A/N: Behold!: Chapter 12, AKA, the nearly 12,000 word sleepover monstrosity!
Sorry, not even a little sorry about it! I promise it answers quite a few of the questions y'all have been waiting for!
Plusss, I just felt Bella and Rose deserved to have their friend bonding time, you know? I STILL feel like SM did Bella (as well as Angela and Jessica) such a huge disservice by not building her human friendships more.
Thank you all so much for leaving reviews, favoriting, and following! I love hearing what you all think, and truly really appreciate the support - I have endless love for this community.
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Chapter 12
By the time Biology rolled around Bella's mind was slightly more in order, though, not any more pleased with her findings than she was before. She quietly took notes for a third of the class, but something inside was clamoring, telling her it was time to go find Rosalie. It was time to leave.
Yeah, yeah, I get it, Bella told her more instinctual side as her anxiety increased. Operation: Menses versus Murdock, is a go.
With a sigh, she scrawled Angela a quick note on a scrap of paper to let her know she had to run to the store early but that the sleepover was still on. She folded it a few times and stood to leave. Dropping the note discreetly on the edge of Angela's lab table as she passed, she approached her teacher's desk to request a bathroom pass.
Bella spent a few minutes washing her hands, then setting the tap to run cool to help calm her jangling nerves. She walked back to the classroom with a worried frown on her face and set the pass back on her teacher's desk.
"Sorry to bug you, Mr. Murdock," Bella murmured quietly when he looked up, "but I'm having a little," she paused for a moment to find her wording, "personal emergency." She remained silent and watched her teacher's face begin to grow slightly red as comprehension dawned on him. "I thought I had products but I don't, and I need to change-"
"There's no need to continue explaining," Mr. Murdock lifted one hand to his face and rubbed his forehead in a stressed manner. "It's late enough in the day that you should probably just go home since you need to change. Be sure to finish taking notes for the rest of this chapter over the weekend, and you can present them to me on Monday to initial so I don't have to dock you any points."
"Thank you so much," Bella answered with sincerity before walking back to her desk to grab her bookbag and leave.
Much to her surprise, Rosalie was waiting on the other side of the door, out of Mr. Murdock's line of sight. She gestured for Bella to come with her, and the two walked briskly towards the side exit of the building.
Once outside, Rosalie spoke, "I've been feeling a little odd since lunch, like something isn't quite right, or is going to go wrong. I was just sitting in my car, listening to music, and out of nowhere, I felt like I should come back inside. I was preparing a lie to get you out right before the door opened. Is anything going on?"
Bella huffed in frustration, "I guess you could put it that way. I mean, maybe. I'm anxious and something feels wrong but– there's just so much in my head," she sighed in with exasperation. "Have you had any classes with Jasper this afternoon?"
Rosalie frowned as she opened the driver's side door of her car. "None, actually," she responded as she sat down and buckled. "The scheduling staff seems to try to keep Jasper, Emmett and me from having too many classes together. They do with most siblings, I think. Why? Did something happen?"
Bella buckled and with a sigh, leaned back, and raised a hand to rub her forehead. Being instantly reminded of Mr. Murdock, she stopped and sighed again. "It's going to sound so stupid, Rose."
"Try me," the vampire answered levelly as she reversed from her spot and drove towards Bella's home.
Bella paused for a few moments, trying to think of a way to summarize. "Everything has been mostly great with us, you know? We have meshed really well, but it's more than that. It's like we are suited for each other's company, and we haven't really had any moments of conflict."
Rosalie stopped for a red light and studied Bella's face. "And now you've had one?"
"I suppose we have. It's–," Bella paused again. "I'm not sure it will even make sense, because I'm trying to think of how to say it, and I just feel silly even trying. It's ridiculous."
When the light turned green, Rosalie turned away and didn't pressure the girl to continue. The silence grew until finally, she pulled into Bella's driveway, and put the car in park. For a few moments, the only sounds were the purr of the engine and the constant pitter-patter of rain falling onto the windshield.
Bella tried again, "He told me–, he said that he–," Bella's eyes began to fill with tears. "It's so stupid that I'm crying, but he said something about having years and years of experience with women and I–" Bella choked as her tears finally spilled over, creating rivulets down each cheek. "I knew that he had partners. I even knew about Alice, which obviously sucks, but I can totally live with that you know, she doesn't seem very interested? I'm just feeling really–," she trailed off again in thought and used the hem of her sweater to dab at her face.
"Inadequate?" Rosalie guessed correctly.
"Yes!" the girl sniffled in reply. "And I know that's silly, like I said, because Jasper has so many years on me, and of course he would have had partners. I wouldn't have wanted for him to be alone all that time, it isn't that I'm upset he found comfort–," Bella took a deep breath. "I just–. I don't know how to do all of those things," she whispered. "I'm so inexperienced and could be a huge disappointment, and it hurts so much to know that I'm so far behind."
Rosalie ran her hands through her hair in thought, the action seemingly at odds with her typically rapid thought-processing. The two sat in silence for a few moments, Rosalie staring off into the woods.
"I read something once in a psychology journal about how there isn't a right person, wrong time," Rosalie started to say, then paused before a snorting. "Though, with vampires, it can be difficult to cope with that fact since the right person, right time, may take decades to get to." Rosalie paused once more, "Jasper has waited decades. Over a century."
"Anyways," Rosalie's voice took on a more clinical tone as she got back to the topic. "The article explained that, in a healthy relationship, people will find ways to make things work. Sometimes that means one of you slows their pace to better support the other, because that's how you write your lives together.
"From what I've observed, and from what both you and he has shared with me, it seems like, for whatever reason, it is right between the two of you. Whether you're experienced or not, when it's right between two people, it's right," she reminded Bella softly.
Bella mulled that over quietly trying to reconcile this insight with her feelings. "So, you're saying we'll probably figure it out?" Bella asked uncertainly.
"I am absolutely positive you will," Rosalie replied reassuringly, turning back to face Bella. "It feels like, even though you were this totally random and unknown variable, that everything finally makes sense. As though we have all been waiting for you or–" Rosalie faltered. "Wow, that didn't sound creepy or anything."
"No," Bella answered quickly, "I know what you mean! This is going to sound strange, but it reminds me of gears in an old clock that have started moving again or something. That's the best way I can think to explain the feeling. Things are fitting together, clicking into place."
Rosalie sighed with relief, "I'm glad you feel it too. I was beginning to think Emmett and I were the only ones. I haven't really posed the thought to Jasper, since he's been stressed about Edward lately, but even Carlisle and Esme seem more at ease than they used to be."
"Emmett too?" Bella asked, her shock evident.
"Oh, yeah!" Rosalie grinned broadly. "He said–" Rosalie flicked her eyes to Bella once more, then away. "He said that you remind him of a little sister. It's wild, but he actually told Jasper to be careful with you, because it would piss him off if something bad happened."
Bella's eyes brimmed with tears once more, this time because she was happy. The two emotions created a little chaos in her mind, and she started giggling at the mental image of a bear-like Emmett warning Jasper. "You guys are great, you know that?"
