Over, Under & Through

by stupidsuckedinreader

AU/NM:Before descending down the dark abyss into depression, Lauren & Jessica help Bella to move on. Lauren's theory of being dumped is that to get over someone, you have to get under someone else. Despite their efforts, is Bella's fate to be a Cullen? M

11. Chapter 11: Sour Cherry

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Sour Cherry

A/N: First, thank you all so much for the reviews and adding me to your favorites. It brings out my inner Sally Field: You like me. You really, really like me. Needless to say, I am flattered beyond belief. Thanks again for reading!

I was nominated for two Faithful Shipper Award -Best Fiction You Stumbled UponandBest 'Under The Radar' Fiction. Please vote for me at:..

Huge thanks go out to Stephanie, my beta extraordinaire, the ladies of Project Team Beta, Isabel Grace, my twi-pal, and SassyGeminiMom, my validation Beta.

I own nothing Twilight. I do own a kick ass leather jacket I bought in Italy (in a town right near Volterra)!

Song-spiration for this chapter is: Sour Cherry by the Kills because it just makes me feel like a bad girl.

shout when you wanna get off the ride
shout when you wanna get off the ride
cos it crossed my mind
it crossed my mind
I'm a penny in a diamond mine
we could be movers
we could be shakers
if we could just shake something out of the blue
and get off the ride
now I'm the only sour cherry on the fruit stand, right ?
go home, it's over..

- The Kills

Bella POV

After my date with Jason, Jacob's email still loomed on my mind. It bothered me that I cared so much but not enough to send him a scathing response. How would Lauren react? I wish I could say something cool and witty but my mind came up blank, so I ignored it and did nothing.

The week before Halloween flew by; school was a blur. I was relieved that my days were filled with activity to keep my mind off of my emotions. The biggest thrills of my week were dishing to the girls about my date and letting Mrs. Bold know which schools I would be submitting applications. She agreed that New York University, Boston University, University of Maryland and Cornell were all schools I could not only get into but would be interested in having me. Despite all of them having the reputation for being highly competitive, those schools rarely received applicants from Forks, Washington, and, therefore,I had a good chance of getting in.

Charlie was a little sad that I wanted to go so far away from him, and when I told him my choices, tears welled up in his heavy brown eyes. "Bella, you have taken care of your mother and now me. I couldn't be happier that you want to do something for yourself."

I really regretted those summers I chose not to go and see him and felt guilty for not spending time with him. He really was a great father. I felt bad for concealing my true plans for Saturday night, but if he saw what I was wearing out to the party, he would send me to a convent.

Lauren said I was spending the night at her house and that was the story Charlie knew. It was completely true, of course; we were sleeping at Lauren's, but before that we would be up in Port Angeles. Morally, it was a grey area. I hated these grey areas but even if I weren't DD, I would make sure we got there and back safely despite our costumes.

Even though Charlie was at the Black's house watching a game before his shift started, I packed my costume at the bottom of my overnight bag and stuffed my pajamas over it, along with some fresh clothes for tomorrow and my toiletry bag. Jumping in my truck, I made the now familiar drive to Lauren's house. As I drove, I thought about how much my life had changed in just over a month.

I could make it through the day now. I was learning to have fun and experiencing teenage emotions. It was hard to believe but I was acting... normal. Jason... I wanted to feel something with him. Our date had been nice. He was a nice guy but I knew deep down I was just going through the motions. I was resolved to believe that he was no love of my life, but he was good company, at least for now. Even though I would never admit it to anyone, even Lauren, I knew deep down, I was still hoping I would get a happy ending in my life. It was never going to come though. Dreams of Prince Charming returning were just fairy tales. This was real life; things like that didn't happen. Of course, vampires were not supposed to be real either.

The act I put on was slowly becoming natural and only I knew the truth, that I was still miserable, but why inflect my misery on those around me. Walking up to the Mallory's front door, I promised myself that tonight I would put on my happy face and be the best vampire I could be. It was the closest I would ever get to being like Him. Ugh the irony.

Lauren POV

As I brushed one last bit of powder on Bella's pale skin, I surveyed my masterpieces in the mirror. We looked smoking hot! All of our faces were super pale, it reminded me of the Cullens' skin. We all had dark vampy style lipstick and just looked all over hot.

