Thanks for the reviews, guys! Merry Christmas! I'm writing this on my new laptop, -squeal of joy- and it's a different keyboard then what I'm used to. Forgive me for any mistakes, please? Oh and I know there's not too much here, at least of any substance, but I wanted some Emmett Jasper fun without overdoing it too much. I'll stop rambling. Enjoy!
It was surprisingly hard to convince Charlie that I was well enough to go shopping with Alice, even though I didn't want to, when I was too sick to go to school the day before. Of course, he'd suggested I take it easy for a day or so, just to make sure I was feeling better. But when Alice strolled up to my door and rang the bell, smiling at Charlie, he'd allowed me to go. I guess that's one good thing when you're friends with vampires. They can use their abilities to get you what you want.
It was another dreary, rainy day in Forks, but I was past getting upset over that. She had the heat blasting, singing to her favorite songs. Her voice easily outshone the poor artist on the radio, and I felt pity for the woman singing. Alice tried to get me to join in, but I shook my head. There was no way I was going to get embarrassed that easily.
The drive was fun and full of laughter. Alice told jokes about a time when Emmett had tried to convince Edward that he was a small flower. Emmett had proceeded to dance around him like a ballerina at Christmas, and Alice had even joined in. I had tears streaming down my face, grateful that she didn't force me to tell any stories.
The time passed quickly, and before I realized it we were pulling into a tiny strip mall just inside the boundaries of Port Angeles. She skipped out, grabbing my hand and passing the first store. I wasn't in the mood to shop, but I was happy to be spending the day with a girl, just to be able to talk and gossip. She turned into a store with a fancy banner, and I gasped when we stepped inside.
The whole store was gorgeous. Dresses lined every wall, racks of gowns stood in the center of the store. This seemed like a place where rich, famous actresses would shop. Alice patted my hand like I was a toddler as a tall woman with pinned back black hair came up.
"Alice!" She cooed, and I wondered how many times Alice came here.
"Martha!" Alice yelled, but swiftly made an excuse not to hug the woman. The woman, Martha, nodded, leading us to the back of the store.
"What are we shopping for today, Alice?" She asked in a heavy accent.
"Bella," Alice said, standing on her tiptoes to drape an arm over my shoulder. My eyes got wide, causing Alice to laugh. "She didn't really know she was going to be receiving clothes today." Martha nodded as if all of our talk really interested her.
"I can't accept this stuff, Alice," I said quickly, mentally running through my bank account. No, I definitely couldn't afford it.
"Nonsense, Bella, you're my best friend. You're accepting the clothes."
"Am not," I said childishly, sticking my tongue out at her and crossing my arms over my chest. Her eyes narrowed at me – I'd never seen anything so scary, which was surprising, coming from the fact that she was so small.
"It doesn't matter anyway; I just want them for when you come over to my house. I can do the shopping without you regardless," she said, tapping her head. Then her eyes glazed over and when she opened them she was clapping. "You cave! Come on, let's do this!"
I rolled my eyes, seeing that Martha had already excused herself. Alice skipped through the store, her eyes glazing over every few seconds. Sometimes she scowled, and I would wonder what I had said to upset her. It was strange, her seeing me do things, and me not knowing I was going to. After an hour though, I got used to it.
"Shouldn't I be trying these on?" I asked as she threw half a dozen clothes on the checkout counter. She wasn't done though, and headed to a new rack in search of 'the perfect dress'. She rolled her eyes at my question, an amused smile on her face.
"It's more fun for me to watch your reaction when you finally wear them at home then when you try them on here. Oh, this one's pretty for me!" She picked up a short green satin dress, pressing it against her and twirling in the mirror. I sighed, closing my eyes and wishing I could be half as graceful as her. My stomach rumbled loudly then, and I glanced at my watch. It was almost two o'clock, and we'd been in this store alone for five hours. I wondered how the time passed so quickly even though I hated shopping. I blushed when Alice laughed, clearly hearing my stomach's pleas for food.
"Can I get you anything?" Martha asked, walking into the room with her arms folded neatly. She showed us the 'I'm here so I can serve you and, hopefully, make a large tip' smile, carrying two bottles of water. Who brings sparkling water to customers? Then again, I'm sure that I'd never shopped anywhere other than discount stores, and occasionally when my mother would …
I sighed, pushing it out of my mind. Martha stood there staring at me curiously, although she knew better than to press me for questions.
"No," Alice said sweetly, "We were actually just leaving. We're very hungry. We'll just take this and leave." Alice threw the satin dress to Martha, tossing me a sparkling water. I dropped it, closing my eyes and praying it didn't shatter. I was greeted with a thump as it bounced off of the wood floors, rolling into the corner. Alice and Martha went to pay, and I trudged after them, my stomach growling at me. Alice was lucky, Alice didn't have to worry about her stomach going berserk on her, Alice got to skip around like a fairy and buy lots of expensive clothes.
