A/N: So… I'm going to assume you guys hate me for waiting for so long to update? Seeing as how the last chapter got 165 hits and only 1 review? And it was from a friend? :[ I know I said I wouldn't beg for reviews, but I really would appreciate you guys saying what I'm doing wrong, what you like, etc. so I can fix whatever I am doing wrong and give you more of what you like. :] Please don't hate me for the epically long wait on this one, either.
This chapter is uber long. Take it as my 'sorry' to you.
On a happier, less stressful note, I'm looking for a beta, so… if you know of anyone that could help, or you yourself want to help, PM me please. :D
I have more information on why it took so long and other stuff at the bottom so… please read that when you're done. :]
And now – on to the story!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to S.M. The plot is mine. I'm just borrowing her lovely characters. :]
I woke up from my slumber already bored with the day. I decided to work out for a change in my routine. I changed into a pair of shorts, a sports bra, and tennis shoes, then threw my hair into a ponytail. Grabbing a bottle of water from my fridge and my iPod from the kitchen counter, I decided to go on a short run to get a head start on the new work-out plan I had promised myself I would do this year. The road I lived on was very curvy and it took a lot of my concentration in order to not fall off the road into the ditch that ran beside me. After the short run, I went home and decided to keep with the working out I was suddenly in the mood for.
Digging around all the boxes in my new apartment that I had yet to unpack probably made a bigger mess than it was worth, but I finally found my yoga equipment. I laid the cushioning mat and square block on the ground of my living room as I popped the DVD into the player and turned on the television. When I had finished the hour-long workout, it was already past one in the afternoon. I was exhausted from my workout and not sleeping well the night before, so I decided to take a quick nap before starting to get ready for the night. Unfortunately, my 'quick nap' turned into a two and a half hour nap. I woke up to the sound of banging on my apartment door.
Apparently, Alice was too excited to wait for me to meet her and Rose at their store, like we had planned the night before, because she was standing in my doorway. To say that I was extremely confused would be an understatement.
"Alice?" I asked with disbelief laced into my voice.
"Hi, Bella! We're going to get you all ready for tonight. I skipped out of work to help you get ready," she squealed while walking into my apartment with a little bounce in her step.
"But… how did you know I live here? I never texted you my address since we didn't go out the other night."
"Bella, please. I did some thinking. There's been one apartment open for ages in Forks, and you just moved here. Where else would you be?"
"Oh. Right. Well… do you want anything to drink? I don't have much. Water, juice, Pepsi? Anything?"
"Water's fine. Show me to your room."
"Alice, we're not leaving for another, like, three hours. What's the rush?" I laughed as I pulled a bottle of water from my fridge.
"We have to get you ready! It's not just a bar we're going to. It's also a dance club."
"I hate to tell you this but, uh, I don't really dance. It's not the best choice for the coordination-impaired."
"Which is why we're putting you in heels," she explained. I didn't see how that would help me with my dancing-impaired self. "Oh, come one, Bell, don't give me that look. I don't want to see it. You said so yourself that you walk better in heels than without. What's the difference with dancing?"
"Because I can't dance. Even in heels. I've tried. Please don't make me."
"You're dancing. That's it. Rose and I will keep you safe. Even Emmett will, if you ask. He's a big teddy bear."
"Fine. But I'm still being sober the entire night."
"Sure, sure. Now go take a fast shower. We'll get you ready and then you can come to my house while I get ready. Hurry, go, go!" she said as she pushed me forcefully into the adjoining bathroom. "I'll pick out your clothes while you get showered. Don't worry, I won't make you dress in anything too skanky. You'll look fabulous when I'm done with you!" Alice sang in delight. I locked to door to my bathroom to avoid any intrusions from her and stepped into the shower after stripping out of my clothes. As I rinsed the shampoo from my hair, there was a loud banging on the door.
"What do you want, Alice?" I yelled over the water. I couldn't hear her response. "What?" I shouted louder.
"Where. The. Hell. Are. Your. Non. Granny. Panties?" Alice shouted over the shower in a stunned voice, pronouncing each word carefully.
"I don't have granny panties!"
"Bella, that's a lie. You have exactly one thong, all boy shorts, and boring as fuck bras! And none of them are even push up! Jesus Christ. We're going shopping. You're also the same bra size as me, so you're borrowing one of my bras tonight."
"Alice," I groaned as I applied the conditioner into my hair. "It's really not necessary. I can't just take a bra of yours!"
"Sure you can. It's not like it's old and gross. I just got it, like, two weeks ago. Trust me, you'll look awesome. Now hurry up!" I shaved my legs quickly and rinsed the soap off my body, as well as the conditioner out of my hair. The fluffy green towel that was hanging on the towel rack was now wrapped around my body. I opened the door, releasing the steam from the small bathroom as I muttered in annoyance.
