Disclaimer: Everything related to Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
[Thanks to my beta, Taylor!]
A/N: Hey guys just a little note before you start reading. This chapter is written in 3rd person instead of from Bella's point of view. It shouldn't change too much but I just wanted to let you guys know. Enjoy :)
Chapter 9: Indecisions
Bella stood stoically at the cafeteria door, leaning against it and sighing dramatically. The parking lot was almost empty, and only a few students were left walking through the quad. Everyone who passed by stared, and Bella would inconspicuously rustle around in her backpack or pretend to be on her phone. She didn't want to look like a creep who waited around campus with no friends.
Finally, Alice padded out the double doors, smiling brilliantly.
"Alice, what took you so long?" Bella whined, shoving off the door frame enthusiastically. She grabbed at Alice's stone cold arm and started towing her toward the parking lot without success. Alice wouldn't budge.
"First of all, stop pulling my arm, you're a weak little human and we have to wait for Edward. And second, I was late because the coach kept us a little longer, which I told you might happen." She said this is all so nonchalantly that I rolled my eyes, but let go of her sleeve.
"I can't believe you're serious about this." Last week, school was chaotic and busy for any of the students at Forks High who were fortunate enough to have a sense of coordination. Everyone rushed to sign up for Spring Sports, including, to Bella's astonishment, Alice.
"I just want to try it," Alice piped in, tucking the textbook she was carrying into her bag. It was the first time Bella had looked at her outfit, and gasped loudly. She stared incredulously, eyes bugged out, at Alice.
"Can I see your bra?" Bella asked disbelievingly. Alice was wearing a white tank top and navy spandex shorts, her pink sports bra noticeably peeked out along her neckline. The length of her smooth white legs ended with running shoes. Alice narrowed her eyes until they were thin black slits, and a scowl interrupted her perfect face. "Alice," Bella chided playfully, "that is a fashion faux paus to the extreme."
Alice stuck her dainty tongue out at Bella who chuckled erratically.
"What's so funny?" Bella and Alice swung around to see Edward loping toward them with a smile.
Bella took one look at him and collapsed from laughter. The matter wasn't even that funny; it must be the insanity finally taking over her body. "Have you seen your sister's outfit?" She locked eyes with Edward and then pointed over to Alice. He started laughing too, either at Alice's pouty face or Bella's hysterical one, she couldn't tell.
"Alright," Alice said angrily, "that's enough out of you two." She grabbed both of them by the arm and dragged them away from the gymnasium doors. They walked through the grassy campus, passing the stone wall encompassing the brick buildings and the metal benches stationed around them. Some students were sitting at the benches, studying from various textbooks. They looked up and stared at the discombobulated threesome. It seemed they made a scene no matter where they went.
Alice stuffed Bella and Edward forcefully into the back of the Volvo, taking the driver's seat for herself.
"Ouch, Alice," Bella complained, rubbing her sore arm. "I don't have vampire skin, remember?"
"Goodness, Bella, don't anger it further," he whispered to her, but his tone was still joking.
Alice flipped around in her seat and glared at Bella. "Not yet," she hissed through clenched teeth and sped off out of the student parking lot. The long drive to the Cullens house gave Alice the time to cool off, so she was her normal giddy self by the time she pulled the Volvo into the garage.
"Alice," Bella said, surprised. "I thought you were dropping me off at my house."
"Oh? Did you think that?" she asked, and shuffled through the door that led into the mudroom. Bella looked at Edward with raised eyebrows and he covered his mouth to muffle his laughter. He put his hand on her shoulder and they walked through the door, into the kitchen where Alice was rummaging around the cabinets.
"What are you doing Al?" Edward asked. She slammed the refrigerator door shut, turning with an armful of things.
"I'm going to bake," she answered coolly, like that was the most normal thing in the world. She was holding a variety of items, including a bag of carrots and a box of pasta.
"Clearly," Bella mused, coming over and pulling a bottle of salad dressing out of her hand. "You have no idea what you are doing."
Alice pouted but pushed the food aside. "I know," she admitted, her voice high and squeaky.
