F. Scott Fitzgerald once penned, "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
Here I was with my white cable knit sweater on, rain boots kicking the colored leaves on the ground, Halloween decorations gracing the homes I passed, all signs pointing to fall but nothing had changed.
Every day was like Groundhog Day. Nothing exciting happened in this small town.
Correction: Nothing exciting happened to me.
Nothing changed.
A group of kids a little younger than me brushed past me. One kid in a dark hoodie was carrying a black bag with bottles poking out. Alcohol no doubt. They were probably gearing up for a fun Halloween party tonight.
A party with cool people, alcohol, girls in slutty outfits, guys ogling them, dancing, and music. Fun. Parties I was never allowed to attend. Parties nobody would want me to attend.
School. Home. School. Library. Home. Over and over again. That was what was expected of me.
I walked past a huge inflatable jack-o'-lantern decoration before turning to my house.
All the houses on the block were covered in Halloween decor: pumpkins, skeletons, witches, vampires, witches, all harmless fun. Then there was my house. It was a beige stucco house with a grass lawn and two wicker chairs on the porch. Not a decoration in sight. The shudders were closed and not a light in the house was on.
Mom was pretending not to be home in case a trick-or-treater decided to ring the bell. No candy here. No fun here.
God forbid.
As if anyone in this town didn't know about the religious freaks who lived on Briarwood Ave.
Right.
My parents said this was what was best for me. "Protecting me" from the evils of the world. More like shielding me. From everything and everybody who didn't belong to Dad's church.
Daddy was a pastor at our local church. The church where the super conversative members of our town attended. The other church in town was more lax and allowed you to wear jeans, and they had carnivals. Our church wasn't like that. We worshiped God and wore dresses and suits.
Nobody from my school went to church with us. I was a freak. The pastor's daughter couldn't show much skin and was a stick in the mud. I wasn't invited to parties or events. Even if I was, my parents wouldn't let me attend.
My only friend was Rosalie Hale, a beautiful blonde bombshell, who wore layers of clothing to come over my house. It was all a guise to hide her beauty and body. The only reason my parents approved of our friendship was that Rosalie's grandma had belonged to the church before her death.
Rosalie lied and said she spent all of her spare time at her grandma's house. Old Lillian Hale had dementia, so she corroborated the story.
The only reason Rosalie and I connected was because in freshman year, I accidentally spilled my soup on the cafeteria floor, making star quarterback Emmett McCarty fall right in front of her. She helped clean him of lobster bisque, and they had been inseparable ever since. Rosalie had been waiting to ask him out for ages, but he always had his groupies around him. My clumsy moment gave her the perfect opportunity.
Rosalie had looked out for me ever since. We were now seniors, and I was turning eighteen in two weeks. Eighteen. That was supposed to mean a certain degree of freedom, right?
"I'm home, Mama," I announced, walking into my house.
"In the kitchen, Isabella," my mother beckoned, her voice echoing throughout our sterile-looking house.
I entered our kitchen to find Mama making bread from her sourdough starter. Mama was a pretty lady with her long hair in braids, and she often wore dresses that hung all the way down to her ankles.
"What's this I hear about you wanting to go out tonight and stay out until midnight?" Mama interrogated, eyeing me up and down as if the sins would show up on my skin.
Oh Rosalie.
"Well, Rosalie would like to go to this new restaurant opening in Cliffside Park. We are trying to support small businesses. Good hardworking people," I said, earnestly. I knew that wasn't Rosalie's plan. Well, it was a partial part of her plan, but before she could tell me anything salacious, I stopped her and told her it was better that I had plausible deniability.
Mama nodded and looked behind me, so I spun and saw Daddy standing in the doorway. He and Mama were having some kind of silent conversation with their eyes.
It kind of freaked me out. Only child problems.
After a moment or two, I was almost certain they would say no and tell me to go read. Instead, Mama sighed and looked away from Daddy's gaze. "Fine," she muttered, kneading her bread once more.
I ran over and hugged her. "Thank you! Thank you!" I couldn't help the squeal that escaped my mouth.
I walked over to Daddy and gave him a side hug. "Thank you!"
