Let the beauty of what you love be what you do - Rumi

The rest of the weekend passes uneventfully and then it's Monday. Again. What a boring, repetitive cycle. The weather is so nice that Bella can't believe it's almost halfway through October already. Barring that, most of Bella's mornings look the same. Get up, remove Spoons from her bed, and get dressed. There is a 75% chance she'll eat breakfast, unless she snoozes her alarm too much, in which case granolas bars and breakfast bars are the way to go. Find her backpack while trying not to trip over her cat, the bastard. Give him a scratch behind the ears before she locks up and goes to school. A high five if he's feeling particularly charitable.

And then school. 7 whole hours of it. Seeing as she's early to the parking lot, she decides to make her way to her first hour English classroom. Mr. Mason likes to get there bright and early in case students need help. Bella just goes there to read or doze off in her seat until class starts.

And that's exactly what she does, until she feels a tap on her shoulder. Looking to the right, she spots no one. Looking to the left, she spots blond hair, deep blue eyes, and a small smile. "You tricked me."

"I did no such thing."

Bella stares a little longer, not wanting to be the first one to look away but she does so anyways. She opens her mouth to ask something but the other girl beats her to it.

"How was your weekend?"

"Oh, pretty great! The beach was lovely, though it rained in the afternoon. Took a bunch of pictures. How was yours? Did your car parts come in?"

"One did, the other seems to have been delayed. Uneventful other than that. Did you finish your book?"

"Book? What bo-... Frankenstein?" At Rosalie's nod, Bella looks up and tries to remember where her book went. "You know what, I think it's in between the cushions at home. I fell asleep on the couch when I was reading. Why do you ask?"

"Mm, nothing. Just curious. Just wondered if you liked the ending."

"The ending?" Bella shifts in her seat to face Rosalie. She shrugs. "It's alright from what I can remember. I'm just rereading it."

Bella receives a look that's a mix between a blank stare and pointed stare. It's a weird combination that makes Bella feel like she's missing something. Something big. But the book can't be that important, can it? Class begins before Bella can ask about it. The bell rings again and Bella straightens out in her desk as the teacher begins handing out some old papers.

But of course, Bella's memory is terrible. She finally remembers to look for her book on Wednesday afternoon, when Spoons is sitting in her usual spot on the couch. She bends over to pick up her book from under the couch and sits back down once it's in her hand.

The faint red color of the cover looks the same. Her bookmark seems to be in the same place. She cracks the book open and starts to slowly flick through the pages from beginning to end. Still the same. Once through, she does it again but stops at her bookmarked page. She's just started a new chapter. She grasps her bookmark gently and observes it. She flips it over and nearly drops it in shock.

Oh, holy hell. Shit shit banana split. She stares at her bookmark as though it holds the secrets of the universe. There, in neat cursive, are a string of numbers that can be none other than a phone number. There's a small drawing of a rose next to it and Bella's lips form a fond smile.

Wow. Just wow. She has no words for this and she probably resembled a gaping fish just seconds earlier. She takes a moment (or three) to let this information sink in. She does a fist pump in her moment of absolute surprise and glee. And then mild panic seeps in because she realizes what day it is. Rosalie asked about her book on Monday, no wonder she made a face like that. Worse still, she had probably written her number on Bella's bookmark on the Friday before.

It's Wednesday now. Wednesday.

She's nearly crumpling the small slip of paper in mild worry when she realizes that Alice already has her number. Instantly, she deflates and relaxes. If Rosalie really needed or wanted to text her, she could've easily asked Alice for her number.

Okay.

Actually, that doesn't make her feel much better but the ball is in her court here. And it's in her court for a reason, even if Bella doesn't exactly know why. She takes a deep breath and steels herself for the daunting task that she's about to do.

Time to do what she does best — be awkward. Bella's fingers tap at the phone in a quick precision that only teenagers seem capable of.

'So this weather, huh? :)'

Bella stands up from the couch, intent on making herself busy while she waits but she gets a response not 10 seconds later. She smiles at the incredulous tone she can pick up, even through text. Are you serious?