"Goddamn you, you fucking pixie," I said lowly.
"Did you just call me a pixie?" she asked incredulously. Her eyes were bigger than I'd ever see them, and her mouth was open in the shape of an 'O'. "A pixie?"
"You've seriously never been called that? How? You're fucking short and you're a ball of never ending energy. I bet everyone calls you that behind your back. Oh, come on, Alice. Close your mouth. It's not that bad of a term. It's endearing, really. Now get me all beautified, stat." She numbly handed me the apparent one thong I owned, along with a pair of skinny jeans and a black semi see through tank top. The top made me nervous.
"The bra is black. It's fine. Put it on," she demanded. I made her turn around as I changed in the room. Standing next to her, I felt so plain and boring, so I didn't want to feel like I was judging myself next to her. Plus, I didn't exactly feel like suffocating in the still steam filled bathroom. I caught her peeking as I dropped the towel once I had pulled my underwear on. Next to her, I felt extremely self conscious and didn't want her seeing my body. "Alice!"
"Oh, relax. You have an awesome bod. It's not that big of a deal." She waited for me to pull my clothes on. "Jesus. Fine, I'll turn back around. You need to get used to me seeing you mostly naked, though. You're my new Barbie," she said as she smiled happily. I groaned in response but slipped on the clothes for her. She turned around when she heard that I was finished rustling with the clothes and smiled.
"See? Awesome bod. You look hot. Better yet, your boobs will look amazing when you have my bra on. Now, Bella, we have a problem. In that lovely closet of yours, I didn't see one pair of shoes. So where the fuck are they? Huh?"
"Jesus Christ, calm down. I keep them under my bed. What kind are you looking for to go with this outfit for tonight?"
"What do you have that's red or black? You're using the red clutch, by the way," Alice informed me while tossing said clutch at my head.
"God, Alice, give someone a little warning, would you?" I grumbled as I pulled out two pairs of heels. "Here are the choices from this box," I said, pulling out two pairs of shoes. One was a pair of solid black stilettos and the other was a pair of black leather heeled boots. Alice looked at them, studying the shoes as if they could help her pass a test.
"Maybe the boots. What else do you have?"
"Uh…" I mumbled while pulling out the second box from under my bed. "I have this pair of pointed red heels," I said, holding one up. Alice shook her head no quickly. I agreed with her on it. The shoes were too bright to go with the outfit. "There's this pair of red and black cheetah heels?" The red wasn't nearly as bright as the previous pair, and the smile that instantly lit up Alice's face made me realize that this was the pair to wear. I slipped them on and grew 3 inches, which caused me to tower over Alice even more. She grinned widely as she ordered me back into the bathroom so she could do my hair.
"Alice, I'm perfectly capable of doing my own hair, thank you. I'll just dry it and we can go."
"Absolutely not! Now, where's your mousse…" she muttered as her voice trailed off.
"I don't really, uh, have any." Alice's head popped out of my bathroom's cupboard.
"What did you say?"
"I don't have any mousse?"
"God, Bella, why didn't you tell me before?" She glared at my hair. "Come on, let's go. Grab your makeup. We're going to my house to do your hair. No mousse, no do." I did as she said, grabbing my small bag of makeup, my cell phone, debit card, and the small clutch Alice had chosen for me. Shoving everything in as I walked to Alice's tiny yellow car, I wondered what tonight would be like.
Of course, growing up and living in a big city my whole life, I had gone to clubs with my friends during college. I knew what they were like. However, Port Angeles was clearly not a big city. While it had several thousand more residents than Forks, that wasn't saying much, seeing as how Forks had less than 3,500 people living there. I knew that it wouldn't be the same as a club in Chicago or Seattle.
"Alice?" I asked her, hoping to break the silence of the car. The outside scenery was gorgeous to look at, of course, with its massive trees and millions of bushes; it was like a child had taken a mesh of green crayons and decided to color the picture just that color. I couldn't even see the sky or the dirt under all the plants.
"Hmm?" She answered as she concentrated on the long, winding road we were now driving on.
"What's the place we're going to like? I know it's not like Seattle or something, but it at least, like, has a dance floor and everything right? It's not just a little shitty bar with a made up dance floor?"
"Yes, of course! You didn't think we'd take you to some small town, cheap bar with you dressed like that, now did you? Please, Bella, have a little faith. It might not be as fancy as some of the clubs in Seattle, but it's definitely worth the time to get there. By the way, Miss Designated Driver, Rose is bringing her car for you to use tonight. I promised I wouldn't let Emmett bring his Jeep, and he won't fit in this car, even if he sits in the front. Are you going to be okay driving someone else's car?"
