Huge thanks to bloodredeclipse for editing!
OOOO
"That most delicious of all privileges - spending other people's money" ~ John Randolph
Chapter Six:Not the First Encounter
"Bella, which dress? Black or red? Hmm… No. Anna Lynn wore a red dress like this to homecoming last year. I hate that bitch. Black it is."
I couldn't stop myself from giggling. Rosalie, super confident, I-could-care-less-about-what-everyone-else-thinks-because-I'm-Rosalie-Hale, Rosalie, was asking my advice on fashion because going clubbing with Emmett was making her giddy. Was I in an altemate universe?
"I thought you were seeking for my opinion," I teased. "Why bother calling when you end up making all the decisions?"
"I need you for spiritual comfort," she replied, sounding distracted. "Enough about me, when's Riley picking you up?"
My face stretched into a wide smile at the mention of Riley's name. Even though he hadn't "asked me out" in so many words, tonight was supposed to be a double date.
"Oh my gosh, it's already six o'clock and he's supposed to be here right about now. Catch you later!" I hung up on Rosalie before she could utter a response, almost missing a step on my way going down the stairs. Aside from Silvia, the housekeeper, I was the only one home. I wished her a nice weekend and she raised her eyebrow at my outfit, praising it with a smile. Nice. So my effort hadn't been unnoticed.
Riley was waiting in the lobby, wearing a green button-up shirt and black jeans. With an intake of breath, I put my hand into his as he led me to the flashy limo parked by the curb. "You look beautiful," he said with a smile before his driver opened the door for us. I thanked him and returned the compliment, blushing. Riley looked really, really good tonight.
We didn't talk much on our way to the night club, but it wasn't awkward the way it would have been with anyone else. Rosalie and Emmett had already arrived by the time we got there, the two of them looking like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Now that I saw them together, hand-in-hand and beaming, I finally realized why Rosalie had never seemed genuinely happy with all of her other boyfriends in the past. Because none of them were Emmett.
"Bella! Riley!" She squealed and threw her arms around me. "I love your dress, B. Oh, wait, of course I do. I picked it out."
I laughed and mockingly punched Emmett's shoulder when he rolled his eyes.
Emmett told the bouncer- a heavy Asian dude with dragon tattoos on his biceps- to let us through and Riley casually grabbed a hold of my hand without looking down. The line behind us was packed with sparsely dressed girls, already swaying their hips along the music blaring from the two-story building. A couple of guys at the front of the line glared at us for cutting in front of them but looked away when Emmett threw them the look.
"So, Emmett, how did you get us into Red Roof at its opening night?" Riley asked. "I was pretty surprised when you called."
"Dude," Emmett chuckled. "Don't be surprised by my greatness. This is nothin' compared to all the incredible things I'm doing in the future." Rosalie smacked his arm. "Nah. I'm just playing. The owner of this place went to school with my pa."
"He means his dad," I chimed in.
"Right. So anyway, I phoned and asked him to put us on the VIP list, which sounds harder than it is since the guy's as snotty as shit, but I have amazing people skills so ta-da! Here we are."
"I would be more impressed, Em, if you left out the ta-da," I told him, and then gasped when the interior of the building was revealed. I'm not a party person, but I've had my share of nightclubs thanks to Emmett and Rosalie. This one definitely stood out from all the others I've been to in downtown Manhattan. The entire building seemed to be above water. The only thing separating our feet from the streaming water on the ground was a thin layer of glass panel. It was impossible to see the walls, given the room was smoky and illuminated by strobe lights and moving light beams, and the staircase that led to the second story was shaped like a waterfall with actual water flowing to a pond that was really a stage for the exotic dancers in the far corner.
"This is so kickass," Rosalie chuckled. "Let's dance."
