AN: Okay, so this is my first Twilight story that I've posted on here. Updates will not be regular, just a warning. I have a few other stories that I'm working on before uploading them, and also I have a huge load of homework every week (Year 10). But I'll try to be a bit more regular, Like once every two weeks or so. Okay. Enough of the heavy. Disclaimer, then on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or any of its characters. I own the plotline and nothing else. Not even Jasper...
Playlist for this Chapter:
Get Out Of This Town - Carrie Underwood
Life Is A Highway - Rascal Flatts
Ever so slowly, Rosalie Hale cracked one violet blue eye open to look suspiciously around her bedroom. She could have sworn she heard a noise...
"Boo!" cried Alice Brandon as she popped up from the end of the bed. Rosalie screamed once in shock, her eyes flying open and sitting straight up.
"Alice! What's your deal? I nearly had a heart attack!" she scolded.
"I'm sorry! I've had the most brilliant idea!" Alice said, bouncing up and down near the foot of the bed. Rosalie groaned and settled back against her pillows, only to have the covers yanked off her and pulled out of bed.
"That's never a good sign..." Rosalie had seen one too many of Alice's 'brilliant' ideas.
"Come on!" Alice pushed Rosalie towards her walk in wardrobe. "Get dressed, it's 10.00 in the morning already. We need to go find Bella!"
"Wait, what?" Bella Swan asked, confused.
Alice grimaced. Rosalie just sat there, stunned, slowly starting to grin.
"We," Alice began, pointing between all three girls "are going on a road trip. Mom has agreed to chaperone us, but she'll mainly be there to make sure we don't get arrested or things like that. We're going for an entire year before we go to college and get tied down. C'mon Bells! Please say you'll go, it'll be really fun." Seeing Bella's dubious look, she added reluctantly "And I will try to keep the makeovers to a minimum..."
Bella took a long sip of her soda. "And Esme said she'll come along?"
'Gosh, Mom and Bells really get along.' Alice thought before nodding her head yes.
Frowning in consideration, Bella thought about it while Alice and Rosalie held their breath.
"Okay." Bella said simply.
Rosalie gaped. "O- Okay? Who are you and what have you done with our Bella? Our Bella kicks up such a fuss and throws tantrums that we have to quite literally drag her to take her anywhere!" Bella started laughing.
"I just think it's an excellent idea. Are we visiting all 50 states?" she suddenly asked.
"Yeah, what else?" Alice replied.
"Will there be chocolate and marshmallows?"
"Duh!" Rosalie retorted.
"One more question. Are we going to meet cute boys?"
Alice and Rosalie stared at her.
"Come on girls, it's a valid question." came a voice from behind them.
"Esme!" Rosalie squealed. Esme Brandon smiled and hugged Bella and Rosalie.
"Good morning, girls."
"Mom, how did you know we were here?" Alice asked, curious.
Esme shook her head. "Darling, after you left this morning to go and harass Rosalie, I assumed you would go to meet Bella. Since this is your regular spot, I looked here first. I am your mother, dear, I notice such things. By the way, I assume from the little I heard of the conversation, we are all in agreement to leave on a road trip two days from now?"
"Mom." Alice began, her face serious "You do realise what this means..."
"No, dear. I'm afraid you'll have to tell me." Esme replied, fighting a smile.
Sighing, Alice shook her head. "Honestly, Mom, sometimes I despair of you. Let's go SHOPPING!"
Five hours and countless shopping bags later, Alice proclaimed that all four females were suitably decked out for their year long trip around the country.
"Besides," she had added "we can always shop along the way." Bella and Rosalie were walking behind her, conversing.
"You know, Rose, it's a good thing we have money coming out our ears. Although we aren't as obnoxious about it as Jessica Stanley is, for example, we have enough to fund stuff like this. Jessica would buy the mall for something like this. We just use Alice."
Jessica Stanley was the daughter of the bank owner.
"Yeah, but her father was born with money. Ours had to earn it. I think that's what makes us less obnoxious, because we know what it's like to not have it." Rose speculated.
They were pulled out of their conversation by Alice, who repeated what she said about shopping along the way.
Bella rolled her eyes. "Joy. Another thing to look forward to."
Brow creased in thought, Alice gave out orders. "Everybody go home and get your stuff ready for a year long trip, I'm emailing out lists."
