Thank you to everyone that took the time to read and review/favourite the last chapter... you guys rock my socks! I'm sorry that its taken so long for me to update... I got the chance to go on vacation and I really needed the break... Becky is beta'ing a bunch of chapters for me so I'll be updating very soon...
Thank you as always Becky... without you this would have seriously failed... sorry if I went a little bat shit crazy on you... today was a shocking day...
On with the show... I hope this was worth the wait... see you at the bottom...
Beep Beep Beep.
I hit the button on the alarm clock sat on the night table next to me, amazed I'd actually slept right through.
7.00am.
I'd never sleep right through.
Ever.
I tend to sleep with one eye open, just in case James came back from wherever he'd been, in a bad mood.
You learn to sleep very lightly when you fear for your life.
It's the first time I've woken up not feeling scared. I'm still sore, but after a good night of sleep, I actually feel refreshed.
I throw back the covers and jump out of the beautiful princess bed I've spent the night in. I bounce towards the bathroom, opening the door and turn on the light. I assess myself in the mirror.
My cheek is now a faded bluey-green colour, the gash is still red, though not as sore looking and my hair is all over the place but there is something different in my eyes. I look closer, really trying to work out what it was. The eyes looking back at me are wide and clear. No trace of sleepiness, just smiling back at me. A huge grin settles on my face. The old Alice is on her way back.
Flipping on the water in the shower, I go to the unit under the sink and look at all the things Esme has left for me to use. There are so many little bottles I don't know where to start. Pulling off the lids of the bottles I settle with some honey and milk body wash and some shampoo that smells distinctively like bubblegum.
Making sure the water isn't too hot, I take off Jaspers tee and make my way under the hot stream of water. You don't know how nice it is to take a hot shower. It is touch and go at the apartment as to whether you're lucky enough to get hot water, most days it is luke warm, some days, it's just plain cold. You learn to shower quickly, trust me.
Not wanting to use all the hot water I shower quickly, washing my hair and rinsing it off, taking in the delicious scent of bubblegum. Turning off the water I reach out for a towel and wrap my hair in it before wrapping myself in quite possibly the biggest, softest, fluffiest pink gown I've ever seen.
As I brush my teeth I remember the promise I've made myself. Only one night. Who am I kidding, I don't want to leave now, and they've welcomed me in, well most of them. I have to make extra effort with Edward. Prove to him that I'm not a bad person. If Esme is true to her word and doesn't mind me staying, I hope they'll let me stay until I manage to sort myself out.
I spit out the toothpaste and rinse my mouth before walking back out to the room, which is now temporarily mine. A soft knock at the door startles me.
"Hey Alice are you awake?"
"Yeah, come in, I've just got out the shower but I'm decent."
Brain vomit much?
Like she wants to know I've just got out the shower, brain filter is sooo not working today.
I can hear the two girls giggling as they walk in.
"Yeah sorry for the TMI there. Seems I've forgot how to think before I talk."
I turn to see the two girls behind me. They look stunning, and I start to feel completely inadequate just being close to them.
Rose has her trademark tight jeans on, a white tank top and a matching denim blazer. She looks like a catwalk model, all legs and curly long blonde hair. Perfectly pouting lips and dazzling blue eyes.
Bella, as always, dressed in skinny jeans paired with a beautiful white patterned peasant shirt. Barely there make up and her wavy dark hair pulled back at the sides with clips. Even dressed casually she looks gorgeous.
Well this should be interesting.
"Shh Alice don't even mention it, it was funny." Bella smiled as she walked closer to me.
"And Alice? It's rude to stare."
"Erm, sorry Rosalie, I don't mean to, its just you look stunning, and well I feel completely inadequate, and I've got this dumb ass bruise on my cheek, cut on my head and I don't want you to have to been seen with me looking like…"
"Whoa, ramble much when you're nervous?!"
"Kinda." I blush, looking down at my feet.
As brash as Rosalie can be, I like the attitude she has. She's so confident and I wish I had just a little bit of what she has.
"Right, lets forget all that stuff, let me work on your hair first, I know you usually just brush it down for school, but can I try something?"
"Go for broke, you have a whole lot more style than I do."
Turning on a hairdryer that seems to have appeared from nowhere, she unwraps my hair and starts to tease it with her fingers.
