Thanks to dowlingnana

"I have a hand, and you have another; put them together and we have each other" - Girl Scout motto

Thursday, June 26, 2008

8 p.m. – Brandon Residence

Bella had no idea how quickly Alice had pulled this entire sleepover thing together, but she had to hand it to her best friend. The night had started out at 6 p.m. with pizza and getting everyone's beds set up in the living room. Mrs. Stanley had brought Jessica over to color, watch a movie, get her hair braided, nails painted and have a little girl time before taking Jessica back home for bed at 8 p.m. It was obvious Mrs. Stanley was glad to see Jessica being involved and having her cousin there helped Whitney adjust to the thought of staying overnight with Alice and the other girls from group. There were six of them total staying the full night at the Brandon residence: Alice, Bella, Rose, Angela, Whitney and Cynthia.

Bella had no idea how quickly Alice had pulled this entire sleepover thing together, but she had to hand it to her best friend. The night had started out at 6 p.m. with pizza and getting everyone's beds set up in the living room. Mrs. Stanley had brought Jessica over to color, watch a movie, get her hair braided; nails painted and have a little girl time before taking Jessica back home for bed at 8 p.m. It was obvious Mrs. Stanley was glad to see Jessica being involved and having her cousin there helped Whitney adjust to the thought of staying overnight with Alice and the other girls from group. There were six of them total staying the full night at the Brandon residence: Alice, Cynthia, Bella, Rose, Whitney and Angela who had come last but had shown up none-the-less.

Angela had been kind and especially sensitive around Jessica, though Alice wasn't sure if Whitney was yet ready to accept Angela fully after what had happened at their group meeting. Once Jessica had gone home, Angela had turned to fellow introvert Bella while Rose gushed to Whitney, Cynthia and Alice about her first date with Emmett and how well it had gone. While Angela told Bella about her preparations to leave for camp in a few weeks, Bella couldn't help but notice Angela seemed to be straining to hear pieces of conversation the other girls were having. Bella was sure if Angela was just eavesdropping or trying to find a way to include herself.

"So… how are things with Ben?" Bella asked, hoping to maybe include Angela in a bit of the girl talk.

"Good," Angela nodded. "He's been over a few times. My mom likes him. My dad isn't so sure… he has a lot of fun playing with my brothers, though, so they like when he comes over. I've been over to his place a few times too. His parents are nice and his older sister has been around more now that school is out. She's going to an art school in Portland and seems to really enjoy her time there."

"Have you guys gone out any?" Bella asked.

"Not really," Angela blushed. "My parents… are kind of strict about dating. They only want us around chaperones… so group dates and outings and then being over at each other's houses with parental supervision…"

"That must totally suck," Whitney chimed it. "I would go nuts if my parents were that overprotective."

"They just want what's best for me," Angela shrugged. "And I need a lot of familial support to keep my purity pledge…"

"You're what?" Whitney sputtered.

"It's a vow girls make to stay chaste until marriage," Angela said.

"Why?" Whitney laughed.

"It's a personal decision, I'm sure," Bella said defensively.

"Seems a little old fashioned to me," Whitney snorted. "And how many boys in your church had to do this same thing?"

"A few," Angela grimaced.

"What about your boyfriend?" Whitney asked.

"Ben understands," Angela said, tilting her head up defensively.

"He should," Rose agreed. "Guys should understand no means no, that I'm not ready means I'm not ready and don't rush me. Royce never seemed to get that. He always tried to play the 'if you'd love me you'd do it' card. And then when we broke up over it he completely ruined my reputation and spread all these rumors and… it was like he was punishing me, you know? It was like since I didn't put out for him he was going to make everyone think I had anyway. And for whatever reason everyone was more ready to believe I was a slut than they were that I'd turned him down."

"So… you're like… still a virgin?" Whitney said, surprised. Rose blushed.

"Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with it," Rose shrugged.

"Please tell me I'm not the only girl in this room who's… you know?" Whitney said, her turn to be embarrassed.

"Jasper and I haven't even been together a month," Alice snorted. "And Cynthia here's like fourteen."

"Yeah," Cynthia giggled awkwardly.

"And my dad's seen to it I've never been alone in a room with a boy since before I was in diapers," Bella snorted. "So, that would be a no."

"There's nothing wrong with not being a virgin," Rose assured Whitney. "It's a matter of choice. When it's right for you, it's right for you. That has no bearing on what anyone else has done or not done. I mean, I never really pictured myself as the type of girl who waits until marriage, but if that's what Angela wants, it's her deal and I should either support her or keep my mouth shut. And I expect her to do the same for me."

"Right," Angela said, though it was obvious she wanted to insist her way was the right way.

"It's no one any of you guys know," Whitney admitted. "I met him at camp when I was fifteen… church camp actually. I know that sounds weird but…"

"Church camp," Angela said, surprised.

