Chapter 6~ Someone Like You
I've been roaming around always looking down at all I see.
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach.
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
And all you know and how you speak
I hope it's gonna make you notice
Someone like me
Kings of Leon~ Use Somebody
Bella
I shoved a heaping spoonful of cereal into my mouth while peering out the front window.
My mom had been rambling on about the opening of her new store for the last twenty minutes. I wasn't paying too much attention to her, as I was consumed in thoughts of Edward, wondering how badly he was hungover today. I was anxious to get through the afternoon so I could meet him at four.
"So when are you coming home to visit?" I sighed in exasperation, not that I didn't expect her to want me back so soon, but because she knew my moving was not so much a choice as it was a necessity.
"Mom, I just got here."
"I know but Phil and I miss you." I could hear her on the verge of tears.
"Mom…come on. Please don't make me feel guilty. I miss you guys too, but it's just so much better this way."
She cleared her throat, sighing in agreement. "How are Alice and Rosalie and Jessica and who was that blonde girl… Laurie?"
"Lauren. Jess and Lauren are…like the girls in California so, I don't bother with them. But you should see Rose…she's like a frigging model and Alice is just as cute as ever. Oh, speaking of Alice, can you send some tops in a size small for her? Anything trendy. Oh and maybe some jeans too? The True Religion's with the studs on the pockets, she would love those. I'll pay you for it as soon as I get my first check."
"It's my treat, Sweetie, I'd be happy to help out. We just got in some adorable plaid skirts that would look great on you girls. I'll send those too. So, how's Charlie?"
I gave her the run down on the basics…the changes in the house, how Charlie looked exactly the same except for his bum leg, and I even spoke of the Cullen's, without mentioning the three cute boys residing there. I wanted to tell her about Edward and Jasper, how they were so beautiful and fun but I tried to avoid the subject of boys with my mother because at the mention of the word, she would burst into a full on lecture about birth control and STD's and how college and autonomy were more important than any high school crush.
She was jaded about the fact that getting pregnant with me at the prom had ruined her chances of being an artist, though she would never ever say that aloud. I always felt responsible for the way things turned out for her when we initially left. Even at twelve, I understood that my mom had fallen out of love with my father partly because she resented him for convincing her to have a family so young.
We discussed the fact that I had not experienced any panic attacks in the four days that I'd been in Forks, and my mom requested that I open a bank account so she could deposit money in it for me. I protested, saying that Charlie and my possible new job would give me enough, but she countered, saying that she felt better if she knew I had "mad money" to spend on frivolous things.
###
Billy's store was located in Port Angeles, a twenty minute ride from Forks. The large brick building was connected to an automobile garage that by the apparent presence of expensive foreign cars, specialized in repairing high end automobiles. I parked in the front, ignoring the suggestive stares and whistles I received from the greasy men in the garage.
Billy was behind the counter on the phone when I entered the store, but the smile that spread across his face told me he recognized me right away. While he finished his call, I scanned the shelves of party supplies and colorful piñata's hanging from the ceiling. There were huge signs advertising tent rentals, DJ's and several pictures of available bounce houses behind the register. Once he finished his call we hugged, catching up, before a tall blonde peered out of the back room wearing a sparkly green Tinkerbell outfit.
"Bella, this is Sasha." Sasha extended her hand. "She'll fill you in on what she does and show you the ropes. Then you two can head over to the party and you can see Sasha make her magic." Billy handed her a clipboard with the information for the party she was supposed to work.
Sasha ushered me over to an area of the back room, which was lined with various costumes. Some of them were really beautiful- Cinderella's blue ball gown, Snow White's satin red cape, and Belle's yellow ruffled hoop skirt. However, along with the elegant, girlie costumes were the ones that made me scowl. The matted red fur of Elmo's costume hung on a hanger underneath a shelf that housed Dora the Explorer's enormous head. There was Big Bird and a few of the Sesame Street gang hanging there, Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny, and of course, Barney in all his aubergine wonderment. They smelled like mildew and corn chips.
Sensing my trepidation, Sasha laughed as she held out the leg of a shiny pink Power Ranger costume. "You may cringe now, but those are actually the preferred costumes…the money makers. Once you put on the giant head, no one knows who you are, and you can act like an idiot without feeling like one. Keep in mind, the more animated you act, the more the kids like you and that means bigger tips from all the soccer moms."
"And what exactly does acting like an idiot entail?" I asked.
