Chapter 14: Bella goes to a party

Edward POV:

´Rosalie is right,´ I continued. ´I did leave her and I have no right to feel this way. But I do. I miss her and I´m worried about her. What if something bad happens and I'm not there? Even though Alice says she's fine, I´m still worried.´

Alice hopped over to me, her small frame blocking me from the rest of the family. She looked up at me, cupping my cheek in her hand and showed me that Bella would return safely to Forks. A little sunburn was the worst that had happened to her and she might be a little tired, but other than that, she's fine.

´I won't do this again, Edward,´ she warned me. ´I won´t show you her future ever again. I did this for you now, because I know you needed it. But you need to control… this. Whatever this is. You need to have faith in her. You understand that?´

I nodded my head in agreement. I rang my finger through my hair, trying to comprehend all of this. Leaving her alone was going to be way harder than I ever expected it to be.

Despite my family's attempts to soothe me, I was anxiously waiting for school to start again on Monday. When Monday finally came, I felt like a little schoolboy, waiting to finally see a glimpse of his crush. Or a vampire waiting to see the love of his life again after being away from her for a whole weekend. I was hopeless. Much to Alice´s amusement, I even asked her to help me pick an outfit to dazzle Bella. If it works, why not use it? We settled for a dark blue buttoned-up shirt with grey slacks.

We arrived at school way earlier than we should, but I simply couldn't wait any longer. I had to see her, I had to.

When Charlie´s police car finally arrived after waiting way too long, I was tremendously happy. I hid a bit in the shadows, respecting her to give her some privacy and to accept her wishes to be left alone by me. Bella was talking to Charlie about her trip and she looked mesmerizing. Even a blind person could see her excitement as she talked non-stop. Her hands waved around her to express the magnitude of the scenery of Jacksonville and she laughed uncontrollably. It was music to my ears. She was so happy, I could see it in everything she did.

She got out, and I noticed we wore matching clothes. Her dark blue sweater matched my shirt and her grey jeans matched my own. She saw Angela waiting for her and walked over to her to leave the parking lot and enter the school. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. She was safe. Everything was fine again.

One Month Later

One month had passed, and Bella and I hadn't said a single word to each other since. She hadn't said a single word to any Cullen at last. It was heartbreaking for me to sit next to her in Biology every day, without kissing her. Without talking to her. Hell, I would give anything for her to just acknowledge me sitting there. But she had this facade. As a wall protecting her from me. Not allowing a single crack. Not allowing a single glimpse of what we had slipped through. It was pure agony.

The one thing that made it slightly better was the fact that Alice went through the same thing. Seeing Bella every day without her acknowledging us was hard. Alice´s anger towards my decision rose every day until desperation took over. But the worst was seeing Alice´s sadness and despair, for the friend she once had and now lost. We had to remind ourselves that this little separation was what Bella wanted. And as one of us could not take it anymore and wanted to go to Bella, begging her to forgive us, the other quickly ´helped´ and forbade it. We were all in this together. As we would go through this together.

Luckily for us, we were gifted. Alice could see glimpses of Bella´s future which she hid for me to allow Bella some privacy. And I could hear her friends' thoughts, to see what Bella was up to these days. Every once in a while, the three of them -Bella, Jessica and Angela- would do something fun, just for them. I´ve heard stories about visiting Port Angeles for some shopping, staying in on a Saturday to watch some romcoms and even having a little pamper afternoon with facemasks and gossiping. I never knew Bella was into these things, but I was delighted she seemed genuinely happy in those thought-shots.

I could not contain myself, as I was less pleased with the fact she also saw Jacob a lot. I could only see the mental images Jessica and Angela portrayed of them together, and I hoped and prayed that the explicit ones Jessica showed were not true at all. Jacob would sometimes join them, not for the whole afternoon but if Bella was already with him, he would drop her off. Jessica hoped he and Bella would ultimately end up together. I sure hoped not.

I could not shake a gut feeling that all of this waiting was leading up to something bigger. I could only hope it was something positive.

After being released from the hospital, Bella had to be driven to school each day by either Charlie or Jacob considering her minor concussion and the fact she was still grounded. And each day, I hoped Charlie would bring her since that meant she would spend less time with Jacob alone. My jealousy went through the roof each time I saw them together.

Luckily, on a cloudy Friday morning, I saw her bright red truck again. She was driving. She was alone. Meaning her head was fine and she was not grounded anymore. I was relieved. She gathered her things and followed to where Jessica and Angela were already standing. They hugged her and excitedly started talking about some party. Wait, what? A party? How come I´ve never heard of this? I focussed myself on their thoughts.

