A/N: Hey-lo! Well, here is the next chapter! Yay! I just wrote this over the past like two hours. It is a flashback chapter, showing where the girls were before moving to New York. I hope you all like it! I am sooo tired and my alarm will be going off in 5 1/2 hours for me to get ready for work. BOO!
Sorry I did not post as much this weekend as normal. The past week and a half have been uber painful for me, so I haven't been able to think enough to write anything. I had not planned for this to be the flashback chapter, but I realized it should be.
So, go, read, enjoy! REVIEW! Let me know if it was a good chapter or not!
~AP
APOV
I woke up the next morning in Jasper's arms. Sighing contentedly, I snuggled closer to him. I could handle waking up like this every day. I heard his small snores, and sighed again.
I started thinking about everything that brought me to this point in my life. I had never dreamed that moving to New York would bring me to all of this. I glanced around the living room at my little family. The people in this room mean so much more to me than I ever thought possible. Aside from Rose, I had never realized I could care about someone outside of my family so much.
~*~*~
Flashback: 3 years ago. Los Angeles.
My twenty-third birthday. Rose was throwing me an all out party with everyone we knew. We were just pulling up at her families beach house to set everything up.
"Do you think Lisa and Jenn will come? I don't want any drama." I whined, climbing out of Rose's car.
She laughed. "Of course they are coming. I invited everyone. I will keep them away from you."
I sighed as we walked inside. Rose had hired a party planner to get things together, so the house was already decorated. We just had to put up finishing touches and wait for a couple deliveries.
The finishing touches, really, were just hiding the things people would break in a drunken - or otherwise intoxicated - state of mind. We also locked her bedroom, my bedroom and her parents bedroom doors. No one was getting frisky where we are sleeping tonight, and all the valuables are being stored in her parents room.
"I hope Jimmy comes." I sighed. Jimmy and I have been kind of on and off for a while now. More on recently. Squeel!
"He better. Or I will kick his ass." She laughed.
"How are things going with Devon?"
"I dumped him yesterday. I wanted to be single for the party." She smirked. "I will call him tomorrow and tell him I made a mistake." She shrugged like there were no flaws in her plan. And really, were there? She gets the hot boyfriend and the freedom to have fun at her best friends birthday.
~*~
A couple hours later the house was packed. Rose was M.I.A. and I was in the kitchen with Jimmy. He came! Squeel!
"I hope your birthday is going well." He whispered in my ear.
I was sitting on the counter with him standing next to me. This way I was almost the same height as him.
"Would Rose let it be anything but amazing?" I asked, grinning like a drunk idiot. Which is what I was.
"Let's go to your room." He said then kissed my neck softly.
I nodded and hopped down, taking his hand. I lead the way back to my room. Rose's parents had this room decorated just for me, I was like another child for them. When we walked into the room, he quickly shut the door and locked it so we would have privacy. I sat on the bed, waiting for him to join me. He sat next to me and started kissing me hard. After a couple minutes he was ontop of me and we were both panting.
"Did you bring a...?" I trailed off, he knew what I meant.
He nodded quickly and pulled out his wallet. After a quick flip through it, he realized he did not have one. I sighed.
"I will go find Rose. I am sure she has some." I climbed off the bed and quickly left the room, he waited for me there.
I quickly ran to the living room. Lots of people, no Rose. Kitchen, no Rose. I went back and knocked on her door, nothing. I decided to check the backyard. As I was making my way there, I saw my friend Lynn.
"Lynn! Have you seen Rose?" I screamed over all the noise.
She shook her head. I leaned in closer to her.
"Do you have a condom?" I said as quietly as I could in her ear.
"No, but come with me. Jenn might." She grabbed my arm and we ran to the bathroom in the hallway near my room.
Lynn knocked on the door and when it openned, I saw Jenn, Lisa and a few other girls were in there. They let us in, and I quickly saw that I did not know most of these girls.
"Who are all these people?" I asked Jenn. She was closest to me.
"They showed up with Devon." She shrugged.
One of the girls was handing something out and before I got a chance to see what it was, a couple small pills were placed in my hand.
I watched the girls all take the pills, and figured 'what the hell'. I dropped them both into my mouth and swallowed them.
"Hey, Jenn. Do you have any condoms?" I asked a moment later. She shook her head so I headed back out to find Rose.
I peaked my head into my room again to let Jimmy know I had not forgotten about him, but he was not there. Must be looking for me. I shrugged and headed towards the backyard again. As I moved through the living room, I saw Jimmy. I started to make my way over to him. That is when I saw an arm wrap around his neck and then he leaned down and started kissing some girl. I made my way over to them and quickly grabbed a cup from someones hand. I was barely aware of them protesting this, but I did not care. As soon as I was behind him, I reached up and poured the drink on his head. I was happy to see it was a red drink, and it also poured onto the skank he was kissing. And she was wearing a with shirt.
"What the -" Jimmy jumped, then turned around. He looked shocked when he saw me standing there.
"Alice! It's not what it looks like!" I threw the cup at him and walked away.
Asshole.