"Takes one to know one," she replied in a petulant tone, despite the obvious compliment. "Anyways, I suppose we had better go meet Jessica and Angela at the grocery store."
"Oh, shoot!" Bella almost shouted. "I totally forgot!" She looked at the dash clock. "We only have about five minutes before class ends. I told Angela and Mr. Murdock I had to leave early for some tampons, because I couldn't exactly say, 'hey, I need to leave because every fiber in my being is telling me to GTFO,' could I?"
"I suppose not," Rosalie answered with a chuckle. "Run inside, change your pants for good measure, then let's get going. We can buy you some tampons for cover then wait for them. It should take them longer to get there than it will us, even if they speed - I'm definitely going to."
Bella dashed inside her home, skidding slightly on the wooden floor at the base of the stairs. Taking the steps two at a time, she made it into her room at record speed. Opting for one of her many pairs of leggings, she changed, then slid her feet back into her flats. All was said and done in under a minute before Bella was buckling back into the car.
With that, Rosalie whipped around in reverse, miraculously without burning rubber. They were soon zipping down the highway, and a trip that should have taken at least seven minutes took only two.
"Oh, dear God," Bella muttered as she flung open her door to allow her feet to find solid ground again. "You're terrifying, Rose."
"So I've been told. We certainly beat them, didn't we?"
Bella clutched her stomach in response and pretended to retch.
"So dramatic. I can see why you and Emmett get along so well," noted Rosalie with a wink as she clicked her key fob to lock the doors.
"Just don't forget my dad is the Chief of Police, okay?" Bella reminded Rosalie as they headed for the doors of the grocery store. "I don't think he'd forgive any of you for going 90 miles per hour down a highway to get me tampons."
Rosalie burst out laughing at Bella's warning and scanned the headers of the aisles to find what they needed. "Looks like aisle three," she remarked and explored the aisle. "Ooh, look Bella! You get to choose between super-plus-ultra-mega-absorbent, and light as a feather!"
"Wow, that sounds great for when your periods are as light as a summer breeze," Bella answered in a slow, sing-song voice, eliciting another laugh from Rosalie. "I wouldn't even know which one to get. My mom told me she didn't have a period until a few months before she had me. Weird shifter shit, I guess."
"Wait," Rosalie stopped walking to turn and face Bella. "You've never had a period?"
"That's what I'm saying. I feel bad for using it as an excuse today," Bella trailed off guiltily. "But I also really enjoy making male teachers uncomfortable, so, I don't feel bad at the same time."
"That's wild, though!" Rosalie exclaimed, still shocked. "That you don't get one, I mean," she whispered more quietly. "Did your mom explain if it's likely to happen only when your body is ready to have kids?"
"She kind of thought that was the case but didn't know for certain, because her mom never talked about it," Bella responded as she stood up from grabbing a multi-type box of tampons. "It'll be good to keep these in the house, too, in case Charlie gets suspicious. Though, I doubt he'd notice."
"WAIT," Rosalie said for the second time, once more swinging to face Bella. "Your grandma was like you, too?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure how far back it goes."
"That's really–," Rosalie paused for a moment. "That's just so cool. I wish I could have had a secret thing with my mom."
"Do you remember much about her," Bella asked quietly, uncertain whether this was safe verbal territory.
"Not too much, other than that she was kind in a bland sort of way, and really focused on marrying off her daughter at a young age," Rosalie answered with a sigh.
Bella frowned for the sadness she felt coming off of her vampire friend. "I'm really sorry that was your life, Rose."
"It's just how things were back then," Rosalie replied matter-of-factly.
"Doesn't make it any easier to deal with," Bella murmured back sympathetically.
"No, it doesn't," came her whispered reply. "Anyways," Rosalie once again rounded the conversation back to the present. "Do you need anything else other than snacks? I hear Jessica and Angela outside."
"That hearing sure is something," Bella exclaimed. "I should probably get some fruit and yogurt, but other than that, just snacks."
"Then we'd better go 'bump into' those two!"
Bella tossed the box of tampons into her basket and set off for the front of the store. Spotting their friends quickly, Bella waved to get their attention. "Hey, guys!"
"Hey!" Jessica and Angela answered simultaneously. "Ang told me the bad news, Bella. Bad timing!"
"I'll live. Rose took me home to change and I found a stray tampon in the bathroom from a previous visit, I think," Bella explained.
"Ooh, that was good luck!" Jessica remarked. "I almost never have any when I need them."
"We literally never run out of them at home." Angela rolled her eyes and explained, "I'm pretty sure we have at least 10 boxes of tampons, and about 100 rolls of toilet paper in our bathroom closet."
Bella raised her eyebrows in response. "That seems a little overkill to me."
"My mom is a very anxious woman," Angela answered.
Having grown bored of the conversation, Jessica was sticking her head out of the aisle to browse. "You guys! The candy aisle is about four down. Catch me there when you're done."
"Will do. I'm going to grab a few things while I'm here, too," Bella called out after the girl, but she was already gone.
"She's a little intense about snack foods," Angela told Rosalie and Bella with a laugh. "Always has been. Her mom didn't let her have any as a kid."
"That really sucks," Bella replied. "You'd think a therapist would know that strictly limiting things tends to make kids want them more."
"Yeah, well back then it was a really popular belief that too much sugar causes ADHD," Angela explained simply.
"And I definitely have ADHD," Jessica answered as she rounded the corner. "Are you guys coming or what?" She gestured to her own basket, nearly full with all of the snacks she had mentioned at lunch, and then some. "Somehow I'm almost done, and I'm supposed to be the one with compromised executive functioning skills." Jessica rolled her eyes then sighed comedically.
"You can't be 'almost done' if your strategy is to shove everything you see into your basket, Jess," Angela clarified.
Rosalie giggled at the comment and meandered over to the snack aisle with Jessica.
"Want to walk with me to get some fruit?" Bella suggested to Angela.
"Sure! We should probably talk anyways" the girl answered nervously.
They headed for the fruit section, and Bella scanned her eyes over the options. Lifting up a box of blueberries, she inspected the bottom for mold and waited for Angela to speak.
"So, you saw me and Jess today?"
"I did," Bella answered in a level tone.
"And?"
"And what?" Bella asked with a smile as she faced her friend.
"It doesn't bother you or anything?" Angela asked quietly.
"Not at all. Should it?" Bella answered plainly.
"I guess not. I was worried you'd feel weird about it."
"Totally not weird," Bella reassured the girl. "I don't judge people on things like who they love, you know?"
"I appreciate that so much," Angela answered quietly. "Forks is such a small town, and I can't even begin to imagine how complicated my life would be if everyone knew my orientation."
"What is your orientation, if it's okay for me to ask," Bella wondered.
"Well, I'm a biromantic asexual. Most people don't know what that is, so it's okay if you don't!" She continued quickly.
"I'm not sure I'm familiar but I think, if the name is self-explanatory, that you can fall in romantic love with either men or women?"
