I'm bbaAAacckkk! Please don't shoot me. I just started advanced classes in high school and am already swamped. Disclaimer, disclaimer and on with the witting of the chapter and such.
Chapter 9
(Bella POV)
"I'm shocked that you didn't think of it sooner, Bella. We are going to go shopping!"
I'm sure the way I looked at Alice must have made it seem like she grew a second head, but I couldn't help it. Once I regained control of my jaw muscles, I closed my mouth and looked over at Beth. If the look on my face was shock, then the look on hers was fairly unreadable. She just kind of stared at Alice like she hadn't heard what she said.
Alice, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes at me and started talking at me.
"Come on, Bella. I never see why you feel the need to do that every time I decide to take you shopping with me." She looked over to Beth and the look on her face softened. "Do you not want to go shopping with me? It's fine if you don't."
"Why is it that I never get that choice?" I mumbled under my breath just before Beth answered.
"I'm sorry, I guess I haven't talked to a normal person in a while. Um… sure, I'll go shopping with you." The sound of her voice made it seem like she would go shopping just to keep from possibly hurting Alice's feelings. That's how I usually got guilted into going shopping with Alice, too.
"Okay. Well, you can finish eating, then go upstairs and get ready to leave for the mall."
"Okay. Um… why are we going to the mall?" she looked a little scared. That was more like it.
"Because I know that you cannot possibly have more than one shirt in that small back pack of yours, so we are going to buy you some new clothes." The note of finality in her voice was a little bit sweet, a little bit creepy.
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After that little morning announcement, we were seated in Alice's recently bought yellow Porch 911 headed to the nearest major mall― in Seattle.
When we got there, Alice mad a bee line for one of her favorite stores, which had a variety of styles of clothing. Once we were inside, Alice stopped and looked Beth up and down as if she were measuring her for the clothes. Beth just kept looking around like she was taking in the ways to the exits.
"Okay, first we are going to get you some shirts and at least two jackets because your jean one is just too bulky. I looks like you're drowning in it. I'm guessing you size is about a ten or eleven. So follow me, and start looking." She spoke in such a rush that I had a hard time understanding what she said, and I've been listening to those 'two second vampire conversations' for about a year now.
"Okay, but I don't want you spending a lot of money on me. I'm only letting you do this because you think I need some new clothes. You won't be getting me into a whole bunch of designer clothes and trendy stuff. I'm letting you know right now that if it isn't comfortable, I'm not getting it."
Alice just stood there looking at Beth like she hadn't heard a thing that she had just said. Beth got a worried look on her face and stare back at Alice. Just when Beth looked at me to ask if something was wrong with Alice, I saw her eyes glaze over, which told me that she was having a vision. As Beth asked me if she was, I looked over to see if the vampire had come out of it yet.
"Oh no, she just has these little episodes where she stares off into space. She'll be fine in a minute." Just then, Alice shook her head and looked from me to Beth.
"Oh, I can tell I'm really going to have to work on you. But don't worry, you won't mind too much when we're done And, just in case your wondering, the only things that I would get you would be comfortable, but fashionable, clothes."
We were in for a long day…
As we walked out of the fourth store that Alice had led us into, we amazingly only had three bags.
"I just don't get why you wouldn't try on any of the clothes that I picked out for you. They would have been perfectly comfortable." Alice commented.
"I'm sorry, but did you even see the price tag?! No way you were going to buy that for me. And I know that you keep saying that money is no problem for you, but it is for me. Could we just leave now, please? I have gotten shoes, jeans, two shirts, and a jacket, just like you said that I needed, so can we please just leave? I know I'm whining way too much, more than is tolerable for a houseguest, but incase you haven't noticed, I don't like shopping. Ugh, migraine." She finished by taking a breath and rubbing her temple with two fingers. It was almost like looking in a mirror from one of my first shopping trips with Alice, except I never had the guts to talk back to Alice in the way that Beth was.
Alice looked a little disappointed that she couldn't just use her vampire speed and strength to force the young girl into the clothes the way that she sometimes did with me.
"Fine then, we can leave. But don't think that I'm not going to break you down eventually," Alice used her 'I-might-be-tiny-but-don't-think-I-won't-kick-your-ass-if-you-piss-me-off' voice, but sugar coated. Beth looked a bit frightened after this comment.
Alice's mouth started to turn up at the corners at bit as she watched Beth. We were headed toward the exit we came in through when I saw Beth's eyes go wide and brighten up. Alice looked over at me and followed the direction of her gaze. The younger girl started to veer toward the store to the right of us, then shook her self and looked back at us.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Can we go in for just like two minutes, please? I promise no more whining." Her hands laced together in front of her neck and her outer lip jutted out a little bit at the same time that her eyes turned to puppy dog eyes. It seemed that even Alice couldn't resist.
"What? The bookstore? Sure, yeah. You've put up with me for a while, so I'll give you some time in the bookstore." Just as she finished saying this, she blinked and looked over at me like she was a little shocked at what she just said. 'What?' I mouthed at her. She turned to me and whispered in my ear,
"It's the least I could do. Besides, this girl has got some guts. Even you aren't persuasive enough to whine enough to break me from shopping. And, this will help us get a closer look into what makes her tick. You said Edward had trouble following along with her thoughts? So let's do a little bit of recon for him." With that, she followed Beth into he bookstore.