"So Alice, I've got a pair of skinny jeans that are slightly too small for me, they'll probably fit you perfectly, and a white shirt. Rose has a vest for you to wear over the top, its got a fixing at the back so we can pull it in to fit you better, I hope that's alright, I know its not perfect, but well, it's the best we could do. Sorry…"
Sorry.
Bella is actually apologising to me because she doesn't have clothes in my size. Gees I'm grateful that they've even said they'll help me. Lending me their clothes is totally beyond comprehension in my opinion.
"Bella, Rosalie, thank you so much for everything, seriously you'll never understand how much this means to me. And Bella please don't apologise, this is totally more than I could have ever pulled together. Thank you."
"Ah enough with the soppy crap girls, it's too early in the morning for that sappy shit. Bells, pass me the wax I brought up please?"
Rose opens the small jar, put some gooey looking stuff on her fingers and runs them through the back and sides of my hair. Teasing my bangs into place over my eyes, covering the gash and stitches I presume.
"Right next, lets go to work on that pretty face of yours. Alice, seriously, there's a whole lotta potential right there, you just need to learn how to show it."
I should be insulted that Rose has basically said I usually look bad, but me being me, I take hold of the positive. She's also said that there is potential. Beauty Queen of the century said I have potential. I do a little happy dance in my head and give her a smile.
"I'm going to try and cover this bruise for you Alice; I've got some pretty good stuff that should work. It makes me look like this." Pointing at her face, "Trust me, first thing; I look like a swamp monster!"
Never in a million years would I associate the words swamp monster with Rosalie Hale. The girl is a walking Greek goddess.
Bella giggles and replies, "It's true."
Rosalie grabs a pillow and throws it towards Bella as we all burst into laughter.
Whilst Rosalie is working on covering the bruise Bella is pulling the outfit together on the bed. From what I can see it looks awesome, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to carry off the look.
There's a small knock at the door and Esme comes in holding a tray with juice and pastries.
"I thought my girls may like some breakfast whilst getting ready?"
My girls.
If only. There's that pang of jealousy in my tummy again.
Why can't I just be grateful for even being able to stay here, why always want more?
Esme places the tray on the desk in front of me, turning around and taking in the view in front of her. Her hand goes to her mouth and she smiles so big it reaches up to her eyes.
"Oh Alice, look at you, you look beautiful. The girls have done you proud."
Of course I haven't seen what Rosalie has done to me yet; it has just been a rush of make up brushes, sweeping across my eyes and cheeks.
"Go take a look!"
I stand up and head for the bathroom mirror. Taking a deep breath I take in the face in front of me for the first time. To say I'm shocked would be putting it lightly. Staring back at me is a face I recognise yet it looks completely different. I actually look pretty.
My eyes have been lined with a charcoal pencil and smudged to make them look smoky. A light golden colour swept across the lids; just enough mascara to make my lashes stand out. The bruise has been replaced with a flawless cover up that matches my pale skin perfectly. My lips are full and pink. I've never seen myself look like this in my 17 years. Sure I know how to put on make up, but this, this is a whole new level. Tears start to fill my eyes and I reach for a tissue before I ruin all of Rosalies' hard work.
Looking back in the mirror I catch the first look of my hair. It's all spiked up and sticking out at all angles, it looks amazing. My hair usually hangs limp around my face hanging just at my chin.
Flying out of the bathroom I throw myself into Rose, hugging her as tight as I can.
"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"
"You crease me, and I'm taking all that make up off," Hugging me back, she laughs and pats my back. "So you like?"
"I love it, thank you so much. My hair, it's amazing, it's the first time in forever I've liked seeing it. I've hated it since it's been short."
"Well that's the risk you take when you cut it all off." Bella laughed.
My face scrunches and a knot forms in the pit of my stomach. The atmosphere turns immediately and the giggles stop.
"Sorry Alice, I was just teasing. I wasn't meaning to be rude."
"No Bella, it's not that, it's just, see, I didn't choose to cut my hair."
A nauseous feeling starts to form in the back of my throat as I know it's time to tell them. Taking a sharp breath I sit back on the stool and start to play with my hands in my lap. The girls and Esme look at me, waiting for me to continue.
"I'm not sure if Dr Cullen told you who gave me the bruise on my cheek?" I ask, looking around, they all shake their heads so I continue, "My boyfriend, well ex boyfriend did. He's also the reason I've got short hair, after another one of our many disagreements, he told me that he didn't like the way that I twirled it around my fingers, said it got too much attention from men, so he pulled me by the ponytail to the kitchen, and cut it below the elasticised band."
