Fell in Love with a Girl

by caanbr

Tired of girls fawning all over him, Edward Cullen asks his step-brother, Jasper to be his boyfriend at their new school in Forks, Washington. It seems like a fantastic idea, until he sets eyes on Bella Swan. Rating M for language.

6. Cash Grab Complications on the Matter

Author's Note and Disclaimer:

Amanda… thank you for helping me work through this one. I'm glad I went back and edited. :o)

Character names and all song titles do NOT belong to me; they are the property of Stephenie Myer and The White Stripes respectively. The story is all mine though… I swears.

Thanks so much!

**Cash Grab Complications on the Matter**

Chapter 6

BELLA

"Run that by me again?"

I sigh, this is the third time my dad is making me tell him this, "I'd like to go shopping in Port Angeles with Angela, Mikey and some friends that we made today. It's just general shopping, but I figured I could swing by work to at least order new gym clothes while we're there. I plan on driving my truck. Angela and Mikey will be riding with me. We figured we'd leave around five-ish and be back before eleven."

I'm sitting at the table with my dad. He's drinking a beer and reading Guns and Ammo. This is a typical Monday in the Swan household.

Dad looks up at me from his magazine, "And who are these friends you made today?"

"The Cullens. Well, I'm not sure if they're all Cullens or not. Alice and Edward Cullen. Their dad is the new doctor. HALE! That's their step-brother and sister's last name. Rosalie and Jasper Hale. Mikey says their mom is an interior designer or something, but I'm not sure." I stop rambling.

Dad sighs, which isn't a good sign, "Bella, you can't just expect me to let you go off to Port Angeles with a bunch of kids I haven't met."

I try to reason with him, "Dad, seriously. You know Mikey and Angela. Besides, the whole group met them today and we all think they're cool. Well, James doesn't, but James never likes anyone right away."

"Why doesn't James like them, sweetie?" my mom has finally decided to join the conversation. She's been washing dishes quietly until now.

I throw my hands in the air, "Who knows? He's been a jerk today."

She scoffs at this, "What's his problem?"

"I wish I knew, Mom, really." I look back to my dad, "So?"

"Emmett met them?" he asks.

I nod, "Yes. So did Seth. So did J. They're nice, Dad."

"Well, I'll want to meet them." he says finally.

I smile, "No problem."

"Tonight." he amends.

My smile gets bigger, "They'll be here in about a half hour."

He smirks, "And Emmett goes too."

"WHAT?" my smile has totally evaporated.

"You heard me. I want your brother going too. Someone needs to look out for you."

"I can look out for myself. I'm not a little girl!" I stomp my foot, which I'm sure doesn't help my argument.

I try another angle, "Daddy, pleeeeeese. This is just supposed to be a nice fun shopping trip with the girls. Emmett hates to shop. He'll be miserable and complain the entire time. That's not fair to either of us."

He looks at me skeptically, "The girls, huh? Isabella, you just told me that two of your 'new' friends are boys."

"Well yeah, but they don't count as boys, anymore than Mikey does." I say, hoping he catches my meaning. He does.

"Ohhh. Really?" he looks shocked for a minute, "Both of them?"

I nod, "Yeah. Mikey's in heaven."

"'Bout time that kid got a break." he laughs.

Mom sits down at the table with us, "Oh how sweet! I'll have to contact their mother and invite her to lunch or something. It's hard being new in town."

Dad snorts, "Renee, you were born in Forks."

She ignores him, "Maybe she could help us redo the kitchen?"

"I still think that Emmett should go with you," Dad starts up again.

"You think I should go where?" Emmett asks, entering the kitchen.

I look at my father, "Dad, please no!"

Emmett looks at all of us, "What's going on?"

Dad turns around to look at him, "Your sister is going shopping in Port Angeles tonight. I thought you should go along."

"Fail. No way, Dad. I hate shopping." Emmett argues.

Dad sighs again, "Well then, what can you tell me about these new friends of yours?"

Emmett seems to blush a little, "They're cool. They're really cool. Nice. Funny."

Mom cocks her head at him, "Emmett, darling, are you blushing?"

"NO!" he practically shouts.

Dad starts to chuckle, "Yes, he is!"

