I Like Me Better

by pantheradraconis

Bella, after graduating high school in Florida under the roof of her mother and stepdad, moves to Forks, WA for her first year of college. She arrives the summer before and spends most of her time at the res with her friends Jacob and Leah, learning about the wolves and taught to fear the cold ones.

4. Blank Space

Title: I Like Me Better

Author: Pantheradraconis

Rating: M

Pairing: Bella/Rosalie

POV: Changes, 3rd Person

Summary: Bella, after graduating high school in Florida under the roof of her mother and stepdad, moves to Forks, WA for her first year of college. She arrives the summer before and spends most of her time at the res with her friends Jacob and Leah, learning about the wolves and taught to fear the cold ones. On her first day of classes at Peninsula College, Bella runs into the most gorgeous girls she's ever seen and immediately becomes infatuated with her.

Chapter 4

Rosalie

There's something incredibly unappealing about Tuesday's to Rosalie. She's not entirely sure what it is about the day that makes her simply not want to join the fray of humans going about their bustle. To most, the exasperation is set around Mondays; they hate returning to work or to school after a quiet weekend off, or perhaps a crazy weekend with no concerns. Quite frankly the hatred of the daily existence seems like a personal problem to Rosalie, but instead, people walk around with their dumb jokes about, 'Monday mornings, am I right?' or 'feels like a Monday, right?' But that wasn't exactly what threw Rosalie off.

Being a vampire entitled her to a life of no sleep, a life of no lost time. Instead, she had all the time in the world and Monday can feel like just another day. Sometimes she preferred a Monday to a Sunday simply because the beginning of the week gave her a distraction from her endless time, something new to focus her attention on. Not Tuesdays. Tuesdays felt like a repeat, like a never-ending groundhogs day. The Monday jokes ended and people suddenly realize their attention should be focused on their goals for the week. People become dependent on a Tuesday.

"I really like the Physics class. We're covering different types of wave patterns." Emmett drones on while walking alongside the blonde. Although the excitable vampire has taken Physical Science classes before, he always seems enlivened with each new pass through, as if the science has changed with each new explanation.

Rosalie allows him to continue his babble. It's never tired her before, even on a Tuesday, and she enjoys the sound of his voice as it covers the white noise of the humans around them. Another bonus to putting up with the vampire's chatter is the intimidation he provides. With no effort at all, the burly vampire works as an invisible wall between Rosalie and the teens around her.

They walk onto campus and cut their way along the widened pathways. The outside air must be cool as some students dawn their new Pirates hoodies and long sleeves. Rosalie carefully pulls the sleeve of her shirt slightly up on her shoulder, pretending the widened neck is giving her a slight chill. In the same move, she adjusts the dangling necklace around her neck and listens to it clatter together; the sound of the double chains reminds her of an old lullaby. She rests the Olympic coven emblem against her collarbone before letting it slide back into place.

The campus consumes them from every direction as they skirt the edges of the quad. Students take up every inch of pathway, some even cutting across the grass patches in between. The smell of breakfast wafts in the air causing Rosalie to wrinkle her nose in distaste. Ketchup and coffee begins to mix with the smells of Axe and coconut shea; the savage attempt to drench each individual's distinct smell.

Around them, the students laugh and cheer and grumble and discuss. The words slip through Rosalie's ears with very little concentration and no retention; she hears them speak yet doesn't hear their words. The importance of their existence, they're problems, their joys, their interests, and their faults mean little to her. These individuals will be cut out and others will fall perfectly into place, the ongoing churning of the human life. Oh how she envies their growth and change yet despises their repetition and inability to learn from those before them.

Emmett's voice grows quiet, a change Rosalie immediately notices. She looks over at her brother and sees his forlorn expression, his sorrowful eyes. Only one human can cause this sudden change in demeanor. She hisses in distaste and searches their surroundings. Humans are scattered everywhere, each less of what she's looking for than the first.