"Seriously? You jump around, wave, shake the kids' hands and dance to music. The moms always want pictures, so you let them sit on your lap or whatever. If you have a wand, then you pop the snotty little brats in the head and call it magic. It's the easiest job in the world and the pay is excellent. My college tuition is paid for completely."
I nodded and smiled, envisioning myself impaling a four year old's head with the spike of a star shaped wand. I liked it.
"Oh, but watch the dads when you wear the princess costumes. Sometimes they can look a little too hard, if you know what I mean? Pervs and their disgusting fairy tale fantasies." She shuttered, opening a door to the large private changing area.
We headed out to Sasha's car, scurrying past the whistling mechanics, who apparently fancied Tinkerbell. Sasha murmured, "You'll get used to it. They are all really nice guys under the layers of grease." Sliding into her passenger seat, I couldn't help but take notice of the guy hunched over a dark blue Mercedes. He looked vaguely familiar and I couldn't quite place his face as he glanced over.
We drove a few minutes into a quiet upscale neighborhood. Sasha and I spoke of college and the perks of living at home versus being in the dorms. Once we arrived at the house, I accompanied her into the home full of screaming little girls and throngs of moms with video cameras.
I settled into a corner of the living room as Sasha danced around a bit, flittering her feet like a fairy would, bopped a few of the girls on their heads and said the phrase, "magical and amazing" like, a billion times. After pictures with all the little girls and one very androgynous looking little boy, she collected her very generous tips and handed out lollipops with Billy's logo stamped on them. It was easy as pie, and I figured I could do this gig in a heartbeat.
As we were leaving, the woman throwing the party kindly asked if we wanted goodie bags, because she had a few extra. I took them, knowing that the boys would probably enjoy snacks not resembling sawdust when they got the munchies later on. We drove back to Billy's so Sasha could drop me off and I could tell Billy I would take the job. Once I squared off with him, working out my schedule and whatnot, I told him I would see him next Sunday for my first party.
As I walked to my car, the sun slipped back into looming gray clouds, threatening to storm.
"Hey!" A male voice called out, startling me as I slipped into my front seat.
Oh my god.
I slid out of the car, grinning as I walked toward the first boy who I had ever had a crush on. "Jacob?"
"Holy crap, Little Bella, is that really you?" His blue shirt was covered in Mercedes poop and I cautiously kept my distance as I hugged him, as to not get dirty. He pushed me back a bit, holding onto my shoulders as he examined me. Work in the shop pretty much halted to a complete stop as the guys looked on curiously. I hated being the center of attention, especially by a large group of men, but I didn't mind it with an entourage. Before the panic could rise in my chest over the familiar scene, I pushed it away with a deep breath.
"Jake, how are you?"
"I'm good Bella, real good. Shit, my dad said you might be coming to work for him, but I didn't expect…I mean the last time I saw you was at my high school graduation party and you were what, ten?"
I thought for a moment back to that summer day when I was so sad knowing he was going off to college. "Um, eleven I think. You look, so…old. I mean, not old, but mature...like you are an actual guy now."
"Thanks, I get it," he laughed. "So you're back now? For how long?"
"Um, until I graduate, I guess. But I'm working for your dad now, so I'm sure I'll see you around." Peering over into the shop I waved sheepishly at some of the guys who had yet to resume working. "How long have you worked here?"
"Oh, it's actually my place. I bought it two years ago after I came home from college and had no idea what I wanted to do with myself. Graduated WU with a business degree and the owner was looking to sell his business here, so I took him over. I'm doing…well."
"Wow, that's great, Jacob."
He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "Hey, we should hang out some time, grab some beers or something. I usually go to this place down the road here, Thirst and Main."
"Uh, Jake…I'm sixteen. Can't get into bars for another five years, but thanks for asking."
"You are only sixteen? Shit, you look so much older, I forgot. Well maybe dinner or something…at Chucky Cheese's?" He raised a hopeful eyebrow.
I slapped him in the arm. "Whatever, Jake. Maybe we can grab the Early Bird Special over at the senior center, Gramps."
My phone interrupted us as it buzzed with a text from Alice asking if I could pick her up from work later on. Angela, Alice and I were heading over to Rose's for pizza and a movie and talk of boys, because inevitably, Rose was probably down after her fiasco with Emmett at the beach, and Alice was likely completely mystified as to what the hell happened with Jasper in his back seat. I noticed it was after three, so I said goodbye, anxious to get to the tree house.