Angela nodded with a smile. "But, I'm also asexual, which means I don't experience sexual attraction to anyone at all, regardless of gender. I mean, I know when people are pretty or I might find someone pleasing to look at, but it's never a sex thing for me."
"Never?" Bella asked, unable to keep the shock out of her tone.
"Never, ever," Angela answered with a small laugh. "Even with Jess, like I think she's really, really pretty, gorgeous even, but I don't feel sexually attracted to her. And I know I'm still young, yadda, yadda, but after I realized what people meant by sexy, or hot, or wanting to do someone, I realized I didn't want those things from anyone. Kinda weird, right?"
Bella thought for a moment. "Well, I don't think it's weird, it just isn't something I've heard of. It makes sense that people could be that way, though."
"Thanks for being so easy going about this," Angela spoke excitedly. "Acceptance is hard to find when you aren't out. No one really knows except you and Jess."
"I definitely won't be outing you," Bella reassured the girl.
"We should probably quick grab some yogurt and head back to Jess and Rose before there are no snacks left in Forks," Angela reminded Bella.
The two girls grabbed a container of yogurt and found a frustrated Jessica and amused Rosalie in the icecream aisle, trying to choose a flavor. After a three minute long debate, the result of which was a compromise consisting of choosing to get both, the group set to unloading their finds onto the check-out belt.
Bella, Jessica, and Angela barely had time to start digging through their wallets to pull out cash, when Rosalie slid her card through the reader.
"Hold up there, woman!" Jessica exclaimed. "You can't just pay for all of this! I got so much food!"
"Don't worry about it," Rosalie waved her off with a gracious smile. "It's Carlisle and Esme's money, not mine. They knew I'd be going out and wanted to make sure I could cover snacks since Bella's dad is getting the pizza and all."
"That's so nice of them," said Angela with a blush. "Is there anything we can do to thank them?"
"Hmm," Rosalie thought for a moment as the groceries were being loaded into bags. "You could let Esme cook for you sometime. She just loves being able to feed people."
Bella giggled a little too hard at the thought of a vampire being excited by making food for humans since they couldn't eat and had to cover quickly. "Sorry, Rose, you uh, made her sound a little like the witch from Hansel and Gretel."
"Well, as long as she wouldn't cook me for dinner, I'd be happy to eat whatever she makes!" Jessica decided happily.
"Oh, Esme would never cook a human," Rosalie answered quickly.
At this, Bella started laughing hysterically.
"Really, Bella! We can't take you anywhere!" Jessica announced dramatically, having no idea what exactly was so funny.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Bella answered with a smile as the group walked outside. "Meet you all back at my place!" She called out as Jessica and Angela loaded the snack bags into the backseat of Jessica's car.
"Real nice cover there, Bella," said Rosalie in a jokingly accusatory tone once the doors had shut.
"Hey! It's not my fault you guys said what you did the way you did!" she replied in a mockingly defensive tone. "I mean, really, Rose, 'Esme would never cook a human'. That was just too perfect."
Rosalie giggled in response. "I suppose it was."
"Did Carlisle and Esme really give you money? I can pay you back, you know."
"Don't worry about it!" Rosalie protested. "They let me take the family card, so yes, they gave me money."
"How does all of that work, anyway," Bella asked curiously. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, it's probably personal, but do vampires even have money? Do all vampires use it? What is the standard?"
"So, as far as our family goes, we all have our own money, as well as a family account. There has been a lot of wealth acquisition with Carlisle being a doctor, and Esme flies all over the country to decorate homes," Rosalie explained. "It doesn't hurt that Alice helps her with the difficult customers by letting Esme know which choices will leave her clients satisfied. Oh, and lots and lots of investments, which Alice has also helped with."
She gave Bella a moment to reflect on what she had said before continuing. "I, myself, have held jobs. Hairstyling here and there– I really did go to hair school. It's normally pretty hard to work around so many humans but the smell of chemicals helps. I've also done work in car garages. Another typically strongly scented place."
"That's awesome!" Bella praised her friend. "I don't even know how to change my own oil. Just tires."
"It's a start," Rosalie answered with a smile. "I've only ever worked in two really upscale garages, though, and think I prefer the grittier ones," she continued with a grimace. "Some people will never be satisfied with the job you do, even if it is absolutely perfect. I ran into a few too many of those as the ritzy places."
Bella rolled her eyes, "I know the type." Curious again, she asked, "What about Emmett? Jasper? The rest?"
"Emmett has done all sorts of brute force type work. Deep-sea welding, logging, and large-scale wood carvings."
"That's so cool! What sort of carvings?" Bella cut in excitedly.
"Oh, rustic things like bears, and elk. One time, he did a gigantic salmon and king crab pair for a lodge along the coast."
Bella laughed at the mental image of Emmett covered in shreds of wood, proudly admiring his ferocious art. "Jasper?"
"Wouldn't you rather ask him?" Rosalie asked probingly. "I know he'd tell you if you asked, and I'm sure he'd be happy to hear from you soon." She pulled into Bella's driveway and parked, waiting for her to reply.
Bella sighed, "I will definitely talk to him again, I just don't know if it will be tonight. I still need to sort out how I'll approach this, you know?"
Before Rosalie could respond, her cell phone starting ringing, Emmett's name on the caller ID. Holding up one finger to Bella to indicate she'd follow her in shortly, she answered, "Hey, sweetie, what's going on?"
Bella shifted the bags she was carrying to unlock and open her front door as Jessica and Angela pulled in. Less than a second later, Rosalie was inside the house, holding a hand out to keep Bella back.
"Go distract Jess and Ang; I have to check the house," Rosalie directed in a tone that left no room for argument.
Bella set her own bags aside and headed to Jessica's car under the guise of helping her friends unload their overnight bags while Rosalie completed her search. As the girls finally made their way inside, Rosalie was snapping her phone shut, with an almost natural-looking smile on her face.
"I didn't even see you beat us!" Jessica told Rosalie jokingly. "You must be great at track."
"Oh, if only I didn't loathe the sun and heat," Rosalie replied dramatically, as she laid the back of one hand across her forehead in the universal 'woe is me' position, slipping into Jessica's style of humor easily.
"Well," Bella started, "this is it," and gestured to the living room. "You two can take the couches. How about y'all set up your bags and settle in while Rose and I take the snacks to the kitchen?"
Jessica quickly reached into a bag Rosalie was holding and pulled out a package of licorice. "Sorry, it's my precious," she whispered slowly with a giggle.
"You're ridiculous," Angela murmured and knocked her arm into Jessica.
"Your mom is ridiculous!" Jessica retorted sticking out her tongue for effect.
Rosalie and Bella took that moment to seclude themselves in the kitchen.
"What was all of that about?" Bella asked suspiciously. "Is Edward back?"
Rosalie set the bags onto the countertop along the back of the kitchen, her eyes scanning the woods through the window. "You remember how you felt like you had to leave, and I was ready to come get you?"
"Yes," Bella answered with a raise of one brow.
