Hi all!

I am currently making Christmas cookies and was going to wait until I was done frosting them to post Chapter 7. But, I didn't want to wait anymore. I worked on chapters 9 and 10 today during some down time at school so those should be posted tomorrow some time. Chapter 8 will probably be posted before I go to bed.

Enjoy and I appreciate feedback. I do not have a beta so any mistakes are all mine.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, ideas, plots, music, brands, etc. are owned by their respected owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 7

10 years old

It was September 13th and Bella was turning 10. Her parents rented out the rink for her party and everyone in both 5th grade classes were invited. Purple streamers and yellow lanterns decorated the rink. Long tables were lined up in front of the concession stand. Gold and purple balloons were tied around the birthday girl's chair. A Tangled themed cake reading "Happy 10th Birthday Bella" sat on its own table where the gifts were also going to go.

Alice arrived about 20 minutes before everyone else carrying a huge gift bag in her arms. Bella grabbed Alice by the hand and dragged her to the benches after she deposited the bag next to the cake. Renee planned for the kids to skate for about an hour before having pizza and cake. Bella did not want to waste any time. Her parents splurged to get the entire rink for 3 hours, so she wanted to take advantage of having all the ice to just Alice and herself before the other kids arrived.

"Don't forget to say hi to everyone when they start showing up," Charlie reminded Bella as the two girls stepped onto the ice.

"I won't," Bella responded skating away, "I've been landing my double axel. Wanna see?"

Alice and Bella took turns showing off the different jumps, spins, and extensions they have been learning. They gave each other scores and pretended to be in the Olympics receiving Gold metals. Bella's dad came over after a while and told them to hop off the ice for a bit since other kids were starting to show up. Bella gave the audience one more bow and a couple kisses before heading back to the party tables.

Edward walked into the rink with Mike right behind him. They both had small gift bags in their hands. Edward was not sure what was in the bag. His mom bought Bella's gift because he had no idea what she liked. All Edward cared about was being able to go skating. All the 5th graders were going to Bella's party and he could not wait to get onto ice with his friends.

"Hi Edward. Hi Mike. Thank you for coming," Renee greeted.

"You can put your gifts on the table by the cake. The other kids are starting to get their skates on if you want to join them," Charlie said.

"Thank you for the invite," Mike said.

"We are glad you two could make it. Have fun. The pizzas will be here in about 45 minutes."

Elizabeth and Mike's dad joined the other parents by the concession stand window. The rink opened it up so the Swan's could use the fridges to keep the ice cream and drinks cold. Charlie was behind the counter setting up a vegetable and fruit tray along with a bowl of chips to go with the pizzas once they arrived.

The kids were all on the ice playing a game of Freeze Tag. Riley was it while Emmett unfroze everyone. Renee and Charlie let Riley invite a couple of his friends to the party so that he did not get too bored around his sister's classmates. Everyone was having a good time. Shrieks and laughter could be heard all through the rink as the kids played around.

"Alright kids. Pizza is here!"

Hungry kids quickly left the rink and pulled their skates off as fast as they could. The pizzas were lined up on a table along the wall with different cans of soda lining the end. Bella went through the line first followed by Alice and Riley. Bella sat at the middle table where the balloons matching her party were secured. Edward followed behind Jake and grabbed two slices of cheese pizza. They sat with Mike and a couple other boys at the far table away from the girls. Everyone ate quickly. They all wanted to get back onto the ice.

"…happy birthday to you!"

Bella sat at her chair with pink cheeks. She hated when all the attention was on her like this. It was always so awkward when people sang Happy Birthday at parties. Bella quickly blew out the candles and looked at her mom to cut the cake. Chocolate ice cream was served alongside it. Bella's slice was huge and had a large, yellow frosting flower on top. The frosting was the best part and she ate all of it. Gifts were quickly opened. Bella thanked everyone for the gifts before her parents said that they had about 30 minutes before the party was done.

The kids did their own thing on the ice instead of playing a group game. Bella, Alice, and Angela tried to go through some of their routines but some of the boys were sprinting everywhere making it hard. Edward and Jake were having a race to see who could make it around the fastest. It irritated Bella that Edward could not go one day without trying to out skate everyone. It was her party after all, and he was taking over the rink. Alice told her to ignore him.

Edward's mom made him tell Bella thank you for inviting him before they left to go home.

"Thank you for inviting me."

"Um, yeah. No problem. Thank you for the My Little Pony doll."

"No problem. See you at school on Monday."

Edward followed behind his mom carrying a Tangled goody bag as they walked to the car. So that is what mom got Bella for her birthday. What in the world is My Little Pony?

I never had My Little Pony dolls as a kid. I was more interested in collecting Pokemon cards and reading Boxcar Children books. As an adult though, I LOVE the series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. My husband laughs when he comes home and sees it playing on the TV for background noise. Fluttershy is my kindred spirit.

Any comments? Thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

~ Cat