###
I made my way down the path excitedly, kicking up wet leaves underfoot. After last night, I thought things with Edward would have been weird, particularly since I had blurted out the word, erection to him, like a giant moron. Never in my life did I want to fade into the floor than in that moment. I brushed it off, hoping that he was drunk enough to forget about it. After all, he asked me to meet him here today, so he couldn't have been too disgusted with me.
Edward made me so nervous. Just his presence across a crowded room threw me off kilter. I spent the whole night fending off the butterflies in my stomach, trying not to obviously stare in his direction. He was being somewhat nice to me…but he was drunk and I noticed that he was much friendlier when he was under the influence of something.
Still, he called me, "B." I had to wonder about where his new nickname for me came from, and if it was genuinely innocent in origin. Something about Edward made me not entirely trust him. That in itself was one of the reasons I found him so intriguing.
It wasn't four yet, but I heard voices in the tree house as I stood debating which method of entry I should take; the rock wall, the rope ladder or the slide. Straining to hear the conversation, I realized it was Jasper and a voice I did not recognize. I climbed up the rock wall, peering cautiously inside. Jasper and Emmett were sitting against the closest wall, Emmett in Edward's usual place. They greeted me, and Emmett held his hand out to help me inside. I was immediately disappointed at the evident absence of Edward.
"Hey guys, what's going on? How was the game?" I asked, scooting against the far wall. I was wearing a short skirt with a pair of really obnoxious striped socks and black Maryjanes. I stretched my legs out in front of me, crossing them at the ankles as ladylike as I could manage, while Emmett's and Jasper's legs sandwiched mine in between theirs. Emmett, muscular and strapping in physique, looked like a giant in relation to the rest of the tiny house.
"We lost and I don't want to talk about how my team has a bunch of fucking pussies playing on it." Emmett replied.
I nodded and said, "Oookaaay, then subject closed. So Jasper, you look like crap. How do you feel?"
"Like shit. What did you do today?" Jasper asked coolly.
"I went to see about a job. Where's Edward?" I asked, probably a little too eagerly.
"He's probably doing his hair or ironing his underwear or something…that kid loves to iron shit. I swear he would iron the dog if he could." Apparently Emmett was in a very bad mood after losing. "Nice socks, by the way. I should have brought my sunglasses," He added, completely sarcastic.
"Stop hating on my socks." I snapped. "You have a dog?"
Jasper rolled his eyes. "No, Emmett is just a sarcastic motherfucker. Edward is playing. He gets real intense sometimes and loses track of time. I told him if he wasn't here by a quarter after we were smoking without him."
"He's playing the piano?" I asked.
They both nodded and I said excitedly, "Let's go get him; I want to hear him play."
"Oh, hell no. He'd fucking kill us if we gave him an audience without his pre-approval."
"Oh come on, I'll take the blame. Let's go before the rain starts." I said, kneeling to stand. Emmett grumbled something about not fucking moving and that we should get the fuck back here ASAP.
As Jasper and I took the path toward the Cullen home, he leaned over and said, "Oh, by the way, thanks for leaving me in the car last night. I woke up at like three am in Xanax's fucking lap with her hands all knotted up in my hair. How the fuck did that happen?"
"I don't know, lush. You could barely walk, and you must have been tired and just put your head on her lap. What did you expect her to do with all those silky golden tresses in her lap?" I asked chuckling, as I reached to ruffle his hair. I realized that the gesture was very flirtatious, and it wasn't meant to be anything but friendly.
"Well, she shouldn't have taken advantage of the situation." He raised an eyebrow smugly.
"Take advantage? Did she molest you or something?"
"Not that I remember, but she was all like, cuddled up with me and shit. I woke her up and told her to go home."
"Was she upset?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Don't know, don't care."
I shook my head in frustration for Alice thinking she must be devastated. "Don't be mean to her Jasper. She's a sweetheart." He rolled his eyes, gently kicking me in the butt.
"She's annoying." He replied. I kicked him back and he jutted his body to the side, avoiding my foot.
I said, "I think she likes you." He got me again and I squealed, running behind him as he circled after me, laughing.
"Yeah well, I don't like her. She's not my type." He dodged my foot again, countering with another kick from behind.
As I was evading his foot, I twisted and slipped, hitting the grass with a thud. He gave me his hand before he helped me up so I could brush the leaves off my skirt and socks. We giggled as we walked the rest of the distance, toward the side of the house with the long windows. Our Alice conversation had been closed for the moment, but I was not about to let him get off so easily. I was determined to get them together one way or another.
Suddenly, I could hear the music floating from inside, the beautiful melody tinkling in perfect cadence.
