A/N: Chapter 5 ladies and gents! I hope you enjoy ;)
Disclaimer: God, I'm getting bored of repeating the fact that I Don't. Own. Anything.
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I fucking hated the hospital. I hated everything about it. The smell, the fact everything was white, the endless forms, the queues, just everything. And yet, I always ended up here. The receptionist that sat at the front desk now recognised me when I approached and didn't even bother to point out where the clipboards holding the forms were. And it was fucking packed in here today. And I had an essay to write. Ergh.
As soon as we saw the waiting crowd I felt Rose and Alice begin to back away towards the door. Don't get me wrong, they are great friends, but I wasn't going to make them wait God knows how long for me to get my stupid hand stitched up.
"Guys, just go," I sighed.
"Don't be stupid, we're not going to leave you here," Alice said.
"Seriously, you know what this place is like. I'll get a cab home. Just go!"
"Well...if you're sure?" Rose asked, with undisguised hope in her voice.
"Yes. Go," I urged them, waving them back out of the doors.
Once somebody checked I wasn't about to bleed to death I was sent to sit in the waiting room until my name was called. Luckily after about half an hour I was brought into a cubicle and five stitches later (yes, you heard me correctly, five) I was sat in a taxi and heading back to my apartment.
To say I was relieved to find my apartment empty when I got back would be a massive fucking understatement because I really did have a huge amount of work to do. However, when I powered up my laptop the first thing I did was log into Facebook - obviously.
I had a few notifications but I ignored those and went straight to Edward's profile. After Rosalie's revelations about what she had overheard I was looking at his picture (which was all I could fucking see now, thank you very much Facebook people) in a brand new light.
Rosalie usually ignored drunk guys like they had the plague but according to her the dude at this party was so "completely pathetic" that she couldn't help but listen in. Although she didn't know it was him at the time, Rose overheard Edward moaning about having to go to a "stupid fucking English class and do some stupid ass essay" to which hot, dimples guy told him to "man up and talk to her then". At first this confused Rose but Edward then went on to spend the next half an hour (I'm pretty sure Rose is exaggerating) drunkenly moaning about how some beautiful brunette (she distinctly remembered him using the word 'beautiful' because she said it sounded weird hearing that word used at a keg party) would never talk to him once she found out how pathetic he was, etcetera.
Apparently Rose got bored of listening to him after a while and went back to hating on Royce. However, from what we could piece together from Rose's eavesdropping and our little meeting in the coffee house Edward was a medical student who was taking an English class that he didn't need, presumably because he fancied a 'beautiful brunette' that took said class.
He also knew my name was Bella even though we'd never spoken before.
Okay, so we can all see what that points towards but there was no way in hell that I was going to get my hopes up. In real life, things like that didn't happen. It wasn't that easy. Something always had to go wrong. Boy didn't meet girl, have some cliché meeting, fall in love and live happily ever after. Nope, no way! And until I had concrete evidence that I was this girl, or until I'd done enough to turn Edward off that girl and onto me, I wasn't going to get carried away.
So I sat there, staring at the tiny profile picture that was still available to me, wondering if I should just bite to bullet and add him. After all we had met now. He'd introduced himself to me, he knew my name, we'd both acknowledged the fact that we had class together. Adding him, at this point in time, was perfectly acceptable.
Or was it?
Could I really just add him, seemingly out of the blue? According to Facebook we didn't even have any mutual friends, so it wasn't even like I could have stumbled across his page and thought 'Oh! It's Edward! Fuck it, I'll add him!' No. That couldn't have happened. If I added him now it would be blatantly obvious that I'd taken the time to search out his profile and find him. Damn it. Why couldn't we both know at least one same person? Then it'd be so easy! I could 'peacock' a little on their page, he'd spot me and then he could add me.
Ah Facebook 'peacocking'. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, let me explain to you what it is. Right, so you know how a peacock flashes all his tail feathers to get the attention of a potential mate? Well Facebook 'peacocking' works in kind of the same way – minus the feathers. Say you have a guy you are madly in love with (e.g. Edward) but you don't want to be the one to add him on Facebook because you a) don't want to look like a stalker and b) don't want to seem too keen? Well, take a mutual friend (if you have one, that is) and if you see said guy has commented on, say, a photo or a status, then you comment on it too. They will then spot you and can do the adding without feeling like they've stalked you because they have a legitimate way of having stumbled across your Facebook. "Oh yeah, I saw you commented on Kate's status and I was like 'Oh, hey it's Bella' so I thought I'd add you." It works. Trust me.
