BPOV
Our trip to the waterpark at the beginning of May was so much fun that Rose and I immediately started planning another trip. I hadn't realized that all four of us liked amusement parks so much, and I was determined to get Edward to Disneyland since he'd never been before. It isn't until I'm looking at flights that I realize Alice and Jasper's wedding is at the end of August, and that's only three months from now.
Where Jasper and Edward have been making strides in repairing their friendship, Alice and I haven't spoken since the party. There have been times that I've thought about reaching out to her, but I always change my mind. To be fair, she hasn't called or texted me either. I'm sure she's busy with the wedding, but if she wanted to salvage our friendship at all, she would make an effort.
Edward received his invitation a month ago with a box for a plus one. He naturally asked me if I wanted to go, but I've been on the fence. Jasper has assured us that both he and Alice want me there, but without her asking me flat out, it's hard to commit. That's the current argument Edward and I are having.
He thinks I should just attend as his date. "You want to be there. They want you to be there." He sighs over our lunch. "I want you to be there."
"I don't think Alice cares one way or the other." I shrug and steal a hot carrot off his plate.
"Call her. Just hash it all out now." He gives me a pointed look, making me roll my eyes.
"I think the time for hashing things out has come and gone, Edward."
"It worked for us." He gives a hopeful smile.
I laugh, setting my rolled taco down. "You and I started having hate sex in the mud. Is that what you want me to do with Alice?"
He pretends to think for a moment before I kick him under the table. "I'm kidding! Of course not, but maybe if you and Alice sat down in a room together, with no distractions—"
"We'd pull each other's hair out." I allow myself a moment to think. "Alice needs to realize on her own how she treats people. I can't force her."
He sighs, wiping his hands and reaches for mine. "Then just come as my date. As soon as the ceremony and pictures are over, we're outta there."
"What about your toast?"
"Who cares? Jasper already told me that Alice wants me to keep it classy, so I'll be saving the good stuff for the bachelor party anyway." He gives me some serious puppy dog eyes, and I whine.
"Fine. I'll go." Sighing, I let go of his hands and go back to my food. "I guess that means I need a dress."
Edward bursts out laughing. "You have the MOH dress. You could just wear that."
"You're terrible."
"That's why you like me." He grins and polishes off his taco.
I'm sitting on my bed next to Rose, staring at said dress. Emmett and Edward are at his place, playing video games, and she came over to help me decide if I'm really petty enough to wear this to Alice's wedding. The problem is, it's god-awful.
She was going for Boho chic, but she completely missed the mark. It's a floral print maxi-dress with long sleeves that have elastic cuffs. The high neck and empire waist do nothing for anyone of any body type, and it's not ankle length … It's tea length. It's a prairie dress, and I'm almost positive even Laura Ingalls Wilder would rather die of cholera than wear this dress.
"We could get you a belt?" Rose offers, and I groan in frustration. Alice had brought this over the day after she asked me to be her maid of honor back in December. It's been hanging in my closet ever since.
"I can't wear it, right?"
"Nobody should wear it." Rose falls back onto my bed. "But I have to. You could wear something nice."
Rose was sticking it out and choosing to remain a part of Alice's wedding party. Since there was no MOH, Alice was throwing her own bachelorette party, and shockingly, I wasn't invited.
"I could wear that crop top and those silk pants I just got," I say, and Rose perks up a little. We had gone shopping recently to replace the "Alice clothes", and Rose was especially fond of that ensemble.
"You do look hot in it. Is a crop top appropriate for a wedding?"
"It's not that short," I offer, walking to my closet and pulling out the pants and top. We knock around a few ideas, picking out shoes and a purse before she looks at the offensive dress again.
"What are you gonna do with that?"
I sit for a long moment thinking. "I'm gonna take it to Alice. Maybe Edward's right. We need to just hash it all out."
Rose nods solemnly. "Want me to go with you?"
I shake my head. While I appreciate the offer, it's become very clear over the last few months who my true friends are, and Rose is definitely it.
"No, I need to do this on my own."
On Sunday, I decide to drive over to Alice and Jasper's apartment. Regardless of whatever the wedding planning may be doing to her, she's a creature of habit. On Sundays, she sends Jasper off to the driving range while she cleans the place top to bottom, even if it's spotless, then she puts something in the crockpot and does some selfcare.
The clock on my dash reads just before eleven, so I grab the garment bag with the dress and walk up the small flight of stairs to their apartment. I can hear faint music coming from the open patio window, and when I knock, it gets turned off immediately.
Alice flings the door open, a little breathlessly, pulling the hem of her shirt down. "Bella? What are you doing here?" Her already large eyes get even wider, and she stands in the doorway, blocking my view inside.
"I wanted to bring my dress back." I hold it up to show her. "But, I was hoping we could talk. It doesn't have to be long, but I think we should."
Alice pulls the door closer to her. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Why don't you give me a minute to clean up, and we can go get a cup of coffee or something?"
I can hear something thud in the background, and Alice jumps a little. "What's going on? Are you and Jasper doing the nasty?" I start to laugh, trying to ease the sudden tension I'm feeling.
"Uh, no," she says quickly.
Something's not right. Alice and I might be on the outs, but I've known her since we were fifteen. We're both pushing thirty, and she can't hide anything from me. "Alice, what's going on?"
"Bella." She laughs awkwardly like she does when she's uncomfortable or someone catches her in a lie. "It's nothing really."
"Nothing?" A strong, feminine voice calls out from behind Alice, and her face flushes a deep crimson.
"Bella, can I talk to you later?"
"Oh, you can have all the time to talk to her now. 'Nothing' is leaving." The door flies out of Alice's hand, and a glamorous, tall, slender woman walks out the door. Her umber skin looks like it has a slight sheen of sweat as she pushes past the two of us. "Do not call me."
She sashays down the steps, her wavy hair swinging behind her, sandals dangling from her fingers as she walks to her car. Alice bolts past me calling her name. "Senna! Senna, wait!"
Alice catches her before she drives off, but even if it's a heated argument, I can't hear anything from my perch at the top of the stairs. Alice is talking animatedly, but Senna is just sitting in her car. I can't really tell what's happening, but it's incredibly entertaining.
I watch as Senna finally drives off, and Alice just stands on the street for a moment before she looks up at me. I watch her wrap her arms around her waist and walk back up the stairs. She sits down next to me and sighs.
"Do I want to know what's going on?"
She scoffs. "Why do you care? We're not even friends anymore."
I take a deep breath. "Alice … what's going on?"
In what has to be an all-time friendship first, Alice just calmly explains that she hasn't been happy for a long time, and when she met Senna at a bridal boutique a few weeks ago … they just hit it off. "Hard, Bella. I don't know what to do," Alice says quietly, and I'm shocked.
"Just to be clear"—I clear my throat—"you and Senna have been …"
Alice swings her head to look at me. "We're sleeping together, Bella."
"Does Jasper know? About anything, I mean. Like, you not being happy?"
"No?" She sniffs but says nothing else.
"You have to tell him. Alice, you can't do this. If you aren't happy, you'll drag everyone else down with you." I reach out and grab her hand. "You're supposed to get married in three months."
"I still want to marry him. I love Jasper." She's full-on crying now, and my heart is heavy for them both.
"Then come clean and tell him." I stand up, looking down at her. "Because if you don't, I will."