Esme took over the conversation. "Can you all meet at our house tomorrow morning for lunch? That's when the RV is being dropped off. We took the liberty of buying it, but you can pay your fourth whenever. If for some reason you can't, don't worry about it."
All three girls and Esme went home to start packing. As promised, Alice had sent them a list. It included all the clothes they had bought that day.
Bella, reaching the bottom of the list, furrowed her brow. She re read the item, then immediately picked up the phone and called Alice.
"Hey Bells!" Alice greeted cheerfully "What's up?"
"Umm, do I have to bring my guitar? I mean, I thought maybe one guitar between the three of us, but..."
"Bella! The guitar is non-negotiable. Rose and I are bringing ours as well, so don't you try to get out of it. We need to have jam sessions on the way! I've missed us playing together, it's been too long. So you must bring your guitar, cause I'll be checking. Kapeesh?" Alice was breathless by the time she finished.
Bella stood motionless, staring off into space. "Yeah, OK. I've missed our jam sessions too. Alice, why are we going on this road trip? I mean, I know we won't be able to travel much, if at all, when we're in college, but Alice, I know you. What other reasons do you have?"
Alice sighed into the phone. "Bella, I just want us to have some girl time before we get caught up in classes. And this seemed like an amazing time to go. What really ties us to Forks? Mom? She's coming with us, and is most likely settling near where we go to college. I've broken up with James after I realised he was a creepy stalkerish pervert. Your Dad can take care of himself, and he has Sue now anyways. You've broken up with Jacob for being a temperamental jackass. Rosalie's parents are never around anyway and she broke up with Royce after... well, you know what happened. We have NOTHING tying us here. And we haven't even decided where to go to college, so I figure we can check some out along the way. We need a holiday, especially if it could be for an entire year! So please don't say you won't go after you agreed!"
Bella could practically hear her pouting through the phone. She groaned in exasperation. "I never had any intention of backing out! I just wanted to know why you are so desperate to get out of town. It hasn't even been New Years, it's only the 27th! Now that you've told me, I would like to go to sleep, Alice. I will see you tomorrow." After exchanging goodbyes, Bella hung up and took a deep breath, an excited smile crossing her face.
"We're getting out of here in two days..."
She was just about to turn off her light when Charlie knocked on her door.
"Come in." Bella called. He slid through the doorway and sat on the edge of Bella's bed. She looked up at him, a small amount of guilt for leaving him bubbling up inside of her. But the desire to leave the small town of Forks quenched the desire almost immediately.
"Yeah Dad?"
"Esme called." Charlie stared at her.
"And what did she say?"
"That you're going on a road trip for a year. Bells, you're not going to come home, are you?" It wasn't really a question, more a statement. And Bella felt the guilt again.
"Of course I am. When I get settled into college I'll come home some weekends, and be here for birthdays and holidays. And I'll call and email all the time."
But both Bella and Charlie knew the truth. She would never again live in Forks.
"And besides, Dad, you have Sue now. I can live in peace knowing you won't give yourself food poisoning." She giggled.
"But Sue is not the same as my baby girl, Bells." Charlie was resigned now, nothing he said could stop her.
Bella sighed. "I know, Dad. But I want to get out there, you know? Life by the day, have fun. Before getting tied down to college."
Charlie gave a small smile. "I can remember wanting to do that, until I married your Mom. Then I missed the chance. But I'm glad you took the chance, Bells. I love you."
Sitting up, Bella gave her father a hug. He turned off the light and walked to the doorway.
"I love you too, Dad." Bella whispered before he shut the door.
The next morning was absolute insanity. Phone calls were buzzing through all three houses constantly, questions about clothes and what to bring were being thrown around like a beach ball. Finally, the four converged in Alice and Esme's house for lunch, and they were waiting for the RV to be dropped off.
"I talked to my Dad about the trip last night." Bella said.
Rosalie, who was sitting next to her on the lounge, grimaced.
"Yeah, I called my parents too. The almost seemed happy to have an excuse to call me for a year."
Bella gave Rose a sideways hug, before stating "My Dad was fine with it, he said he was happy we took the chance."
"Well, I don't have to worry about that, my Mom's coming with me." Alice grinned, before cocking her head to the side. "Is that a good thing?"
