EPOV
Lauren Mallory could quite possibly be the most vacuous girl Edward had ever met, and he was finding it increasingly difficult to be polite to her. She'd dragged him out of the party to walk her home – something he wasn't entirely sure he'd agreed to do - and it felt like they'd been walking forever. Or maybe that was just the conversation. He scoffed to himself as she started another diatribe on, fuck knows, the outcome of last season's American Idol.
Edward managed to block out her nasal whine pretty successfully. It may have had something to do with the way Bella had been looking at him all night. The image of her hooded eyes and her tongue darting out to lick her red lips had quite an effect on him. He hoped the cold night air might sober him up a bit before he finally talked to her.
Sitting with the sheep of Forks High all night had required more alcohol than he'd expected, and he was well on his way to being shit-faced. He didn't even realise when Lauren stopped talking and pressed her lips to his.
Cold, hard, and sticky with too much gloss, Edward pulled away quickly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Lauren didn't even seem to notice his aversion.
"I'm so glad you came tonight, Edward. Thanks again." She seemed reluctant to let go of his hand, and Edward had to practically wrench it out of her grasp.
"No problem, Lauren. I, uh, I have to get back to Bella - I mean her house - for Alice. So, see ya," Edward mumbled as he backed away from her.
Walking into the darkness, Edward realised he had no idea where he was.
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It took him forty-five minutes to make it back to Bella's house. Only after it dawned on him that Lauren lived on the same street and had simply taken the long way home.
Opening the front door to the now largely deserted house, he saw Alice crashed out on the sofa, her head on Jasper's lap. He gently tried to shake her awake.
"Ali, we gotta go. Party's over."
"No, Edward. Bella said we could stay. I called Mom," she muttered as Edward glanced at Jasper.
"She can't go anywhere man, too much vodka. I'd blame Rose if I were you," he chuckled softly as he wound his finger through Alice's hair.
"You blame me for everything," Rosalie sniped as she walked around the room, tossing empties into a garbage bag. "But Bella did say it was cool."
"Where is she? Should I check first?" Edward asked while peering into the other rooms for a sign of Bella.
"She's in bed, but it won't be a problem. Emmett and I are taking Charlie's room. You guys will have to crash down here." Rosalie dropped the bag on the floor where she stood. "K, I'm heading up now. Night." She waved back down the stairs as Edward dropped himself into an old and battered leather recliner.
"I guess Bella's parents won't be back anytime soon, huh?" Edward tried to dismiss the disappointment he felt at having missed his chance with Bella.
"Not likely." Edward watched as Jasper carefully lifted his sister's head and slid out from underneath her before collapsing into the other armchair. "Her mom bailed on her a couple of years back. She's in Florida now, or maybe it's South Carolina. Anyway, that's when she moved up here to live with her dad. The Chief isn't exactly what you'd call an attentive parent."
"The chief?"
"Charlie Swan, Forks Chief of Police." Edward couldn't help the bark that escaped him.
"Bella's dad is the Chief of Police? And he's okay with all of this?" Gesturing around the room at the collection of empty bottles and overturned furniture, Edward struggled to believe that any police officer would be ok with all the under aged drinking and the drug use that took place in this house.
"He only sees what he wants to see. As long as Bella does okay in school and stays out of his way, she can pretty much do whatever she wants. He's away fishing for the weekend, but he'll act like he doesn't notice anything when he gets back."
Edward sat quietly while Jasper's eyes closed slowly.
"Hey, Jas. You and Bella, you aren't -" Edward realised he didn't quite know how to phrase what he wanted to know. Jasper opened one eye to look at him as he let the unfinished question sit heavily between them.
"Nah, man. Not for a long time. Lets just say we thought about it for like five minutes, then realised we weren't good for each other." His eyes dropped closed again "Doesn't mean I don't love her though."
Considering Jasper's words, Edward felt his own eyelids grow heavy.
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It felt like only minutes later that voices from upstairs stirred him.
"Come on, Bella. I can't walk home now."
"Well, I don't want you here. So can you just go?" Bella's voice was weak, and she sounded exhausted.
