A/N: Let's pretend that Forks isn't a really rainy place. Like half as rainy, I guess? It helps with my story. This is Alice/Bella VS. Alice/Rosalie. But honestly there is a decent chance I might give in and make it A/B/R. There truly is no endgame here and that goes for any of the other ships that may appear in here.
I don't own anything. All mistakes are mine. Give me some love. Should I continue? No. For real. I'm super unsure with some of this story (confident in other parts) and even nervous with the first chapter. I felt like I should post it anyway before it becomes another one of my side stories not posted.
Bella Swan has been saving up for college since middle school. She has done her chores for her allowance, had taken some babysitting jobs, have taken random jobs on the side like cleaning her neighbor's windows, and has helped old ladies keep up with their cute gardens that bring them some happiness. By sixteen, she had even landed a job at the local diner and had lasted a year before she gave that up for something less boring and draining and to release the stress of battling asshole customers while also trying to battle the ups and downs of completing high school.
Now almost eighteen and almost in her Senior year at Forks High, she is even more determined to fill up her cash stash as much as she can. Thanks to the mandatory summer vacation, she has a good chance in making a lot of it.
She posted fliers around town yesterday (in places that won't get hit with rain) and posted online stating she will mow lawns, clean pools, any outside work and maybe even painting or other odd jobs in the houses. She has two jobs already lined up for this week.
The explosions on the tv are loud but her cousin Emmett is even louder, screeching in victory as he takes down a group of zombies in the game they're playing. He groans the moment Bella hits the pause button on her controller and reaches in her pocket to answer her cellphone.
"Hello?"
"Bella Swan?" The voice is light, almost like a lullaby.
"Yeah. Can I help you?" Bella smacks Emmett's hand away when he tries to reach for her controller. Damn he can be impatient. He really does have a game addiction.
"I'm Alice Brandon. I came across one of your fliers today. I was hoping you could come over and do a few jobs for me. The pay would be based on each job."
"Of course. When are you thinking?"
More cash in her pocket and her body is singing with joy.
Alice speaks in the receiver again. "This Saturday. Let's say around 11:00 a.m.?"
"I can do that."
"Great!"
Bella writes down a reminder along with the address Alice gives her before they hang up.
"Let's fucking go!" Emmett reaches over to her controller again to press the button Bella used to pause the game. Then they're back to slaughtering zombies.
Saturday rolls around and Bella pulls up in her truck in front of the house that is supposed to be Alice's. It is about medium sized with one floor and a decent sized yard. The walkway up to the porch is cobble stoned, the wooden planks on the porch creaking under her feet as she steps up to the door.
Bella knocks on the door only to stand there with her mouth dropped open and eyes wide with shock at the blonde that opens the door.
"Rosalie?"
Rosalie's eyes show a brief amount of surprise before her face is set firm like usual. "Bella, what are you doing here?"
Well, this is extremely awkward.
Bella clears her throat. "I didn't know you were back in town."
"Alice wanted to settle down in a smaller town. She hung on to every word I said about this stupid, boring place." Rosalie rolls her eyes, but Bella knows Rosalie. Well, she used to know her, and if Rosalie hated something so much, she would do her best to avoid it.
Then something else that the blonde said makes Bella rewind in her mind. Settle down? Like spend the rest of their lives here together? As a couple?
"Rosalie, who is it?" Alice comes to stand behind the blonde, wrapping her arms around her waist. She smiles immediately at the young girl. "You must be Bella!"
"Excuse us." Rosalie glares, pushing Alice back and shutting the door behind them.
The front door isn't too thick. Bella can hear almost every word between the two women behind it.
"Do you know who she is?" Rosalie hisses.
"Bella Swan!" The pixie like woman happily chimes in, bouncing on her toes.
"She's Emmett's baby cousin, Alice. She can't work for us."
Alice's heart tugs painfully for Rosalie. Rosalie loves her very much, but Emmett McCarty was the first and the blonde had hoped for him to be her last.
Emmett was Rosalie's high school sweetheart. He had been the one Rosalie wanted to build a future with. They were to go to college together. He was supposed to propose after they graduated, and they'd build a beautiful family together. Rosalie has always wanted a child. She had always wanted Emmett to be the father and a great one she knew he'd make, but that future ended.
Then eventually Rosalie found Alice. That's when her new future in love began. When she looks at Alice or even thinks of her, she thinks of how heart rose from the dead the day they met in a campus cafe at their college back in New York.
"Is he still here?"
"Emmett?" Rosalie adjusts her stance, looking away from Alice with the expression of a lingering hurt. "I don't know. I haven't talked to him since the breakup."
There's an understanding between the two of them and it's that no matter what and no matter how much they love each other there will always be a piece of Emmett in the depths of the blonde's heart. There's no way around it and Alice has accepted that. It's good enough for her, because Rosalie is more than enough for her. Plus, she's the one who has a ring on her finger. She knows Rosalie wouldn't have proposed if she didn't mean it with all her heart. Rosalie wants her forever. There's no room for Alice to doubt it.