Esme mock glared at her daughter. "Well, I should think so! I paid for the RV, remember? Which you still have to pay me back for, Alice. It's a good thing."
"Esme, how much is the RV?" Bella asked, mentally going through her bank account.
Rosalie sat up straighter and turned to Esme as well, waiting for her answer.
"Well, you don't need to worry about the overall cost, I've broken it up into four parts, so we all get a share. I have paid for it, but you can refund the money at any time, girls, don't worry about it. But the quarter you will pay is 3767.50 dollars. That doesn't food along the way, but includes everything else, like camping fees and gas."
Bella breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't as much as she expected.
"Can I transfer the money to your bank account, Esme?" she asked. When Esme nodded, she moved over to Alice's laptop that was sitting on one of her 4 suitcases.
"Alice, we don't have that much storage space, and we need to pack stuff too. Where is this all going?" Bella groaned. Alice smiled.
"Well, one of the suitcases is collapsible, and for the extra things I buy. I have one for you, Rosalie and Mom, too. The rest are easily fit into the storage space. We have the holder on the rook, as well. One of the suitcases is summer clothes, one is winter clothes and one is formal wear, swimming gear, and shoes. So I think I packed very efficiently, thank you very much."
Bella merely shook her head and took Alice's laptop to transfer the money. Once she was done, Rosalie transferred her own quarter. They were just finishing lunch when the gravel driveway crunched and a horn beeped.
"The RV!' Rosalie gasped. Alice had run out of house at the first 'beep' and Bella was bouncing up and down. Esme just smiled at the over-excited teenagers before going after Alice. Bella and Rosalie followed, before stopping short at the sight in the Brandon's driveway.
The shiny, bus-like RV was sitting in front of the house, taking up most of the space. It was a shiny black, with tinted windows and grey, silver and white designs around the outside. All in all, a very formidable vehicle.
"Wow." Alice breathed. Bella was staring wide-eyed, and Rose was transfixed. Esme signed the paperwork, before the delivery man got in the passenger seat of the rusty car that had followed the RV.
"Alright girls, I have four keys. On the count of three, I will put them on the veranda and move out of the way. 1..." Esme moved to the veranda, the girls watching her like a hawk.
"2..." They began to converge.
"3!" Esme dropped the keys and spun out of the way, as Rose, Alice and Bella grabbed a key and ran, screaming and laughing, to the door of the massive vehicle.
The interior was modern, spacious and covered in leather. There were two sets of wide bunk beds near the back of the bus, and a door leading to the bathroom in the middle of the beds. A small kitchen was off to the side in the middle, and a four person dining table on the other side. The little 'living room' was at the front of the bus, and had two lounges (with seat belts). The kitchen and one of the lounges were both able to be extended out at the press of a button when the RV was stationary, to give moving space down the middle of the vehicle. And there was enough storage space to fit all of what they had, and more!
The Brandon house was all a flutter as things went into the RV, moved around, and secured. Rosalie and Alice took the top bunks, while Bella and Esme were content with the bottom bunks. The three guitars went into the living room, and put in the storage under the lounges.
It was just around dinnertime that they finished making the RV as homey as they could. Everything was packed away and now it was planning time...
"Anyone want to know a little piece of trivia about the RV?" Esme grinned. The girls still hadn't come down of their excitement-induced high, so they all nodded so fast it was a blur.
"The RV company, Vamosa, is a very exclusive company. It only makes two of every product. So we have a two of a kind product! And, if you ever find the other half, the company gives out prizes! So be on the lookout for an RV with the same exterior paint and pattern as ours..."
Esme let them ponder that for a while before she continued.
"Anyway, it's time to get down to business. We're leaving on the 29th, which is tomorrow. When are we concluding our trip?"
Rosalie spoke up. "If we're looking at colleges along the way, we have to finish before the term starts. So sometime early January?"
"Yeah," Alice continued "and we want to get into Ivy League, so that narrows down the colleges. I want to get back in time to pack everything up comfortably. And celebrate Mom's birthday here too. It can double as a going away party for us!" Alice was getting excited at the prospect of a double-party.
"Alright." Esme said. "Bella?"
"Well, Esme's birthday is on the eighth. College starts mid-January, and we still have to get there. So maybe three days before Esme's birthday?"
