A Bad Deal?
Drunk as Hell
A/N: Posting this chapter up early because I will be busy next week with travel and won't have time to update then. So no update next week but the week after that one I will be back to my regular updating schedule.
"You get a single scratch on my car, and I will wreck you like a car crash," Rosalie warned Bella as she handed the keys to her Maserati over to the shaking brunette in front of her.
"You want me to drive your car?" Bella was equal parts honored and horrified; honored because hot damn, she was going to be able to drive such a nice car, and horrified because if she fucked it up, then she was going to get fucked up.
"Obviously," Rosalie rolled her eyes at the slowness of Bella. "I need someone to chauffeur me to the party, to and fro. And while I don't want your grubby little hands on my car, I can't actually rent out a personal driver because my parents are stupid. So you'll have to do." At this Rosalie closed the compact mirror, having finished applying her lipstick and putting both in her small bag. She was dressed stunningly for the party, tight red dress, black heels and hair done in curls that swept down her back and over her shoulder. She had a smokey eye look going on and paired with the deep red of her lips it made her face even more attractive than usual. Which was a bad thing for Bella's poor heart. Right now it was beating a bit too hard. So she looked down at the ground, figuring that was a safer option.
"Okay..." Bella weighed the keys in her hand. They suddenly felt more heavy with responsibility not only for the car but also Rosalie's well being.
"Don't feel too honored," Rosalie smirked at the worried expression on the brunette's face. "It's not every day that someone gets to drive my car. Now, get to the car. I don't wanna be too late; it's not fashionable then."
Bella nodded her head, making the mistake of looking at Rosalie and feeling her heart race more quickly. She averted her gaze. "Right."
The two of them left Rosalie's house, well mansion would be a better description, and clambered into the car, Bella the driver's seat and Rosalie the passenger side. Bella felt like she might be overwhelmed today as she rested her hands on the leather steering wheel. Not only had she gotten to see the inside of Rosalie's mansion, which people would no doubt sell a kidney or a pet to get inside, but now she was in charge of her car. Bella let out a steady breath to ease her nerves. Being around Rosalie was decidedly bad for her health.
"Any day now," Rosalie reminded impatiently as she ruffled up the back of her hair a little.
"Right," Bella nodded her head, swallowing nervously and put the key in the car. The whole drive over Bella felt inclined to take things at a snail's pace, not wanting to risk an accident. That of course ended when Rosalie not so kindly reminded her to hurry the fuck up before she made her hurry the fuck up, and Bella increased the speed.
Bella wondered what sort of party it would be and who would be at it. It wasn't like she ever got a chance to party so this would be pretty cool as she would get to see a brief glimpse of another life she wouldn't have. It was probably a party for models or something, or the rich and popular kids in Forks.
It was obvious on which block the house was on, the music pumping from blocks away in the suburbs. It was some electronic beat that Bella utterly hated. Someone was dj-ing, and badly at that, sounds of multiple air horns cutting through the song.
Bella had difficulty pulling up to the grand house, one rivaling Rosalie's in looks, as there were people walking across the street, drinking beers and smoking something. The spacious lawn of the house was just as crowded, with cars filling up the driveway and screams and loud music pouring out through the windows. Disco lights flashed occasionally by.
"When do I come to pick you up?" Bella yelled over the noise but Rosalie was already halfway out the door.
"I'll call you," was her simple reply before she slammed the door shut. Bella watched as she made her way effortlessly across the lawn in her heels. If it had been Bella she would have been flat on her ass by now, but Rosalie was a model so she'd probably be able to run a race in these shoes, and more than likely be able to walk and dance in them. Rosalie stopped when she got to a group of people standing by a beer keg set up on the lawn. Bella squinted her eyes to see who they could be when a car horn honked behind her, jerking her attention back to the street. There were two cars lined up behind her, wanting to get closer to the house so as to drop off their passengers. So she moved down the street, paying close attention not to hit any of the drunk kids walking around.
She got home at around 12 and parked the car in her driveway. Charlie thought she had gone to bed hours ago but she hadn't really, sneaking out of the house through her window and down the drain pipe in order to meet up with Rosalie and drive her to the party. Bella's truck was at Rosalie's place, it sticking out like a sore thumb when Bella drove it there. Rosalie of course had laughed mercilessly at the sight of it and it had been the subject of most of her barbs aimed at Bella for that night as she got ready. Bella had said nothing as she twiddled her thumbs and waited for Rosalie to finish.