"So Angela, Ben is meeting you over there and you don't mind being designated driver?"

Angela shook her head. "No problemo. Ben is heading up there with Eric, Tyler, and Newton."

"I wasn't planning to drink either and can drive back if you want?" Bella stated with a smile as she looked over my work in the mirror.

Angela replied, "Thanks for the offer, Bella. Let's figure it out when we leave the party, but its nice to know I won't be the only sober one wrangling these two in. Ben mentioned something about wanting to drive me back since he should have room in Newton's Suburban."

Jessica made a puking motion. "Ugh! I hate Newton. I hate his car. For someone so into nature, he really does drive a massive gas guzzler. I can't wait to see him when he sees me in this and I'm all over Christian." She motioned to her very revealing outfit.

I shook my head at Jessica. "I may be the devil, but you, girl, are diabolically evil! I love it."

I looked around the room. We would be crashing here once we got back. My parents were out at some dinner party. As had become their habit, they would be in a wine-induced coma by the time we got back. After they took a long weekend a few months ago to Sonoma, they were obsessed with doing wine tastings with their friends. Brett and I both knew it was just an excuse for them to get drunk. Really wine all tastes the same to me whether its from a bottle or box. Personally I preferred the Bartles & James wine coolers that the guys would sometimes get for us. I wonder if Aaron got a keg for tonight?

We all threw on coats, which we'd leave in the car ,so that we were not riding around in our costumes. The last thing we needed was for some trucker hauling timber to go off the road from getting a glance at us. I hated being ogled in the car; it made me feel dirty but hot at the same time. The drive to Port Angeles was completely mundane. We talked a lot about colleges. I really admired that Bella was applying to schools back east. Part of me was jealous that she was going to have this adventure into the unknown, whereas my own college career was perfectly mapped out for me. It was comforting to know my future but it was also anti-climatic, which lately was indicative of most of my life.

By the time we made the drive up to Aaron's massive house, the party was already in fully swing. The thumping of the bass could be heard from the street. Aaron tended to host a lot of parties. His dad had owned a logging company, but it had been shut down due to issues with the spotted owl. Supposedly, Aaron's dad got a huge amount of money when the parent company sold the division to some foreigners. It was not only a big scandal for the Olympic Peninsula, but it also made national news.

"This party better not get busted by the police. My dad thinks I'm at your house tonight!" cried Bella.

"No worries. The police tend to look the other way when it's the star athletes having the fun," I explained.

We did our ritual lap through the house. The place was packed. I saw most of Port Angeles High School, a good portion of Sequim, a few guys who must be from one of the reservations and our little group from Forks. Angela and Ben found one another as did Jessica and Christian. Bella and Jason seemed to be getting cozy as well. I went in search of beer but only found Newton in a puffy pirate shirt attempting to do a sorry excuse for a keg stand.

"Hey dip shit, you suck at keg stands. Let a pro show you how it's done," I shouted at him. A few of the guys who were watching him encouraged him to stop.

"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, you know you are going to show everyone your underwear," the annoying ex of my best friend replied.

"Bloomers!" I shrieked as I flashed my skirt up.

Shooing people away so I had enough room, I prepared for my keg stand. Jeff used to be the one to hold my feet at parties during his senior year- I was corrupted at an early age. As my hands went down on the keg, two guys I didn't recognize grabbed my feet and placed the tap in my mouth. The beer began to flow into my mouth; I was drinking a lot of it but my top did get a fair amount as well. I was on top of the keg for what seemed to be five minutes, though I am sure it was not that long, Once I finally made contact again with the floor, it took me a few seconds to get my bearings. As I looked up, I saw someone who was proving to be just as annoying as Newton. Chip. Not only had he called incessantly wanting to talk, he sent emails too!

Oh shit! Chip just found me. Retreat, retreat, retreat!

I couldn't make a quick getaway.

"Lauren, you look... wow. Just wow."

"Well, Chip, for a guy who likes to talk so much, you sure are at a loss of words."

"That's a smoking costume. Like mine?"