I finally made it out back, but still no Rose. Then I heard screamed coming from out front. I started to make my way around the house, when I got really light headed. I reached out and held myself up with the side of the house as I walked. When I reached the end, I saw Rose screaming at someone. Why was she mad?
"Rose?" I tried to yell, but it came out more like a squeak. I took my chances and walked away from the wall, stumbling a little.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Can't you see where you are going?!" Rose was screaming at the person.
I was only about 15 feet from her now.
"Rose!" I said as loud as I could. She heard me that time.
"Alice?" She took a step towards me.
Everything went black.
~*~
The next day I woke up in the hospital. Rose was sleeping on the chair next to me. When she woke up, she told me that apparently those little pills were ecstacy. Which, mixed with all the alcohol I had taken, did not go well with my system. My stomache had to be pumped. Which explained how horrible I felt.
She also told me that she had been screaming at some guy because he had driven right into her car. He beautiful car was totalled.
A couple days later, our parents got together and decided we needed a change. They were scared we were into drugs - which we weren't. That was the first time I ever tried anything, Rose had tried pot a couple times, but she didn't like it. It was at that point that they decided to send us to New York. The other side of the country, so people like Jenn, Jimmy and Devon would not be around us. We were pissed at first, but it was like a fresh start. So we took it.
End Flashback.
~*~*~
Life is so much calmer now. And about a million times better. My 23rd birthday was not out of the norm really. Where as we did not do drugs, we did drink way too much. There were a lot of parties, a lot of nights we did not remember. A lot of embarassing stories we would hear the next day.
New York was a change of life. It had been tough at first, Rose and I stayed to ourselves. Then we met Bella, and our lives really started. Who knew one person, one innocent, caring friend could change so many things. Change the way you look at life.
*****
BPOV
I think I was the last to wake up. Just like normal. Everyone was lounging around, so I decided to take a shower. When I was standing there, my mind started to wander. I thought back on my life. What brought me to where I am now.
~*~*~
Flashback: 5 years. Phoenix.
I was sitting at my computer, waiting for it to boot up. I could not wait to talk to Jacob. He has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Our fathers are best friends, and we met when we were very little. I could not wait to tell him my news!
Finally my computer was running, and I was able to log onto my messenger. Jacob was already on, and he messaged me as soon as he could.
Jacob: Bella!!
Me: Jake!!
Jacob: What took so long?
Me: Sorry, took forever to close down the store.
I was working part time at a local coffee shop. It was a crappy job, but it was money in my pocket.
Me: Guess what!
Jacob: Uh... you decided you hate the sun, and plan on moving to Forks?
I laughed.
Me: Not hardly! But, close enough!
Jacob: Damn.
Jacob: Wait... 'close enough'?
Me: We finally planned when my next trip there will be!
Jacob: ...
Jacob: ...
Jacob: I am not gettin any younger here. When is it?!
Me: NEXT WEEK!
Jacob: REALLY!?!
Me: YEA!
I did my little happy dance, pretty sure he was doing his own. Every summer I visit my dad in Forks, Washington for at least a couple weeks.
Me: Guess what else!
Jacob: There is more?!
Me: Oh, yea!
Me: I will be in Forks for a WHOLE MONTH!
We talked for a little while longer, both too excited for my upcoming trip. I could not wait for it, I would get to see my best friend again!
~*~
Time flew by, and before I knew it, I was on the plane. I pulled out my battered copy of Wuthering Heights and put in the earbuds for my Ipod. The trip seemed to take forever.
When I finally arrived in Port Angeles, I quickly found my father, Charlie. We shared an awkward hug, and climbed into the cruiser for the ride to his house. When we got there, he helped me carry my things inside and up to my room. The same room I have always had, since I was a baby.
My flight got in a little late, so I was not going to see Jacob tonight, but I did call him. I had to let him know I made it in safely. He always worried until he got my call.
The next morning I was up bright and early. Charlie and his friends Harry and Billy - Billy is Jacob's father - were going fishing. I was getting a ride to the reservation Jacob and his father lived on. When we pulled up, Jacob was running out the door of their tiny house. I climbed out of the car and jumped into his waiting arms. It was like coming home.
After a little chit chat with Billy, he and Charlie left to pick up Harry. We just sat around, watching television for a while. One of Jacob's friends called and invited us to go down to the beach with them, and we decided to go.
We got there, and there were a lot of kids hanging out. Some surfing, some walking along the beach. Some were just sitting around and others were running around, goofing off. We found his friends and made ourselves comfortable. We decided to walk over to the tidal pools, and on the way, Jacob found a frog. He picked it up and started chasing me around, threatening to throw it on me. Gross!
Me being me, of course, I tripped over a tree root and tumbled to the ground. Jacob was by my side instantly. I felt the stab of pain in my ankle and winced.
"Bella! Are you ok?!" He yelled, looking me over.
"I am ok. Think I twisted my ankle." I winced again, trying to move my foot.
He helped me up, and we made our way back to his house. He climbed into his truck and he drove me to the E.R. First full day in Forks, and I am already visitting the hospital.
