A/N: Thanks so much for all your wonderful thoughts.
Running a bit late today, so let's get to it, shall we?
Most characters belong to S. Meyer. The rest belong to me. All mistakes are mine.
STAGES – Chapter 4: Middle School for B, HS for E
STAGE 4: Middle School Stage and High School Stage:
(aka Bella no longer needed a babysitter…but maybe Emmett and I did).
It was strange. In Bella's and my earlies stages, we'd been incompatible, age-wise, never quite reaching an age and/or stage where our interests meshed, where we understood one another, where our interactions were on equal footing.
But, we'd never been uncomfortable around one another. I'd always been able to tease her without really upsetting her, and in turn, she'd always been able to give it right back to me without honestly flustering me.
Yet, if I think back hard enough, I can trace the first time an interaction between us left me feeling confused.
It was the day of Bella's twelfth birthday.
"Good morning. May I please have a short, dry cappuccino…" She frowned as she studied the menu above, that vertical line that always appeared between her dark brows when she was in deep concentration deepening. "Actually, make it a double espresso- triple! Oh, and a brownie, please. Thank you."
As I took her money and handed her back her change, I offered Bella a raised brow.
"Well, it's good to see that it only took twelve years for those manners to finally kick in."
"Shut up, Edward."
"Or maybe not," I smirked as I turned around to prepare her order.
She chuckled, and behind me, I heard her whistling a tune as she waited, the palms of her hand pounding out a beat over the counter.
I looked over my shoulder.
"You're in town alone?"
"Nope. Our moms are finishing up in the boutique next door, buying me a dress for- whatever, and Alice bumped into Jasper" – she stuck a finger in her mouth and pretended to dry heave – "and she ran across the street to say hi."
When she rolled her eyes, I snorted and turned back around. "You know, Jasper's a freshman at the high school now, and he doesn't seem like a half-bad kid. He's no longer so much of a shorty; plus, as far as I know, there's been no Nose-Picking. Maybe it's time you left the booger incident in the past."
"No way."
"Bella Marie, things change," I chuckled, turning back toward the glass display to pull out her brownie.
"Edward, I'm scarred for life! Plus, how would you know if he's picked his nose recently or not? I'm sure he's learned not to do it out in the open. Just because you're Mr. Oh-so-popular Edward Cullen, High School sophomore, doesn't mean you know everything that goes on in that high school."
When she looked both ways, leaned into the counter, and squeezed her thumb and forefinger together, mimicking the booger incident, I laughed loud and hard – much harder than I should've laughed over such a juvenile topic, and harder and louder than I was supposed to during work hours.
Done laughing, I shook my head.
"Bella Marie, you're the devil personified, through and through."
"Whatever. Just keep that incident quiet," she whispered, tapping her mouth with her forefinger. "I've only ever told you and Alice, and no matter what, I wouldn't want anyone else to find out. He's not a bad guy."
"Just a gross guy, huh?"
"Exactly."
"Exactly." Again, I chuckled but much more quietly, dropping my voice to match hers. "Well, maybe you're not the devil exactly, then, for keeping Jasper's shameful secret. You're just one of the devil's imps. Here you go." Sticking a candle in her brownie, I grinned as I pushed the tray with her order toward her. "Happy Birthday, Bella Marie."
Bella's eyes grew wide as a broad grin erupted across her face. "Edward, you remembered!"
"Of course, I remembered," I smirked. "You've only been talking about your birthday for the past month."
"No, I haven't!"
"Every year, you start celebrating your birthday a month in advance. I should know this since I've known you since you were the size of a mouse and a whiny, spoiled brat to boot. Come to think of it, not much has changed since those days."
"Shut up, Edward," she spat, but she was still smiling.
I may have been about to rib her some more, but then my eyes strayed for a moment. They happened to land on one of the tables inside this small, lone coffee house in Forks, where I worked part-time. When I spotted Tanya Denali and her sister, Kate, I cleared my throat and stood a bit straighter, ensuring I showed off my full six-foot height.