Chip was dressed as a character from Star Wars. "It's real original," I said, hoping he sensed the annoyance and sarcasms in my voice.

Before he replied, Kevin wandered over to check in on me. Sweet. He was dressed as Mr. Incredible from the Incredibles. He wrapped his hands around my waist and kissed my neck.

"Nice tights." I whispered in his ear, as I licked his earlobe.

"What an appropriate costume. If it's not the devil herself. Oh, hey Chip. Wassup? Obi Wan, you are only hope." Kevin gave a head nod to his acquaintance.

"I'm Anakin Skywalker, not Obi Wan," Chip protested.

Kevin and I both looked at him like he had a penis growing out of his forehead. Chip got the hint and walked away shaking his head.

"Sorry about that. You Port Angeles boys tend to worship the devil," I said, moving my hand down my body to rest on my hip.

"Well, if my own personal hell is having blue balls for almost an entire week, then you're definitely Satan in the flesh."

"Oh, Kev, I'm so sorry about that," I replied as I flirtatiously put my hand on his chest. I was not sorry. I tried not to laugh.

"Make it up to me tonight then!" he whispered into my ear.

I pulled away from him. "Later. Lets see your dance moves first!"

We made our way to the makeshift dance floor where he grabbed me and started grinding up on me to the thump of the music, "Gold Digger". As we danced we also made out. Our lips pressed against one another and we hardly came up for air. We danced and groped for awhile. I was lost in my thoughts of being one of the hottest girls on the dance floor. The other girls at the party were definitely giving me the up and down look. Go ahead, call me a slut. Whores. I ignored them. Let them gawk. After several songs - all had similar bass thumping that made grinding up on one another appropriate - and several beers, my defenses were lowered; I was completely numb.

Kevin led me upstairs, explaining that Aaron was one of his closest friends as we entered the last available bedroom. I sprawled out on the bed as he closed and locked the door. We were in Aaron's room. His comforter on the bed was the same one that Jeff had in his room. I turned my head away from Kevin as I became overwhelmed with my own emotions. Don't think about him. He broke your heart. He took your virginity and left. He got what he needed from you. Now take what you need from this guy. Get yours.

Kevin walked over to the bed and raised his eyebrow.

"Lauren, where did you go?"

I looked back at him, realizing he was not Jeff, and shook my head. "What do you mean? I'm right here." I settled back into my she-devil being broken. Be the vixen.

"Want to start off where we left off the other night?"

His costume made it all too obvious he was ready, willing and able. I stared down at his visibly erect penis through his costume and licked my lips.

"Let's go. Strip, Mr. Incredible, and let the devil do her work!"

Kevin quickly disrobed. Apparently Mr. Incredible freeballs it! I inched myself off the bed and dropped to my knees. I took his dick in my hand and brought it between my breasts and then slipped it underneath the band of my costume. It looked like a hotdog in a bun. I moved up and down, and Kevin moaned. What guys had deemed titty fucking did absolutely nothing for me but my experience was that guys loved having their dicks between girls' breasts. As his tip inched toward my face, I bent down and gave it a quick lick.

Kevin moaned even louder. Thank goodness the music was loud at the party below us.

"The stories are true. You're a total porn star." Gee, thanks, just what every girl wants to hear.

I did not like being called a porn star. Was I skilled at the sexing? Yes. Was I a working professional? No. The San Bernadino Valley was not in my near future. I slipped him out of my costume's top and began to take him in my mouth.

I twisted my tongue up and down and I moved my hands along with my tongue. With each lick, he moaned. I loved having this much power over men. At that moment, with him in my mouth, I owned him completely. As much as Jeff hurt me, having this power over them somehow made me feel better about myself. I continued to move my mouth in and out and alternated my hands, pumping him. He was getting close; I could tell as I licked some pre-cum from his tip. I pulled away before he could come close to reaching a climax.

"Lauren, what the fuck? I'm so close!"

"My turn! Grab a condom, bitch," I said, flopping myself on the bed next to Kevin.

""You are the devil," he cried. He started looking around for a condom. His costume did not have any pockets, so it was apparent he did not have any. Instead, he began fumbling around the Aaron's drawers.

"Hurry, I'm getting bored," I sighed as I began picking imaginary dirt from under my nails.

