A/N: Words can't express how much I appreciate your kind words, favs, and follows! They absolutely make my day Quick question for my readers…Did anyone get a chance to see 'The Rover' while it was in theatres? The movie was hauntingly beautiful. The performances stuck with me for weeks. I saw it twice. Robert needs an Oscar! He was brilliant!
Wait…Wait! Twilight isn't mine? When the F did this happen?
BPOV
"So I'll pick you up here at noon?" Alice asks as she drops me off in town.
I had her bring me back to where we met. I told her that my parents had the house key and left me in town to explore while they went to Port Angeles to look for work. I hate that I was starting our friendship off with lies, but it's necessary.
"Okay Alice. Thank you for everything and please thank Dr. and Mrs. Cullen again for dinner." I say as I step out of the car, grabbing my groceries as I do.
"See you tomorrow!" She waves and pulls away.
I think back to the wonderful night I had as I turn the corner and head towards the motel. The great dinner, the wonderful company, the lively conversations, the beautiful house, making plans with my friends…Edward.
I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror when I step into my room. I look so happy. I feel happy. The thought alone makes my smile double in size. I grab my stationary kit from the bag and sit down at the small desk.
Before I know it, hours have passed and I have written Shirley a sixteen page letter. I slip it into an envelope, set the alarm, and crawl into bed, completely exhausted from my long day.
"Bella sweetheart, we're going to be late!" My dad yells up the stairs. "Good god Renee, the child is just like you!" He chuckles.
"Don't be an asshole Charlie." My mom smacks his arm and leans in for a kiss.
"MOMMY SAID A BAD WORD!" I yell as I race down the stairs. "I found my shoe daddy. It was under my bed."
I lose my footing on the last step and fall into my dad's arms. "You always catch me! You're such a good daddy!" I tell him as I kiss his cheek. He laughs as we head out the door.
"Mommy, Daddy, will JJ be there?" I ask as we get in the car. "I miss him." They look at each other before my dad turns back to look at me.
"No baby. JJ can't come around anymore." He says before he turns back around and starts the car.
"Why daddy? He is a lot of fun. He does the monkey dance for me!" I say with a giggle.
"JJ had to leave baby." My mom says as she grabs dad's hand.
"Oh, well I hope he comes to see us soon." I say as I sit back in my seat. My parents look at each other again.
I sit up as my alarm goes off. I haven't had a dream about my parents in a long time. Nightmares yes, dreams no. I shut the alarm off and head towards the bathroom to get ready. The details of the dream slipping further and further away with every step I take. Who was JJ?
An hour later my nerves are getting the best of me as I check the time again. All these years I've dreamed of friendship, of a normal life. I don't want to mess this up. I grab my letter to Shirley, my money, and head out the door.
I make a quick stop by the office to pay for tonight and drop my letter in the mail. When I turn the corner Alice waiting for me. "Bella!" she yells and runs to me.
"I'm so excited! Halloween around here is a BIG deal! Edward and his parents always host a big bash. The adults do a fund raising thing and we have an awesome party!" she grabs my hands and pulls me towards a big red SUV. I see Jasper waiting for us in front of it.
"Alice, darlin' don't scare the poor girl." Jasper says as he pulls her into his arms. She instantly relaxes against him. "Bella." He nods his head at me and opens the back door. I climb in and say hello to Rose and Emmett who are sitting in the far back seat as Alice hops in behind me.
Edward turns around and our eyes lock. "Hello again Bella." He gives me his dazzling smile.
"Edward." I shyly smile back.
"Alright me hearties! Lets get this show on the road, I've gots me a pirate costume to buy!" Emmett exclaims in an over the top pirate accent. "Edward remember, while Ye be drivin', eyes on the road and not Bella's treasure chest."
My mouth drops open and my face feels like it's on fire. I hear a loud smack and turn to see Rose's hand as it leaves the back of Emmett's head. "Damn that hurt! I always forget how hard you hit!" he rubs the back of his head.
"Really Emmett? Really? That's how you welcome Bella to the group?" Jasper says as I face forward peeking up at Edward.
Edward salutes him and gives me a quick wink. "Aye Aye Captain Dumbass!" He starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. Everyone is still laughing as we head out of Forks.
"Bella, what do you think of this one?" Rose asks as she spins around in knee-high stiletto boots and a thigh-length baby blue and black pirate costume.
"That one is my favorite so far. Really brings out your blue eyes." I say as she looks in the mirror again.
"I agree with Bella. That's the one Rose! Emmett will be drooling all night!" Alice says as she adjusts the red wig on her head.