"Well, as soon as school let out, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice were meeting at the car when they caught the scent of two of our kind; they are unknown to us. The scents zigzagged and crisscrossed away, perhaps to confuse us. One led all the way up to Port Angeles, where they likely entered the water and swam to Canada. Alice followed that one, but said her visions came in like a badly tuned radio; as though the swimmer didn't even know where they would go or what would happen."
"And the other?" Bella asked as a knot formed in her stomach.
"Jasper followed it nearly all the way to Olympia, but the scent disappeared in the middle of a field." Rosalie's forehead crinkled in confusion. "We're theorizing that they were met by helicopter, or hitched a ride on a crop duster, as nothing else really makes sense."
"Shit," Bella murmured quietly, stress seeping into her voice. "What do you think they wanted?" she started pacing anxiously across the kitchen floor.
"We aren't too sure," Rosalie answered, her own voice hinting at her worry. "Since the smell was more concentrated at the school, it's possible they smelled us and wanted to see why a couple of vampires were hanging out at a high school."
"I mean, that seems possible," Bella started, as Rosalie tore open a bag of chips a little too forcefully, scattering them on the counter. With a sigh, Rosalie set to picking them up.
"But it doesn't seem probable. Why not stay and meet you, then? Why not try to initiate contact?"
"I don't know," Rosalie whispered quietly. "Perhaps they knew they were outnumbered and didn't want to risk anything. Though, I would say our presence in a space filled with humans would tip them off to the fact that we're more docile than the average coven."
Bella chewed on her lip as she mulled it over. "And my house? I didn't smell anything amiss."
"Your house is clear. Sorry, I should have started with that," Rosalie apologized while searching the cupboards to find a bowl for the chips.
"No worries, I figured as much if you didn't prevent us from coming back in. What about the woods outside?" Bella asked, wanting to be thorough.
"Also clear– that's why Emmett called. He and Jasper were checking and would have called if they found anything. I saw them leave when I set the bags next to your kitchen window."
Bella felt a pang of guilt and grimaced as she thought about the fact that Jasper had been so close and had maybe even heard what she said about not being sure if she wanted to see him when she was in Rosalie's car.
Rosalie frowned momentarily before a confused look replaced it. "What I want to know is, why did you feel like you needed to go? Why did I need to get you? Would something have happened if we were there?"
Bella's blood ran cold with dread as she contemplated the possibility. "I– I felt like if I didn't leave, something would happen. I had to leave. I probably would have walked out of class without explanation if I needed to."
"That's about what I felt. I didn't smell them, though, and I would have, I know I would have," she asserted. "Plus, Emmett said that the scent where they had been watching wasn't much stronger than that of their trails. That means that they weren't there long."
"So, we likely left before they arrived," Bella pieced together.
"Seems like it," Rosalie answered flatly with a sigh. "Well, at least it's never boring around us. Emmett said Esme and Carlisle are keeping watch on the woods around here, doing perimeter runs. Emmett and Jasper are going to see if they can pick up the trail along the coast of British Columbia."
"What about your house," asked Bella.
"Alice is staying there to make sure nothing happens. I know she's small, but she'd be able to hold her own until Carlisle, Esme, and I arrived as back up."
Bella's chest tightened painfully at the thought of Jasper following an unknown, potentially unstable vampire and risking his existence.
Catching Bella's expression, Rosalie tried to comfort the girl. "Don't worry, I'm positive that no one has been here at the house except Charlie, Jasper, and you, and Carlisle and Esme will make sure it stays that way. We'll be safe tonight."
"No, I know. That isn't what I'm upset about, I– it's okay."
"Ah," Rosalie answered, catching on quickly. "Jasper."
"Jasper," Bella confirmed. "Jasper, who is out there, risking his existence, while I'm sitting here wallowing about how inexperienced I am."
"It'll be okay, Bella," Rosalie reassured her. "Jasper has a lot of experience with this sort of thing and we'll likely get some answers when he's back. Also, just because he's doing something that makes you worry right now doesn't mean that your feelings from earlier aren't also valid."
"Thanks, Rose," Bella answered hoarsely, eyes stinging with tears she didn't know had been forming. "I'm going to run to the bathroom real quick and let my face calm down. Mind keeping Jessica and Angela company?"
"Can do! I'll go get my hair colors and let them think on what they want done!"
Giving her friend a real smile, Bella dashed up the stairs to make herself presentable for the rest of the evening's festivities.
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Jessica looked at her beautifully lightened locks, toned in soft shades of pink, lilac, and aqua blue once more in the mirror, the tonal contrasts making her bright, bottle-green eyes sparkle. "This is– I seriously– oh, my God! You're a miracle worker! It's beautiful!"
"I'm so glad to hear you like it," Rosalie answered with a grin.
Bella was sure that if Rosalie were human she would have been blushing. It made Bella so happy to see that her friends were getting along so well.
Angela bounced in her seat, barely able to contain her own excitement. "How many minutes do I have left until we can rinse the bleach out, anyways?!" she asked excitedly. "Five?!" the girl guessed, hoping against hopes.
Rosalie laughed. "Nice try, Ang. With hair as dark as yours you have at least another 20 to go for the lightener alone. Then we add the stain, and since you aren't going for pastels, the longer it can sit and soak in, the better."
Angela sighed, her normally patient demeanor abandoning her for the excitement that filled the air. Momentarily overcome with anxiety, she asked, "And you're sure you can cut it so if I part my hair the other way, my mom won't see that it's colored?"
"Scout's honor," Rosalie promised. "I mean, I wasn't a scout, but yes, I can, and will, do that."
Angela sighed with relief, as excitement beat out her anxiety. "Thank you."
"You don't like breaking the rules, huh?" Rosalie asked while arranging the colors she would need inside of her color basket.
"Not so much. My brother and I had quite strict punishments growing up," Angela answered with a sigh. "The number of things we'd be grounded from at one time, in addition to the length of the punishment was excessive," she explained. "No phone calls, no computer, no radio, no television, no gameboys, no video games, no friends, no going places, no playing outside, no playing with toys, no bedtime snacks; for months. Having literally everything taken away, except for my books really only made me an avid reader and terrified of causing trouble. Which was probably the point."
Rosalie scowled, "That isn't the right way to raise children though. You shouldn't be taught to simply fear punishment. You should be taught why whatever it was you did, was wrong."
"That's right, you know," Jessica interjected, having finally pulled herself away from examining the multitude of colors scattered throughout her hair in the mirror. "Why teach punishment, when you could be teaching personal responsibility."
Angela nodded slightly in agreement. "It's been more difficult lately. Now that I'm older, and because we haven't gotten into trouble in a long time, I don't always know where the boundaries are. At least, if I can cover my hair, it's one less thing I have to actively worry about at home."
"Do you have to worry about much?" Rosalie asked, clearly defensive of her new friend.
"Oh, no, my parents aren't abusive or anything. It's just difficult to talk to my mom sometimes if I don't know what will and won't upset her. She paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Or what will earn her disappointment," Angela answered as she examined her nails nervously.
"I'm sorry you've been made to feel like you can't talk to her about things going on in your life," Rosalie answered with sincerity. "I kind of know what that was like, back when we were with our parents."