"Yeah, absolutely. I have this old truck, and you, me, and Rose could barely fit in it ourselves. It's not stick shift, right?"
"Ah… that's a good question. I'm pretty sure it's not, but… shit. Call Rose and ask. My phone is in my purse in the side pocket behind me." I reached around to the extremely small backseat to find said purse. I pulled out a phone from the side pocket, just like Alice said to do, and turned it over in my hand.
"You have the iPhone? You lucky bitch," I muttered as I called Rose from her phone.
"Hey, Alice! Did you take our little Bellaboo hostage yet? Or is she being good and cooperating with the evil makeover queen?" Rose answered in her angelic, soft voice. I could almost see her smiling.
"Bellaboo, Rose? What the hell kind of nickname is that?"
"Bella! Alice took you hostage and you're driving to her house right now, right?"
"How did you know?"
"What hair or make up product did you not have at your house?" She laughed almost sympathetically.
"I was missing mousse."
"How'd that fly over with her?"
"She kidnapped me and is taking me to her house with my hair still wet, remember? How do you think she took it?" I growled. "Fucking pushy pixie."
"Oh my God! You didn't call her a pixie to her face, did you?"
"Seeing as how I'm in the same tiny car as her and she's glaring at my use of the word, I'd say yes."
"Way to ruin everyone else's private joke. The one thing she didn't know about, and now she does." I could practically hear Rose pouting through the phone. "Now we have to come up with a new secret."
"I told you they called you pixie behind your back," I hissed at her.
"Rose! You did not!" Alice wailed.
"Oh, God, Bella, do you know what you've just done?"
"Sorry. Maybe you should've thought about that before letting her kidnap me. Now I get to be the one to suffer from her wrath. You'll get your fair share later, though," I laughed mock-evilly.
"You suck. Truly, you do."
"Oh well. This call did have a purpose, though. The car you're bringing isn't a stick shift, right?"
"No way. Only my babies are stick shifts and nobody but me touches them, and I mean nobody. Ever."
"Ok, good. Driving stick would suck. What time will you be here?"
"Well, PA is a little over an hour away so… 7:30-ish. Bitches best be ready, or we'll leave without you. Not really, but you'll get chewed out by Emmett. He loves this place. And with him finally being home, he wants, to quote him, 'All the dry humping time he can get with the love of his life.' Unquote."
"Tell Mr. Army Man that I said to get some dry humping in before we go dancing. While I'm sure you guys make the attractive couple, not everyone in the world would enjoy a little show from the two of you." I heard Rose talking to someone in the background, followed by a loud, boisterous laugh.
"That was Emmett. I just picked him up from the airport. We're driving home now, so, unfortunately, we cannot participate in much dry humping before going out. Sorry, you're outta luck there, hun."
Alice grabbed the phone out of my hand as we pulled up to a garage and said into the phone, "Rose, we gotta stop the chit-chatting now. We're at my house, and I still have a lot of work to do. We'll see you at 7:30." She closed it, as well as her car door, before coming to my side of the car and grabbing my arm. We stomped, or more like Alice stomped while I stumbled behind her, to her house and entered into the kitchen. It had a cozy feeling and made me feel like I was at home. As the door shut behind us, a man walked into the kitchen with a suitcase.
"Jasper!" Alice cried out, letting go of my arm to run into the arms of the man. He dropped his suitcase and embraced her. "I thought you would already be gone!"
"Edward got caught up in something. I'm going to his house in a few minutes, though. I decided I'd stay for a little longer to say goodbye to you," he said softly to her. I was surprised to hear the southern drawl come from his mouth.
"Aww, babe. Thanks," she said as she gazed lovingly into his eyes. I felt like I was intruding in on something only they should see, but at the same time, I didn't want to miss out on seeing such a strong love. "Oh, Jazz, this is Bella. She just moved here a few days ago. She's going to be the new Physics teacher at the high school."
"Hello, Bella. I teach history there, as well," Jasper said as he walked toward me, sticking his hand out for me to shake. I stepped back instinctively. I saw his brows furrow together, but it was quickly gone as he slowed his pace. I took a deep breath and stuck my hand out to meet his. He gripped it firmly, but not in an intimidating way. I looked more closely at him. He had piercing blue eyes and long, wavy blonde hair. I could see the resemblance between Jasper and Rosalie. While her eyes were darker, they had the same shape to them. The hair was nearly the exact same shade, as well. There were several scars on his face that made him look intimidating, but he shot me a smile that instantly made me feel comfortable to be around him.
"Hey, Jasper. Alice told me how you teach history and you coach a sport there, too. Basketball? Or was it baseball…" I trailed off, trying to remember what she had actually said. He laughed.
"Yes, I coach basketball in the winter season."
"I'll have to remember that," I said as I smiled.