"Is that him?" I asked, surprised.
As Jasper moved to knock on the window to grab Edward's attention inside, I said, "No, wait a sec, I want to hear more."
Through the large window, I observed Edward as he sat at the bench of the shiny black piano. His expression was intense concentration, mixed with serenity, as his gaze fixed on the keys. I marveled at the sharp line of his jaw, clean-shaven and smooth, his lips pressed into a full pout. Every so often, his eyes would flutter shut and his head would sway gently as the melody ebbed and flowed from under his fingers. Edward's dark brown hair was in his usual state of organized chaos, but today he had it sort of pushed waywardly into the center in a faux hawk.
I watched in awe as his fingers danced over the ivory keys effortlessly, the muscles in his forearms twitching minutely from the movement of his fingers. The muddled afternoon light glinted on a sliver bracelet he wore around his left wrist, the thick masculine links adorned by a long flat bar.
I was frozen in awe of his music. The passion and the splendor of it made my heart clench as I took in the sight of him. I couldn't help but feel butterflies tangling in my belly. Edward's gaze lifted from the keys momentarily, meeting mine. A smirk played on his lips as I mimicked the expression tenfold. I was giddy at his friendly acknowledgment of my presence through the window. I thought he might be upset, but clearly, he wasn't ruffled by me observing him play.
Lifting my hand to wave, Jasper playfully grabbed my wrist, twisting me into a self-defense move before throwing me over his shoulder and spinning me around like a helicopter. I squealed at the sudden movements, begging him to put me down. Jasper dumped me to the grass in a heap, sliding down next to me as we laughed, breathless. I smacked his chest as I rolled over, muttering that he was a shit.
"Sorry, couldn't help it." He chuckled. Glancing up, I caught a glimpse of Edward's legs a yard or so in front of me, his posture rigid. His arms hung at his sides, his thumbs rubbing circles into the center of his palms. I shielded my eyes from the glare of the bright clouds as I looked up at him.
"Hey, how do you feel?" I asked, a brightness lacing my tone.
He shrugged his shoulders indifferently, before muttering, "I'm okay." Edward said in a clipped tone, "You ready?" His brilliant green eyes narrowed, fixed on Jasper. Jasper propped himself up on his elbows, eyeing Edward with an intensity I couldn't quite understand. He wore an amused expression; unmistakably clashing with Edward's annoyed one. I looked back and forth between the two boys as they ostensibly engaged in a silent conversation using only their eyes. The tension was thick and it made me very uncomfortable.
I stood, brushing myself off yet again, and said, "Okay, what's with the weirdness between you two?" Edward continued with his defiant stare in Jasper's direction while chewing the side of his cheek.
"No weirdness. Let's just go."
The three of us strode down the path in silence, awkward tension still brewing between the boys. Edward walked behind me, his gaze focused on the ground, as Jasper walked ahead. I turned to slow down, matching my pace with Edward's. "You play beautifully, E."
He looked up sheepishly, muttering, "Thanks." His demeanor was so different from the happy smile I received through the window. It was obvious that he was upset about something, I just didn't know what.
"You sure you're feeling okay?" I asked.
"I'm good, B. Just really hung over. Don't worry." Though I knew he was full of shit, I didn't want to press it any further.
Emmett was thumbing through an old copy of Seventeen, which he tossed into the corner of the room with an angry, "It's about fucking time." I climbed into the tree house last because the skirt I had on was short and I thought it would be inappropriate to give them a free show. When I got in there, Edward looked inexplicably fidgety and nervous. I sat against the wall with my legs folded under me to give him room because the space was really tight with Emmett there.
Edward lit the joint, taking two long hits before passing it to Emmett . It irked me to no end that he never let me have it first, which I felt was rude.
"Hey, what ever happened to ladies first?" I asked sharply, wiping my lip gloss off with the back of my hand. At least I had the courtesy to do that for him.
Emmett handed the joint to me, graciously forfeiting his turn and I took it, giving Edward a pointed glance. He mumbled, "Sorry," and I immediately felt awful as he looked down, fidgeting with his hands. I let this boy make me feel like shit for something he did…it suddenly occurred to me how dangerous that was. He could easily shatter my heart into a million pieces. I put those thoughts aside, before it made me anxious and sullen, just wanting to enjoy my time in the tree house.
As was customary, we all sat back quietly enjoying our buzz for a few minutes. Edward played with his always fascinating lighter, Emmett leaned his head against the wood with his eyes closed and Jasper made stupid faces at me.