I hadn't realized I was muttering until I heard Alice's giggles. Martha didn't have the ears to hear me, and she glanced at us curiously. My face was flushed, but I just scowled at her.
"Are all of these for me?" I asked, mortified as I glanced at the piles of dresses and gowns. To my relief, there were a few pairs of jeans and designer shirts, but it was nothing compared to the mass of fabrics and gowns that lay splayed across the counter. Alice shook her head, fingering the lace on one of the gowns. I hadn't seen her pick it out, and it was very…risqué for my taste.
"Please please please tell me that's yours," I almost screeched. Martha seemed almost horrified at my outburst, hugging the skimpy dress and petting it like it was alive and really had feelings.
"Do you not like Kiki Lace #324?" Martha asked, petting it again. I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. I'm sure it didn't look anything close to as good as when Edward did it, but I suppose I would just have to live with that.
"Just not my style, is all," I muttered, much to Alice's amusement.
"Bella, Kiki Lace #324 is for me."
I let out a sigh of relief, ignoring Martha's offended looks. I didn't get what her glitch was, but it was starting to weird me out the way she talked to Alice about the latest designers. I needed some air, so I excused myself to step outside.
The rain was a wet drizzle, although it was quickly letting up. A woman came out carrying bags, which I assumed had our dresses in them. I pointed to Alice's sports car, leading the woman to the unlocked trunk. Seven women later, Alice skipped out, a gleeful smile on her face. She kissed three of the women on the cheek, tipped them all generously, and jumped into the driver's seat.
"Sorry about the time, Bella," Alice apologized. "I'm not used to having to feed somebody. You're like an itty bitty baby!" I rolled my eyes at her as she chatted aimlessly. I missed Edward, and I hadn't seen him in over sixteen hours. I wanted to see him, but I knew he had to keep up the sick act for another week.
"Are you a vegetarian?" Alice asked excitedly, breaking me from my thoughts.
"Um, no?"
She shrugged her tiny shoulders, my confused answer not putting a damper on her excited mood. "I was just wondering because there's supposed to be a really good vegan restaurant that most people here like, and since I don't have much taste for human food, this is really just about what you want."
I thought about it for a second, finally deciding on a sports restaurant I'd visited once when I was younger and visited Charlie during the summer. It had a peppy atmosphere, something I thought Alice would enjoy. She seemed to know about it, and her eyes glazed over for a split second. Before I had a chance to freak out over her not paying attention to the road, she was back. She laughed loudly before pulling into the parking lot.
"What is it?" I asked, poking her in the rib. She just shook her head, stepping out of the car. I followed, and soon we were strolling into the restaurant.
A tall, dark haired boy was standing at the podium. He looked very, very bored.
"How many today?" He droned, perking up when he caught site of Alice. He grinned stupidly, "Oh, yes. Two?" Alice nodded, bouncing behind him as he showed us to our seats.
"Your…Your waiter…He'll be here in a minute," he muttered, running a hand through his hair and giggling like a girl. Then he coughed, puffing out his chest. I tried not to roll my eyes as he stormed away, muttering about what an idiot he was. Alice giggled, causing me to burst out laughing.
"I have to go to the bathroom," Alice said, standing up to smooth out her shirt.
"Alice you can't pee, sit back down."
She ignored me though, skipping past the boy who'd seated us and straight into the restroom. She hardly noticed him, she's probably already forgotten about him. But his eyes followed her greedily as she flew by him. This time I did roll my eyes. Another tall boy came out. He had dark brown eyes and almost black hair. Two white, perfect rows of teeth formed a brilliant smile on his face as he strolled towards my table. He looked familiar, and I tried to place him, although I couldn't.
"Bella!" He cried, flashing me his brilliant white smile again. It looked strange against his perfectly tan skin, and I struggled to try to place him.
"I know you from somewhere, I just forget where." I paused, wracking my brain. "You look different now, I know that."
"It's me, Jacob. You know, from the movies?" It dawned on me then, I knew him. My face lit up, I felt the smile on my face. He was taller now, and there was evidence of strong muscles underneath his shirt.
"Jacob!" I yelled, jumping up to give him a hug. He laughed, returning it. I barely knew him, but his persona was just so kind and warm I couldn't help but like to be around him.
"Mark told me there was a beautiful girl at the table," he said, ignoring my blush. "I should have guessed it would be you."
"He was talking about Alice," I explained. I glanced over his shoulder, searching for her. "Why are you here? Don't you live in La Push?"
"Yea, but it's such a small town that the job pool there is very limited. My dad, Billy Black, sends me down here on weekends. I know some nice shortcuts, so it only takes me about twenty minutes. I'm starting to meet some really nice people down here." I laughed, nodding to the boy who seated us.
"Yes, he seemed to be very nice to Alice," I said, smiling. "So, how is school?"
