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It wasn't my alarm that pulled me from my sleep the next morning but rather a hell of a ruckus whose source was abnormally close to my right ear.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a little brunette thing making a mess of her closet, throwing various t-shirts, skirts, dresses, pants and sweatshirts here and there while singing or rather bellowing the lyrics of a song I wasn't familiar with.
It took me a few seconds to remember who it was and where I was.
Oh yeah. My new roommate, Alice. My room. Seattle. College. The day before the start of classes.
Declaring that I had not slept enough, I wrapped myself in my quilt and turned on the other side of the bed, burying my head under the pillow to dull the suffering Alice's bellowing caused me. Unfortunately, my moving did not escape the young lady's notice.
"Bella, are you awake?"
All she got as a response was a groan, which made her burst into crystalline laughter.
"Looks like my new roommate is a crazy one." She remarked, taking away my pillow.
I snatched it from her hands and put it back over my head.
"Well, it also looks like you're in a bad mood this morning…"
I muttered that it was her horrible way of singing that was putting me in a bad mood.
"What? Bella, I can't hear anything you're saying with that pillow over your head!" she replied, trying once again to take the white cloth from me.
I held on to it like a baby to its blanket. God, I hated it when people tried to get me out of bed in the morning! If they were here, Jasper and Rose would have told her that all her efforts were in vain.
"Ok, as you wish."
Oh, finally, she abdicated! I was finally going to be left alone and drift back to…
"But just so you know, it is 11, and class registration begins at 11:30…"
11?! How could I have slept so long?
I jumped out of bed and put on the first items of clothing I could find – that is to say sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt with holes in it.
Too bad for the shower. If I showed up too late for class registration, God only knew what courses would be left: physical education. And if there was one thing I hated above all else, it was exercising… The reason was simple: I was the least coordinated being on earth. I could barely walk three meters without getting my feet caught in something, so to try practicing a sport for credit and hope to pass was definitely mission impossible.
Although I had to skip the shower, there was no way I was neglecting my oral hygiene. There was nothing worse than speaking to someone with morning breath… I rushed into the bathroom, put my toothbrush in my mouth and brushed frenetically. I then heard someone knocking at the door, which Alice didn't seem to notice what with her "singing" with the stereo volume set to its maximum.
I started to hail her, which turned out to be ineffective because of the big white foam coming out of my mouth. Furious and disheveled, I rushed to the door and threw it open.
My jaw dropped as I caught sight of the person before me, allowing an infamous drop of foam to land on my t-shirt. It was just the final touch that my improbable look of the day needed. Perfect. I looked like an actual homeless person whereas the person standing in front of me was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen…
"Um, hi… Is – Is Alice here?"
Oh. My. God.
Was it possible to have such a voice? Such a soft, velvety voice.
Who was this?
I must have remained a moment without saying anything because the young man called me again.
"Miss?"
Damn it, say something, Bella!
"Weee…"
Nooo, Bella! You have the mouth full of toothpaste!
I thus nodded my head yes, which made the Adonis smile. I almost fainted when I saw the row of perfect white teeth he revealed, not to mention his eyes that were of such a deep shade of green that I almost lost myself in them for a moment.
"Edward!" Alice yelled behind me.
She literally threw herself into his arms and started covering him with kisses. He was probably her boyfriend. Hod damn lucky.
Regaining my senses, I decided to give them some intimacy and went back to finish my toilet. This guy was really… incredibly handsome!
Hold your horses, Bella. That's your roommate's boyfriend, so stop fantasizing.
A glance at the clock told me it was already 11:20 am. 11:20 am! And I didn't even know where to register! I had to run without wasting time or I was going to spend the rest of the school year fighting a badminton racket, or worse, a volleyball ball. I grabbed my bag and rushed out of the room after catching my feet in a pile of Alice's clothes and falling flat on my face. The whole thing under Mr. Perfect's watchful gaze. God, he was definitely going to take me for a total klutz. The deep blush that crept onto my cheeks made me run even faster while Alice called after me at the doorstep.
"No time, Alice! I'll see you later!"
When I finally found the building, I was more than half an hour late and the waiting line I joined seemed endless. From where I stood, I could barely read the panels indicating the different class options.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Rose.
Judging by your look and your place in the line, you overslept again! Raise your head.
I did and saw my tall blonde friend waving both her perfectly manicured hands. I didn't move. I then received a second text, still from Rose.
What are you waiting for? The flood? Come on over!
Did she really expect me to jump ahead from the 100 folks in front of me? That was out of the question. It was the type of thing that put me beside myself when others dared do it to me.
New text.
Picture yourself with a badminton racket, Bella... Think about poor Mike Newton.
Mike Newton… The only guy in high school who'd ever looked at me. He was, according to Rosalie, crazy in love with me, and in classic Bella form, all I'd found to do was inadvertently disfigure him during a badminton session in high school. When I say I am the least coordinated being on earth, it is not a figure of speech. After that incident, he had made sure to always stay at least a meter away from me. I had, because of my clumsiness, scared away the only guy who'd ever been interested in me. It was so typical of me…
I sighed. I couldn't fight against such strong arguments. Rosalie had won. Gathering up my courage, I went to join her, under the insults and threats of the students I was passing. Charming.
