Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, I'm not Stephenie Meyer, and I also don't own the song.
A/N: Happy new year, everyone! I know, I'm a little late saying that, aren't I?
Whew, ok, I'm back for now. Finals are still ahead, though. But I'm a lucky little duck! With all the snow days we got, they are pushing finals back a week so I can update sooner! Yay! I've had this chapter written for a while, I just didn't know when I would be able to post it, but here it is. I was going to wait to post this until I knew I could start updating regularly again, but I couldn't wait. I was getting too anxious to see what you guys thought. I am addicted to reviews, I swear...
And thank you everyone for your kind words! They really made me feel better and I loved them all! In case you all were wondering, my grandpa is doing fine, and him and my grandma are living with us now.
So, getting to the chapter, I went with the cheerful one. I know; I'm an awful person. There were more votes for angst. Though this is definitely my fault, I was anticipating more votes for the opposite. Oh well. I needed to cheer myself up, anyway.
But don't freak out, emo-lovers! I swear (and this time I mean it) that the next Edward chapter will be all angst!!!! Ok! No freak-outs! Nobody have a fit! I already have written! I love it, and I would have put it here instead of this one, but…well you'll see why I couldn't exactly do that when you read the all-angst one. So you'll get that chapter after the next two chapters. Ok? Ok. Whew, I just might have gotten out of this with my head still intact, without anyone biting it off…
There is a paragraph of angst, but there's also Emmett and his cheerfulness. So enjoy:
~Emmy
Chapter 24: Emmett's Bet
Song: Broken by Seether
I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph, I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
[x2]
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
Edward POV
It was getting worse, the pain. Everyone thought it would get better with time; that I would heal. But it had the opposite effect. It was like some had cut open a hole in my chest and took my heart when I found out Bella was dead. When I was running after the vampires that had taken her, it was like I was running after the thieves that had taken my heart, and I was trying to get it back, but I couldn't. Throughout the days and weeks with the Cullen's, my new family, they slowly sewed up the hole with sloppy, painful stitches. The only thing was, for every one stitch the Cullen's put in, I'd see something that reminded me of Bella and that would rip out two stitches with such a force that I usually gasped with pain.
The Cullen's never stopped putting those stitches back in though, especially Emmett
"Okay Edward, here's what we're going to do—" He said bursting in (like always).
"Emmett! No!" I groaned. I never wanted to muster up the energy it took to keep up with Emmett and his Game of the Day.
"Oh, come on! You don't even know what it is yet!"
I sighed. "Ok. Fine, tell me what it is." I said.
"Well, I was thinking—"
"Emmett, you know you shouldn't think, you might strain yourself." I laughed.
He growled. "May I?" He asked. I waved my hand, motioning for him to continue.
"I was thinking that it'd be fun it we got a few bets going!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Aw, come on!" Emmett pouted.
"No! Emmett, I'm not the gambling type."
"Come on! A few bets every now and then are healthy!" He whined.
I sighed again.
"Yes!" He pumped his fist in the air.
"That wasn't a yes!"
"It was enough for me!" He said, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder as he headed into the kitchen.
"You are slowly taking away every ounce of my dignity, you know that right?" I said.
He laughed his booming laugh. "I had to carry you to make sure you didn't run away!"
I sighed – again.
"What are you doing? Blowing all the hot air out of your big head?" Emmett laughed at his own joke.
"Ha ha, you are so hilarious, Emmett." I said humorlessly.
"Thank you! I'll be here all week!"
When we got to the kitchen, Emmett sat me down on one of the stools to the counter. Rosalie was on the other side of the counter with a stopwatch in her hand. Emmett sat down on the stool next to me. I looked down at the counter in front of me. There was a huge plate of human food in front of both Emmett and me. Fruits, vegetables, meats, bread… every food I could think of.
"What the…?"
Rosalie laughed. "You haven't told him yet?"
Emmett laughed too. "You would have heard me if I had."
"He didn't sneak into your mind and get the answer?" She asked.
I sighed. "You know I don't do that, Rosalie. I really try to stay out of everyone's heads."
"Aw, she's just trying to get under your skin. Ignore her." Emmett said, pushing my huge platter of human food closer to me. "This is what you have to think about now."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. I didn't like where this was going.
"Ah yes, you're finally getting interested in the bet."
"No, I just want to know what it is so I know what I'll be running away from in a minute."
"Oh no you won't! That's automatic disqualification and I automatically win the bet, which is not in your best interest." Emmett said.
"And why isn't it in my best interest?" I asked.
"Because if I win you can't buy, play, or listen to a single song or music piece for three months." He said smugly.
"What?" I asked, dumbfounded. "And when was this decided?" I asked. Music was the only thing in my life that hadn't changed. Music made me feel better. Not perfect, not great, but it was another stitch in the hole to my stolen heart.