He told me a story about his friend Quil, who'd stirred up trouble when he'd flirted with a beautiful girl from school. I was laughing when we realized he had to take my drink orders.
"Oh," he said, standing quickly. "What can I get you to drink?"
"Water."
"Water?"
"Yes, got a problem with water?"
"Only that it's the worst, plainest beverage invented. Why don't you treat yourself to a nice Coke?"
"I don't want a Coke."
"You do now."
"That's not cool, Jacob!" I yelled, but he ignored me, rolling his eyes and strolling into the kitchen. He came back with a Coke in a large glass, setting it on the table. He sniffed, scrunching his nose.
"Oh, I forgot, did your friend want a drink?" He glanced around, probably wondering where she was. I glanced over his shoulder, trying to look too, but I couldn't see her.
"No, she's probably just freshening up. We were on a shopping mission all morning, so you know, very difficult for her," I rolled my eyes, pretending to gag. "I hate shopping, but hey, if foods involved…"
He laughed, glancing at the large clock hanging off of the wall.
"My shift ends in ten; do you think your friend would be okay with it if I hung out with you?" He looked hopeful, his young eyes bright and vulnerable. My thoughts flashed to Edward and I frowned.
"I really like talking to you, but I am in a relationship," I explained. His face clouded for a second, hurting me. "But if you want to hang out as friends, I'd be more than happy to talk to you."
His face brightened instantly, making me feel less guilty. "Sure! Just let me get your order."
I told him what I wanted and he was off to the kitchen. Alice skipped out then, humming some tune. When she came over her nose scrunched up and she gagged.
"What is that?" She shrieked, plugging her nose. I glanced at her, confused.
"Alice it smells fine here," I said, rolling my eyes. She kept her nose scrunched but slid into the booth next to me.
"Is that what you were so excited about, me meeting Jacob again?" I asked, looking at her with wondering eyes. She looked at me as though I'd spoken gibberish, shaking her head.
"I was talking about the Mark character. I didn't see you talking to him in a vision. If I had I'd have been way more excited. But really, it smells awful over here. Like…pine, or something. But worse."
"Oh," I said as Jacob came out with the food surprisingly quickly. He scrunched his nose again, glancing at the table.
"If you put on perfume, Bella, it's way too strong." He laughed, sliding into the booth across from us. I threw my hands in the air, exasperated.
"It smells fine you guys!" I laughed, but they looked unconvinced. Suddenly Jacob looked around as if he were in a daze. He glanced at me, his lips parted slightly and his eyes distant. Had he been Alice, I'd have said he was seeing the future, but he seemed in too much pain for that. I slid out of the booth and shook his shoulders. He barely realized I was there, a light tremor shaking his shoulders. Alice looked concerned but just as confused as me as we watched him.
"Are you okay?" Alice's light voice asked, rising an octave as she started to panic. He shook his head, throwing me a weak smile. I felt his shoulders shake aggressively under mine, and he closed his eyes tightly, doubled over.
"Why is it that one of us always gets sick?" He asked, attempting to lighten the mood. I scooted out of the booth, dragging him with me. His face was pale, and I made him call his dad to say he wasn't feeling good. Alice bounded after us, a box in her hands. She followed closely as we stood at the edge of the parking lot.
"You should go home, Jacob," I said quietly, patting his shoulders. He nodded, standing up to wrap me in a tight hug.
"Hope we see each other soon, Bella," he said, jogging away to a beat up looking car. He slid inside, closing the door. Before I'd registered what was happening the car had roared to life, pealing out of the parking lot. Alice shook her head sadly, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.
"Thank goodness I'm not human; I don't have to get sick!" I laughed, getting into the car. I didn't feel much like eating or shopping anymore, but Alice had other plans. We would be driving quickly to the outskirts of a small town, to a tiny boutique there.
"Where's Edward?" I asked as we started driving home. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye before averting her gaze.
"He doesn't want me to say, he says it will scare you," she said, glancing out the window. I rolled my eyes at her logic, ignoring the speedometer. I was used to the Cullen's crazy speeding by now.
"Alice, I hang with vampires. I'm pretty sure nothing can scare me now."
She shrugged. "He's just doing some male bonding time with Emmett and Jasper." I looked at her skeptically before she caved. "Okay, he's…hunting."
It took a minute for me to connect it before I was smiling. It was at this exact moment that I was glad that he was a good vampire, not the human eating kind. The image of Edward hunting humans was just too much for me, and I knew that it was invoke fear in me. I shuddered at the thought of him eating humans, but Alice misinterpreted it, muttering to herself about how she shouldn't have told me. I ignored her though, explaining my thoughts. She looked almost as horrified as I was at the thought of the Cullens eating humans, shuddering.
By the time we'd finished shopping and arrived home it was nearly ten. Charlie didn't throw a fit about the time, probably happy I was just doing something normal instead of moping around the house crying over my mother. The image of her brought fresh tears, and I ran into the bathroom to wash away the tears with a hot shower.
