AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks go to my beta TheRainGirl. Go check out her story Inamorata and meet Peeper. He's a naughty young man that likes to watch his new neighbor strip to chick rock in her bedroom...

No copyright is on this baby because the law says I can't, and I don't want to. Fanfiction is written in fun for you to read for free.

Rated M: language, lemons, some angst

CHAPTER 6

September 2005

"On the count of three, I want you to open your eyes. And no peeking until then, Emmett. I know how you work. Okay. One... Two... Two and a half... Emmett... Three!"

Already looking down at my hands in anticipation, my eyes shot open and fell upon a thick strip of paper resting in my flattened palms. It took me only a second to realize what I held due to the large image and logo printed across it, and I lit up with excitement.

Hell yes.

Being Bella Swan's friend sure had its advantages.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Jasper exclaimed, looking out over the expanse of immaculately manicured grass of Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. Bella had spoken with her father, the team's manager, and as a welcome back to our sophomore year of college, she'd gotten us all tickets to today's game in the front row right behind the home dugout.

"You got everything you need?" he asked, standing at the railing below.

"I think so. Just give us a win, coach!" she smiled, and he gave her a wink in return, an act that seemed like it was their special thing as father and daughter.

"That's what I do best, baby."

He turned to walk back toward the mound to speak with the starting pitcher for the game, and Alice and Rosalie yelled out, "Thank you, Mr. Swan!" before he could get too far. We echoed their thanks, and he waved us off as if it was no big deal he'd gotten us these amazing tickets and VIP parking for free.

Once he was fully gone, the girls stayed standing, their elbows resting on the front protective railing, the perfect position for us to stare at their asses, and we rested back into our seats to take in the view.

It was the perfect day for a baseball game. The retractable roof was back, the temperature was mild and the sun was shining down on the players warming up... players the girls were drooling over.

"I've had a crush on Paul over at shortstop since my dad took over the team. He's married, but that doesn't mean I have to stop sneaking peeks of those broad shoulders of his."

"So, have I told you how much I hate my new roommate Eric?" I spoke loudly, trying to drown out Bella talking about another man.

"You've mentioned it a few dozen times," Emmett laughed.

"Well, this guy is a total nerd. He's going to drive me nuts with his nerd talk. It's NASA this and NASA that, and he actually decorated the entire room including my bedside table with models of rockets and shuttles and posters of space."

"Look at number seven's ass in those pants," Rosalie whispered, pointing to the first baseman. "My goodness, his mama blessed him. I just want to squeeze those cheeks."

"I hate that we didn't get approved to keep the same dorm assignments as what we had last year," Jasper spoke even louder than I had. "All of us got along so great. I don't hate this new roommate or anything, but he's definitely not fun like you guys were."

"We should rent our own place together next year since we won't have to stay in the dorms anymore," Emmett concluded. "The girls are doing it. Why shouldn't we?"

"Oh, check out the catcher guy," Alice moaned quietly. "That's a helluva bulge. Do you think that's all cup or all man?"

"All cup," Bella and Rosalie snorted.

"Ummmm...hello?" Jasper finally interrupted. "You do know we're sitting right here and can hear everything you're saying, right? Does having boyfriends mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does," Alice cooed, grabbing his jaw with her hand and kissing him squarely on the mouth. "We're only looking, not touching. The touching is reserved for you."

Rosalie groaned, sitting in Emmett's lap. "TMI, Alice. I sometimes think you forget he's my brother."

As the discussion went on, a hand appeared in mine pulling me out of the chair, and I glanced up to see Bella standing there. "I'm thirsty. Help me get some drinks to bring back?"

The walk up the stairs was long, but I could have walked them forever just to watch her hips sway from side to side the way they did with each step. She was wearing those same tiny navy blue shorts she was wearing a year ago when I met her, but this time they were paired with a tight white Mariners t-shirt and a teal ribbon holding her hair in a ponytail. Wispy pieces had fallen down over the course of the afternoon's tailgating, and the light breeze that had picked up had them brushing delicately along the skin of her cheeks and neck.

