A/N: Okay so a lot of life shit happened. I'll be getting to PMs the next few days. Bless firenubs for being supportive when I doubted this chapter. Also, Alice crashing the Phoenix trip and the rest of the Cullens following suit was my favorite guess.
To address concerns, Bella's healthy, she just had migraines and nosebleeds as a result of flipping her shield on Edward for a week. She is also 100% human lmao -looks at Paige in particular- but yes, the supernatural does kind of like her. You'll see. Oh and the rock Bella gave Esme was one she tripped on, that's all. Idk what my thing with rocks is, RR.
Guest who mentally prepared for feels, I hope you did enough because goddamn I think there are too many. Oh, and about Emmett?
So I, personally, think there's an iconic moment in this chapter and I just love it so damn much.
The day was pretty regular so far except for Jessica descending on her as soon as she got out of her truck about ten minutes ago, flanked by Mike and Angela. Just a regular Monday otherwise. Of course this only worked if she blocked out the way Alice laughed at her from the Cullen parking spots and how she caught a smug grin from Rosalie that Jasper somewhat echoed. And she definitely blocked that out. She'd also tuned out Mike as he put some textbooks into his locker and rifled through his backpack, complaining about…something. A class, maybe.
"I explained that to you twice. You weren't listening either time." Angela looked over her glasses at Mike, who had the decency to look ashamed.
"You know him," Jessica laughed a little nervously, "Just cute and oblivious."
Rolling her eyes, Bella shook her head. Poor girl was practically slapping him in the face with hints now. Is it a hint if it's obvious?
Something hard made Bella stumble into the lockers, grunting.
"What the fuck!"
Bella followed Jessica's gaze and scowled at blonde hair disappearing down the hallway in the crowd of students. "I'll fight you, Hale!" She missed Angela's curious gaze as she rubbed her shoulder and focused on a slack-jawed Mike.
"What'd you do to piss her off?"
"What's that bitch's problem? I thought she was supposed to be your 'friend' or something? Actually, you know what? What's wrong with all of them? Like. What the fuck?" Jessica poked Bella's shoulder as if that'd tell her that her friend was okay.
"Nah. Guys. Everything's fine."
"Oh, so they just—" A strangled noise left Jessica as Mike touched her shoulder and she dropped her hands to her sides. Her face, however, still held some anger and confusion.
"Maybe Rosalie is having a bad day?"
Mike and Jessica looked at Angela, but Bella just shook her head, scowl returning to her face. "She's having a great day. Trust me."
Some alarms had been going off for Bella for a while now. Alice didn't appear in-between periods, Jasper looked like he was suppressing a laugh when she saw him in history, and Edward hadn't awkwardly popped up after second period to weirdly—though it was becoming somewhat endearing—ask if she fell asleep during class. She also didn't see a single sign of Rosalie.
All in all, she was relieved when it came time for lunch. Because food fixed everything. So she naturally glared daggers at Jessica for leading her away from the line.
"Don't even start."
"You started, I'll finish," Bella snapped. She looked at where she was being led and had to pull in her hostility at the sight of Mike and Angela sitting alone at a table. "Why couldn't this wait till we all got food? Or at least me?"
Angela slid a cookie over to Bella once they sat, smiling at her grumpy friend. "I voted in favor of food."
"Me too." Mike stared longingly at the cookie Bella nibbled on.
"Well, too fucking bad. We're having a meeting."
It seemed more like an intervention and the thought made her glance past students at Edward, thinking back on the joke she'd made about having one before. She absently wondered what new jokes could spawn from this while Jessica shushed Mike about food again.
"So what's going on?"
"An act of friendship," Angela answered. "Possibly misplaced."
Bella held her gaze, but she couldn't discern the double-meaning she sensed. Or, at least, she couldn't be sure of it.
"Okay. So, like. You're weird, really weird—"
"I feel so loved."
"—But," Jessica glared, "But we're friends and that means being there for each other, even if we don't like it or react badly."
Mike nodded.
"Okaaaay." Bella looked between them.
Mike, being Mike, saved Jessica from her awkward fumbling for how to begin, and blurted, "Alice sucks."
"The fuck, Mike? That is not what we talked about!"
Angela shared a tired look with Bella.
Jessica clapped a hand over his mouth the moment he opened it again. She fixed a surprisingly serious expression on Bella. "It's not cool how she's treating you. Like, she used you as a chair last week and just drags you around and holds your hand and kisses your cheek sometimes and she has a boyfriend. One she's been with for years. What about him? Even if she's tired of him, this isn't cool. I mean sure, he's even weirder than you but that doesn't mean he deserves—"
Brown eyes widened as Jessica talked faster and faster. The girl's anxiety infected Bella and she started bouncing her leg, trying to understand why Jessica's mouth was running a marathon and why Mike wasn't looking at any of them and why Angela had leaned just a little bit away from her.
Then she remembered that the last time someone said something negative about Alice to her face she gave them a black eye. Bella latched onto the last thing she'd processed, speaking in the calmest voice she could muster. "Have you ever talked to him?" She watched Jessica resemble a fish.
"Who?" Mike asked.
"Jasper."
"Uhm. No." Jessica fidgeted "But—"
"He's nice."
Bella nodded at Angela's words. "Jasper's actually not someone I'd describe as weird. Or quirky. Alice, sure, but that's just Alice."
Jessica eyed her so long that she shrugged. Seeing that there wouldn't be a hostile reaction, she continued, though she still stared at Bella a little anxiously. "So, about Alice. I know you're gay and she's…whatever she is, but uhm." She looked at the surrounding tables, even leaning around Mike, "Did you know Valerie likes you? Valerie is nice. And not weird."
"Who?" Bella looked around like Jessica had. Her brain didn't place the name to any of the faces she saw.