"He was a minister's son, too," Whitney laughed: "From some town outside Olympia. It was a nice little summer thing and we were going to call and email back and forth afterwards… but it never happened. I was pretty broken up about it, but Jess… she helped me through…"

"I wish we had gotten a chance to know Jess's sweet side before… all of this happened," Bella said. "She sounds a lot different than how we knew her…"

"Jess… let making friends and being popular get in her way of who she really was," Whitney shrugged. "I don't think she was really happy then… even if she seemed like it. I know those people really weren't her friends. Vicky, Tanya, Jane… those girls wouldn't give her the time of day like she is now. Her other friends that survived pretend she doesn't exist when they see her… they weren't real friend and in a way… I guess I'm glad Jess will never realize that. She wouldn't be hurt by the fact that people she used to think she was so close too don't really care about her… It's a huge bag of mixed blessings in a way… but it's still tough."

"For what it's worth…" Angela said. "I think you're doing a really great job. She's lucky to have a cousin who cares as much as you do."

"Thanks," Whitney smiled.

"Alright, enough of this emotional stuff," Alice said. "Let's watch a movie and braid Bella's hair!"

"Alice!" Bella moaned.

Friday, June 27, 2008
2 p.m. – La Push Beach

Edward had no idea why he had let Jasper, Emmett and for some reason Ben Cheney drag him out to La Push Beach that afternoon. Even if the sun rarely made an appearance in La Push, making the beach nowhere near as bright and sunny as say the shores of California or Florida, it was against Edward's very nature to be outside for long periods of time and especially at any kind of beach. After all, he was a freckled, red-head, the type of person who got third-degree sunburns sitting under bright fluorescent lights for too long. Yet here he was, sun screened up and wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt in the hopes of not burning alive, watching in the shadows as Jasper, Emmett and Ben tossed the Frisbee back and forth on the beach.

"What's up pale faces?" a joyful voice called to them from across the beach. Edward looked over to find Jacob Black heading toward them, his arm around his girlfriend Leah while Seth jogged alongside, grinning up at Jake like he was a superhero. Behind Jake were his buddies Embry and Quil, pushing each other back and forth as they walked behind the rest.

"Hey man!" Emmett waved back. "How do you guys keep your beaches in such good condition?"

"We try to keep the riff-raff like you out!" Jake laughed before going around and giving Emmett, Jasper, Ben and even Edward some sort of fist bump handshake bro-hug thing. Edward and Ben fumbled through it while Emmett and Jasper seemed to have those sorts of things down pat.

"Dude… you know its summer, right?" Quil asked Edward.

"I burn easily," Edward grimaced. "I'm probably slightly pink under all this already."

"Too bad, man," Embry nodded, flexing his barely-there muscles. "Ladies love the caramel…"

"You're an idiot," Leah rolled her eyes at him.

"A sexy idiot," Embry grinned.

"If I murder him you're going to have to help me hide his big, ugly body," Leah informed Jake.

"Ah, come on," Embry laughed. "We're cousins, Lee!"

"You're Makah. You only live here cause your dad..." Seth pointed out before catching a glimpse of Edward's watch. "Dude, is that a nuclear watch?"

"Uh… yeah," Edward nodded. "My folks got it for me for my birthday."

"Cool! What does it do?" Seth asked.

Edward found himself taking off his watch and explaining all of its functions to Seth, who was obviously really in to science. Jake, Embry and Quil joined Ben, Emmett and Jasper with their Frisbee game while Leah sat down in the sand to sun bathe a little, keeping an eye on her boyfriend and her little brother simultaneously through her sunglasses. Seth was a pretty exuberant kid who sort of reminded Edward of a puppy. It seemed to him Seth was so excited just to be included by the older kids and it was obvious he especially looked up to Jake, not only because he was his sister's boyfriend. Jake himself seemed to look after Seth in a way an older brother would, making sure Seth was included and not picked on.

"So, when are the girls getting here?" Quil asked Emmett. The question piqued Edward's interest, wondering exactly what they meant.

"Alice told me they should be here by now…" Jasper admitted uneasily.

"They're girls," Embry shrugged, "Probably doing their hair or something."

"Well, Rose said she wanted to drop something by Ms. Cope's house before the came out," Emmett said.

Edward felt his heart speed up. Sure, they hadn't mentioned her specifically but recently wherever Alice and Rose were Bella was soon to follow. The fact that Ben was here meant Angela might be coming as well, which only intensified the likelihood Bella would be coming along as Edward could obviously see Rose and Alice both seemed to be closer to Bella than to Angela. He knew the girls had a sleepover the previous night because Jasper and Emmett had talked about crashing it. However, the fact that Charlie Swan was probably personally patrolling the house where the girls were deterred that plan. Jasper and Emmett could be stupid sometimes, but neither of them wanted to find themselves at the wrong end of Charlie's police issue Smith and Wesson.