Emmett blushes even more, "Please stop."

"Who is she, Em? Is she pretty? I bet she's pretty. What's her name? Who are her parents?" Dad could go on like this for hours.

Emmett looks at me, "Bells, please?"

I try to steer the conversation back to where it was, "So Dad, can I go? Without Emmett?"

He finally gives in, "Sure Bells, but I want the mobile phone numbers of everyone going."

"Ugh... fine." I say as I leave the kitchen and head to my room. On my way there, I text my address to Alice and tell her that they can come any time. I also text Angela and Mikey, telling them to head over as well.

I get to my room and I turn on my computer. While it's booting up, I take a look in the mirror. I'm still wearing the same shirt from earlier. Mikey will probably be wearing something different. Should I change? I debate for a few seconds before I decide. Fuck it. I'm not changing. I do run to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth though.

By the time I return, my laptop is ready to go. I plug in my iPod and start browsing through the playlist I was working on in gym... the playlist I've decided to title 'Edward's Education.' I've made sure that it includes songs that I feel best represent Jack White's awesomeness. I wonder just how familiar he is with The White Stripes. Eh... it doesn't matter. I'll be shocked if he's heard more than three of the songs on here. In fact, the only way I'd be more shocked is of someone were to tell me that Edward is gay. Oh wait...

It had taken every bit of strength I had not to let my jaw hit the table when that little tidbit of information came to light at lunch today. That's just one thing I was not expecting. I don't even know why I was caught off guard. An insanely hot guy like that is bound to be gay or, at the very least, in a relationship. Ha... what do you know, this guy's both! Is it too much to ask for a straight guy friend who I haven't known my whole life?

I actually ranted about this to Angela this afternoon. Her response was ultimately: "What does it matter, Bella? You have a boyfriend."

EXACTLY! I have a boyfriend, so why is this bothering me so much? I don't know. Maybe it's because he is so incredibly handsome. Maybe it's because he seems to have a decent sense of humor. Maybe it's because of the way he was looking at me in the auditorium. Maybe it's because his whisper in my ear earlier caused a tingle in my girlie parts. For as long as I've been with James not once has he ever caused any tingling. I wonder what that means.

"UUUGGGHHH!" I groan to myself as I look for a blank CD to use. I find one and start burning process. While that's happening, I flop back onto my bed, stare at the ceiling and think some more.

What would I do in this situation if Edward weren't gay? Well that's easy... I wouldn't do anything. I'd make friends with his sisters, he'd make friends with Emmett and the rest of the boys and that would be that. It's not like I'd disrupt the balance of everything to try to date him. Would I? Nah. At least, I think I wouldn't. Eh, the point is pretty moot, so why dwell? Because I'm an idiot, that's why.

Before I can groan again my laptop dings, letting me know that the CD is finished burning. I get up to retrieve it and start writing up a list of the songs and bands on there. I add in a few personal notes as well. As I peruse the list, my bedroom door is thrown open and Mikey barges in, Angela on his heels. He takes one quick at my clothes.

"Isabella, you are not wearing the same thing that you did to school!" he sounds outraged.

"Uh, I most certainly am." I answer, "I don't have anyone to impress, Mikey."

"It's not about impressing people, it's about exhibiting common decency!" he seethes.

I blow him off, "Oh, chill the fuck out. No one cares if I wear the same thing."

He persists, "Yes they do!"

"Angela's wearing the same thing!" I fire back.

He pauses for a moment and looks at Angela, "Well she's different."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angela and I respond together.

He rolls his eyes at us as if the answer is obvious, "Because Angela actually dresses like she gives a damn, unlike you."

"Whatevs, I'm not changing." I pout.

He opens his mouth to complain, but the doorbell rings before he has a word out.

Mikey claps his hands, "Yay! They're here!"

Before I can even think to move, Mikey bolts out of my room and down the stairs.

Angela laughs, "I guess he's just a little excited. You coming?"

"Yup, I'll be down in a minute. I want to make sure I have everything." I tell her.

She nods and heads downstairs. I grab a case for Edward's CD and a jacket for later and make my way down to the kitchen where everyone has convened. They all seem to be getting along. Knowing Mikey, he's already made the necessary introductions. I'll have to thank him later for making it easy on me.