Angela laughed.
"God, are you fucking serious? You can't be as dumb as Mike just 'cause you're gay."
"Hey!"
Rubbing the back of her neck, Bella felt eyes on her and saw a few sets of amused gold staring across the cafeteria. Definite affection lurked in one of them. "Am I supposed to know who that is?"
Jessica slapped her hands to her face and braced her elbows on the table. "My god."
Mike cleared his throat. "The chick with green eyes and glasses that giggles a lot." When Bella stared at him blankly, he jerked his head to the left. "Valerie. You have two periods with her…? Biology is one."
"I don't notice shit in Biology except Edward, honestly."
If she looked at the Cullen table, she would've seen him beaming while Rosalie and Alice rolled their eyes.
"Him too!" Jessica slammed her hands down on the table.
Bella cocked an eyebrow. "You think Edward has a crush on me too?"
"No." Angela reached across the table to pat Jessica's hand while she waited on Bella's gaze. "Val's in gym with you, too."
"She tries to fucking hold your hand! She's planning how to ask you out!"
Bella leaned back, even scooting her chair away from Jessica's outburst. "I'm, uh, a little, a lot oblivious." She waved her hands in front of her when Jessica's eye twitched. "Look, I've never believed someone wanted to be with me, okay? It's a fucking mystery to me. I actually looked some girl in the eyes in Phoenix and said, 'God, I'm sorry. Why though?' when she said something to me. Like, have you met me?"
Jessica threw Angela a look between tired and annoyed. "Why are we friends with Isabella Swan again?"
They got sidetracked and Bella realized she could feel a glare or two burning a hole in the side of her head. She crossed her arms and resolutely avoided looking anywhere near the direction of the Cullens. "Uh, so what about Edward?"
"—He's not so great either." Jessica had quickly dropped whatever she was saying before for this and crossed her arms. "All he did was piss you off and you guys even got into a bad argument in the parking lot. You guys act cool now, but I don't believe it. Especially with you and Rosalie. Ugh, that bitch." She looked for agreement from her friends and continued on when she didn't get any aside from a small nod from Mike. "How the fuck does she just show up and, and, show up and, shit."
"Dictate."
"How does she show up and dictate your time? Like what the fuck? She's supposedly your friend but publicly controls your time and tells you to fuck off and shoves you into a locker? I say fuck all the Cullens."
Bella looked between her friends. "And you guys say?"
Mike scratched his temple and nodded, maybe more to himself than them. "You like Alice. Alice likes you. I say we, uh, make her jealous so she chooses you over Jasper. Ya know?"
Feeling Bella's eyes on her, Angela shrugged, studying Bella. "I'm here for your well-being. Like I said, I think this is misplaced."
"It is, because I don't have feelings for Alice. Well, not gay ones. And besides, Jasper's my friend."
"You're in some deep denial, dude."
"You're like a fucking Christmas tree when Alice comes around! As Christmas tree as you can get, anyway. You know, for a grumpy asshole." Jessica gestured vaguely. "And, like, you're as touchy with her as she is with you and you act like a damn goblin about touching people. You can't tell me you don't at least want to hit that."
Bella's mouth started falling open and her heart beat irregularly, distressed. Her vision dimmed, sound seemed like she was underwater. A knot of hot and cold formed in her stomach. It rose up her throat no matter how much she swallowed. She kept desperately swallowing back it and excess saliva.
"Shit, are you okay?" Mike snapped his fingers in front of her.
Alice was absolutely sexually active, and most likely had been for a long time. She was an old vampire who had a mate for some time, after all. A mate who was rather tall while she was short.
"Bella?"
Alice, who was a living ray of sunshine and mirth and silliness, probably had a lot of sex.
Air hit her face in waves and she blinked, focusing on the world around her again. She snatched the folder from Angela's hand and violently fanned herself, fighting back the sickness in her stomach. Her mind kept conjuring images and her only blessing was the lack of sound. She tried to think of something else, anything else. Of math, of Charlie's mustache, of her mother rambling about her day. Of Edward's face.
"I told you Bella didn't have a crush on Alice," Angela muttered as she touched a hand to her friend's forehead.
"Okay, but, like, you know we have every reason to think so! I didn't know she'd want to fucking vomit about fucking—"
"Shh! No! Don't talk about that. Please." Bella swallowed heavily, still fanning herself. "Like, ever. Alice is my adorably weird, small, cute best friend and she is precious and should be protected."
"Well," Jessica said awkwardly before clearing her throat. "The Cullens still suck."
Bella took a deep breath as she handed back the folder. "Edward and I had some differences in opinion to work through. We did."
"So you guys are friends now?" Mike glanced behind him toward the Cullen table.
"Yeah. Yeah, I think it'd suck if he died."
Jessica shot her a look. "Wow. I don't even want to know how you feel about me."
Angela, however, smiled. "You said Jasper's your friend? So then he obviously doesn't have a problem with you and Alice, hm? You two aren't exactly private with your affections."
A snort tore out of Jessica at the word "private" while Mike laughed.
"Nope." Bella popped the last syllable and leaned back in her chair, kicking up her foot on one of the supports under the table.
"So that's all but one, then." Angela's gaze studied Bella in a way that made her stare back.
"Yes," Jessica said tiredly. "Explain away that bitch too. I can't wait."
Before Bella could say anything, she heard a round of laughter from the Cullen table and scowled, leaning around her friends to stare at them. Rosalie's smug-ass face apparently threw Bella's reason out the window. Blushing, she made an ill-thought out decision and shouted across the cafeteria, "Hey! Fuck you! You're gorgeous and I'm out of practice, okay?"
Instead of staring at the Cullens, a majority of the room now stared at her, including her friends.
