A/N: Hey gang! Hope you enjoy!
Bella
We're still staying at the hotel, waiting for Peter and Charlotte to leave. It's just me and Rose, though Emmett came by often. I'm running a little late, fumbling with my make up while Rose gets me breakfast from downstairs.
The girls, Beau, and I were all headed for Port Angeles tonight. Rose, bored and restless here, had snuck home to get me Edward's car. I felt sort of bad, but my brother is a vampire, surely, he'd survive without a car.
"You might be late," Rose says, setting my food down at the desk.
"The eyeliner gods have forsaken me," I told her somberly, holding out my favorite eyeliner and a makeup wipe that was nearly all black. Rose laughs, taking both from me.
"You eat, I'll finish up," she says. She grabbed me some fruit and cereal, so I pop a strawberry in my mouth, trying not to chew too much.
"Are you going to hang out with Peter and Charlotte today?" I ask her. Her touch is feather light, the lightest cool breeze. When she wheels me around to look in the mirror, the eyeliner is perfect, subtle and sharp.
"A bit," she says, gently twisting my errant curls into a stylish bun. She lets a few curls hang, so I shake my head, watching them bounce. She laughs, then sobers, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"What?" I ask, stuffing a few more pieces of fruit into my mouth. I had about ten minutes left until I had to go.
"I was just thinking," she says dreamily. "About when you were little."
"Jeez," I mutter, embarrassed.
"I miss it," she says softly. "You were such a sweet little girl."
"What happened?" I ask sarcastically, shouldering my bag. Rose shakes her head, a sad smile on her face.
"You're still sweet," she tells me, serious. "It's just that you're not my baby anymore."
"Do you miss it?" I ask. Rose nods, a guilty look flitting across her face. "It's okay. Teenagers are so annoying."
"Well, I love you all the time, baby or annoying teenager," she says, chucking me under the chin. "I just wish… I don't know, I think I'm just bored of it all."
"So, do something different," I tell her seriously. "Get a job with kids or something. You're a great big sister."
"You think so?" she asks, her expression fond. I rush up and press a kiss to her cheek. My Chapstick leaves a sticky pink mark, but she doesn't wipe it off.
"You're the best."
"Get to school, Bella, you're going to be late," she tells me. Her expression goes thoughtful and I head out, calling out a goodbye as I go.
The drive is quick, and I nab Edward's parking spot. I find the girls by Jess's old Mercury, discussing the plans for tonight. I'm mostly going to just to look; Rose, Alice, and Mom took me to get my dress last Sunday.
"We should go to Francesca's!" I interject, hopping up onto the hood next to Jess. It's still warm today, the sun shining brightly overhead. All my sibling light up like disco ball's on sunny days, so they tend to skip.
"Oh, for sure," Jess agree, tossing her hair as Mike stroll's by. I'm glad they're dating, but I'm sort of bummed. I'm the only dateless one. Ben ended up asking Angela to Prom, and Lauren's bringing her college boy. I don't dare ask what happened with Tyler.
"What about you?" Angela asks me. "Show us your dress!" I laugh, pulling up the picture on my phone. It's a simple rose golden sheath dress. It fit me like a glove, hugging my curves perfectly. I had felt beautiful in it, even standing next to my family.
They coo over the dress and I preen, soaking in the praise. We hurry to class when the bell sounds. In history, Beau flops down into his seat and shoots me a lazy smile. He looks tired, like he hasn't been sleeping too well. Today, he's sporting a black tee with the pride flag splashed across it, underneath a deep blue flannel.
"Are we on for tonight?" I ask, nudging his shoulder with mine. He's much taller than me, so I pretty much just end up leaning against him.
"Sure," he says. "I'll be your style consultant/bag holder."
I laugh, and we chat a little more, waiting for class to start. Beau looks at me carefully, like he wants to ask me something. I realize belatedly that he'd seen Ed's car, and was wondering if he was here today. I want to sigh, but I don't. I know Beau doesn't mean to ask all the time, and there's nothing wrong with it per se, but it gets exhausting being the one stop news shop for all the dirt on my siblings.
They were both so gone for each other, but neither realized. Edward won't tell any of us where he goes when he leaves the house, but it's pretty obvious he stalks Beau. It's creepy beyond belief, and I'm itching to make fun of him for it, but he's been so weird, cagey and jumpy. Plus, he doesn't come by the hotel.
