I woke up next morning with a sense of determination. I was ready. I'm ready to start the day. I brushed my teeth with great haste and dressed for the day. I wore jeans with a dark-blue long sleeved shirt. His favorite color was blue, so it was just right. Even though the date was at nighttime, I wanted to be prepared. I felt excitement run through my veins. Funny, didn't even need coffee. As I walked down the stairs almost tripping occasionally, I held the doorbell ring. I smiled as I opened the door.
Alice stood in my doorway with a welcoming smile on my face. My smile faltered.
"Alice, um, what are you doing here?" I asked harshly. Did she know of my date with Edward? Was she going to ruin it? For once I desperately needed Jasper.
"Oh, just visiting." She replied surprised at my tone.
I moved to the side so she can come in and we both sat at the couch.
"So, Charlie around?" She questioned.
"He's at work." I stated uncomfortably.
"Oh really, how nice." She said.
Hmm, there's a lot of silence going on lately. The awkwardness began to make my hands shake.
"So the thing with Edward, I'm sorry you had to endure that." She stated with pity and guilt in her eyes.
My eyes snapped up and my hands stilled. His name got my undivided attention. There was never an distraction that was able to divert my attention from his.
"No, it's fine. If anything; it's what I was expecting." I replied.
"Was that all you came for?" I continued.
"That and I just wanted to see how you were doing" She repied while nodding her head.
There it is. She finally got to the point. She came here to see how I was reacting to the way Edward reacted yesterday. A question popped into my head. Something I needed to say before anything else was said.
"Can I ask you something Alice?" I asked, ignoring her question.
"Sure Bella, anything." Alice said with confident.
"Are you going to continue stringing Edward along like a puppet? I said blunted with calmness in my tone.
She scoffed. "What? What are you talking about?" She asked swiftly.
"You come back and announce this big news and never once did you tell Edward to stop chasing you. Do you think this fun? Having both guys following you around like a puppy?" I asked harshly. The calmness was no longer there. Replaced it was a spark of anger. Anger at her for having Edward's attention. Anger at her for never putting him in his place. Which is a friend. Instead, she kept quiet and let Edward chase her without telling him to just let go. If she truly loved Jasper, why didn't she never made it clear for Edward that they are nothing more than friends? Maybe that's why Edward thinks he still have a chance. She never once contradicted him that he didn't have a chance.
"Bella, I'm not stringing him around." She said quoting my statement with her hands. "It is what it is. I can't help how he feels about me." She said defending herself.
"You could have said something. A simple talk with him to let him know that you only want him as a friend. Maybe then all this wouldn't have to happen. And and" I stuttered to finish.
"And what Bella?" Alice said harshly and swiftly picked up her picked and started to leave.
"And maybe he wouldn't have to break my heart." I whispered softly.
She already left.