"Aha! Score!", he said, holding up the square package from Aaron's night table. He grabbed the condom and put it on. As he was prepping, I got off the bed, still fully dressed. I could not screw him on a bed that reminded me so much of Jeff's bed. Instead, I leaned my hands against Aaron's computer chair, letting my ass stick up in the air.

"Come on, Mr. Incredible. Earn your name!"

Kevin came from behind me and moved the think band of my built in bloomers to one side. I was dripping wet with anticipation. Kevin's hands began exploring my body as he moved in closer to me. He slid his sheathed dick into me and began to push against me. Hard. I pushed back. His hands found my ass and he gave me light slap. Our movements practically mimicked our moves on the dance floor. As he pushed further, his hand found my breasts and began to cup them. His pelvis started to thrust a few times and I leaned back on him. You can do it put your back into it. I can do it put your ass into it. It felt okay but not great. Kevin started to tense up inside of me. He held onto me tighter. Shit.

"Lauren, I am so – ugh! Did you have one too?"

"Not this time, hun, but I guess I owed you. See you around." Standing up, I straightened out my bloomers.

Kevin stood in place in Aaron's bedroom, dumbfounded and naked watching me as I bounced. I checked myself out in the mirror in the ! I looked freshly fucked, I thought as I adjusted my skirt and head back to the party. In my attempt not to be labeled a cocktease, I had repaid the favor and was no longer beholding to anyone. Maybe it was the continuous hookups, but as I left the room, one thought came to my mind: done. I was so fucking done.

Bella POV

We arrived at the party after a shorter than normal car ride to Port Angeles. Lauren made us do our requisite lap around the house, and I quickly found Jason, who was dressed up as a doctor. Wasn't he supposed to be dressed up like an otter? He was pretty wowed by my costume but so were a lot of the other guys at the party. I felt very exposed all night.

"Wait, weren't you supposed to be dressed up as an otter?" I asked him, confused.

"Oh, no that's Otter. He's a character in Animal House. None of our moms would let us use their sheets for our costumes, so we recycled last year's costumes. Hope you don't mind doctors."

"I spend a lot of time with them. Have you seen me try to walk?"

"True. Want to try dancing instead?"

"Jason, really, I can't dance unless you're really trained as a doctor. I have a tendency to hurt myself, especially when I dance." Except when I danced with him.

"Just watch me. It's just moving your hips back and forth, and from what I recall, you were pretty good at doing that." He was so forward tonight, not the gentleman he was on our date last week.

I blushed as I tried to protest but he would not let me. Instead, I found myself in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. Lauren was also dancing with some guy dressed in a superhero costume, but Angela and Jessica were no where in sight. Jason grinded into me hard. His actions solidified my feelings that his useful life as a rebound was quickly expiring. It was like he was a different person tonight. Must be the alcohol, I thought . He was well into his fourth drink when I had arrived.

The first slow song of the night came on, "You and Me" by Lifehouse, and Jason, who had me swaying back and forth, was quickly interrupted by a guy dressed like a shower tapping him on the shoulder to cut in. All I could see was an arm reach out because the guy in the shower costume was concealed with the curtain closed. Jason was not too happy about relinquishing me to a mysterious bathroom fixture but he was suddenly easily distracted by a ghost passing out Jell-o shots.

I was not pleased that not only was I dancing, or attempting to, but I was doing so with someone I did not know. I had to give the guy props for his original but somewhat familiar costume. The costume made dancing pretty awkward, so the shower put his arms on my shoulders to sway us back and forth.

It took me a while before I realized that this guy's costume was an exact replica from The Karate Kid. "Nice costume."

"Thanks, want to come inside the shower so you can figure out who it is?"

"Did Mr. Miyagi help you make your costume?"

"Very funny, Bella."

"So you know me?" I asked as I tried to peak over the curtain to see who it was but the person inside was much taller than me.

"We go way back."

I opened up the curtain and peeked inside,I realized it was none other than Jacob Black. With the mystery solved, I stepped inside and closed the curtain quickly.

"What are you doing here?"

"We heard it was going to be a good party. Quitilutes never miss out on a good party."