Tanya and Kate were twins – two tall, voluptuous blonds who'd kept Emmett and I interested for the past couple of years without actually verbalizing their interest. But there was something about Tanya that attracted me more even though she looked exactly like her sister. Maybe it was the way she looked at me, just how she was looking at me now. She offered me a small wave and a gorgeous smile, and I smiled in return, waving back. One of these days, I had to work up the nerve to-
"Edward," Bella yelled, "I'm talking to you!"
Blinking away from Tanya, I returned my attention to Bella.
"Shh! Lower your voice; I'm working!"
Bella's head swiveled around, and when she returned her attention to me, she smirked.
"Working? It looks more like you're drooling to me."
"Whatever," I whisper-shouted in return. "What were you saying that was so important?"
She hissed angrily now. "I said, this isn't a triple-shot espresso. It's not even a single-shot."
"You're right, it's not," I confirmed. "It's hot chocolate."
"Hot chocolate!"
"Shh! Yes, hot chocolate. You're twelve, not twenty. Your toughest day involves laughing over gifs with Alice, followed by studying for Algebra. You don't need three shots of espresso in your system for any of that."
"But I am the customer," she hissed, digging a thumb against her chest, "and the customer is always right!"
I looked up at the customers now standing behind Bella and smiled. "Except when the customer is trying to sneak a coffee she knows she's not allowed while her mom is shopping next door."
"So what, Edward? You're not my dad or my big-"
"Bella, you know you're not allowed espressos. You're hyper enough, my love."
At the sound of her mom's voice, Bella swung around. When she turned back to me, she shot me an accusatory glare.
I put my hands up, palms out. "Hey, I didn't call them over. I was talking to you."
"Besides," Mrs. Swan continued, "we're going out for ice-cream and shakes tonight, the way we do every year for your birthday party. You'll have your fill of sweets and shakes."
"Ooh, that's right." I sucked my teeth and feigned a grimace. "Uh, sorry, but I'm not going to be able to make it tonight. I've got football practice."
Bella's anger over her noncaffeinated drink evaporated. "But…you always come to my birthday party. Can't you skip practice? Emmett is skipping baseball practice."
"Nah, I can't skip."
Thinking back on that day, when I recall the look of dejection that suddenly infused Bella's young features, my chest tightens. That day, however, when I squirmed under her intense scrutiny, it wasn't out of any sense of guilt but rather because I was anxious for her to buy the lie. I mean, ever since the year she'd turned one, I'd attended every. single. one of Bella's birthday parties.
Now, however, I was a sixteen-year-old guy. Talk about your different ages and stages. The last thing I wanted on that day was to attend an ice-cream birthday party for a twelve-year-old girl.
All the while, Bella held my gaze, while Mrs. Swan and my mom each rested an arm on her skinny shoulders until Alice, who'd arrived at the coffee shop at some point as well, wound her way around and stood next to Bella.
"Bella, it's fine if Edward can't come. I invited Jasper to your party tonight if that's okay, and he asked if he could bring his friend, Jamie."
Finally, Bella drew in a series of successive breaths and tore her eyes away from me, turning to Alice. "Sure, it's okay. Things change."
"Yay!"
Alice grinned broadly, and as she led Bella away, I called out,
"Bella Marie, you forgot your hot chocolate and brownie!"
Bella stopped and turned to me. "Thanks, Edward, but you can just throw it out, please and thank you."
And with that, she turned back around.
As I picked up the tray, my eyes strayed to Tanya's table again. Having picked up on some of the exchange, she offered me a sympathetic smile and a shrug.
Shrugging in return, I turned and emptied the tray. So, I wasn't going to her ice-cream party. Big deal. She'd have her parents and her brother there. She'd have my parents there; she'd have Alice there, hell, she'd even have Jasper (who went on to become one of her best friends, by the way) there. What the hell was the big deal with my not being there, right? As a matter of fact…
As a matter of fact, if I have to be honest, a few months before that day, when I turned sixteen, had Bella not shown up at my house for our annual 'Happy Birthday to you' sing-along and cake, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have cared.