A human trips on the sidewalk's uneven edge before slowly looking around and checking if anyone saw him. His legs are longer than he's used to; must have gone through a recent growth spurt. Two girls look down at a phone in one of the girl's hands. They make faces of distaste at the Tinder profile of a professor while sharing snarky comments at the man's opening quote. Towards the far end of the quad is the point guard, shooting guard, and power forward starters from the college's basketball team. Jasper had noted their talent but also their intense pride. He won't be surprised if something horrible happens after they lose a game.

Finally, benched on the opposite side of the quad eating a disgusting breakfast burrito and sipping on a mocha caramel coffee with too much sugar, is Angela. The crux of all of Rosalie's current problems. The vampire lifts her lip in a partial sneer as she focuses on the brunette. Angela isn't even taking a full course load at this sorry excuse for higher education. Why did the photophile decide on Peninsula College when she could have gotten into the ArtCenter in Pasadena? If she had simply traveled out of state, Rosalie would have had a fighting chance at keeping Emmett away from her, keeping him safe. Instead Angela lowered her standards and stayed close; whether she's staying close to her family or to her new boytoy, Rosalie hardly cared.

The chaos of noise amongst the college students, from the teammates to the Beta Delta Nu, from the science nerds to the stoners, appears to silence as one word glides its way to Rosalie. As if riding a sound wave that perfectly lands inside her ear, Rosalie's eyes inch from the brunette only to land on a familiar face.

Bella, Rosalie thinks and then is surprised she remembers the strange human's name. How often in her life had she bothered to retain such unimportant information.

Suddenly, as if she has heard Rosalie's thoughts, the small girl jumps up from her seat and takes several steps before turning back toward Angela.

"Yes, her. She's the one." Bella's words continue to travel as if they are meant for her, and yet Rosalie can see she's plainly speaking to the taller girl.

"Well, would you look at that," Emmett says with a smirk on his face. She can almost hear his mind tick forward with the possibilities of interaction.

Shaking her head, Rosalie says, "No, no way. There's no reason for this." She turns to enter a building, any building, but Emmett holds her arm gently.

"I don't think it's going to make any difference," He lets go and points across the pathways. "She's already on her way and it appears she's treating this as a mission."

Rosalie turns back and sees Bella has already crossed half the quad. Her steps are awkward and jerky but they keep bringing her forward. She is indeed on a mission. The blonde fixes her features, crosses her arms, breathes in deeply and then holds her breath. She closes her eyes and sets her jaw in a sharp line before opening her eyes once more. Her face is set, a perfect mask of annoyance.

"Rosalie!" The brunette calls out, lifting her hand in a large wave. The slight shift manages to throw the short girl off and she slides in the dew covered grass, barely catching herself before she falls.

For some strange reason, the blonde finds herself leaning forward slightly. For what reason, she hasn't a clue. It's not like she was going to catch the brunette. Rosalie laughs at her internal quip and adjusts the strap of her leather messenger bag.

Emmett, however, takes a few steps forward to meet with the girl. "Hey, you alright there?" He asks, completely genuine. Rosalie rolls her eyes and takes a few steps forward, simply to stay near her brother, of course.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Bella shakes her hand out at Emmett, keeping him a few paces away. "Don't bother. If you tried to catch me every time I fell you'd had a full time job."

Rosalie's perfectly masked face falls just slightly as she imagines Emmett perfectly following Bella's every step like a giant shadow. She raises an eyebrow as the brunette finally makes it to Emmett before looking over to Rosalie. The blonde waits. The brunette just stares, a large smile on her face. Rosalie wonders briefly if there is something in her teeth before remembering her mouth is closed. She frowns and glares.

"Hi, Emmett," Bella says, turning back to the burly teen.

Emmett looks over the short girl's shoulder and smiles at Angela, who adds herself to the strange group meeting with the same ease she had in high school. A silent yet crucial addition.

"How's it going, BellaBear?" Emmett says as he turns back to the smaller girl. "Nice to see you didn't end up in a coma."

"Coma?" Angela asks quietly while Bella smiles brightly at the funny nickname.

