A/N: Chapter's up early because of Yurihentai641. Longest one so far and fucking none of it was supposed to happen. I intended on Bella to getting annoyed and asking Jasper to the stupid dance for shits and giggles, but this happened instead. I don't know about elsewhere, but the school aftermath is how it happens here, so, roll with it.
Also, I seriously don't write stories in this time period so I feel annoyed I'm not delivering my normal quality. Plus I've written 70k (not counting what I've tossed out) in about five months on top of everything else and I need to up my output and I am just so burnt out and depressed so I don't even know what's going on anymore so if I seem off, please excuse that.
"How long do you think it'll take her to realize?"
Rosalie's eyes slid over to Jasper while she moved her lunch tray. "Is there a betting pool I'm unaware of?"
"If Emmett was here, I would say so."
Her gaze fell. She hummed.
Alice rubbed her arm affectionately. "How are you, Rose?"
"I don't know."
"Did something happen on the phone? She seemed fine texting me the past few days." He nodded across the cafeteria toward Bella. "And in person with Alice. In fact, I'd say her only, hmm, what's the word, Ali?"
She stifled a laugh. "Hostility?"
"Is with Edward."
"So much so that he ditched halfway into class with her today."
"Must you two speak as if you're one person? Honestly, it's like watching water ripple. It all blends."
Simultaneously, "Jealous?"
Rosalie sighed. "To think that I will have such wonderful company for eternity."
"Rose, I love you."
She didn't even have to look at Alice. "But?"
"But Jasper's point is that Edward isn't inserting himself between you two anymore."
Rosalie didn't say anything.
Far from deterred, Alice leaned on the table and prodded her sister's side. "So, spill. Jasper tells you Bella wants her shirt back, you get her number instead, and then you run off. We know you called her."
"Alice."
"I didn't cheat and look for what would happen and I've waited entire days, Rose! Days! This is the third day! Come on, you're my sister and she's my best friend. I need to know."
"So shouldn't you mind our privacy above all else?"
Jasper scoffed.
Alice squinted under Rosalie's tired glare. She wiggled her finger at the blonde. "You used a determiner indicating joint possession."
A long sigh escaped Rosalie as her eyes rolled. She covered her eyes. "Alice, no."
"But you did," Jasper interjected. "You said 'our.'"
"Shut up, brother," she hissed.
"Rose and Bella, sitting in a tree," Alice sang, laughing when Rosalie shoved her.
"She'd fall out of the tree and break her neck."
"Not with her tall, blonde protector around," Alice cooed.
Jasper let out a low whistle. "Is that embarrassment, Rose?"
"I'm going to kill both of you."
"But first, spill the beans so my soul may find peace."
After glancing at her, Rosalie shrugged and crossed her arms. "I said 'no.'"
Alice blinked, sitting back and letting her gaze drift. "That's it? That's not juicy at all."
"You ended the call right after, I imagine."
"Well, yes."
Jasper chuckled. "Between that, her being Alice's best friend, and my approval, I'd say you go ask your mate on an actual date. You know, before Alice takes matters into her own hands."
"Or Esme. Don't forget she's claimed Bella as her fragile child. Oh, and Carlisle." Some friendly annoyance crossed Alice's face as she thought of him drugging Bella. She straightened her back and mimicked the good doctor, her normally high, excited voice comical in the attempt. "Is she not family now?"
Jasper smiled at his wife before regarding Rosalie. "So what is it exactly? You can't say you don't know if she likes you."
"I don't want her to like me."
Alice bounced, her eyes sparkling. "Then what do you want her to do?"
Rosalie held up her hand in warning. "I will not be baited into that."
"Okay, so let's talk about you slipping your list of questions about The Nightmare Before Christmas into her backpack without her knowing. Instead of, I don't know, handing it to her like a normal person?"
"Don't forget you imposed a time limit on her response." Jasper tilted his head. "How do you expect her response to come? In person? If so, when? You have no classes together."
"Or are you two writing letters now?"
Rosalie glared at a distant wall.
"I say she'll notice the list within an hour of getting home."
"Without cheating, I'll say now."
Rosalie did a double-take as Alice moved. She slapped away Alice's hand and snatched her phone, hissing. "You are just a small demon."