"He's still out sick," I tell him. Beau colors immediately, a warm blush on his usually pale face. Looking at him like this, I can understand why Ed's so head over heels for him; he's gorgeous, with pale, creamy skin, kind eyes, and a Disney prince smile. Hell, I had a little crush on him when he first started.
"I don't mean to ask," Beau tells me. "Sorry."
"Don't worry," I say sincerely. He'll be part of my family soon, if Alice is right—and she's always right.
Nothing really happens the rest of the day, except Jess and Lauren getting into it at lunch. Apparently, Lauren's flaking out on us for the college boy, again.
"This is like the millionth time you've done that," Jess said sourly at lunch. "All you care about it your bullshit boyfriend."
"Don't be such a jealous bitch," Lauren said, not even bothering to look up from her phone. "You have a boyfriend now too."
"Yeah, but I actually hang out with my friends," Jess shot back. Privately, I agreed with her. Lauren looked up then, a deadly smile on her face.
"Sometimes I get bored of hanging out with you," Lauren says, tilting her head, so her icy blonde hair fell in a perfect sheet. She might have been a total bitch, but the girl had style. You had to admire that at least. "So shut the fuck up."
That had been the end of that conversation.
Needless to say, Lauren did not deign to grace us with her presence. Jess, Angela, and I took my—Eddie-boy's—car and follow Beau so he can drop off his truck. He'd offered to drive, maybe out of some bullshit chivalrous instinct, but I told him I'd rather not die in his giant orange death trap.
"Don't disrespect the truck," he'd said. It was the most boyish thing I'd heard him say.
Once we're on the road, the party picks up. Jess's in the front seat, her phone plugged in. Music pumps from the speakers, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé.
"Perfect mix for girls' night!" she says. "Plus, Beau!"
"Plus, Beau!" we all cheer. I gun it all the way down the highway, turning an hour drive into forty-five minutes. Port Angeles is cute as hell, a perfect insta hotspot. All along the boardwalk, people hang out in clumps, enjoying ice cream with the first of the spring weather.
I head straight for the mall, parking and leading the girls. Though my sisters and I usually shop in Seattle, I know the Port Angeles mall pretty well. First, we hit up all the big department stores, perusing through Macy's and JC Penney's, having a blast trying stuff on.
At first, Beau plays along with us, snapping pics like a paparazzo, but eventually his energy wanes. We stop off at the Starbucks before making a game plan for the boutiques that line the square.
The first one is a major success, wall to wall with cute dresses. Beau takes a seat by the window, his smile wavering.
"Hey, there's a couple cool stores on the square," I tell him while Jess and Angela try on their first round. "There's even one that does local books. They had this cool showcase on Quileute folklore last month." Beau immediately perks up.
"Yeah? What, uh, what kind of legends?" he asks.
"Don't know," I say. "They probably still have some stuff. You can go check it out and we'll meet you at the restaurant."
"Are you sure?" he asks, but I can tell he's eager to head out. "You don't need all these glorious muscles to hold your stuff?" I laugh, poking his arm.
"What, these?" I tease. "Get out of here."
"Are you sure you're sure?" he asks, already standing. I smile at him.
"Go for it," I say, pushing him to the door.
"Awesome, thanks," he says gratefully. "Listen, my phone's kind of dying, but I'll meet you at seven, okay? At that Italian place."
"Perfect," I say, waving as he heads out. For a while longer, we shop. We end up the one Ulta in all of Port Angeles. I might not be great with makeup, but I like playing with it, experimenting with what looked good. Offhandedly, I wondered if I could con any of my brothers to sit still long enough for a makeover. Mom and my sisters do it often enough.
Once I'm done blowing big money, we take our haul back to the car, stashing it and heading for the restaurant. I pull my phone out, shooting Beau a text to let him know we were headed over.
The restaurant is this cute little Italian place right on the pier. Usually, it's filled with tourists, but it's surprisingly empty tonight. We get a table almost immediately. I check my phone for a response. Nothing.
"We should wait for Beau to order," Angela says. I nod, and after a sharp look, Jess nods too. I get it though, we're starving.
Ten minutes stretch to twenty which stretches to half an hour. I'm more than a little worried, but we've texted, called, even facetimed, but he hadn't picked up. Suddenly, I remember.
"His phone is dead," I groan, slumping in my seat.