Edward's excitement suddenly gave way to an overriding sense of nervousness. The other guys were wearing t-shirts and board shirts with flip flops. He was dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and hiking boots. He suddenly wished he looked more cool and less… Edward-y. Looking at the guys on the beach, he also wished he was more athletic like Emmett, Jake, Embry or Quil. Even being spry like Jasper who could jump through the air and catch the Frisbee being tossed would be preferable to his own scrawny shape. The only muscles he had were in his arms, probably from playing the piano, excessive video games and more personal pursuits behind the locked door of his en suite bathroom. Now, here he was in all his nerdy glory wishing he could just disappear. Naturally, when his face was turning red more from embarrassment than from the harsh glare of the sun, he heard the sounds of the giggling girls walking down the narrow path from the parking lot to the beach.

Alice was the first to break free from the bevy of five walking down the pathway. She rushed Jasper and tackled him into the sand, both of them laughing and play-wrestling each other. Ben shyly took Angela's hand and placed a peck on her lips when he thought no one was watching. Rose and Emmett stood close but not touching, awkwardly grinning at one another since their relationship was still too new for exuberant displays of affection like Alice had done. Bella got a hug from Leah and Jake then introduced Whitney to the group before Quil and Embry picked her up, threatening to toss her into the frigid ocean water. Bella managed to flail out of their grasp so they turned instead to Leah, tossing her into the ocean as she let out a string of Quileute curses at her boyfriend for not intervening. Jake just stood on the beach with Seth and laughed.

"Hi, Edward," Bella said nervously as she approached him. Edward looked up and was slightly stunned to find she wasn't dressed too differently from himself. She had on shorts and flip-flops, but she also had on a big floppy sun hat, sunglasses, and a jacket over her t-shirt. In the too big beach bag she had on her shoulder, Edward spied the same brand and SPF of sunscreen he himself wore.

"Hi," Edward said. "So…uh…how's it going?" He winced, feeling incredibly lame that he couldn't think of anything more intelligent or suave to say.

"Good," Bella said, plopping down on the sand next to him. "It'll be even better if I don't fry out here. I don't know why Alice always insists on bringing me to the beach. She knows my skin can't handle it."

"I know what you mean," Edward nodded.

"I'm guessing Emmett and Jasper dragged you down here," Bella said. "I'd never come to the beach if it were up to me, but Alice is a very persuasive best friend."

"Not so much dragged as sort of tricked me," Edward said. "We all got into Emmett's car and next thing I know they're all excited about going to the beach… I didn't want to nix that, but we did have to stop by my house for sunscreen. People who tan just don't understand, you know?"

"Yeah," Bella laughed, watching as Alice climbed on top of Jasper's shoulders to catch the Frisbee. Ben and Angela had retreated to a log to chat quietly leaving Rose, Whitney and Alice to join the Frisbee game.

"Come on losers! Let's go swimming!" Embry declared.

"It's frigid as a witch's tit you idiot!" Leah screamed at him.

However, the guys didn't care. Whether it was more idiocy or teenage bravado Bella wasn't sure, but suddenly Jake, Embry, Quil, Emmett and Jasper were all tearing off their shirts and running into the water. A tow-headed Seth wasn't too far behind. Of course, all of them shrieked like little girls when they really hit the water and ran back out. Emmett's lips were already turning blue even though he hadn't been in the water that long. The girls laughed while Leah shook her head. Seth came over and shook his wet hair out on her and she wrestled him into the sand.

"We have such weird friends," Edward shook his head. Bella laughed.

End Note:
An FBI investigation and report on school shootings titled "The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective" found simply expelling a problem student who makes threats is not a good, quick fix solution to the problem. The report states: "It is especially important that a school not deal with threats simply by kicking the problem out the door. Expelling or suspending a student for making a threat must not be a substitute for a careful threat assessment and a considered, consistent policy of intervention… If a student feels unfairly or arbitrarily treated and becomes even angrier and more bent on carrying out a violent act."

The report also said schools should look for "signposts" or behavioral keys and cues that might indicate whether or not a student is making an arbitrary or actual threat against a school or person. "In general, people do not switch instantly from nonviolence to violence," the report states "People do not 'snap' or decide on the spurt of the moment to meet a problem by using violence. Instead, the path toward violence is an evolutionary one, with signposts along the way."

These signposts can include but are not limited to: brooding about frustration or disappointment; fantasies of destruction or revenge; continued threats in writings, drawings or conversations; failing to demonstrate empathy with others; low tolerance for frustration; poor coping skills with failure, rejection, humiliation, disappointment, or anger; lack of resiliency from frustration or disappointed; failed relationships; dwelling real or perceived injustices; racial, religious and other prejudice or intolerant behaviors; depression, narcissism; alienation, dehumanizing others; a sense of entitlement; and a desperate or pathological need for attention.