Yet, that day marked the beginning of a stage where, always four years apart, Bella's and my interactions grew increasingly confusing and tense. And as the months then years wore on, with almost every ensuing meet-up, I had less and less of a clue regarding what the hell went through Bella's mind.
OOOOO
"The movies is such a stupid place to take someone on your first date."
While Emmett and I conducted some last-minute grooming, Bella smirked at us through my dresser mirror.
I raised a brow. "Tell us, oh wise and experienced thirteen-year-old, what's so stupid about taking someone to the movies for a first date?"
"You can't talk," she replied, throwing up her hands as if the reply was obvious. "What's the point?"
"That's exactly the point," Emmett mumbled under his breath, chuckling when I dug an elbow into his ribs. Nonetheless, despite my attempt to camouflage his reply, the girls sitting cross-legged by the door were way too smart.
"Bella," Alice said, "the whole reason why they're taking their dates to the movies is so that they don't have to waste time pretending to want to talk," Alice said. "They can talk in school," she said, opening and shutting her hand over and over. "Gab, gab, gab, gab, gab. They've talked their butts off in school, and now that the Denali sisters have finally agreed to go on dates with them, they just want to get straight to what's done best in the dark and quiet."
Then, Alice proceeded to turn her back to us, wrap her arms around her frame, and mimic a make-out session.
"Mom, Dad!" I shouted while simultaneously shuddering. "Can you get Alice and Bella out of here, please? They're making us uncomfortable!"
"Girls, come down here!"
Both girls just laughed.
"Seriously, do you two need to be here while we get ready?" I asked.
Bella crossed her arms against her chest. "I want to know what boys do and say before a first date so that I can be ready when it's my turn to go on one."
"You're thirteen. You're nowhere near your first date," I said.
"That's right," Emmett seconded me.
Bella snorted. "Emmett, remind me again how old were you when you took Jessica Stanley to the Forks Roller Rink on your very first date?"
"I was fourteen. Hah!" Emmett howled.
"And how old was Jessica?"
Emmett was silent.
"She was thirteen. Hah!" Bella shouted.
"Bella Marie, what the hell happened with your lack of interest in boys?"
"That was like a million years ago, Edward."
"It was literally yesterday – a month ago, at the most."
"Pfft. Whatever."
I stared at her. "Em, are you hearing this?"
Emmett shook his head distractedly while re-gelling a few strands of hair close to his forehead.
"These here aren't quite falling the way I want them," he murmured.
"So, where are you going after the movies?" Bella asked now.
"Ed, what about this white polo? Keep it, or should I just throw on a white tee?"
"Keep the polo. Bella, what's all this interest in our dates?" I asked.
"Told you."
"Okay, but should I button it up or leave the buttons undone?"
"Leave them undone," Alice volunteered.
"Where are you going after the movies?" Bella asked again, louder now.
"And the jeans. Should I wear a belt, or should I let 'em, you know, hang a bit? Which one makes my butt look better?"
"Definitely wear a belt, Emmett," Alice said. "Shapes the butt better."
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING AFTER THE MOVIES?"
"FOR ICE-CREAM!" I answered.
"Ah, ice-cream." Bella nodded slowly, grinning. "Good enough for a first date, but not good enough for a birthday party."
"Bella Marie-"
"Whatever."
"Bella, I know why they're going for ice-cream," Alice said. "It's so they can lick their cones and share and then lick each other with their cold, tingly tongues, and-"
I turned and glared at little Alice over my shoulder. "You know way too much for your age. Em, you need to talk to your parents about keeping Bella away from that one."
"Edward, I know about tongue-kissing. I'm not five anymore."
I jerked back my head and again stared at Bella through the mirror.
"Emmett, are you hearing your sister here?"
"Ed, shoes, or sneakers?"
"SHOES!" the three of us yelled as one.
"What in the world is going on here?" Mrs. Swan asked as she stood by the door. "Aww, boys," she smiled. "You both look so handsome. Those Denali girls are going to be so impressed."