"Oh it was nothing," Bella says, quickly explaining her attack on Rosalie a few weeks ago. Had it been weeks? The school year moves so quickly.

The wind blows softly and a delicious scent finds its way into Rosalie's nose. She inhales, letting her eyes droop just slightly. It's not the smell of perfume or lotion or fruity soaps. It's an earthy smell, a true smell. What is that glorious scent?

"So that's how you met," Angela replies softly, a slight smile on her lips as she listens to Bella droning on about how Rosalie came to her rescue and escorted her to safety. "I'm sure Rosalie made an excellent chauffeur."

Opening her eyes and tilting her head to the side, Rosalie glares at Angela, who merely shrugs in defense.

"Are you going to the Pirate Party?" Bella asks.

Rosalie looks down to see the brunette is staring right at her, eyes large and hopeful. Searching her mind, the vampire remembers the Pirate Party to be a themed homecoming event for the college.

"I wasn't planning on it, no." The blonde responds before turning her attention to her nails. She wonders again what that smell could have been; her mind slowly drifts to the small brunette in front of her but no, that couldn't be it.

"Can I change your mind?" The girl continues. "Would you go with me?"

Blinking in surprise, Rosalie asks, "Why would I do that?"

"Change your mind or go on a date with me?" Bella asks calmly, completely oblivious of how the conversation is going.

Emmett and Angela hide behind their hands as they snicker. Rosalie growls at them before turning back to the short brunette.

"I don't tend to change my mind once it's made." She replies cooly.

Instead of being dismayed, the brunette smiles even bigger. Rosalie finds herself somewhat impressed by the maneuver. Wasn't the girl already smiling? How did she manage to spread it from her lips to her eyes and beyond? The blonde notices Bella's straight teeth, her small lips and slightly rounded nose. Her eyes are a surprisingly bright brown, like milk chocolate.

"How about getting a drink with me this afternoon?"

"I don't drink."

"We could grab a bite to eat."

"I eat a special diet and don't do restaurants."

Rosalie sighs as the questions continue; an art event, a stroll along the beach, playing basketball. Angela and Emmett stare on in shock as Bella doesn't appear to be wavering any time soon. None of the plans sound even remotely interesting to the blonde, especially if you add on the expectations of spending said time with this human. Instead, Rosalie starts to check out of the conversation.

"There's an old car show at the pier tomorrow," Bella says with a look of concentration on her face; as if she is trying to remember the events section in the local newspaper.

The blonde blinks a few times before asking, "Why would you invite me to an old car show?"

Bella smirks gently and says, "You look like someone who would appreciate an old car."

"How?"

Tilting her head slightly and giving a look of pure exasperation, Bella sighs. "I don't know, I'm running out of ideas here. And I mean, old cars are kind of cool, especially the ones with interesting history." She leans back slightly, almost losing her balance, before saying in a shy voice, "I want to get to know you."

Emmett looks down at his watch before saying, "We've gotta go. Class will start in just a bit."

Rosalie looks over at her brother and smiles gently. Somehow he always seems to know when she needs an out. She whispers a tiny thank you, words the two humans cannot hear but the blonde guesses Angela noticed. The tall girl always manages to notice.

Without reply, the blonde turns to leave but is stopped by a small hand grabbing at hers. She stills before slowly looking back at the small girl.

"Here, I'll give you my number and you can let me know," Bella says, looking down at her bag, which is now lying on the ground between her legs. With one arm, she attempts to unzip a pocket, and pull out a pen. She then struggles with another zipper in an attempt to find paper.

Rubbing her teeth together in annoyance, Rosalie pulls her phone out in one smooth movement and says, "What's your number?"

"What? Oh! Yeah, ok, it's 813-221-1611."

Rosalie types the number into her phone and sends a text message with her name. She then turns away and leaves the three brunettes to their own devices. She needs to get to class. Closing her flip phone, she slides it back into her jean pocket, and makes her way into the building and down the hall. She all but glides into her classroom, pulling out her laptop and booting it up. She leans back in her chair and huffs out a sigh at the same time her phone vibrates in her pocket. She pulls it out and sees the new text.

