Emmett grabs his duffle bag off the ground and tosses it in his desk chair. He proceeds to throw hoodies, sweats, a pair of jeans, and some boxers into the general vicinity.
Someone knocks on the open doorway of his room. He looks over and sees Edward standing there in his pajamas.
"Hello, Sleeping Beauty," Emmett greets.
"Esme said breakfast is going to be ready soon," the ginger announces unceremoniously.
"Cool, I'll be there in a sec," the beefy dark-haired athlete replies, shoving a phone charger and some socks into his bag.
Edward doesn't go away, though, and continues to stand there like he's wanting to say something.
"What?" Emmett asks.
"I'm worried about spending four days straight with Bella. We haven't been together that long before," Edward frets. He sounds like a toddler who's afraid of some kind of monster lurking under his bed.
"You've been sleeping over at her apartment every other night the past couple weeks. I'm sure it's fine."
"I know, and I don't know how much longer I can keep doing it for. It's excruciating."
Emmett tilts his head in confusion. "What do you mean excruciating? You're spending quality time with your girlfriend."
Edward exhales dramatically. "That's not the difficult part. I can't not think about certain things when we're together like that. It's so distracting, I end up not sleeping at all."
"Like you're laying there with blue balls for eight hours straight?" Emmett laughs. "She's probably in the same boat. Just do it already and stop whining."
"No, I'm waiting until marriage!"
"Okay, well, you have two hands. All I'm saying is maybe you can Google what to do with them."
"I'm going to pretend that you're suggesting I use them to put a ring on her finger," Edward's expression is appalled. He changes the subject immediately. "I told her I would teach her how to ski."
"Didn't you say she was super clumsy? Did she misunderstand and think it was a different type of slope you'd be hitting?"
"Ugh! Emmett, this isn't funny!"
"It kind of is."
There's a knock at the front door followed by it immediately being answered. Emmett can hear Alice's bubbly chirp as she chatters away at whoever just arrived.
Edward looks out into the hall and back to Emmett with an unenthusiastic sigh. "It's Rosalie and Jasper."
"Why do you not like them again?"
"I just don't."
Emmett shrugs. "Yeah, you better figure out how to get over it because Rose and I are dating. You have to be nice to her now. It's bro code."
"You're what?"
"If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go say hi to my new girlfriend," Emmett says, waiting for the ginger to get out of the doorway so he can pass.
"Fine. I'll put up with Rosalie, but what about Jasper?"
"Jazz is great! He's super nice. Now can you move?"
"He always looks hungover or drunk," Edward grumbles.
"Yeah, he probably needs to drink more water."
"You don't think it's weird Alice is hanging out with him?"
"Everything Alice does is weird. I caught her singing her Louboutins to sleep once," Emmett says, brushing off his friend's concern.
Edward rolls his eyes. "Do you think they're together?"
"I mean, she invited him to tag along to a weekend at the cabin knowing three other couples were going. There's definitely an implication," the football player says, looking up in thought.
"But why him?"
"If I was a girl, I'd totally date Jazz. He's chill, unlike some guys I know," Emmett jabs. "Now can you move?"
"Fine," Edward says, stepping out of the way.
Emmett goes out into the living room and sees Alice being a total spaz while Rosalie and Jasper stand and nod every few seconds.
Rosalie tosses her long, blond hair over her shoulder and raises her brows when she sees him, smiling ever so slightly. She's wearing a fitted cream-colored sweater and jeans. The coat she wore on the way over is folded up in her arms.
"Did you get enough coffee this morning, Alice?" Emmett asks brashly to the small chatterbox.
"I haven't had any yet," she says, not wasting a single moment to breathe. "Hey, are you making fun of me?"
"Never!"
Esme stands in the kitchen holding a decanter of orange juice. "Breakfast is ready for anyone who wants it!"
Emmett wraps an arm around Rosalie's waist and kisses her cheek, pulling her with him over to where the food is.
"Excited to go play in the snow?" he asks her.
She nods. "I want to see Alexander Falls."
