Hehehehe. It's nice (and saddening) to see five of my reviewers are smart enough to use logic to find out the "Marie Allebasi-Naws" thing. I thot more people wood, you know, review about that instead of complimenting me (tho compliments are good!). I'm sure all my readers are very intelligent, but couldn't be bothered to review...Oh well. Whatever :d.To the person who's confused by who's POV it is...It says so in the chapter name. By the way, like I said, this chapter is in Bella's POV, and we're at the beach...get ready to encounter jealous Edward!
"Bella!" I was at the Cullen's house. Alice had called me previously, inviting me to go to the beach with Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and herself. I must admit, I am rather afraid of Alice right now. Whenever we go out, she usually has some outfit she bought maybe the night before that she forces me to wear. I hope she didn't do the same this time, but just in case, I brought with me my best swimsuit.
"Alice!" Her perkiness was overwhelming at this hour of the morning. For fuck's sake, it's eight fucking o' clock in the fucking morning! As you can see, her joy is getting to my head. I never actually use that word...unless Alice Cullen is harassing me into doing something I seriously don't want to do.
"You can't wear that outfit!" What the hell. I was in jean shorts, a yellow-and-pink striped tank top, and I had my gingham mint green/white bikini. A bit revealing for my taste, but I had hoped it would pacify Alice for the time being. Sadly, it didn't and I was a tad bit afraid of whatever she would try to put me in.
"Why not!?"
"It's too...normal."
"Alice, I am not a flamingo or some other type of flamboyant animal. I am the epitome of normal."
"Not today you aren't!" Then she pulled out something I never expected to see.
"Don't you think it's just adorable?!"
"For once, Alice, I may just agree with you on this." The bikini Alice had picked out for me was tie-dyed, mostly yellow but pink, blue and green showed up every so often. It had peace signs of varying sizes showing up every so often. It was actually quite cute and not at all what I had thought Alice wanted me to wear. Feathers and missing pieces of cloth came to mind before, but this was something I would really wear more than once.
"Oh yeah, I also got you this thing." A large mass of cotton hit me and wrapped itself around my head. I pulled it off only to be pelted by by a pair of platform sandals. The straps looked over complicated and there was no way I could walk in the three inch heels, even if they were platform heels.
"Ow. Thanks for hitting me in the stomach and the chest with a pair of shoes that I indubitably will not be wearing today." I seemed to have broken Alice out of her stupor, seeing as she jumped up and held whatever was nearest to her - me - in what could only be accurately described as a death hold. I was tearing up and if the floor length mirror just behind us was to be believed, my face was turning red, white, and blue all at the same time, quite an amazing feat.
"Al-ice, I-I-I - can't - brea-eath!" She saw my oddly colored countenance, quickly releasing me.
"Whoops! Sorry Bella, I just got freaked out and hugged the person closest to me!" Hug? That was a hug?! She could have killed me! Hug, my left foot.
"Its...ohkay, Alice," I said weakly - mostly from lack of air in my lungs.
"So, Bella, what do you think about the outfit I got you?"
"It's nice, but you are insane," (which I don't doubt she is), "if you think I am going to wear these shoes." I held out the sandals.
"Oh those! No silly, those aren't for you!"
"Oh good, which are mine?" Pink flip-flops (to match the dotted dress and the bikini, of course) hit me in the eye.
"Ow! Dang!"
"Oh sorry Bella!...Again! Good golly, I seem to be injuring you a lot today! Sorry, but I'm insanely nervous." This interested me more than my current pain. What could Alice be nervous about? I voiced my question to her.
"Oh, haha, nothing at all. No need to worry your pretty little head!" Alice was acting in an uncharacteristic manner, as if she was planning something insane like, oh, I don't know, having Edward and a really hot member of the Quileute Indian tribe fight over me. That's a preposterous idea, though I doubt I would mind having Edward fight over me in a fit of jealo- what am I saying? Eww! Edward Cullen, one of my best friends, the brother of my closet friend and the current obsession of every girl in our grade? Ick. He is quite handsome, but ... eww! Me and Edward going out would be like...like...like Tom Cruise not being insane. It just couldn't happen!
