Friday morning finally rolled around and Bella found herself awoken—this time, not by Jessica's obscenely loud alarm (curiously, Jessica was absent from the room), but by her own cell phone, loudly announcing a call from Renee.
Bella sighed in annoyance. Though she had meant to make it to the practice room that morning, she knew all about the day-ruining capabilities of a Renee Swan phone call. After that grueling verbal stand-off, she knew from experience that she'd need at least 2 hours of quiet recovery time.
Their calls always started the same way, from when she was little, staying with Grandma Swan for a night, to when she left for band camp at 16. Bella would pick up the phone, letting it ring for as long as possible, only to finally pick up, greeted by Renee's crooning, saccharine sweet voice, her first line always along the lines of 'Oh sweetie, I've missed you so much! How are you, honey?"
First, they would touch on a perfunctory run-down of Bella's life. It was in these moments that Bella was almost grateful to have such a boring life, as it made the phone calls shorter, Renee not having anything to analyze or comment on. Bella relayed the events of the past week, glossing over her classes and lesson and purposefully not mentioning the stressful ordeal of buying textbooks. She assured her mother that everything was going fine and that she was working hard, which satisfied Renee. They could proceed onto the next phase of the call.
Then, they would spend an inane amount of time talking about Renee's job as a kindergarten teacher. Although Bella had a tense relationship with her mother, she could recognize that Renee was clearly passionate about teaching and poured her heart into her work. Her students loved her and she her students, and she would often come home with funny stories from her school day. Bella just wished she would put the same level of attention and passion that she had for teaching into her relationship with her daughter and husband.
In Bella's eyes, Renee poured her life into her work to avoid facing the failures of her home life. Bella wasn't stupid; she knew that there had been problems in her parents' marriage since before the wedding. Bella's father, Charlie, worked long hours at the city's post office and would come home beat, eating dinner and then immediately falling asleep on the couch in front of the TV while it broadcasted a football game. He was a very quiet, introspective man, whose anger and frustration would manifest as a quiet simmer, whereas Renee's anger was loud, immediate, and explosive. The couple would clash on a regular basis, Renee picking up on Charlie's latent frustration and drilling him on the reason for it. His lack of definitive response would set her off, and Bella would make her escape to her bedroom before the tears fell, attempting to drown out the imminent hollering with music.
After the argument had died down, Renee would eventually make her way to Bella's room, opening the bedroom door to find her daughter curled up under her bed covers in the fetal position, earbuds blasting music and tears falling silently on her sheets.
"Oh, sweetie," she would say, moving to hug her daughter. "Everything's gonna be fine. Your father and I aren't going to divorce or anything, don't worry."
But I wish you would, Bella would think to herself.
Even as her childhood drew to a close, Bella couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy that those students could receive a level of love and attention from her mother that she had never had. Plus, being that they were her students, not her children, they could receive all of the care, yet escape the burn of Renee's temper.
And that temper usually flared during the third phase of the phone call, where Renee would inevitably maneuver the direction of the call into a question or request that would make Bella uncomfortable. This time, Renee was asking if a friend's sister-in-law's daughter could stay overnight for three nights in Bella's dorm room.
Apparently, this friend's sister-in-law's daughter had a dance competition in New York with her dance troupe, but the girl wanted to stay behind four extra days to look at colleges in the city. She would take a flight back to Phoenix at a later date.
Although students were allowed to have overnight guests in the dorms, Bella didn't know this girl, nor did she really want to deal with the process that would be signing this person in and out of the New Building multiple times. Maybe it was mean to deny this girl a place to stay, but whatever happened to a good, old-fashioned hotel room? It's one thing if it were just up to Bella, but it's also Jessica's dorm room, and Bella just didn't feel comfortable asking Jessica to accommodate someone she didn't even know.
Bella snapped at Renee, voicing her thoughts. Renee snapped back.
"Well, Bella, it's not up to you. You're not the one paying your tuition. I'm doing this friend a favor."
"But mom, I don't even know this person! Why the hell can't she get her own hotel room?"