Unfortunately for me I didn't have a single fucking mutual friend with him so that plan was completely out of the window. Sigh. At the very least I'd see him on Wednesday, maybe even tomorrow when I handed in the fucking essay.
Ugh, the essay.
Grudgingly I logged off Facebook (it was hard, trust me) and opened up the dreaded Word document. If I was lucky I'd be done by midnight.
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In my awesome time plan to be done by midnight I forgot to factor in the fact that I would be disturbed by either Rose or Alice at some point over the evening. Today the disturbance was Alice.
"My hand is fine, I'm doing my essay, leave me alone, bye." I said by way of hello when answering my phone.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Don't hang up! When do you think you'll be done?" She asked, clearly not getting the real gist of my hello.
"At this rate, never. Why?" I was a little curious about why she wanted to know when I'd be finished.
"Me and Rose were thinking of going for a few drinks tonight. Skavo's have that special offer on a Sunday and –"
"I am not going to Skavo's." Fuck. That.
"Why not? It's always so much fun!"
"No it isn't! Anyway, there is no way I'll be done with this and even if I was, Skavo's is the last place on earth I'd want to go to celebrate."
"You're mad. That place is brilliant. You get all the best characters in there!"
"What like the guy that asked me if I was Jamaican?" I scoffed.
"Ha! That was brilliant! I still can't believe you ruined his chat-up line. You were supposed to say, 'No, why?'" She laughed down the line.
"Oh really? And let him say 'because Jamaican me crazy'? Like, seriously? Did he really think that would work? Of all the shitty chat-up lines to use..."
"God, you were funny. And your voice! 'Do I look Jamaican to you?' You didn't even crack a smile when you answered him back!"
"Uh, that was because it wasn't funny! My accent clearly shows I'm American and honestly, I reflect the sun. The only people paler than me are albinos!"
"True dat. So you aren't coming?"
"No, Alice. I'm not."
"Fiiine," she sung down the line. "It's your loss! I'll see you tomorrow to let you know if anything interesting happens! Bye!"
That little interruption from Alice threw me completely off track. I managed to get to the end of the actual essay before I felt like I was about to collapse. Usually I'd have all my references and bibliography work done too but bumping into your one true love and slicing your hand open can really take it out of you. Referencing would just have to wait until the morning and the essay would have to be handed in at ten instead of the usual nine. I was fucking shattered.
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In the end my referencing only took me about ten minutes so I still ended up handing the essay in really fucking early. There was already one essay sitting in Mrs Cope's in tray though so I guess somebody was as eager as I was. Maybe it was Edward...Nah. By the sounds of things he didn't even want to be in this class so I guessed the likelihood of him handing his essay in before the very last minute was slim.
I was still ridiculously tired from the past weekend but fortunately I had Mondays off which meant I could go home, run a nice hot bubble bath and spend the rest of the day relaxing...
That was the plan anyway. I forgot that in my life my plans never work out, especially when they concern my own relaxation and I came home to find Alice sitting on my couch wearing clothes that definitely suggested that she hadn't returned home last night.
"What have you done?" I sighed, sitting down next to her.
"Bella, I think I might be in love," she replied looking at me.
I, of course, immediately started laughing but stopped when I saw the look on her face and realised she was completely fucking serious.
"Alice what the fuck are you talking about?" I asked, slightly freaked out. Alice was well known for falling in 'love' with people but she had pretty much just broken up with Riley and the way she was looking at me was creeping me out a little bit. She was all wide eyed (said eyes were bloodshot, by the way) and kept nodding her head and shit. It was weird.
"Bella I met him last night and I swear it was love at first sight. Like I've never believed in any of that before but like, it literally was. And we started drinking, and we got on so well and he was so funny and really, really charming and we drank some more, and Rosalie vanished, and it was just me and him and then we went back to his place and I...um...I..." She said this all in one big breath before going bright red and burying her face behind one of my cushions.