"Who else is here?"

"Embry, Quil, Paul, we even got Leah to come out."

"Who?"

"I'll have to introduce you. Did you get my email? I really am sorry, Bella."

"What brought on this sudden surge of maturity to apologize?" Had he grown in the week since I had last seen him? He looked taller.

"My sisters. I talked to them this week and they yelled at me about you. Though looking at you know, I may have been right."

"Hey, Lauren says Halloween is the only time it's okay for a girl to dress like this."

"It's never okay for you to dress like this, Bella."

"Why not?"

"It's just not okay. The way guys are looking at you. It's like you are something for them to eat. Come on, I want to introduce you to the rest of my friends."

"Wait! I'm kind of here with..." I looked over to see Jason dancing very close to a redhead girl in a very provocative nurses costume. She sort of reminded me of Victoria. They looked cozy. "What the heck?"

"You sure know how to pick them, Bella!"

"Thanks, Jake. Let's just go meet your friends. I really don't care." Truth was I didn't.

Still hidden within the shower, I followed out to the deck where his friends were hanging out. The air was crisp and my lack of clothing only perpetuated it.

I made my way out of Jake's costume and was greeted by Quil and Embry, whom I had met previously. I also saw a few people who had taken the SATs with me. The one girl who was with them was a tall beautiful girl with similar coloring to Jake.

"Wow, Vampire girl in the flesh."

"Hi, I'm Bella. Like my costume?" I asked, playing off what I was wearing and hoping she was not referring to my previous relationship.

"I know who you are. It's quite appropriate." She was wearing a tight t-shirt that said Boo Humbug and a pair of jeans.

Jake spoke up. "Just ignore Leah. She has issues."

For the rest of the night, I stayed outside and talked with Jake and his friends, even though Leah was cold and the temperature wasn't much warmer. For some reason, Jacob and his friends provided a lot of warmth and I didn't even notice the chill in the October air. When he was with his friends, Jake was very different. He was different than he had been with me at Charlie's house, almost enjoyable to hang around.

I didn't realize how much time had passed when Angela came outside to get me and told me that she had quite an evening, telling me that she would explain during the car ride home, insisting that she drive. During the hour long drive, I learned how everyone else had spent their night. Lauren learned that Kevin, who was Mr. Incredible, did not live up to his costume. She went down on him and then she let him do her. Over-share! TMI! Did not need to know all of these details. Truth was I always felt uncomfortable when she over-shared but I was also curious about the physical stuff I had not done yet. Jessica and Christian consummated their relationship several times in bedrooms upstairs for most of the party. Luckily, Jessica spared us all of the details.

"Don't worry; I was safe. I am not ready to be a mummy." Jessica joked and we groaned in response.

Angela told us about her night as she drove us home. Her eyes sparkled as she recounted how she and Ben had made love for the first time. They had talked about it all week but nothing was certain. I could not imagine losing my virginity at such a crazy party. Apparently, he found her enchanting. I was a little surprised to hear that Angela took such a big step, but she and Ben had been together since last year and were very close. Angela said that Ben had claimed Aaron's parents room and had candles and flowers on the bed for her. I was now officially the only virgin left in the car, though everyone else thought differently.

My friends asked about Jason and what had happened with him.

"Well, we were dancing and then Jake cut in but I did not know that I knew him. Jake is my dad's best friend's son, Jacob Black. He lives out in La Push. So we started dancing and talking. When we were done, I turned around to find Jason dancing close with a redhead in a nurses costume."

"Did she have big boobs?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah."

"Pretty but only from far away, sort of a butterface?" She asked again.

"I think so. I didn't pay that much attention to her."

"Lisa Ralston. I hate that bitch. She called me a slut. The nerve of her calling me a slut. She got caught sleeping with her teacher last year and earlier in the semester she slept with half of Sequim's basketball team."

"Well, she and Jason looked like they were having a good time. It's okay, though. Really, it is."

I told them the truth that I was only lukewarm on him and, although we had a great date, he had served his purpose as a rebound. After seeing him dancing with someone else and not even feeling a slightly bit jealous, I knew my feelings for him were as a friend only and nothing romantic. Maybe it was time for someone else. Lauren and Jessica were quite pleased by this news.

"Bella, it's not that we didn't think Jason was a nice guy. Cause he's a nice guy, but after a few weeks of hanging out, ehh, time to move on. Especially if he can be interested in Lisa the same time he is interested in you. So, what's the deal with you and the shower curtain guy?" Lauren asked. She really did not miss a thing.

"Jake?"

"Yes, him. What's the deal?" she asked again.

"Wait, wasn't he at the beach last year?" asked Angela.

"Yeah, that was him."

"Oh! That guy? He has grown. Damn!" shouted Jessica.

"Bells, he's kind of hot. What's the age of consent in Washington?" Lauren teased.

"He's still a bit immature but he's a nice guy."

"Who cares if he is nice? Those muscles – yum! That guy is a fox. I would totally get with a guy like that, regardless of age," Lauren howled.

The rest of the ride was spent singing along to the radio. The local station was playing cheesy Halloween hits. I really did not like "Werewolves of London".

I propped my head up on my pillow. My ears were still ringing from the music of the party. The night was a blur, for someone who did not like parties that much, I could not believe the evening was so enjoyable yet so tiring. It was a relief when we finally pulled into the Mallory's driveway.

Checking the clock next to Lauren's bed, it read 4 AM. Damn, too early to head home. I put my head back down and closed my eyes. My mind wandered to Jacob. He was a lot of fun last night. What happened with Jason? Maybe it was just the alcohol but he didn't even try to find me. I wonder if he hooked up with that nurse?

The next day after Lauren's mom whipped up some chocolate chip waffles, I headed back home. As I sat down at my desk to finish up my homework, I looked at my computer and then thought of Jake's unanswered email.

I quickly turned the computer on and dialed up to the internet. Charlie really needed to upgrade. I did not ask for much, but a cell phone and high speed Internet were two things that I thought would benefit us both. Especially if I was going so far away for college next year.

I looked at Jake's email in my deleted files folder. It was still there. I opened it and began to type up my reply.

Jake,

I know my friends are not ideal but they have helped me a lot. It was great to see you last night. I enjoyed meeting most of your friends. Apology accepted.

Bella

Short and sweet. I began looking through the rest of my inbox. Nothing new. More information from various colleges and universities. I quickly checked my junk mail folder in case anything else accidentally got sent there. Looking down at the sender names, nothing looked too familiar. Checking my inbox one last time for any news from Renee, I opened a new browser and continued to do further research on colleges.

I wonder what the annual cloud coverage is for large cities on the East coast? It was hard to believe it, but on average New York City only had eight days of clear skies per month. That was not Forks' weather but it was also not Florida sunshine. I wonder if I can find them? Instinctively, I typed in his name into the search window and hit return. No new results. Trying the rest of the family yielded the same. Would I ever find a trace of them? I knew He was out there. I could not mourn a relationship knowing He was out there and not really gone. Leaving my computer connected, I lay down on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

Why couldn't I just move on? Why did every thought, every action, every conversation, everything come back to him? Did He think about me at all? Did He miss me at all? Did it even matter?

Hugging myself on my bed, I could feel myself slipping back to the dark place I had been in after He had comforting as it was to feel a familiar emotion, I did not want to go back to being that person anymore. I did not know who I wanted to be and how I wanted to act, but I wanted to be the one to define who I was and what I did. Not some boyfriend, not my friends, not my parents, and not Jacob Black. Me, Bella Swan. I just wished I could believe myself.

I wish I knew if I could ever let him go.

A/N: Thanks again for reading! If you like this fic, please vote for me! I was nominated for two Faithful Shipper Award -Best Fiction You Stumbled UponandBest 'Under The Radar' Fiction. Please vote for me at:..(link in my profile as well)

So let me know what you think of this chapter and tell me what you plan to be for Halloween. I keep thinking of being Mrs. Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction. Its an easy costume - white button down black crop pants, black flats, a Cleopatra/page boy wig, one of those fake blood capsules for under my nose and some flour. Now if only I can convince my husband to go as Vincent Vega... Unless I can convince him to do the Edward Cullen thing, either way it sure beats the year he went as Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo, from South Park.

More costumes in my profile!