Outside, we could hear the rain gradually grow louder, as it pelted the roof above us in waves. A bolt of light shone through the little window followed by an ear shattering crack of thunder. I jumped, with a little squeak, cringing at the sound. "I don't like storms." The silence returned, as we all sat listening to the storm brewing outside.
Every time a round thunder hit, I jumped, like a coward. Edward glanced at me occasionally, mouthing once, "You okay?" I simply nodded, embarrassed, but touched that he cared.
"So Bella… you got a job today?" Jasper asked, breaking the silence.
"Yup, I start next Sunday."
"Where?" Edward asked.
"Ummm…if I tell you, you have to promise not to laugh."
Jasper asked, "Are you delivering pizza or something?"
"No. The tips are waaaay better than that."
"Oh please tell me you're doing strip –o- grams!" Emmett beamed. I rolled my eyes at his suggestion, and he scowled, disappointed and muttering to himself.
"Ewww, no. You know when a kid has a birthday party and the theme is like, Sesame Street or something and the parents hire a person to get in the Big Bird costume and dance around?" I paused, pointing my thumbs inward, winking one eye. "That's me."
"You're gonna be Big Bird?" Emmett asked incredulously, his voice almost a screech. "But you're so damn short. It'd be like…Small Bird."
"So do the parents get half off?" Edward asked quietly. I looked at him and laughed out loud because I had never heard him make a joke before. He smirked at me briefly, before turning his attention back to his lighter. I had the sudden urge to grab his smirk in my fingers and kiss his face hard, completely having forgiven him for not giving me first dibs on the weed.
"Are you always Big Bird?" Jasper asked, lids hooded and almost slurring his words.
"No, it's all sorts of characters, but mostly like the Disney princesses and stuff."
"Like Tinkerbell?" Emmett asked. "You'd be Tinkerbella." He laughed heartily at his joke, but no one else joined him but me.
"Yeah, I guess I would be." I chuckled. "Sometimes it's Sesame Street, sometimes it's superheroes. Whatever they want. There's another girl and a guy who work there too, so I assume I won't have to be Superman."
"Yeah, Superman should never ever have boobs." Emmett remarked seriously, blatantly staring at my chest.
"Hey Em, you remember when Superman came to your birthday party in third grade?" Jasper asked, laughing. Edward let out a sudden chuckle. "He was the skinniest Superman ever and Emmett was so pissed, he wouldn't come out of his room for cake."
Emmett groaned, "That stupid guy sucked. I waited all year for him to come over so I could help him save the world and he was a complete sham."
Edward added, "Yeah… Emmett comes running out of his room and yells, 'That S on your chest is for Scrawny Suckhead, not Superman.' The guy was so upset, he almost cried." We all laughed, watching Emmett as he defended his actions.
"Hey, I am a purist. Don't do something half assed if you don't want to get called out on it. Leap tall buildings in a single bound, my ass."
"Emmett wore a shiny red cape for five fucking years," Jasper added." He would run around in his Tighty Whities and he'd only answer to the names Superman or Clark Kent...even at school." I laughed, picturing Emmett in nothing but a cape and underwear.
Rosalie must know about this.
"Yeah, well what about you, dick?" He glared at Jasper. "You went to sleep with your rain boots on and that stupid yellow raincoat every night pretending you were a fireman." We all roared with laughter.
Edward turned to me. "He would wait on the front steps and every time the mailman came, he'd shoot him with the garden hose and tell him to 'stop, drop, and roll.' The poor guy got fucking soaked every day, but he still came with the mail. I bet that guy pisses his pants every time he hears a sprinkler go off. Mom and Dad finally put a stop to it when everyone in the neighborhood was threatening to start a petition against Jasper because they were sick of wet mail."
We were all laughing so hard by now, the giggles were uncontrollable. I had to wipe the tears away from my eyes.
"What about you?" I asked Edward through giggles. "What did you want to be?"
Jasper interrupted. "Little Eddie here was torn between being a ball player or a doctor, he couldn't decide. He'd wake up and we never knew if we were going to be forced onto the coffee table for an exam or dragged outside to play catch." Edward just smiled, looking like that sweet innocent little boy again.
"He would take the stitching out of all of our baseballs and re-sew it saying he was 'suturing lacerations'. He was actually pretty good at it, too."
"Edward would…" Jasper was laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath, "Edward would fucking throw his little lab coat on over his uniform at Little League games and run out of the dugout when a player got injured, yelling, 'Move aside, I'm a doctor!'"