Riley gently led me to the dance floor and I laughed when he began doing the robot when Roses by Outkast came on. Emmett was whispering something into Rosalie's ear, which had her grinning like a fool. Like magic, they dissolved into the sea of people behind them almost instantly. With them gone, Riley and I were stuck in a sea of crazy people. The girls around us showed off their figures by giving the men a peek of their underwear, and the boys were trying to show off their packages by grinding against the girls. I was satisfied when I found myself still holding Riley's undivided attention, and he was smiling back like he was satisfied that he still held my attention. Like any other guy could distract me from Riley. The way he smiled at me made me feel… beautiful; like I was the only woman in the room.
"Riley!" A burly guy with black hair pulled Riley into a headlock, ruffling his hair. "Long time no see, bro."
Riley pushed him off and laughed, pulling him into a one-armed hug. "Bella, this is Josh Hudson, the asshole I was telling you about."
I smiled. Josh Hudson is Riley's best friend. He has been in Washington for a student exchange program for the past four months.
"Hi," I said. "I'm Bella."
"I know who you are, girl," he winked at me. "I can't get Riley to stop talking about you every time I call. You're much prettier than I imagined Bella."
Flattered, I thanked him with a timid smile and excused myself to the bar to get a cocktail, leaving the boys some time to catch up. The bartender handed me a drink with no questions asked. I guess I looked older than my actual age or he simply just didn't care.
"Hey bestie," Rosalie wrapped her arm around my shoulders, holding a glass of whatever she was having with her other hand. "Having fun? Where's Riley?"
"Catching up with Josh," I told her. "Where's Em?"
"In the men's room. So I was thinking… we never really did get a chance to talk about this, did we? I mean, the whole thing with Emmett and me. I know this must be weird for you…"
"It's fine, Rose," I waved her off. "You guys are my best friends and I'm happy for you. Honestly, I am so don't worry about there being any awkwardness."
"No awkwardness? You promise?" She bit her lip.
"I promise, just as long as you two don't go sucking each other's face off in front of me. That would be seriously disturbing since the two of you are like siblings to me."
"Gotcha." After a moment a hesitation, she punched me in the arm. "Hey! You make it sound as if we're committing incest or somethin'."
"Well, yeah. I always thought the two of you had brotherly and sisterly feelings for each other. Who would have ever thought…?"
Her cheeks reddened at my words. Rose was acting far from herself tonight; her self-consciousness was something I would never grow accustomed to. As she parted her lips to form a reply, her eyebrows knitted into a delicate frown as she peered over my shoulder. "Stalkerazzi at eight o'clock."
My smiled faltered as I followed the direction of Rosalie's gaze; my eyes landing on the guy leaning against the bar counter sipping beer. Edward's eyes were cold and contemptuous, and they didn't even flicker when I met his stare. Cowardly, I whipped my head back around and turned Rosalie's face to the side, hissing, "Don't look at him!" with my fingers twitching. What was Edward Cullen doing here? Tonight was supposed to be my night. His being here was going to ruin everything. In fact, being in the same room as him was already giving me a bad vibe.
"Who is he, Bella? Why are you breaking out in a cold sweat?"
"That's Edward Cullen," I whispered.
Rosalie's eyes went as wide and round as a pizza. "No way. This is the douchebag you've been telling me about? Cornwall Prick?"
"Cornwall Jerk, to be precise," I giggled.
She didn't try to be discreet when she peered over my shoulder for the second time to get a better look of Edward. "Huh. Too bad he's a dick 'cause he's kinda hot."
I didn't want to agree with that comment. "Stop looking at him," I hissed. "He's gonna think we're on to something then he'll make me pay for it."
Feeling slightly relieved after spotting Riley approaching us, I grinned and practically ran straight into his arms the moment he got to the bar. Edward wouldn't dare to try anything knowing I wasn't alone, right?
"Are you alright, Bella? You seem kind of… jumpy," Riley noted with a thoughtful frown. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!" Agh. My voice was all wrong. Much too high-pitched.
"Hello, Riley."
The voice sounded from behind me sent chills up and down my spine. I closed my eyes, unable to believe that Edward Cullen was here to ruin my perfect night. I tightened my grip on Riley's hand.
"It's been a long time, Edward."
Wait. It's been a long time? Riley knew Edward? Staggered, I spun around to face Satan himself, who- to my irritation- looked stunning in his white pants and black shirt. Rose was right. Such a look was wasted on a jerk like him.