What I would give to be those strands of hair right now...

When we reached the concession stand, the line was long but not horrible. If it went fast enough, we'd be back in time for the start of the first inning. If not, we'd only miss a batter or two. So we stood patiently and read the menu board hanging above.

"Should we get an assortment? A couple Pepsis? A couple Mountain Dews? A couple bottles of water?" she asked.

"Sounds alright with me. I'll drink whatever."

Taking a step forward to keep up with the moving line, she turned toward me. "Did I hear you guys are thinking about renting a place of your own next year?"

"Yeah. New roommate trouble. I don't think we really want to gamble again next year on who we'd end up with."

"I hear ya. Don't get me wrong. My new roommate Angela is a great person. She's this amazing photographer and as sweet as can be, but I miss Alice and Rosalie already. Plus, she snores like a man."

A few feet away, in the line running parallel to ours, I heard the distinct sound of a cat call, so I turned in the direction of the sound to see two guys staring at Bella with smirks on their faces.

"Can I help you?" she asked, a little bit annoyed.

"Is this your boyfriend?" one asked, looking over at me before glancing down at her chest and licking his lips.

I got it. I really did. Her boobs were outstanding in that shirt, all perky and perfectly-sized, but there was no way in hell I was going to stand there and let some random dude make such a disgusting, unwanted pass at her.

"I think it's time you shut the hell up and leave her alone," I growled.

"So, you are her boyfriend," he stated matter-of-factly with no question, sizing me up and down with his eyes. He wanted a fight.

"Don't," she whispered, taking hold of my arm that flexed. "They're not worth it."

Sure, I was beyond pissed that they were treating Bella like a piece of meat that they could eat, but they were also judging my worthiness of her. That didn't sit well with me.

"Oh they're worth it, Bella."

"Don't be ridiculous," she grumbled, putting herself in between all of us.

"Does your girlfriend always fight your battles for you?"

"He's not my boyfriend," she sneered, wounding me with the truth, "but he is my friend, and I believe you should take his advice. Shut the hell up, and leave me alone. I don't want you. I don't need you. I don't even find you attractive."

A low "Oooooohhhhh" came from the crowd around us, all of their antennas having picked up the signal of a rumble in their vicinity in the last minute and a half.

"Did you expect me to strip off my clothes and start fucking both of you here in the middle of all of these people because you made that grand gesture of whistling at me? You've been staring at my tits pretty hardcore, but I'm sure the place below is what you're aiming for ultimately. But you know what they say. I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

They both looked at each other in shock and took a step back out of the line, eliciting laughter from the group of guys behind them.

"I'm waiting," she said, waving her hands toward their pants while tapping her foot. "The game is about to start. I haven't got all day. Get to whipping those big dicks out so I can get back down there in time to watch my dad coach the Mariners to a W."

Yep, that was all it took. Every eye that had been witnessing Bella dominate was then on those two assholes' backs as they took off down the concourse, muttering about her being crazy. Too bad they didn't know beforehand that Bella was a badass. I knew she had some toughness in her, but damn. That was kind of hot in an I-just-got-owned-but-my-girl-can-handle-herself sort of way.

Turning around, she clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled a triumphant grin. Then she looked up at the menu board again and nodded. "I think we should get a Dr. Pepper, too."

AUTHOR'S END NOTE:

See, that chapter was a little longer :) For those that have stuck around, next chapter and beyond are about to get a lot juicier. We had to do a little setting up before the fun began and the changes started happening.

Thank you to everybody for reading and thank you to those that have taken the time to review. I appreciate your words.

Disclaimer: I was Eric in college. I'm allowed to make fun of myself, and I will continue to do so for the remainder of the school year. I'm a NASA nerd and proud of it, so don't get offended.

You can always check my profile for when the next chapter will be up! Also, you can find my three other stories on there.

Follow me on Twitter under the name parismyloveff for not only a good time but random teasers.