"What happened to them?" Jessica asked bluntly, right before taking a bite of her pizza. The room went silent as Angela and Bella worried how Rosalie might take the question.
A moment later, mid-chew, Jessica dropped her slice of pizza back to her plate and moved her hands quickly back and forth in an "X" movement, to indicate Rosalie shouldn't answer. The seconds ticked by as she finished chewing and swallowed, nearly choking in her rush to smooth things back over. "I'm so sorry, it was rude of me to ask, I just don't always think before I speak."
"No, it's okay," Rosalie answered as she checked a foil in Bella's hair. She turned her body to speak more fully to the shifter, "You'll need a rinse in about five minutes."
Turning back to Jessica, Rosalie, took her time rearranging the hair colors while she thought of how to answer. With a sigh, she grabbed a clean hair coloring brush and started to fiddle with it idly.
"My mother and father had very unrealistic expectations of me. They wanted nothing more than for me to settle down, get married and start a family."
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jessica exploded angrily. "You're, what, 18 now? And you moved here a little over two years ago. You were so young!"
"I know I was," Rosalie answered hollowly. "They had extremely traditional values, and I didn't feel that I had much say in the matter. I was engaged, actually."
Jessica's expression continued to darken.
"My parents loved me, that I do know, they just didn't understand that maybe I was too young to know who to be with, or what would make me happy; and they didn't think it mattered enough to ask me what I wanted.
"I do realize that's actually pretty fucked up," Rosalie continued. "But it isn't something I like to dwell on now. Esme is the kind of mom you can tell anything to, and she won't judge you." The vampire smiled just thinking about the family bond the Cullen coven had. "She has never invalidated my feelings, or made me feel like I can't be myself, and has never pushed me into anything to earn her approval."
Jessica and Angela seemed much relieved to hear this news. "Is that why you don't live with your parents?" Jessica tested the waters again, clearly curious.
"No," Rosalie answered with a hint of regret tinging her voice. "I mean, no one is adopted because life was going great. I know there has been a lot of talk about us at school." She paused for a moment as Jessica blushed to the roots of her hair. "I do understand that, though; however, nearly all of the talk is wrong.
"Jasper and my parents died in a fire," she answered simply. Bella couldn't be sure of it, but she was so convinced by Rosalie's statement, that there may have been some truth sprinkled in.
"Emmett's mom died giving birth to his younger brother. Both his brother and father had an accident during a hiking trip in Zion National Park."
Jessica's face fell as she realized how sad everyone's story was likely to be.
"Edward's mother and father became extremely ill and passed away from dehydration and high fever," she paused, thinking of how to phrase herself. "They didn't have easy access to treatment, something that Carlisle is very passionate about.
"Alice has no idea what happened to her parents. She was found wandering along a highway, and someone took her to the emergency room. She has retrograde amnesia, meaning everything before whatever happed to her is a blank slate."
"That's so much trauma, for all of you," Angela murmured softly, sadness creeping into her voice.
"Yeah, I'm really sorry that I asked you to share," Jessica added, genuinely remorseful. "And I'm really sorry about the rumors that I had heard and helped spread. It wasn't a kind thing for me to do, and there's no excuse at all for that."
"I truly do understand it," replied Rosalie. "It isn't like we opened up to anyone or offered to share the information. Anyways, it turned out for the best that Carlisle and Esme adopted us, actually," she explained. "We all have a rare genetic defect, Carlisle and Esme included, that's why they sought us out. It's because of him that we're able to have some semblance of a normal life."
"So, I don't mean this in a mean way, but I totally thought you all looked sickly, like kids that had grown up with milk allergies," Jessica blurted out.
Thankfully, Rosalie started laughing. "Something like that," was her only reply.
"And that's why you all are kind of pale and have similar eyes?" Angela asked inquisitively.
"Yes," Rosalie answered with a smile. "I know it's kind of weird, but it's been really helpful living in a home where you aren't the freak, you know?"
"Well, I don't know, actually," Jessica answered, "but I can imagine it!"
Bella's timer went off, and Rosalie pointed her to the kitchen as she stood. "Angela, no peaking. Every time you open the foils you take heat away from your head and it will process more slowly."
"Yes, ma'am!" Angela answered with a mock salute.
Grinning, Bella and Rosalie made their way to the kitchen. Once the water was running, Bella asked, "So, how much of that was true?"
"There were grains, here and there. It makes it easier for us to stay consistent. My parents really did die in a fire, but not until the 70s," Rosalie gestured for Bella to take a seat on the stool and lean back against the towel rolled up on the edge of the counter. "We still have no idea what happened to Jasper's parents. The records of that time have been oddly difficult to procure." She tested the water temp and finding it to be warm enough, aimed the spray at Bella's hair. "Emmett's story was nearly all true, except it wasn't an 'accident', it was a bear, and it nearly killed him too. It happened in 1935."
Bella sucked in a breath, terrified and heartbroken for Emmett. "That's so awful, Rose."
"I know it is," the vampire answered with a frown. "Edward's story was absolutely true, but it was Spanish influenza in 1918." Rosalie paused as she worked her fingers through Bella's hair, attempting to remove all traces of the lightener before shampooing. "As far as Alice, everything, except the emergency room was true. It has taken decades to piece it together, but we know that before 1920 she was committed to a psychiatric hospital, where she was turned. She had her visions, even then as a human, and it frightened people."
"I kind of understand her attitude now," Bella spoke slowly. "I mean. That seems like so much to deal with."
"Oh, it definitely is, but she isn't the only one that has experienced pain and still needs to learn to respect others." Rosalie squeezed the bottle of conditioner a little too hard, causing her nails to puncture the bottle. Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, she worked a small amount of it between her hands and worked it through Bella's hair.
"Sorry about that. She just–." Rosalie fumed silently. "She has been getting on my nerves. On everyone's nerves."
"How come?"
"Her attitude has shifted over the last few months. She's been somewhat–" Rosalie trailed off. "Secretive. Particularly about her dealings with Edward. Their relationship turned strange, almost as though they were separate from the family, long before you came to town."
Bella tucked that information away to examine later.
"Supposedly, she's working on trying to get him to come home, but I overheard part of their conversation one afternoon, and it didn't sound like that's what she was trying to do," Rosalie said as she turned the tap back on to rinse Bella's hair.
"What did it sound like?" Bella asked, steeling herself for the answer.
"I don't quite know, to be honest," Rosalie replied quietly over the sound of the running water. "All I caught was, 'just do what I told you to do, and all will work out how it should'. Now, this could have a few meanings, and I am trying not to dive headfirst into all of them." The vampire rolled her eyes at herself. "I'm hoping that what she meant was, if he behaves, or tries to work through these issues, that everything will be okay," she continued, her voice wobbling at the end, before turning off the water.
"You don't believe that, though?" Bella asked quietly.
"I don't know what to believe anymore," Rosalie responded, lightly toweling Bella's hair so it wouldn't drip all over the floor. "This time last year I wouldn't have dreamed all of the things that have happened could happen, but here we are: a vampire and a shifter, having a normal, very human sleepover with two classmate friends while our vampire mates chase down a potential hostile."