"What are you baking anyway?" Edward asked, leaning casually against the marble island in the center of the modern kitchen. A strand of bronze hair fell into his face and he swiped it away with his hand. Alice regarded him with a sarcastic glance, and then her lips turned up in a devious smile. Edward flinched slightly, but then shook his head with a smile. Bella rolled her eyes and sighed loudly; she hated when they communicated with their gifts instead of out loud for her benefit.
Alice must have read Bella's frustration and turned to her with a thoughtful smile. "I want to make cupcakes for the bake sale tomorrow. It's our first tournament of the season; you're both coming, by the way." Ever since Alice had joined the volleyball team, her life had revolved around the sport. Edward found it ridiculous but Bella was envious. If she could play a sport without causing physical harm to herself and everyone around her she would.
"Don't worry, I'll be there," Bella assured.
"I guess I'll be there," Edward griped. Bella slapped him lightly on the arm so he straightened up. "Oh, I'll definitely be there."
Alice looked satisfied. "You can invite Jake too, Bella."
Bella smiled hugely and said, "Awesome. He'd love to come," at the same time Edward huffed and groaned.
"You know, Edward," Alice began, mindlessly toying with the food on the counter. "You might like Jacob if you got to know him." Bella turned to catch Edward's reaction. He scoffed.
"No Downworlder is a friend of mine," he said heedlessly.
Alice got angry. "Oh, for the love of God. No one has used that term in ages." Neither of them noticed that Bella silently left the living room. Alice came up close to Edward and spoke in a low voice, but her expression was so stern that the words seemed to carry a more severe meaning. "This behavior is ridiculous," she nearly spit at him. "Can't you see it bothers her to know how much you two hate each other? Get over it. She chose him." She walked back to the counter before turning back around and staring at him. "For now," she added, and stalked out of the room, following her best friend's example.
***
Alice found Bella in the living room, staring at a shelf of family photographs. "Are you alright? He didn't mean it, you know."
Bella turned around, surprisingly, with a smile. "Oh yeah, I'm okay. I've learned not to mope about it. I do wish they could try to like each other though. Jacob is about the most stubborn person you will ever meet, but I was hoping Edward would be a little more willing. I guess not."
Alice smiled sympathetically. "Edward could probably par with Jacob in the stubborn department."
"Yeah," Bella laughed, "probably." She looked at Alice's blazing gold eyes and changed the subject. "So, are you excited for the big game tomorrow?"
Alice's face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, the way it always did when she was talking about something she was excited about. She may be a little over jubilant, but she was always full of life; it was refreshing. "I am SO excited," she gushed.
Bella still laughed quietly at the idea of Alice playing for the school's volleyball team. She knew a few girls on the team, Jessica and Lauren had played since freshman year; any excuse to wear tiny shorts in front of boys.
"I was going to run to the supermarket," Bella said, "do you want me to pick up cupcake ingredients?"
"Can I come with you?" Alice asked.
Bella was surprised. She wondered if Alice had ever been to a supermarket before. "Of course. Let's go." Alice smiled happily and grabbed Bella's hand, the two of them hopping into the kitchen to leave through the garage.
"EDWARD!" Alice called loudly, the sound echoing through the entire house. Bella stared at her in a state of shock; for such a little person, Alice could really scream.
Edward ran into the kitchen, his face annoyed. "You don't have to yell! I can hear you from miles away. Hell, I can read your mind." Alice stuck her tongue out at him, a comical sisterly act.
"Bella and I are going to the market. Be good."
Edward clucked his tongue. "I think I'll be okay." He turned to Bella with a sarcastic smile. "Have fun with her," he said, dismissively strutting out of the kitchen.
"What a diva," Alice commented under her breath, heading into the metal garage. Bella chuckled as she slid into the passenger seat of the Volvo, which was already running, ready to pull out into the long winding driveway. The pair's chatter was trivial and limited mostly to things taking place at school.
When they walked into the supermarket, Alice's eyes lit in amazed fascination. Bella regarded her with a superficial look of encouragement. She grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the aisles, picking up flour and sugar. Alice looked up and down the shelves, picking one of each thing and placing it in the cart.
"Alice, we're only making cupcakes," Bella stated. "We don't need all that."