"But you need to be back by midnight. I also want you to call us, and we will be calling you. If you don't answer, we will call Rosalie for your location and come pick you up," Daddy warned, eating some of the fruit that was freshly cut on the counter.
Mama worked tirelessly to make a beautiful home. I had to give her that. She instilled all these ideals and lessons into me. But the truth was, homemaking wasn't what was calling to me. I needed to find my passion. Find myself.
However, in order to find myself, I needed to try things.
Maybe tonight I'd try something new.
xxx
Rosalie arrived a little before seven with her Range Rover parked out front. She wore a large puffy coat and looked to have two pairs of pants on. I appreciated her dedication to the role. Rosalie wanted to be an actress, so I didn't feel too badly that she had to put on this show to be my friend.
"Drive safely!" Mama pleaded, giving me a weary look, and then chanced a glance back to Rosalie, who was nodding. Yeah, like she didn't have a lead foot.
"Don't talk to strangers or anyone who doesn't follow the word," Daddy ordered, not bothering to rise from his chair.
Once he was in that chair, that was it for the night.
I wouldn't say he was a bad father, but he wasn't much of a father. He was always a pastor, never separating his job from his duty as a dad.
Rosalie hooked her arm through mine and practically pulled me out the door. Once we were out the door, Rosalie looked down at my outfit. Jeans and a flannel shirt. It was a bit chilly out, so the heavy material would be good. She made a face.
"What?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows, and looked down. Did I have a stain or something?
"Nothing, well not nothing." Rosalie shook her head. "Do you own anything that doesn't look like my grandmother would wear it?"
I rolled my eyes at her commentary. This was what Mama purchased for me.
We entered the car, and she started driving, only to pull over once we reached the next street corner. She exited the car and started to strip. I looked around, uncomfortably. This girl had no shame. Rosalie's actual outfit was a silky tank top and skin tight black jeans. Frumpy no more.
She let her blonde hair down from the tight bun and shook it out. The next cover girl. Rosalie then dug in her bag and threw articles of clothing at me. I looked at her, puzzled. What was I supposed to do with this?
"Those are for you. The jeans might be a little big. But who knows what assets you have hiding under there, granny!" Rosalie joked, gesturing for me to get changed.
"I'm not getting naked up here for all of Main Street to see," I stammered, getting nervous.
I never had been naked in front of anyone. Even when I had to change for gym class, I used the bathroom stall and made sure it was locked.
Rosalie groaned and rolled her eyes. "Jump in the backseat. The windows are tinted so nobody will see shit."
I looked at her and bit the inside of my cheek. I didn't want to seem ungrateful. Rosalie kept promising me that she was going to break me out of my shell and help me find other friends.
Sometimes I thought the only reason we were friends was that she felt sorry for me.
I had to put in the work to change my image as well.
Unbuckling my seatbelt before I could psych myself out of this newfound confidence, I hopped into the backseat and changed into the new clothes Rosalie provided.
I opened the back door and climbed out of the truck. Straightening my top, I looked down at myself.
Wow! I looked good. I didn't have time to ponder this before Rosalie started honking the horn and doing catcalls.
"Holy fucking shit!" Rosalie shrieked loudly. I was almost concerned my parents would hear around the corner. "Your tits are incredible and look at that booty." She then started rapping a verse from "Anaconda" while doing a shimmy in the driver's seat.
I got in the car and we started driving once more.
xxx
"Rosalie, please I can't go in there," I whined, firmly sitting in the passenger seat as she attempted to pull me from the vehicle.
"Bella. Bella. Bella," Rosalie scolded, making a tsking sound with every utterance of my name. "I promised you fun and to get you more friends. I'm following through on that. But you've got to get out of the fucking car." She was never one to mince words.
I took a deep breath, a little overwhelmed. A shiver ran down my spine, and all I wanted was to cover up in my oversized clothing. But Rosalie had already taken them with her in her tote bag, which rested over her shoulder.
"I can't!" I squeaked, fanning my hair over my face like a curtain to hide behind, but I probably looked like Cousin It.
"Bella, please. It'll be fun!" she pleaded, grabbing my hands in hers. "One drink."