Bella had been leaning forward to stand and froze at Rosalie's words, her brain trying to wrap itself around the words "our mates".
*Of course, he is*, the animal inside purred with satisfaction.
Bella sat back down heavily, overwhelmed by the sudden realization.
*Oh, we knew. How could he be anything less?*
"Holy fuck."
Rosalie finally realized her slip up and horrified, covered her mouth. "Oh shit, you hadn't pieced that together, had you?"
"Not even a little," Bella responded hoarsely. "I mean I knew that– what Jasper and I have it isn't– it isn't typical."
"No, it definitely isn't."
"What does this change? What impact will I have on your family?" Bella asked, suddenly terrified as she thought of Alice's lack of vision surrounding her involvement.
"It has changed everything, irrevocably," Rosalie whispered softly, to avoid being overheard. She bent her knees to meet Bella's eye level. "But that isn't a bad thing, Bella." She gripped the shifter's hand. "From the very instant you were conceived into being, you have been part of our family. We have been searching for something we didn't know we were missing for nearly 18 years of our existence."
Bella's throat had clamped shut, her eyes finally overflowing with tears that streamed down her face. She leaned forward and grabbed Rosalie in a tight embrace, the only outlet for her feelings, the only stability she could find.
Rosalie hugged the girl back and murmured, "It's alright," over and over in a soothing manner, stroking the girl's wet hair comfortingly.
The minutes passed slowly, and eventually, Bella began to acclimate, her shock wearing away into deep love and appreciation for the family. She finally pulled back and looked up into Rosalie's face to see the vampire's own eyes glossy with venom, her own love beaming from a radiant smile.
"Does Jasper know?" the girl asked tentatively, her heart suddenly gripped with a longing to see him. Bella needed to see him, to make sure he was okay.
"Not yet," Rosalie answered quietly, "but it's only a matter of time, I should think. It has been clear how stressed out the distance has made you, subconsciously. I imagine he's experiencing the same. Actually, you're never going to guess who figured it out first," Rosalie spoke with a laugh.
"You?" Bella asked curiously. "Wait, no! Emmett!"
"Bingo!" Rosalie answered in a tone that indicated how proud she was of her mate. "He figured it out that night in the meadow, when you and I were talking– er, well, communicating," she corrected, as Bella had been first a mountain lion, and later a house cat. "Emmett told me that with how I am, it's rare for me to feel safe enough to open up to others. Then, while they had been sparring there were multiple near misses, where Jasper had nearly been pinned. With Jasper's experience, Emmett has never come close before."
"Jasper is that strong?" Bella asked, shock taking over her features.
"You have no idea," Rosalie answered with pride. "He'll have to tell you, but his brains paired with his fighting experience probably make him more dangerous than any other vampire currently in existence."
Bella closed her eyes, realization sinking in. "The scars," she whispered, a deep pain throbbing in her chest at the thought.
"Yes," Rosalie replied, a growl sneaking into her voice as she was filled with anger for her brother. Recovering, she spoke again, "It is very likely that not even the elders of our kind could stand a chance, owing simply to Jasper's cunning and strategy. That's probably why they've never interfered with our family, despite our deviations from tradition."
"Being vegetarians?" Bella asked.
"Exactly. We are perceived as mildly threatening, as, due to our diet, we aren't as," Rosalie searched for the words. "We are able to form much stronger bonds within our family than most would ever be capable of."
"This is a fact?" Bella's curiosity slowly tamping down the longing she felt for her mate.
"It has been confirmed by a gifted vampire in the uppermost ranking. He's able to see bonds, which isn't so bad. However, there is a member of their guard that can strengthen, as well as break emotional bonds, if she were so inclined. We try to fly low on their radar because of this."
Bella was once again horrified. "Have they ever tried?"
"As far as I can tell, Marcus and Chelsea have some sort of moral code they stick to. Chelsea didn't want to become part of the guard to begin with." Rosalie was pensive for a moment. "I think maybe she thought she would be in less danger of them, than if she remained neutral. On her own, she likely would have been perceived as a threat."
Bella must have looked confused, so Rosalie clarified. "If she had remained on the outside, the governing vampires would have been afraid of her meddling with their own family. They were brothers in life, actually, so it isn't uncommon for them to argue."
"Any dissent between then would have been chalked up to her gift," Bella realized as she processed the information.
"Exactly. If she's there, Marcus can keep an eye on the bonds, and Chelsea can tweak as necessary, keeping things more smoothly running than would otherwise have been possible."
"Well, that's," Bella thought for a moment. "Nice of her?"
"She could certainly be inflicting more harm than she does." Rosalie looked at the time on the stove. "Shit, Angela will need to be rinsed soon. We should probably talk more about this later. Will you be up to seeing Jasper tonight?"
Bella's heart once again throbbed achingly, this time at the thought of not seeing him. "Absolutely. I need to."
"Good," Rosalie answered happily. "Are you going to tell him?"
"I really think I have to," Bella answered as she nibbled her lip in thought.
"He should be here in about 4 hours," Rosalie reminded her.
The pressure in Bella's chest eased slightly at the thought, warmth spreading through her. "Good. Now let's save Angela from her anxiety."
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Angela and Rosalie were in the kitchen rinsing out the girl's hair before Jessica pounced on Bella. "So, what were you and blondie talking about in there, anyway?"
"Oh, you know. Girl stuff."
"You are such a butt sometimes," Jessica responded with a roll of her eyes. "I distinctly heard Jasper's name mentioned a few times."
"Wow, okay, Jess. You have the hearing of Satan himself."
Jessica giggled uncontrollably. "Sorry, my mom has literally said that exact same thing," she managed to answer while she clutched her stomach gasping for breath.
"If the shoe fits," Bella answered with a smile of her own. "Anyways, we were just talking about our relationship."
"Oh, so you ARE in a relationship. Called it!" Jessica gloated gleefully.
"Yeah, yeah, you know everything that happens in Forks."
"That I do," Jessica responded. "I am glad that you can recognize my skills."
Bella thought for a moment, reflecting on her friend's uncanny ability to sniff out the truth. "Have you ever considered going into private investigating? I mean, it definitely incorporates acting as well as sleuthing out secrets."
Jessica's jaw dropped as she contemplated the idea. "Oh, my God, Bella. That's absolutely brilliant! Disguises, coaxing information from people, piecing together puzzles! The possibilities are endless."
Bella mock groaned. "I've created a monster!"
"Don't feel bad, Bells," Jessica joked, using Charlie's nickname for her with a wink. "I've always been one!"
"How the actual fuck did know you that's my nickname? I don't think he mentioned it tonight." Bella thought back through the evening.
"Oh, but he did! You thanked him for the pizza after he paid, and he said, 'No worries, Bells, I'm just happy you are making friends,' and then he went upstairs," Jessica explained thoroughly.
"Jesus Christ."
"I know. I don't really tell people about it, but I notice way too much going on around me. It's a neurological thing."