"It can't hurt to have food in the house," Alice replied, staring at the cans of frosting. She threw three cans into the carriage, and looked at the basket thoughtfully. She proceeded to skim every aisle in the store, dancing through the halls in the graceful manner that defined her personality. Bella laughed and shook her head as she followed Alice around, pushing the full cart.
"Bella," Alice's tone was exceptionally serious. "Do you like fish?" She was staring at a shelf of seafood lying in a bed of ice.
"Well, it's no mountain lion," Bella retorted, highly sarcastic. Alice narrowed her eyes.
"We'll get some anyway," she decided, asking the guy to wrap a piece of salmon for her.
After throwing in a bag of apples, Alice stalked to the vegetable display, looking hopeful. "Alice," Bella complained, "I think we're done. Look at all the food. And the cart is getting hard to push."
A frustrated pout muddled Alice's angelic features. "Someone's a little bitter," she sang majestically. Bella couldn't help but smile. She pulled up to the cash register and rang up the food, grabbing the grocery bags. Alice was right behind her, dancing out of the store. They drove home to the Cullen house, and spent the afternoon making cupcakes in the kitchen. Bella did all the work, Alice just sat and watched. Occasionally, she would comment on the atrocity of the batter's consistency, but Bella just ignored her. Edward came downstairs and gladly assisted Bella, unfazed by Alice's 'suck-up' jibes.
It was a fun afternoon with Alice and Edward; everyone was in high spirits and enjoying each other's company. When Bella was putting the pan in the oven, Edward sneakily stood behind her with his finger raised, covered in flour. When Bella stood up and turned around, she walked right into his finger, smearing her cheek with the white powder. She rebutted by throwing a glob of left over batter at his face, evoking a dysfunctional food fight.
Alice shied away from the batter throwing, fleeing from the kitchen with a pan held over her head, protecting her perfect hair no doubt. Edward started at the door where Alice had just left and laughed loudly, so Bella snuck up from beside him with a finger covered in frosting and drew and X across his open mouth. He turned his head to stare at her with evil eyes, and then chased her around the kitchen, Bella's giggly screams sounding through the whole house.
After cleaning up the disrupted kitchen, the Bella and Edward went to the front room to do homework, it was hard to concentrate though. Blades of sunlight streamed in through the glass walls, sending rainbow sparkles dancing across the room when the light hit Edward's snow white skin.
Eventually, Bella fell asleep on the cream couch, her English book resting across her chest. Making cupcakes had really worn her out. Edward carefully lifted her off the couch without bobbling her, and drove her home, driving extra carefully in an attempt to not wake her.
Charlie was less than thrilled when Edward showed up at his doorstep, his teenage daughter dangling unconscious from Edward's arms. When Edward explained she had simply fallen asleep after baking with Alice, he allowed Edward to carry her upstairs with good grace. He laid her down in her bed gently, pulling the covers up around her. He slipped out the door after brushing the wood with his fingers, making sure to be extra quiet.
When the door closed with a click, Bella stirred in her sleep, opening her eyes and stretching her stiff legs. For a moment she didn't know where she was, until she looked around and she was in the comfort of her bedroom. She was still in jeans and her sneakers were still laced onto her feet; she slipped them off and got up to change into pajamas. On the way to the bathroom, something stopped her in her tracks; hanging from her door was a taped piece of paper, a note written in a familiar elegant script.
***
Bella picked Jacob up after school on her way to the game. He was wearing a black tank top and khaki cargo shorts, looking ridiculously attractive. Bella felt so inferior, wearing jeans and a plain white short sleeved tee. Jacob noticed her slightly pained expression and looked alarmed immediately.
"What's wrong?" he asked nervously, looking around.
"Nothing," she replied looking down. "I just feel so plain next to you." She blushed, feeling shallow for even thinking it.
Jacob looked amused for a moment but then his face turned serious. "Silly Bella, it doesn't matter what you wear." He raised his hand to move a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You always look good to me." They drove the rest of the way to the high school, Bella wearing her signature blush and Jacob his gleaming smile. They walked into the gymnasium, hands intertwined, where the volleyball net was set up and the two teams were warming up. Alice's face lit up when she saw them walk in, and then both waved to her. She waved back enthusiastically and blew them a kiss. Jacob laughed and climbed the bleachers, towing a smiling Bella up with him.
