"They're so cute together."
I sighed and stared at one of my best friends, Alice Cullen, with her boyfriend of the moment, Jasper Hale. Jessica was right. They were really cute together.
"I know," I replied, pushing my mashed potatoes to one side of my tray with my fork. Alice looked so happy—unlike me, she had a date to the Masquerade Ball.
Although I didn't actually want to go to the Ball (it would involve dancing), if a certain someone asked me, I wouldn't exactly turn down their offer.
But considering that it was highly unlikely I would get a date—how could I, with Rosalie and Alice and Jessica around?—on the night of the MB, I was planning on sitting on my couch, munching on popcorn with the movie theatre butter, while watching The Titanic.
"Mike said he's renting a limo!" Jessica informed me, bouncing up and down in her chair. "Can you believe that, Bella? An actual limo! And Angela and Ben are riding with us." She looked at Alice and Jasper again. "Maybe Alice'll ride with us too?"
"They're probably going with Rosalie," I told her, wanting to change the subject. "Jasper and Rosalie are brother and sister, remember? But, anyways, you know that biology project we have to do? I was thinking instead of getting a poster board, we could make a 3D—"
"Do you think I'd look better in gold or purple?" Jessica asked. "And should I wear coloured nail polish, or is that too middle school? Should I play if safe and just get a plain French manicure, maybe?"
"Um, I don't know, Jess. Maybe—"
"And what about shoes?" She gasped suddenly. "I NEED TO GO SHOE SHOPPING."
"Of course," I muttered to the table. Hopefully the day she decided to go shoe shopping I'd come down with a case of the smallpox, unable to go with her to the mall.
"And should I do my hair curly or straight—or an updo?" She didn't wait for my reply. "Updo, definitely."
I rolled my eyes, letting them wander off, across the cafeteria... to the table by the window...
They stopped on Edward Cullen.
He was sitting in the middle of the table, surrounded by his fellow football players, and a bunch of cheerleaders—Rosalie Hale, Ginger Radley... the whole lot. He shook his bronze-coloured hair from his eyes as he laughed at a joke Emmett, the guard on the team, had just said.
And, I know, he looks fantastic on the outside. But on the inside, too...
Well he's deep. One day in English we had to share our stories with the class, and when he read his, it was a modern version of Romeo and Juliet, basically. I swooned when he read the part where the guy serenaded the girl under her balcony with his electric guitar...
"Bella!" Jessica said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Bella! So what do you think?"
My eyes still on Edward, I mumbled, "About what?"
"About a shawl!"
I looked away from Edward to her. "Oh, um, no. According to Alice, shawls are—"
"Last season." Alice plopped down beside me, a huge grin on her face. "Shawls are very last season, actually, Jess." She blew a bubble with her gum. "I wouldn't wear one to the MB, if that's what you're planning on."
Jessica, who worshipped the ground Alice walked on ever since she informed her in grade one that pink and blue did not match, nodded enthusiastically. "You're right, Alice." Then she leaned in closer. "So, um, Mike's renting this limo for the MB. And I was wondering if you and Jasper..."
Was this all they could talk about?
"Um, I lost my appetite," I announced, standing up.
"Oh, that'd be fun!" Alice exclaimed. It took me a second to realize she was talking to Jessica about the limo, not to me. "I'm sure we'd love to do that! I'll just have to clear it with Jasper, of course..."
"I'll be in the library?" I tried.
"...Definitely halter. Over-the-shoulder just doesn't work now-a-days..."
"Alright. I'll see you guys in algebra, then."
They went on about the color yellow versus blue as I walked out of the cafeteria and began up the stairs to the library. That was how it was going to be at lunch for the next two weeks. The Masquerade Ball was all everyone cared about. All Alice and Jessica would care about.
I either needed to get over it, or get a date.
Just as I was about to go into the library, the doors opened towards me. One of them caught my left leg, and I landed on my butt, while the other one whacked me in the head.
Ow.
"Oh God—I'm sorry..."
As soon as the familiar scent of Axe cologne, and heard that voice, I felt my cheeks heat up. I had just fallen on my butt in front of Edward Cullen.
"Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down next to me. His eyes were very green. "That was quite the fall, wasn't it?"
"I'm... fine" was all I could manage as I got up and brushed off my jeans. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Do you need ice? I can take you to the nurse..."
"I'm fine," I repeated. I wasn't sure if I could say any words more than a syllable.
He smiled, almost blinding me with his pearly whites. "I think I'll get you some ice for your head. Just..." Edward motioned to the floor. "Have a seat. I'll be right back."
He took off down the hallway, towards the nurse's office, and I couldn't help but feel a little faint. And pathetic. I mean, he was Edward Cullen. He was never going to take any interest in me—Bella Swan. His little sister's best friend.
"Sorry, it's not happening."
I jumped at the voice and spun around. A pang went through my head, but I ignored it and turned to face...
Rosalie Hale.
"What isn't?" I questioned, like I didn't already know.
She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed across her chest, and her right ankle over her left. When I spoke, she smirked. "You and Cullen." Rosalie jerked her head towards the hallway where Edward had disappeared.
"I didn't say it was."
"I saw your interest, though." She was clenching her jaw, speaking through her teeth. "And, I just want to warn you now."
"Warn me?"
Inspecting her cuticles, she said, "You're going to tell me you don't want him?"
"Well, I—"
"Edward Cullen, he's mine, okay?"
Whoa. Where'd that come from?
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Just—stay back. Nothing will happen. You won't get hurt." She looked up from her nails. Then she laughed. "But, it isn't like he'd even consider..." Her eyes ran from my old, worn-out sneakers, to the top of my ponytail. "You know."
"You know what?" I took a step towards her. Another pang reverberated through my head. "I think, if I wanted, I could have Edward Cullen like"—I snapped my fingers here—"that."
"Oh, you do, do you?" She didn't look convinced.
"Yes! I do!" I placed a hand on my hip. I didn't realize what I was saying until the words had come out. "Any day, anytime, anywhere."
"Really?" Smirking wider at me, she stepped closer to me. Her fruity perfume didn't help the pain in my head. "I bet you couldn't."
"I bet I could."
"How much?"
I blinked. "Wait—what? What do you mean, how much?"
Tilting her head, she told me: "A bet isn't a bet without a consequence." Rosalie tapped her chin with her index finger. "So, let's see here, if you can get Edward Cullen to ask you to the Masquerade Ball, and the two of you go together, AS A COUPLE, then you win. And if you don't, then you loose. Hmm... and the loser has to put on the mascot costume—"
"The chicken?"
"—and run around the school in it." I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off. "And their face has to be revealed."
"I didn't agree to any of this though—"
"Lacking confidence? You know that you'll lose, don't you?"
Taking a deep breath in, I narrowed my eyes and straightened my posture. "No, actually, I'm pretty sure I'd win. So, why not? If I go to the Masquerade Ball with Edward Cullen, then I win. If I don't, I lose. And the loser runs around in the chicken costume, face revealed to the public."
I stuck out my hand and we shook on it.
"Good luck." She turned to leave. Right before she turned the corner to leave the hallway, she glanced at me over her shoulder. "You're going to need it."
She left me alone, standing outside the library doors, leaving me to ponder what the hell I had just done.
A/N: That was sorta fast-paced, wasn't it? =/
Well anyways, tell me what you think? The actual action is going to start the next chapter... the stuff that has to do with those lists. So... yeah. Review? I'd be really happy if you guys did... ;D Thanks!