He's currently by the sink with Jasper and the both of them are talking my mom's ear off. Alice seems to have made quick work out of charming my dad. He's actually put down his magazine. A very good sign. Emmett's discussing football with Rosalie and she doesn't even look bored. Edward's in the corner with Angela. This bothers me for a split second until I hear him ask...

"Where's Bella?"

There's goes that tingling again. Stop it, Bella. You've got a boyfriend. HA! So does he! I shove these thoughts out of my head and walk over to them.

"Hey," I say to him, because I'm obviously very articulate.

He smiles is wide as he turns to greet me, "Hey Bella!"

I smile back at him, but I seem to be at a loss for words. This is what happened at lunch. He said hello to me and other than saying hello back, I was perfectly stumped. The most beautiful boy I had ever seen was talking to me. I didn't know how to handle that. Of course, after Jasper announced their status, I managed to get a hold of myself. He's just another Mikey, I kept telling myself over and over. And that is how I was able to break the silence and finally talk to him. That's what I do now.

"Did you have any trouble finding the place?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "Nah, the GPS brought us right here."

I gesture to everyone and look at Angela, "Mikey did the introductions, I take it?"

She smiles, "Of course he did. He loves to play hostess, you know this."

"You're just so beautiful!" I hear my mom gush to Rosalie.

Rosalie smiles at her warmly, "Oh, thank you so much, Mrs. Swan."

"Please, call me Renee." Mom tells her.

I shake my head in amusement and listen in on Dad and Alice, "What does your father do?"

Alice answers, "He's a doctor, sir. He just recently retired from the navy after twenty-five years."

Dad's eyes light up a little at that, "Ah, navy brats."

Alice smiles proudly, "Yes sir."

"I thought about joining the service, but I wanted to follow in the old man's footsteps." he looks at my mom, "Besides, Renee couldn't live without me"

My mom blushes and I take that as my cue to step in.

"Dad, please stop." I beg.

He laughs at me and then asks, "Bell, did you tell them about the book?"

I look at him with pleading eyes, "Do I have to?"

He gives me a scowl and I have my answer.

I sigh, "Guys, my nut-job father would like to have all of your cell numbers."

Mikey comes to Dad's defense, "Oh Isabella, Papa Swan just wants to make sure his little girl is in good hands. That doesn't make him a nut-job."

"Why thank you, Mikey." Dad grins at me.

"Where would you like us to write the information, Chief?" Jasper asks, stepping forward.

Dad turns to Mom, "Renee, can you hand me my book?"

'The book' in question contains the name and number of every person Emmett, Seth or I have ever left the house with since the day we were born. Be it grandparents, friend's parents, friends or even bus drivers. Dad lives by the code of 'better safe, than sorry'. It's a good way to live, but it's a bit embarrassing when you just want to go to shopping with your friends. Mom grabs the book out of the drawer and passes it to him. He flips through over half of it before he comes across an empty page and gives it to Jasper.

"That page is good. If you could add your mother and father's contact information that would be great."

Jasper gives him a little salute, "You got it, Chief!"

My mom speaks up again, "Rosalie dear, do you think your mother would mind if I call her? I'd love to invite her over for tea or something."

Rosalie graces her with another stunning smile, "Absolutely not, Mrs. Sw…Renee. I'm sure she'd love it actually."

Mom claps her hands together, "Fantastic! I'll call her tonight!"

Jasper hands the book back to Dad, "Here you are, Chief. I filled out the information for all of us."

"Great! Can we go now, Dad?" I ask him.

Dad sighs, "Yes, yes. You can go now. It was a pleasure meeting you all. Don't be strangers."

"We definitely won't. It was so nice to meet you both." Alice gives him a brilliant smile.

I don't think I've ever seen my dad blush before, "I... well... you guys be careful. Bell, back by eleven."

"I know. Love you guys. Bye!" I say as we all turn to leave.

"Love you!" they say together.

"Well they were very nice..." I hear my mom start to say before I slip out of the front door.

As we walk across the yard, Alice says, "Bella your parents are so adorable!"

I smile at her, "You only say that because they're not your parents."

She laughs, "Trust me… I know just how embarrassing parents can be. They weren't bad at all."