Emmett and Rose have decided to go as pirates, under the condition that Emmett stops the pirate talk, and Alice and Jasper have picked Captain America and Black Widow from the Avengers. I don't know who they are but Alice looks fabulous! She is in a skintight black bodysuit with knee-high stiletto boots and a long red curly wig. Apparently boots are required for Halloween if you're a woman.
"Oh yeah, we are sexy beasts! Those men of ours will be tripping over their tongues!" Alice laughs as she pulls Rose into a hug.
I can't help but feel a little jealous seeing them in their costumes. I'm sure my parents must have taken me trick-or-treating in my first four years of life, but I have no memories, no pictures, and no one left to tell me if they did and what I was.
"Bella, aren't you going to look for something?" Rose says as she sits next to me and unzips her shoes.
"Not this year." I hope next year I can join in. It would be nice to be able to put on a whole new look, be a different person for one night. It would be like Cinderella. Maybe that's who I'll go as next year.
"But Bella you have to!" Alice says as she emerges from the dressing room. "You can't be the only one at the party not in costume." I smile at her realizing I have just been, I think, invited to my first party.
"Wish I could Alice, but…uh…my parents are still looking for jobs and I haven't had any luck in that department either, so money is a bit tight right now. But I would still like to come, if that's okay?" I ask her as she and Rose gather their purchases and we head towards the checkout.
"Of course you can still come, costume or no costume!" she gives me a hug. "Now, let's pay for this shit, grab the boys, and get some late lunch!"
"Did someone say lunch? Cause I'm fucking starving!" Emmett wraps his arms around Rose and kisses her neck. I turn away, not wanting to intrude on their moment and see Edward holding a shopping bag waiting on the rest of us. I take a deep breath and walk over to stand with him.
"I see you found something." I say nodding towards his bag. "What are you dressing up as?"
"I'm not telling. Alice is the only one who has seen it and she said I look, quote, 'hotter than normal'. Scary words, seeing as they come from my cousin." He laughs and looks over at me. "You'll just have to come to the party to see." He smiles. "So will you? Come to my party?"
An invitation…from Edward no less! I smile back at him "Well you always look hot to me, so I can't wait to see what you picked!" I slap my hand over my mouth. Did I just say that out loud?! His soft laughter is my answer. Yes Bella. Yes you did. My face heats up yet again.
"Bella, your blush, just like the rest of you is very beautiful." Edwards says as he pulls my hand away from my mouth.
"Lunch time kiddies!" Emmett announces as he claps his hand on Edward's back as the group strolls by us. Edward doesn't let go of my hand as we follow them to the food court.
We snag the first table we see big enough for the six of us. Edward releases my hand and pulls my chair out for me. "Thank you." I smile up at him.
"What would you like for lunch?" he asks as our eyes scan the different food chains.
I suddenly remember the gift cards Shirley gave me and pull the envelope out. I take the remaining cards out and place them on the table. "Lunch is on me!" I tell them. I've never been able to pay for anyone else meal before. It feels great!
I love that I can treat my friends to something. After everything they've done for me so far, it's the least I can do. Besides these food chains aren't in Forks and it's impossible for me to come all the way to Port Angeles just to have a burger.
While we're eating, a bad feeling sweeps over me. I look around, panicking slightly, and see nothing out of the ordinary. 'Calm down Bella! You are fine. No sign of the man or anything else for that matter. Don't ruin your wonderful day. Stay calm.' I mentally repeat this until I feel my shoulders relax.
I look around at my friends to see if anyone noticed my odd behavior. Edward is the only one looking at me. He reaches out and grabs my hand. He gives it a squeeze, silently asking if I'm okay. I smile and nod. Our hands stay locked together for the rest of lunch.
Once we're done eating, we do a little window shopping and the girls pick up a few odds and ends for the party. Halloween is still a month away but Alice tells me they like to get a jump start on planning.
"Between school, after school activities, and homework the month always flies by too quick. The boys have football and Rose and I are co-captains of the cheer squad. If we don't start now we'll go insane with the amount of crap that has to get done by the end of the month." Alice explains to me as we wait in line to pay for some decorations.
"Do you buy brand new decorations every year?" I ask.
"No, but we add a few new things every year. Half the stuff from the previous year always ends up at the hospital were Carlisle works. We like to decorate for the patients. Before the party starts we do reverse trick-or-treating with the kids." She smiles, lost in her memories.
"Reverse trick-or-treating? I've never heard of that." I say.