Apparently, Jessica´s parents decided to go on a little romantic trip this weekend. Jessica took the opportunity to invite some friends over. It was all pretty last-minute. Jessica invited Bella and Angela to change clothes at her place tonight, so they could prepare themselves before the other guests would arrive.

´And guess what, my friend Owen from college even takes some alcohol with him. So you know this party's gonna be lit! I´m so happy you guys can stay over at my place, can´t wait,´ Jessica screamed from the parking lot. I didn't even need to concentrate or use my hearing capacities to hear her say that. In her thoughts, I could see she hadn't told her friends about this Owen yet. Angela shook her head at Jessica´s remark about alcohol and Bella just laughed at the both of them, seeing how excited Jessica was and seeing the disapproving shake of Angela´s head.

´And Bella, you have to invite Jake. I know you want to,´ Jessica said with a wink towards Bella. She nodded.

´I will ask him, but I can't make any promises.´

´Amazing! And remember girls, be at my place after school so we can play dress-up. Oh, it's going to be the best party ever!´

´I´m excited about it Jess, really. But tell me, who is this Owen guy you suddenly mentioned. Did you keep a secret from us?´ Bella raised her eyebrows at Jessica. For the first time since I´ve seen Jessica, she was quiet for a solid few seconds. She had realised she had slipped up and her cheeks turned pink. She eventually mumbled;

´Alright, alright. I may have been chatting with him for a few days. I got his number while we were in Port Angeles last week, where he lives.´

´You sneaky one! I can't believe you could keep still about that. Colour me impressed.´ Bella said, delighted. Angela was the more practical one of the group, afraid her friend wasn't talking to some creep.

´Where did you meet him?´ she asked.

´He was outside the diner. You girls still had to pay and I was waiting outside, remember that? We started talking and he gave me his number. I´m really excited to see him again.´ Jessica ended with a shy smile.

´I can imagine. We´ll make sure you look nice,´ Angela said as she smiled at her friend, happy for her to have found someone to be excited for. After they discussed the upcoming party for a few minutes, the bell rang and they hurriedly made their way towards their classroom.

I was so caught up in their conversation, that I hadn't noticed Alice standing next to me. She was also looking in the direction Bella and her friends wandered off to. She made a small coughing sound to grab my attention.

´What´s on your mind?´ she asked me.

´What will happen at that party, Alice?´ I asked in return.

´I won´t tell you, so you better tell me what you´re thinking about right now.´

´Will something bad happen?´

´If it did, I'll promise to tell you.´

She turned around to stand directly in front of me, her hands on her hips.

´So you won't go to that party, remember that!´

And with that little threat, she walked off. I knew she was right. I had to have faith in her.

Bella POV:

´I can´t be wearing that, it's too short.´

I looked at Jessica. She could absolutely not be serious about this. Jessica was holding a glitter tank top in her hand that was way too revealing for my taste, combined with a short skirt. When I agreed I would let her dress us up this afternoon, I did not agree with this. This isn't exactly my style. Jessica only smiled at me, not surprised at my response to her preferred clothes.

´I knew you would say that, but please just try it on.´

I let out a deep breath, as I realised I could not win this discussion. Since we both would be sleeping over at her place tonight, it was in all our best interests to keep Jessica happy right now. And I did say to Jessica she could dress us up, so now I had to take it. Luckily for me, Angela also needed to have a little Jessica approved make-over, so I was not alone in this battle. We were both sitting on Jessica´s bed, as she went through her clothes to find something appropriate for us to wear. She found a black shirt combined with shorts for Angela, meanwhile, I received this glitter top. Great, just great.

´Only for you then,´ I said to her as I stepped out of my own clothes and into hers. I turned around to look at myself in the mirror. Despite all my attempts to wear something a little bit more modest, I had to give Jessica credits where credits were due. I actually did look really great in this outfit. Although it was a bit more revealing than I would have preferred, the clothes hugged my curves in the most flattering way possible. The top showed the swelling of my breasts, which was way sexier than anything I had ever worn before. And the skirt was a bit too short, but it showcased my legs beautifully and made them longer than they are. Damnit, Jessica had good taste.

´Good girl,´ Jessica said with a grin that was almost as big as her whole face.

´Not in these clothes, I´m not,´ I answered.

´Isn't that the whole point? Now let me do your make-up.´

I gave her my make-up bag and she looked at what was in it. She made a very approving sound once she spotted the highlighter and eyeshadow I've purchased in Jacksonville. Make-up items that I hadn't worn before. She guided me to sit still and apply them for me. Next to eyeshadow, she also put on some eyeliner and mascara, making my eyes look very large and seductive. The highlighter matched my top perfectly. Once I was finished with my make-up, she brushed my hair and put some bobby pins in it. I could almost not recognise myself in the mirror. I looked like a way more mature version of myself and I was shocked to see what differences a little bit of make-up could do to my face. Maybe I needed to apply it more often, I thought to myself since I really liked this version of what I´ve become.

