Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight
Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight.
So, after a long silence and reading Breaking Dawn, beginning Midnight Sun, and attempting to advance Marek and later characters outside of the fanfiction world, I've decided to return to this lovely little piece and finish up my revision before returning to the updatingness that has become abominably belated. Mind you this may only be a weekend activity, with my new resolve I should get a fair amount done.
Revised, chickadees.
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It was a great relief when school resumed the next week. Aubrey felt that if she had had to spend one more day shut up at home with Jack and his constant teasing, she would have exploded. He was still finding new ways to make her project marriage into the punchline of every one of his jokes. There was only so much one could take, and after the fiftieth "I know who your favorite band is, Aubrey, your husband!" Aubrey found her patience waning.
Between the puns, the subject of a car had made a few appearances in conversation, and Jack once again refused to shake his beliefs in a healthy morning walk to school unaided by a gas-guzzling monster with a high passenger fatality rate. The phrase 'builds good character' played as an excuse behind his decision every other time she asked.
It was sunny that Monday, causing Aubrey's feelings to conflict between a joy at finally seeing the sunlight and a disappointment that, if indeed Marek had not been pulling her leg (and it was very doubtful now that he was, even if the sensation of being lifted up in a car had begun to raise doubts in Aubrey's memory), the Cullens would not be at school that day. But this foresight still did nothing to stem the let down that squirmed through her insides miserably when she didn't spot his car in the student lot.
Throughout the day, discussions of an out-of-town trip arose between Jessica, Angela, and Bella to visit Port Angeles that night on a spontaneous shopping spree. Jessica and Angela claimed they needed dresses for the upcoming dance and Bella wanted to find a bookstore. Well, a better bookstore than the library in Forks. They offered an invitation to Aubrey, who accepted, thinking that while she was there she could pick up a few more pairs of socks. She didn't usually carry socks, coming from a summer state, and those she did own were chosen for their appearance, not their durability, and seemed to be unraveling from toe to heel.
Jack carelessly approved the trip when Aubrey called him later for permission, with the one condition that she do the dishes when she came home and clean out the microwave. He never seemed to remember not to put the New Years plates in, and had yet again caused another miniature explosion that coated the insides of the box with black.
After hanging up from the conversation with a roll of her eyes and a sigh of exasperation, Aubrey followed the girls to Jessica's car, sliding into the back seat and staring out of the window as they set directly off for Port Angeles.
"Why doesn't Lauren like me?" asked Bella quite a while later as they sped along the highway.
"Well...she's jealous that you're going with Tyler Crowley to the prom," said Jessica. Aubrey saw Bella's eyes grow big with shock as her mouth opened involuntarily.
"What!?" she exclaimed. "I didn't agree to go with him!"
"Well that's what he thinks," said Jessica. Bella looked out of the window and shook her head, completely nonplussed. Aubrey smirked, looking out of her own window. They drove along for another fifteen minutes without speaking, listening to the radio casually.
"Is it normal for the Cullens to go backpacking so much?" asked Aubrey. Bella looked up as well.
"Yeah, they go when it's a nice day. Real suddenly too," said Jessica. 'Figures', thought Aubrey.
"Every time?" asked Bella.
"I think it's them taking advantage of the sunny days," said Angela. "We don't get many after all in Forks."
Port Angeles was not a big city, but it was still bigger than Forks, and anything bigger than Forks was a relief. They drove around for a while before parking in a somewhat deserted lot, taking to the sidewalks and strolling down a shopping street. Jessica and Angela led the way to a rather large dress shop, Bella and Aubrey a step behind, following them with a similar lack of interest. Once they had begun the search, it was clear Bella and Aubrey were there mainly as advisors on what looked good and what didn't. Aubrey tried to convince them to go with Bella's opinion more than her own. Shopping like this was not something she did too often.
"Why aren't you going?" asked Jessica, holding up a dress and checking the price as she addressed Aubrey.
"I didn't get a date," Aubrey replied simply, shrugging. Jessica looked up at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Aren't you going with Marek Rhodes?" she asked, eager for an answer. The thirst for gossip had obviously returned.
"No," said Aubrey shortly.
"You could still go to the dance without a date," said Jessica. "It'll be fun."
"Nah, I think I'll get a start on my homework," said Aubrey. Always a good excuse, homework. Nobody could doubt it, yet it was almost always a false excuse. Who in their right mind gave up on something they really wanted to attend to get a head start on homework? Exactly.
It wasn't long before Jessica and Angela found the dresses they wanted, lined up, and paid, and then they were released out onto the sidewalk, their minds set on the next thing on the agenda.
"We need to go put these back in the car," said Jessica, holding up the large bag from the store.
"Well, I'll go find a bookstore while you're doing that," said Bella. "Just so I'll know where to go right after dinner and we won't have to wander around in the dark for too long."
"Okay, let's meet at that restaurant we saw earlier in…fifteen minutes," said Angela.
"Great," said Bella, waving. "See you." They split, Aubrey following the other two girls off to Jessica's car. They chattered about various things there and back, mainly boys and the dance with mainly Jessica and Angela doing the chattering. But when they reached the restaurant twenty minutes later, Bella was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe she'll be here in a minute," said Aubrey. "Let's get a seat."