A single tear runs down my face and I wipe the back of my hand across my cheek. I honestly don't want to ruin my make up, also, I've had enough of crying tears over him, and I just want to move on.
Looking around I see their faces. Esme has her hand to her mouth still, yet the smile has faded to a frown, she looks like she is going to cry. Bella is looking down at her feet, and Rosalie looks like she is going to kill someone.
"What a piece of shit!"
"Please Rosalie, don't. I have to deal with the memory every time I look in a mirror. Today, it was the first time I looked at my hair and didn't think about it, and you're the reason for that. I'm so grateful for that."
Esme takes my hand and squeezes it; Bella walks over and hugs around one shoulder.
"Thank you for sharing that with us Alice, I know it must have been hard. We won't say a word."
"Its ok Bella, its something I've got to talk about sooner or later or I'll never get over it. Thank you for listening."
There's a short silence, and I take the moment to revel in the fact that I've let a part of my past out and they've not run away from me. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to put a lot of this behind me and move on.
"Sorry to break up this moment, but if you don't get dressed Alice we're gonna be late, and I'm not gonna have a chance to show off my masterpiece."
Rosalie is getting good at breaking these tense moments up with a smile, and I'm starting to love her for it.
"Here, go get dressed, I've got you some panties too, don't worry, they're brand new, tags are still on them, so don't forget to take them off before you put 'em on."
I take the outfit to the bathroom with me and get changed quickly. The jeans are almost perfect, slightly big but nothing that I've got to worry about. The white shirt had a frill around the collar, I leave the tie up undone and put the vest over the top, doing up the three buttons on the front. I pull the two ties at the back together make it fit me. The outfit looks amazing. The girls have made me look out of this world.
I walk out doing a little spin. They laugh and I giggle along with them. I feel normal and it's the best feeling in the world.
"Put these on, oh and I'm sorry if you prefer heels but I don't do heels, so I've just brought you some ballet pumps. They'll look great with the outfit; luckily we have the same size feet."
Bella hands me some silver bangles and I push them up my left wrist. As I'm doing this Rose ties something around my neck. It feels soft with a cool spot right in the middle which sits just at the base of my throat. I'll have to remember to look at it when I go to the bathroom next. Slipping my feet into the pumps, Bella hands me a white crocheted cardigan and I place it over my arm.
"Go have a great day girls, Alice I'll be here all day, if you need anything get my number from the boys and I'll come pick you up, otherwise I'll see you tonight. Girls you're more than welcome to join us for dinner tonight. I think it'll be much deserved for all your hard work today."
All three of us call goodbye as we make our way to the stairs. I stop, spin around and run back towards Esme. Wrapping my arms tightly around her I give her a quick hug before running back to catch up with the girls.
*****
We walk straight towards the kitchen, it seems like this is the most popular place in the house. The boys are sat at the breakfast bar drinking juice and eating what looks like poptarts. I stop in the doorway.
Rosalie sways over to Emmett with her hips rocking from side to side. His mouth drops open before he grins. Pulling her by the waist he nuzzles into her hair and gives her a kiss.
Bella has made her way over to Edward and takes a bite of his breakfast before kissing his cheek.
Rosalie works her way out of Emmetts' arms and walks back over to me, pulling me into the kitchen and thrusts me in front of everyone.
"So, what do you guys think?"
All three pairs of eyes are fixed on me. It's uncomfortable to say the least. I feel like a dog being paraded at a show, waiting for my owner to puff up my tail as the judge walks by to mark me. I'm totally out of my comfort zone.
"Whatcha done with Alice, Rosie?" Emmett playfully teases.
"Oh pur-lease Emmett, you know all this was in there, she just needed it brought out. I think she looks amazing!"
"I'm just playing, Alice you look great, you're gonna turn some heads today."
I blush and fidget, I seem to be doing that a lot recently and look down at my feet. I catch Bella nudging Edward out of the corner of my eye.
"You look nice Alice; I hope you slept well too. Oh and sorry for acting like a douche yesterday, you didn't deserve that." he mumbles, half grins and fiddles with the rest of his breakfast.
What can I say, that is something I never thought I'd hear, an apology coming from Mr Popular but he's held out the olive branch and I'm not going to be rude.