"Alice!" I gasped. "Tell me you didn't!"
"I did," she mumbled from behind the pillow, her face hidden. Suddenly she popped up from behind it and said, in complete seriousness, "but it doesn't really count."
"Oh here we go again. And why doesn't this one count?" Alice had a habit of trying to find ways to make her sexual encounters 'not count' – even though they all did. For example, 'I was drunk so it doesn't count', 'I was on holiday so it doesn't count', and 'He couldn't speak English so it doesn't count'. You get the idea.
"Well...like we started and then I got a bit freaked out...like...it was awesome but I really like this guy and all of a sudden I was like 'Oh my god, what if he thinks I'm a total slut' and then I was like 'I can't do this' and he was really nice and understanding and he wants to take me out again tonight but now I feel so embarrassed and –"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. So you started having sex with him, and then decided you didn't want to anymore, and he was really nice about it and you're going out again tonight?"
"Um, yeah, pretty much."
"So you did still have sex with him?"
"Not really."
"Yes really."
"No, we stopped."
"Alice, did you have his you-know-what in your you-know-where?"
"Gah, yes, but only for like – a couple of thrusts!" She was back hiding behind the pillow again and had started laughing.
"Then it counts you weirdo! If he was inside you, then you had sex!" I laughed, chucking another cushion at her.
"Oh, whatever!" She reappeared again and threw the cushion back at me and soon enough we'd descended into a fit of giggles and laughter.
"So," Alice began, wiping the tears from her eyes, "you'll come with me tonight, yes?"
"Uh...no? Why do you need me to come? You've already fucked him Alice, I think the 'scared-to-be-alone-so-I'm-bringing-a-friend-on-this-date' ship has sailed."
"Don't say it like that! Let's just say I'm a little bit embarrassed, okay? He said that he'll bring somebody too. Come on, it'll be fun! You can meet him and grill him about everything!"
"Oh, that's a good point. What's his name? We can look him up on Facebook," I said excitedly.
"Nope, I'm not telling you. I don't want you doing any Facebook digging on this one. I really like him and I want to get to know him properly instead of by finding out what his favourite films are from Facebook and then subtly dropping them into conversations."
"Boo, you whore. Ruin all of my fun why don't you? I'm definitely not going on your date now!"
"Bella, don't even joke insult me like that right now. My reputation is a very touchy subject for me at the moment," she said with a serious face, before cracking up into more laughter a second later, with me promptly joining in.
"Seriously though, take Rosalie with you. She loves these sorts of things. She's in her element when she's torturing unsuspecting men, particularly those hoping to be future suitors of ours."
Just as I said that, there was a buzz on my intercom signalling that somebody was at my door. I pressed the button to speak into it to find out who it was and was greeted with Rose's voice.
"Let me in," she groaned. "My head feels like it's going to explode."
After buzzing her up she walked into my living room, took one look at Alice, and her mood improved almost immediately.
"Well aren't you looking fresh Miss Brandon? I take it that blonde dude got lucky? Classy Al, real classy," she said winking at her.
"Fuck off Rosalie, like you haven't done it before," Alice huffed.
"Ha! Was it worth it?"
"We're not sure Rose," I cut in, "because apparently her sex with him doesn't actually count."
"Oh for God's sake, what loophole are you trying to invent this time?" Rose asked.
"I don't invent loopholes!" Alice defended. "All of my reasons are legitimate excuses for sex not counting!"
Rose and I shot her a very sceptical look.
"They are!" Alice shouted.
"Okay, Alice dear. Whatever you say," Rose said in an extremely patronising tone. "Now tell us all about this guy that you didn't have sex with. Starting with the most important details first."
"Which are?" Alice looked very confused. All things considered she could be very naive at times. Especially seeing as we were friends with somebody like Rosalie.
"His dick, Alice!" Rose said exasperated. "I want details! Length, girth, you name it!"
"Jesus Christ," I muttered, as I excused myself and went to fix us lunch instead. I was all for sharing and caring but once Rosalie got started with her interrogation there was no stopping her and there were some things I could do without hearing.