"Probably. Now gimme back my phone so I can text my best friend."
"No."
"We harass you because we love you, Rose. She's thrown you off so completely that Jazzy can get a read on you often instead of sometimes and when you want him to. And you make him sick sometimes."
He nodded, a slight furrow on his brow.
"And I can literally see it, Rose."
A slow, controlled breath oozed out of Rosalie. Concern broke the indifferent mask on her face as she looked at Alice. "What do you see?"
The small vampire's eyes went blank before she could speak.
"Curious," Jasper murmured. "You know she wouldn't indulge you."
"I know."
Alice snapped back, focusing a grin on the both of them. "How's Bella feeling?"
Rosalie quirked an eyebrow.
"Close to screaming or punching someone. Why?"
Alice waved a hand dismissively and made a point of settling into her chair. "Just wait and listen."
Rosalie's gaze flicked to Bella's table and she stopped filtering out the buzz of the cafeteria. The group was caught up yet again in the excitement over the upcoming dance. Bella, however, fiddled with her earbuds in one hand and had the other in her hair as she leaned on the table. She did indeed seem ready to punch someone considering the way her eye twitched when Tyler asked if she'd decided who she wanted to go with again.
"Come on," Jessica insisted. "There has to be someone."
"Yeah." Mike nodded unnecessarily.
Bella rubbed her temple. "Guys, no."
"Maybe it's because you have no chance because you're a dyke."
Bella's jaw tensed and her eyes shut.
Silence spread from their table, infecting the closer ones.
"Maybe," Lauren continued, a smug smile on her face, "Maybe you wish Alice Cullen was more of a freak than she is and wasn't just stringing you along for fun. She takes your hand and drags you around like a plaything."
"This isn't what I saw," Alice whispered, her tone tainted by some mortification for her best friend. "Why'd she open her mouth?"
Jasper locked onto Rosalie's arm, which had started vibrating from her low growl the moment a few tears spilled from Bella's eyes. "Don't you dare move, Rose."
Bella stood up, bristling with emotion. She swallowed hard and her voice quaked. "Shut your fucking mouth, Lauren. Don't talk about Alice."
"Why? I'm not the one stopping you from getting freaky with the freak. She's so fucking weird and that'd be great for you if she actually liked a thing about you. But she's just crazy and—"
Bella jumped onto her chair and launched across the table.
As Lauren screamed, Alice shot up from her chair and grabbed Jasper's arm, pulling him. "Let's go. Now." She shook her head at Rosalie as they hurried outside.
Then Rosalie smelled the first traces of it.
Blood.
Bella had elbowed Mike in the nose when he tried to pull her off of Lauren, who had a firm grip on Bella's hair and scratched wildly at her attacker.
Her chair fell as she jerked to her feet. She didn't know when she stopped breathing. Rosalie's senses screamed and she fought the hunter inside of her as she bolted over, barely refraining from vampiric speeds as the spectating students moved for her or found themselves shoved aside. Distantly, she felt glad she hadn't worn heels today.
Mike and Tyler were again trying to break up the fight as she arrived. She nearly glared at them, but she knew her eyes were black. They felt the distinct air of a predator, however, and retreated. Rosalie caught Bella's wrist.
She uncurled her fist at the cool touch almost instantly. Bella released one of Lauren's arms but grabbed it again when she thrashed and hit her jaw.
A couple staff members had almost cut through the dense crowd around them.
"Whatever your name is, let go of Bella's hair. Being a bitch is an art and you are a disgrace."
She released Bella's hair and scooted away as Rosalie pulled Bella to her feet. Despite her swelling eye, Lauren saw the cold hostility on Rosalie's face and her raging heart stuttered. She twitched when Bella pointed a finger at her.
"Don't fucking talk about Alice again. This dyke pulled all her punches and is sick of petty fuckin' whores like you."
Bella's head thudded against her truck as she leaned against it. She took in a long breath. Cursed quietly.
Blurring over, Rosalie tilted her head, staring at the human.
Bella's brow furrowed for a moment. Then she opened her eyes and her lips parted a little in surprise at seeing her company.
Rosalie knew her voice was painfully flat before she spoke. "I didn't make a sound. The wind was already coming this way."
"Yeah, but then roses came on the breeze."