"Bella, what the fuck?"
Mike raised his eyebrows. "Dude, you sure you don't like Alice? It, uh, seems a lot like it."
"You make me say that too much. I need new friends. God, Bella, you're so damn weird. What the fuck was that about?"
"Who were you yelling at?"
Cheeks still red, Bella blinked dumbly at Angela's too-perfect question and too-thoughtful eyes. She couldn't explain because that meant admitting she'd fainted instead of kissing Rosalie and they might've thought she was lying anyway. And she couldn't lie because either that meant she perpetuated the idea of liking Alice or something equally crazy because she was stupid enough to yell to a third of the school that someone at the Cullen table was gorgeous.
"God, Ange, it's obviously Alice. She's still fucking laughing away over there. Who else would it be? Rosalie fucking Hale? Don't be ridiculous. Bella just—she—Bella, do you," Jessica dragged a hand down her face. She leaned forward, whispering, her cheeks slowly tinting with a blush, "Bella, do you just not like the idea of sex? Are you, like, scared of it or something? I know I'm, like, you know, nervous about it, I guess, but—"
"Oh, no. This is over." Bella stood up and pointed behind herself. "I'm going somewhere and pretending this never happened. I'm not into Alice. Good talk. Thanks. Bye."
The next day she was still hanging up on Rosalie's smug phone calls and digging a deep grave of denial about her fainting incident even as she raised her hand to knock.
Jacob swung the door open and walked back into the living room without a word.
She briefly considered running off to her truck and driving away. But that didn't happen. She just closed the door behind herself before settling near him on the couch. The lack of a smile on his usually bright face made Bella's palms start to sweat. "What's wrong, Jake?"
He eyed what used to be Leah's jacket. "Oh, I don't know. Found out my best friend is leaving the state from someone else."
Bella winced. With a cough, she pulled a beanie from her pocket and set it on his leg. "I'm sorry. I'm still hoping to somehow not go. This is what I said I'd get you."
A smile twitched at his lips at the sight of his name decorating a side of it, but he kept it off his face. "Over two months ago? While I've seen you five or six times and Leah's your new buddy."
She ran her palms down her jeans. Her leg started to bounce. "I'm her kidnapping victim." Damn, she'd never been good at these things, but this was probably a new low for her.
"Alice kidnapping you too?" Jacob thumbed through the channels on the TV.
"Yes."
"How is she?"
"Great, I love her." Definitely a new low. Also, she was definitely Charlie's daughter. "She's a nuisance."
A wry smile twisted part of his face and his thumb hit the button a little harder. "Cool, so nuisances and kidnappers rank higher than me."
"Jake—"
"Don't 'Jake' me, Bella. Just don't."
It wasn't fair. To either of them. Sure, that was life, but still. The fact was he had a thing for her that wasn't showing signs of dying and she didn't know how to cope with those things aside from kind of hiding away. "It's not about rank, Jake."
"You think I don't know that you rank people, Bella?"
"Not the important ones."
He settled on some random channel with a commercial playing about a mystical garden hose that would survive the apocalypse. "So what is it, then?"
"It." Her leg bounced anew. She knew Jacob. She knew herself. This wasn't something they could talk about without it getting ugly and it pressed on their friendship like an ominous raincloud. She still hoped the skies would just clear up. "I'm shitty, Jake. You know that."
He snorted.
She ignored it. "I'm shitty and my life is changing and I'm still adjusting and I. I'm expecting to wake up one day and everything will be like it was when I got to Forks and then I'll cry because what a sick joke. I'm ready to cry every day because this is so surreal to me. I still can't believe anything."
Jacob finally looked at her, his deep eyes letting softness show. "Bella—"
"Do you know how fucking weird it is, how fucking, just, I don't know. All of it. I'm learning what a mom is? And I've never needed one so why the fuck am I so worried about her opinion of me? I can do fine by myself. I've always been fine by myself!" Bella blinked back the tears in her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. She stared at the TV without seeing it.
Slowly, he sighed. Jacob got to a knee on the couch and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her face to his chest.
"I'm scared to be by myself again."
The muffled sentence made him freeze for a second. Then he sighed again and started to pet her hair. "That's normal, Bells."
"I'm not her kid. And Alice lives a hundred miles an hour, I don't know how she's not bored of me."
Jacob nodded. "You are pretty meh."
She didn't even argue it, just sighed. "What if Leah doesn't wanna be around me anymore when she's not so angry and not so sad anymore?" She closed her eyes, whispering, "What if she's just playing a game with me?"
"What? Leah's too impatient to play games."
"No. I. It doesn't matter. I know she wouldn't do that, it's just me and my stupid view of myself and shit. You know my brain."
His nose crinkled and he wasn't up to date on her life, not really, but he knew he missed something. Slowly, he said, "Alice wouldn't do that to you. I could see in her eyes she cares about you."
"What if you don't wanna be around me after?" Bella pulled away from him, rubbing her eyes.
He watched her as he settled back down next to her, trying to find some words that would help. But Bella was Bella and moved through things like they'd drown her if she lingered too long.
"How's that bike coming along?"
"You wanna see?"
Bella hopped off the couch with a grin that didn't entirely match her eyes and Jacob echoed it. He pulled on the beanie, raising an eyebrow and holding his arms wide. She snorted and adjusted it before patting his cheek. Maybe they were kind of pretending, sweeping things under a rug that they'd later trip on, but at least they could just enjoy each other's company as she followed him to the garage. She listened to him recount his adventures in repairing the motorcycle so far with a sense of relief in her chest.