He sneered at me and chortled. "Huh. You know Swan. I see you've lowered your standard."
"Hey! You better watch your mouth, Cullen," Rosalie snapped.
"And who are you? Wait; don't answer that because I don't care. You're a friend of Swan's so you can't possibly be anyone worth knowing."
This alone was enough to rile Rosalie up. No one ever disregarded Rosalie Hale. I mean, she was Rosalie Hale. Boys flocked to her like children flocked to candies. She gave Edward a hard shove in the chest. "Prick."
After gawking at Rosalie's hand as if she had a disease, Edward turned his head to Emmett, who had surprisingly remained quite calm throughout the entire exchange of conversation, and sneered. "You better watch your bitch."
Calling Rosalie a bitch set Emmett off like a bomb. He took a step forward with his teeth bared, but Edward didn't even look a bit intimidated. Maybe he was too stupid to feel intimidated by Emmett.
"Alright, that's enough." Riley grabbed Emmett by the shoulder, slipping between Em and Edward; who had now engaged themselves in a glaring contest. "Now would be a good time to walk away. You don't want to start another fight, Edward. Especially not now."
Edward's eyes met all of ours with disdain, saving Riley's for last. The anger inside of me intensified when his lips stretched into a condescending smirk. This asshole couldn't have been brought up by Dr. Cullen and Mrs. Cullen. He was so… Edward. "Trust me," he said, his voice laced with contempt. "You're not even worth my time."
Daggers were thrown in Edward's direction as he turned his back to us and walked away. Rose and Em looked incredibly pissed off, Riley remained cool and collected and I don't know what I was feeling. The fact that Riley- my Riley- knew Edward Cullen and didn't mention anything to me about it, but instead listened to me complain and yammer about how horrible Jerkward was for the past couple of weeks made me upset. Why didn't just tell me right out in the open that he knew who Edward was all along, instead of putting up the pretense?
"Bella, are you okay?" Riley's innocent frown wasn't quite enough to soften me.
"No," I said with a shake of my head. "Actually, I'm not feeling so well. I think I'll just leave." My party buzz had already been killed so I saw no point in staying. Besides, to be honest, I really was feeling quite dizzy.
"I'll take you."
"You can stay if you want," I told him. "I mean, I know you have a lot of catching up to do with Josh."
He cracked a small smile. "Don't be silly. I practically all but live with the guy. He's probably gonna want a guys' day out tomorrow anyway. There's only so much Josh a person can handle."
I couldn't help but smile. "Fine. But I should warn you, I had planned on walking home. It's twenty blocks from here, mister."
"I'll survive," he grinned at me.
Rosalie seemed disappointed when I told her I was leaving, but she recovered when her latest song obsession blared through the speakers. Riley kept his hand on the small of my back as we made our way to the exit. The gesture made me feel safer since a lot of guys in the room were already quite drunk; even though it was early in the evening. We didn't end up walking home after all. Riley hailed a cab, which was a good thing since I had blisters on my feet, and the more I thought about it, the more torturous twenty blocks seemed. He offered to walk me to the lobby and I accepted, knowing this was the perfect opportunity to question him now that we were alone. I didn't bother beating around the bush, because I quite frankly didn't have the patience for it. As soon as we stepped out of the cab, I spun around to face him and asked him the question that had been swimming in my head since our unpleasant encounter with Edward.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew Edward Cullen?"
He sighed, cracking a small smile. "The truth is… I kind of know his entire family, not just Edward. We used to be good friends."
My lips stretched into an O at his statement, outraged. He knew the entire family, which meant he knew Mrs. Cullen as well.
And I had no idea until now.