"Kid thought he was Doogie Houser or some shit." Emmett chuckled.
Edward's shoulders vibrated with silent laughter as he his shook head. "Aww that's so cute." I remarked, still giggling.
"I was ambitious, what can I say?" His smile and his laugh and the way he interacted so naturally with his brothers made something inside me tingle and ache simultaneously. I took a deep breath, wiped more tears from my eyes and realized that I really, really liked Edward Cullen for more than just his ridiculous good looks.
Well, I think I just officially fell for Edward…
"Edward rocked at 'Operation' and he always had his nose in one of dad's medical textbooks. You remember when you were convinced you had dysentery?" he said to Edward who chuckled at the memory. "Turns out he ate an entire jar of pickles and was crapping for like two days straight."
"Okay, thanks for that memory, douche," Edward scolded. Then the three of them looked at me expectantly.
"What?" I asked.
"What about you?" Edward asked. "You do anything like that when you were little…besides play with Barbie dolls?"
I laughed, thinking about being little. "Well, Me, Rosalie, Alice, Jessica and Lauren had a punk band when we were ten. We sucked, but we thought we were so good. We would rock out in the garage with our costumes on. It was pretty cool." I said. "I was really into being a princess for like, years. I was into fairy tales and princes on white horses and all that happily ever after stuff. I wore my tiara to bed. And I had a wand…" Suddenly I remembered the goodie bags stashed in my purse. "Ooh! I brought treats!"
The boys eyes lit up excitedly as I dug in my purse for the plastic bags. There were two bags, both filled with candy, glittery rings, stickers and fairy wands. I pulled out a snack size bag of Skittles that Emmett motioned for me to toss to him. "Blow Pop?' I asked, holding up the lollipop.
Jasper snatched it right out of my hands and Edward, sneered. "She said Blow Pop, not blow job. Jesus." Jasper gave him the finger. I handed Emmett the sheet of shiny Tinkerbell stickers, which he placed all over Jasper's jeans. I held the bag out to Edward and he peered over to look inside.
"Do you have any chocolate?" he asked softly. I withdrew a little bag of M&M's, shaking it in my fingers as he smiled and took it from me.
Emmett narrowed his eyes at Edward asking, "Since when do you like chocolate?"
"Since right now…what do you give a shit?" Edward snapped back.
I opened the other bag of M& M's, spilling them into my hand. We ate our treats in relative silence, and every so often we'd hear a yummy sound followed by a snicker come from someone. The wand was still in the bag, so I pulled it out, twirling the glittery plastic star in my fingertips. I noticed the thunder and lightning had stopped, as well as the heavy rain. It was getting late. I wanted to eat, shower and sober up before I headed to pick up Alice and head to Rosalie's house for the evening.
"I'm gonna get going, guys."
"What are you doing tonight?" Edward asked, popping a red M&M into his mouth.
"Just going to Rosalie's for some girlie time. You know, naked pillow fights and hair braiding. What about you guys?"
"We're heading to Mike's to watch the fight." Jasper replied.
"Okay, well, have fun. Oh, before I go," I said as I stood, all my 5foot, 2 inches barely touching the ceiling of the tree house, "As the princess of this castle, I grant you each one wish. Sir Emmett, so strong and brave, I grant you one wish." I popped Emmett on the head with the sharp spike of the star which elicited an, "Ouch," from him. I did not apologize.
"Ummm, okay…I wish…"
I hit him in the head again and said forcefully, "Keep it silent or it won't come true. And close your eyes or the opposite of the wish will happen." Edward quirked a skeptical eyebrow at me to which I responded, "Castle rules." Emmett obediently squeezed his eyes shut and wished.
I did the same to Jasper, only a little harder, "Sir Jasper, so flirtatious and funny."
"Shit, owww." He closed his eyes and wished, rubbing the spot that I spiked him on.
I turned to Edward, "Sir Edward, so handsome and mysterious." He cowered in the corner in mock fear, holding his hands protectively over his head. Finding an open spot, I pegged him in the head too, only softer. I commanded, "Do it! Make a wish!" He made his wish with a smile on his face, shaking his head.
"Bye Guys."
"Later Tinkerbella," Emmett said.
I opened the door and climbed down the ladder toward the ground.
As I walked away down the path, I heard Jasper say, "Shit, she's one mean princess."
I stopped and yelled, "I heard that! And I know you all wished for BJ's tonight, and none of you are getting any!"
With my sparkly star shaped wand in hand, I laughed to myself, skipping all the way home.
###