"Well I guess that's comforting." I say to her, before turning to Edward, "Do you know where you're going?"

"Well, I have the GPS, but I'll probably just follow you." he answers.

I grimace, "Um, so you know, my truck isn't the fastest."

He chuckles, "No big deal."

"Bella..." Rosalie says, looking towards the other side of the yard, "...whose truck is that?"

I don't have to turn to know that she's looking at a faded green monstrosity of a truck, "It's Emmett's."

Her eyes widen, "Oh, it's so..."

"Obnoxious?" I finish for her.

She smiles sweetly, "Yeah, something like that."

"It's his pride and joy. He's kind of obsessive when it comes to that truck."

"Oh, how interesting." she says. It could just be me, but she sounds kind of breathless.

I laugh, "Yup, that's one word for it. Everyone ready to roll?"

They all nod and we hop in our vehicles. As soon as I start my engine, Mikey leans over to take charge of my iPod. I want to fight with him, but it's easier to just let him have his way. It's either listen to something I want to listen to and hear him complain, or listen to something he wants to listen to and he'll leave me alone. Besides, it's my iPod. It's not like I don't like the music on there.

"Mikey, what are you looking for?" Angela asks him as he scrolls through the songs.

His brow is all furrowed as he answers her, "Who sings that one about looking psychotic in a balaclava."

She laughs, "Vampire Weekend."

"Score!" he says, finding the song and attempting to sing along.

I start to get hopeful and think that Mikey's just going to allow us to listen to the music in peace, but the second I have this thought, he starts talking...

"So, Jasper's pretty hot."

"So, Jasper has an equally hot boyfriend." Angela responds.

"So, they're ALL freaking gorgeous." I chip in.

"Isabella, I'm having that little Alice help you shop tonight. You really need it." Mikey says to me.

I roll my eyes at him, "Um, no. I don't need help. I just need gym clothes and maybe some CDs."

"I don't think so. You need new shoes and some new tops and possibly a haircut." he fires at me.

"Excuse me, Miss 'I-Know-Everything'; if I don't want to buy something, I'm not going to." I can feel myself starting to pout.

Angela steps in to diffuse the situation, "I think Emmett's really into Rosalie."

Mikey nods, "Yes, and I think Rose is really into him too. Do you think Jasper's bored with Edward?"

"Where did that come from?" I shoot him a confused look.

"It's just a question, Isabella. I wonder if he's happy with him."

"Why wouldn't he be?" Angela asks.

He thinks a moment before responding, "Well, Edward seems so quiet and stuffy and Jasper seems so..."

"Gay?" Angela says.

"No." he shakes his head.

"Faggy?" I offer.

"No." he sighs.

"Homosexual?" Angela tries again.

"Ugh, NO!" he's getting annoyed.

"Queer?" I ask.

"Oh fuck you both." Mikey says before crossing his arms and looking towards the road.

I look at Angela and she looks at me and we try to suppress our laughter. We turn our attention to the road. After ten minutes, Mikey breaks down and starts talking to us again. As he's discussing the shade of Jasper's eyes with Angela, I take the opportunity to think about things. And by 'things' I mean 'Edward'.

Maybe the fact that he's gay is a good thing. It'll take the awkwardness out of hanging out with him. I won't care whether I look perfect or not, because he won't really be looking. It's not that I don't adore Mikey; he can just be a little too much to handle at times. Edward seems a lot more sedate and low key. I think he'll be able to offer conversation other than which shoes are in this season. I know I can rely on Angela for decent conversations, but if she's not with Eric, she's with J, or she's taking pictures for the school paper. I need a pal. And no, James doesn't count as a pal. He's just my boyfriend. I like the kid, but we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. The day he told me he didn't want to listen to any of Jack White's music was the day I almost broke up with him. However, I did realize that not everyone gets it. I really hope Edward gets it.

I take a glance and my rear view to make sure he's still back there and smile when I see that he is.

"What are you smiling at, Isabella?" Mikey asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"I... huh... what?" I ask.

He never gets to ask his question again because a large, black Lexus SUV cuts me off and I have to slam on my brakes.

"HOW 'BOUT YOU USE A BLINKER NEXT TIME, YOU FUCKING CUNT RAG!" I scream.

