Second today. Test pushed til Monday, big surprise. I don't know if I like this ch. because honestly I'm too tired to reread it. I really looked forward to writing this one and had to close it out. I may correct some things before I post the next CH. I'll but an A/N at the top of the next if I do.
Current music is still The White Stripes (Shit's been on repeat this evening)
Gimme some music. I'm itching for a new name on the mp3 list. Anything from current mood to blues to country and on. I'm unpredictable in my playlists. Something new.
Also, the lyrics were random. Sometimes I tend to write lyrics to melodies that exist solely in my head. I tried to explain it the best I could, although I'm not sure how well that is. More lemonade soon. If you guys want more?
Jasper was out of the Jeep before Alice could blink when they arrived and he swiftly began arranging his arms to carry all of her luggage upstairs.
"You could let me carry something." Alice stated, not really wanting to but frustrated that he wouldn't let her anyway. He shook his head and nodded towards the building doors, where a casual Emmett strolled out in a pair of destroyed jeans, a 'Property of Forks High Baseball" shirt, and a pair of chucks. He wore an enormous smile as he picked Alice up and spun her around a few times as she squealed. As soon as he released her, he held out a generic shopping bag and Alice groaned.
"Is she still enforcing that rule?" She whined. Emmett laughed as he nodded. In high school, Bella had established the rule that if Alice could dress the three of them daily, she could have her pick in the penthouse. She had enforced a strict dress code that clearly stated, no heels, no skirts, no dresses, and no makeup. Apparently, she still expected it to be followed. Alice pulled out a pair of knee high chucks with a quirky design, a pair of denim shorts, and an Olympic Rain t-shirt. "At least she picked a good band." She grumbled.
"Good to see you too Midg - and you know you shouldn't be surprised." He said, still laughing. Alice gave him a glare but got distracted as she watched Jasper's retreating figure. Emmett's smile got a little bigger. "Hey, Jazz." He called over his shoulder. He held an amused stare on Alice as Jasper responded.
"Yeah?"
"Can Midg change in your bathroom? Penthouse clothing dictations."
"Yeah, sure. Follow up." He nodded at Alice to follow him and she gave a dirty glance to the still chuckling Emmett as she passed by. A few minutes later, Emmett watched Alice walk out with too much bare skin and a satisfied smirk. Poor Jazz. He shook his head as he hoisted her up into the Jeep. Alice had a habit of redesigning clothes that weren't up to her standards, and apparently Jasper had left scissors within her reach. Those shorts are lethal...
"Damn, Al. I haven't seen you look at anyone like that since high school." He said, teasing as he hopped into the driver's seat. Alice turned her head and blushed. She didn't blush easily but being reminding of her adolescent crush on the man she now referred to as a brother usually did the trick.
"Shut up, Em." So he did. The drove most of the trip in silence, listening to music, bouncing between the CD's and radio. The Offspring came began on one of the tracks and they both began laughing. At a girls choice dance in high school, Alice had dragged Emmett along as her 'date'. She had asked him, repeatedly and unsuccessfully, all night to dance and didn't get her wish until One Week started playing. Not the most memorable first dance, but a great memory to her. "Holy hell," She muttered, "We must have looked like such idiots." Emmett nodded in agreement and they both held their smile until the next song came on. Alice got a weird look on her face and turned to Emmett with a questioning eye.
"It's Bell's 'Alice Mix'," he explained, "this is a new song though. It must remind her of you." He said thoughtfully, and turned it up a little. "Have you heard it?" He asked.
"No. What's it called?"
"Mud Pies and Broken Wings, I think." He said with a shrug.
"Huh," She said. She reached for the dial and turned it up. It had a different feel to the intro, solely an acoustic guitar. After a short solo, drums kicked in. It was soft and rhythmic, graceful and disrupted. Alice smiled and listened to the lyrics that were so soft they were practically whispered, almost spoken rather than sang.
'crazy/corrupted/all that is broken/mends with her touch/mud pies at seventeen/butterflies with broken wings/ constant strength/flutters in a broken soul/how do we get back there/only you would know/climbing trees/she's five foot three/sunshine and sparkling tears/push me forward/drown my fears/we could fly/run and hide/mexican margaritas/tuscan sunsets/chicago skies/ strawberry mud pies/ just save me/darlin/ you're the only one who can save me now/ my butterfly/you carry my strength/broken wings/you support me/save me darlin/save me now.'
Alice looked at Emmett. "Holy fuck, Em."
"Tell me about it," He said, shaking his head.
"Oh, I'm pregnant." He blurted. He had not been looking forward to telling Alice last but he definitely needed to do it soon, they were closing in on Forks. She laughed at him for a while until she realized he hadn't joined her. It was typical Emmett to call himself pregnant or some other random bullshit. As soon as she realized he wasn't joking, he wasn't talking about himself literally, she squealed. They talked animatedly for the rest of the trip until they pulled into the Cullen's ridiculously long drive. Alice looked at him questioningly and he shrugged.