"It took you a while!" Rosalie said before kissing me on the cheek.
"My alarm didn't go off…"
In reality, it had probably gone off. Only, Alice's bellowing had covered the sound.
"I see that. You look unsightly!" She replied while trying to flatten my untamable brown curls.
"Hey there! Do you mind?!" A masculine voice groaned behind me.
I didn't have the time to respond that Rose was on it.
"Is there a problem?"
"Damn straight! Your girl friend here just jumped ahead half the people in line!" He spat.
"And?"
"And I've been waiting for over 2 hours!"
"Hmm… I see." She signed. "Bella, stand aside, will you?" She asked, pushing me away slightly so as to stand in front of him.
In a single gesture, she grabbed the young man by the collar and gave him a spectacular French kiss, under the whistles and applause of other students. Once she loosened her embrace, the boy couldn't believe it. With his eyes wide open and his mouth agape, he looked like he was coming straight out of a comic book.
"Does that suit you as compensation, dear?"
All Rose got for an answer was incomprehensible stuttering. The poor guy with his unsightly physique and his geek look would probably never again have the chance to kiss a creature as beautiful as Rosalie Hale. My friend then regained her place in line.
"That's how you calm them… One kiss and they're wrapped around your finger." She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Thanks, Rose. You're truly a sister!"
"So why are you so late anyway?"
"In one word? Alice."
"I knew that girl was going to be trouble…" she commented, rolling her eyes. "What did she do?"
"Rose, her voice is so horrible. She managed to cover my alarm going off just by singing! When I woke up, I barely had the time to brush my teeth and put on this outfit…"
I then saw Rosalie assessing me, and her eyes stopped on the toothpaste stain on my old t-shirt. Looking at it as well, I was reminded of the gorgeous Greek God who had caused it, and I smiled. A smile that didn't escape my friend's notice…
"What was that?"
"What's 'that'?"
"That right there!" She said, pointing to my face. "That silly grin!"
"I don't know what you're talking about…" I said, pretending not to understand.
Who was I kidding? As if Rose would give up that easily...
"Isabella Marie Swan, what are you hiding from me?" she asked threateningly.
"Fine, very well. Before I came to join you, the most handsome man on earth simply came into my room."
Rose seemed to explode.
"WHAT?! Who?! I want to know everything!"
I started to laugh softly. Almost bitterly. 1. The man was unavailable. 2. He was dating my roommate. 3. Even if he had been single, a guy like him would never be interested in a girl like me. He was too perfect, and I was too… too me.
"Calm down, Rosalie. He's Alice's boyfriend."
My friend seemed disappointed but kept her interrogation going nonetheless.
"Describe him to me!"
"Um, he's tall… not too much, just enough. He seemed pretty muscular but not quite the bodybuilder type…"
Rose nodded and gestured for me to go on.
"He has green eyes. Oh Rose, they are so beautiful I thought I'd drown in them! And his voice was so… And his hair was of such a special color. It looked like… like bronze, yeah. And his smile, my God… It was simply perfect. Yes, truly perfect." I finished dreamily.
My friend stared at me with a suspicious air. Her silence brought me back to reality.
"What?" I eventually asked, putting my smile aside.
"Nothing."
"Rose!" I chided.
"No, really, it's just… I've never heard you talk about a guy like that."
"Like what?"
"Like it was love at first sight."
I burst out laughing. How ridiculous. Granted I had found the man absolutely scrumptious, but it was hardly love at first sight. Besides, I did not believe in love at first sight. I was far too down-to-earth for that. That sort of thing only happened in novels and movies.
"Rose, you are truly absurd sometimes."
Without realizing it, we had arrived at the class registration counter. We had about 50 different options and had to enroll in 2 courses each. Thanks to Rose's position in the line, I was able to get the last available spot among the editorial staff of the university newspaper. I also elected to take a seminar on French literature which I particularly loved. Moreover, the seminar was a good addition to the rest of my required courses as an English literature major. As for Rose, she was majoring in mechanical engineering. Very interested in cars, she opted for a mechanic workshop as well as for a seminar titled 'Biomechanical Modeling Technique'. A packed schedule...
Once we were done with the administrative paperwork, we had to head to the registration counter of our departments to get our respective class schedules, so we each went our separate way. We planned to meet around 1 pm at a café to have a nice, quiet lunch before continuing with this long and exhausting day. Hopefully, my sense of orientation wouldn't fail me this time around.
After – once again – waiting in line for over half-an-hour, filling all the paperwork, picking up my class schedule and a college map, I rushed to join Rosalie at our rendez-vous point. When I arrived, she was already there and in the middle of what appeared to be a charming conversation with the waiter who I had to admit was pretty cute!
"Ah, Bella, finally! This is Jacob." She introduced.
Graaaaoouuw. How inviting!