"Whoa! Bell, I don't think she can hear you." Angela says, trying to calm me, but I can't be stopped.

"GO BACK TO MARYLAND AND LEARN TO FUCKING DRIVE, DICK FACE!"

I'm seething right now. Seriously? What the fuck is a Maryland driver even doing in Washington State? They have no business driving like that in my state.

"Isabella, baby, I think you need to breathe." Mikey says softly.

I take a few deep breaths and check behind me to make sure Edward's car is still there before I apologize to Mikey and Angela.

"Sorry guys. I just hate when people drive like assholes in my fucking state."

Angela laughs at me, "It's okay, crazy. Just calm down and try not to get us killed."

"After that, I'm not making any guarantees." I wink at her.

We arrive at the outlets without further incident. I park close to a group of restaurants and step out of my truck. Edward pulls into the spot next to me. There's brief discussion about whether to eat before or after shopping, we all opt for after and allow Mikey, Alice and Jasper to lead us to the first store.

Upon entering, Mikey and Jasper each take one of my arms and pull me along with them. Resistance is futile. A quick look back shows me that Edward has been swept off with Alice, Angela and Rosalie. Once we get to the desired department, they start pulling clothes off of the racks.

"Oh my gosh! Honey, this'll look great with your skin tone!" Jasper says, holding up a royal blue mini skirt.

Mikey gasps, "Jazz, that's amazing! Isabella, go try it on."

"I'm not wearing that." I tell them.

Mikey shoots me a venomous stare, "Isabella, you will try on that skirt."

"The fuck I will!" I snap at him.

Jasper just smiles at us both, "Oh ladies, let's not fight. Put the claws away. Bella dear, please try on the skirt. It'll make Miss Jazzy happy."

I try so hard not to laugh, but I can't help it. That has got to be the faggiest thing I've ever heard.

Tears are running down my face as I ask, "Did you honestly just refer to yourself as 'Miss Jazzy?'"

He puts one hand on his hip and with the other he snaps at me, "Oh don't hate, baby girl, appreciate."

"Jazz look at this, it's fabulous!" Mikey squeals, referring to the ruffled shirt in his hand.

Jasper squeals too, "O-M-G! Bella, you NEED this in your life!"

"That is the ugliest fucking shirt I've ever seen!" I say, turning my nose up at it.

Mikey looks totally disgusted, "Isabella, this is Michael Kors."

"I don't give a fuck if Gianni Versace rose from the dead and designed it himself, it's hideous." I argue.

Both of them gasp and cross themselves.

"Oh, give me a break." I groan at them.

"Isabella, that's blasphemous." Mikey whines.

Jasper tries to calm him, "I'm sure she didn't mean it. She just doesn't understand."

Mikey sniffles a little, but manages to pull himself together, "You're right. Isabella, I forgive you."

Ugh, again with the forgiveness. I decide to take the easy way out, "I'm sorry. Give me the shirt. I'll try it on."

He immediately perks up, "Yay!"

They push me towards the fitting room, shove me and the clothes into a stall and sit and wait outside for me to model the outfit for them. As soon as I have it on, I regret giving in to Mikey. I don't even think Britney Spears would be caught dead in this outfit and that's really saying something. I begrudgingly step out and I can tell that the guys are at a loss of words for a few seconds.

Jasper's the first one to speak, "You look like a pirate hooker."

"You look like a cast off from Paris Hilton's BFF show." Mikey adds.

Jasper offers more feedback, "You look like a cocktail waitress at Vegas' Treasure Island."

Mikey starts laughing uncontrollably, "Hey Bella, Lady Gaga called, she wants her outfit back."

Jasper joins in the laughter and I'm still standing here, looking like a douche.

"I told you this was a bad idea." I huff at them and practically sprint back into the fitting room.

What was I thinking coming here? I hate shopping. The only thing I hate more than shopping is being forced to watch Grey's Anatomy. I can't believe that show is still on the air. Honestly... Arrested Development was cancelled, but Grey's Anatomy hasn't been? Something is seriously wrong with this country.

By the time I return to the boys… well girls, the rest of our group has joined them. We head to another store and once we're there, Alice announces that it's her turn and she pulls me towards the racks, bringing Edward along with us.

