.
When we arrived there was a small frenzy of tent erecting, and cooler re-arranging. Apparently some of the couples wanted more privacy than Alice's tents were going to provide. That was fine with me, the further away they were the less I'd be able to hear. Emmett grabbed a giant cooler out of the back of Jasper's truck, sat it down, flipped up the lid and beckoned me over.
"You want a beer, Banshee?" I looked in the cooler and saw a multitude of choices.
"Lug Nut, you are my savior!" I grabbed a Blue Moon and popped the top. He reached in the cooler for one of his own, and opened it.
"Those are my fave too." He smiled down at me after a taking a big drink.
A few of the other guys had started the campfire, and some were firing up a grill that Mike had brought in his truck. I had fun people watching. There was a small clearing to one side of the campsite and a game of Frisbee had started up. The whole area was sparsely surrounded by tall Aspen trees and they were gently rustling in the light breeze. It felt secluded, but open all at the same time. The colorful tents sitting like brightly plumed birds in the sea of green. Happiness was beginning to flood through me, something I hadn't felt fully in the past year. I had truly missed it.
I was sitting with Emmett and Sarah, a pretty girl who was obviously infatuated with Emmett. He had brought us plates of food and I was wolfing my burger down like there was no tomorrow. Sarah was daintily picking at hers and making goo-goo eyes at Em.
"So Bella, Jasper tells me you play guitar, did you bring it along?"
"Yes and yes, Em. It's over in my tent. I figured I'd get it later after everyone has settled down." So Jasper was talking about me already. I wondered what else was said. I had barely spoken to him.
"Sweet! So what do you like to play?"
"Oh, a little of everything. My taste in music is pretty eclectic. I've been playing since I was a child." Sarah was looking at me like I had two heads. I just smiled back at her. Jeez, she's a winner.
"You aren't scared to play in front of people?" She asked with a mortified look.
"No, why should I be? I'm damn good." Emmett snorted, and shook with laughter.
"I like you more and more, Banshee." He grinned at me.
It had gotten dark, and everybody was gathered around the fire. Couples were cuddling, and conversation and beer were flowing like water. The circle of logs most of us were perched on made the setting very cozy. The campfire was putting off a good amount of warmth, and I was on my fifth beer, feeling a good little buzz. Alice had set up the most perfect camping trip, it was straight out of movie set. Emmett came to sit next to me and handed me my guitar.
"Thanks, Lug." I smiled up at him. I grabbed my pick off the neck and began to tune it up. I looked up to see Jasper sitting a few feet away with a guitar in his lap, Jessica vied for space with it, and losing the battle.
"You never mentioned you played." I said to him.
"You never asked." He smirked back at me.
"TouchÈ." I replied. He was still tuning up and gestured for me to start.
"You go ahead, Bella, everyone here has heard me play before. I'll join in later." I noticed Jessica had given up the lap and opted to latch onto his hip instead. She gave me a bit of the stink eye.
"Thanks Jasper." I shot a dazzling smile her way and then winked at him. The stink eye got a little uglier. Lordy she was going to be a handful. Jasper paid her no heed. I started picking at random and finally settled on a tune, James Blunt's "Same Mistake".
So while I'm turning in my sheets
And once again I cannot sleep
Walk out the door and up the street
Look at the stars beneath my feet
Remember rights that I did wrong
So here I go
I fell into the rhythm of the music, lost myself in the chords, singing with all of my soul. Telling the world This is me! Hear me! Confidence was never a problem for me when I was singing. It was just so natural for me. As I finished the song, I looked around. I was met with looks of awe and a good bit of jealousy.
"Wow," Emmett whispered, next to me. "Damn, girl you're amazing!"
"Shit, Bella. I don't think I want to play after that." Jasper was staring at me incredulously.
"Aw, come on, fellas! You're gonna make a girl blush." I batted my eyelashes and grinned wickedly. The stink eye went up another notch.
Emmett burst out laughing and threw an arm around me, squeezing me against his shoulder. "Banshee, I don't think blushing is part of your repertoire!" Everyone cracked up at that.
Jasper played a great rendition of "On the Road Again" and I strummed some back up for him. We played a few more songs together and then I took a much needed bathroom break. Not that there was a bathroom, just a couple of designated trees and a shovel. I was actually surprised that some of these girls agreed to rough it like this. My friends back in Phoenix would've had hissy fits if they had to pee outdoors. I grabbed a few beers from the cooler on my way back to the fire. I wanted to keep this good buzz going. I plopped down between Em and Alice and handed each of them a beer.
"Hey, Al! Where have you been?" I teased her, she was the ever present hostess and I knew she'd been talking with everyone.
"Ha ha, Bella." She smirked at me then took a drink.
I smiled back at her and took a sip of my own beer. I went to pick up my guitar when a shiver ran down my spine.
