Stephenie Meyer will always own Twilight.
Chapter 4 – What Do You Do For Fun?
Alice meets me in the parking lot for a lift to work. It only pays minimum wage to run the only roller skating rink in Forks, but the owners are flexible with my basketball schedule. There's no practice today, so we're both on the book from 3:00 to 8:00.
We keep our skates on site in a locker. Rolling isn't a job requirement; it's what we do for fun.
Weeknights are slow enough for us to finish all of our homework in the first couple of hours. Jake Black shows up around 5:00 to fire up the grill for the few couples out on date night. He drops onion rings when he sees me coming.
"Bells," he says.
"Don't call me that." I roll my eyes and skate behind the counter to pour my own glass of Coke.
"Let's go to a movie after work Saturday."
"I'm not working that day."
"When I get off, then." He chuckles at his own little pun.
Before I can answer, there's a loud smack on the counter behind me. Edward is standing on the other side with his palm flat on the Formica surface.
"What can I get you?" Jake asks.
"The cigarette machine is trying to stiff my buddy. The Camels are hung."
"Oh." Jakes thumbs over his shoulder in my direction. "That's her job."
And he wonders why I won't date him.
I roll my eyes, take a long pull from my straw, and set my glass on the counter. Edward waits for me to skate through the employee gate and join him on the carpet.
"Hang on a sec," I say, skating past him to the main counter. I have to lean up on my stoppers to reach over and get the straightened coat hanger we use to unclog the cigarette dispenser when packs get stuck.
When I turn around, Edward's head whips up so fast, I'm surprised it's not locked by whiplash. "Sorry," he says.
I'm not sure how to handle the admission. He was checking out my butt. It doesn't gross me out like when Jake does it. Probably because I've looked at Edward's butt, borderline obsessively, for a couple of years since we hit varsity and he filled out his shorts.
"Whatever." I skate past him and give him another view.
Jasper's waiting in the alcove between the men's and ladies' restrooms, leaning against the dimly lit cigarette machine. He grins when I lean over and stick the metal rod into the machine to fish out his smokes.
"Thanks," he says. "Is Alice working?"
"Yeah. She's at the front desk."
They follow me across the room instead of heading for the exit. Their acid-washed jeans from school have been traded for Sonny Crockett pants and matching white jackets. Jasper is sockless in penny loafers, but Edward lives in those Jordan's, no matter the occasion.
I'm almost at the desk when colored lights twist on the walls and Salt-N-Pepa blasts through the speakers.
"I'm taking my break!" I yell when I pass Alice. Seconds later, my skates hit hardwood, and the fun starts. There are only a dozen people on the floor, so it's easy to maneuver around and between them. I stick to the edge of the rink as I skate all the way around.
The song ends, but I've still got time to kill, so I circle back to the concession stand to get my drink and grab my onion rings. Edward and Jasper are still talking to Alice when I take my spot next to her. I open the slam book and balance it on my leg. Hot onion rings are my favorite, so I eat and answer Alice's questions to keep from staring at Edward.
What do you do for fun? Push it
Do you like someone? Yes
Does he/she know it?
I glance up and catch Edward looking right at me. His eyes narrow and lower to the notebook spread on my lap. I reach for my drink to distract him, and it works. He turns away.
God, I hope not.
A/N – I never knew so many people had strong opinions about tube socks. I love y'all. For real. Thanks to Iris for everything, to M and Nic for reading this way back when, and to all of you for reading and reviewing. I'm too sad about Luke Perry to be witty or wordy, so I'll see you soon.
MSC