"Uh. Huh. Right. Well uhm, I'll just change into my new clothes...like you should be too." I'm pretty sure Alice got herself a new suit too. She never did do something purely out of the good of her heart. As she usually quoted, "When you help others, you can't help helping yourself." I have no idea where she gets this stuff from. But I digress.
I put on my new articles of clothing that were recently bestowed upon me. I turned to look at myself in the mirror. I almost looked like a preppy Floridian girl if it weren't for the absence of a tan. Goldarn it. For the love of God, I lived in Phoenix for what seems to be forever, and I'm still as pale as Alice! Where's the justice in that? Do tell. Pale complexion aside, I looked ohkay, not too hideous. Since we were going to the beach, all I thought I needed to wear was pink lip gloss, but Alice showed me differently.
"Bella! You can't only be wearing lip gloss today!"
"...Why the heck not? We're going to the beach, Alice, not the mall."
"But...but...but...your eyes are too pale! Your lips could use a bit more color. How bout-" I clapped a hand over her mouth before she could go on a whole rant about what I was lacking in.
"Alice, if we wear makeup to the beach, it will run down your face and leave black streaks."
"...Fine. Stupid makeup running down my face..." Don't you love how water proof makeup isn't truly water proof?
"Come on, let's go," Rose called out to everyone. We ran out of the room and into the car, where I ended up sandwiched in between Alice and Edward. How nice.
"Hey Bella." I could feel Edward's hot breath on my neck and goosebumps broke out all over my upper body. That doesn't mean I like him, right? The neck is a very sensitive area and his hot breath just alerted all the nerves in that area. Right. No big deal. Don't forget, he likes Marie Allebasi-Naws...whoever that is.
"Hi Edward." I did a mental face palm. Did my voice really have to come out all airy? Marie Allbesai-Naws, Bella! Don't forget that!
"Hope your not too uncomfortable being pressed up against me," he said and them inexplicably flushed right after he said that. I couldn't find anything wrong with his words...Right-o.
"Ehh, don't worry. You and Alice are both really soft."
"That's not what she said!" I felt my face turning never-before-seen shades of red and Edward's cheek's felt especially warm behind my ears. Those were the least expected words that we thought Jasper Hale would say.
"Shut up you idiot."
"Oh come on Rose, like you weren't thinking it!"
"No, I wasn't you perv. Go away."
"Well Edward, this makes our situation kind of uncomfortable now." The one day my brain decided I needed to have issues about Edward.
"Hehehe, well you guys, we're at La Push now!" Thank God for Alice. She distracted everyone with that comment, as everyone was now getting their stuff from the car. I was left alone with my thoughts however, a most disadvantageous occurrence. Edward. Gee. The car ride here sure was awkward, huh? I gave a shaky laugh. It seems as if my body has jsut been flooded with hormones, and all those hormones are directed at Edward. Good golly. He was quite handsome, with his messy bronze hair, high cheekbones, pale skin, and his eyes, which appear like liquid topaz.
Can I tell you a secret? When I first met Edward, I had the biggest crush on him. I thought he had to be the most handsome boy on the world. Hmm. I keep repeating that word, handsome. Anyway, I thought Edward was the God's gift to the world. He's smart, funny, heavily charismatic, and those looks! Any model would kill to have his looks. He's also a darn good actor and singer, been lead in six musicals so far. So one day, we were both invited to a mutual friend's party, and my old crush, Tyler, was there, flirting with all the girls on the bus, which was taking us to the party. He started telling them I had a crush on him, so I told my friend Molly, who was my seat mate, that I had a crush on "that cute kid, Edward, in our drama class". She blurted it out to the whole bus. I could have died from the mortification, but the whole "crush" thing turned into a joke between us, and I'm sure he's forgotten all about it now.
"Hey Bella!" Jasper was calling me from a spot they had picked out, about fifty yards away. Whoa. That little story I just told you must have taken a while if everyone else got their stuff and are all the way down there. Jasper started running towards me. What did he have to say that was so important? Maybe Edward told him that he likes me and now Jasper was telling me that? I tried to squash the butterflies rising in my stomach. It can't be that, I told myself. Don't be so ridiculous. Those butterflies wouldn't listen though. I sighed. All their hopes were about to be crushed.