"Cold Bella?" Emmett asked me, noticing my shiver.
"A little, I guess." He reached behind him and grabbed his jacket and threw it over my shoulders. "Thanks Em." I nodded at him and he smiled back. But his attention shifted to his left suddenly.
"Hey Edward! It's about time bro." I looked past him to see his brother, walking up to the fire. My breath caught in my throat. Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick! I had never seen a more perfect male specimen in all my life. I swallowed audibly and let my gaze roam over him. He was just a touch over six feet tall, and walked with a feline grace that would have been feminine on another guy. Long legs wrapped in tight wranglers, and a dark grey button down shirt, that clung in all the right places. He was well built with lean muscle, not bulky like Emmett. My eyes finally reached his face, and it was exquisite. A strong jaw, with a squared chin, just a hint of stubble.
And that mouth - oh so kissable, pouty, even, and topped by a straight, long nose which led up to the most beautiful pair of eyes. The fire made them a very sultry shade of dark jade green. It was all finished off with the most unruly head of hair I had ever seen. All different shades of copper and bronze were reflecting the firelight. Panty change on aisle Bella, please! Shit! I have got to get control of myself. Down girl, down!!
Then I noticed the blonde standing next to him. She was gorgeous, like a 1940's movie starlet. Classic and haughty. She was as tall as Edward and a had a body for which most women would commit heinous acts of murder. She was dressed the same as most of us, in jeans and a button down shirt, but on her the outfit acquired more sex appeal. Her face looked just slightly familiar, and then it hit me. Rosalie the Ice Queen. Jasper's twin. She had her arm linked in his, but his hands were in his pockets. He looked a bit out of sorts.
"Edward, this is Bella." I heard Emmett's voice saying. Pull it together girl!
"It's nice to meet you Edward." I stood up and reached my hand out to him. He took his hand out of his pocket and reached for mine.
"I'm Rosalie Hale." She shoved her hand into mine before Edward's hand bridged the gap. What the fuck? I do believe I was just cockblocked and I don't even have a cock.Edward still hadn't spoken. But his eyes were laying out a story for any literate person to see. He wasn't pleased, and I was pretty sure I knew who his discontent was aimed at.
"Bella Swan." I said coldly shaking the hand of the Ice Queen. "I see who got all the looks in the family." I glanced meaningfully over at Jasper. He was taking in the scene with an amused look on his face. "It's a shame civility isn't part of one's DNA."
I heard several gasps behind me, but didn't look to see who they came from. Just as Rosalie was about to open her mouth with an undoubtedly scathing retort, Emmett busted out the loudest laugh I had heard yet. Simultaneously, Alice slammed my guitar into my hands and grabbed Rosalie's arm, yanking her away, saying something about getting a drink and putting her stuff into a tent.
"Ouch, Banshee!! Those claws of yours are sharp!" Emmett was still cracking up.
Edward was staring at me with those glorious green eyes and a small crooked smile. He looked completely edible. I held my guitar with one hand and stuck my other hand out, "Once again, it's nice to meet you Edward." His smile grew and he finally took my hand lightly. His hand was warm, and rough, but gentle. A tingle started at the base of my spine and slowly worked it's way up to the top of my head. It left me feeling a bit dizzy.
"It's very nice to meet you too, Bella." His voice reminded me of whiskey and caramel. Smooth and sweet, with a slow burn.
"Bella, are you going to play anymore?" Emmett's voice brought me out of my reverie. "Wait 'til you hear her sing, bro, it's just awesome." He was guiding me back to my seat.
"Sure Em," I said, refocusing my thoughts. "What would you like to hear?"
"Surprise me, girl. I think you could sing vacuum assembly instructions in Spanish and it would sound like heaven."
I laughed "You sure have a way with words, Em." He laughed right back at me.
Edward took a seat on the log caddy corner from mine. I took a big drink of my beer, thinking. I had to get focused. I have only been here a week. I can't jump in head over heels again. But come hell or high water, I would get to know Edward Cullen. That beautiful man was definitely on my list of things to do. I just had to get a myself back in the groove.
I decided on an oldie but a goodie. "Jasper," I called over to him, Jessica had latched onto his face like a leech, and he had to disentangle himself from her. "Would you give me a hand with this one? It's a bit long…"
"Sure Bella, what're we playin'?" He used his best southern drawl now.
"American Pie." His grin went from ear to ear.
"Knock it out woman!"
I started the opening chords and sang the first lines…
A long long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.