"Like you're sick?" Bella asked, slightly worried for her friend.
"Nothing like that!" Jessica exclaimed. "I'm actually really happy and proud of what I am!"
"And what is that?" Bella asked, holding a breath as she thought about her own parallels to the girl.
"I'm Autistic," Jessica answered simply.
Bella was once again shocked by her friend. "I had no idea, Jess!"
"Most people don't. Just because I'm not obsessed with trains, taking electronics apart, or any other sexist stereotype doesn't mean I'm any less Autistic than any other Autistic person." She stopped her speech for a moment. "I'm more of a pattern spotter; all of the little things that stack up to big things, but to the point that I often miss the bigger things. That and I don't know when I should or shouldn't speak. It has gotten easier, though.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course you can!" Jessica responded.
"I was always taught that people are supposed to say 'person with autism,' not Autistic," Bella explained. "Why do you say Autistic?"
"It's a personal preference," Jessica started slowly. "It isn't my job to remind people that I'm a person, too. If they can't see me as a person once they know I'm Autistic, then they have a problem, not me."
"Holy shit," said Bella. "I never thought of it that way!"
"I know, right?! Like I said, it's personal and there are obviously others that don't agree. There's a saying in the Autistic community, actually" Jessica continued. "It goes 'if you've met one Autistic person, you've met one Autistic person.' It means that none of us are exactly the same and we all have different preferences, strengths, and barriers."
"That makes sense a lot of sense," Bella responded thoughtfully. "I mean, obviously you all have different preferences, but it's called a spectrum, meaning all of those little qualities that make you who you are could be in a radically different place for someone else. Contrary to how most people seem to think of it, a spectrum isn't linear."
"Exactly!" Jessica responded excitedly. "I'm glad you understand and don't seem to mind it. It has taken me an exceptionally long time to learn how to be like neurotypicals, and honestly it's exhausting," the girl confided. "There's even research now that indicates making us try to pass is more harmful than it is helpful," she brooded. "But, now that you know, it'll be easier for me, because I won't have to try as hard to maintain eye contact and not squash the urge to stim and fidget. Stimming helps me to block out other sensory bombardments."
"I truly didn't realize you had been trying so hard, at your detriment. Please, don't ever feel like you have to be different than you are to be my friend," Bella told her with a smile.
"Ditto," Rosalie answered as she and Angela came back to the living room. "I don't know what we're talking about," Rosalie pretended to be oblivious, despite her own exceptional hearing. "But yeah. Don't hide who you are."
"Autistic," Jessica answered with a grin.
"I thought there was something different about you!" Rosalie responded excitedly. "You weren't quite like everyone else, and when you said you had ADHD, I thought maybe that was it. Still, you seemed to stim an awful lot for it to just be ADHD."
"How I am has a very small amount to do with having ADHD, I'd imagine," was Jessica's reply.
"I'm glad you told them," Angela directed to Jess. "I told Rosalie about me, too."
"The ace stuff?" Jessica answered.
"Yep," said Angela with a smile. "It feels good to not hide."
"Well, in that case, y'all should know that on top of being Autistic, I'm bisexual as fuck, too," Jessica announced with a nervous laugh.
"Also knew it!" Rosalie answered. "You two are not the first bisexual and biromantic friends I've ever had, actually."
"You know other biro's?" Angela asked, shocked.
"Sure do. One of them is a family friend," Rosalie explained. We haven't heard from him in a bit, but he came out to us as asexual a few years ago, after having had male and female companions. We just always assumed he was bisexual, in general, but we were only half correct."
"That's really cool!" Jessica told Rosalie. "It's good aces are getting more visibility and feeling like it's okay to come out."
"Wait! Is that why you chose the hair colors you did, Jess?" Bella asked excitedly.
"Sure is! Covertly representing bisexual pride seemed like fun. I mean, this is Washington, not Wyoming."
"Aren't you afraid of outing yourself?" Bella asked, worried for her friend.
"Nah. It isn't so glaringly obvious. Plus my mom found out last week, thanks to Lauren; she outed me."
It was Rosalie's turn to drop her jaw dropped in shock. "What a bitch. I understand she was your friend once, but that makes it so much worse." The clean coloring brush she was holding snapped in half. "She did something that gets kids disowned, kicked out of homes, and alienated from their families, and in return, you were the catalyst to get the help she needed. You're a far kinder person than I would have been," Rosalie finished with shaking hands.
"It was really hard at first," Jessica answered, pulling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she rocked slowly for comfort. "I was so hurt and didn't understand how she could do that. But I'm glad my mom knows now. It didn't go over as badly as I thought it would," she directed her last sentence to Angela who blushed.
Noticing the exchange, Rosalie connected the dots. "Your mom doesn't know, Ang?"
"Negatory. She is blissfully unaware," Angela responded, then groaned in exasperation. "Ugh, and constantly trying to set me up with friend's sons. Which isn't totally horrible or off base since I'm biromantic, but it's hard to explain that you don't experience sexual attraction. That's a deal-breaker for a lot of people."
"Uh, well, that, and you're seeing someone," Jessica stuck her tongue out childishly.
"Ohhh," Rosalie chimed in again. "That's cool. Makes sense now."
Angela blushed but smiled shyly, clearly happy at the easy acceptance.
Looking at Bella's hair, Rosalie said, "Well, I think it's time to trim your ends if you aren't afraid to, then blow-dry and apply color."
Bella feigned terror at the suggestion, and couldn't resist saying, "Note the look of shear horror on my face! Get it? Like shears?"
Angela, Jessica, and Rosalie all groaned in response. "I sure hope Jasper knows what he's gotten into," the vampire teased.
"Hey! If he's a gentleman, he hasn't gotten into Bella quite yet," Jessica winked before she, Angela and Rosalie exploded into a fit of giggles.
"Oh, my God, Jess! My dad is right upstairs," Bella warned her, not having to fake the horror and embarrassment on her face.
"Yeah, but he's been snoring for a good hour now."
"You can hear that?!" Bella asked in shock.
"Of course I can. I told you, I literally can't block anything out. It's easier to sort out what I'm hearing in an enclosed space, but it's a God damn nightmare at school." Jess turned to Rosalie, "Especially lunch; all the trays, all the forks, all the people shifting around. I can't tell you how absolutely fantastic it is that you all have started sitting with us. It keeps everyone else a healthier distance away."
"Glad we're good for something, I guess," Rosalie answered with a laugh. "Now, you," Rosalie pointed her spray bottle at Bella. "Kitchen."
Looking back to Angela she added, "Don't worry about blow-drying yours; by the time I'm done with Bella, yours should be mostly dry, and if not, I'll get to it. We're going to apply the color before we cut you, that way we can see how it lays and decide how to best keep it hidden."
Angela, mouth full of pizza, nodded her understanding.
"What about yours, Rosalie?" Jessica asked.
"Oh, my hair is terrible at holding colors like this, so I Just stick to highlighting," the vampire answered easily.
"That's too bad," Jessica answered. "I'm sorry to hear that, especially with all the work you're doing."