Brown eyes peeled halfway open. No, she wasn't in a lake that was somehow bottomless with large lizard people dragging her to the bottom that didn't exist. Bella reached over and pulled her alarm clock near her face. The red numbers seared her eyes with the information it was 2:11 in the morning. She'd fallen asleep maybe three hours ago. She let it go and it slid off her bed, whacking against the night stand while she fumbled for her vibrating phone.
She swiped without looking, dropping her face into the pillow. A noise like a grunt and an expression of sadness left her.
"Alice said you were awake and I'm realizing that was a lie just as I suspected."
Whether it was because of the words or the lack of egotistical bitchiness for the first time in days, Bella hummed.
Rosalie clearly hesitated.
Brown eyes closed. "You can always call me. I won't be bothered."
"Is that why you keep hanging up on me?"
She made a sound in the back of her throat as she rolled onto her side, setting the phone against her ear and hoping it'd stay in place. "No, it's because you were being a smug ass bitch."
A self-satisfied noise came through.
"Are you okay?"
Her casual question made her reopen her eyes as if she could see Rosalie's face. That subtle surprise. The parting of lips she could barely detect, gold eyes widening ever so slightly, a vague softness coming over Rosalie's expression. Bella's tired mind grew alert. She knew Rosalie wasn't exactly okay. The vampire seemed to be snapping at her siblings more often during school the past few days and Bella felt her eyes more often than usual. It'd taken her until dinner with a grumpy Charlie that night to realize it all got worse as time went on, as it got closer to her trip to Phoenix.
Rosalie Hale was going to miss her.
"I'm never anything short of perfect, in case you've forgotten."
"Mm, I know. What's up?"
"Esme's fretting over the 'family night' being tonight or Thursday."
The irritation in Rosalie's voice made her smile. She stretched and bit back a yawn. "Today? Then we can chill the night before I leave." Bella felt thankful she was too sleepy to be nervous or acknowledge that she was asking instead of stating.
Then she cocked an eyebrow at her ceiling. She rolled out of bed. Before, she might've thought she hallucinated the noise, but she'd gotten used to this.
Rosalie, however, was not, and obviously listened for the result of it.
Bell slid open her window and, shivering at the sudden cold, glared down at the wide smile she could see in the moonlight. "Did you forget your phone?"
"Ah. Stray dog."
Leah patted her pocket and gestured for Bella to move.
"You could've texted me instead of throwing rocks at my window like a dumb boy, you know."
"Shut up and move or get moved. I won't pay your hospital bills."
"What a loving friendship you two share."
"Shut up, Rosalie," they both said.
Bella rolled her eyes, just imagining the vampire's sour expression, and retreated to her dresser. "There are too many people in my—" Leah could apparently jump high enough to latch onto the windowsill and haul herself into the room. Scowling, Bella continued, refusing to acknowledge the feat as impressive. "There's too many people in my life."
Rosalie hummed. "Would you like for me to go?"
Laughing earned Leah a glare. As she closed in for, something, maybe a hug, she froze mid-step when Bella thrusted the phone at her. She watched Bella head into the bathroom before kicking off her shoes and pulling off her jeans. She tucked herself under the covers. "Hey, babe, I think you just upgraded."
"That couldn't possibly have run her off. Believe me, I've tried."
"Nah, she's brushing her teeth." Leah paused to fluff her commandeered pillow. "She is kinda hard to get rid of. She's like mold or something. Rotting wood. Something. A disease, maybe."
Rosalie sighed. "Don't remind me."
Before she could reply, there was a hiss and some rustling noises. Then a peppy, "Hey!"
Leah chuckled. "Hey, Alice."
Over the sounds of Rosalie cursing her entire existence and wind, like they were driving, "How are you? I miss you. We should get lunch again."
She'd initially judged Bella's random smiles and more upbeat demeanor, but, really, Alice Cullen was infectious. And so she found herself smiling even as she heard Bella huff. "How are you? Small, cute, and radiating deathly amounts of joy, I'm guessing."
Bella dragged a hand across her face. With a sigh, she knelt on her bed and pushed on her friend's shoulder. "Leah, get out of my bed. Alice, get off the phone."
"No."
"No!"
Two fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. It was too cold for this. As Bella hoped maybe she could recover her night and got under the blanket, nearly hanging off the side of her own bed, Leah's phone went off. She snatched it with a gut feeling. Ignoring Leah's indignant cry, she answered, "Hey, Rosalie. Our connection got really weird for a minute."
"So it did."
Bella smiled at her sour tone. "So what are you up to tonight?"
"Currently? I'm wondering if I heard correctly about a dog being in your bed."
The smile slid off her face and she heard Leah stutter over a word. Rosalie didn't sound pissed, but rather, like she tried not to be. Understandable, because someone other than Alice had climbed into her bed like they belonged there. Also the fact Rosalie Hale was a possessive vampire? Bella bit her cheek and rolled over, elbowing Leah. "What are you doing here?"
"Uh." It took Leah a minute to look over her shoulder, and it was fleeting. She adjusted the phone. Cleared her throat. "You're leaving in two days."
The silence thickened as they all tried to decide how to continue with what they perfectly understood as, I'm going to miss you a lot.
Bella rolled back over, pulling the covers as she did. "Well stop fucking hogging the blanket that you don't even need."
"Bite me."
"I will have someone actually bite you."
"Yeah? Who?"
"Give me the fucking blanket," Bella hissed in the dark. She wanted to yell, but this was too much to explain to Charlie.
"But I'm cuddly and warm!" Leah cleared her throat again. "So, anyway, like I was saying, Alice…"
"Stop grinding your teeth."
Bella stopped immediately. She exhaled. "I'm going to be arrested for murder."
"You say that like there'd be a body."
"Rude!"
"Mind your business." Bella pulled on the blanket again, finally getting some. Then, quieter, she asked, "Are you upset? Because if you are I'll go sleep on the couch or—"
"No, I'd sleep on the couch."