Bella made retching sounds.
"Mr. Swan and my parents appeared behind Mrs. Swan, the four of them crowding the door.
"Alright, boys. We're leaving for the restaurant and show in Port Angeles," Chief Swan said. "Now remember, your curfew is ten-thirty."
"Ten-thirty!" Both Emmett and I exclaimed.
"Aw, come on, Dad," Emmett said. "Can you guys extend it to at least eleven?"
"No, we can't, boys," my mom answered. "First of all, a curfew is a curfew for a reason, and second of all, the girls will be here alone, and we'll be in Port Angeles until at least eleven."
"Then hire a babysitter or send them to another friend's house!"
"We don't need a babysitter or to go to someone else's house. We're thirteen, not five, and we can stay home alone perfectly well without needing two dummies to leave their precious dates early to watch us."
"See?" I said. "She doesn't need us to watch them."
"Edward," my dad said firmly now, "ten-thirty. Period."
I sucked my teeth. "Fine. I bet if we lived in Chicago, our curfew wouldn't be ten-thirty."
"You're right," my dad said. "If we lived in Chicago, your curfew would be nine. We'll see you later, boys. Behave," he stressed.
"Of course we will," Emmett grinned.
"Like gentleman, not animals," Mrs. Swan added with a smile.
Everyone laughed.
Except for Bella.
OOOOO
"I don't know about this," I whispered. "We can end up in deep shit for this."
"Relax. It'll be fine. As a matter of fact, if we're lucky, it'll be more than fine," Emmett chuckled under his breath.
As we opened the car doors for our respective dates, I looked up at my empty house, with all its lights off except for the porch light, and drew in a series of successive breaths.
Movie time had gone pretty much how Emmett and I had hoped – and how darn Alice had predicted. Ditto with Ice-cream time. I had no idea what movie we'd even been 'watching,' nor what flavors of ice-cream we'd picked.
Nonetheless, that was all beside the point at the moment and the least of my concerns. After just a couple of licks of ice cream, the Denali sisters had begun whispering with one another, and then with wicked smiles, they'd turned back to us.
"Edward…" Tanya breathed, "Emmett mentioned that your parents are in Port Angeles tonight, for dinner and a show?"
And now, somehow, we were at my empty house.
"What about Bella?" I said as we followed a few steps behind the girls.
"What about Bella?" Emmett snorted.
"What if she looks out the window and sees us?" I hissed. "Or what if I parents check our trackers, or-"
"Bella's not gonna look out the window," Emmett whispered back, "and if our parents check our trackers, they'll see we're on our block – the GPS doesn't get any more specific than that."
As I looked up and saw the Denali twins waiting by the door, wearing identical smiles, my heart pounded with equal parts anticipation and apprehension.
But, I was a seventeen-year-old guy, and when Tanya reached out and weaved her fingers through mine, I suppressed any lingering doubts and quashed down all the nervous butterflies in my stomach.
"I can't wait to see what your house looks like, Edward," she breathed.
The second we walked through the door, Emmett grabbed Kate's hand and led her away toward the living room. Meanwhile, Tanya and I stood by the door. Only the dim light from the streetlights outside illuminated the house.
"So…where should we start the tour?" she asked, and I could hear the smile in her voice.
"The tour?" I asked, mortified when my voice erupted in a high-pitched squeal. "The tour?" I repeated after clearing my throat.
"How about…we start...with your room?"
Here, I didn't even try to speak. Instead, I inhaled and exhaled a gust of air through narrowed lips. As I guided her up the stairs, I placed my hands on her hips. She turned halfway up, and when I stopped, she brushed her mouth against mine. And that's how we proceeded the rest of the way – kissing and groaning. When we reached the landing, she walked backward, her hands tangled in my hair as we made our way down the hallway to my bedroom.
We stood outside my door, and she pulled back enough to meet my eyes. "Do you have condoms?"
I nodded erratically. "My dad's a doctor."
"I know," she grinned.
It was happening. This. was. it.