'What? If anything you should be asking me how I'm enjoying the weather. I'm new here!'

You can't use that card anymore. It expired after your first week here.

'Aw. Can't I get a renewal?'

Nope.

'Btw this is Bella, in case there were any doubts'

Somewhere in the distance, a facepalm is observed while another sibling cackles at the uncharacteristic display of open irritation, quiet disbelief, (and dare he say it?) a hint of fondness. Unbeknownst to Bella, a door is shut shortly after.

There were none. I don't give my number out to random people.

'You should know that I am the most randomest of people'

That's common knowledge at this point

There's a lull in the conversation that Bella doesn't know how to get out of. She lets it sit there like a deflated helium balloon as she walks to the fridge and opens it up, contemplating on what to eat. She decides to state the obvious fact that brought them into this situation in the first place.

'I found my book :)' [That's two smileys in the past 10 minutes! Okay, that's enough of that, Bella thinks.]

Clearly. Took you long enough

'You know normal people just ask?'

I did.

Hm. Bella makes a face at the fact that Rosalie, most definitely, did not ask. Her, anyways. She's fairly sure only Alice and Emmett have her number. Then...

'You asked Alice and Emmett?'

Yes. They don't like to share

A huff of laughter escapes from Bella as she reads the message. She types out,

'You should remind them that sharing is caring'

Another message isn't as forthcoming as the previous ones and Bella pouts, jutting her lip out in deep thought. A sandwich, that's what she wants. She moves around the kitchen, taking a few minutes to complete her task and is only slightly disappointed when there aren't any new messages.

Briefly thinking back to their first interaction, Bella decides to go, once again, for audacious action.

And that's exactly what happens in class the following day.

She boldly forgoes a traditional greeting and opts for one of her own - as though Rosalie hadn't just walked her to class, both of them chatting before and after their previous class. Nonetheless she drops a small bomb on the unsuspecting blonde after their most recent topic of conversation has been exhausted. "Your texting could use some work."

"Excuse me?"

"I said what I said and I know you heard me." It's eerily fun, trying to aggravate Rosalie. Pointed eyebrow, neutral face. Serious stare if she's annoyed. Gosh, Bella is such a sucker for pretty girls. She has the sudden urge to laugh but she opts for a smile instead, choosing to further annoy the other girl.

"I assure you, my grammar is impeccable."

"That it is, that it is. I'm only kidding. I just felt bad for making you accidentally wait an entire week.

"It wasn't an entire..." Rosalie mutters under her breath but Bella manages to catch it.

"Okay, fine. Almost an entire week." Rosalie sharply turns to look at Bella when the latter responds but Bella is (mostly) unfazed. She's seen Rosalie stare and glare at other people. Perhaps she's building up an immunity to it, based on close proximity, perhaps? Friendliness?

And it is in that exact moment that Mr. Molina turns around and calls on an unsuspecting brunette. "Bella, what kind of pump is this?"

She maintains a deer-caught-in-headlights kind of look for a total of 3 seconds until Rosalie's elbow makes contact with her ribs. She whispers something.

"Salty banana?" Bella responds hesitantly, hating to be put on the spot. She hears a few students snicker.

"Well… yes, that is another name for the sodium potassium pump," Mr. Molina says and begins to gesture towards the board in explanation. Bella sighs in relief. She nods at Rosalie in thanks.

Sometime during the weekend, Bella is looking through her phone's contents.

More specifically, she's looking through the photos she took last weekend. She's shifting her attention between her phone and the walls of her room. There's the occasional photo from ages ago and it only occurs to her on that specific day that she wants to update her walls as well as do a few things. In reality, all the little things she wants to do add up until she's formed an idea in her head.