"And then Charlie goes downstairs and we explain that how, genius?"
A small growl rumbled in Leah's chest. "I'll—"
"It's fine."
Bella couldn't decide if she hated phone calls with Rosalie or not. The woman expressed so much without words that it made this type of conversation difficult to judge. "You know, I think I'd die of heatstroke if Leah tried to cuddle me." She ignored the curse thrown at her.
Rosalie hummed. "You'd both die."
The smile returned to Bella's face and she burrowed into her pillow. "So yes or no?" In the silence, her smile widened. Throwing off the stoic, infallible, in-control Rosalie Hale was easily a fun pastime. "About spending tomorrow night together."
"Ooooooo—ugh!" Leah rubbed her ribs, scowling over her shoulder.
"I need to see if I have any prior engagements, so I suppose it's a maybe as opposed to yes or no."
Brown eyes rolled. "Rosalie?" She hummed and in Bella's mind, she was inspecting her nails. Bella's mind also took that moment as an opportunity to stop working.
"Bella?"
Her jaw moved. No words came to her. Then she realized didn't want to convey words, but a feeling. She wanted to kiss Rosalie. The thought heated her cheeks, but she mostly attributed it to thinking about her fainting incident yet again. "Your hair is fabulous. I thought you should know."
"Yes, I do know." Rosalie's voice actually sounded like her small smile.
"So what were you doing before you called?"
"Reading."
Bella tucked her arm under her pillow. "What were you—" A snore cut through the air sharp enough to make Bella jump. "Oh my god, no."
A light laugh. "She read Alice in Wonderland to help her sleep."
"Uhm, that's cute?" Another snore made Bella wince and shut her eyes like that could block out sound. "This isn't. What this is, is how I die. This is the end. This is what kills me. Guide my soul to heaven, please."
"You're not going to die."
"Just tell me you'll guide my soul anyway, just in case."
"How would I even do that?"
"Well, obviously you just have to take it around with you." Bella's eyes shot open. That was pretty smooth, actually.
Judging from the pause, Rosalie thought so too.
"I might just give it to Edward."
Offense tore a noise out of Bella's throat. "I thought you loved me."
Met with even deeper silence, Bella could've kicked herself. Rosalie had a lot of issues, love being a very strong one. She valued it in whatever form above maybe everything. It wasn't a frivolous thing. It was serious and deep. And Bella had noticed the way Rosalie froze up whenever Bella and Alice exchanged those words. It was something Rosalie Hale craved.
It was something Rosalie Hale feared.
Running through things quickly so they couldn't latch on and pull you under was something Bella understood well, so she did what came naturally. "That's fine, though. I'm sure Edward would take care of my soul and be happy to do it since someone couldn't be bothered to." Her brow furrowed. "Alice would probably mug him for it, though."
"Most likely."
Leah's snore made them both hesitate.
"God, she's going to fucking wake Charlie at this rate." She glanced at where her clock used to be. "What time is it?"
Thankfully, Rosalie chose not to comment on her laziness. "Almost 3:30. Will you be able to go back to sleep?"
"I don't know. Tell me a story?"
Rosalie huffed. "How about I read you one instead? What am I saying? I'm not Alice. What have you done to me?"
"It's not the same." She sounded whiny even to herself. Still, she closed her eyes and pulled the blanket tighter.
"I'll tell you a story under one condition."
After Leah let out a surprisingly small snore, Bella hummed.
"Tell me a joke."
"Too sleepy."
"You know I don't accept excuses."
The simple contentment of hearing Rosalie's relaxed voice apparently pushed her toward sleep. Steady warmth radiating from Leah's side of the bed probably helped too. As she wracked her mind for a joke, some small part of her screamed to run, to shut down, to drive Rosalie away. She swallowed heavily, ignoring that distant panic. "You know what's really odd?"
"Tell me."
"Numbers not divisible by two."
Rosalie snorted. "That's horrible."
Bella thought she'd heard the sound of people laughing, but that could've just been her brain playing tricks on her.
With an agitated sigh, Rosalie started her story.
They both ignored the fact she just rehashed Hamlet.
Anxiety danced in Bella's throat and occasionally slipped into her chest. So when she gathered gift boxes from her truck and Rosalie appeared next to her, she jumped with a curse. The action caused her to fling one of the boxes across the cab and against the window. She clutched at her chest, whipping around to face Rosalie and her unimpressed eyebrow.
"Calm down. You look like you're just going to drive off into the sunset."
"I might." Bella resumed gathering her burdens of the day.
"Well, that would simply render me heartbroken."
She stopped breathing. That tone sounded like everything she didn't need to face right now. Playful, pouty, cute. Bella resolutely focused on her task, coughing a little as she finally took in air again. She shoved a few boxes toward Rosalie without looking. Her heart beat faster at the discovery that Rosalie actually stood less than a foot away.
The smug smile on Rosalie's face went ignored.
Esme swept open the door like she was welcoming home a child who'd gone off to college. She bustled forward, relieving Bella of the stack of gift boxes and asking about her day as she briefly touched her face.
Bella actually backpedaled into a very close Rosalie.
Esme didn't notice as she went back into the house. "Oh, dear, I hope you don't mind that we're doing this so early. I wanted you to have time to yourself later. Are you hungry?"
With the help of Rosalie giving her back a slight push, Bella started physically and mentally working again. "No, I'm okay. And the time is fine." Wow, I sound so comfortable. A wave of calm hit her and she blinked, looking around the room to find Jasper on the couch, offering her an understanding smile. "Uhm, so is everyone ready?"
Alice blindsided her. Even as the human wheezed, she tightened her hold and beamed up at her friend. "I've been ready for decades."