After I was finished, Angela received the same treatment only with red lipstick to compliment her black shirt. Jessica spent the most time on herself, as expected, and after she was finally done, the party could officially start.

We walked downstairs to wait for the first guests to arrive. At first, a couple of friends from school arrived. We engaged in some smalltalk for a few minutes, until I heard the doorbell ring. As Jessica was busy serving guest soda, I walked over to the front door. I opened it and saw Jacob standing there. I was relieved, as he said he didn´t know for sure if he could come as he was busy this afternoon. I gave him a hug.

´Jake, come inside. I´m so happy you could come.´

´Don't flatter yourself girl, I'm only here because you promised me booze,´ he said very harshly, but his smile and his tone gave away that he was only joking. I gave him a little slap and he entered Jessica´s house.

´You´re such a teenager.´

´You´re such a boomer.´

´Literally only teenagers use that word.´

´Sue me. Now enough talking, time for drinking.´

´Sorry to disappoint you Jake, but our supplier has not arrived yet,´ I raised my eyebrows at the word supplier to let him know it was a joke. We walked over to Jessica who was looking quite agitated.

´Any word from Owen yet?´ I asked her.

´He'll be there in a minute, I'm sure of it,´ she answered, but she wasn't looking that sure. Luckily Angela was there to save the day, as she put the music on quite loud and we all started dancing to some random 00's pop song that everyone knew and liked. We did the silliest dances, the ones you could only do when you're surrounded by a group of great friends. We waved our arms in the sky, dropped it like it's hot and we sissy that walk.

After a good few songs, the doorbell rang and Owen eventually showed op with a beer barrel. Jessica´s face lit up as she saw him and she rushed over to greet him.

´Let's get this party started!´ Owen eventually shouted to the group. As if in order, we all put our first to the sky and shouted in return.

´Woooo!´

I think I might have drunk too much. Nope, I don't think that. I know that. But I didn't even drink that much, right? I mean, just a few beers, right? Then why is the room spinning like crazy? Why can't I see clearly right now? Everything is so dizzy and fuzzy and… Urgh, I need to sit down. Right now. Suddenly, I see a glass of water. Water! How lovely. I love water. I need water. Yes, give me some water. I reached for that glass and drank it. Oh, that felt good. The fuzziness in my brain slowly left.

´Bella, you just had a brain injury barely a month ago,´ I heard a disapproving male voice from a distance. I know, I know. I´m sorry. It was stupid. I should have never drunk beer. Stupid Bella. I looked up at the person that gave me the water.

Edward POV:

I promised Alice I would not go to the party. I promised Bella I would leave her alone. And I promised myself that I would do anything in my power to earn Bella´s trust back.

But if Alice never found out, would it still count? And if Bella never found out, would it still count? If I would, let's say, go to a certain party once Alice was feeding herself, would it still count? If let's say, Bella didn't know I was at that certain party, would it still count? No, right? If I didn't tell the rest of my family what my intentions were, and if no one were to ever find out where I was tonight, it wouldn't count, right? Right?

I couldn't think straight. As soon as Alice left, I ran over to Jessica's house before I even understood what I was doing. As I arrived, I hid in the tree in front of her house, making myself invisible in case anyone would look up. I saw Bella's red truck in front of Jessica´s house and I instantly felt relieved. Now, I just needed to concentrate on the thoughts of the people inside the house.

The party was loud and wild. The music that was playing was some summer hit list from the ´00 and I hated it. Empty glasses were on every flat surface and I could smell the penetrating beer odour everywhere. I recognised a few people from school, and a few college students I hadn't noticed before. Most were having a fairly good time. Some students were dancing to the music, waving their arms to the rhythm while rocking their hips to the person behind them. While others were kissing each other. I even saw Jessica kissing a guy, which I recognized as Owen in her previous thoughts. The one person I could not find in everyone's minds was Bella. Panic filled my brain and I searched for her in everyone's thoughts. She had to be here. Someone must have seen her somewhere, right?