"This is not a choice. I know this girl's aunt from PTA meetings, and her youngest son is going into kindergarten next year. I want to make a good impression just in case I happen to have her son in my class. I'm going to respond to the woman now and tell her that you're able to do it." Bella could hear the faint tapping of keys in the background.
"MOM!"
"Bella, stop being such a bitch and suck it up. It's only three nights. I'm sure Jessica won't mind."
Finally, Bella had enough. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to play her trump card.
"Did you ask dad about this? You know, since he's also paying for my college. Is he okay with it?"
The line went silent for a moment. Bella had won. She knew that Renee wouldn't tell Charlie about her strange and convoluted request because Charlie would vehemently disagree with making Bella house someone she didn't know just for Renee's benefit.
"You're an ungrateful bitch, you know that? It wouldn't inconvenience you at all to help me with this. Fuck you." The line went dead as Renee ended the call.
An hour later, Bella finally found her way into the shower, still fuming. She was right in assuming her practice time was off the table. There was no way she could make any meaningful progress in her emotional state. As she lathered her shampoo, she felt her anger turn to remorse.
Was that too much of a reaction? Should I have just done this one thing? Bella considered it for a moment.
No, I think it was okay to stand up for myself in this instance. This favor wasn't hers to offer. Besides, even if it was mean… I don't want to house someone I don't even know for my mom's benefit.
After her shower, she got dressed and made her way to the Old School to pick up her Orchestra and Wind Ensemble music, heeding Rosalie's warning. On her way through the halls, many melodies in many timbres drifted by. She purposefully ignored a strain of Chopin which undeniably came from a certain pianist in a certain hallway…
The rest of the morning, along with Bella's classes in the afternoon, passed by without much of note. Her residual anger towards her mother's phone call had diminished significantly, leaving only a frustrated memory. Though the day was rather uneventful, Bella was surprised to find herself in a brief conversation with Dr. Cullen.
He had dismissed the class, but as the students began to pack up and leave, Bella heard her name being called.
"Oh, Miss Swan?"
Bella turned in her spot to find Dr. Cullen peering up at her from his desk.
"I forgot to ask you on Wednesday, but did you, perchance, find any leads regarding that textbook situation?"
"Oh, actually, yes I did!" Bella smiled. "I asked around and found someone that was selling them for a discounted price. Thank you for your suggestion, Dr. Cullen."
"That's wonderful! I'm glad that worked out for you. Well then, if you need any other academia-related advice, or if you have any questions regarding the class, you know where to find me."
Bella nodded, giving a quick "Thanks!" before ducking out of the classroom. In the shitstorm that was her week, Dr. Cullen had, at least, been a positive influence.
As Bella ascended the stairs to Alice's apartment, the thumping beat of dance music grew louder and louder. Bella knocked on the door, waited a moment, and then figured that it would be impossible to hear her knocking above the noise. She tried the door handle and found the door to be unlocked. There's no way that's safe, she noted to herself.
Upon opening the door, Bella's senses were assaulted.
Alice said it was just going to be a couple of friends for some drinks, but clearly her definition of 'a couple of people over for some drinks' is vastly different from mine!
Flashing, color-changing lights illuminated a room full of people. Alice's furniture had clearly been re-arranged, her dinner table being used as a beer-pong dividing line between a sitting area of couches and chairs, and an open space that was being used as a dance floor. Despite this makeshift arrangement, the fireplace was lit, the tables in the sitting area were well-stocked with hors d'oeuvres, and most people had a glass—yes, a glass, not a solo cup—in hand.
This was Bella's first 'college party,' but she knew innately and immediately that it was probably one of the classiest booze-fests this country has ever seen.
"Bella! Over here!" Bella spots Alice across the room, beckoning her over. She sat perched on one of the couches, in conversation with several people, her arm slung around a blonde guy.
"Hey girl, so glad you could make it!" she said as Bella approached. "This is my boyfriend Jasper—" she moved her arm from around the blonde guy to gesture at him "—and this is Angela, Leah, and, well… you already know Rosalie."