Edward was sitting toward the left up at the very top; he was leaning against the cement wall. He straightened up when he saw Bella and smiled, about to wave her over, but Jacob turned and growled under his breath. Bella saw Edward's eye turn perceptibly blacker, and turned to ask Jacob about it.
"Jake," she hissed when she saw his face, "don't look at him like that!" She pulled him toward the right side of the bleachers, shooting Edward an apologetic glance. When they sat down, hands still interlocked, Bella gazed down at their fingers. The contrast between her skinny pale fingers and his strong tan ones was laughable. The tension lingering in the air slowly dissipated as the tournament began.
Alice was extraordinarily graceful on the court, and not surprisingly, superb at volleyball. She was playing up front, and spiked the ball over the net at least a dozen times, but tried not to attract too much attention to herself. She had a conniving way of getting the ball to every member of her team.
"Damn, Alice is awesome," Jacob said, playing with Bella's fingers.
She giggled. "I know. It's ridiculous."
"Well you know what they say."
"That immortality brings you perfection?" Bella chimed in.
"Actually I was going to say that being a vampire makes you sick at sports."
Bella cracked up, her eyes tearing with thick guffaws. "Jacob, who says that?"
He smiled widely. "I do." He leaned in and kissed her softly on the mouth, his lips just brushing against hers. Bella could feel the smile on his lips as he kissed her again.
A loud buzzer tore through the gym declaring the start of half time.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Bella said, kissing Jacob on the cheek and lifting herself off the bleachers. She hopped down the steps and waved to Alice who was on the bench pretending to drink water. All the other team members looked tired and sweaty, but she was still perfect and exuberant. The look on Alice's face must have meant she'd seen the final minutes of the game. They must win, Bella thought and turned the corner to head to the bathrooms. She caught a glimpse of Jacob sitting peacefully, talking politely to his neighbor. She smiled and shuffled into the hall.
As soon as Bella turned the corner, Jacob snapped his head in Edward's direction. I want to talk to you, he thought, and saw Edward roll his eyes but shifted over in his seat.
Jacob didn't beat around the bush when he stalked over to Edward. He didn't even bother sitting down.
"Stay away from Bella," he warned angrily.
Edward looked slightly amused from Jacob's abruptness. "We're just friends Jacob. I think it's good for her. What harm could possibly come from that?" he answered coolly.
"Everything," Jacob snapped. "Everything could come from that."
"I disagree," Edward replied. Jacob was still shaking his head in irritation and turned away to leave, but then stopped and loped back over to Edward's seat.
"I hope it hurts, bloodsucker," he hissed, his face only inches from Edward's. "I hope it kills you to see her with me." His glaring face turned soft for a moment as he turned his back and started walking across the bleachers. "The way it killed me to see her with you," he mumbled through tight lips, too soft for anyone around him to hear, but Edward could. And Edward could see memories of Bella flashing in Jacob's mind; the look on her face the first time she visited him in La Push, the way she wrapped her arms around her torso, the pained expression in the woods when he had mentioned the Cullens. Edward cringed back against the wall, eyes grave and face expressionless. People looked on, curious as to what imaginary force was causing him so much pain. The answer was walking briskly down the blue bleachers, his tan hands forcefully clutching a black leather jacket. The words in his head echoed through Edward's, with the image of Bella's face, unsmiling and broken. You've hurt her enough already.
When Bella came back into the gym, she looked first to Edward and then Jacob. Edward looked like he was on the verge of dry tears, and Jacob was in his tern Sam-face mode. "Oh God, what happened," she muttered uncomfortably to herself. As she was about to climb the bleachers, her head flickered to both boys, and for a moment she was conflicted. She knew she should go back to Jacob, but something in Edward's expression made her want to go comfort him. She quickly rid that thought from her mind, knowing it was not where her thoughts should be. Instead of heading back to Jacob, Bella ducked out of the gym doors---her mind running---clutching a tattered note in her hands.
A/N: Thank you to all my readers, you guys are amazingggg! And extra thanks to my beta who had to work hard to fix this chapter, haha. Reviews are appreciated, and I hope you guys enjoyed it :)