"Yeah, we should go! In the summer you can see bears around there sometimes. It's so cool."
"Bears?"
"Bears!" Emmett cheers.
"You already almost died once hiking. Are you trying to test your luck?" she asks skeptically.
He laughs. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Babe."
...
Alice grabs a slice of cantaloupe off the fruit platter Esme prepared and takes a seat at the counter island.
Rosalie and Jasper sit beside her, while Emmett remains standing, eating bacon straight out of the pile stacked up in the center of a large serving plate.
"How's your new apartment, Rosalie?" Alice asks, trying to make light conversation. "You've been there a little over a week now, right? Emmett was telling me it's a really nice building."
The blond gives her an apprehensive look. "I like it. I'm still getting settled, but it's nice being able to see the Puget Sound from my living room."
"That's not too far from where you were living, right? You're in Magnolia now?"
"Yeah, it's maybe eight minutes away from Jasper's place."
Alice nods. She hasn't been there before, but she knows it's someplace in South Lake Union.
Esme hands Emmett a plate, finally fed up with him grazing off the communal dishes. "Can you sit down, Emmett, please?"
"My bad," the curly-haired jock grabs a barstool and takes a seat at the end of the counter by Rosalie.
"Is Bella not coming?" Carlisle asks Edward, who's sitting away from the others in the living room with a piece of toast.
"She's turning in her last final right now. She said she'll be here in an hour," the sulking pianist replies.
"Oh, good! It wouldn't be the same without her," Esme says happily.
"Yeah, the party just doesn't start without Bella. She's a wild one," Emmett jokes sarcastically.
Edward shoots him an unpleasant glare. He's extra grumpy today.
Emmett throws a grape across the room at the redhead, hitting him square in the face. Jasper and Rosalie laugh at the immature gesture.
"Stop it!"
"You first!"
Esme sighs. "Both of you stop. You're not babies."
"So sorry you had to witness that crass act of vengeance, Esme. It won't happen again...today." Emmett apologizes in an overly serious tone.
Esme laughs but gives him a disapproving look as she pours cups of coffee for the others. "No throwing food in my house."
"Fine."
Emmett starts a conversation with Jasper about the football game last weekend, and Alice stops listening. She looks over to see if Rosalie's finished eating. She's pouring creamer into her cup of coffee.
"Rosalie," Alice says, getting the blond girl's attention. "I just finished up the last of my six dresses for the fashion show. Do you want to see them?"
"Sure," she says after looking between her brother and Emmett briefly. She grabs her mug and follows Alice up the stairs to the raven-haired designer's room.
Alice doesn't know the other girl well enough to get much foresight about her, but she's certain that any of the garments would look beautiful on her.
She flits into her closet for a moment to grab the gowns hanging off the rolling rack in the back. She lays them out flat on her bed.
Rosalie's eyes drift over the dresses, looking at the carefully constructed fabric and feeling the hem on a strappy, side-slit gown made of black satin. "They're well made."
"Do you want to try one on? I haven't seen them worn yet. They haven't been fitted, obviously, but I'm still hoping you'll model a couple for me in the show."
"Yeah, of course," Rosalie nods. Alice hands her a red, strapless dress with garnet-colored beading down the bodice and hips.
The blond doesn't hesitate to put it on. The hue of the chiffon looks perfect against her complexion. The waist will have to be taken in a little so that it drapes properly over her figure.
"It looks amazing on you," Alice compliments.
Inspecting herself in the full-length mirror in the corner, Rosalie turns and twists this way and that. "I love this."
"Really?! Thank you!" Alice is ecstatic. "So you'll wear it in the show?"
"Yes, I don't want to take it off. You made this all yourself?"
"Mhm! It took maybe forty hours."
"For just this one? That's...dedication."
"It's always worth it to see the end result. Fashion is one of those things I'll never get tired of," Alice enthuses. "With the right outfit, you can be whoever you want. It's so fun."
"You sound like you shop a lot," Rosalie says amusedly.
Alice grins. "A lot."