As she starts pulling random things for me to try on, I open my mouth to tell her not to bother, but Edward leans over to whisper in my ear.

"It's a lost cause, save your breath."

I immediately stop where I am and pretend to look at the rack of clothes nearest to me. Not because I see anything I like, but because of those damn tingles again. I think I'm physically unable to move right now. Of course, Alice notices when I'm not following her anymore.

"Bella? Do you see something you like?" she asks.

I look at the rack and pull out the ugliest shirt I see. This is a trick I learned to use with Mikey. Alice will either love it, or give up on me all together. I'm crossing my fingers for the latter.

I hold it up for her to see, "I thought this looked fun."

Behind her, Edward crinkles his nose and shakes his head, but her eyes light up.

"I love it!" she says excitedly.

Of course she does. After we have a reasonable pile of clothes, we head to the fitting rooms. Apparently Mikey must have warned her about my tendency to not actually try things on, because she comes in the stall with me. She instructs me to try on the ugly shirt and then turns to take off her own shirt in order to put on a dress she picked out. I get a good view of the tattoo on her neck.

"Alice, what's your tattoo mean?" I ask.

Her hand flies to the back of her neck and her eyes meet mine in the mirror, "You know, I never asked. I just walked in and picked the first few symbols I liked."

She laughs, but it doesn't seem genuine. I have a feeling she's not being honest, but I can't be sure. At least not now. I drop the subject and try on the ugly shirt. It looks horrible. Thankfully, she agrees. I try on a few more things, but nothing seems to work. I leave Alice in the fitting room while I go to hang up the clothes.

Edward is looking at himself in a three-way mirror when I come out.

"What do you think of these, Bella?" he asks, referring to the skinny jeans he has on.

Now I'm not a fan of skinny jeans on guys... at all. But Edward pulls them off well.

"They're great. Really. Now you just need a pair of Chucks and you'll be good to go.' I answer him.

"Awesome!" he nods to the clothes in my hands, "How'd you do?"

I groan, "Not good. I suck at shopping."

"You just haven't found the right shopping partner, that's all. Stay right there." he says and then disappears back into the fitting rooms.

When he emerges he smiles at me and grabs my hand. "Come on, I'm sure we can find something that'll suit you."

He catches me off guard and I have no choice, but to allow him to lead me where ever he wants. We leave the store and start walking.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

He looks at me and smiles, "I'm not sure, but I'll know it when I see it."

He's still holding my hand. This should feel awkward since we just met today, but it doesn't. I hold hands with Mikey all the time, it's no big deal. Granted, holding Mikey's hand doesn't cause my stomach to do flip-flops, but that's neither here nor there.

"What you thinking about?" Edward asks, giving my hand a little squeeze.

I look up at him, "I'm wondering if we should let the others know where we are."

He shakes his head, "Nah, I told Al. She'll let everyone else know."

"Ah, cool then and thanks. I felt like I was about to break out into a cold sweat in there." I tell him.

He laughs, "I could tell. You looked so lost."

I nod, "I felt lost."

He stops in front of a vintage clothing store and smiles, "This looks promising."

The second we step inside, I see things I like.

I release his hand and start going through the racks of clothes. He selects a few things for me and I'm surprised when I actually like what he chooses.

I smile at him, "Mikey never brings me here."

"Well I'm not Mikey." he says and smiles back.

No, he's most certainly not. We talk about various things as I fill up my arms, and his, with clothes. We even talk as I'm trying on the clothes. Edward sits outside of the curtain and patiently waits for me to come out to model everything. He's actually honest and tells me when he thinks something is ugly, but he's sweet about it. I end up leaving with three t-shirts, two pair of nicely ripped jeans and a dress. This is the most productive shopping trip I've ever been on and I had fun to boot!

"Where to next?" Edward asks as he takes the bags from my hands.

I point him in the direction he should walk, "Newton's. We need gym clothes."

ABBA's Dancing Queen starts playing out of nowhere. Edward looks confused.

I laugh at his expression as I pull out my phone to show him where the music is coming from, "It's Emmett's ring tone. He hates it."

I answer, "Yes, Emmers?"

"Balls, where ya at?"