"The kids are too sick to go out and their parents don't want to leave them. Sometimes that also means that the brothers and sisters of the patients don't get to go out either. We get dressed up as popular kids' characters and go room to room giving out candy, coloring books, and little toys. Edward came up with the idea years ago!" She looks back and gives him a giant smile. "We do something similar at Christmas as well."
"Wow. You guys are great! The kids must love it!" I am once again in awe of this group. Their generosity leaves me speechless. "How did he come up with the idea?"
"When Edward and I were six we both came down with the flu. It was normal for us to get sick together. We are more like brother and sister than cousins; we were born only minutes apart. I'm older by five minutes and I never let him live it down!" she giggles and shakes her head. "Anyways, I started to get better but Edward didn't. He ended up in the hospital. It was touch and go for awhile…nobody thought he wasn't going to make it." She stops and wipes a tear away.
"He was admitted in September and wasn't released until June. He came up with the idea as soon as he got home. He said he knew what it felt like hearing the kids outside on Halloween, missing Christmas with the family. And thus an annual tradition was born. Emmett came with us from day one. We have been friends since the day Edward dared Emmett to eat the sand out of the sandbox in preschool. He did it, by the way. And when Rose and Jasper moved here from Texas in the fourth grade they joined us." She pays for her items and we head back toward the group. We hear them laughing at Emmett as he does running commentary on the people walking by.
"I would love to join you guys this year…If that's okay with everyone." I say. Alice simply throws an arm around my shoulders and smiles.
"All good Alice?" Jasper asks as we reach the bench. She nods and I have a feeling he knows that she got choked up in the store. It's like he can sense her emotions. "Good. It's getting late so we should head home. I have to finish up my essay."
"I just need to run to the restroom." I say as everyone stands. Emmett starts to sit back down but I stop him. "No need to wait on me, I can meet you at the car in five." They look at each other.
"Really guys. You have all those bags. Go ahead I'll be right there." They all nod and start towards the parking lot.
"Bella!" Edward calls out and I turn back to him. "I'll pull the car up to the curb so you don't have to search for us." I smile and nod and he turns and sprints to catch up with everyone else.
I find the bathroom and take care of business as quickly as possible. I hate that they are waiting on me. As I grab the door handle I get a bad feeling again. I pull the door open intending to walk as fast as I can to the car when I feel someone yank me back by my hair.
"Hello good lookin!" I look up and see there are two of them. I struggle trying to get out of his grip. "What's wrong babe… You're gonna hurt our feelings tryin to get away like this."
"Brian, where did you say she stashed the envelope?" the guy holding my hair asks. Fuck Bella! You're so fucking dumb! Mom always told you to be careful not to flash even the smallest amount of money around. I didn't even think about be discreet when I pulled out the gift cards for lunch.
The other guy shoves his hand into the pocket of my jeans. "Here it is!" he opens it. "Nice…we can get a nice score with this." He tucks my money into his coat.
"Alright you got what you want, you have my money. NOW LET ME GO!" I yell. The guy holding me by the hair slams me into the wall. I feel dizzy as my head connects with the tile.
"Keep your voice down bitch!" He gets closer to me. "Who said all we wanted was your money?" He leans in and I turn my head and kick out at him. He grabs my face roughly and turns it back to him. He keeps a tight grip on my face. "Awe…isn't that cute? She thinks she can fight us." They both start to laugh.
"I like it when they fight." He leans in again and I close my eyes. 'Mom…Dad…help me please' I think as my tears start.
Abruptly I'm flung to the floor and I look up to see Edward and Jasper pushing the guys against the wall. "Don't you fucking touch her!" Edward's fist connects with one of the guys jaw. "I'll fucking murder you!" He swings again and hits him in the stomach.
The guy Jasper has been holding manages to slip out of his grasp and bolts for the exit. Jasper turns his attention to the guy Edward is hitting. "Edward! Edward!" Jasper shouts. "Dude, he's knocked out!" He grabs Edward's arm and pulls him back.
Emmett rounds the corner with two cops and stops when he sees the scene in front of him. "Bella are you okay?"Edward asks. I look at him and nod.
"Yes…I'm okay." Edward walks over and pulls me into his arms.
"Are you sure? I should take you to the hospital." He pulls back and looks me up and down, looking for an injury.
"I'm okay. Just a little knot on the back of my head. No hospital please." I plead.
"Thank god you're okay baby." He pulls me into his arms again.
"Miss, I can take your statement if you're ready." The female officer says while her partner handcuffs the guy. I look down and hope it's the one who has my money in his coat…It isn't.
Fresh tears gather in my eyes as I realize that tomorrow I'll be on the street again.