As if someone heard my silent prayers, the crowd emerged and there she was. I could finally see her in the minds of the other guests. She was mesmerizingly beautiful. I had to grab the nearest twig to not rush over to her, trying to cover her a little bit with my own jacket. It was irrational, I know, but I did not want others to look at her. Not when she looked like that. She was wearing a short skirt which illustrated her long and curvaceous legs, legs I had never seen without jeans or tights covering them. Her skirt hugged the curves of her hips perfectly. Her tight and very open top was glittering and showed her lustrous cleavage. It was the most naked skin I had ever seen of Bella, and I was lost. Her long brown hair was loosely pinned up a little bit by bobby pins, and the silky soft mane called for me to touch it. Her bambi eyes looked even larger than normal due to a carefully applied layer of brown eyeshadow and mascara. And she even had some glittery substance on her cheekbones. What was that? I didn't know what it was, but it looked so… fascinating?

She was a goddess. She was an absolute goddess. I could not look anywhere else, even if I tried. I was trapped in her spell and I would not have it any other way.

She laughed and all my sorrows disappeared. She then shook her head at someone. Who was she talking to? It took all my strength to see a bigger picture and also focus on the people around Bella. I saw Jacob. Oh, that's just great. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Stupid Jacob, Bella didn´t dance. He should for sure know that. But she surprised me as she danced comfortably with Jacob. Their movements are almost identical; hands in the air, shaking their hips from side to side to the rhythm of the music while singing the lyrics of the song they were dancing to. They were laughing at all the silly dance moves they performed and were both so carefree. They enjoyed each other's company and the party in general, I was sure of it. I was in trance and could not look away from her.

Some college student offered Bella a beer and she gladly took it. What was she doing? She was in the hospital barely a month ago? Jacob dancing next to her turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he took the beer from her hands and drank it himself in one go. That seemed to piss Bella off. They were fighting. She told him he had to mind his own business. He told her drinking would be bad for her right now. I had to give it to this kid; he was indeed right about that. Bella told him she wanted to make her own decisions even if they were bad. Of course, she had my decision of leaving her in her mind when she said that. Jacob felt betrayed by her as he stormed off.

Bella stood there for a moment before she continued to dance. Her movements were a little less wild or carefree, and it was clear she liked dancing with Jacob more than dancing on her own. No one besides me kept an eye on Bella. And no one besides me was watching her right now. So no one besides me saw that some college boy offered her a beer. She hesitated for a second, obviously thinking about what Jacob said, as she shrugged and went for it. She drank her first beer in one go. She then drank her second one. She started dancing again, although she did not look as steady as before with Jacob.

I bit my lip and I contemplated all my options. Stop Bella, please. Don't force me to stop you. If I come down, she immediately recognises me since no one invited me here. She would know I followed her here and she would know I kept an eye on her. She would be so angry at me and Alice would never forgive me. But if I stayed up here, she would drink more and might pass out, or worse. Bella started to walk towards the kitchen. She was already unsteady on her feet. It was agonising to watch, agonizing to see her like this. Agonizing to know that if I helped her, she would be angry at me and if I did not help her, she might hurt herself.

Suddenly, I knew what my best option was. I had to nudge someone to go to the kitchen to help her. But who? And how? If I would just run to the party at my full vampire speed, whisper the words ´Bella´, ´water´ and ´kitchen´ into someone's ear, it could work. Yes, that was my best option. But who could I send into the kitchen?

I had to send Jacob. Damn it. He was the only one who was not occupied. So I ran into the party, whispering into Jacob´s ears the words he needed to hear while running at full speed to not get noticed. It worked, so I could leave again. He started walking towards the kitchen, visually shocked to see what vulnerable state Bella was in. He poured her a glass of water to sober her up a bit, which she gratefully accepted.

´Bella, you just had a brain injury barely a month ago,´ Jacob said disapprovingly to her. She looked up at him, thankful for the water and the company. Since he knew she was sleeping at Jessica's place that night, he put her in bed. Bella isn't that heavy and Jacob is quite strong, so he could carry her with ease, even though she was almost sound asleep already. Once he started undressing her, I had to clench my jaw to prevent myself from barging into that room. Thankfully, he only undid her shoes and put a blanket over her. He watched her from the door opening, silently whispering ´good night´ to her while she was already passed out, and left.

The second he closed the door behind him, I stood next to Bella. She was sleeping peacefully. I carefully put a bit of her hair behind her ear as I smiled to myself. I managed to save the girl of my dreams, as well as stay in the shadows so she would not have to know I did that. I simply hoped her hangover would not be too horrible or cruel to her tomorrow. She turned to her other side in her sleep and I heard her silently mumble my name.

´Edward...´

I hoped and wished she would go on so I had a better understanding of what she was dreaming about, but unfortunately, she did not.

I stayed with her until I heard Angela and Jessica coming upstairs, when I turned away from Bella and ran into my house, where I had to face an outraged Alice who was pissed off at me. That didn't matter to me. Bella dreamt about me and that was all that matters.