[NoName] thks Rosalie! send u the deets 2nite :) :)

Rosalie stares at the words for several minutes, debating what to say, how to respond. She leans forward and places the phone on the table before punching in a search on her laptop. She pulls up the car show, which is actually at the small airport instead of the pier, and looks through the details. They advertise a large assortment of vehicles expected to show, as well as pictures from previous years. Rosalie stares at the photos for several minutes before finally admitting she did want to go. Perhaps she could simply avoid Bella and go by herself. She chews on her bottom lip as she debates whether Emmett would go with her or if she'd be stuck having to ask Jasper and Alice.

[Alice] Why are we avoiding Bella?

Rosalie looks down at her phone and rolls her eyes. Of course Alice would know the small brunette girl; was there anyone that didn't already know this human?

[Alice] Edward is hanging out with his wolf tomorrow. He can't make it.

[Alice] If we go without Bella, we'll inevitably run into her.

[Rosalie] Why would she go if I turned her down?

This was the perfect situation where Rosalie wished her siblings didn't have special powers that brought about the inevitable. If she didn't already know she'd run into Bella tomorrow, she could have lasted almost 24 hours in happy ignorance.

[Alice] Something about it sounding interesting.

[Alice] Wait, did something happen with Bella today?

[Rosalie] You mean you don't already know?

Her phone stays silent for several beats and Rosalie returns her attention to her statistics class. The teacher is droning on about regression analysis and most of the students' eyes seem glazed over. The blonde looks back at her laptop, opening her class notes, and quickly types out the formula on the board. She then begins working through the homework for the next class. Her phone doesn't vibrate again until the end of class.

[Jasper] There's a registered Jaguar E-Type for the show tomorrow.

Rosalie growls at her phone. Of course Jasper would bribe her into going with such a beautiful car. How could she not go? If she could only get her hands on an E-Type, she'd be in heaven.

[Alice] So it's a double date?

There's a part of her that simply wishes to break her phone into tiny pieces. Just crush it until the components turn to dust and then grind that dust into the pavement beneath her feet. Instead, Rosalie pockets the phone and makes her way down the hall of the AHEC Education building.

Kathy greets her with a smile that could compete with Esme's. "Rosalie, how are you today?"

The blonde smiles warmly but her eyes pass Kathy's face and moves towards the door.

"I'm well, thank you." Rosalie replies softly. "I'm here for my shift."

"Of course, of course," Kathy nods while looking down at scattered pile of papers. "Can you stay through the next two classes? Our second, Ken, isn't going to have the time to volunteer here. He got a paying job at Kids Kampus." The older woman rolls her eyes, but quickly asks, "Did your friend still want to volunteer? We could really use the extra help."

Holding back her sigh, Rosalie politely gives a vague response. "I'm not sure. I'll have to ask the girl. We're not exactly friends but…"

Kathy quickly cuts her off, saying, "Oh that would be wonderful. I really mean we could use the help. There simply aren't enough kids available between classes. It would help out a lot; thank you, Rosalie, really."

The woman continues to smile at Rosalie as she holds the door open for the teen. Rosalie merely nods, unsure what else to say. Before her bad mood can worsen, the sound of the kids laughing and playing quickly takes over her attention as she is immediately pulled into a game of Red Light, Green Light.

Angela

The evening drones on as Angela goes through her long selection of photos. The assignment is Nature With Distortion. She hates nature shots, much preferring to take photos of people. There's something about people's eyes that draws her in, she wishes to know more about people, all people. She loves to watch them move, and think, eat, and laugh, sleep, and yell. Emotions that are raw and true. Maybe that was why she was drawn into the Cullens. They were exceptional, astonishing, but wanted to be normal. It was such a strange contradiction. Most people want to be extraordinary.

