Chapter 10 – Sleeping with the Frenemy
We made our way back inside, dodging puke piles and spills of heaven only knew what, to get back to the family room. Elliott had stormed back to Emmett and Alice's rooms, banging loudly on their doors to get them up. I personally thought he should have used ice water and a large board.
"Get out here, right now, all of you!" he barked at the top of his lungs. Rosalie stumbled out of Emmett's room, wearing one of his football jerseys and no pants, with Emmett behind her in nothing but his boxers. Alice looked like death warmed over in her dirty, vomit-stained t-shirt. Ew.
"Would you three mind telling me why my house looks like a garbage truck backed up to the front door and unloaded its contents in here?" He picked up one of the forgotten punch cups and sniffed it, jerking his head back from the sharp smell of the alcohol. "Emmett! Did I not specifically say 'no alcohol' at your party?" he growled, slamming the cup back down on the cracked glass of the sofa table. "Damn it, this is a lawsuit waiting to happen," Elliott muttered to himself.
He spun back to Emmett and Alice, "And what about keeping things under control? This entire house is trashed, including rooms no one had any business being in! I'm extremely angry and disappointed at all three of you. I trusted you to behave maturely and act responsibly, yet you've proven you're obviously not worthy of my trust, not to mention you've epically failed to uphold the morals you've been taught but have obviously forgotten. Emmett and Alice, you're both grounded until further notice. I want your car keys and cell phones, and don't expect any allowances or shopping trips at all this month, maybe for the next several months, to cover these damages!"
Alice started to protest, but Elliott cut her off with an angry glare. "Not one word, Alice Elaine Masen!" Ooh, he'd three-named her. Elliott was ticked off big time. "The damage done in here is going to cost thousands to fix, and it's going to take me at least two hours to take pictures and log all the damages for insurance, if they'll even cover them. I should be cutting off all your and Emmett's allowances for the next year!
"What you two have allowed to happen in our home shows total disrespect, not only for Renee and me, but for Bella, Edward and Esryl as well, especially Bella! She runs herself ragged trying to keep this place together, and this is how you thank her? Unacceptable! Until you learn how to show some respect and act responsibly, you'll both be riding the bus to school, and no hitching rides with friends. Rosalie, after I call your mother and Charlie and have them over here to see this, I'd imagine you'll be hearing the same thing."
He groaned and shook his head, suddenly looking very worried. "You three have five minutes to get dressed and get out here to start cleaning up this mess. I'm picking up Renee and your aunt and uncle from the airport in a few hours. Renee's under enough stress as it is with her crazy job and being pregnant. Seeing this will no doubt send her over the edge." He pulled out his cell and called Sue and Charlie and asked them to come over immediately. Rosalie dared to glare at him, but the look he shot back at her caused her to drop her head.
"What about Bella-?" Alice started to say, but Edward stepped in front of her and cut her off before I could tell her what she could do with her complaints.
"Bella had absolutely nothing to do with this mess, and she should NOT have to be involved in the cleanup!" He was actually turning red with anger, and Rosalie and Alice cowered at his voice. "Before we left, she made sure everything was straightened up, cleaned up all the dishes you guys had left the night before, and she left you breakfast in the oven! She even did a load of laundry before we left the house yesterday at five freaking o'clock in the morning, to go spend the day doing something to help others! AND she took care of Esryl all day, which was something you refused to help with, as usual!
"This place was IMMACULATE when we walked out the door, no thanks to any of you. You owe her a HUGE apology and should be groveling at her feet for forgiveness!" He pushed past Alice and grabbed our coats. "No, she's not staying here for this, and neither am I. This is all on you guys. We're out of here." Edward picked up Esryl and got her coat on her, handing me mine. I got Honey on her leash, and Edward took my hand, as we headed for the door.
"Did you enjoy sleeping with your sister last night, Edward?" Rose sneered behind us in a tight, accusing voice. "I'll bet it was real cozy with you two cuddling up there all alone."
Oh, no she didn't…
Emmett and Alice's eyes snapped to us, and Elliott looked around, confused as to why she would ask that question, in that tone of voice. I stepped up and got in her face and stared her down, answering for both of us.
"Sisters, Rose. All three of us were forced up there, thanks to you all. And yes, we all enjoyed it, actually. And he'll be sleeping with us up there again tonight, since your nasty friends didn't leave us much choice with their irresponsible behavior! Make sure you haul the mattresses out of our bedrooms, since new ones will have to be delivered as soon as we can arrange it. There's no way either of us are going to sleep on those DNA sponges again."
She glared at me, and Emmett started to say something, but the look Edward gave them before he spoke shut them up. "Bella and I have honored our promises and are still virgins. Can you two say the same?"
I was shocked at that revelation, given all the girls I knew he had dated. I looked up at Edward, who smiled at me and nodded with a shrug. I smiled back and took his hand, and we walked out the door, leaving our siblings to clean up.
Elliott walked outside with us. "I'm so sorry, Bella. You've always worked so hard around here, trying to help me and your mom, and we're so grateful for you. We've never thanked you enough, and we never could. You're an absolute god-sent angel to do what you do, but this was beyond unacceptable behavior from them in there. I've been too lenient on them, letting them get away with way too much, but I promise you, they're going to make this right, or I'm going to make their lives even more difficult than I plan to already. There'll be no more tolerance of their behavior."
I nodded and hugged him. "You and mom work so hard, it's the least we should all be doing. I also do it because I love you guys. It's hard some days, really hard, but it's worth it for my family. So, do you want to replace the furniture or try to get it cleaned and repaired?" I asked. "I can call someone Monday to come and try to get the stains and 'stuff' out, although that red is probably going to be a problem and expensive to get out, if they even can."