I ran down the stairs to tell Charlie goodnight. He barely paid me notice though, watching a basketball game on the television. He nodded and yelled at the commentators, causing me to chuckle as I stepped into my room and closed the door behind me.
"Care to fill me in on the joke?" A curious silk voice asked from my rocking chair in the corner. The scream that was building up in my throat died instantly as I ran into the strong, hard arms that welcomed me.
"It was nothing," I said, breathing in his scent. "Just Charlie being Charlie." His arms wrapped around me, keeping me from falling off the chair.
"Is that so?" He murmured, burying his face in my neck. I giggled, nodding my head.
"How was hunting?" I asked, trying my best t sound casual. I could feel his smile against my throat as he chuckled.
"Alice told you then? Well, love, it was terribly awful." I frowned, wondering what could be awful about eating. He pulled away from my neck to look into my eyes. His were warm, light amber. Nothing like the dark black they had started to become. "I missed you too much."
"I missed you too," I said as he picked me up swiftly, carrying me to bed.
"I just wanted to say goodnight," he explained, as though his being here was selfish. He stood to go, smoothing his shirt out.
"Do you come here often?" I murmured while he slid the blankets over me. He smiled at me, brushing back a piece of hair.
"Yes," he said guiltily, "Almost every night." He smiled, brushing his fingers against my furiously blushing face. "You're very interesting while you sleep."
"Well, then what's the point of leaving and coming back to spy?" I practically whined. "Why don't you just stay here with me?"
He groaned but crawled next to me, leaving a blanket to separate us. I grinned, wrapping my arms around him to lay my head against his chest.
"I saw Jacob today," I told him, looking up at his face. His eyes were confused, and I smiled at him. "He was the boy who told me about you at the movies. He helped me figure out about your vampy-ness." Edward rolled his eyes at my immaturity, causing me to laugh lightly. "Anyways, I saw him and he was really nice. But he got sick and had to go home early."
"That's a shame," Edward said, rubbing a hand on my back. "Did you enjoy your shopping with Alice?"
I propped myself up on one arm so I was leaning over him. I threw him a skeptical look and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
He chuckled, pulling my back to lie against his chest. I knew he was only trying to get me to sleep, but I liked it that he didn't just lay me next to him.
"Sleep, my love," he murmured, leaning his head on mine. I sighed, tightening my grip. He started to hum the same, wonderful tune, and soon I was asleep.
--
Sunday passed quickly and uneventfully. Edward had to leave because Charlie decided he wanted to have some family bonding time, probably because I was better now than before. We hadn't kissed, so I just imagined different goodbyes as I trudged through the day. Charlie excused himself at noon, leaving to fish with his friend. I had nothing to do, so I grabbed my phone book.
I looked up Billy Black in the phonebook, dialing his house. A deep voice answered, very serious.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Billy Black? This is Bella Swan, I'm Charlie's daughter. I was wondering if Jacob was there," I asked, twirling the phone cord in my hand. I stepped over to the fridge, grabbing some bologna out. I reached for the bread, listening to the man's deep breathing on the other line.
"Jacob's very sick," Billy said seriously. I gasped, dropping the bread.
"Is he okay?" I asked; worry made my voice raise a few octaves, creating the whiny stalker effect.
"Yes, he's going to be fine but he won't be able to hang out with you for a very long time. So sorry but it looks like he needs me. Bye Bella."
The phone was dead before I could gather a proper response. I glared at the phone, slamming it back on its hook. He hadn't even let me send a message to Jacob.
I was surprised when I'd eaten, showered and finished my projects that it was only six o'clock. Charlie called, saying that there was an emergency and that he wouldn't be able to make it home. Something about wild mutant bears. I shuddered, slamming the phone on its hook. Why couldn't anybody bring me good news today?
--
The week was near torture. Edward was the gossip of the school. Apparently he had a very deadly virus; at least, that's what Jessica was telling everybody. I smiled, getting in on the joke. I realized I hadn't truly bonded with the Cullen family, and this week was the perfect opportunity. Well, family bonding with everybody except Rosalie, who kept glaring at me. Occasionally Emmett would have to leave with her, taking her out for a drive. I sighed, wondering what I could have done to get her so upset. Alice tried to tell me she was jealous, but I knew that was ridiculous and shrugged it off.
Emmett was a truly funny guy. I'd taken to sitting with them at lunch after Alice had all but dragged me to their table. Emmett kept telling jokes and ruffling my hair, much to Rosalie's dislike and Alice's horror. I heard hilarious stories of his childhood, or at least, what he could remember. How he climbed a tree trying to fly and jumped from the highest tree. How he thought for a second he was flying before he realized he'd landed on a trampoline and was barreling towards the ground. I was laughing, truly enjoying myself. He also made a lot of jokes, getting a little to raunchy for my taste. I couldn't help but laugh when he'd throw an arm around me and tell me I'd whipped his brother.