"You should have told me!" I cried. "I mean, all this time I've been complaining about how horrible Edward is and if I had known you were acquainted with his family-"
"Exactly," he cut me off. "If you had known, you wouldn't have run to me with your problems. Don't you see, Bella?" My breath stilled when his left hand made a gentle grab for my shoulder. "I want to be that guy for you. The guy you can turn to when you need someone to listen. That's why I didn't tell you about Edward. I'm sorry. Look, I like you,." Riley smiled, taking my hand. My lips parted at the realization that he had said the three words that I had been dreaming of hearing for the past couple of months. I like you. "You're beautiful, intelligent, and you amaze me with the things you say and do. I really, really like you."
Wow. This was so not how I imagined this conversation would go.
"I like you, too," I said, a little stunned. "A lot." Was this really happening? I made a mental note to draw a heart on my calendar around today's date as soon as I got inside. Normally I wouldn't make such a big deal over being asked out, but this was Riley Biers, the guy I had been crushing on for more than eight months.
"Good. Now we have that out of the way…"
He closed the distance between us.
Edward Cullen
"Dude, it's only fifteen minutes after ten. And you're leaving already?" Alec asked incredulously, his voice hoarse from all of the cheering and whooping that he did earlier when an Eminem song came on. "What's the point of going to a club when you leave before midnight, dude?"
Jasper snickered and clasped a hand over my shoulder. "Give him a break. The guy has some serious sucking up to do and it's his first day of work tomorrow."
The guys let out a roar of laughter and I flipped them off, glowering at Jasper for telling these assholes about my situation because I knew for sure they were never going to let me live it down. Edward Cullen serving coffee. The concept was ludicrous.
"Which location are you working at?" Garrett asked, chuckling. "Maybe we could drop by and say hello."
I narrowed my eyes at them all. "You guys think this is funny? And Cheney, you're drooling, dumbass." I rolled my eyes heavenward when a huge blob of saliva slid down Ben's t-shirt. The asshole was laughing so hard that he couldn't keep his lips shut. What a retard. "I'm not telling you a thing. And don't you dare look me up. I would kick your asses out of the store if you guys show up."
Alec giggled, like a fucking little girl. "Yeah. In your Bella Villagio uniform and apron."
I groaned. I had forgotten all about the hideous clothes that I would have to wear. Thanks for reminding me, Alec. "Just… shut up."
"Aww, Eddie's blushing!" Garrett puckered his lips.
Jasper and I were the only ones that weren't drunk. He stayed sober tonight, forcing himself to lay off the alcohol because Momzilla Mary was home, and she would have his ass if she found out he had been drinking. As for me… Well. Let's just say I was doing my damn best to persuade my grandmother I had a change of personality. I believe not getting wasted was step one.
"To booze!" Garrett cried suddenly, raising his glass. I was surprised that he wasn't slurring since the guy looked as if he was about to pass out any second.
"To hot women!"
"To me, for being me!" Taking his last gulp, Alec flopped into the booth, snoring.
"So are you ready for tomorrow, Cullen?" Jasper asked solemnly, when Garrett and Ben wobbled their way to the dance floor once more. It was actually entertaining to watch them get turned down by women; I wondered if Ben would get a kick in the shin like the other night…
"Dude, how hard can it be? Bring food and drinks to tables. It'll be a piece of cake," I chortled.
Thank God my grandmother was already asleep by the time I got home. I did not want to have to make an awkward conversation. Dad was supposedly in his study room, since the lights were on, and Alice was getting a drink in the kitchen. Her eyes widened at the sight of me.
"Who are you and where have you taken my brother?"
"Very funny," I scoffed.
"Seriously. It's ten-forty on a Saturday night. What are you doing home?"
"Having a pointless conversation with my sister," I countered. "How was the ballet thingy?" Alice was a gifted dancer. She had been taking lessons since she was old enough to walk. My mother tried to get me into ballet as well when I was younger- completely insane on her part- but thankfully, even then I was smart enough to know cool men didn't wear tights.
"It was great!" When she began giving me a detailed description of the play, I tuned her out, although it sounds harder than it is since Alice wasn't someone you could ignore easily, given her voice was very high-pitched. "I wish Jasper could have been there though."
I laughed, trying to picture my friend paying attention to all those tutus onstage. Jasper would have had a seizure. There was a reason why we were best friend.