The photos she took for the assignment are of the forest's edge just outside of the campus, the Salish Sea from the port, and the downtown area of Forks around 5 AM, when no people were moving about. She doesn't know which photos to pick for her project and just keeps moving them around in different orders. Sighing, she moves to her portfolio to see if she has any older photos she can hand in. Her eyes catch an old photo taken deep in the forest, the sun barely catching through the trees. It was beautiful. But in the background, just past a few of the trees, was Emmett's back, his shoulders shining in the sunlight like diamonds.

Angela sighs and puts the photo back, knowing she could never use it. She turns back to the recent pictures and pulls out two from the deserted downtown area and one from the port; she scans them into her computer and pulls the copies up on Photoshop. Playing with the filters, she changes the lighting to be from different perspectives, she then inserts a sticker of a Pokemon and sticks her tongue at the picture.

From the front of the house, Angela can hear her family coming home from Tuesday night bible study. She deletes off the sticker and adds a blue sheen to the photo, tilting her head to the side. She shrugs and hits the save button before getting up and greeting everyone.

In the front hall, Joshua and Isaac are both on the floor fighting with their rain boots, coats half off and soaking wet. Angela immediately bends down and pulls off the boots, one at a time.

"Thanks, Ang!" The boys shout as they run down the hall, coats scattered across the bench in their haste.

"No problem, goobers!" Angela laughs while she picks up the coats and sets them on their individual hangers. She lines the boots up on the rubber mat and heads to the kitchen for a paper towel.

Her mother hands her a couple from the role and remarks, "We should invest in a full-time towel out there!" The teen cleans up the wet mess quickly before returning back to the kitchen.

"They'd find a way to play in the mud with it," Her father quips while helping gather ingredients for dinner. "Did you eat yet, Ang?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Angela replies. "I had a burrito from the freezer."

"Oh, come on, you need something more nutritious. How about you have a side salad with us? Get some fresh veggies." Her mother says while chopping up some carrots.

"I had some veggies with breakfast." It wasn't a complete lie. "And I've got a project I need to finish. You guys go ahead without me."

"If you change your mind…" Angela's father lets the words hang as an open invitation. The teen smiles and walks back to her bedroom, just off the family room. She wakes up her computer and gets back to work on the pictures.

An hour later, Angela has three passable nature photos with color distortions. She wonders briefly if the distortion should be more literal, like a water stain mark or a giant "x" in permanent marker, but decides to move on. She could never fully destroy a photo in that fashion anyway.

Just before she pushes away from her desk, the teen's phone lights up from where it's plugged in. She pulls it closer to herself and sees a text from Bella.

[Bella] No reply yet :/

[Bella] U thnk she avodin me ?

Angela bites her lip and wonders how to reply. She could be brutally honest, but that wasn't really her style. And she likes Bella a lot; the teen is positive and enjoyable, she likes to crack jokes and enjoy the little things in life. It reminds Angela a lot of Emmett.

[Ang] Rose is a bit thorny

[Bella] lol! Ur tellin me

[Bella] Teres sumthin bout her tho

[Bella] Cant get her of my mind, ya kno ? :/

[Ang] I know the feelin :-D

[Bella] How do u kno them

The brunette sighs down at her phone. Where would she even begin to tell this story? The Cullens arrived at Forks like a hurricane. One day it was calm, the next there was a storm of gossip and interest, teens flocking to the new students like fish being fed in a pond. Chaos filled the classrooms, cafeteria, and parking lot as each student tried to get to know the new kids. But as the days waned, it became apparent no one got close to the Cullens or the Hales; they were gods and we few mortals weren't worth their time. At least that's how Lauren and Jessica seemed to interpret Edward's negative reaction to their constant flirting.

If Angela hadn't taken Emmett's picture that rainy afternoon, the two may have never spoken. Instead, Angela had dared and Emmett had joked; he immediately began posing under the thunder storm. His strong arms bent in bodybuilding poses, but she had zoomed in on his golden eyes. It was some of Angela's best work.