Jasper was truly interesting too. I felt like I was tempting fate, being near him, but I didn't tell anybody that. His eyes were always dark, but I trusted him enough. He told me about how he'd grown up in the 1800s, how he'd served in the Civil War. I learned a lot of interesting facts about how our social studies books were misleading and wrong. Jasper and I even had a little fun manipulating Rosalie's emotions. Not that we told her that, though. But Jasper would make her feel happy to have me around, and she'd smile at me beautifully for a half second before blinking, confused.
Alice was just happy to see we'd all started to get along. She would dance around, guiding me to and from my classes while chatting aimlessly about nothing. After school she'd taken to coming over and giving me makeovers. I secretly liked them, although I'd always put up a fight. It reminded me of before my mom got sick, how she'd put me in a chair and curl my hair. Alice was my mom with a special twist because she was also my friend.
My favorite memory was on Wednesday, a moment when all my friends came together to create the most awkward, hilarious scene in my existence.
"Hey Bella," Mike said, jumping next to me as Alice peeled off to her class.
"Hi Mike," I greeted him, averting my eyes. He didn't seem to notice though, his bright eyes shining.
"You've been hanging a lot with the Cullens," he observed as I shrugged.
"They're pretty nice, I think." He nodded, stopping in front of me. My face flushed as I realized the halls were beginning to clear out. I couldn't get past him, and I threw Angela a desperate glance from across the hall. She started toward me, but was cut off by a large figure standing in the doorway. The large figure caught Angela's eye, winking at her before they both put a finger to their lips. I tried to hide my smile as Emmett and Angela spied on me from across the hall.
"I think you and I should do something together too," Mike said, taking another step closer. I smiled weakly, trying to back up again only to find a row of lockers greeting me.
"As friends?" I squeaked, hopeful. His smile faded slightly, but it didn't stop his eyes from sparkling.
"I was thinking like a date," Mike said, suddenly unsure. "You know, if you want to."
I racked my brain, completely forgetting about Angela and Emmett across the hall as my face flushed, trying to think of a nice enough excuse. My brain conjured up an image of the night before, when Edward was trying to convince me to sleep. His crooked smile dazzled me into closing my eyes, his humming lulling me to sleep in seconds.
Suddenly a big arm was around my shoulder.
"Oh, a date with Bella?" Emmett's big voice boomed. Mike shrank back, I'm sure he'd never seen Emmett this close before. Mike nodded weakly, looking at me with hopeful eyes.
"Mike, I'm not interested in a relationship right now," I said, trying my best to sound apologetic. Mike nodded, almost running away like a little girl. I felt bad for him as Emmett laughed hysterically, air fiving Angela.
"See you Swan," Emmett said, strolling into his class. I rolled my eyes, laughing silently as I slid into my biology seat.
In a way I felt bad for Mike, but having a big scary vampire there to fend off unwanted suitors really was nice.
Emmett took to it to trip me. Everywhere I went I had to watch for his foot sticking out. If I happened to trip over him, he'd laugh hysterically. I'm pretty sure they were very concerned at him giving away the secret. When I did something too clumsy, Jasper would take to it to double my embarrassment. I wanted to slap them, but I knew it would just hurt me.
Emmett made a song called 'clumsy Bella don't you fall on me' and had taken to singing it every time I managed to stumble or trip over him. He ignored my glares, laughing his booming laugh and clapping a hand on my back.
After school once, he and Jasper had taken me behind school. Emmett had proceeded to run in circles around me at super sped while Jasper upped my fear. Alice had found it annoying, finally getting Jasper to stop by suggesting they go somewhere 'private'. Needless to say, I got out of a makeover that day. Rosalie had thought it was childish and annoying, and she still didn't like me.
My days were long and tiring, and by the time I got home, let Alice give me a makeover, finished homework, and cooked dinner, I was exhausted. Charlie was never home early now, always arriving between eleven and midnight. I felt bad for him, having to work so late, and took to cooking really good dinners so that he would at least get something filling.
Nights with Edward weren't what I wanted them to be, either. Sometimes he would show up while I was cooking, his godly body sliding through the door, a crooked smile on his face. He would watch me as I prepared meals, but we hadn't kissed since the day I'd been over at his house. We hadn't said I love you since then, either. I was beginning to wonder if he was regretting it, but whenever I started to doubt it I would have to stop, because the idea of being unloved automatically brought nightmares and haunted images to my mind, causing me to shake and moan.
It was Thursday and I was walking through the doors to school. Alice wasn't speaking very much, and that was a first.
"What's wrong?" I asked, but she shook her head. She smiled brilliantly at me, leading me to class.
Emmett was frowning at lunch too, another first. I felt Jasper shooting calming waves at us, but after I mumbled 'quit it' he stopped.
