Sweet Perfection

A/N: Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter Four

Even though the party was a complete bust, I still had a good time, and I loved the way I felt dressed like that. It definitely gave me the confidence I needed to break out of my shell, so I headed back to the PA mall the next day with Alice.

"I'm so excited you're finally becoming a woman!" she screamed when she picked me up.

I laughed at her, and we ended up jamming out the entire ride there. Once we were inside and shopping, I bombarded her with questions about her date.

"Oh, Bella, it was so perfect. He took me to this Italian restaurant, and we talked about everything. Did you know he has an older sister?" I gave her a surprised look. "Yeah, she's, like, married, and has a kid, and everything. She lives in California. Anyway, he's super sweet and such a gentleman. His reputation totally does not match his personality."

"Maybe he's just really into you and doesn't want to mess that up."

"That could be it, but it doesn't matter. I had the most amazing time. He even walked me to my door and kissed me goodnight on the forehead. So cute."

To say I wasn't jealous would be a lie, but I was super happy for her. She completely deserved it after all the douchebags she'd dated. I listened to her ramble on about it a little while longer, and it definitely kept my mind off of last night, until she changed the subject.

"So I heard you went to Emmett's party last night."

"From who?" She gave me a look. "Jasper?" She nodded. Edward must've told him. "Well, yeah, it was super fun."

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" We shared a laugh. "Take any pictures?"

"Yeah, there's a few on my phone."

She held out her hand, and I gave it to her. She took a few minutes to look through all the drunken pictures I'd taken with Jessica and random people.

"You looked hot!"

"Thanks, I tried," I admitted, and she handed my iPhone back.

"For Emmett?"

"For myself." Which was true in a way. "Edward kinda made me realize that I need to get out of my comfort zone so that I can grow into who I'm supposed to be."

"Whoa, that's deep," she said, continuing with, "As long as that means new clothes, I'm all for it."

We laughed and spent the rest of the day shopping.

The next two weeks, I spent my free time at school talking to more people than just Alice, and Edward's group even offered us seats at their lunch table the second Friday. Not thinking about it, I accepted and headed there after third period with Alice by my side. I grabbed my food and went to sit down, only to be stopped in my tracks at the sight before me. Emmett and Rosalie. Holding hands. At the table. I guess avoiding Emmett came along with not knowing much about his life. I blinked my eyes a few times as if trying to get rid of the image but sat down next to my brother anyway.

"Hey, Bella," Jessica said from the spot next to Rosalie, who just rolled her eyes and began talking to Emmett and Lauren.

"Hey," I said back with a smile. I was not going to let anyone or anything get me down.

Alice and Jasper started talking after he kissed her on the cheek (how sweet), and I just engaged in Edward, Jessica, and Jason's conversation about Emmett's party and how he needed to throw another one this weekend. I could tell Rose was annoyed by it because she wasn't there – she was always at a good party – and she got up, announcing to the table that she had to go to the library for some last minute studying if anyone wanted to come. Lauren stood up and followed her out, and I was surprised Jess didn't go; they were like the three musketeers. Then again, Jessica went to the party without them, so maybe she was growing a backbone.

"Hey, Bells," Emmett said to me after Rose left, and I just looked at him and looked away. I had absolutely nothing to say to him. "Okay, then..."

Soon enough, lunch was over – thank goodness – and I headed to class. I felt someone grab my arm, and I pulled away, only to find that it was attached to Emmett. Great.

"What do you want, Emmett?" I asked, exasperated.

"Are you mad at me or something?"

"No. Why would I possibly be mad?" Sarcasm leaked through my words.

"What did I do? I thought we were becoming friends again."

"If this-" I waved my arms around "-is what you call 'becoming friends', maybe you should rethink that definition."

Infuriated, I walked away, feeling empowered in my dark pink wedges. How could he be so blind that he didn't realize what he was doing? If he had just left me alone at that party in the first place, I wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense. I had better things to focus on, like my grades and real friends. How could he think he's important enough to make an impact in my life without even talking to me? The nerve of this guy.

The rest of the day went by slowly. I couldn't keep my mind from wandering to Emmett and his perfect, blue eyes, the way his teeth gleamed when he flashed a smile at me – No, I thought to myself. You're mad at him, remember? I tried to focus on my English class, but it was hopeless. My thoughts were doomed to race.

I planned to stay home that weekend, but when Jessica called Saturday and asked if I wanted to go to lunch, I agreed. I wasn't quite sure if she was sincere or not, but I figured I'd give her a chance. She'd been nice at the party and at school, so why not?

"Hey!" she yelled when I walked through the doors to the diner. "Glad you came."

"Same. What's up?" I asked when I sat down.

"I just wanted to apologize for the way you found out about Emmett and Rose. I should've told you."

"It's okay. Emmett and I are just friends. It's no big deal."

"I can see the way you look at him, Bella. I know we aren't close, but I can tell if someone is crushing or not, and you, my friend, are crushing." The waitress came and took our orders, the same one from when Emmett came with me (cool), and when she left, Jessica said, "You're crushing hard."

"Okay, so maybe he's cute, and sweet, and totally awesome, but he's dating Rosalie again. So it's cool, really. I'll get over it."

"I knew it."

I laughed. "I just don't know how to go about this. It's not like I can tell him. I never would want to get in the way of their relationship."

"Oh, honey, someone needs to. It's totally over."

"Why do you say that?" I was definitely intrigued.

"This isn't my place, but I've been friends with them both since they started dating freshman year. They were great together at first, don't get me wrong, but in the last year, they've probably broken up like four or five times. It's just not meant to work out. I'm not saying you should break them up, but if they do, tell him how you feel." I sighed. I knew she was right, but it was just a crush. I'd get over it, right? And if Emmett was happy, that was the only thing that mattered anyway.

We changed the subject, and it turned out she was actually super cool. She just was someone who had her friends' backs. We hung out for about an hour and a half, and then we headed our separate ways with a promise to hang out more. I headed back home, and after getting out, I saw the whole football team in my backyard by the concrete ball court.

"Hey, Bella," they all called out, and one said, "You should come play some ball with us!"

"Yeah, we can play some one on one," another said, making a perverted gesture.

I just laughed when Edward gave him a glare and said, "That's my little sister, asshole."

I headed inside and sat down on our couch, turning the TV on, then I heard someone cough. I looked back and saw Emmett standing there with a glass of water. I flipped the TV back off, grabbed my purse, and headed for the steps.

"Bella, I'm sorry."

I turned around. "I'm not mad anymore." And it was true. I was more hurt than anything, even though I had no right to be.

"So what does that mean?"

"It means I'm not mad anymore…"

He sighed. "I know. I meant… I don't know."

"Look, I'll say hi to you in the halls and at lunch, but for now, I really can't be around you."

"Why? Because of Rose?" Hearing him say her name was like a shot through the heart. I just wanted these feelings to go away.

"No, you two make a lovely couple."

I turned around and headed upstairs without waiting for a reply.

A/N: How'd you like it? Bella finally admitted she had a crush! Yay! Read and review! Thanks!