Not sure if she should really share this bit of information but also feeling close to Bella in a way she didn't normally with people her own age, Angela punched away her explanation.

[Bella] Oh cool! So thats y ur weird round him

[Bella] sry 4 makin uncomfortble :/

[Ang] :-D

[Ang] Its ok

[Ang] It was a long time ago

[Bella] 1st love isnt easy

Smiling down at her phone, Angela wondered who Bella's first love was. She didn't quite seem the type to throw her love around and yet she's being so stubborn about her crush on Rosalie. Maybe she just knows when not to give up. Rosalie was awfully nice to the shorter girl this morning; well, nice for Rosalie. Maybe the crush wasn't necessarily unrequited. But if that's the truth, what will happen when Bella finds out about the vampires?

Shaking her head, Angela closes her eyes. That's not her problem, not her issue. She promised never to tell anyone and she's going to stick to that promise, no matter what. And besides, there's no way Rosalie is actually going to go on a date with a human.

[Bella] !

[Bella] Se say ys!

Angela stares down at her phone for several beats in disbelief. Finally coming to, she quickly replies, afterall, she is happy for Bella, right?

[Ang] Thats great! Did she txt u?

[Bella] Fwd: We will meet you at the entrance at 3 PM. Do not be late.

[Bella] im so excitd!

[Bella] ! :) :) :)

[Ang] lol I can see that

[Bella] ur comin 2, rt?

The teen looks up at her white walls with posters of Casting Crowns and Newsboys before her eyes drift over to her portfolio folder. She thinks of the picture of Emmett and wonders if she should really be spending an afternoon out with him. It wasn't that big of a deal though, since there will be others. It wasn't a date, it was a group outing. She should tell Eric though. As long as she's able to tell Eric then it's not a big deal.

She searches through her recent text messaging history and finds Eric a couple names down. The boy was never a big fan of texting and often forgot his phone in another room somewhere. Still, it was sometimes easier to send a text then to call his house and speak to his mother first.

[Ang] Going 2 a car show tmrw with friends

She didn't bother asking if he wanted to come, he had class all day on Wednesdays. Should she say specifically that she's going with the Cullens? With Emmett? She chews on her lips for a minute before adding,

[Ang] New friend Bella is going with Rose, so Em will most likly be there

[Ang] Just wanted to let u know

Angela then switches back to her conversation with Bella and agrees to meet with the group. A part of her still feels slightly guilty, like she's doing something wrong. But she's going to be supportive of Bella. The last thing that girl needs is to be intimidated by the four teen vampires. That is, if the small girl could ever be intimidated; greeting Emmett and Rosalie didn't seem to faze her in the least.

Her family puts in a movie and they all cuddle up on the couch in the family room. Half way through, Angela's phone buzzes in her pocket. She pulls it out and sees a text from Eric.

[EMC2] No prob have fun! :-)

Angela sighs in relief and laughs along with her brothers during the Silly Songs with Larry interlude.

"New money, suit and tie/I can read you like a magazine/Ain't it funny rumors fly/And I know you heard about me/So hey, let's be friends/I'm dying to see how this one ends/Grab your passport and my hand/I can make the bad guys good for a weekend/So it's gonna be forever/Or it's gonna go down in flames/You can tell me when it's over, mmh/If the high was worth the pain/Got a long list of ex-lovers/They'll tell you I'm insane/'Cause you know I love the players/And you love the game" - Blank Space by Taylor Swift

A/N: If anyone is curious, the phone number is to a pizza joint in Jacksonville, FL. Are the text conversations ok to read? I purposely used typos to show text talk and since this is 2006, most phones are still using number keys to text. I honestly think there should be more typos, but I'm not that committed, lol. For you Leah/Edward fans, the next chapter will have some fun interaction time between the two of them, but for the Rosalie/Bella lovers, we've got even more in the next chapter. I am a little curious, do you guys want this story to have some real drama? Or are you enjoying the romantic aspect alone? I'm debating how vampire-y I want to make this story vs teen dating drama.