"I'm not even that old, Alice."
Rosalie snorted, depositing the rest of the boxes on the table between the couches. She dropped onto the armrest beside Jasper and crossed her legs, arm propped up on the space behind her brother's head.
"In a way, few of us are that old." Edward breezed past them with a wink and sat opposite of Jasper, hands folded in his lap.
Esme gave Bella's shoulder a light squeeze as she went to sit beside Edward. Somehow, Bella was a little taken aback by the camera in her hands. Another wave of calm hit her. Finally, Carlisle drifted in with an apology about paperwork and joined his wife, taking one of her hands in such an absent way it made Bella's heart clench in her chest.
Then she realized she was literally the center of attention. Bella patted Alice's head both to steady herself and to try expressing her thanks over not being left alone.
"Alright. First things first. Let's keep the world from ending." Her nerves had gotten so bad she felt eerily calm and embraced the feeling. Stepping out of Alice's hold, she scooped one of the rather nondescript boxes off the table. They all had bows and some were different sizes and shapes, but the only truly uniform thing about them was the numbers Bella had written on the top. She held the first box back to her best friend.
Instead of simply accepting it, Alice darted to Bella's side and bounced to the point of making the young woman teeter and bounce with her. Her gold eyes were totally focused on the item in her hands and her grin could've lit an abyss.
Bella felt a sense of warmth overcome her so suddenly she choked on air. She laid a hand on her energetic friend's arm to steady herself—which was a horrible idea—as she looked at Jasper, who had a smile softer than she thought him capable of. She nodded at him, understanding his silent thanks.
"If you opened it before I wither and die, that would be fantastic."
The only person that reacted to Rosalie was Bella with a roll of her eyes.
Alice showed how intense the impatience and curiosity all the waiting built in her by actually tearing through the box itself. Esme's tired sigh was lost on her. A small card, not more than four inches in size, tried to fall to the ground, but Alice's reflexes didn't allow it. She cocked her head. "Two hours?"
Bella stuck her hands in her pockets with a heavy sigh. Her eyes drifted along the paintings on some of the walls. "Two whole hours of shopping where I cannot leave your side or complain and must actually engage with my opinions on—"
Alice's squeal set off a few laughs as she pulled Bella off the ground, somewhat swinging her from side to side in the hug.
"I sincerely hope you survive," Carlisle said once his laugh eased into a chuckle.
Desperate, because she sensed no end to this and she was beginning to get dizzy, Bella shook one of the hands pinned to her side. "You're forgetting the rest of it."
"Oh!" Alice dropped Bella and snapped up the half of the box she hadn't destroyed off the hardwood while her friend crumpled and blinked at her surroundings. "They were out of these!"
When Bella looked up, she saw two pairs of blue heels instead of one. "Yeah, they apparently got a delivery while we were there."
"So that's why I had to stand around for twenty minutes?" Rosalie sniffed.
Carlisle coughed.
Bella got to her feet after Alice had already put on the heels and was almost knocked over by the happy kiss on her cheek. She had to practically shove against the babbling vampire. "Love you too, show Jasper. Look, he's waiting."
He aided her endeavor by patting the space next to him, but he didn't look remotely surprised when Alice blurred to his lap. He nodded seriously while she kicked up her leg and talked about her gift.
Rosalie, with a curled lip, left her perch for the other end of the couch.
"Whew. Still alive. Okay." Bella ran a hand through her hair.
"Am I next?"
Edward's timid question made Bella rub her temple to refrain from the same exasperated eye roll Rosalie did. Still, the way he'd leaned forward and scooted a little off his seat struck her as cute.
"Be patient, dear."
The few pats to his knee made Edward straighten his back and fold his hands in his lap once more.
"Regardless of who's next, please tell me the one marked '666' is for him and not me."
"I can't confirm or deny anything."
While Edward and Rosalie had similar, sour expressions, Jasper shared a subtle grin with Carlisle and Esme gave a light snort.
The box with "2" on it made its way to Carlisle's hands. He probably contrasted Alice as much as possible with the care he undid the bow and lifted the rectangular top. He stared at its contents.
Edward sighed.
"Oh, no."
Alice shushed her sister, bouncing yet again as she watched.
Esme, meanwhile, looked delighted like it was for her instead of her blank-faced husband. She reached in and her eyes sparkled even as Bella rubbed the back of her neck.
"I had to kind of guess at the colors, and I figured at least one out of three had to okay with you, but, uh—"
"I love them." His warm voice matched the smile he offered her.
Carlisle pulled off the red scarf he wore and, settling his box in Esme's lap, stood to loop it around a not-breathing Bella. He adjusted it before giving a nod of satisfaction and sitting back down. Esme held out the almost pastel, blue one and he started putting on his new scarf, smiling all the while.
As Bella recovered and flared out her hair from under the fabric and practically ran the few feet back to the table, Rosalie caught Edward's tired gaze. "Tell me we're dead."
"Don't be silly," Alice swatted at Rosalie and missed. "If we were, it'd be horrendous. Instead, Belly Bells just needs another red accent in her ever-surprising. all-black outfit."
"Hey, I wear colors!"
"We're dead," Edward muttered.
Bella held up a hand as Alice went on a tangent. "Okay, no, later. Right now, move your butt. I need your hubby."
Alice slid off of him and next to a scowling Rosalie. The scowl bordered on murderous when fingers tried to poke her cheeks more toward a smile.
Oblivious to the near chaos and beginning of hissing next to him, Jasper tilted his head. "What can I do for you?"
Bella gave him the third box. "Hold this."
"Can do."