She stands up, slowly surveying her room, trying to figure out what else she might need from Port Angeles before she leaves. She thinks about her wet shoes from yesterday and decides that some boots would be a wise purchase as well. Today is now a shopping day because of her weak shoes that couldn't defend her properly against water. Obviously, she is not prepared for staying in Forks for more than just the summer. She's not sure whether she should buy some rain boots or some snow boots. The more she thinks about it, the more appealing both options sound. Well, her birthday is coming up. She might as well indulge in two books from the bookstore.

She boots up her computer and connects her phone to it, along with a flash drive that she'll store photos inside to make the process easier. Clicking and dragging, she stops at a particular selfie of herself and Jacob smiling widely at the camera. His story comes to the forefront of her mind and she wonders if she can find out more, or at the very least, other similar stories and legends.

Opening a browser, she searches up the first term that comes to mind: cold ones. The first thing that shows up is some sort of youtube channel, some fantasy lizard animal, and beer.

"Cracking open a cold one open with the boys," she huffs out a laugh. She hasn't seen that meme in a while. Regardless, she refines her search and the results are more promising this time. She's startled when Spoons jumps onto her lap and sits up between her arms. "Spoons, buddy, I'm doing homework. Research."

He meows and stretches his body so that his head will rub against her chin. "Okay, fine, it's not homework, but if I was, you'd be in the way." She allows him a moment before scratching behind his ears and clicking away on the computer with her other hand. Oh, that looks promising. There's a bookstore in Port Angeles that looks interesting. Excellent.

"Spoons, I need to get up."

She stares at his head

"Spoons, up!" She pats at her shoulder and Spoons, the little sucker, thinks they're going somewhere. He turns around in her lap, and climbs his way up to her shoulder. Instead, Bella drops him off on the bed, ignoring his dramatic meows. He doesn't even bother to move from the bed.

She shoves her important things into her knapsack and heads downstairs for some snacks in the kitchen. Satisfied with the contents of her knapsack, she heads back up to her room and looks frantically around her room for her phone, only to find that it's still connected to her laptop. Finishing up what she started earlier, she carefully disconnects the devices and scrolls through her contacts before finding the right person.

It rings a few times before someone picks up.

"Bella? What's up?"

"Hey, Ang. Oh, you know.. Nothing much."

"Right… What do you want?"

"You wound me so, do you know that? Anyways, you're completely right. I do want something. Do you wanna go to Port Angeles with me? I wanted to buy a few things. You can say no, obviously, but I thought some company would be nice."

Angela goes quiet for a moment but Bella can hear the childish squeals of her brothers in the background. "Actually, that sounds great. Give me like 10 minutes and I'll go pick you up."

"Sweet! Thanks, Ang! You're the best."

"Yeah, yeah. See you in a bit."

She texts Charlie that she is indeed going out on that particular day.

(She had told him of her possible plans on Friday when he had asked if she had any and he had immediately given her some money. When she initially refused the money, he pulled the Dad Card. She stifled a laugh when his line sounded eerily similar to Darth Vader.

"Bella, I am your father. I want you to take this money, buy some boots, and go out to eat somewhere. Go hang out with someone. I want you to have a good time, alright? Your birthday is coming up, go buy a book or something."

He had clasped his hands on her shoulder and had a semi serious look on his face. He wouldn't leave until she accepted and she didn't want him to be late for work, so she accepted. Sneaky old man.)

While she waits for Angela, Bella goes about cleaning up the house a bit. Stray books go back upstairs, Spoon's bowls get refilled, dishes relocate to the sink. Everything is as it should be.

Bella walks outside and locks up the house. She sits at the base of the stairs that lead to the door and has a random thought about the porch back in Phoenix. Charlie doesn't have a porch. She's stuck with these odd thoughts until Angela arrives. She jogs to the passenger side of the car and gets in, greeting her friend along the way.

Traffic is surprisingly good and they make it there in an hour. Walking out of the parking lot, Bella wonders about the stores here. She's only been here a couple of times but she has yet to memorize the layout of the Port Angeles shopping district.

"Alrighty Ang, what're we doing today?"