I looked around me and wasn't very familiar with the area this party was being held. I was stuck here one way or another, so I might as well make the best of it. Arguing with Rosalie was a moot point anyways.
"Fine," I resigned, not about to tell her that I wasn't drinking. We would cross that bridge when we got there.
xxx
The house music was loud, and the bass made my heart race. I spun around the room, looking for Rosalie, and found her in a corner, drink in hand, Emmett's tongue down her throat. I groaned and turned to walk toward her when I stumbled right into a large guy's chest.
Looking at the guy, I expected him to be mad when he saw it was me—the weird religious girl—but instead I was met with a big grin. "You must be Bella. Rosalie hasn't stopped talking about you."
I inhaled sharply, a little nervous about what Rosalie must have said to this guy to make him play nice.
"Want a drink?" he asked, walking over the counter with the punch.
I shifted my weight from one leg to another and made the executive decision to just go with the flow, so I nodded, in effort not to fumble over any words.
The muscular guy handed me a cup filled with red liquid, and I took a small sip and blanched.
"That's James' jungle juice! It's terrible, right?" he inquired, playfully nudging my shoulder. "I'm Ben, by the way. I don't think we have any classes together."
I shook my head. "No we don't," I confirmed.
We made small talk until Rosalie came over and told us we had to leave because Emmett's ex-girlfriend was coming, and she didn't want to see her. We bolted out of there with a quick goodbye to Ben and a quick make out session on Rosalie's part. Good thing we left when we had because my parents called, and hearing the loud music in the background wouldn't have been a good sign.
xxx
"So we need to end your night of freedom with a bang, don't you think? Something to commemorate this rare occasion," Rosalie announced, clapping her hands together while driving, nearly causing an accident as we headed back toward Main Street.
"What would you suggest?" I pondered, a little tipsy from the alcohol. Having never drank before, I clearly had no tolerance.
"Mhmm…" She pursed her lips as we approached a red light.
"Ow!" She smacked my arm hard.
"What the hell?" I asked, taken aback from her sudden assault.
Rosalie pointed to a little shop that was lit up with a sign. "God's Ink" displayed brightly along the awning and there was a Greek god holding a tattoo needle in his hand in the window.
"You're going to get a tattoo. Before you turn back into a pumpkin at midnight," Rosalie resounded, laughing a little. "A pumpkin for the pumpkin." She booped me on the nose with her pointer finger.
"Are you kidding me?" I shrieked, shaking my head vehemently. "My parents would kill me. Well they wouldn't kill me because God wouldn't forgive that, but you know what I mean," I rationalized, waving my hands.
"Nope you're going to get it. I dare you." She pulled the car over to the empty parking space in front of "God's Ink." Rosalie's eyes narrowed. "I was planning on getting a new tattoo anyway. So why not do it with me?" she insisted, crossing her arms like a penchant child.
"I didn't know you had tattoos," I admonished. Girl hid them well.
She nodded, pulled up her shirt, and showed me a quote on her rib cage, a cherry on her pelvic bone, and a mermaid on her shoulder blade.
"You constantly bitch about how you long for life to be different, yet you don't do anything to make it different. You obey everything Mommy and Daddy say like a good little soldier. Your prayers aren't only going to be answered by God. He's not going to save you if you don't work to save you," she ranted, getting more animated the more she spoke.
I gave her a look because clearly she was clueless about religion. As clueless as I was about the real world.
But the truth of the matter was I never rebelled or did anything for me. I was a straight A student because that was what was expected of me. I was volunteering down at the church because that was what good people did. Then because of my family's involvement with said church, I was a pariah. I didn't go on dates, or go shopping with friends, or even drive because my parents frowned upon it all. I hadn't started thinking of applying for college because I just so desperately wanted to escape this town. A fresh start. I wasn't sure if that would include college or not.
Tonight was the liberation of Bella Swan.
I slowly nodded, making sense of all of this. "Fine. You're right. But a pumpkin?" I deadpanned, as she exited the car and ran around to open the passenger door.
Rosalie embraced me in a huge hug. "Yes, my little pumpkin," Rosalie confirmed, as I got out of the car.
xxx
"No."