"Isabella Swan." The doctor said as he walked into the little room we had been led to.
"Dr. Cullen! Long time, no see!" I laughed. Dr. Cullen has worked here for years, he is used to my injuries.
"You know, if you miss me so much, you can just visit. No injuries needed." He smiled at me.
Jacob and I laughed. He checked out my ankle, and agreed that it was a bad twist. After giving me a little brace for it and wrapping it up, he let us leave. When we were leaving, I glanced back and saw Dr. Cullen talking to a boy with bronze hair. Such an odd hair color, he must dye it.
Jacob and I left.
~*~
The next couple weeks passed in a blur. Charlie and Billy had laughed at my twisted ankle, they knew how accident prone I could be. I spent every free minute with Jacob. It was a perfect vacation - minimal trips to the E.R.
One day, Jacob and I were laying around in his living room, watching television.
"Hey, uh, Bella." He said during a commercial break.
"What's up, Jake?" I asked, shifting on the couch to look at him. He was laying on the floor next to me.
"I was just, uh, wondering..." He trailed off.
I gave him a look, telling him to continue.
"Would you, maybe, want to go see a movie with me?" He asked after a minute.
This confused me, why would Jake be nervous about this? We have seen countless movies together.
"Yea, Jake, of course." I shrugged.
"Like... like, a date." He said a minute later.
Oh. A date? With Jake? That did not sound bad, a little weird maybe. Still, not bad...
"Sure." I said and he got a huge grin on his face. I smiled back, glad that he was so happy.
~*~
Flashforward: 4 years. Forks.
Jake and I had been dating for four years now. Granted it was mainly just during the summer, because I had just finished community college in Phoenix, and he was still going to community college near Forks. I tried to make as many trips to Forks as I could throughout the year, and he even made a couple trips to see me. Jake was about to graduate from college now, which is why I am in Forks.
We also decided to move in together. It had been tough to convince our fathers that it was a good idea, but we had. I was in Forks now to see him graduate and then help him pack for the move.
The toughest part for us to convince our fathers on, was not us getting a place together. It was that we wanted to move to New York. We wanted to be totally independant, we wanted to really start our life together.
We had found an apartment already, and he had a job lined up already. So, we were good to go. I was going to find a job when we got there.
Time flew, and before I knew it, we were in New York. It was weird. Jake and I were used to spending all our time together when we visited each other, but living together was diferent. Very diferent. We were happy, yes, but it did not feel as good as I had thought it would.
He started his job, and I quickly found work at a coffee shop a few blocks away. I had hoped that I had left my barrista career behind when I moved, but it seemed as though it was haunting me. Jake got really into his work, and made new friends. So, I decided to put all my years of guitar and voice lessons - fine arts credits for high school and college - to use. I posted an ad on the board at work, starting a band. After a week, the only people who responded to it were kind of scary, so I thought about taking it down.
One day, I was getting ready to leave work, when I saw two girls looking at the board. I did not pay them much attention, they looked like stuck up rich kids. Both wearing designer clothes, with fancy hair-do's. I walked over and pulled down my ad.
"Excuse me?" I heard one of them say.
I turned and saw them both staring at me.
"Yes?" I asked, it had been a long day and I was in a bad mood.
"Is that your ad?" One of them asked. She was short, maybe 5 foot even. Her hair was pitch black, and cut into a tight bob, reaching just to her chin.
"Yes."
"Were you able to find what you were looking for?" The same girl asked.
I looked over the other one now. She was really tall, about 5 foot 9 or so, with long blonde hair that flowed down her back. She had to be a model.
"Uh, no." I shrugged.
"Well, were you still interested in forming the band?" The small girl asked another question.
"Maybe. It was all just a whim I went with." I shrugged again.
"I am Alice, by the way. This is Rosalie." She gestured to the model.
"Bella." I smiled a little.
"I play bass and guitar. Rose here plays drums and keyboard."
Huh. I had not even imagined them playing any instruments. Wouldn't that mess up their manicures?
"Ok, well, we would still need a couple more people. We can't all do two things at once."
"We have a couple friends who play music, too." Alice said quickly.
I caved and agreed to meet their friends. I doubt this will work out though, there is no way I am going to get along with a bunch of spoiled girls.
End Flashback.
~*~*~
I sighed, turning off the water. I had been very wrong about Alice and Rose. Jess and Lauren had turned out just like I expected, though. An ad on a wall had changed my life. Brought two of the best friends I had ever had into my life, and eventually brought the Cullen's to us.
A little piece of paper had led me to my new little family.
A/N: Yay! The girls are very happy with the direction life has taken them! I only wrote in Bella and Alice POV because Alice and Rose's lives were basically just one. They did everything together, and they viewed everything the same way. I know they seem a little shallow in the flashback and Bella is a little judgemental with them at first, but that is how it was. They were shallow before, and Bella did judge them before she knew them. It just shows how much they grew since then, how they changed. Bella is more open minded and Alice and Rose think before they act.
Next chapter is the guys' flashbacks.
Ok, go review please! I am going to go pass out. hehe. NIGHT!