His attitude made her roll her eyes even as she grabbed the fourth box, the largest one. But then the fact Esme's smile grew with each step that brought her closer pulled an almost embarrassingly large smile out of Bella. It beat away her nervousness as she came to a stop. "Okay. Now, trade with Jasper, Esme?"
Alice gasped, a hand flying to her mouth even as she excitedly patted Rosalie's leg.
The sheer happiness in Esme's face could've inspired armies. Bella definitely would've fought someone for her.
Esme's hands lingered over Bella's instead of simply taking the gift. "I love it, dear."
Affection adorned Carlisle's face as he stared down at the camera he'd liberated from Esme in time for the moment. "Love, you haven't opened your gift yet."
"I'm not certain anything could be better."
Hands in pockets, Bella took up residence against the armrest next to Rosalie, watching Esme glide over to Jasper. A subtle brushing against her sleeve made her cock an eyebrow and look down at the blonde who didn't appear to have moved an inch. She caught a smile so brief she could've imagined it.
"Who goes first?" Jasper asked as Esme returned to her spot.
"Whoever."
"Why switch?"
Bella shrugged at Edward before adjusting the scarf around her neck. "Because if not I might've just pitched the boxes at everyone and run off with a shriek of anxiety."
Rosalie's shoulders shook while everyone except Edward—who just had a puzzled crease on his brow—laughed, and she swatted Bella's forearm.
"Ladies first."
Esme might've rolled her eyes but she still obliged. Her eyebrows pulled together.
"Open it."
She lifted it from the box. Understanding, and then glee, came to her face as she flipped through the pages of the cookbook. She hugged it to her chest to the point a distressed creak filled the air. "I can't wait to cook with you. Though you leave me unable to choose my favorite gift, dear."
"Consider it one, whole gift?"
Jasper whispered something to Alice that made her stop bouncing, but it just somehow mutated into the small vampire shaking as she tried to contain herself. Her clasped hands rocked back and forth so fast in such a small space that Bella's eyes got confused.
"Would you like to just break the couch or perhaps the house?"
"I'm just so excited and happy!"
Bella found Rosalie's scoff to be countered by cold fingers tracing an idle pattern on her wrist. If she wasn't about to start moving around the room again, she would've seen if the vampire would run from open hand-holding.
Jasper's abrupt laugh ensured every set of eyes focused on him. Something sparkled in his gaze as he looked at Bella and held up a relatively small bear trap made of a light metal.
Carlisle laughed the loudest she'd ever heard even as she shot finger guns at Jasper. "You caught me. Friends forever."
Squealing, Alice crushed Jasper's face to her chest before hopping over Rosalie to snatch Bella off the armrest and spin her in circles.
"Did you hear that?"
Esme looked at Rosalie rubbing her face where a small shoulder had hit it. "Hear what?"
"The sound of me needing a new mate."
Bella's indignant response got lost in her dizziness. She wiggled her arm into a position where she could pat Alice to ask for her freedom. Her feet hit ground after two more spins and her legs seemed as confused as her eyes, so Alice pushed Bella into sitting on the armrest. Bella, however, was too disoriented, and started sliding off.
Rosalie's motions blurred in her attempt to keep Bella from falling into her lap.
Bella threw an arm out toward Alice, bracing herself. Blinking, she rose, and though she swayed, she threw back a thumbs up. Whether to Alice or Rosalie, she wasn't sure. She shook her head a little. "666" box in hand, Bella delivered it to Rosalie and noted the way the vampire's blank face flashed into a smug grin.
Edward's scowl mostly dried up before Bella got to him. He didn't even look down at the gift.
Brown eyes rolled.
Bella leaned forward to pat his shoulder and catch his eye. "Hey, buddy. You gonna open it?"
Snickers sounded even as his face lit up.
"Rosalie!"
Edward jumped to his feet and caught the box before it could hit Bella's head.
"Rude." Latching onto Edward's arm, she leaned around him to glare at Rosalie. It was almost familiar. Crossed arms and what seemed like an eternal scowl as Rosalie tried to put holes in the wall with her eyes alone.
It looked so…normal, excluding Edward's awkward air and everyone else pretending they weren't amused. Rosalie, seething and unapologetic. Esme, shocked by her daughter's disrespectful outburst.
Ache tightened Bella's chest so she relieved Edward of Rosalie's gift and pushed on his chest to get him to sit again. "Back to our regularly scheduled programming." As she heard the whisper of what had to be Esme scolding Rosalie, she said, louder, "The moment of truth for poor Edward who I'm sure I give headaches."
He fiddled with the bow on his box. "It's my fault for trying too hard when I shouldn't be trying at all."
Damn this boy was a cute idiot when he stopped being an ass. "I was joking."
"Oh." Edward smiled sheepishly at her. "You're funny."
The tired sigh Rosalie filled the room with echoed the feelings Bella kept off her face to preserve Edward's emotional state.
"Why don't you open it?" Esme squeezed his arm even as she glanced at Rosalie.
He did. The same way everyone except Alice had. Meaning Bella watched the top of the box lift up at a thoughtful, Edward speed that had her ready to mimic Alice. After a moment, he closed it. His hand grasped his hair as he looked around, smile so wide it might've hurt his cheeks if he was still human.
Bella's entire body twitched when he was suddenly standing a foot from her. She read the question in his eyes and smile and felt suffocated. Not particularly on account of him, but just in general with all the Cullens after the past half hour. She became acutely aware of Carlisle's scarf and it felt like it was choking her. While he remained still, Bella stepped into his space and gave him a half-hug at a small distance that he returned just as gently, though he didn't do the same awkward pats that she did.
"Well?"
Alice's body language matched Carlisle's question.
Edward sat back down with a protective grip on his gift. "I don't think I should share in the interest of preserving its meaning. It, ah, protects me from some of Rosalie's attacks against me."