"Hey Belles, I just wanted to apologize for what I said in the car...Must've made you and Edward especially awkward, given the circumstances."
"Oh, it's ohkay, Jasper. Hold on a second...What circumstances?" My interest was piqued. What did he know about Edward that I didn't?
"Oh Bella, you of all people should know. Your his best friend! You honestly don't know?"
"I haven't the foggiest what you mean."
"Oh. Well, hehe, some of us think Edward kinda likes you." The butterflies made a revisit.
"What do you mean?"
"Ha! This is bloody amazing! Well, you see how Edward finds reasons to touch you? He also tries to make you laugh, and he teases you constantly." Huh. Well, everytime I go on a tangent about how he makes me feel like a midget, he always hugs me. Sometimes he instigates the whole "short" thing. He also has an odd habit of playing with my hair. He seems fascinated by it, calling it the thickest hair he's seen. He loves to make fun of everyone who annoys him or me, making weird impressions of them.
"Jasper, though I do admit that is all true...He can't possibly like me. Edward does that with every girl he meets. Also, I happen to know he likes some girl named Marie Allebasi-Naws."
"Ah hah! That's another clue that he likes you. Think about the name carefully." I did as he said, wondering what was so special about the name. Then, it all clicked. Naws backwards spells Swan, Allebasi Isabella, and Marie is my middle name. I gave a quick gasp, unable to be heard unless you had preternatural hearing. The butterflies flitted around even faster than before. Edward Cullen might like me. Oh. My. God.
"Ohkay Jasper, I'll give you that...but he said he doesn't know if he likes me."
"I've seen how he acts with you. You can be assured that he likes you."
I stood there for a second, without a doubt looking like a fool. Edward liked me. Edward, my best friend since last year liked me. The guy I had a huge crush on last year liked me. I was absorbing all this in, feeling slightly overwhelmed. How long has he? I could hardly contain myself. I wanted to do a happy dance, right there on the beach, proclaiming to the world that Edward Anthony Cullen likes Bella Swan. At the same time, I wanted to hide under a rock. Maybe Jasper was mistaken. How could he jsut assume something like that? Argh. I need to go swim for a bit.
"Bella, still in shock," Jasper asked me with the slightest hint of a grin.
"Uhm, a bit. I think I'm going to go swimming now."
"I'll join you." We linked arms and skipped down to the beach, reveling in all the childish joy it gave us to have older people shake their heads or worry for our sanity. Sigh. To be a child again. Kids never worried about who liked who. They often acted as if the opposite sex had cooties. I yearn for those days.
Jasper and I stopped right at the water's edge. He was about to push me in but as soon as I felt his palms on my back, I turned around, grabbed his wrist, and flipped him over my back.
"Whoa! Holy crap," Emmett cried out behind me. Jasper looked thoroughly shell-shocked as a wave washed over him.
"Who knew Bella could do something like that?!" I turned to face my audience, Rose, who was just about to go into the water herself and Emmett, who looked like he just won the lottery.
"Of course she can! My little sharkey can do just about anything," Edward bragged, hugging me from behind in a very loose manner and clasping his hands together at my lower stomach. I shivered a bit, then quickly recovering.
"It does pay to be the daughter of Chief Swan." At that moment, three Quileute boys ran down the beach in our direction and skidded to a stop at my feet. The tallest of the two fell flat on his back.
"Hi," the shortest one of the trio said.
"We just saw what you did. That was friggin amazing," his other friend exclaimed.
"Uhm, thanks. Who are you," I inquired.
"Oh, I'm Embry Call, this guy is Quil Ateara," pointing to his shorter friend, "and that loser on the sand is Jacob Black."
"Jacob Black...that name sounds familiar. I suppose it's our turn to introduce ourselves. Hello, I'm Bella Swan, and my friends with me are Edward Cullen, Alice Cullen, Emmett Cullen, Rosalie Hale, and Jasper Hale," I replied, pointing at each person when I named them.