"What the fuck, Bella? You practically dragged me up here, and now you're kicking me out in the middle of the night?" Newton, the wheedling voice was Mike Newton. Bella's sigh was audible from the hallway up the stairs.
"Come on, it's not like I forced you. So can you just leave? Now?"
"Fine, but I can't fucking believe this." Mike's tone hardened instantly. "You always put out. Why did you have to turn into a fucking cock tease tonight?" If he didn't stop talking soon, Edward was seriously considering going up there.
"I dunno, Mike. I guess I'm just not in the mood. Sorry." Bella sounded defeated. It was nothing like her attitude at school, where she never seemed to care what anyone thought. And why was she apologising to Mike?
He heard the door close softly as Mike made his way down the stairs, cursing lightly under his breath. He stopped when he saw Edward facing him from the living room.
"Hey, man. Some party, huh?" Grinning smugly at Edward, Mike seemed to instantly forget about his mood from a moment ago.
"Yeah, sounds like you had a great time," Edward retorted dryly. Even Newton had the sense to look a little embarrassed.
"Well, I may not have gotten laid, but I did get the best head of my life!" Mike held his hand out for a fist bump, which Edward disdainfully ignored. Shaking his head, Mike continued.
"Well, I guess I'll see you Monday." He rocked back on his heels before turning to leave the house.
Edward was fuming. But he didn't know whether he wanted to punch Mike Newton in the face or take it out on Bella. What the hell was her game? She was basically eye fucking him all night. He didn't imagine the way she was looking at him, but then she took Mike Newton up to her room. Newton, seriously? He could understand Mike's deal. After all, who wouldn't want her, but why would Bella want him?
Any kind of sleep was totally out of the question now. Knowing she was awake upstairs set his mind racing and all he wanted to do was talk to her.
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"Get up losers!" Edward cracked his eyes open in time to see Alice bolt upright on the sofa her eyes wide. She seemed confused and as though she was struggling to figure out what was going on. Her head turned in the direction of Emmett's booming and ridiculously loud voice.
"Emmett, for fucks sake. Shut up!" Jasper grunted without opening his eyes or moving an inch.
Each stair creaked in protest as Emmett made his way down to the living room, and for the first time, Edward saw him up close. Emmett was huge, dwarfing everything around him. He would have been menacing if it weren't for the huge grin on his face and the dimples in his cheeks. It just didn't seem right for any guy that big to have dimples.
"No way, dude. We're on clean up." Noticing Edward and Alice for the first time, Emmett threw himself down on the sofa next to Alice, making her literally bounce into the air as his weight landed. "I don't think we've been introduced squirt. I'm Emmett." He held out a meaty hand nearly as large as Alice's waist.
"Alice Cullen. Nice to meet you." Grasping his hand confidently, she smiled widely. Alice always took everything in her stride, and was definitely far too awake, at that moment, to be considered normal.
As usual Edward was struggling to form coherent thoughts, let alone sentences, and every muscle in his body seemed to revolt against any type of movement. But he somehow managed to hold out one hand to Emmett and mumble.
"Edward."
"The Cullen's, right. I've heard a lot about you guys this week. The whole school's been talking. But I gotta ask, man. What's up with the Volvo?" Emmett pulled a face. "You get a brand new car, and you choose a Volvo?"
"He didn't choose it, Emmett. Mommy and Daddy probably bought it for them. Safest car around, right, Edward?" Rosalie managed to slip down the stairs unnoticed and leered at Edward from the doorway. He couldn't quite get used to Rosalie's super bitch attitude. It seemed like she was joking, but he was never sure.
"Something like that, yeah." Edward turned back to Emmett and shrugged. "But I do feel like kind of a douche driving it around." Everyone laughed at Edward's self-deprecation, and Rosalie actually smiled at him for a moment. Finally opening his eyes, Jasper grinned at him from across the room.
"Just ignore Rosie. She takes a little getting used to."
"Don't call me Rosie." Her tone was low, and it seemed like all traces of humour were gone. Jasper quirked his eyebrow as if to say, "You see?" But Rosalie carried on in a honeyed voice as she walked forward to sit on Emmett's lap, "Only Emmett gets to call me that."