The shop owner, Pete, was a tall muscular guy with an even tan on the little skin that wasn't covered with tattoos.
"What do you mean no?" Rosalie gasped, pushing her tits up in his face.
I rolled my eyes. This kind of stuff had to only work in movies.
"You, I can ink. But she's gotta wait two weeks until she turns eighteen. I'm not about to compromise my livelihood," Pete said, dejectedly, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side in an effort to show he meant business.
"But–" Rosalie started but was quickly cut off by Pete holding his hand out in a "say no more" gesture.
Rosalie's shoulders slumped, but I was indifferent. I did want to get a tattoo to commemorate this night of newfound freedom, but I wasn't about to cause a ruckus.
"I'm sorry, Bella," she said, solemnly. "Would you mind if I still got my tattoo?"
I told her I didn't mind. After all, we waited in line long enough, so someone should benefit. Apparently people liked to get tattoos on Halloween.
xxx
A little while later, Rosalie was in the chair getting inked by another guy in the shop. This man was rugged, a little slimmer than Pete, but exceptionally more handsome. He had shimmering green eyes and slicked-back reddish-brown locks. This guy was also covered in tattoos. His long sleeved shirt was rolled up to show two sleeves filled with intricate ink.
The tattoo artist was beautiful, which was an odd way to describe a man. But there was something about him.
Rosalie saw me admiring him and waggled her eyebrows. Next thing I knew, she winced in pain. I stifled a laugh. She was getting a tramp stamp of Emmett's signature. Now I might have been sheltered, but even I knew name tattoos were never a good idea.
Just as Rosalie's tattoo was finished, Pete came into our section and muttered, "Ed, I'm heading out. I gotta meet Char. Her kids want me to see their costumes before they go to bed."
Ed. Interesting name for an interesting man, I guess.
Is it short for Edward, or Edwin? I had many questions.
While I was lost in my reverie, Ed spoke again and then the doorbell rang, indicating that Pete had left. "I can do you next," he mumbled, looking down at his work.
I furrowed my brows, wondering if he was even speaking to me. "Me?" I croaked out.
"Yeah," he said, dumbly. "You wanted a pumpkin, right?" Ed looked up at me, meeting my gaze.
"Yes, she wants it." Rosalie spoke for me. "She wants it on her ass. Right, Bella? She has to hide it from her parents."
I gave Rosalie a death glare. "Um." I obviously couldn't speak anymore either.
xxx
A few moments of awkward silence later…
"Done," Ed muttered, handing Rosalie a care package and instructions. Rosalie rose from the table, groaning about the pain.
"You ready?" He looked at me, and I must have looked scared because Rosalie chimed in.
"Don't be such a fucking baby," she whispered not quietly at all.
I mentally thanked Rosalie for only embarrassing me further. I'd get her back.
I sat in the chair and Ed began to prep me, outlining once we'd decided on the design of the pumpkin.
Ed had just started with the needle when Rosalie's ringtone for Emmett "Bed Rock" started playing. "Hello," she said into the phone. I winced because the pain was pretty intense. The skin on my ass must have been very tender.
"Oh my goodness, I'll be right there," she said frantically as she twirled around getting her bearings.
"Bells, I gotta go. Emmett broke his nose while playing pool. Apparently James didn't realize how close he was standing or some shit." Rosalie grabbed her bag and ran toward the exit.
"Rosalie, I'll come–" I started.
I attempted to get up when Ed finished my sentence, "The hell you will."
I looked at Rosalie nervously and was on the verge of panic.
She came over and crouched down in front of me. "I have to go. If I don't, Jane will get word and sink her claws into him."
"But–" I knew my house was only a few blocks away, but it was truly the principle, especially since it started downpouring. If I came home wet and without a car in sight, my parents would have questions.
"I can give you a ride home," Ed mumbled, still looking down at my ass, which he was tattooing.
My eyes widened, and I looked at Rosalie for guidance. She nodded. "Thanks a million! I'll call you tomorrow, Bella." Just like that, Rosalie was gone.
I turned my head to look back at Ed.
"You're almost done," he said and gave me a small sexy grin.