"What's going on guys?" I practically yelled. They stared at me, amused. It was the first time I'd seen them crack a genuine smile all day. Alice seemed to have cheered up, and I wondered what she must have seen to make her so happy.
"Edward will tell you later," Jasper explained. I nodded as normal conversation continued. Well, if normal conversation consisted of Emmett shooting death glares at Mike for fun and saluting a laughing Angela. Rosalie went back to observing herself in a compact mirror, and Jasper and Alice were in their own little world. I didn't know what to do, so I got up and walked over to Angela. Emmett raised his hands in the 'why-did-you-leave-you-loser' way, smiling. I rolled my eyes at him, turning to Angela.
"We haven't talked much, so I figured I'd ask if you wanted to hang out Sunday," I said.
"Yea, that sounds like fun," she said, biting into an apple. "What do you want to do?"
I shrugged, thinking about it for a second. "You're seeing Ben now, right?" I asked, seeing her blush. She nodded, a shy smile creeping on her face.
"He's really nice," she explained, gushing about him. "He's just the right height, he's a great kisser, and his smile is just amazing." She blushed slightly, but I figured she had nothing on me in that department. Ben was a nice boy, noted for his manners. I was glad that she seemed happy with him.
"Why did you ask?" She questioned me. I shrugged, smiling at her.
"I was just trying to catch up on the gossip. Why don't you and I just have a nice girl's night in? Watch some movies, eat some popcorn. Does that sound okay to you?"
She nodded, twirling the apple in her hands. "Sounds fun. What day, Friday?" I thought about it for a second, realizing that Friday would put me in the position of not seeing Edward for a very, very long time. I sighed, realizing that Saturday would interfere with Alice's 'big plans' that she'd been keeping secret all day.
"Yea, Friday sounds good," I said, effectively hiding my frown from her. Jessica turned to me, a fake smile on her face. I'd gotten used to telling the difference between real and fake smiles. A real smile was when I was little, and my mother cuddled me against her when it was storming outside, complaining about how I was such a baby, although she kissed my forehead. A fake smile was one that the custody woman wore when she told me everything was going to be alright.
Jessica was wearing a custody woman smile.
"Do you think we could hang out too?" She asked, and I couldn't find a way to say no, or an excuse fast enough. I found myself smiling back, another custody woman smile, and nodding.
"Sure!" I said, maybe a little too peppy. "Why don't we all do something Friday?"
Jessica nodded quickly, turning her attention back to Mike. I wondered what her deal was. I said goodbye to Angela, turning to go to Biology.
I sat through the long lecture, my mind wandering to Edward as I lounged through the class. Gym was harder, and I was thankful Mike had forgiven me for rejecting him so easily. He volunteered to be my partner, and I was grateful, especially when I nearly took myself out tripping over the ball. We were playing basketball, and the entire gym knew by now not to pass me the ball unless they were willing to risk their life.
"Makeover today?" Alice asked, bounding next to me when gym was over. I shrugged, knowing that if I said no I would be faced with a giant guilt trip. Alice clapped her hands, leading me to her car. She'd taken to driving me to school too, saying it was a waste to have to come back for my car every day.
We pulled into my driveway minutes later. I was used to the routine by now –she'd already set up makeup and hair perfectionism products all over my table in my room – and trudged into the house. I sighed, knowing that the next hour and a half would be boring for me.
Alice skipped in ahead of my somehow, leading the way upstairs. She seemed more excited than normal, humming tunes. But maybe that was just me.
As usual, she wouldn't let me look in the mirror until she was finished. I rolled my eyes, but as usual was pleasantly surprised by my appearance.
"We should do this before school," Alice said. "That way people would see you. Or maybe you should start showering right after school, and then I can just do your hair and you'll sleep with it in. Oh! Yes, that will work. You're doing that from now on."
I groaned but knew I couldn't fight with her. My chest ached, and I didn't know why.
"I have to go, Bella," Alice said, skipping over to kiss both of my cheeks quickly. "Don't worry, tomorrow's Friday!"
She sped out of the driveway, turning onto the main road and disappearing within seconds. I glanced in the mirror, rolling my eyes at my best friend. She tended to get a little out of touch. I went to my closet, pulling out the dress she'd bought me in Port Angeles. As much as I hated to admit it, it was my favorite. I held it up to myself, examining my reflection.
"Imperfect," I muttered at my reflection. It was true; when Alice had shown me this dress it looked stunning. I went to my bathroom, slipping it on carefully. I walked out to examine myself, twirling around. It looked nice enough on me, but it wasn't nearly as gorgeous as it had been on her. I kept muttering imperfect, although another part of me whispered that it looked nice.
I shrugged, wishing I could stop having conversations with myself.
"It looks nice."
I jumped, turning to blush crimson. I couldn't find a proper response, since I'd been caught trying on a dress I was supposed to hate.
"How long have you been here?" I asked him, hugging him around the shoulders. He hugged me back gently.