A couple of "nice to meet yous" were passed around as they shook hands, as well as a "nice to see you" from Rosalie.
"So what can I get you to drink? We basically have a fully-stocked bar in the kitchen."
Of course she does, jeez. "I don't know, something… easy? I'm not really a drinker. Maybe, like, a White Claw or a Mike's Hard Lemonade?"
"Oh Bella," Alice sighed. "You don't have to drink that garbage here. I make a mean cosmo, you should try it! In fact, I'll head over right now and mix you one up!" Alice rose from her spot on the couch. "In the meantime, y'all can get to know each other better. I'll be back in a few!"
"Here, Bella." Angela patted a spot next to her on the sofa. "Sit down."
As they eased into conversation, Bella got to know the girls she was sitting with… and, of course, Jasper.
Leah was a violinist from Washington State in her third year who played in Jasper's string quartet. She was stunning, her sharp features, smooth, tanned skin, and long, jet-black hair. Bella recognized her from some of the New York Conservatory's promotional material and told Leah, which garnered an eye roll.
"Oh geez. Yeah, that's me. They like using my picture and story because I'm from the Quileute tribe. It kind of regret that I've inadvertently become the token Native girl, but at least I got some free headshots out of it."
Angela was a clarinetist from Munich, Germany who was in her second year with Alice. She came off as friendly and earnest, and Bella had to try hard not to giggle at Angela's charming accent. When Alice returned with Bella's cosmo and noticed she was talking to Angela, she had to brag on her friend's behalf, mentioning that Angela was on a full scholarship and a stipend, and was practically fought over by all of the US's major conservatories. Angela blushed and tried to downplay her successes, which Bella found even more admirable. Musicians who are both extremely talented and genuinely humble are a rarity.
Jasper was every bit the southern gentleman that Alice described, with wavy blonde hair, a straight set of teeth, and a charming pair of baby blue eyes. His Texas twang was stupidly attractive and he was very easy to talk to, with an engaging, laid-back demeanor that complimented his girlfriend's high-energy, high-octane personality.
They talked about life at the conservatory, giving Bella pointers while she sipped on her surprisingly good cosmo. She learned the best hours to find practice rooms, whose solfege classes were the easiest, the best coffee spots near campus, and how to finagle a semi-decent meal from the dining hall.
Eventually, Jasper strayed from Alice's side, excusing himself to play beer pong with some of the other guys. Bella, Rosalie, Angela, and Leah were left to talk amongst themselves. Bella felt like a real-life Real Housewife as the conversation turned to gossip and talk about their love lives. Though Alice was obviously in a committed relationship, Leah, Angela, and Rosalie were single and at various stages of 'ready to mingle'.
Leah was the most vocal of the four, complaining about her sex life, or lack thereof. According to her, it was pointless to hook up with guys from the conservatory. Because of the school's small size, word about who's hooking up with who spread quickly. But at the same time, it was too much effort to scope out guys from other colleges who most likely wouldn't understand the rigor of musician life.
Angela was a bit more shy, but agreed that it was difficult to find good guys in music school. She felt that there were nice, worthwhile guys at the school, but that they were all already taken.
"Yeah, except for Masen." Bella's head snapped up at Leah's mention of Edward, but the girl didn't elaborate, and Bella wasn't about to ask.
The jury was still out on Rosalie, as she was unusually quiet and reticent to divulge any information on her love life. She brushed off attempts to probe into her past and current relationships with, "why should it matter? People are usually either patronizing towards me for playing the flute—a super 'feminine' instrument—or they're jealous that I'm a better musician than they are. It's better not to get involved." She briefly glanced in Bella's direction, but looked away quickly.
When it was Bella's turn to be questioned, she grew shy, eventually admitting that she had never had a boyfriend and didn't have much experience with guys.
"Oh Bella, no need to be bashful! It's okay that you haven't had a boyfriend yet. A lot of people in our position, a lot of musicians are late bloomers. It's hard to find the time when you're spending hours practicing!" Angela consoled her.