Alice pouts. "But I already hired her. She's affordable and easily available."
"Alice."
Alice sighs, caving in to her lover's wants.
"I'll tell her we changed our minds if that's what you really want."
Rosalie eyes her fiancé down really hard before heaving a not so happy sigh. Fucking Alice. Rose isn't wrapped around her finger but she's pretty damn close.
"I have to get back to the shop. Make sure she's gone before dinner." With that, Rosalie grabs her purse and walks right past Bella on the porch and towards her sleek 1963 Mercury Comet – black on the outside with red interior. It took her years finding the car and the pieces needed to fix it.
Bella watches her leave before she turns back to a smiling Alice. She doesn't expect the small woman to step forward and envelope her in a hug, but Alice does and Bella tenses before reaching up to awkwardly pat her on the back.
"It's nice to meet you! Come in." Alice takes Bella's hand, dragging her inside and only letting her go when they reach the kitchen. "Lemonade?"
"Uh, sure." Bella leans against the counter.
"I was thinking you could start with mowing the lawn and then cleaning out the pool." Alice tells me over her shoulder as she opens the fridge and starts pouring the yellow drink into two glasses.
"That's sounds good to me." Bella can't contain her curiosity. She has to know. "So, how do you know Rosalie?"
Alice smiles lovingly with a bright twinkle in her eyes. She holds her hand up to proudly show off the small but beautiful diamond on her ring finger. Rosalie had wanted to get something a little larger, but she knows Alice's taste well enough to keep it small yet elegant.
"We're engaged!"
Bella thinks of three things. The first is Emmett's reaction. The second is that is fucking hot. The third is since when was Rosalie gay?
"Oh. That's – That's good for you two."
Alice passes her a glass of lemonade. Her shoulders slump and her smile dimmed a bit. "I know you're related to Emmett. I hope this isn't awkward for you."
"No. I mean, unexpected but I can handle it. I just don't know what to tell him."
"You can always go with the truth." Alice takes a sip of her drink and shrugs, nodding at Bella to follow her. "He'll find out about us sooner or later."
Bella follows the woman out the back door. "So, the both of you are gay?"
"More specifically I'm pansexual and Rosalie is bisexual." Her eyes narrow at the younger human. "Is that a problem?"
Bella can't help but to let out a light laugh. "If it was a problem, I'd be a hypocrite."
Alice looks at her with interest. One eyebrow raised high.
"Fuck. I never thought there would be a time Rosalie and I had something in common." Bella laughs again. She would have bet every penny she had that they never would. Now she's glad she didn't. "I'm bisexual too. Out and proud. I actually helped organize a safe space group for our community at my high school two years ago."
Alice's face lights up upon the news. "That's wonderful! How is the rest of the school taking it?"
"We honestly expected a huge backlash for it but surprisingly it hasn't happened yet. There have only been a few bad moments during that time. There hasn't been much of anything in several months. Though being the Chiefs daughter and having a monster sized cousin gives me a bit of a break. The rest of the group has been handling it really good too. It helps talking it out with people who get it." Bella takes a drink then continues, "As for the rest of Forks? They stick to saying nothing to our faces. They mind their business and gossip behind closed doors, and you'd be surprised with how many people here just don't care."
Alice takes the information dump and debates on things. "I guess Rose and I will have a decent time here."
Bella can't refrain from laughing at that. Alice looks confused.
"Rosalie's never had a decent time here."
"She had Emmett."
Alice never met Emmett, but the way Rosalie talked about him and who he was had given Alice a suspicion that she'd end up liking the man too. Honestly, she's grateful that Rose had someone so good in her life to love her. Her Rose deserved it.
But Bella drops a nasty reply. "Yeah, and she also lost him."
They went silent. Both of them shocked at Bella's straightforwardness. Alice doesn't even think it meant to escape Bella's mouth like that or even saying it at all. It's the truth, but if Rosalie had heard that then Bella would no longer have a head. Though Rose being hurt isn't something Alice likes, without her high school heartache Alice never would have had the chance to be with her. Alice wouldn't take their love back for anything else in the world.
Wanting out of this conversation, Alice says, "I should let you get to work."
Alice walks back inside, and Bella finds herself unable to resist watching her tight perky ass disappear from view. If Bella knows anything, it's the fact that Alice Brandon is entirely both sexy and stunning. Rosalie is too. The thought of the two of them together is the hottest imagery Bella's thought of in her life and she can feel a semi trying to harden when she thinks about being their third party, but there's just something about Alice that stands out more than any other woman Bella has ever seen. Not to mention Emmett would totally kill her if he ever found out about any sexual thought she'd have of Rosalie.
Snapping out of it, Bella checks to see if there is any gas in the mower and starts it up when she sees that it is.
She doesn't know it yet, but it all starts with mowing the lawn.
What an interesting way to fall in love.