"Thanks. And thanks for the offer to drive me home. But I can walk. It's not far," I reasoned, wincing because of the pain.
"Bella, I may be a tattooed loud mouth, but I'm a gentleman. I can't let you go home in the rain alone on Halloween." Ed squeezed my hand reassuringly.
My heart was beating out of my chest. Never in my almost eighteen years had I ever reacted like this to a guy. Ed was not only gorgeous but charming. But he was clearly older than me.
"How old are you?" I blurted. Obviously the mental filter had flown out the window.
Ed chuckled and gave me a small breather before finishing the stem of the pumpkin. "I'm twenty-one as of last week."
I nodded, not knowing what else to say. "You live around here?" I asked, figuring this was typical small talk.
"Yeah, I live close," Ed said, slightly amused. Probably by my struggle to speak like a normal human. "You're done by the way."
I rose slowly. My ass tugged from the pain of being branded.
"You gotta take it easy. It's far up enough where it shouldn't hurt too bad to sit," Ed instructed, grabbing a pamphlet with cleaning instructions to hand me.
Oh no!
"Fuck!" I groaned, throwing my head back. Wow now I was cursing like a regular teenager too. All the rules were flying out the window along with my filter.
"Are you okay?" Ed asked, genuinely concerned, rushing to my side to check on me.
"Yes—er, no," I stammered. "Rosalie took my clothes—my real clothes—with her."
I was going to get in so much trouble. So much for a fresh start and making choices for me.
"These aren't your real clothes?" Ed inquired, checking out my outfit and possibly my body. He smirked, leaning to look at my face.
"It's a long story. My parents are very strict and have a specific dress code they require me to follow. Rosalie was trying to give me a night of freedom," I explained, running my fingers through my hair. What was I going to do?
I looked at the wall clock and grimaced. It was eleven thirty. Thirty minutes to get my clothes back from Rosalie wasn't enough time.
"I can give you something to wear to cover up. You could always say you spilled something," Ed offered.
"That's really kind, Ed, but by the time you go to your place and come back here, it will be midnight and I'll turn back into a pumpkin," I said, halfheartedly, sucking on my teeth.
"Good thing I live right upstairs, pumpkin." Ed chuckled, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his mouth to kiss.
Xxx
Ed's apartment was a small studio, but it was neat and filled with cool art and mementos. It looked like a typical bachelor pad, with IKEA furniture, and there was a guitar in the corner by the couch. But it had character and charm, just like Ed.
"So this is it." He waved his hand. "Can I get you something to drink? Non-alcoholic. I only like to break a few laws at a time."
"A few laws?" I asked. "You only broke one tattooing me." I trailed off.
"Well I'm about to break one more," Ed stated, moving closer to me.
I looked at him questioningly, until his mouth was on mine.
My first kiss.
Ed pushed me against the wall by his entryway and deepened the kiss. I was inexperienced, so I struggled at first to keep up with the fervor of his kisses but quickly caught on. His tongue licked my lips to grant his entry, which I quickly gave way to. Ed's hand groped my ass, the part that isn't branded with his ink, and the other stroked my cheek. Our searing kiss left me breathless. I pulled away slightly, giggling like a schoolgirl. Five minutes prior, I'd never been kissed, and now I couldn't imagine not being kissed like that. By him. Only him.
I started laughing a little harder, still in close proximity to Ed's face as he peppered kisses down my neck. "By the way, the age of consent is seventeen."
That was all the reassurance Ed needed because now I was being lifted, and my back was slammed against the wall, rough enough for me to be jolted but not enough to hurt. He held me up by my butt, careful of my freshly inked area.
His mouth quickly found my own, massaging his tongue with mine. As we broke apart, he'd whisper sweet things like how pretty I was and how lucky he was that I came into the shop.
I whimpered as he sucked on the delicate skin of my neck. He pressed his rock hard erection into my center, causing me to buck with need I was unaware I had.
"Beautiful Bella, indeed," Ed remarked, moving the hair from my face. "You're very special. I've never felt this way before."
Before I could respond, there was someone banging on the door. I grabbed Ed's wrist and looked at his watch. Fuck! 12:05.
I was a pumpkin indeed.