"The fifth of January?" Esme questioned. Bella nodded. "Let's put it to a vote. All in favour? Say aye!"
A chorus of 'aye' came from the three girls. Rosalie was the first to do the calculations.
"50 states. 373 days. We have a week in each state. That sounds good!"
"Okay. Going through the checklist before bed! Do we have the RV?" Bella asked.
"Check!" Alice responded.
"Bus license?"
"Check!"
"Passports"
"Check... Umm. Mom?"
"I got them."
"Okay. Sense of adventure?"
"Never lost it!"
"Rose, you're supposed to say check."
"Check!"
"And the final thing..."
Bella trailed off, letting the sentence hang. Finally, Alice elbowed her in the ribs and she relented.
"Ow, Alice! Fine. The final thing, ability to live life spontaneously, care-free and happy?"
"Check!"
"Well then," Esme smiled. "We're ready to go on a trip to remember!"
Rosalie peered around her room at the Brandon's. She knew she heard something, but nothing was out of the ordinary. A sense of déjà vu spread over her and before she had time to wonder...
"Boo!" Alice cried, jumping up from the foot of the bed.
"Alice!" Rosalie screamed. Her heart was beating out the rhythm of a fast-paced rap song.
"Sorry!" Alice grinned, not sounding sorry at all. "But we leave in two hours! Get up! We need to get ready, and Bella takes up most of my time anyway." Alice was still in her soft pink pyjamas, and wiggled around to prove her point.
"Alright. Let me wake up." Rosalie yawned and stretched before following Alice into wake Bella up, then down the stairs for breakfast. A glorious smell had wafted up the stairs and assaulted their noses.
"Esme!" Bella squealed as she heaped her plate high with pancakes. "This is the best going away breakfast ever!" The other two girls agreed, their mouths stuffed with maple syrup and pancakes.
But before long, The dragged themselves upstairs (Well, in Bella's case. Alice bounced. Rosalie glided.) to get ready, Alice playing Bella Barbie and giving advice to Rose and choosing for Bella.
Eventually they came downstairs, dressed in their 'travelling on the first day' outfits.
Bella wore dark grey skinny jeans that were surprisingly comfortable, a dark blue blouse with long sleeves and flats of the same colour. A long gold necklace that said 'peace', a gold bracelet and natural make up completed the innocent look.
Rosalie had light blue skinny jeans, a loose red blouse and red flats. A gold bracelet, a long necklace with a four-leaf clover on it and bold red lip gloss with gold eye shadow gave her a fearless look.
Alice wore a light green peasant top with blue and peach flowers stitched around the chest area, with off-white skinny jeans. A silver choker and pale peach ballet flats with natural makeup completed her outfit.
When all last minute checks were completed, the last toilet run over, and the house locked up, they stood on the front veranda, holding bags with essential trip items. Waiting for Esme to give the all clear. She was the only one with a bus license, and therefore the only person who could drive the RV. Currently, she was turning it around in the driveway, a tricky manoeuvre requiring her to not hit flowerbeds, garages and the house. She managed it very well, the only casualty being a slightly bruised rosebush.
Soon enough the girls were strapped into the lounge, Esme in the driver's cabin with a good supply of chocolate and an iPod. The girls had their guitars out, ready to hit the road.
"Ready?" Esme asked, a joyful smile on her face. The girls grinned at each other.
"Hells yeah!" Alice said.
"So ready." Bella agreed.
"Ready to hit the highway." Rosalie added. Then smiled mischievously. "Don't you agree, girls? Life is like a highway."
The girls nodded, they understood the hidden message.
"3."
"2."
"1!"
The RV pulled out of the driveway as the first sharp notes of "Life is a Highway" filled the air.
AN: So how did I go? I know this chapter had all the boring stuff in it, but it was necessary. I could just jump straight into the middle of the trip, could I?
Should I change the POV from 3rd Person, to 1st Person? And if so, who? Bella, Rosalie or Alice? Not Esme, if you don't mind. Not out of any prejudice, but because I don't know if I could pull it off. But I think I'm going to change, this isn't as personal, you know? Post your opinion in a review! Please?
'Life is a Highway' is a really catchy song, perfect for road trips. There's going to be a playlist for every chapter, so keep a lookout!
Until next time, chichas!
AussieChicha