A small, crooked smile came to Rosalie's lips.
"Surprised you're here. Hell, surprised you were there."
She shrugged a shoulder.
"You should go get a snack."
Rosalie stepped closer, gaze travelling down. As Bella looked down with her, Rosalie reached out and pulled Bella's right hand from her hoodie pocket and held it between her own. Predictably, Bella's heart jumped. The vampire closed her eyes.
"Uhm…"
"To keep your knuckles from swelling too terribly."
"Th-Thanks."
"Are you alright?"
Bella sighed. "Charlie's going to kill me. He's out because of a robbery, otherwise I'd be dead already. He told me so. Loudly. Lauren's mom didn't seem too surprised about it. Her father was livid. The mom dragged him into the hall and when they came back, they decided they weren't going to press any charges. She looked at Lauren like she deserved it and I swear I heard her whisper 'thank you' to me, but then again, I'm a crazy bitch."
"Perhaps she despises the degenerate that is her daughter and hopes she's learned her lesson and will go on to have a life that amounts to something instead of acting like a child."
"Yeah, well, she's not the one who attacked someone."
Rosalie smirked. "That's putting it lightly. You dived across a table. Two of your suitors couldn't make you stop shaking and hitting that girl. Black eye, busted lip, some bruises."
"Ugh, gross, no. Don't call them suitors. I might vomit. And she called Alice crazy and shit."
"You didn't have to do all of that, you know. She's used to it."
"Well, fuck that. I know that word upsets her. I love Alice and I'm not just going to watch someone talk shit about her when she's clearly a great person." Bella sighed before quietly adding, "I'm tired of people like her."
Rosalie hummed, adjusting her hold on Bella's hand.
"Uh, sorry my hand is sweaty."
"You cannot control the disgusting human things you do. Besides, the warmth could be considered pleasant if I was delirious."
Bella snorted. She watched some kid stare at them as he skipped the last class of the day and made for his car.
"Perhaps they will call me a dyke next."
Worried brown eyes glanced at the indifference on Rosalie's face. "I'll fight them, too."
"Oh? You will defend my honor?"
Bella swallowed and nodded vigorously, unsure what to say in response to what sounded like playful undertones in Rosalie's voice.
"Alice keeps a mental tally of how many times you say you'll fight something. You know, if they had decided to press charges, Esme is also a lawyer."
"Holy shit, really?"
"Edward as well."
Bella scoffed. "I'd rather die."
"Don't say things like that. Am I too cold?"
"No, no, not at all. It's fine."
Rosalie's eyes wandered, tracing the various scratches on Bella's face and they lingered on a bruise that would dominate a section of her jaw. "You don't have to spare my feelings. You're shivering."
"I'm from Phoenix."
"Fair point. Regardless, shall we go?"
"Go where?"
Rosalie's shoulders moved in a slow shrug, as if she was thinking. "I'm certain you're not returning to school any time soon."
"I don't want to go home."
"You don't have to."
Bella looked up at her, but Rosalie wouldn't meet her eyes. Despite the temperature outside, her hand started feeling hot the very second Rosalie's hands fell away from hers.
"I'm certain there are a dozen places Alice would love to take you."
Rosalie flew into the house, coming to a sudden stop halfway up the stairs. The railing was just short of screaming and breaking apart in her grip. Her amber eyes focused on it, steadying herself. She'd barely remembered to put up her mental walls, she didn't need to slip and throw off Jasper too. But should she even be here in this state?
A small hand covered hers. Looking up, she saw Alice frowning down at her, but her gaze travelled farther and stayed on Edward. He stood in front of her room as if he'd stopped walking suddenly with a frown quite different from Alice's. Rosalie had seen it once or twice before. He was trying to piece together something that he had missed, something his instincts had been trying to tell him.
"What did you hear?"
His eyes burned into her. The furrow in his brow deepened as he actively navigated her mind, but her thoughts were singular. "Nothing over the chaos and the headache you gave me. What are you keeping from me?"
Alice gently squeezed her hand. "Come with me."
Edward appeared next to them before Rosalie could respond. He had no eyes for Alice, not even when she touched his arm. "Tell me."
"Well," Rosalie said, fixing a glare on him, "I have hidden one of your piano strings."
"I am serious."