"Babe, as much as I love you, you need to get going so you and Edward don't get to the camping site too late. Bella and I have to finish getting ready, anyway."
"Did she rope you into going out with her?" He joked while she crossed her arms and huffed.
"'Fraid so. She was appalled at my lack of mousse in my house, so I got dragged here. I don't think she minds too much, though, seeing as how she gets to see you off," I said while winking at her. "I'll go find your bathroom upstairs, Alice."
"Thanks." She smiled gratefully at me. I could tell that she was happy I was giving her alone time with her man before he left for the weekend. "It's upstairs, first door on the left."
"Okay, thanks. Have fun camping this weekend, Jasper."
"Thank you, Bella, I intend to. Take care of Alice for me, please."
"I'll make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble," I said, winking at him.
"I will not get in any trouble, thank you very much," Alice grumbled as Jasper pulled her into a tight embrace. I left the room and waited for Alice to come back up. She came up looking extremely sad and wiping a tear away.
"Aw, Alice, it's only three days. You'll be fine, I promise. We're going out tonight, and then we're getting pedicures Sunday, remember?"
"Yes, I remember," she said as she smiled weakly at me. "I just love him so much that it hurts to be away from him." She sighed sadly and then looked at me again. "Okay, stop me from being depressed. We have a fun night to get ready for!"
I let Alice have her fun with my hair until she had to get ready herself. She showered quickly and got dressed in a bright pink dress and black heels. She handed me the bra she had been talking about earlier, and she was right. It fit perfectly, and I couldn't see it through the shirt. She finished her hair and makeup just as Rose pulled up to the house, honking her horn loudly.
"Come on, Bella, let's go!" She said, pulling my body along with her. I sighed while grabbing my clutch off the bathroom counter and went downstairs to meet Rose at the door, along with Emmett. I opened the door to see the biggest body I had ever seen in my life.
"Hi, Bella!" the body exclaimed as picking me up in a hug. Too much contact, too much contact, too much contact! my mind screamed at me as I tried to escape the grasp.
"Emmett!" I heard Rose yell at him before he dropped me and I collapsed, trying to regain my ability to breathe. "I told you to take it easy," she said, sounding like a mother scolding her child.
"You okay, Bella?" I heard Alice asking me softly. I looked up to see her squatting down in front of me.
"Yeah. Just… too much, too fast."
"Sorry, Bella. I'm Emmett," the massive man said as he helped me back to my feet. "I'm a very huggy-type person. You'll learn that about me soon," he joked as his dark brown eyes twinkled. I looked at him and Alice standing next to one another.
"You guys are related?" I blurted out without thinking. Alice laughed a twinkling laugh.
"Yes, we are. I don't really know how I got stuck with this monster of a brother," she joked.
"Or how I got stuck with a midget of a sister."
"I'm not a midget," she objected loudly.
"You're four foot, ten, Alice. You're legally a midget," Rose reminded her. Alice huffed once more at being the subject of all the teasing.
"Whatever. Details, details. Come on, if we want to make it there at a decent time, we have to leave now." We all agreed and walked to the car. I got in the driver's seat, with Alice in shotgun, leaving Rose and Emmett in the back.
"Now, please no dry humping back there. No distracting the driver," I joked. Everyone laughed as we pulled out of Alice's driveway, starting our hour-long drive to Port Angeles.
So… here's the story. I wanted to update this earlier, but the week of April 5th-6th, I was basically on the brink of a breakdown. I found out I can go to KU and get in state tuition if I move back there before a certain date because I used to live there so we've been trying to get that all sorted out. Then I had a paper due Friday (the 9th) when I thought it wasn't due until the 16th and I freaked out and skipped school to do that. I haven't been sleeping well on top of all the stress which resulted in me napping Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Wednesday was the worst day. I had a breakdown in lunch and started crying over the littlest thing. It wasn't even that big of a deal but I couldn't deal with it at the time. So… sorry this didn't come out sooner. Other projects and more lovely college stuff have decided to take up the rest of my time. Can this school year just be over with already?
If you're a junior in high school and reading this – senior year is a bitch. Make sure you stay on top of everything and don't procrastinate on anything. I'm speaking from experience. On top of everything I mentioned above, the quarter ended Friday (the 9th), and I am the worst procrastinator, so of course I left all my Physics labs until last minute to do, as well as 3 or 4 homework assignments. Agh. And there's been another project for English I had this week, along with a massive Calculus packet. Again, I've had it for a month, but I left it until last minute. Seriously… procrastination fails.
I'm not going to make any promises that I'll update sooner next time, because I did that last time and it took longer. Honestly, until I'm done with my college classes and school, I don't see myself having much time to update. I will try to update sooner, though. No promises, though. I be sorry. Forgive me?