"Thank you Edward, and no worries about yesterday, it must have been a shock me arriving here. Truce?" I ask holding out my hand. He takes it and shakes it gently, the half smile turning into a full grin. He looks better with a proper smile on his face. He looks welcoming and it's a nice change to the frown I'd seen yesterday.
"Come on people, we need to get to school, we're gonna be late otherwise!"
"Oh Alice, I was wondering, if you want to stop at your apartment after school, I'll take you, I don't want you to feel scared going there."
"Thank you Emmett, that'll be great. If we go straight from school, he shouldn't be there, well at least I hope his not."
I look at my feet again and Emmett puts his fingers under my chin and pulls my face up to look at him.
"As I said yesterday, whilst you're here I'll be looking after you, whoever it is you're scared of, doesn't scare me. Ok?"
I simply nod, this big lump of a man is willing to take me under his wing and look after me. It's just like having an older brother watching out for me, and it makes my heart beat faster.
Would I ever find the words to thank these wonderful people?
"Em, I'm gonna take the BMW honey, you can either ride with me and Alice or you can take your Jeep still, its up to you?"
I'm not sure at what point it has been decided that I'll be riding with Rosalie, but I'm not going to argue, if the girl could take me and make me half normal I'm not going to go against anything she decides.
"Alice do you have much stuff at your apartment? Do I need to take the Jeep there or can what you have fit in the BMW?"
"I really don't have much, it'd probably fit in the back seat if I'm honest." I half giggle trying to take away the seriousness of my statement.
"Done, Rosie I'm riding with you, Jazz who you riding with?"
I'd all but forgotten that Jasper is here, he's not said a word since I walked into the kitchen this morning, and he's looking a little shocked. Kinda like the wind has been taken out of him. I catch his eye and smile. His eyes light up and he smiles back.
"I'll ride with you guys if you don't mind?"
"Come on, gees you boys are like girls. I need to make sure we get there on time to show off Alice's new look. I can not wait to see people's faces!"
We hurry out the door, meeting Carlisle on the porch. He's saying goodbye to Esme. They look so in love. It is beautiful; he tenderly caresses her cheek then drops his hand to pick up hers. Kissing her knuckles lightly he walks down the stairs towards his car.
"Ah Alice, before you head to school, I just wanted to let you know I'll be in contact with them. I need to inform them that you'll be in my care for the foreseeable future, of course if you're still happy to stay?" I nod and he continues "That's good to hear. I'll see you tonight when you get home."
Home.
He actually said when I get home. That word is incredible to hear.
"Emmett, make sure you get Alice some lunch."
"Yup dad, have a good day. Come on short stuff, your public await you!"
I climb into the back of Rosalies' car and settle in for the short ride to school. Edward and Bella follow behind in his Volvo. For a change the weather is nice, there's a breeze but it's actually warm for a change. Rose puts the roof of the car down and turns up the stereo.
Emmett, obviously liking the song, starts singing along at the top of his voice and dancing in his seat. The music is so loud that I almost miss Jasper talking to me.
"You look beautiful Alice."
"Sorry, what was that? I can't hear you over the music."
Of course I heard him, but I couldn't believe that Jasper Hale just called me beautiful, I need to hear him say it again, just so I can be sure I'm not dreaming.
He leans closer in towards me.
"I said… you look beautiful."
Yep, he definitely said it, and as far as I can tell I'm not dreaming, maybe I should pinch myself just to make sure.
"Erm, thanks."
That is all I can muster up, two lousy words. I'm definitely flustered, I'm not used to male attention, and when I've had it in the past James has made sure to ruin it. It's strange to get a compliment knowing that it's not going to be followed with some form of abuse when I get home. I'm going to treasure it forever. Lock it in my memory and keep it there for when I have a bad day.
"Oh and thank you again for your shirt last night."
"My pleasure Darlin'."
There's that accent again. I don't know if he's trying for it to come out, but either way, it's like music to my ears. I grin and look the other way, not wanting him to see the telltale flush across my cheeks.
I sit humming along to the songs for the rest of the journey, looking forward to my first day at school where I'm not going to be the social outcast. Admittedly people are going to be talking about me today, but it's not going to be for the same reason.
Today I get to be part of the popular crowd, and as much as I have mocked it in my head not 24 hours earlier, I'm excited. People are going to look at me like I'm normal, I can't frigging wait.
I hope it didn't disappoint...
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Thanks x