"I'm shopping, dink. What do you want?"

"Well I'm at Newton's with your man. I figured we could meet your crew for dinner, if you haven't already eaten."

"My man? James is with you?"

Edward gives me a puzzled look.

"My boyfriend." I mouth to him.

His mouth forms into a silent 'oh' and he just nods.

"Yeah. Dad wanted me to come check on you."

"What the fuck? Why doesn't he ever trust me?"

"He just worries, Balls. You know this."

"Whatevs. We're walking in now."

"We?" he asks hopefully.

"Edward and I."

"Oh."

I hang up because I'm right behind him now.

"Hey Emmers!" I say loudly and laugh when he jumps in surprise.

"Fuck! Totally unnecessary, Balls!" he complains and then recovers and nods to Edward, "Hey man."

Edward nods back, but doesn't say anything. He's too busy eyeing up James as he approaches. Apparently Edward and I have the same taste in men.

James comes to wrap an arm around my shoulder, "Hey babe, how's shopping?"

"Really good! Edward helped me pick out a lot of good things." I say happily.

James holds a hand out to Edward, "Hey man, we haven't met yet. James Myers."

Edward shakes his hand, "Edward Cullen. Bella's told me so much about you."

I try not to smirk at him, because I never even mentioned James to him.

"Edward, we need gyms clothes. Guys, we'll see you in a few?" I say, pulling Edward away with me.

When we're out of earshot, Edward asks, "Why didn't you tell me you have a boyfriend?"

I shrug, "It just slipped my mind."

"Bella, while we were in the vintage shop you told me about your old dog Sammy, your love for My Little Ponies and your favorite Kevin Spacey movies, but you forget to mention a boyfriend?"

I sigh, "I know man, I'm weird."

He laughs and seems to accept this reasoning. I lead us to the uniform section of the store. Proper gym attire consists of blue basketball shorts and a yellow t-shirt with our last name and a number of our choosing written in blue.

I let myself in behind the counter to start filling out a special order request. Edward looks confused.

"Um, they just let anyone behind the counter here?"

I shoot him a smile, "Yup! Especially when they work here."

"You work here?" he asks gesturing to the store.

I nod, "Yeah. So does Emmett. Seth probably will too. It's Mikey's parents' store."

"Ah, so Mikey works here too?" he assumes.

I snort at that, "Um, not so much. Sports and outdoors activities aren't really his thing."

He laughs, "Yeah, I guess I can see that."

After I have our orders filled, we walk back to Emmett and James, but they're not alone. J and Seth have joined them.

"What the hell are you jokers doing here?" I ask.

"I needed gym clothes and the kid was good enough to ride along with me." J answers.

"Gotcha. Have you guys eaten?" I ask.

They all shake their heads 'no', "Good, 'cause I'm fucking hungry."

I pull out my cell to text Angela, but J cuts me off...

"They're already at Finnegan's waiting for all of us." he says smiling. He knows me too well.

I clap my hands in excitement, "Sweet! Let's go!"

We walk together to the restaurant and I really hope they score us an outside table, the evening's too pretty to be inside. When we arrive, I see our group is sitting on the patio. I'm all smiles when we get to the table.

Mikey notices, "My goodness, Isabella. You look happy."

"So? What's wrong with me being happy?" I snap at him.

He laughs at me, "Calm down there, killer. You just aren't normally that happy on shopping trips, that's all."

"Oh yeah, I guess not." I admit.

We all take our seats. Emmett takes a place next to Rosalie, I grab the seat next to him and expect Edward to take the seat next to me, but James snatches it up first.

What the fuck? I wanted to sit next to Edward. Will it be too strange for me to tell James to move? I realize that I'm being ridiculous. James is my boyfriend; of course he wants to sit next to me. It's only natural. Besides, Edward's just a nice new friend who helped me shop. He's not that great.

I sigh... right Bella, keep telling yourself that.

***I am aware that there aren't really any outlet shops located in Port Angeles. For the sake of my story, I'm pretending there are. :o)

Also…if I offended anyone with the use of the 'c' word, I apologize. I truly believe that sometimes it's the only word that will express just how foul you think a person is. Besides, when you have the friends I do, it's bound to pop up in daily conversations at least once or twice.