They walked inside and were seated by a blonde waitress with a severely forced smile plastered onto her face. Significant time passed and still no Bella. Doubtful, they placed their orders, thinking they'd make up time whenever she finally arrived. She never did.
"What if something happened?" asked Angela as the waitress walked away after setting down the bill between the three of them. "We never should have split up."
"Come on, let's go look," said Aubrey, tossing her share of the cost into the center of the table. The other two did so as well and the trio walked out of the restaurant to begin the search. It wasn't a long one, for, much to their surprise, greeting them out on the sidewalk, approaching the restaurant, was none other than Bella, accompanied by the very much unexpected Edward Cullen. Shocked, Aubrey immediately looked up. Clouds had drifted over the sky and the sun it seemed had gone back into its southern retirement.
"Where have you been?" asked Jessica incredulously, her eyes looking Edward up and down suspiciously, and rather hungrily. Aubrey took this to be the probable delicious gossip that would erupt from this scandalous meeting. "We waited forever."
"I got lost. And then I ran into Edward," said Bella. Edward had his eyes on Angela. They flicked to Jessica briefly, and then their line of sight connected dead-on with Aubrey's. In that split second, she felt herself tense.
'Holy...ah, Cullen...funny how they all look the same, well right that's because--' She cut herself off mid-thought, going blank at once in panic 'I forgot...Bella! I wonder where she went...why is he here anyway? Well guess nothing happened then if he was there...I mean...huh the sun didn't last long today at all...'
"Would it be alright if I joined you?" Edward asked, his eyes leaving Aubrey's, but his mouth tightening the slightest bit. Aubrey hurriedly blanked her mind again, keeping it racing.
"Er...sure," Jessica was saying.
"Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting. Sorry," said Angela. Bella shrugged.
"That's fine--I'm not hungry."
"I think you should eat something," said Edward, frowning and looking at her. He turned to Jessica. "Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight? That way you won't have to wait while she eats."
'Why does he want her alone?' Aubrey thought, frowning. She tensed again when Edward looked at her.
"Uh, no problem, I guess...," said Jessica hesitantly. Aubrey looked at Bella. Did she really want to be left alone with Edward Cullen? Well...obviously that answer would be YES, but her question to herself was more...should she leave Bella alone with Edward Cullen, so far away from Forks and reassurance. That treaty...did it apply outside of Forks?
Bella winked at them, and Aubrey felt further conflict. Yes she wanted to stay with Edward, of course, and she wanted them to go, but was it the best thing--
"Okay," said Angela. "See you tomorrow, Bella...Edward." She took Jessica's arm and started pulling her away. Aubrey followed them, forcing a grin at Bella, then glancing at Edward without changing face, her eyes a bit more anxious. His gaze on hers seemed intense, threatening...nearly hostile. Aubrey waved, then turned away, feeling the stare on her back as they walked to Jessica's car.
They pulled out of the lot they'd parked in and Jessica waved at Bella through the window, driving off. Aubrey felt as if she could feel Edward's murderous gaze on her back still as they drove onto the highway.
"Don't know why that Edward Cullen hangs out with her," complained Jessica in a scoffing whine. "And she just went with him. I mean it was supposed to be a girls' night out! She just totally ditched us!"
"He just showed up. It wasn't her fault he asked her to dinner," defended Angela. "Besides, it worked out well. We had already eaten and they both hadn't."
"Can we listen to the radio?" interrupted Aubrey, feeling a little sick. The image of Edward's glare of a glance hadn't quite left her mind.
The ride back seemed far longer than the ride there in Aubrey's mind. The music seemed slowed by an excruciating amount so that it was almost unbearable just to sit and wait as the car rumbled on over the concrete and asphalt. The restlessness was making her highly uncomfortable.
When they finally pulled into Aubrey's driveway she jumped out of the backseat in such a hurry it almost seemed rude, pulling her backpack after her and shouting a hurried goodbye and thank you along with a short wave, rushing into her house. She swung the front door inside so forcefully that it almost impacted the wall it was hinged to. Jack looked somewhat alarmed at her entrance.
"Where's the fire?" he asked, brow furrowing in puzzlement.
"Nowhere. Can't talk. Homework," said Aubrey quickly, running back into the hallway. She rushed into her room, closing the door quickly and locking it, then flopping onto her bed and forcing her face into a pillow. She let loose a possibly ear-splitting scream into the fluffy bundle, holding it to her face. It came out a lot quieter luckily. Jack wouldn't have heard.
She sat up, sighing. It was a relief to scream it all out. The built up restlessness had taken its toll for sure. But now Aubrey could think clearly over the more serious situation. He knew. Edward knew. What else could that look have been? Her blocking had not been efficient enough. But then, facing an incredibly old and experienced vampire in an area beyond one's understanding was a pretty forgivable dilemma, Aubrey thought.
She wondered what he would do. Would he hunt her down and threaten her to keep her silence? Would he kill her? No, there was some rule about a treaty with werewolves…But what would happen to Marek? Would he be forced to leave? Evicted from the Cullens' household for exposing the secret? What if they all left? If it got out that they were vampires…would they not be forced to leave?
Aubrey dismissed the topic and tried to distract herself, shaking her head and pulling out her Calculus homework, sketching out a few problems. They distracted her for the most part, but the fear of impending doom was still present in the back of her mind all the while, not forgotten, but merely put off.
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