As I pushed open my bedroom door and walked in backward, with Tanya wrapped around me, a slow grin spread across my face because I was seventeen, and I was about to lose my-
A sharp gasp erupted from behind me. Bewildered and scared shitless, I pushed Tanya away harder than I meant to and spun around.
Bella stood in the middle of my room, clutching my laptop to her chest and glaring at me wide-eyed.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Edward, who's this?" Tanya asked.
"I…I…" Bella stuttered.
"Bella, what are you doing here?" I repeated.
Bella looked like a deer trapped in headlights. "I…I…"
"Wait. You're the chief's little girl, right?"
Here, Bella's horrified expression morphed into one of indignation as she turned her eyes away from me and glared at Tanya."
"I'm thirteen."
"Bella, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Edward, who the hell are you talking to?" Emmett called up.
"With your sister!"
"My sister?"
"Bella?"
"Do you have another one? What are you doing here?" I asked Bella once more.
"My laptop broke, and my parents and Emmett hide theirs. So I was just coming to borrow-"
Emmett sprinted into the room with Kate trailing behind him, both of them with hair disheveled, clothing skewed, and Emmett with red lipstick all over his face – which is likely how I looked as well.
"You're not supposed to be here!" he shouted.
"I know!" Bella shouted back. "But neither are you!"
That brought us both up short.
"It's my bedroom," I tried weakly, "and I wanted to show Tanya something."
To which Bella simply smirked. "Edward, I'm thirteen, and I wouldn't even have bought that one at age four."
"Of course not," I hissed, "because since even before then, you've been a pain in my-"
Flashing lights into the room's darkness shut us all the hell up. Sprinting to the window, I pushed a sliver of the window shade aside and almost crapped my pants.
"Holy crap, the parents."
"They're early!" Emmett's voice erupted in a shrill, high-pitch.
"We have to get out of here," Tanya said shakily. "If our dad finds out about this, he'll never let us out again – and he'll kill both of you."
I squeezed my eyes shut as all blood in my body pooled to my feet.
"Holy hell," Emmett choked. "Well, it was a good life while it lasted."
And while the four of us – Tanya, Kate, Emmett and me – looked close to tears, Bella was the only one who appeared calm.
She sighed. "Denali twins, come with me. You two, sit down and play with your Xbox's or with your…whatevers and just pretend you forgot you were supposed to stay at my house with me until they got home. It's the lesser of two evils."
She shot out of my room, while the Denali twins stared at her in bewilderment.
"Wait, what are you doing, Bella?"
"I'm taking the twins here out through the back door and showing them the shortcut out of the woods. Then, I'm going back to my house and pretending I was hanging out in the backyard. Let's go!" she yelled at the twins.
The girls jumped. And as they all ran toward the stairs, I called out,
"Bella Marie!"
Bella stopped and turned.
"Thank you," I breathed fervently.
She took me in for a moment that felt like a lifetime…then merely shrugged before sprinting down the steps, with the twins trying to keep up with her.
No, it wasn't one of our best moments, certainly not one of my best moments – allowing my thirteen-year-old neighbor to cover up for me when I'd royally screwed up. But Bella never told on us. She never even mentioned it afterward, and after only a couple of weeks of awkwardness, things pretty much went back to normal between Bella and me. She didn't hold a grudge over that one because Bella wasn't the type to hold a grudge – not when we didn't allow her to play Xbox with us, not when I decided she was too young to have caffeine, and not when I made what was a flimsy excuse to get out of going to her birthday party. Bella was temperamental; she was fiery for sure; she was sometimes referred to as precocious. And, at times, she could sure as hell act like a spoiled brat.
But she didn't hold grudges.
So, when we get to the part of our story, of our ages and stages where Bella did end up holding a grudge against me for…a while, know that it was because I thoroughly deserved it.
A/N: Thoughts?
I happened to hear this song today, and I thought it went pretty nicely with this story:
Photograph by Nickelback. Oldie but a goody. Give it a listen if you can. :)
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"See" you tomorrow.