"Well, It's like eight fucking a-clock," Jess grumbles. "Can we please just order?"
"What if he got lost," Angela worries. I could try to use my magic to find him, but I've never tried that before. Besides, after the whole fiasco with the accident, my magic's been kind of screwy.
"Okay, listen," Jess says, tapping her nails on the tabletop. "We'll just order and eat really quick, then after, we can go look for him."
"Oh, I don't know—"
"No, Jess is right," I say. I suck in a deep breath and get ready to force my magic out. "Beau's a big boy, he can take care of himself."
"Thank you!" Jess exclaims sullenly. Thankfully, a waitress comes by then, asking for the third time if we were ready to order.
I focus on the magic, pushing it out past me to search for Beau. It spreads like water, slowly thinning out the farther I push it. It goes on and on, all throughout meal, but I can't feel him. Suddenly, while I'm trying to force down my spaghetti, I get a glimpse of him.
"I'm… going to go to the bathroom," I gasp out, not bothering to wait for Jess or Angela's reply. I barely make it in, sinking to the floor and gasping roughly.
Fear. It swirls through me, threatening to drown me, but there's a sharp undercurrent of anger keeping me afloat. I can see men, four, maybe five, I can't tell, and Beau in the center of the ring, like a beacon.
"Hey, faggot," someone calls out, and I gasp around a sob. The anger rises higher than the fear. That's when I realize the excess emotions are Beau's, cavernous and fierce. Is going to fight them? He's starting to get blurry in my mind's eye, my magic failing me, but I push through it.
Is he… is he squaring up?
Before Beau has the opportunity to do anything colossally stupid, a car roars in, breaking up the little circle immediately.
"Get in," growls a voice, not quite human. Tears slip down my cheeks once more, but they're of relief. I would know that voice anywhere. My stupid, faithful, stalker-freak of a brother. I release, and the magic comes slamming back to me, laying me right out on the dirty bathroom floor.
For a while, I lay there, trying to gather myself enough to get back out there. I'm exhausted, my legs threatening to give out, but I pull myself up, wobbling back to my friends.
"What happened to you?" asks Jess, horrified. I shake my head, leaning back in my seat. For a few minutes, we just sit there, no one quite sure what to do.
"We should look for Beau," Angela says, finally breaking the silence. "But, Bella, you should wait in the car. You really don't look to good."
"I'll drive," Jess offers quietly. "You can just rest, and we'll get Beau, and I'll drive while you rest."
"Okay," I agree softly. I don't have it in me to argue. We pay the check, and my friends help me to my feet, wrapping each of my arms around their necks. As soon as we get out of the restaurant, Alice's car pulls up. I blink a in confusion until my brother and Beau get out.
"Bella!" Beau gasps, rushing over to me, but Eds gets there first.
"What happened?" he demands. There's something about him that's not quite safe, not quite my brother. Edward must realize, because he takes a careful step back.
"Are you okay?" I ask Beau. He's got to be reeling, angry and scared. He's surprisingly steady.
"Never mind about me," he says hurriedly. "What happened?"
"Nothing, just got really sick," I say. Edward's expression changes to one of understanding and he nods once, carefully taking me from my friends.
"Beau, would you mind waiting while I help Bella into the car?" he asks, voice carefully controlled.
"You used your magic?" Edward whispers in my ear. "To find him?"
"I saw," I say, my voice thick again. I swallow hard, refusing to cry. "What happened."
"Oh, Bella," he says, stroking back my hair. He sets me in the passenger seat, taking the keys from me. I roll down the window, letting the cool night breeze soothe me.
"Jessica?" he asks, pouring charm into his voice. Predictably, Jess melts.
"Yeah?"
"Would you mind driving?" he asks. "I don't think my sister's up to it tonight."
"Okay." Another floaty sigh. Pull yourself together, babe.
"Please don't total my car," Edward says with a light laugh. Jess's laugh is borderline hysterical, but she takes the keys. "Beau and I are going to dinner, we'll meet you guys later."
Jess only has a minor freak out about driving my brother's car, and it's not until we hit the highway that either of them understand the implication of what just happened.
"Wait, your brother's gay?!"
A/N: So, yeah, I really deliberated with whose perspective to put this scene in, but in the end, I figured it would be a cool one to show case her power a little. Also, I personally don't like to write full blown hate-crime-esque scenes. Hopefully this went over well, but let me know what you thought and I'll see you next week!