...
Bella carefully ascends the stairs of the Journalism building, her final project for her Journalism course in hand.
Her laptop wouldn't connect to the online submission form for some reason, so now she has to hand-deliver her project on a USB drive.
She was supposed to be at Edward's house by eight, but that isn't feasible anymore. She'll be there around nine if she's lucky.
The door to James' office is closed, but he replied to her email earlier that morning saying he would be there. She knocks.
"Come in!" she hears him call out from inside.
She opens the door and grabs her USB drive out of her backpack. The door clicks shut behind her. "Good morning, sorry to have to bother you so early."
"I was already up and planning to be on campus anyway, so it's no trouble at all," he says with a smile. "I left some papers here that I need to grade still."
"Oh, I guess it works out then. Here you go," she says, handing him the flash drive. "Thanks for understanding. I don't know what's wrong with my laptop this week."
"Of course, of course."
"Well, I'll be going then."
"It's too bad I didn't get a chance to see you at the party last weekend. Busy night?" he prompts, standing from his desk and coming around to stand with her by the door.
"Yeah, I've been working more hours lately to try to get some extra money for the holidays."
He takes a couple of steps closer. "I see. Well, we certainly missed you. I was hoping to introduce you to some of the other students and professors there."
"Oh. Sorry, I, um...maybe another time."
"You know, a bright young writer like yourself could really benefit from some strategic networking. If someone, like myself, introduced you to the right people, you could land the internship of a lifetime. I still haven't referred any students to the summer in New York program."
He's too close. She can feel his breath on her, stale and bitter like smoke.
"That sounds great, um, but I have to go now. I have to meet Edward in half an hour. We're going on a weekend trip."
"Do you need a ride?" he asks in a low voice. "I could drive you over if you need. I'm about to head back out."
"N-no, that's okay. I drove," Bella stammers.
She's backed into a corner with a file cabinet on one side and James on the other.
"What are you doing?" she asks.
"Look, Bella. I didn't want it to be like this, but it seems you've left me no choice," the sandy-haired graduate student sighs. "I need to let you know how much of an impression you've made on me. Your writing has improved so much since the start of the class, and you're a pretty girl. I'm very interested in you."
"You have a girlfriend...Victoria..."
He shakes his head, looking down at the ground. "We're not doing so hot. I've been meaning to end things for a while. I know you're seeing Edward, but he doesn't seem like a good fit for you."
Bella feels irritation well up inside her. "What do you mean? You don't even know him."
"I don't know him, but I know you. I know you've been writing about how dating him makes you feel insecure and uncertain. Your last essay about social circles and the 'dazzling, beautiful, wealthy people who live just minutes from average people making minimum wage' speaks volumes. You clearly don't feel accepted."
"I was just trying to explain that different people lead very different lives. It's a commentary on young adults and the modern workplace," Bella defends. She hadn't realized she was overly transparent in her innermost thoughts.
"Regardless of what you intended, that's not how it read. You should be with someone who's going to bring you up, not pity you or make you feel lackluster."
His rough hand touches her neck, brushing aside a strand of hair. "You're so beautiful...so...intoxicating."
She flinches, pushing past him as hard as she can to get to the door. "I have to go!"
"Bella! Bella, wait!" he calls out after her.
She runs as fast as she can manage down the stairs, stumbling down the smooth steps and outside, not taking a moment to look back until she's in her truck with the doors locked.
She shoves the keys in the ignition and starts the engine. She drives off campus towards the freeway, her body shaking from the adrenaline.
She's upset with how James acted, but she's even more upset with herself for being so blatantly insufficient.
Was it so obvious that she thought she wasn't good enough to be with Edward, that it was seeping into her written work?
She wipes a tear off her cheek as she stops at a traffic light, taking deep, shaky breaths.
...
"Pick your poison," Alice says with a grin, motioning between herself and Emmett standing out in the driveway between Carlisle and Edward's two Teslas.
"You and Jasper can ride with us," Edward gives her an unamused glower. "Like you didn't already know."