"Yeah, I guess," Bella cringed. "I don't know. I never really wanted a boyfriend or anything before. I guess I have just been too busy with music, and I was never got close with any guys in high school. My mom was—or really, is—pretty strict." She shrugged. "And now that I'm here, I just want to focus on music."
"That's not a bad idea," Leah added. "Besides, it's common for conservatory guys to either be socially inept from violin-ing their whole lives, or an insecure, attention-seeking pig who uses music to be like, 'Look at me!'. Or they're some fucked-up combination of both." She rolls her eyes, taking a sip from her glass. "Honestly, who even has time for that shit? I don't even think I have the mental capacity to dwell on guys, what with my workload and all."
Bella nodded, but her mind drifted for a second to that keyboard TA that seemed to occupy her thoughts now and again…
"Girls, leave Bella alone. She could very well meet someone that's good for her and have a healthy relationship. Like, look at me and Jasper!" Her eyes glaze over as she stares across the room at her boyfriend. "We've been going strong for, what, 4 years? Since before music school, at least."
Leah chuckles, raising her glass. "Well cheers to that. Here's to Alice and Jasper. May they live happily ever after, giving us spiteful bitches hope for love, even in the music world."
"Cheers." Glasses were clinked, and Bella noticed Rosalie's eyes on her.
"Alright, good talk girls, but I'm gonna go check on Jasper. It looks like they're almost done with their game. He's kind of a beer pong master and I want to see him demolish Jake. Be right back!" Alice flitted away.
The girls continued to chat, sipping on their drinks and laughing. Bella noticed her cocktail glass was almost empty, so she downed the rest of her cosmo and went to ask Alice for a refill. But as she stood to make her way across the room, she was intercepted by Rosalie.
"Hey Bella, could I talk to you in private about something?"
"Uh, sure, Rosalie."
"Okay, we can talk in Alice's bedroom. It'll be quieter in there." Bella nodded, following Rosalie down the hallway. The lights in the bedroom were off, the room halfway illuminated by streetlight shining through the window. Bella couldn't see much, but she saw Rosalie's silhouette move closer to her.
"Um, so what did you want to talk about?"
Rosalie paused. "You've really never had a boyfriend."
Huh? "Uh, no."
"And you've never wanted one?" Rosalie took another step towards her.
What kind of question is that? Is she… "Oh, no I….oh my god!" Bella said, as realization struck her. She quickly took a step back.
A moment of silence passed between them.
"Rose, I'm not—"
"Bella, I'm sorry, I just thought you were—"
"Uh, no, sorry… Not that I don't, like, support—"
"No of course—"
"—I'm just not personally—"
"No, I understand. Shit, dude, I'm so sorry. I just thought with, uh, the lack of boyfriends and all…"
"No, it's okay"
"… and I thought, like, there's no way she wouldn't be able to get a boyfriend if she didn't want one…"
"Yeah… wait, what?!"
Rosalie sighed. "Bella, don't tell me you're unaware of the fact that you're a beautiful girl. I'm sure you could easily get a guy if you wanted one. It was wrong of me to interpret that as… well, you not wanting a guy, period."
Another silence passed between them as Bella collected her thoughts. "Rosalie, don't worry about it. It was… an honest mistake," she consoled, trying to hide her shock.
"Shit, Bella, I'm sorry. But Bella… you absolutely cannot tell a single soul." Rosalie pleaded. "Nobody knows. Well, except for you now. I haven't come out to anyone… for a number of reasons. I swear, if this were to get out…" she trailed off, looking away.
"It's okay, Rosalie. I would never tell anyone. I swear."
Even in the low light, Bella could see the wetness in Rosalie's eyes, and was surprised when she was pulled into a hug. "Bella, I owe you one. And also probably an explanation, but not right now. Seriously, you have no idea how much this means to me. I may be a frosty bitch, but if you need a favor, let me know." Rosalie pulled away. "So… let's get back to the party, then?"
They both left the room, feeling slightly awkward. But after a few more cosmos and some white wine on Rosalie's side, everything between them was all but forgotten.
As Bella stumbled into her dorm room's bed well into the early hours of the morning, all she could think was, um, so that was definitely a twist.