Bella got out of her borrowed car right now and went in through the doorway, figuring since her dad was asleep now she could just walk on in rather than climb the drain pipe once more. It was dark inside the house and quiet and Bella let herself drop to her bed softly, not even bothering to turn on the lights. She set her phone on loud so that she would wake when it rang.
Bella didn't even know when she drifted off to sleep, but she knew that the phone's ringing jerked her out of sleep rudely. She bolted up in bed and reached for her phone on her night stand frantically as she rubbed her eyes with her other hand. It was three in the morning.
"Hello?" Bella picked up, her voice low with sleep. There was loud music on the other end of the phone and people screaming and laughing. Rosalie was saying something but Bella couldn't make it out. "What?"
"I said...come pick me up..." Rosalie's voice was heavily slurred. She was no doubt drunk.
"Okay. I'm on my way. Just wait for me outside the house." Rosalie was saying something else but Bella hung up as she probably wouldn't be able to make out what she was saying.
Bella sneaked out of her house and got into the car. When she drove up to the house she saw that a lot of cars had already left and there was garbage strewn all over the lawn, mainly red solo cups. Some stragglers were still walking around, laughing and drinking. Bella made out Rosalie's red dress. She was leaning across one of the trees on the lawn and making out with some guy. Well, that wasn't awkward at all.
Bella felt disgruntled by that image. She knew logically she shouldn't. It's not like just because she had a crush on Rosalie that the other would not make out with anyone else. Bella tapped her thumbs on the wheel, whistling to herself and trying to not look in the direction of the two but she found herself unable to stop. They were really going at it. Did the blonde have any intention of making it back into the car?
Bella didn't have time to be here all night. She needed to go back to bed. It was only a Saturday but still, she liked her sleep. Sucking in an annoyed breath, she honked once and then twice on the horn, the second sound longer. This tore the two apart and they looked a bit disoriented for a bit before realization dawned on Rosalie's face. She waved hastily at the guy and then stumbled over to the car. She plopped down into the seat less than gracefully and slammed the door shut. She reeked of alcohol and her hair was messed up, the curls gone.
"What took you so long?" she slurred, trying to angrily glare at Bella who merely shrugged. She hadn't taken that long surely. She pushed the car forwards as Rosalie sloppily buckled herself in and took to fiddling with the car radio. She turned the volume up loud and Bella cringed at the volume but it didn't seem to bother Rosalie, who took to bopping her head. It looked like she was still in party mode. Bella sighed. It was only a half hour drive. And then she could go home in her own car.
Halfway through the ride, Rosalie got bored of the music and cut it off, the sudden silence almost as painful as the loud music had been to Bella. "Why-why don't...what happened to those clothes you bought?" Rosalie asked all of a sudden as she leaned forward to look at Bella. Bella tried to not shrink back from this motion as the girl took to pulling on the sleeve of the top she was wearing. "You only wore them-hic!-to school once this past week." Bella couldn't tell if Rosalie was mad or not, it hard to tell with her being drunk and all.
"I uh, want to save them for special occasions. Since they look nice," Bella explained, hoping this would stop the girl's further questions. Bella had been raised poor so whenever she had something nice she wanted to cherish it and those new clothes she had bought she surely wasn't going to wear just to school. Rosalie could do such things because she had money but not Bella.
"But you're next to me, and I'm a special occasion!" Rosalie sat back and stretched her hands to the ceiling, letting her fingers run over it.
Well, glad to see that her sense of self importance is still intact no matter how drunk she is.
Bella didn't know what else to say so she focused on driving. It was easier now, since there were less cars around this time of night. Rosalie was now opening and closing the car windows. Bella wondered why the blonde hadn't gone to a party with her school friends. Did they not go to the same parties? She wanted to ask, but she didn't know if the blonde would get angry like she had last time when Bella had gone shopping with her and asked her why the others hadn't come along. Determining the pros and cons with asking it, she decided her curiosity was too much.
"So, uh, were your friends at the party?"
"My friends?" Rosalie's head snapped back.
Bella gulped nervously but as she read the expression on the others face all she saw was drunken oblivion. "Uh, you know, Alice and Emmett, Jasper and Edward," she decided to press on.
There was a derisive snort. "Yea, my friends." The way she said it denoted the opposite. "And yea, they were there but I didn't spend much time with them there."
"Oh, okay." So Bella had just found out an interesting tidbit of information. Apparently there was some friendship stuff going on with the popular kids. Hmm, to be expected she supposed. Most of these friendships were based on money and looks anyway and not actual foundations.
"But it was so much fun! You should have gone to the party. Oops." A laugh as Rosalie brought a hand up to her mouth. "I forgot, you're not cool or anything like that." So her bitchiness was also intact while drunk.
