Chapter 21: Sister Only Thinks She Knows Best

"She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child."
-Barbara Alpert

Alice threw the door to my room wide open, the knob hit against the wall opposite the door with enough force to dent the drywall.

"I could've sworn I locked that," I muttered at her, sticking my nose back into my medical text book.

She brandished a straightened out paperclip and a butter knife, "You did."

I stared at her for a minute before I went out of my room and called down the stairs, "Esme!"

My mother came running up, starring between Alice and me. Alice looked smug, while I'm sure that I looked furious.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"Alice picked the lock into my room," I said angrily. I felt like a teenager again with a kid sister; instead of two adult siblings who should've been more mature than breaking and entering.

"I did knock," Alice said.

"So that's why you came to get the knife," Esme stated sagely. "I thought I taught you better than that."

I stared smugly at Alice.

"You're not supposed to use a butter knife, get a credit card or something so you don't scratch my doors," Esme chided while I stared at her my mouth agape.

"Are you seriously encouraging your daughter to break into my room?" I demanded.

"Who do you think taught her how to pick locks?" Esme asked, disappearing down the stairwell.

My mother was a criminal. Who would've thought? I would have to ask Carlisle later why Esme even knew how to pick locks.

Alice giggled at me, and followed me into my room. I debated throwing her out and moving my bureau in front of my door so she really couldn't get in, but it was no use fighting against Alice.

"What do you want, sister dear?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"You're going out with me and Jasper tonight," she stated proudly, her fists planted on her hips.

I quirked an eyebrow at her, "I have a lot of work to do here, Alice; and, besides, I'm not going to be a third wheel."

"Your work can wait—and you won't be a third wheel. I met a very nice young woman today and she's coming out to be your date!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Who is this girl?" I asked warily. Blind dates were never a good idea.

"I'm not telling you," Alice stated impishly, "you'll just have to come and find out."

"Have I met this person before?"

Alice shrugged.

"C'mon, Alice, tell me," I begged.

She pretended to lock her lips and then threw the key over her shoulder.

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Tell me or I'm not going."

"Oh yes you are," she said harshly.

"I'm a grown man, you can't intimidate me," I told her flopping back across my bed and staring arrogantly at her.

She stomped her foot, "Edward Anthony Masen-Cullen, you are going with me and Jasper and you will enjoy yourself! Don't make me call Daddy to come up here and threaten you."

I sighed, "Where do you plan on taking me?"

"We're going to the Mexican restaurant that has the dance floor so we can Salsa," she said, giving a flip to the skirt she was wearing.

"No, absolutely not," I told her.

"What?" He whined, "It'll be fun!"
"What part of me dancing provocatively with a complete stranger will be fun?" I asked rhetorically.

"Who said she was a complete stranger?" Alice shot back, her eyes dancing.

"Excuse me? So I do know this young woman," I said.

Her eyes grew wide and she zipped her lips again, and then pretended to fetch a roll of what I assumed to be Duct tape out of one of her pockets and taped it across her lips.

"Fine," I sighed, scrubbed my hands across my face, "What time am I to get there?"

"About 8:30," she said. "Jazz and I are picking your date up, so we'll meet you at the restaurant."

I sighed but didn't argue. If I was driving myself then I could bail more easily.

"Take a shower," Alice commanded, "shave, you're getting a little scruffy. Put on some nice clothes." She made a beeline for my closet but I stopped her.

"I can pick out my own clothes, thank you very much," I said, blocking her way.

She pouted at me but conceded.

"Wear comfortable shoes," were her parting words as she pranced out of my room. I watched her go, debating getting a deadbolt for my bedroom door.

I sighed and stalked to my bathroom. I locked the door and started the shower. It didn't take long for the water to heat up and I showered quickly, running over possibilities for my 'date' to be.

Alice knew a lot of people, though I doubted she had met anyone at her job—the people that went into the antique store were either old people or collectors, so I doubted she'd met her there.

But who would it be? Someone she knew from college? God I hoped not, she majored in fashion design and marketing that would be awful to be set up with a mindless fashion zombie.

I wanted a girl who knew how to enjoy a good book, who liked music. Who was intelligent.

I didn't want some blonde bimbo who just wanted to be with me because I was good arm-candy. I didn't even like blondes.

I preferred brunettes. Preferably with brown eyes, longer hair too.

I'd either just described Bella Swan or my adopted mother. I groaned and beat my head against the wet tile. This was just getting to be ridiculous—I couldn't get Bella out of my brain. No matter how hard I tried not to think about her, she just kept coming back. I couldn't think about her, not with everything else that was weighing so heavily on my mind.

I jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist. I shaved quickly, not really doing a good job and cutting myself in places but I just wanted my ridiculous date to be over with.

By the time my shower was done it was 7 o'clock. I still have another forty-five minutes before I had to leave.

I searched my closet for something to wear, even debated wearing something that didn't match just to piss Alice off. I finally settled on some dark jeans and a polo shirt. I fished my dad's old leather jacket off its hanger. I held it to my face and breathed in deeply.

I swore I could still smell my dad's cologne on that jacket. It was the one of the only possessions from the car that was salvageable after that night. Carlisle had taken it for me and when I was released from the hospital he gave it back to me. He told me never to forget my Dad—that it was very important that I treasured the memories I had of my parents and that he and Esme didn't want to replace them.

I sighed and slipped the jacket onto my shoulders. I looked in my mirror. I looked like Dad. Albeit with red hair, but Dad nonetheless.

I think he would've liked that I was wearing it. He loved that jacket.

"Knock, knock," my mother said, opening the door.

I turned away from the mirror and looked at her.

"Are you very angry at Alice?" She asked, sitting on the corner of my bed.

"Not really," I said, sitting next to her. "She had good intentions."

Esme nodded and then smiled.

"You know who I'm being set up with, don't you?" I accused.

"Of course I do, I'm your mother I know everything," she said. She was as bad as Alice sometimes—what was it with women and omniscience?

I shook my head at her. "I don't suppose you'll tell me who I'm going out with tonight."

"Alice and Jasper and another very lovely young woman whom you're going to enjoy spending the evening with," she said with a brilliant smile.

I groaned and rolled my eyes, "Does this lovely young woman whom I'm going to enjoy spending the evening with have a name?"

"Yes she does," Esme nodded.

"But you won't tell me it," I said.

"Nope, I'm under an oath of secrecy, Alice made me promise not to tell," she said with a laugh.

I sighed, "Thanks a lot, Mother."

"I promise Edward, you'll have a good time. You just have to let yourself go—don't worry about anything else, don't over think things. Just be the charming young man that I know you are."

I nodded mutely, I couldn't think of anything to say. She patted my knee, "Go have fun."

I snagged my keys off of my dresser and trotted down the stairs. I was a little eager to get out of the house and do something, and I was ready to meet whoever Alice had set me up with.

I was the first to arrive at the restaurant; I told the hostess that there were three more people in my party and to seat us at a booth. I slid into one of the benches, my back to the door.

"You actually came!" Alice squealed running up to me and throwing her arms around my neck. I chuckled and put her into a headlock.

"Don't mess up my hair Edward," she threatened.

"What hair?" I asked, running my fingers through her short, choppy dark hair. She'd had it long for her entire life but when she hit college she chopped it all off and donated it to Locks of Love.

She pulled away from me and I stood up to shake Jasper's hand. He smiled and then nodded over my shoulder.

I spun around to come face to face with my date.

Bella Swan.

Dun, dun, dun.

If your sister (if you don't have a sister just pretend) tried to set you up on a blind date, would you go? Probably not, my sister would set me up with a creep.