I do not own Twilight
High School: Fall of Junior Year
Alice's house is huge.
Like, too-big-for-a-police-officer-and-hairdresser-salary huge, but she tells me that her grandmother left an even bigger amount of money to her mom when she died, so that's how they can afford the house.
I'm a little dazed walking under the thirty-foot high ceilings, but honestly, the house fits her personality. It's airy and bright and yellow and pink and I can't imagine her father living here because I've met him and he's not very airy and bright.
We only ever hang out at my house because her brother, Alec, has been home from college for the summer and she tells me he is arrogant and annoying and immature and she wants to be as far away from him as possible, but now that it's September, he's back in New York.
"I can't wait until we go to college," she boasts as she rummages through the fridge. "I can't wait to get out of this town. You know," she pauses, looking over at me, two packages of ice cream bars in her hands, "New York was my thing and of course Alec has to go and ruin it."
"New York is pretty big," I say.
"New York City," she emphasizes and tosses me one of the bars.
"Where there's, like, a trillion people?" I tease, because it's true. She'll never even have to see her brother if she doesn't want to.
"Have you ever been?" she asks, sitting on one of the bright blue stools at the counter. I sit on the one beside her and open my ice cream.
"Once when I was younger." When my mom was dating Chad, but that's not a time either of us like to think about, and I've only known Alice for four months, so I doubt she wants to hear the stories, either.
Alice thinks about my answer for a while.
"When I visit schools there, will you come with?"
I smile and nod because I've never had a friend like Alice before. She's so forward and doesn't care that we only met four months because our dads forced us together like two toddlers. She decided she liked me, so she's going to be my best friend.
"So…" Alice side-eyes me and I can see by the hidden grin on her face that she's going to demand the details I told her I would give her later. I can already feel the blush spotting my cheeks, my neck.
"It's the next morning…" she says and the words are only significant because yesterday was the first time I had hung out with Edward on a weekend.
"And in a few hours, it'll be the next afternoon," I say because I can't help it, and because the look she gives me makes me laugh.
"Spill it, Swan," she demands.
"He took me to look at the stars," I say after a while. I can tell she's not impressed.
"Stars?" she asks. "Edward Cullen does not take girls to look at stars. He takes girls to the Alcove off of Winter Street so he can make out with them in his car." Her eyes widen. "Did he make out with you in his car?"
I shake my head, but my high from the night before is slowly fading because I know the only reason Alice would know that Edward takes girls to the Alcove is because he's taken some of the girls she knows to the Alcove. And made out with them, or whatever else they've been lucky enough to do with him.
"Did he kiss you at all?" she presses.
Again, I shake my head and then drop it into my hands. "I don't think he likes me like that."
Alice doesn't answer but when I finally peek up at her, the look on her face is incredulous.
"Bella. If Edward Cullen didn't like you like that, do you think he would have made you look at the stars with him?"
I shrug because, honestly, I don't know the answer to that.
"If Edward Cullen didn't like you like that, he would have taken you to the Alcove, sucked your face off, copped a feel, and dropped you off like nothing happened—stop pouting."
I can't help it; I pout more.
Alice groans and reaches over to pat my head. "Maybe you need to make the first move?" she asks.
The questioning tone makes us both laugh and my spirits are lifted, but only slightly because I really like him and I really am afraid he's going to do exactly what she said he won't do.
Alice pats my shoulder this time.
"Look, boys are stupid," she says. "Sometimes you need to shove them in the right direction and if that doesn't work…well, I'm always here for you, 'kay?"
I know, because I know myself, that I won't be doing any shoving, but her words make me feel better because she's right. I'll always have Alice.
I smile at her.
"'kay."