Bella shook her head and decided to ignore that comment. "Aww, don't pout," Rosalie poked her finger into Bella's cheek making the girl jump from the contact. "It's cute and you're not supposed to be cute."
What the fuck? Bella's heart was now doing this weird thing in her chest and she tried to remember how to breathe. Did Rosalie just call her cute? Cute?
No, she's just drunk, she's saying random things. It doesn't mean anything.
Thankfully Rosalie's mansion was coming up and Bella focused herself on parking the car. "We're here," she announced and Rosalie got out the car. "Thank god, I have got to pee," she said as she stumbled out the car.
Should Bella help her get into the house? The blonde probably didn't deserve help-it was her own fault for getting this drunk. But Bella wouldn't feel right just leaving her be. She could hurt herself going up and down the stairs.
So Bella got out and followed her to the door. Rosalie was fumbling with the keys, trying to find the lock. "Let me help with that," Bella offered and Rosalie snapped her head to the girl. "I don't need your help," she huffed and then turned her back pointedly to the other as she continued to fumble with the keys. Bella crossed her arms and waited for the girl to finish.
"This fucking key. Someone must have changed the locks to my house!" Rosalie grumbled out, getting impatient. She threw the keys to the floor with a huff and went up to the window on the first floor and began tapping on the glass, trying to find some way to open it.
Bella picked up the keys Rosalie had tossed and opened the door. "Rosalie. Rosalie!"
"What? Can't you see I'm busy-oh, the door opened. I knew I must have opened it," Rosalie made her way over to the door and Bella had to hold back a laugh at the other girl's antics. Inside, Rosalie struggled in the hallway to take off her shoes. She would take one off and then stumble a few steps forwards before managing to wretch the other one off, throwing the both of them haphazardly across the entrance hall. Bella shut the door and put the keys in the key bowl. Maybe she could get Rosalie's parents to help her? It would be better because then they could take of Rosalie if she felt ill.
"Rosalie, where are your parents?"
"Traveling. Their not here, like always," she answered bitterly and took a step forward towards the spiraling staircase. She sized it up like it was a monster she would have to fight and conquer.
Of course her parents aren't here. She's reinforcing the stereotype of rich kids with issues.
Bella sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay. I'm going to help you up the stairs."
"I don't need your help!" Rosalie pushed at Bella's shoulder, trying to force the other away. But in doing so, she unbalanced her already unsteady balance, her arms windmilling around her. Bella grabbed at her wrist and pulled her up right but with too much force forwards and thus they ended up bumping heads together.
"Ouch, fuck. Be gentle," Rosalie hissed, twisting free of Bella's grip.
"Sorry," Bella mumbled, rubbing her hurt head.
"I don't need your help getting up. You probably only want to get into my room and try to seduce me or something!"
"What! No I don't! I already told you just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'm trying to get into your pants!"
"Yea right," snorted Rosalie. "Just like guys don't wanna get into my pants!"
Bella let out a frustrated growl. How could she prove that she wasn't trying to do something sketchy? "You're-you're not even wearing pants!" That was the best she could come up with right now, and it was a totally stupid argument. But it was totally too early in the morning to deal with this.
At this Rosalie began to laugh-a genuine laugh, not the type she did to mock others or annoy them. "Oh my god, you're right. I don't have pants on. But a dress." She was laughing so hard she bent over, hands on her knees, the noise reverberating through the quiet of the house. Bella didn't know how to feel about this. She was happy sure- she had made her crush laugh! But Rosalie was drunk. That meant she was only acting this way because of the booze, and so who knew if she was really laughing because what Bella had said was funny.
At last, after she stopped, she straightened out, breathing hard and wiping a tear from her eye. "That was funny. But I remembered I have to pee. And when I come back I better not see you in my house. Got it?" She poked Bella hard in the collarbone.
"Got it."
She had wanted to help Rosalie because she was concerned for the other. She should have someone to look after her. "Just call one of your friends or something to help you if you feel ill."
"I don't need help. Yours or anyone's. I can take care of myself," Rosalie's eyes narrowed in anger before she turned on her heel and went to the bathroom.
Bella took this as her cue to leave and drove her truck back home. By the time she got back it was five in the morning and she quickly changed into her pjs, hoping to fall into a quick slumber. But in her head, Rosalie's words of 'It's cute and you're not supposed to be cute' ran over and over. And Bella knew sleep was going to be hard to come by.
A/N: Hmmm, interesting verbal slip up there Rosalie...