He sighed and shook his head, pulling a black credit card out of his wallet and handing it to me. "I hate that you're having to do this on Sunday, it should be a day of rest and worship, but they've left us no choice. Go get some breakfast, since it didn't look like much of anything edible survived, and then try to replace what you can today, including our beds. I don't think I could stomach using any of it again knowing what probably happened on it. I trust your taste and judgment."
He turned to Edward. "Take Bella and make sure she replaces all her clothes, too. It didn't look like she had anything left that was usable." He was so tired after having worked so many hours straight, and he looked absolutely lost and about ready to just give up. He hugged Edward before he kissed Esryl's cheeks and then mine. "Thank you for taking care of everything, guys. I don't know what your mother and I would do without you," his voice hitched, looking like he was on the verge of crying.
"Thank you for making my mom so happy. I knew she was doing good picking you," I said with a reassuring smile. He hugged me tightly, and then he yawned and stretched, rubbing his tired, red eyes. He really worked way too much. "Go upstairs to the attic room and lay down before you fall down, Dad. It's about the only sleeping surface left in the house that's not questionable, and it's really comfortable and quiet up there."
I had only called him dad a few times, but the smile he gave me made me want to do it more often. He kissed my head then turned and went back inside, and I could hear him yelling, as he started chastising our siblings again. Edward grabbed the stroller and Esryl's car seat, and we piled into Elliott's SUV, so we would have room for all the stuff we were going to have to acquire today. After we dropped Honey off with Angela for the day, we took off in search of breakfast.
"So, what do you think really happened after we went to sleep?" Edward asked, as we settled into a booth at IHOP and had ordered our food.
I shook my head. "Heaven only knows what really went on. Some of the stuff they did was just nasty, and I'm pretty sure what those stains are on our mattresses. It makes me want to rub Emmett, Rosalie and Alice's faces in every single disgusting spot for letting their friends get that out of hand." I shook my head and shuddered, thinking about our destroyed house. "From the looks of my room, I'd almost be willing to bet Lauren and Jessica had something to do with that mess specifically, and I wouldn't doubt they were sober enough to know exactly what they were doing. Somehow, I don't think Lauren's impromptu swim did much to cool her down." Edward looked angry, remembering their foray into our party last night.
"Living with Alice, I've learned to lock away my makeup, good perfume, jewelry…all that kind of stuff. It keeps her from 'borrowing' without my permission. My most valuable keepsakes and things I keep locked in a hidden cabinet in the back of my closet for the same reason. Otherwise, it could've been worse." I didn't know for certain yet if anything of mine had been taken from elsewhere in the house or destroyed beyond my wardrobe and room décor, but I wouldn't put it past them doing that, if for no other reason than spite.
We finished breakfast and then headed out to shop for furniture. We were going to go to the department stores in the mall, but then I remembered Esme telling me about a place in the designer district where she was a preferred customer, and they had really good quality furniture at an excellent discount if you were buying a lot. So, we headed over there to look in the windows and get some ideas for what to get, with plans to come back and place the order during business hours on Monday.
The manager happened to be inside setting up a new display and waved at us through the window. I held up Elliott's black credit card, and he made quick work of opening the door. I explained how much we needed, and with the mention of Esme Cullen's name, we had his undivided attention and were promptly invited to come inside.
An hour later, we had ordered replacements for everything, including a new king-sized cherry bedroom set for my room, as well as a surprise for mom. We arranged for the earliest delivery possible, which, given our connection to Esme, would be Tuesday morning. I called Elliott and asked if that would be alright, and he agreed after talking it over with everyone in the car. He was coming back from the airport run, and Carlisle and Esme had insisted on mom and Elliott staying with them for the next couple of nights until their new mattress set could be delivered.
Next, we stopped by a home décor store and purchased new bedding for me, Edward, and our parents, and some new draperies and décor for my room, since everything in there had been destroyed. Mom and Elliott hadn't had any time to plan a new nursery, so we also picked up a crib set and decorations for the baby's room. Edward and I were going to fix it up as a surprise for mom. Her last sonogram had revealed that we were getting a new baby brother, so Edward picked out a cute set with sailboats and clouds, and we got all the matching pieces to go in the room. I was going to have Esryl move into my room with me until after Emmett and Alice left for college in the fall, making her current room the nursery once again.
We stopped at the home improvement store for paint for my room and supplies to repair the walls from the red punch, and paint and border trim for the nursery. I laughed to myself watching Edward in the hardware section. He was such a man, drooling over the power tools.
Esryl had fallen asleep by this time, so Edward was holding her, as she slept with her head on his shoulder, while we waited in line to check out. An elderly lady in line ahead of us with a potted plant turned and smiled sweetly, nodding at Esryl. "She's out cold, isn't she?" the lady said with a smile. "It looks like daddy's girl has him wrapped pretty tightly. You're a beauty, my dear, and blessed to have a little one with such a good-looking young man. She looks like she's going to be as beautiful as the both of you," she said with a wink. I blushed and looked up at Edward, who was beaming. I couldn't tell if it was from pride or amusement at her assumption.
"I'm the lucky one to have my girls," Edward told her. He grinned and wrapped his free arm around my shoulder, pulling me in to kiss my forehead.
The lady patted his arm and said, "Take good care of them, dear. Life is too short to let the good things get away from you. I hope you know that."
He smiled down at her and nodded. "I do," he said, his arm tightening around me, "now more than ever."