I made it through the first three verses, and looked around. Emmett and Edward both had the oddest looks on their faces. When I got to the refrain, Jasper's voice came in low and his guitar joined in on the next verse. I was getting into the song now. It's an easy song to play, but it's lengthy and the verses can be tricky. I had memorized it ages ago. When I got to the refrain again, I heard another voice join in. I glanced to my left and saw that it was Edward. He had a wonderful baritone with a ringing quality to it. As he sang, his face changed. Before, the look was odd and melancholy, but now it had turned child-like and slightly dreamy. The rest of the song flowed from my lips without any coaxing, and each refrain was met with more enthusiasm, and more voices. But the only one I heard was Edward's. Our eyes were locked together for the entirety, and his mouth moved along with mine on the verses, though his voice was silent.
When I got to the final refrain, I realized I didn't want the song to stop. This bubble that I had somehow created was perfect. I felt that if I stopped the song the bubble would burst and I would lose something precious. But it had to end.
They were singing bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
With the last notes from our voices slipping away in the night air, Edward stared at me. His eyes held the most intense longing I had ever seen, but they were still far away and dreamy. I heard people around me applauding and talking about how cool it was that I knew all the verses to the song, but I couldn't look away from Edward. Suddenly, Rosalie was there, her voice was quickly shattering my bubble into a million pieces. Edward shook his head slightly, the dreaminess replaced with a peaceful smile. Then the discontent was back full force. "Edward, come on! I need you to get my things from the truck. Alice has a tent set up for us already." God would that bitch never shut up?
Edward looked up at her over his shoulder, "Okay Rose, I'm coming." He sounded dejected and peeved, but she didn't catch on.
Wait…did she say us? My brain was slowly registering what had come out of her mouth. Well, shit.
Before he got up, he turned his gaze back to me and smiled that crooked smile. "Thank you, Bella. You have a beautiful voice."
He turned and walked away.
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Loss. That was what I was feeling after Edward walked away. A small part of my world had just opened up, and now there was emptiness. His departure was swift, and he never returned. How could someone I had barely exchanged words with affect me so profoundly?
With these swirling thoughts clogging my brain I barely noticed the conversation. I finished off two more beers, compared to Emmett's four, and quickly decided that it was two too many. I looked around the fire and noticed that most everyone had gone to bed, or at least to their tents. Alice, Emmett, Jasper, Jessica, and myself were the only ones left. Jessica had once again found it necessary to attach herself to Jasper's face, and from my point of view it looked rather uncomfortable.
Alice tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn and I joined her.
"I think it's time to go to bed. Come on, Bella." She grabbed my hand and tried to yank me to my feet. Unfortunately, gravity chose that moment to kick in. I was halfway to my feet when I fell backwards, dragging Alice with me. Directly onto Emmett's lap.
"Whoa ladies! I think you two may have had more than your fair share of alcohol this evening." We were a giggling heap of hilarity sitting on his lap. His large hands were gently wrapped around our waists preventing us from hitting the ground completely. "Lucky for you two, I'm ambidextrous!" With that comment he pushed us up and off of him, like we weighed no more a feather. He stood and threw an arm around each of us and led the way to our tent.
Alice glanced back over her shoulder and snapped an order like a drill sergeant at Jasper, "Don't forget to put out the fire, Tonsil Hockey King!" I only heard a muffled chuckle in response.
Alice had, of course, claimed the largest tent as ours. It was a three-room monstrosity, meant for a whole family. Alice had practically turned it into a rustic palace. She and I were sharing one room to sleep in and the center room was a sitting area, complete with table and chairs. Emmett was taking the other room, since he was one of the few unaccompanied people. Alice quickly changed out if her jeans into pajamas and was plumping one of her many pillows. I was drunkenly fumbling out of my clothes and into my old sweats when that damn gravity took over again. Thank goodness for the floor full of pillows or I would have probably injured myself. We collapsed into a fit of giggles again, snuggled down in our sleeping bags, and drifted off to dreamland.
I didn't want to have this conversation again. It always ended the same. Jealousy. The accusations, the anger in his black eyes. He never did anything wrong. He said it was always my fault. That I made him do it. Rage. I knew that wasn't true, but he blamed me every time. The bastard. This time he went too far. Pain. Screaming. My hand on fire.
"Bella? Bella, come on, honey, wake up…" I felt someone touching me and lashed out. "Ouch! Bella! Wake up!" The voice was obviously hurt, but it wasn't his. Then it came to me. Alice. I quickly sat up in the darkness and tried to focus my eyes.
"Al? Oh my god, did I hurt you? I'm so sorry." I was reaching out trying to locate her, when a small light came on.
"Bella what's wrong? You were thrashing around and then you were yelling about your hand." She looked a little frightened. Then I heard the zipper on the partition door, looking up I saw Emmett's tousled head.
"Is everything ok?" He seemed worried. Ugh. I hadn't had that dream for weeks. Why did it have to come back now? They were both staring at me intensely. I didn't know what to say. How could I tell them? They were both waiting for me to speak. Don't hold back, Bella. Friends are what you need now.
"Come in here and sit down Emmett." He stepped in, sitting down on a couple of throw pillows. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
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