The reprimand coming off Esme's tongue dissolved into a sigh as Alice's bouncing turned into her darting over the table and past Bella. His gift was already waiting for her hands. Fighting Alice about this couldn't go in his favor today.
She glanced inside and gave a tinkling laugh before handing the box to Esme.
And so the piano string he always noticed as missing at horrible moments got passed between the family, except for one. Bella watched Rosalie's expression grow impossibly bitter and grumpy each time it exchanged hands. The increase in her heartrate only earned her a scathing glare.
Bella went over to her as Jasper snorted and held out the "666" box.
Rosalie didn't spare her a glance.
"C'mon." She shook it a little.
"Please open it before I die. I've waited so long!"
"Rosalie Hale."
"Fine." Rising off the armrest, she took the box like touching Bella might burn her. Rosalie opened it with less care than Jasper but significantly more than her sister. She closed her eyes. Sighed. Focused amber eyes on Bella and pointed at the small wooden box inside. "Am I going to hate you more than I already do?"
Bella shifted into Alice's way of the box. "I think you'll appreciate it on some level."
Resignation ebbed from Rosalie as she removed the top. A hiss left her and her fingers blurred to flick Bella's eyebrow.
"Ow! Hey!" Bella rubbed her injury, scowling back at the vampire.
"Will you behave? Goodness. It's like you were raised in a barn instead of my home today."
Rosalie ignored Esme in favor of growling at Alice as she climbed onto the couch and rested her arms on Bella's shoulders to peer over her friend's head.
Alice pouted. She set her chin on Bella's head and crossed her wrists over each other, wiggling her fingers. "Roooooose."
Bella was too amused to properly join forces with her best friend so she settled on nodding.
"It can't be that bad." Carlisle paused in stroking his new scarf and regarded the blank-faced Edward. "Can it?"
Proud shoulders slumped enough for vampire eyes to see. Eyes anywhere but her family or her mate, Rosalie held up her gift for everyone.
Laughter broke out anew. Jasper had doubled over, Alice shook a grinning Bella with the force of her amusement, Carlisle actually slapped his own leg.
Edward only held a meek smile on his face.
With a hiss directed at Bella, Rosalie vanished with her black knight chess piece.
Esme frowned slightly at the sound of Rosalie's bedroom door slamming. Though, a tentative curve of her lips replaced it when Jasper called her name, giving her a thumbs up.
Carlisle got up, smoothing back his hair, and stopped in front of Bella who was still supporting the weight of Alice. He held out his hands and smiled when Bella took them. "I hope you know I do consider you family. I have for a while."
An awkward smile graced her face. Thankfully, he either sensed her distress or was just polite and let her be after a few seconds. She escaped Alice as everyone started drifting out the room to go about their night. Her gait stuttered at the sight of Esme's beaming face on her way to the stairs.
It took a little over an hour for Rosalie to give permission for Bella to enter her room.
Bella sighed, walking at a shuffle compared to the people bustling around the mall. She'd lost track of Renèe and Phil half an hour ago. Or they lost track of her. Didn't really matter either way. To think, hardly less than twelve hours ago, she was running late for school and running around her house in a frenzy. Of course Alice had shown up like some kind of blessing—Bella made sure to tell her so—and helped Bella frame and set out or hang all the pictures she'd printed. Sure, it came at the price of explaining that no, Alice was not unattractive or gross, Bella just found her too cute. But at least all the pictures got set up. Her and Charlie looking dead in the morning, them watching TV, her doing homework. Hell, on the kitchen table there was a picture of her eating cereal, turned toward Charlie's usual seat.
A small smile pulled at her lips. The old man might actually cry when he got home. Or punch her when she got back.
And like that the smile was gone again. If only she'd be back in Forks before the sun rose again. Not that she hated Phoenix or her mother or stepfather or anything. She just wasn't home. She just didn't know how she'd survive the next week. Renèe had been thrilled about the ticket being so early, even if it required Bella to miss half the school day because she forgot Seattle was basically a four hour drive.
Bella had no such feelings. Instead she thought about how grumpy and pissy Rosalie had been. How horribly late to class they both were so they could squeeze in a few extra minutes just around each other. Bella didn't take offense to her quiet demeanor or lack of physical contact. Rosalie was coping. Adorably. It was as endearing as Rosalie chastising her at one am because she hadn't finished packing her bag yet.
She shook her head. Alice and Edward had never seemed more like brother and sister than when she saw their equally glum faces before she got in Charlie's cruiser for the drive to the airport.
Something crashed into her shoulder hard enough to make her stumble into an unforgiving-looking woman. Her skin crawled. Her heart jumped into action for her body to properly give into the sudden flight response with vigor. Even though a cold sensation sprouted at the base of her neck and into her skull, she dragged her gaze up.
There was space in the crowd as if they sensed a predator walking among them. He walked backward, utterly focused on her. The smile on his pale face made her shaky. Made her ready to run somewhere, anywhere. Red eyes glittered with violent desire, the promise clear. He ran his tongue along his teeth.
His stride slowed. His face changed. Something between confusion and wariness pulled at his mouth as he looked past her.
He vanished.
Bella became aware of a large someone so close to her she could feel the cold of them emanating onto her back.
Still trembling, though the distinct need to go was gone, she turned and craned her neck to look at a dangerous expression on Emmett Cullen's usually happy face.
A/N: Yes? No? Either way, my dude Emmett is back! And James made an appearance but whatever. The bears of the Cullen family will finally spend some time together. Decided against the cliffhanger ending. Sooooo excited for what comes next.
Man, Bella trolled the fuck out of Rose.
There ya go, Paige. Edward got his hug. Kind of.
See you guys! And with a regular-sized chapter, jesus christ.