"Oh! I know you, Bella," Jacob exclaimed, getting off the sand.
"Uhm, how? I have the most inexplicable feeling that I know you as well."
"My dad is Billy Black; Your father and my father go fishing together."
"Oh! Yes, Charlie mentions him a lot."
"Mhmm. We used to join them on their fishing trips. Until you moved to Phoenix, anyway."
"So, who wants to start chickenfighting," Emmett cried out, successfully ending our conversation. Everyone answered back with murmurs of assent.
"Lets get started then!"
"Who's going to be paired up, Emmett?"
"Hmm...Jacob and Bella, Rosalie and I, Quil and Embry, and Jasper and Edward share Alice." I saw Edward and Jasper wince. Alice got a bit overeager when it came to chicken fighting, occasionally injuring the other players and her own team.
"Who's going first?"
"Jacob/Bella and Edward/Alice." All of the Cullens/Hales had wide grins on their faces (except for Edward; he seemed nervous.). Good Lordy, did everyone know about Edward except the newcomers, Edward, and myself?
Jacob got on his knees, waiting for me to sit on his shoulders. I noticed he had quite broad shoulders. His russet skin gleamed in the light. I took in all his physical features, and you could easily say he was strikingly handsome, even when you compared him to Edward. That said enough about his looks.
"Ready to start the fight?" Edward and Jacob nodded their agreement. I noted that Edward fixed Jacob with a steely gaze. What was his issue?
"Alright! 3...2...1!" Alice had immediately gone for my wrists, holding them down with one hand, tickling my ribs with the other. I writhed about for a bit before my hands were let go off. I tried to push her roughly off, but Edward had a tight grip on her. Alice, once again, grabbed my wrists, twisting them back and forth. When she tired of that, she tickled me again. The tickling got to me this time and we were down in 2 minutes and 56 seconds flat. Edward smirked down at Jacob before saying:
"Shame , my little sharkey that you weren't partnered up with me. I wouldn't have let go of you. Ever."
"However Cullen, she wasn't partnered up with you. She was with me," Jacob riposted. This is getting kinda awkward. Whats with all the glaring and tension.
"Oh-kay, well, uhm...Edward and Alice are the winners of round one. Up next...Edward/Alice versus Quil and Embry!" Thank God for Rose. She had to have noticed the tension (who wouldn't have? It was very palpable) and told Emmett to start a new round before Edward and Jacob got into a real fight. The chicken fighting continued on until Quil/Embry were declared the champions. We then retreated back to the shore.
"Well Bella, today's been a fun day...maybe you would like to go out some time?" Today is "National Shock-Bella-Day". It must be.
"Uhm...maybe."
"Oh, scared what Edward might think?"
"N-n-no!" Jacob chuckled.
"Right. When he breaks your heart...you know where to find me." He called Embry and Quil towards him.
"Come on you guys, let's go home. I'll see you some other day, Bella!" Jacob winked at me and walked back to the reserve with Quil and Embry.
"That's our cue to go home then, you guys," Alice announced. We picked up all our stuff. I was getting up when Edward tapped me on the shoulder.
"Bells, I heard what Jacob wanted from you."
"Oh. I think I'll take him up on that offer," I said offhandedly.
"I don't think you should, Bella," Edward replied. The butterflies came back full force, I flushed light pink, and my heart rate increased.
"Why not, Edward," I asked quietly. He touched my face, pulled my hair back and said:
"Because I-"
"Bella! Edward! Enough flirting! Get back to the car!"
I really hate Jasper sometimes.
Damn Jasper! Edward was just about to tell Bella he liked her! :-P. Here's the 3,000 word chapter I promised you. Was it too boring, too long? Tell me! I want to congratulate cullens12, Pain Ever Lasting, gandforev899, ABroadwayLvr, and invisible2thecloudedmind for being so astute about the Marie thing! Next chapter is going to be in Edward's POV, Ill try to post it up by Wednesday (I'm such a slow updater :-P)
Love,
abroadwayluver