Edward watched Rosalie visible mellow in Emmett's presence, and as he wrapped his arms around her, she momentarily let her guard down.
Alice broke the silence by jumping up off the sofa.
"So, you said something about clean up duty? Where should I start?" Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie quickly became a hive of activity, while Jasper and Edward ambled around the house. As they picked up the odd solitary cup or can in a futile effort to contribute. It was blindingly obvious that neither one was able to function properly yet.
Edward kept glancing towards the stairs and waiting for Bella to make an appearance. He wasn't sure if anyone else knew about Newton's almost sleepover, and he didn't want to show too much of an interest by asking. By the time they finished cleaning, there was still no sign of Bella, but no one else seemed surprised that she hadn't yet come out of her room.
"Thanks for the help, guys." Picking up all of the garbage bags in one hand, Emmett lugged them out of the front door. Leaving the door open as he carried on talking, "So, we're gonna head down to La Push tomorrow for a bit. You wanna tag along?"
"The beach? That sounds great." Alice was her usual enthusiastic self and looked at Edward hopefully
"Sounds good, thanks for the invite." Honestly, he wasn't just agreeing to go because of the doe eyes Alice was turning on him. He really liked Jasper, Emmett seemed cool, and even Rose was beginning to grow on him once he got used to her caustic manner. They were better than Lauren Mallory and Tyler Crowley, and they seemed to come as a package deal with Bella. He was cautiously optimistic that the rest of the year in Forks might not be so bad.
"Sweet. I'll pick you up around 11.00. I'm not sure it's Volvo appropriate down there!"
"Sure, uh -" Alice hesitated by the door with her bag in hand. "Can I go up and say thanks to Bella? Or is she probably feeling a bit delicate?" Rosalie and Jasper exchanged a look before Jasper placed his arm around Alice's shoulder, leading her to the car.
"No need for that. She'll probably be holed up in there all day anyway. But she'll be down at the beach tomorrow."
"Okay." Distracted by Jasper's closeness, Alice seemed to accept his explanation. "See you guys tomorrow."
BPOV
Muffled conversation and random noises penetrated Bella's stagnant thoughts. She'd been awake for a least an hour, but she had yet to move. In spite of all the alcohol in her system, this morning's hangover registered as only a minor inconvenience on her personal scale.
She knew she should be helping with the clean up. It wasn't right to expect her friends to clean her house, but she just couldn't force herself to move.
The tacky taste of her own mouth and the sheen of grime coating her skin, made her desperately long for a shower, but the effort involved seemed monumental. Just rolling her eyes to look at the clock on her bedside table, felt like an achievement.
Ten thirty in the morning. The chief would be back in around thirty hours. While Bella seriously considered remaining in her soiled bed for the entire time, the front door slammed, and she heard footsteps on the stairs approaching her room.
Rosalie and Jasper didn't knock, and although she didn't expect them to, she still hated for them to see her like this. Jasper took his usual seat in the rocking chair by the window while Rosalie dragged the blankets from the bed and grimaced.
"What the fuck, Bells. It smells like cheese dick in here. Doesn't Newton ever wash his balls?" Never one to tiptoe around a subject, Rosalie yanked open the window and turned to face Bella.
"I guess not. It didn't taste much better either." Bella didn't recognise her own voice as she spoke. It sounded empty and hollow. Recalling Mike's clumsy hands on her skin and his stale breath in her face, Bella expected to feel thoroughly repulsed, but she felt nothing.
For an instant, she considered whether she should be worried about her complete lack of emotion, but then she gave up on that thought as well.
"Gross, Bella. I thought you had some standards." Rose looked almost disappointed in her, which would have been a first. Rose always accepted every stupid decision she made, even if she didn't approve. It was one of the reasons their friendship worked. Bella's curiosity got the best of her and she dragged herself into a sitting position.
"Since when? You've always derided my taste in everything. Why do you suddenly expect me to make good choices when it comes to guys? I never have in the past." She felt strangely disconnected from the monotonous voice verbalising her thoughts. Is that really how I sound?