"It's not a big deal, honest!"
"Wait, are we going to color after you cut mine?" Bella asked from the kitchen as she sat down on the stool.
Rosalie carried a hair cape into the kitchen with her then swirled it around Bella's shoulders as she answered, "That's correct."
"And I still don't get to know what colors?" Bella mock pouted.
"If you had been able to make up your mind, you wouldn't be in this predicament, Bella," Rosalie teased in a way that Bella imagined a sister would.
"I know! But you brought so many pretty colors! How could anyone decide?"
"How, indeed," Rosalie pretended to sympathize. "I promise it'll look good, though."
"Oh, I trust you," Bella reassured the vampire. Noting Rosalie's determined grip on the spray bottle, she took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Bella sat still as stone, eyes closed as she had been instructed from the very moment her color had been rinsed out. Rosalie turned off the blow dryer and applied some kind of fruity, yet earthy scented product to her ends.
Angela played with her hair in the mirror, her own color reveal having happened an hour previously. Rosalie had incorporated the colors of the asexual flag, much to Angela's excitement. Various shades of purples, smouldering greys, and silvery whites, shimmered underneath a layer of her natural hair, with sections of her ends fading back to black to further obscure the colors from showing.
"It's so beautiful," Jessica remarked to Angela quietly, love showing on her face.
Shifting gears, she turned her attention to Bella. "Oh, and you're going to love it Bells! Hey, wait, that pomade smells like you!"
Rosalie froze, completely taken aback by Jessica's comment, as Bella opened her eyes involuntarily to stare at her friend.
"How on earth can you smell me, Jess?" Bella asked, her shock evident.
"Oh, I smell everything," Jessica answered matter-of-factly. "I even double as a human fire detector."
"She's serious," Angela answered flatly. "One night, a few years ago, she walked into my house to spend the night, and told my dad that a fire had started about five minutes ago and to get ready."
"I don't think I specified the length of time it had been burning," Jessica frowned.
"You did," Angela insisted. "My dad stepped outside but couldn't smell anything. Jessica's mom apologized and told him she must just be nervous about the sleepover."
"And I just said, 'whatever' and walked inside," Jessica recalled with a laugh.
"Anyways, about 10 more minutes go by, and my dad gets the call."
"Wow," Rosalie remarked, still shocked. "That's wild, Jess."
"You smell like honeysuckle and citrus. Jasper smells like cinnamon and citrus, but I sometimes get a whiff of something warm that I can't identify," Jessica offered for additional confirmation. She played with a candy wrapper while she continued. "Emmett smells like mint, pine, and cedar. Alice smells grey, like ashes, a hint of fire, with something like peat, about her. Edward smells of smoke, the way you'd imagine sooty chimney stacks to smell, and salty like the ocean."
"Jesus, Jess," Rosalie exclaimed. "Your nose is absolutely incredible."
"It's a burden," Jessica rolled her eyes, ever the dramatic.
"What do I smell like," Angela asked nervously.
"Delightful!" Jessica reassured her. "Like grass, grapefruit and maybe a hint of ginger." She looked around to her friends. "Am I wrong? Can you not smell it if you try?"
"Oh, I can, but I can't imagine why you could," Bella answered without thinking.
Angela frowned in response. "That's really weird. I don't smell anything like what Jess described. You must just be sensitive like her."
Jessica studied Bella's face carefully. "You're different, too, but not the kind of different I am," the girl analyzed. "You are your own kind of different, whether you know it or not." Her serious demeanor was suddenly replaced with one of excitement. "Ooh! Tell me what I smell like, Bella!"
"That's easy. You smell like fresh laundry that dried in the sun, lilacs, and key limes," Bella answered quickly.
"I think I also catch hints of chocolate on me sometimes," Jessica noted. "But it could just be that I had eaten some," she continued with a giggle.
"I can smell that actually," Bella realized aloud. "Now that you've said it. I just thought you had eaten some earlier."
"None so far. Chocolate is a nighttime food."
"I feel like I must live a stark, scent-free life in comparison!" said Angela, a hint of inferiority in her voice.
"Don't worry Ang, just because you don't smell yourself doesn't mean you don't smell amazing," Jessica reassured her girlfriend.
"Thanks, Jess," Angela answered quietly with a smile. "Anyways, I think it's about time Bella checked her hair, don't you all?"
"Oh, right! I can't believe I forgot about that!" Bella answered excitedly.
"Wait!" Rosalie commanded firmly as she blocked Bella from the nearest mirror. "Not yet, just a few more touches. I got a little sidetracked."
Bella sighed and closed her eyes once more, waiting for Rosalie to perfect her masterpiece. A few minutes passed in which their human friends drifted back to their own conversation, assessments of what their classmates smelled like to Jessica, from the sound of it.
Rosalie turned the blow dryer on once more, twirling Bella's hair on a round brush as she went. Bella took the opportunity quietly to ask, "Do you think Jess heard anything she shouldn't have?" knowing Rosalie would be able to hear her.
"No," Rosalie breathed back as she leaned into under the guise of wrapping more hair around her brush. "If she had, she would have exploded by now."
Bella smiled in response, glad to know that Rosalie wasn't worried either.
After a few more turns of her brush, Rosalie turned the blow dryer off once more, then stood back to admire her work. "Well, I'd say I'm done here!" she announced happily.
Bella opened her eyes to see and was completely taken aback by what she saw. "It's so–, Rose! Oh, my God! It's gorgeous! Thank you so much, I–"
"Ooh! That's so pretty!" Jessica called from her seat at the table then drifted closer to look at it.
Turning her head this way and that, Bella watched as the light caught on her ends, revealing shimmering, shifting shades of emerald green, and teal. Somehow, the colors were perfectly toned to enhance her cool ivory complexion, instead of opposing it.
"I never would have picked these colors because I couldn't imagine they would work. But oh my God. Just, thank you, thank you!" she repeated herself, lost for words. "I always thought green would make me look like an iguana, but it just looks–"
"It's gorgeous," Jessica interjected dreamily as Bella nodded in agreement.
"All of our hair is absolutely stunning," Angela confirmed, grinning into the mirror beside Bella as she tousled her own hair to reveal the colorful underlayer. "Thank you so much for doing it, Rosalie."
"Seriously, thank you" Jessica beamed. "How can we repay you?! You spent hours working on us."
"Honestly, I just really enjoyed spending time together," Rosalie protested.
"Well, I look forward to the next time we all get to hang out, and can spend time doing other things, and not just hair!" Angela responded.
"Yeah! I second that!" Jessica cut in with quick agreement.
"I third it!" Bella tacked on.
"I look forward to it too," Rosalie answered, genuinely touched by her new friends.
"Now," Jessica rubbed her hands together as though she were up to no good. "Who's up to watch a movie and destroy these snacks with me?"
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
A/N: And there you have it! A new chapter, fresh from the desk of your friendly neighborhood Autistic/hetero-romantic asexual/fanfic writing pal who has so much love for, and need to share representation of, her LGBTQIA+ friends: me!