Evidently, Seattle men had a particular effect on me…
"So, now that your friend is here, Rosalie, may I please take your order?"
Rose and I exchanged a brief look and spoke at once.
"Two hotdogs ketchup, mustard, one Coke and one diet Coke without ice."
It was the Rose-Bella menu in a way.
Jacob disappeared behind his counter for a few minutes and then returned with our meal, which we literally devoured under his amused gaze.
"Well, Rose, you impress me! In one morning, you managed to kiss a boy and hit on another. What a man eater you are…" I was only half joking.
"Oh, I'm just getting started! Rosalie Hale is in the building! Jacob is cute, huh? I think we'll be coming here quite often."
"We're going to have to come up with a new menu then. Otherwise, hello fat!"
My remark made us both laugh. After chatting for a while, we decided to leave: Rosalie wanted to see if her new roommate had finally arrived while I had to go back to my room to take a shower and change before heading to the library. Last night, after I'd told Alice I needed a job, she'd informed me about an ad according to which the university library was looking for a student to hire. And since I absolutely needed to find a way to make some money, I thought the idea was marvelous! As we were paying the check, Jacob asked us whether we would be attending the big welcoming party for freshmen on campus this evening. Rosalie's eyes instantly lit up.
"Of course, we'll be there!"
"Ok! Well then, I'll see you there, ladies…" He said and winked at me.
I immediately blushed from head to toes. "He likes you!" Rose whispered into my ear as we made our way out, causing me to trip over the doorframe. She barely caught me before giggling and wrapping her arm around her mine to return to our dorm.
Alice wasn't there when we entered my room. I noticed that she'd left a note for me on my bed – that was incidentally perfectly made although I'd left it a mess.
Bella,
You left too quickly for me to tell you, but there's a huge welcome part for freshmen on campus tonight. We need stunning dresses. I know you wanted to stop by the library this afternoon, so I'll pick you up in front of the building around 4. Rosalie is welcome to join us of course. And I won't take no for an answer.
See you later,
Alice
Oh Lord, it was just my luck: I had to get a shopaholic roommate. Rosalie who had read the note over my shoulder was thrilled. Naturally, her opinion of Alice radically changed as soon as she realized they shared the same passion, or rather the same obsession.
It was 2 pm. I had to get moving. I kicked Rosalie out and attempted to make myself more or less presentable.
My interview went very well, and the librarian – clearly in a hurry to hire someone – did not keep me in suspense: the job was mine. Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, I would be working at the library from 6pm to midnight. The pay wasn't great, but it was reasonable…
At 4 pm, as planned, Alice was waiting for me in her car. I let out a curse when I saw what vehicle she was driving: a yellow canari Porsche. Alice seemed entirely eccentric.
Once I approached, I realized Rose was already riding shotgun, her sunglasses on the nose. I thus settled -not without difficulty -in the backseat, and the Alice drove off at full speed towards the closest mall. Where the torture began.
Those two hysterics dragged me to every store, trying on a dozen dresses and pairs of pumps. Lord, those two had truly found each other.
Two hours later, after all three of us had found our outfits and incidentally emptied our bank accounts, we returned to campus. And then, I discovered with horror that they weren't quite done with me. No. The two ladies decided to do both my makeup and my hair. Me. Bella Swan...
Help!
While they were in the middle of untangling my hair, Rosalie brought up exactly the topic I had been avoiding.
"So Alice, I hear your boyfriend is quite cute?" she inquired.
"Rose!" I turned beet red.
"What boyfriend?" Alice asked back, frowning.
"Well, the guy who came to visit you this morning of course! Bella told me he was, and I quote "the most gorgeous man on earth". Lucky you!"
I closed my eyes and brought the palm of my left hand over them. Rosalie was going to pay for this. To tell Alice that I found her boyfriend attractive was entirely inappropriate. How was Alice going to take it? I didn't want her to start hating me because of this. Oh God, what if she already hated me?! I didn't want to live with a girl who hated me! It would be hell! Would she ever forgive me?
"Bella, is Rose talking about Edward?" Alice calmly asked me.
Oh my God, she hated me for sure! Then again, if I had been in her shoes…
"Ahahahahahahahaha!"
Was I hallucinating or was Alice roaring with laughter?
Yes, that's correct. My roommate was laughing so hard she was holding her sides!
Rosalie, who was perhaps more confused than I was, looked at me gave me a questioning look to which I did not know what to answer. As for Alice, she wasn't calming down. She was literally splitting her sides.
"You… you thought Edward was my boyfriend?! What?!" She managed to articulate between two laughing sessions.
"But you were all over him, covering him with kisses!" I answered, getting slightly annoyed.
One didn't jump on one's gardener, one's neighbor or one's butcher like that! If he wasn't her boyfriend, then who the heck was he?!
"Girls… Edward is not… ahaha… Edward is not my boyfriend! Ahaha… He's… He's my brother!"
"YOUR BROTHER?!"
So? Your thoughts? On Bella & Edward's first meeting? On the Bella/Rosalie/Alice trio? On anything at all?
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