"It comes with the bet." Emmett shrugged.
"And what is the bet?" I asked.
"Whoever can swallow the most human food on their platter in three minute. Not a millisecond more." He said even more smugly.
I thought about this. I hadn't tasted human food since I was, well, human. I hadn't had the need or the desire. How hard could it be?
"And what if I win?" I asked
"You choose. But it has to be equal to or less than the value of my wager." He said.
What would I want from Emmett? Nothing, really. What could I take away from him that would make him suffer the same amount if I lost my music for three months? It didn't take me long to think of something.
"You and Rosalie can't have sex for three months." I said.
His jaw dropped.
"Hey! That's punishing me too!" Rosalie whined.
"Were you in on this little bet?" I asked. She nodded. "Then I have no guilt for my wager decision." I said, smiling at her. She hissed at me in return.
Emmett stuck his hand in front of me. I looked at it with confusion.
"Shake!" Rosalie barked, as if I were a dog. I grabbed Emmett's hand, which he pumped up and down with enthusiasm. Good boy. Rosalie thought.
"Deal!" Emmett bellowed. Rosalie sighed. In her mind, she was sure Emmett was going to win, so she didn't have anything to worry about. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.
"So, you'll notice that both your piles of food are in order around the plate from smallest to largest. This is the order you will eat everything. Whoever has the most food still on their plate after I say "stop" will lose. If you have any food in your mouth that hasn't been swallowed, it won't count. If you swallow anything after I say "stop" you will automatically be disqualified and lose the bet. Everyone understand?" Rosalie said. We both nodded. "You have three minutes. Go!"
Emmett and I immediately dove into our plates. In the first five seconds I had already swallowed all the nuts and grapes on my plate. This stuff is foul! I thought, but kept shoveling it into my mouth. I saw Emmett eyeing my reaction while he was stuffing his face. That didn't even make him hesitate. Emmett thought. I was counting on his delay…crap… Rosalie was thinking along the same lines.
At two minutes, Emmett was a little bit ahead of me. It didn't help that he was trying to distract me with his thoughts by thinking of a chicken in a stocking cap, bra, and thong, dancing. Where in the world has he seen that before? I thought. That one was definitely a memory.
Then he started thinking about him and Rosalie…together. He was probably trying to make me throw up.
I glared at him.
"What? What did I miss?" Rosalie asked.
"I was trying to distract him." Emmett said after he swallowed the food in his mouth.
Perfect. I thought with a grin. The time he took to answer gave me the opportunity to get ahead of him. We were at two minutes, fifty seconds.
"Emmett!!!" Rosalie cried, pointing to my plate, then his.
"What? What's wrong?" He asked looking around.
"Eat! You imbecile! You're going to make us lose sex!"
Emmett looked down at his plate then mine. I was substantially ahead of him.
Shit! He thought, then dived into his plate again.
"Time!" Rosalie cried. "Stop!" She pulled our plates away from us. "Open you mouths." She ordered, looking to make sure we weren't cheating.
We looked down at the plates. I had two pieces of pizza left. Emmett had two pieces of pizza and a pile of carrots.
Shit! He thought.
I win!
"Yes!" I cried, jumping up and pumping my fists in the air. "I get my music! I get my music! You don't get sex! You don't get sex! Ha ha ha ha ha!" I laughed in their faces. I sauntered out of the kitchen with my chin held high.
"Where are you going?" Emmett called after me.
"To go listen to some victory music!"
"Maybe you should go barf up your human food first." Rosalie said.
I turned back to them.
"What?" I asked. No one said I had to be barfing up anything!
Rosalie laughed. "What did you think was going to happen to the food? It'll sit in your stomach until you throw it up. And it's a weird feeling when it's in there for a long time because it starts to rot after awhile. Your best bet is to get it out of there." Rosalie said.
"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me this before I agreed to this stupid bet?" I scrunched my nose in disgust.
"I call bathroom first!" Emmett said running ahead of me, not answering my question.
Rosalie walked up next to me. "Good day?" She asked.
"Yeah, good day." I said smiling. "I don't have a lot of those."
"With me, you will." Emmett called from the bathroom.
I chuckled. "Yeah, maybe I will."
A/N: Oh no! Another author's note! Run away before it eats you with it's huge-ness! Actually, I'd appreciate it if you guys read this one; I need your guys' help:
Ok, has anyone ever read a fan fiction where Edward meets Bella in 1918? Like an all human or something where they meet in his time, not hers? I have a kinda-sorta-maybe idea but I don't want to do it if it's been done before. So if anyone has read a story like that, maybe send me the link? If I don't write one like that then I definitely want to read one. Thank you!
~Emmy