"Yeah, yeah. He would have had fun," I tried keeping a straight face. "I'm gonna shower."
"You should. You reek. You smell like a combination of cheap perfume, cologne, and alcohol. The worst combo ever."
"How rude, Alice. You're short, but I keep that obvious fact to myself."
She rolled her eyes at me and I shoved her out of the way so I could get a mug from the cupboard. Opening the fridge, I grabbed my favorite soda- Dr. Pepper- and cursed when I almost knocked the mug over as I sat the soda down on the counter. The alcohol was not only messing with my head but also apparently, making me clumsy.
"Get me a glass of that," she quipped. "I'm thirsty."
I smirked at her, setting the bottle back in the fridge. "Get your own damn soda. It's not like you don't have hands."
The glower she sent me didn't even make me flinch. How pathetic. Holding her chin high, she marched to the stairs, muttering "Immature asshole", which she made certain, was loud enough for me to hear. Alice was an immature little shit herself; she just acted saint-like and grownup and talked down to me because she, like I have mentioned before, was a couple of minutes older. I hate having a twin.
My stomach growled and it surprised me since I had actually gotten loads to eat and drink at the club. Hoping that Silvia had left a piece of pie somewhere, I opened the fridge again and made a face when I saw some store-bought doughnuts at the bottom drawer. I never ate any kind of desert that wasn't homemade. They just didn't do it for me. I let out a sharp breath, slammed the door of the fridge shut, and screamed when St. George appeared before me, eyes wide and her hand over her mouth.
"Christ, woman," I glared at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Trying to sneak up on me?"
"I… I'm sorry," she stammered, looking bewildered. "I was just hoping to get a glass of water and I thought you knew I-"
"How could I have sensed your presence when you were as quiet as a mouse?"
"I said I was sorry." I could tell she was getting impatient with me, but at the same time, still slightly intimidated.
"Well, get your damn water and go," I snapped at her. "Try not to spill anything on the carpet. They were shipped from Egypt. Super, fucking expensive."
The disdainful look she threw me, as if she were smarter than me, made me want to curse again. It was one of the many things that I had grown to hate about St. George. She thought she was so mature, intelligent, and right about everything when she was really just a girl who went to a second-rated private school with zero connection to the Upper East Side before she met Gran. The thought of her of all people looking down on me sent me into a fit of laughter. Swan looking down on a Cullen, what a laugh.
"I'm not going to kill your precious carpet with H2O, Edward," she retorted sarcastically. "Don't give yourself a heart attack. Now if you'll excuse me…"
She gave a little whirl of her eyes as she walked away, sipping water from my house, using my cup. As I watched her approach the stairs, it hit me for the first that she was actually dressed up, wearing a club dress, high-heels and all of that. It's funny how I didn't notice any of it at Red Roof. I guess seeing Riley and that blond bitchy friend of St. George's pissed me off to the extreme. What was her name? Rosalie? That curly-haired dude called her Rosalie. Uglyass name, if you ask me.
"Halt."
She stiffened at the sound of my voice. Shock was evident on her face as she slowly spun around to face me. "Excuse me? Halt? Who do you think you are, a military officer?"
I ignored her and cut straight to the chase, not bothering to make a pointless civil conversation. I don't do subtle. "Are you dating Riley Biers?"
She seemed taken aback. Her eyes dropped to the floor with a secretive smile and when she picked her head back up, she looked unreasonably cheerful and happy. What the hell?
"I am. And I have you to thank for that.'
"Me?" I repeated with disbelief. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
She shook her head and smiled that mysterious smile again, a smile that was thinning my patience, or my lack of, anyway. The strangest thing was that it was the only smile that she had shown in the weeks that I had known. To think Riley Biers had something to do with it…
"It was our talk about you that brought us together," she giggled. "Goodnight, Edward."
What the hell is up with her?
A/N: I apologize for the super long wait! I got this chapter done almost a month ago but my computer crashed before I got the chance to update( which also explains why I haven't been responding to your PMs and reviews). A lot of you thought I was abandoning this story! I would never do that:) Reviews are appreciated:)