"I like to create the illusion of choice," Alice says with a giggle, getting into the backseat of Edward's car. Jasper sets their bags in the trunk before getting in on the other side.
"You can go ahead and park your car in the garage, Rosalie," Esme calls out to the tall blond girl.
"Okay, thanks," Rosalie says.
Alice checks the Tamagochi on her keyring, feeding it a snack. It's pretty unfortunate looking because she forgot to give it enough attention before it evolved.
Rosalie is moving her BMW into the empty spot next to Edward's Aston Martin when Bella's truck pulls into the driveway.
"Is she crying?" Jasper asks, looking over Alice out the window at the old truck.
"What?" Edward stands up from his spot leaning against the side of the car, hurrying over to Bella.
Alice sits up and looks over at her friend, unable to see if the pale brunette was in fact crying because she's turned away from them.
"Are you all set to go?" Carlisle comes around the side of Edward's car and directs his attention to the pair sitting in the back.
"Yep! We're just missing Bella," Alice says with a nod.
Edward puts Bella's backpack and things in the trunk and slams it shut.
"Great," he says smiling. "Edward, if you want to follow us up there, we're going to leave in a minute."
"Sure, sounds good," the redhead says as he and Bella get into the car.
Alice leans across diagonally to tap Bella's shoulder. When the other girl turns, she does seem a bit upset.
"What happened?" she asks quietly.
"It's nothing. I was just having computer trouble this morning and had to go turn in my final project last minute," Bella says, shaking her head.
Alice nods supportively. She personally wouldn't cry over something like that, but maybe Bella has a high-stress personality.
The car starts and Mozart's "Lacrimosa" comes on loudly over the speakers.
They will not be listening to overly dramatic requiem music for the next three hours.
"Disconnect your Bluetooth. I want to play my music," Alice says, kicking the back of Edward's seat in front of her.
"No, your music sucks," Edward complains.
She climbs over the center console and grabs his phone out of the cup holder. The car starts to swerve and corrects itself as he attempts to swat her away.
"Edward! Oh my god," Bella raises her voice anxiously at the haphazard driving.
"Sorry."
Alice taps her phone screen a few times and an Arctic Monkeys song comes on. Much better.
"I like this song," Jasper comments.
"Right?!" the short-haired girl enthuses. "Have you guys been to Whistler before?"
"No," replies Jasper.
Bella shakes her head. "I've never been out of the country."
"Ever? Even for family vacations?" Alice is surprised.
"We went to Disneyland once, but that's it," Bella says with a shrug.
Alice looks at Jasper expectantly.
"I've been to Mexico," says the blond.
"Which cities?" asks Edward.
"Mexico City and Monterrey mostly. Tijuana sometimes."
Their redheaded driver doesn't say anything, but to Alice it seems like he's debating over whether or not to make a rude comment.
"How did you all do on your finals?" the brunette pixie questions the group again.
Edward glances back in the rearview mirror at her. "I thought my exams were pretty easy."
"I didn't have any actual tests, so that was nice. Just papers," Bella says.
Jasper sighs. "I feel like I'll just barely pass mine."
Alice concentrates for a moment on the statement, trying to prompt some sort of premonition.
"What about you, Alice?" Bella asks. "Did you do well?"
"Oh, yeah! My French and art history finals were a breeze. What classes are you taking next quarter?"
"Intro to Narrative Journalism, a Shakespeare literature course, and a communications class on race, gender, and sexuality in media."
"Ooh! I'm taking French, another apparel design class, and a business course. I also have a 2 credit painting class thrown in as an elective, but that's just for fun."
"Very cool!" Bella says, halfway turned around in the passenger seat to chat with the smaller girl. Edward reaches across the cup holders to hold his girlfriend's hand, driving one-handed down the interstate.
Cute. Kind of mushy.
A vision pops into Alice's head just then.
"Jazz, I think you're getting a B on that exam," she says, seeing the online grade portal clearly for about half a second before it fizzles out from view.
"Really? That's exactly what I needed."