Alice huffed. "Being serious and being taken seriously are two different things."
"Edward."
The trio of siblings looked toward Esme, who had appeared near the bottom of the stairs. A swatch of blue paint rested idly between her fingers.
"I have a right to know. She's keeping something from me. You're all keeping something from me. Am I not trusted? Esme, she does this to spite me. Isabella Swan is my singer and I believe her to be my—"
"Have you considered that not everything is about you?"
He blinked down at her. As he opened his mouth, she cut across him.
"The ability to delve into a person's mind does not entitle you to know everything. Do you not trust us?"
"Of course I do."
"If that's true, why must you always insist on knowing everything?"
Shame flitted across his face. He shifted his weight and cleared his throat before whispering, "This is my singer."
"This is a person," Rosalie said. "She is more than your singer, more than something you desperately wish to kill."
"My secretly adopted, breakable child. Secret to her, that is."
Jasper's voice drifted from his room. "My friend."
Alice smiled at Edward, the pity in it making his shoulders sag. "My best friend."
At last, Rosalie turned around and looked Edward in his eyes.
He gasped, face twisting at her thoughts.
"My mate." It was but a whisper, and she continued that way, a slight, uncharacteristic tremble in her voice. "And I am terrified. I am as horrified as I am overjoyed."
Though it was often a stranger to him, shock made its home on his face. The silence thickened. He vaguely noted a slight distance in Alice's eyes as she searched the future. Because she feared his reaction, he realized. They all did. Slowly, his gaze found Rosalie's. The depths of her mind were open to him, as were her eyes. So much pain and fear. Guilt and ecstasy. Doubt and anticipation.
Edward moved suddenly, shame rippling through him as he saw Rosalie tense. He enveloped her in his arms and squeezed tightly. "I hope you consider this necessary contact."
Slowly, she reciprocated the hug, holding tightly onto him.
He squeezed harder in response. "I am so sorry, Rosalie."
A flash went off. Alice giggled as they released each other to stare at Esme.
She was frowning down at the camera she'd suddenly acquired when she clicked her tongue. "Of course the first time you two hug in decades is on the stairs." Esme pointed at the front door. "Go hug over there."
Rosalie sighed. "Is it not enough that you have photographic evidence of my tolerance for him?"
"I'm afraid I must agree. My ego has swollen drastically simply from her touching me."
"You're the pretentious one."
Alice and Esme rolled their eyes.
"Well, let's settle this with a civilized vote. Who's the most pretentious vampire?"
"Rosalie, must we continue to boost your ego with such attention?"
She waved him off before addressing Alice. "Take her somewhere. She doesn't want to be home or alone and there's something affecting her beyond that girl's words about you."
Alice's shoulders drooped. She traced a finger along the railing. "Have her scratches fully scabbed over with no chance of reopening?"
Edward inhaled sharply, closing his eyes.
"No. How did—"
Alice smiled a little sadly. "You're her mate. I think you'd starve to death before hurting her. Besides, your control is… something else, as we already know."
"A pity. Poor thing must be hungry and I wish to thank her. She's suspended a full week, correct?"
Alice, Edward, and Rosalie nodded at once.
"Oh, come down the stairs, will you? This is no way to converse. Now, I'm sure her father is, hm." She got an idea and glanced at Alice.
"Oooh, that's a great idea!"
"Agreed."
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Hello?"
"I have a phone call to make, dear." Esme wrapped an arm around Rosalie's shoulders and kissed her temple. "Go. I don't care if you're literally shaking in terror or if there's terribly long silences. Go before I decide to bump into Bella. I'll lie and tell her you're actually a shy, awkward soul and you can't stop talking about her and it is just tearing me to pieces how distraught you are and that I've seen how she looks at you."
"You wouldn't."
"I'm your mom. I would take sadistic joy in it." Esme smiled and lightly pinched Rosalie's cheek. "You're so proud and perfect and confident that I would love to embarrass you."
Alice and Edward snickered at the stunned horror on Rosalie's face as she weakly slapped away Esme's hand.
As Rosalie turned to leave, Edward touched her arm. "Will you forgive me?"
She stared at his hand for a moment. "It will be a process."
He nodded.
