Chapter Fourteen

Scandalous

Bella's Point of View

"Alright, the word is painful," Esme said, laying down the green card on the table that had been rolled over my bed. Alice, Jasper, Edward, and Charlie had returned from the cafeteria, and I had sent the next shift downstairs to get their dinner. Everyone else was gathered around my bed. Needless to say, the room was still pretty crowded.

"Ooh, I have the perfect card for this!" Emmett exclaimed, laying his card face down and grinning to himself. Esme rolled her eyes and waited for everyone to lay their cards down. I looked at my hand and grimaced. I didn't have anything good. I finally plucked the card "hula dancing" and set it face down on the table.

Esme shuffled the pile and then placed the red cards face up in a row. "Okay, we have… standing in line, credit cards, heartbreak, hula dancing, flirting, yoga, and…pole dancing? I don't even want to know about that one," Esme said, a smile in her eyes. Emmett had a goofy grin on his face, and I had a feeling that this was his 'perfect card.'

"Alright, I'm going to have to go with yoga on this one," Esme said finally. Rose gleefully picked up the green card and smirked at Emmett.

"Come on! My card was perfect!" Emmett whined.

"Pole dancing?" Jasper asked humorously. "Is there something you want to share with us, Em?"

Emmett flushed and shook his head vigorously. "No, no, nothing to share," he said. Rose laughed, and I had a feeling that she was in on the joke. "And what did you put down, Jasper? Hula dancing?"

"Hey!" I said. "That was the only card I had!"

"See, Em? I put down credit cards, if you really wanted to know."

"Credit cards?" we all asked.

"You guys obviously haven't seen the credit card bills that we get," Jasper explained. Alice looked at her feet and blushed.

"Sorry, Jaz. I can't help myself sometimes."

"Nothing against you, Alice," Jasper said, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"Alright!" Emmett exclaimed. "Enough lovey-dovey. Time for the next card! Edward, it's your turn to judge."

"Right. Okay, the word is 'touchy-feely.'" Edward said, and I could see his groan. Emmett would have a field day with this one. I picked out a card, "Michael Jackson," and set it down, grinning. I actually had a chance to win this round.

Everyone else laid down their cards, and Edward gathered them up and laid them down on the table, one at a time. "Okay, we have… the Police, Cats, cashmere, my family, Michael Jackson." Edward paused and chuckled, then continued, "Helen Keller, and my love life…" We all knew which card was Emmett's, that's for sure.

"Okay, this is a hard one," Edward said, pulling a few cards out and putting them back. The ones he had kept were Michael Jackson, Helen Keller, and, to everyone's surprise, my love life. "Alright, which one to choose…sorry guys, but I gotta give this one to Emmett." Edward picked up the green card and handed it to Emmett.

"Whoo! Helen Keller wins every time!" Emmett screamed, reaching over to take the card from Edward, but Edward pulled it away and looked at Emmett quizzically.

"Wait, didn't you put down the "my love life" card?" he asked.

"No…I put down Helen Keller," Emmett said slowly.

"I'll take that," Rosalie said, snatching the card out of Edward's hand. We all turned to stare at her incredulously. I mean, I could see that card coming from Emmett, but not her.

"What!" Emmett exclaimed. "Helen Keller wins every time! Come on, Edward! Where's your humor?"

"Sorry, Em. But you gotta admit, Rose's card was good."

"Yeah, good one, Rose!" Alice said, giving her a high five over my bed. "Finally, the girls take the lead!"

"Alice, you do know that we're not playing in teams, right?" Jasper asked.

"Well, yeah, but still. It's nice that one of us girls is winning for once!" Jasper laughed and Emmett rolled his eyes.

"Bella, it's your turn," Jasper reminded.

Edward leaned close and whispered, loud enough for the others to hear, "Don't give it to Rose, please. If she gets this card, she wins, and we'll never hear the end of it."

"Edward, I only accept bribes. You should know that," I joked. "And besides, there is nothing in your offer for me, so why would I do what you want?"

"Alright, what do you want from me?" he asked.

"If Rose doesn't win, you tell me who Anne is," I said. "And you tell me what it is you're doing sneaking around with her."

Everyone dropped silent and stared at Edward and I. "You really don't want to ask about that, Bella," Edward said quietly.

"I think I do, Edward. I'm your wife and I want to know what it is that you're doing messing around with another woman," I snapped.

"Alright, fine," Edward answered, his voice tight. "Draw a card, Bella."

I did, and read it aloud. "The card is "scandalous." It also means immoral, indecent, and shameful."

"Well, isn't that ironic," Emmett said, trying to lighten the tense mood that hung over us. When no one laughed, he turned his face down to look at his cards. Everyone set a card down one by one, and Rose walked over to me after she had set hers down.

"Bella," she whispered ever so softly in my ear. "I put down the card 'telemarketers,'" she said.

"Thanks, Rose," I whispered back. I was glad to know that Rose didn't mind losing so that I could hear what Edward had to say for himself.

After everyone had put down their cards, I picked them up and read them off. "We have Robert Nixon, telemarketers, Grumpy Old Men, fishing, old women, the comics, and the Gossip Girl series," I said. "I'm going to give it to Grumpy Old Men."

Alice smiled weakly and picked up her card. Everyone else set down their hands and stood up from the table to leave the room. "We'll go hang out in the cafeteria with Jake and Seth," Esme said quietly. They left the room silently, Rosalie shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Alright, Bella. I guess it's time for me to tell you about Anne. But first, I want you to know that I'm sorry. I should have never lied to you like this."

A/N: Sorry to leave it there, couldn't really help it! But hey, it's only 2:30; I might have time to write another chapter today! :D But thanks to everyone who reviewed yesterday, you guys are awesome. Keep it up; I love to hear what you guys are thinking!