If a facepalm could be an expression, Angela wears it for a few seconds before turning thoughtful. "Well, you said you needed some new boots a few days ago. We can just go find a shoe store or we can wander around on our way to the shoe store. Then maybe have an early lunch or something. Bookstore?"

Bella places her hands over her heart in an exaggerated but heartfelt fashion. "You know me so well, obviously we have to find a bookstore. But later though. Boots, food, bookstore?"

"Great, sounds like a plan. Let's go."

Off they go in search of some worthy boots to protect Bella's socks. They find one such store and after great deliberation, Bella buys some acceptable boots.

Angela is looking up bookstores around the area when her friend's stomach releases a growl. "Did you even eat breakfast?"

"I had coffee."

"Not good enough, let's go find a hot dog stand or something."

4 hotdogs and a shared soda find them sitting on some benches. Angela is staring at something in the distance before she exclaims, "Oh, hey, I just remembered something."

Bella looks up from the last bit of her food but can't say anything other than, "Hm?"

"I need to find some new lens for my camera. One of my lenses got scratched, somehow. And I think that's the store that I'm looking for right over there."

"Okay, let's go." Bella throws away her trash and waits for Angela to lead the way and is confused when her friend remains in place.

"Actually, I was thinking we could split up."

"Why?"

"Bella, trust me. This is the equivalent of you in a bookstore, alright? I could stay there for a very, very long time but I know you would get bored easily. In fact, I can feel your incoming boredom. Go find your bookstore, we can meet up here in an hour, maybe two?"

She thinks about it for a moment. Oh the one hand, books. On the other hand camera stuff that bores her. If she can take pictures with it, it's fine. No need for more information. Still…

At Bella's thoughtful silence, Angela pushes on, "Bella, I swear, go explore explore. I'll call you when I'm done, okay? 2 hours max."

"Fine, fine…" Bella grumbles but Angela can see sheepish relief on her face. She rolls her eyes at her sometimes-too-accommodating friend. Bella watches as Angela practically speeds towards the camera shop. She sits down on the bench and searches up the bookstore. Once she has the address, she scans the surrounding areas and shops, trying to commit them to memory. There's a couple of places she hasn't seen yet. Alright. That sounds like a plan of action. She studies nearby buildings to make sure she'll somewhat know her way back. With that, she walks down the length of the sidewalk.

Eventually she turns a corner and finds herself outside a building with large glass windows. It's not a storefront. In fact, it seems to be a dojo of some sort. She smiles widely as she spots tiny kids in their karate gis. She's fully prepared to move on to the next street when she spots something.

Rather, someone.

Inside, cloaked in a black gi, is one Rosalie Hale.

She blinks, hard, and then blinks again. She even rubs her eyes for good measure but there's no mistaking that hair, even if it's up in a ponytail.

That is Rosalie Hale and she is in front of all the little kids, seemingly instructing them on something unbeknownst to Bella. Bella pulls her phone out and sends a quick text to the other girl. However, the more she thinks about it, the less it's likely that Rosalie would have her phone on her person. She has a number of thoughts at the moment but pinpoints one in particular:

She wants to go say hi. She really wants to go say hi. Would it be weird if she were to go inside the martial arts place? She thinks about it for just a second and decides that it's probably weirder for her to be standing in place and staring through the window across the street.

Fuck it, she's gonna go say hello.

000

A/N 3/12/2020

Uhhh, so I have an exam in a couple of hours, this is my good luck to myself. Distraction at the end of the tunnel. Anyways, you can all thank the lovely pantheradraconis for nudging me in the writing direction. Enjoy the chapter, leave your thoughts, comments, favorite bits?

Horseshoefijzer - not to worry, no love triangle!

ThatSilverSky - my goal is relatable and it has been achieved if 1) laughed in walmart, 2) said the same thing with other people. I'm glad, I love hearing about readers' favorite bits and the like. I've always been a little conflicted with the marble vampire types. Here's that next chapter and thank you for the kind wishes! I, too, am looking forward to how I write the next stuff ha!