Chapter Four: Angela
Characters belong to Stephenie Meyers
BPOV
Rosalie and Emmett helped me unpack my things. With all of us it didn't take long. I didn't have much stuff to begin with. The only color I contributed to the room was a dark purple cotton comforter that was given to me. On the desk, next to Alice's new computer, my laptop sat that was bought used. It was only a couple of years old, but that might as well have been ancient in computer terms.
When we were done I sat on my bed, Rosalie on Alice's bed and Emmett on the floor by her feet. Rosalie's hands kept running through Emmett's hair unconsciously. It made me feel like I was intruding on a private moment. Bringing back memories, I wanted to leave the room. I stood up to walk out. This was unbearable. I wasn't sure I could be around this many couples.
Rosalie asked "Where are you going?"
"Bathroom." That was the only word I could speak as I turned away. Walking out the door and down the hall to the community bathroom my chest felt as though it was being crushed. Barely breathing I made it into a stall before bursting into tears. I hated that I was crying like this. It had been over a year since I'd broken up with Jacob, he didn't deserve my tears.
Opening up to these total strangers even if it was only a tiny crack had stirred up some bad memories I had managed to keep locked away. Then I was angry, other people shouldn't keep me from having friends that I really wanted. Scrubbing the tears away I walked out of the stall and went to the sink. I looked at my face, it was red and splotchy. There was no possible way they wouldn't know I'd been crying. I wasn't ready yet to explain why. Taking a few deep breaths I turned on the sink and splashed my face with icy cold water, so cold that I yelped in surprise.
When I looked in the mirror a girl standing behind me with long light brown hair was staring at me curiously. "Are you okay?" She asked.
I shook my head no, then turning off the water and not looking at her I said "That water is freezing."
She said "Yes, I know. It always is. You either get used to it, or you have to turn on hot water too when you brush your teeth. I'm Angela, by the way. Your name is?"
"Bella, I go by Bella." I said not wanting to ever introduce myself as Isabella, so I never had to discourage people from using that name.
Angela smiled and said "Hi Bella, so where is your dorm? You look like you could sit down."
I groaned "Rosalie and Emmett are in my room and I don't want them to see me looking like this. They'll have questions that I'm not ready to answer." I waved towards my face.
"Oh you met Rosalie then? She's my roommate. She's nice underneath all her bravado." Angela said. "Let me take care of it. I'll answer why you look like that, just don't speak."
I nodded my head and followed her out the door. Once again I was following people. This never would have happened in my old life, I made the rules there.
We walked to my dorm room and I opened the door to find Rosalie and Emmett kissing on Alice's bed. Great… glad I high-tailed it out of here earlier. I certainly wouldn't have been able to hold it together when they started kissing. Breaking apart at the noise Angela and I were making Emmett looked at us sheepishly. Rosalie didn't seem the least bit fazed. She just smoothed her hair down and looked at us.
Then I saw Emmett's eyes narrow. Of course he'd notice I'd been crying first. I was so embarrassed my already splotchy face turned an even darker shade of red. "Have you been crying? Why? Are you homesick already? You just got here."
Angela cleared her throat and said "No, she was just laughing so hard she started crying. I fell weird and she thought it looked funny." I turned and looked at her both thankful and amused as it would more likely be me falling funny and being laughed at.
"Oh." Was all Emmett said, then "I wish I could have seen that." This time Rosalie smacked him on the head.
Angela and I both laughed, then she said "Maybe I'll re-enact it just for you."
Emmett's eyes lit up and he began bouncing on the bed nearly bouncing Rosalie off it. He cried "Would you really?" He looked like a little kid.
"Would you stop jumping on the bed? I'm about to fall off." Rosalie said miffed.
"Sorry, Rose. You just know I think it's funny when people fall." Emmett said excitedly.
"Well then you should think I'm a comedian. I fall all the time whether I want to or not." I chuckled. He nodded gleefully.
"So Ang, are we going to see this fall?" Emmett asked.
I turned to Angela and shook my head. "I was the one that saw it happen. I should be the one to show them how it looked." I was grateful to her and didn't want to see her actually get hurt. Having fallen so many times in my life I was sure I could do it without too much damage.
Taking off my shoes so I had nothing but socks on I walked towards the wall and slid one foot out in front of the other while touching the wall with my fingers. Very slowly I did the splits never quite stopping myself with my hands, but going so slowly I looked drunk. It took me a good two minutes to get to the ground. I had fallen like that before. It was the slow motion of the fall that was funny, not the fall itself.
Getting up I turned and saw Emmett slap his leg and guffaw. Rosalie rolled her eyes at him. Angela just looked at me amused trying to hold in her laughter, not from falling, but from doing that so I didn't have to explain why I was crying in the first place.
Finally I collapsed on my bed with Angela beside me, both of us shaking with laughter. This time my tears were happy tears and I was grateful to her again for that. She didn't ask any questions or poke at me to get me to answer them, never letting up. To me that was incredibly annoying when I just wanted to be left alone. It didn't look like these new friends were going to leave me alone though. They seemed to think it was unhealthy.