"She figured if she was going to just show up at the chief's with Edward in tow, you needed to be there too. Calming effect or something." He said as he killed the engine. They were both about to get out when Bella came riding out on Edward's back smiling at the sky. Edward walked up to Alice's window to tell her their parents had left earlier and to just follow them to Charlie's. On the short drive over, she and Emmett could literally feel the bass vibrating through the Jeep from Bella's car. Bella was shaking her head and Edward was fidgeting. Alice laughed when she realized how nervous he must be. Charlie absolutely hated him, although Alice never really knew why. Sure, in high school he was a pothead who skipped one too many times and had a few run-ins with Charlie's coworkers. So was Bella, though. She just got out of trouble quicker than he did. The radio from the car turned down as they pulled into the drive and Alice could literally see Edward vibrating in fear. Apparently, so could Emmett because the both started laughing so hard they forgot to get out of the car. That is, until Edward knocked on their window with a glare. Bella was standing behind him with an amused look on her face. The foursome strolled into the house, not bothering to knock, feeling as home here as any of their own houses.
"Dad!" Bella called out and Edward snapped his head to her with wide eyes. She giggled. "We're in town. We're going out back. I'll call and let you know if I'm cooking."
"Okay." Charlie's gruff voice came from the living room, sounding a little sharper than usual. Bella peeked her head in and quickly brought it back out, motioning for everyone to follow her outside. As they stepped towards the edge of the property line, Bella fell to the ground laughing. Everyone just looked at her like she was crazy. Eventually, she came to and pulled herself back up, still smiling. She turned to Emmett.
"I know something you don't know." She teased, drawing out her words like a grade-schooler.
"What?" He said suspiciously.
"Let's just say Dad can't get mad." She said as she looked at Edward reassuringly. She took off to the the penthouse in the trees and climbed the rungs with experience. The others followed suit. Once they were in their solitude, and all the stress and fear evaporated, she and Alice were able to get their girly giggles and squeals out of the way before she complimented Alice's outfit. Alice just stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes. Tradition of the place clearly stated that meetings were to be started with a bowl and a round of Jim Beam - a tradition Bella and Emmett had never stopped. It was actually a rule and Edward had engraved it into the wood to prove it. Just like Alice had wrote her name on 'her chair' so Edward would quit fighting her over it. The radio was blaring but they were uncaring. That was the beauty of the place. Complete solitude. Even Charlie would never bother them out here. They laughed at old music, discussed new music, and Edward complimented Alice's shirt - saying he'd heard a few of the fairly new group's songs but never actually been able to see them perform. They talked about Emmett becoming a dad, and how ridiculously thrilled Bella was to be a 'second mom.' Emmett reassured everybody that Rose had given her the title because of her crazy support through everything. They talked about Renee and they talked about the weather.
After hours of useless and meaningful stoned chatter, Bella's cell began ringing. Edward watched her answer, a welcome distraction from watching her breathe.
"Hey Jazz." Bella said with a giggle. Edward rolled his eyes and hoped at least she didn't try to hide this stuff from him. That could be awkward. "What's up?" She listened for a minute and her eyes went wide. "Shit!" She glanced at Edward, then Emmett, then Alice, giving the second two a silencing glare. "Yeah. Uh, Alice probably does." She mumbled. She mouthed 'sorry' to Edward before turning to Alice to ask if Jake was still at her place. Edward quickly became confused and uncomfortable, but remembering his promise, he pasted on a clearly fake smile. Bella was happy he was at least trying. Alice nodded her head at Bella with a confused facial expression. "Can you call up there and ask him what he wants to do about our plans for Saturday?" Edward knitted his eyebrows in confusion as both Alice and Emmett's eyes went wide. They quickly attempted to cover it but it was too late. Edward had noticed but decided not to question it yet. He made a promise, and it was already killing him. Alice crawled out for some privacy and balanced herself on one of the rungs while having a quiet discussion as Bella made small talk over the phone with Jasper. She popped her head back in and looked directly at Bella.
"Can you take Rose?" She asked, apparently knowing exactly what they were talking about. Bella repeated the question to Jazz and nodded in Alice's direction after getting an answer. Alice crawled back out and Edward turned to speak to Bella.
"Do I get to know what's going on?" He asked hopefully. She shook her head and his heart fell a little. She saw his facial expression and rolled her eyes.
"It's not like a big secret or anything, more of a surprise, and you're coming with us."
"What are we doing then?" He said with a more comfortable smile returning to his face.
"Going to a concert." She shrugged. Edward slumped back and sighed, knowing that was all he would get from her today.
Review. Give me music. Shake me(on the blackberry) all night long.