"True, I mean you did have that ill advised crush on Jasper for Christ's sake. So you obviously never had taste!" Rosalie glanced over at her brother. "I mean, I'll never understand what girls see in him." Bella let her glance slide over to Jas. He seemed to be following the turn in the conversation with a bemused grin, and it reminded Bella so strongly of how he used to look at her.
His long fingers strummed the guitar carelessly, moving dextrously along the frets. The movement captivated Bella from across the room. She couldn't stop imagining what those fingers would feel like on her skin.
She'd had crushes on guys back in Phoenix, but never like this. Her thoughts had never been so all consuming, and, well, graphic. She fantasized about doing things with Jasper that she'd never even considered before.
When he smiled at her or laughed at something she said, she was sure that it was painfully apparent to him how she felt. He'd catch her eye and her face would warm instantly. When he was close to her, her hands got clammy and her knees knocked, but in an entirely different way than she was used to. She couldn't get enough of it.
Jasper was easily the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. His blue eyes were stormy when he was angry and crystal clear when he was happy. She knew every twist of his dirty blond hair and every inch of his sinewy body.
He was caring, funny, intelligent, and fiercely protective.
But he was also cocky, quick tempered, tempestuous, and distant.
She knew it was pointless. Despite her new friends and attitude, she was still plain old Bella, and Jasper knew that better than anyone. He always saw the real her. After all, it was Jasper who picked her up when she tripped over her own feet, hugged her when she hit her head, and comforted her after every one of her stupid mistakes. Yet she still waited for him to see this as well, and to realise how much she wanted him.
But it was Rose who noticed.
Waving her hand in front of Bella's eyes and distracting her from Jasper's fingers, Rose whispered, "What's going on with you? Have you got a thing for Jasper or something?" Bella was suddenly so hot that she was sure she could glow in the dark. "Oh my God, you totally do." Bella was mortified, but she was more worried that Rose would be angry with her.
"Um, I, uh, I don't know what you mean," Bella hedged.
"Cut the crap, Bells. It's obvious." Rose laughed, "I don't care or anything. I mean, I don't get it, but whatever. Just don't get all crazy-stalker-girl on us, okay?"
Bella nodded briefly. Of course she wouldn't. Jasper was one of the few people she could be herself around; she wasn't going to ruin that friendship. At that moment, he looked up and smiled at her.
"What are you blushing about, Hells Bells?" The nickname was a new addition, and she loved that he had a special name for her. That she was the one he spent his time with, that she knew him better than anyone else did, other than Rosalie. She grinned back at him, her cheeks still prickling from her blush.
"Nothing Jas."
She smiled wistfully at him and the memory. His eyes seemed to say so much that she couldn't read it all, but it warmed her heart.
"I dunno, Rose. There's definitely something about him." She sounded and felt more like herself now, her head didn't feel quite so heavy, and the idea of getting out of the bed was not quite as daunting. "Anyway, can we not talk about my little crush on Jasper or my questionable choices from last night? What's the plan for the rest of the weekend?"
Rose and Jasper exchanged a look. Bella hated when they did that because it usually meant that they were sharing one of those singular thoughts, and they were usually about her.
"We thought we might go to the beach tomorrow." The words sounded simple enough, but the way Jasper was suddenly fascinated by the paint chipping off the arm of the rocking chair made Bella feel apprehensive.
"Okay, sounds good to me. What's the big deal?" She looked back and forth between the beautiful, blond siblings who were her best friends.
"Emmett invited the Cullens to go with us," Rose stated blankly. "He really seems to like them. I mean, we all do, right?" She glanced at them both.
"Oh. Well that's fine. Alice is great, a little hyper, but I like her a lot." Bella paused as she thought about Edward's eyes on hers all night, and the way he left with Lauren anyway. "I haven't really spoken to Edward though. What's he like?"
"Pretty funny actually." Rosalie scrunched up her perfect face while she thought about him. "I think you'll like him, Bella. Just give him a chance, yeah?" Bella nodded. She could try to be friends with him, but she just didn't want to screw things up again.
A/N - Thanks to my beta's Savage Woman and Belle of the B, they're helping me get through these!