"Long enough," he said, smirking at me. I blushed deeper, causing him to chuckle. He pulled back so that he could examine the dress. "It looks simply stunning."
I rolled my eyes at him, crossing my arms self consciously over my chest. "It does not," I muttered. He just wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close again.
It was like that day when we'd been in his house. He put one hand on my lower back, keeping me close to him. He locked eyes with me as he dipped his head to meet my warm lips with his cold ones. I felt a shock course through me, realizing my chest no longer ached. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer to him. I was starting to get dizzy, but when I pulled away for air he moaned, pressing his forehead against mine.
"Yes, it does," he said, referring to my dress. I was too out of breath to argue, so I just nodded, pulling his lips greedily back to mine. He obliged, moving his lips against mine slowly. It was a sweeter kiss, and I put all the emotion into it I could muster.
"I love you," he whispered in his gorgeous voice. My heart was racing as he shot me his dazzling smile.
"I love you, Edward," I said back. Then I thought of something.
"Alice said something was going on, something that you were going to tell me." I pulled away from him, going into the bathroom to change. Edward smiled at my new outfit – jeans and a sweatshirt.
"I must say, that looks beautiful too." I smirked at him, grabbing his hand as I walked carefully down the stairs. My heart was still pounding from the sudden kiss, and I grabbed the bread off of the counter.
"You're avoiding the topic," I pointed out, spreading some peanut butter on the white bread with a knife. I reached for the jelly, smearing some on the other piece. Edward made a disgusted face at my choice of a good meal, but let me lead the way to the couch.
"It's nothing," he said carefully. "Just some friends coming to visit. We used to live with them in Denali, Alaska."
It didn't sound like big news, so I was still skeptical.
"What's the big deal with that?" I asked. Then I thought about it for a second. Old friends, which meant females. "Edward, you didn't happen to be involved with one, did you?"
It only took his slight pause to send a trill of fear through me. I felt my heart start to panic, speeding up. He slipped his fingers through mine, kissing my nose.
"Bella, there was nobody there that I had any feelings for," he said. I looked into his eyes, which were shining with nothing but honesty. That made me feel better, but then I thought about his wording.
"Which one?" I whispered, taking another bite of my sandwich. Edward raised an eyebrow at me, much better than anything I could do.
"Which one liked you?" I clarified. Edward sighed, kissing our entwined fingers.
"Her name is Tanya," he said quickly, "But I told her in a very gentlemanly fashion that I did not share the same feelings as her. She doesn't quite get the message, however I think that she will this weekend."
I looked at him quizzically for a second before I realized what he was saying. "Edward! I can't go, there's going to be vampires there!"
I realized what I was saying and joined in his laughter. I shook my head, trying to clarify. "What I mean is, I don't want to get in the way of you and your girlfriend."
Edward rolled his eyes at me, and I was sure he'd be blushing if he could. "You're going to come and I'm going to show you off. I'm going to hug you and let Alice play Bella Barbie and watch you walk down those stairs in that dress in your closet. You're going to make Tanya the most envious vampire ever, love, and you don't even realize it because you're so completely perfect."
He kissed me softly, and I gasped when his tongue traced my lips lightly. He chuckled and pulled back, his eyes sparkling with humor.
"Well, that doesn't taste nearly as bad when it's coming from your mouth," he said, laughing. I blushed, leaning back over lay on his chest.
"You're weird," I mumbled as he turned on the television. He shrugged, accepting this, and I laughed.
"Tomorrow Angela and Jessica are coming over for a girl's night in," I said as we lounged casually.
"Oh?" Edward murmured, playing with my hair. Edward had a view of the television, I chose to watch his face instead.
"Yes, and its going to be fun because I sense that Jessica has an ulterior motive or something top secret, because she is way too interested in hanging out with me."
Edward chuckled, combing my hair with his long, slender fingers. "Really? Huh, Jessica having ulterior motives. Who'd have guessed?" I smiled, burying my face in his chest.
I hadn't dreamt of my mother in a long time, but that night, after Charlie had gone to sleep, I fell asleep in Edward's arms.
"Mom?" I called, tripping down the stairs.
"What do you want?" A voice hissed. I heard classical music, Debussy, drifting from the living room. I followed it, seeing my mom curled in a corner. She glared up at me, confusion in her usually light, carefree eyes.
"You're ruining music time," she whispered. Her confusion turned to hate as she stood up on shaky legs to greet me. I opened my arms, expecting a hug. Instead I got a sharp slap in the face.
"Mom!" I cried, pain evident in my voice. She stared at me as though I'd done something horribly wrong, as if I'd done something bad to her.
"Go away, leave me and baby alone," she said, turning back to the music. "I don't love you anymore."
I woke shaking violently. I reached out for anything, gripping the bedsheets.
"No no," I murmured to myself. "No more." I realized then that I wasn't alone, that it wasn't me that was doing all of the shaking. I was cradled against Edward's cold marble chest, and the bedsheets weren't bedsheets, but his white button down shirt that I'd soaked through with my tears.