Rosalie cocked her head, watching Bella stare at a chessboard. She sat cross-legged on her bed, fingers drumming on the edge of the wood and her cheek resting on her fist. After a minute, her phone chimed and she looked at it before moving an opposing rook. She scowled.
"Fucker."
The curse seemed automatic, lacking feeling and almost tired. Arching an eyebrow, Rosalie contemplated when she should announce herself. But then Bella's head jerked up and brown eyes jumped to amber. After a moment, Rosalie tilted her head just enough for Bella to notice.
"Roses," she said plainly.
A hum answered her as Rosalie wandered into the room, her eyes travelling around as if she'd never been there before. "I forget about that."
"I know. It's odd."
The flat tone made Rosalie's gaze slide over to Bella, who stared at the chessboard halfheartedly. "How so?"
Bella's index finger tapped her own rook before she moved a pawn. She sent a text. "You're not forgetful."
A frown marred Rosalie's brow and she leaned back against the dresser, crossing her arms. Control always belonged to her, or at the very least she would pretend it did until it became true, but that was never a concern around Bella. But she just felt so damned lost about what to say or do and Bella's demeanor only served to make things feel more off than they already had.
"You really don't have to be here."
Just say something, she screamed at herself.
"I'm no good for company right now and you haven't looked me in the eyes since I noticed you." Her phone chimed but she didn't move. "I'm probably more of a mess than I thought."
"You're not going to say anything about me breaking and entering?"
"Best friends come through windows, doors are for chumps. Besides, you don't do windows, Hale."
At that moment, she felt inclined to taking off straight through the wall. "Does that hurt?"
Brown eyes dragged up to amber.
"Your fist is digging into the largest scratch on your cheek."
Bella shrugged. She checked her phone and frowned at the chessboard as she moved a white pawn.
"Who are you playing against?"
"Jasper."
Rosalie blinked.
"I suggested it and he texted me a move less than a minute later." She shrugged again.
A small smile pulled at Rosalie's lips. "Would you mind leaving it to come with me?"
Bella's lips parted, but she only made an indistinct noise before closing her mouth and sighing. "If someone's making you be here, you can just say you were and I'll back you up."
Rosalie uncrossed her arms and lifted a rock off of Alice's jacket. She turned it over in her hand, examining every groove of it. "Why do you still have this?"
Bella snorted. "A memento for the start of our friendship and the wicked bruise you gave me."
"I'm sorry."
The quick response made Bella look up at her. "What?"
"For hurting you."
She shrugged, a slight curve to her lips. "It's fine. I cursed your name every time I put weight on my right leg."
"Yes, I quite often heard that."
"But you couldn't apologize."
"I must admit I felt more triumph than remorse."
Bella rolled her eyes and in a few minutes, she walked into the forest behind her house with Rosalie. For a half hour, they travelled in silence aside from the sounds nature enveloping them and of animals going about their daily excursions. The entire concept of a town even existing nearby faded as went deeper and the gentle rush of a river reached Rosalie's ears.
Finally, during an upward part of their trek, Bella spoke. "You're not going to ask?"
Amber eyes tracked a bird hopping through some branches above them. It gave a brief call and in a few seconds she spotted another bird making its way to the first. "About which thing?"
A sharp huff of air left Bella. "The dyke thing."
"Well, that's a vulgar, derogatory term so I doubt I would use it. You're not going to ask about the vampire thing?"
"What's there to ask? Like, sure I have questions, but vampirism doesn't equate you. You know what I mean? Of course you do." Bella used her shoe to scuff at some plant growth on a tree she couldn't identify. "They're probably rude anyway, at least for now."
"Your preferences don't equate you," Rosalie countered. "You asked Edward a variety of questions."
"Don't care about being rude to him."
Rosalie stopped, briefly touching Bella's arm to gain her attention. She ignored the fact she wished the girl didn't have sleeves. "Please do relax. You're going to give yourself a heart condition."
Red tinted Bella's cheeks as she looked off into the trees surrounding them.
"I believe questioning your sexuality is rude. If you wanted to mention it, you would."
Bella rolled her shoulders, swallowing as she fixated on a fallen tree branch. "So we're still friends?"
Her words stunned Rosalie to silence. The concept alone shocked her and it doubled at the very idea of Bella thinking she wouldn't want her friendship. Frankly, such a world did not, could not exist to her.
Yet wasn't that something she had intended on?
Such stupidity.
Rosalie caught Bella's hand as she reached up to scratch at one of her scabbing cuts on her face. Her index finger gently tilted up Bella's chin so their eyes would meet. "There is nothing in this world that will keep me from you."
She hadn't meant to say that. She didn't say anything about friendship. That was closer to a declaration of love than anything else. When she realized she was still touching Bella, her hands dropped and she stepped back, watching a leaf fall.
"Did you develop that habit as a vampire or did you always do that?"
Amber eyes returned to her sharply.
Bella rubbed the back of her neck, looking away awkwardly. "You stop breathing when you're nervous. That's not the word I'm looking for, though. It's basically your 'oh shit' moments." She shrugged too quickly.
"I do not get nervous."
"Well, when you're displeased with an outcome, then."
"Perhaps I could agree."
Bella rolled her eyes and started walking again. "So you're fine with it?"
Rosalie casually circled a tree, feeling its grooves under her fingers. "You may not recall due to the drugs, but I stated that I enjoy the structure of your face as well."
Bella stumbled over a small rock and coughed.
The vampire smiled to herself a little. She changed directions suddenly.
"Where are you going?"
"There's an embankment overlooking a river nearby. You're beginning to huff and puff and I thought you might like to sit."
"I wouldn't huff and puff if we weren't going up a fucking mountain," Bella grumbled.
"You wouldn't huff and puff if you were fit," Rosalie called over her shoulder.
"I'd be a vampire and I'd still do this."
Rosalie didn't say anything. Given that Bella didn't offer up anything else, she seemed to notice the change in Rosalie's air. After a few minutes, they reached the embankment and the vampire sat down, dangling her legs over the edge and watching the water rush by below them.
"Rosalie?"
She looked up at Bella.
"How, why… How could you stay?"
Rosalie hummed, patting the spot next to her before leaning back on her hands. She crossed her long legs as she waited for Bella to sit. She didn't miss that the girl mirrored her posture.
Bella waited.
"I've thrown Alice into this exact river before."
"You make this hard."
Rosalie closed her eyes. Bella's tone made it sound like the hundredth time she'd said it, but the girl seemed tired of everything lately. Not to mention she didn't enjoy hearing it the first time. Hearing it again made her sigh. She summoned the memory of Esme reminding her that she condemned stupidity.
Do or don't. Pick one. You're Rosalie Hale for fuck's sake.
Bella sighed, looking down the river.
"Why don't you run?"
She took a moment to respond. "How deep are we going, Aristotle?"
"I don't know." She couldn't even care about the vulnerability in her voice. It didn't make her feel weak in front of Bella. "I feel like Alice. Lewis Carroll's Alice. I'm descending farther into what I don't know or understand and it's no use going back to yesterday."
"Because you were a different person then?"
Rosalie snorted. "You really are a bookworm, aren't you? But yes. I begin to wonder if I've been the same this entire time."
"I like to think we're all the same self in the end as the beginning, but we only had access to certain sections of ourselves through life."
"How old are you?"
Bella hesitated.
"If you don't want to answer, you only have to say so."
"No, no. It's just that I forget because I like to see what ages I get away with. Doesn't help my birthday just—"
"I missed your birthday?"
She blinked at Rosalie's glare and rolled her shoulders. "Uh, yeah. I'm seventeen now."
"When?"
"September thirteenth."
Rosalie frowned down at the river. "Well you seem much wiser than that, though you could stand to minimize use of curse words."
"How old were you when you, uh, you know?" She straightened, awkwardly gesturing at the vampire.
Rosalie closed her eyes. Her fingers scraped into the earth as they curled into fists, the only outward indicator of distress from her otherwise relaxed position.
"Sorry. That was rude. Why'd you throw Alice into this river?" When Rosalie didn't respond, she rubbed her wrist and cleared her throat. "Did you know fucking Mercury basically doesn't have—"
"An atmosphere." Rosalie inhaled slowly and opened her eyes, staring at the water passing by. "I was eighteen."
Bella drew up her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Edward said that when it happens, it makes you guys prettier and shit."
"That is not how I would put it, but that is correct."
Bella nodded vigorously and coughed, looking off into the forest behind them. Her words came out in a rush. "I'd bet there wasn't much to improve on for you."
Rosalie's eyes snapped to her, but the girl kept staring in any other direction. She could hear the wild thudding in her chest.
"Why, Swan, why," she whispered.
Even sitting beside her, Rosalie scarcely heard the words. She smiled lightly to herself. "You give the most unique compliments I've had the pleasure of receiving."
"Well."
"Well what?"
Bella grunted. "So how could you stay?"
"I believe I asked you the same thing."
She glanced at the blonde. "And we don't know where the hole leads?"
An almost lazy smile pulled at Rosalie's lips as she shrugged. "Hopefully a wonderland."
"You realize this raises more questions."
"I do."
"Is the wonderland the place where we don't question our friendship?"
Rosalie hummed.
Bella rolled her eyes. "How articulate of you, Aristotle." She sighed, crossing her legs and poking at a worn patch of denim near her knee. "I stay because you guys could fuck me up if you wanted to. What point is there in running?"
The blonde straightened, cleaning dirt from under her nails.
"I don't know what answer you're looking for."
"Is that the answer you desired to give?"
Bella hesitated. "Yes."
"Then I am satisfied."
She ran a hand through her hair. "You seriously make this hard."
Rosalie idly listened to Bella's heart for a minute. "As do you."
"Me?"
"That is the second time you've squawked."
"I do not squawk, Hale."
A shrug.
Pitching a small piece of wood into the river, Bella made a frustrated noise between a growl and a scream. "Is it really so odd that I enjoy being around you?"
"Yes," she said simply.
Bella stared at her, unable to see her face through her veil of hair.
Rosalie didn't look away from the river. "No one's desired to be my friend regardless of circumstance." She shifted, now facing Bella with her entire body. She absently watched the girl do the same.
"What about Alice and Jasper and, er, you know, everyone else?"
Rosalie shook her head slightly. "I wasn't chosen for friendship, especially not for my flawless personality."
Bella raised an eyebrow. "'Chosen?'"
She watched a bug flitter above the river. "Alice knew I'd be family, that at the core, I would care. For two years, there was a consistent disregard of my attitude and watchful eyes, like I was an animal who would be domesticated at some point. Then… perhaps an attempt at being domesticated, or proving I wasn't. I'm unsure." Rosalie sighed, brushing some dirt off her jeans. "I was completely discourteous toward you from the start, but you still jumped up to go outside the cafeteria with me when I asked. In fact, I'm still rather rude to you sometimes, but you ask for no explanation. Nor do you seem to mind. It's always viewed as something to disregard, as if it's merely white noise and not something of substance."
"Like they love you even though you're a bitch instead of loving you for being a bitch too."
"That is not quite what I meant, nor what I would call it."
"Call it a difference in pronunciation."
"Well, as I was saying, it seems as though you enjoy it."
Bella smirked. "I do."
"And if I never become polite?"
"I'm an asshole, so what do I care?"
A small, genuine smile came to Rosalie's lips.
Inevitably, Bella's heartrate increased. "Do you enjoy it?"
"I do. It's become a bit of a fun game for me."
"Like steering me through a dark garage into everything you can?"
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "It wasn't everything, to be fair."
"Ha, yeah. Fair."
While Bella squinted at some animal in the distance, Rosalie gently lifted her right hand and inspected her swollen knuckles. "How badly does it hurt?"
Bella shrugged.
Rosalie held her hand between her own. She almost asked if it helped, but Bella sighed and her shoulders relaxed a little, so Rosalie took that as an answer instead. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
A blonde eyebrow quirked. "Let me rephrase that. What else made you physically attack whatever-her-name-is and currently resides negatively in the background of your emotions?"
"So specific." Bella snorted, but after a moment, she withdrew her hand from Rosalie and exhaled slowly. "Aside from making things easier for Renèe and Phil, coming to Forks let me get away from a lot of people."
Rosalie waited an entire two minutes. "Are you going to continue?"
"It's just, it, she," Bella's speech dissolved into an irritated huff as she ran a hand through her hair. "Josephine was basically my only friend and I developed a crush on her and she wanted to know why I'd been acting weird and so I explained. Not like I wanted anything, which I also explained." She absently glared at her own knee. "Rising in popularity, able to buy whatever she wanted thanks to mommy and daddy, great looks. Obviously out of my league. Dumber than a brain dead pelican and no taste in literature and sarcasm goes right over her head, so you can see why I didn't care. But we were supposed to be friends. Instead Jo reacts kinda fine and winds up talking with me about it a lot and runs to the popular, gay-bashing assholes and makes a big damn thing out of it. She gets the golden seal of official popularity and closer to the guy she has a crush on and everyone hops on the wagon of pushing me around for cool points. I know, high school, so it's whatever, but people were literally pushing me into things and down a flight of stairs once and spilling things on me and my stuff. I even had eggs thrown at me."
Bella scoffed. "I remember egg day. I almost lost it, like seriously ready to start stabbing people. What'd I have to lose anyway? I decided I was never going back to that school because I've always had this nagging feeling in the background that, uh, er, shit. Let's just say I knew I couldn't lose my shit yet so I didn't want to go back. Anyway, so as I'm cleaning egg off my fucking backpack, Jo comes over crying and saying she's sorry and shit and Brad just wanted to get into her pants and was in the pants of like four other girls at the same time. I slammed the door in her face. The thing is, we had openly gay kids, a lot of them, but they were all in circles that'd fuck you up some way and I didn't have that and I was already weird, but come on. Idiots with nothing better to do, I swear."
With a long sigh, she rubbed her temple and at last looked up. The vampire sat stiff before her, eyes black and full of rage. Bella's shoulders sagged.
"So," Rosalie said, voice cold, "You lost it when that girl tried to pull a similar stunt."
"Basically." She stared at the river, flicking a small chunk of dirt toward it.
"I imagine her 'great looks' will match her ugly heart sooner rather than later."
Bella snorted. "Everyone looks like a pile of vomit baking in the sun next to you, Rosalie."
Her glare softened. "That is terribly vivid."
"And not close to recommended as a way to compliment someone."
"No," Rosalie chuckled. "But it's somehow endearing." When she saw Bella suddenly focus on her, she cleared her throat. "I believe it's my turn. You ask how I stayed when my siblings fled, correct?"
"Yeah. And now, I guess? I'm assuming Alice didn't come like you said because of this." Bella vaguely pointed at the scratches on her face and the ones hidden under her sleeves.
Rosalie cocked her head, a furrow coming to her brow. "You don't worry I'll snap and kill you?"
"Not particularly."
"You truly are odd."
"Hey, being taken out by you is pretty acceptable to me. 'Bella Swan, killed by most gorgeous vampire in existence' doesn't have a bad ring to it."
Rosalie covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, but it didn't stop the amusement from reaching her eyes. "Even I wouldn't make such a claim. Perhaps among the most gorgeous, but I doubt I've met enough vampires to be fully certain. Besides, such claims are asking for the wrath of the Volturi Queens."
Bella waved a hand. "I'll tell off Aphrodite, I don't give a fuck. Honesty is the best policy and I can honestly stand by my claim."
"You truly must stop being so nonchalant about death. And please, never again suggest even the idea of me killing you."
With a slight, almost sad smile, Bella stared into the abyss of Rosalie's eyes. "I promise not to suggest that again. I'm sorry, I didn't know it'd upset you so much."
"I," Rosalie stopped, closing her eyes. "I really do care about you, Bella."
Hesitantly, Bella touched her fingertips to Rosalie's knee. "I don't doubt that anymore."
"For how long?"
"What?"
"How long did you doubt it?"
"Probably as long as you did."
Rosalie's eyes opened and her gaze focused on Bella's fingers. "I was able to stay because I have excellent control. I have never slipped."
"That's not your full answer."
"The truth is hardly ever simple."
"No, it's really not."
It almost physically pained her to move her knee from under Bella's fingertips, but she did so anyway. She faced the river once more, falling into her thoughts. "In a waiting game, if all participants are waiting on another to make a move so that they may in turn, isn't it foolish?"
Bella dangled her legs over the embankment and laughed a little darkly. "Absolutely. Might as well just do something to begin with."
A/N: 'Bout to slam their heads together if they don't get their shit together, I swear.
Hope you enjoyed it and look forward to their next interaction as much as I do. I'll see you guys next time.