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As it transpired Rosalie leapt at the opportunity to accompany Alice on her date. Most normal people hated having to be the tag-along date because you always got stuck with a complete freak, while your friend enjoyed their proper date. Rosalie, however, was not a normal person, and therefore lived for these opportunities. Due to the fact that she was stunningly beautiful it was usually pretty hilarious looking at the shocked face of whoever had been brought along to keep her occupied.
I waved them off from mine at about half past six in the evening (so much for my relaxing day). They weren't meeting their dates until eight but needed time to beautify themselves, of course. I finally ran that bath I'd been looking forward to all day, grabbed a book and went to read it in the warmth and comfort of my bathroom.
To say I was surprised when Alice text me at eight would be an understatement; though the actual text confused me even more.
You need to make yourself look BEAUTIFUL and drive over to Wild Ginger right fucking NOW. DO NOT IGNORE THIS TEXT UNLESS YOU WANT ROSALIE TO RUIN YOUR LIFE. A xo
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
I needed to be beautiful? And go to the restaurant they were at? Because Rosalie was about to ruin my life? What?
Al what are you on? I'm in the bath! B xo
She text back in literally thirty seconds.
I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. I'M DOING DAMAGE LIMITATION BUT YOU NEED TO GET HERE ASAP. WEAR YOUR BLUE DRESS. DON'T ASK QUESTIONS JUST DO IT A XO
Completely fucking confused and really worried I jumped out of the bath. Luckily I'd already shaved my legs and arm pits so I didn't have to worry about that but my hair was totally damp still. I threw on my dress and did my make-up while I was waiting for my hair to dry a bit more. Unlike Rosalie or Alice I could wash my hair and go because it dried in natural waves but I decided to throw it up into a messy bun anyway.
To be honest, considering I got ready in about five fucking minutes I didn't look too shabby.
I grabbed a silver clutch bag from out of my wardrobe, threw my phone, purse and keys in it and ran out to my car.
Something serious must have happened for Alice to text me something so demanding and, if I'm being honest, frightening. How on earth could Rosalie possibly be about to ruin my life? Surely she wouldn't do anything on purpose? Or would she? No, she wouldn't. And how would she actually be able to anyway?
Bloody hell, the sooner I got to the restaurant and figured out what the fucking hell was going on the better. Unfortunately it was one of those nights when every light was red and the road was full of idiots that couldn't drive. It took me at least ten minutes longer than it usually did to drive down town.
I finally got to the stupid restaurant and pulled up into the parking lot. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself before stepping through the glass doors and into the restaurant, which considering it was a Monday; was pretty busy still.
That being said it didn't take me long to spot Alice because she was bouncing up and down in her seat, acting like she was on crack. She was sitting opposite a guy that, although sitting down, was obviously tall and had honey blonde hair. He also looked freakishly familiar.
Rosalie was next to Alice and she was wearing an expression that resembled something between a smirk and a sneer. It was the look she got when she was enjoying herself immensely.
And then my eyes travelled to the person sitting opposite Rosalie.
He had his back to me but considering I'd spent the last six or so weeks staring at the back of his head I'd become pretty well skilled in spotting Edward Cullen from afar. No wonder the blonde dude looked familiar. I'd been looking at pictures of him on Facebook for weeks now as I trawled through everything Edward was tagged in. Well, before Facebook ruined that for me anyway. So, this was Jasper Whitlock in the flesh and by the looks of things he was the new love of Alice's life. Huh, what a small world it was.
Then realisation hit me like a punch to the gut.
If Jasper was Alice's date then that meant Edward was...
Oh shit.
And the fact Rosalie was looking so vindictively pleased with herself did not bode well.
Double shit.
She was going to ruin my life was she? I'd be fucking lucky if it wasn't already six feet under.
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed that! The 'not counting' and 'chat-up lines' bits are all true. God I love my besties.
What do we think Rose has been saying to Edward? How pissed off is he going to be when we get his POV next chapter? And finally, finally next chapter we'll get some real, solid, massive ExB interaction! If you review I'll even send you a teaser for it ;)
Follow me people! /Green_eyesx
And don't forget to check out our Alice competition over at the blog: http:/fanfiction-challenges. blogspot. com/ Entries are literally about to close but voting starts very soon!
Finally, Porcelain Cement will update in the next couple of days so keep an eye out ;)