"Oh!" I cried, a little too loudly. I lowered it to a whisper as I continued. "Sorry, I just…"
"Nightmare?" Edward guessed, slowing his rocking. My dream seemed half as bad now, just a wisp of a dream in this wonderful fantasy I'd conjured up. How I managed to dream of Edward was beyond me, but I was enjoying it very much.
Might a well make the most out of dreams, right?
I nodded, climbing out of his lap so I was more conveniently seated next to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my lips gently against his. This dream Edward seemed slower than the ones in my normal dreams, more careful than the others. I smiled against his lips, pressing myself gently against him. I was happy that in this dream I at least seemed more alert.
Edward's lips were soft, hesitant against mine. I tightened my grip around him, molding the shape of my mouth to his. He seemed to react now, kissing me back with a little more energy than before. This dream Edward was past confusion now as he laid me down on the bed. I smiled for a moment before I realized that he wasn't going to kiss me, he was tucking me in. Dream Edward was not supposed to do this.
"What?" I asked as he chuckled, tucking the covers around me. "Don't you want to kiss me?"
Guilting the dreams usually helped, but this time he only smiled at me. "Of course I do, love, but I think you're a bit delirious. You called me dream Edward."
I frowned, rolling my eyes. "Duh" I said, leaning up to press my lips against him. But his strong iron arms were restraints on me, keeping us a safe distance apart. He was laughing now, but bent down to brush his lips softly against mine.
"Go to sleep, love, and you will see what I mean in the morning," he whispered, humming the familiar tune that put me to sleep instantly.
When I woke in the morning I blushed immediately, realizing what I'd done.
"Oops," I muttered, burying my face against my pillows. "This is so horribly embarrassing!"
Edward's soft chuckle rang in my ears from next to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, turning me so I was facing him.
"Really? Because you seem to have a lot of fun with dream Edward." I blushed, moaning. "No Bella, don't get me wrong. I wish I could be dream Edward." He sighed like a twelve year old girl and I slapped him.
"Don't make fun of me. I can't help that I got confused," I said, sighing. "I'm sorry."
He smiled at me, brushing the hair back. "Don't worry, I don't mind."
I moaned again and flipped out of the bed. Charlie had long since left for work, and I still had forty minutes. I got some breakfast, almost entirely forgetting about my nightmare. After I brushed my teeth and put on an outfit, I was pretty sure I'd accomplished everything.
"Time for Alice to come get me," I said, tapping my foot.
"You know, we aren't going to see each other until tomorrow afternoon," he mused, "So maybe you'll want to say goodbye now?"
"I think I said goodbye enough last night," I muttered, ignoring his chuckle. His cool breath washed into my ear, making my shiver, but for whole different reasons.
"I don't."
I giggled, turning to wrap my arms around him for a hug. I pulled back, burying my face into his neck.
"I do."
Alice pulled into the driveway, honking her horn for me to get to the car. Edward frowned, making me laugh, as I skipped out to the car. Somehow I managed to make it and not trip.
--
After school I hitched a ride with Angela in her car. Jessica tagged along, saying that they'd drop her off at the parking lot later. We rented movies and listened to Jessica gossip about absolutely nothing. By the time the second movie was ending Jessica had nearly bored me to death.
Angela was better at hiding her feelings though, nodding every few minutes to what she was saying and making little noises so it sounded like she was interested. If she hadn't been rolling her eyes at me every few seconds, I would have guessed she was seriously enjoying Jessica's talk about how perfect Mike was.
I got upset when she moved on to mention Edward Cullen, talking about how perfect he was, how much better than Mike he was. I all but kicked her out when she started getting into detail, and I said goodnight to Angela too.
"We have to do something, just you and me," Angela said as I ushered Jessica out the door. I knew she had some motive, I just didn't know what. I nodded though, happy Angela realized I wasn't kicking her out.
"Sunday?" I asked, grateful that she nodded.
"Can Ben come too though? I don't know what we're doing, but we wanted to hang out then. I hope you don't mind," she said, looking apologetic. The sun was setting by now, and the clock on the wall read nine o'clock.
"Sure, that sounds fun," I said, hugging her quickly. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
Angela nodded and ran to her car, desperate not to get drenched in the sudden downpour. I ran inside, taking a warm shower and crawling into bed. Edward was hunting again, saying that he didn't want to tempt himself any more than he had to.
I thought about tomorrow. I wondered if Tanya and I could be friends, if it would really be okay. I wondered if Edward was going to realize how he felt about her, or if this was really going to be as easy as he said it was? I sighed, finally letting thoughts of nothing fill my head as I drifted into a peaceful and light slumber.
Hoorayy, some tanya stuff going on. no, i don't like tanya, but hey, who does? i'll be updating, but if you give me some nice reviews im sure it will go a lot faster (: