This chapter's going to shake things up a bit. Hope you approve. Let me know. :)
Rosalie, Bella, and Alice walked through campus on their way to first period. The couple held hands and Alice was a buoyant as ever. The air was misty but pleasant, and everything shimmered with the new gloss of rain.
"Really, Bella, don't worry about it."
"Yeah, sweetie, it didn't mean anything."
"I know but, I still feel like such a wuss. You guys having to go to such great lengths just because of... what happened."
Alice wrapped an empathetic arm around her.
Rosalie smiled. "I'm pretty sure at this point we're all fairly comfortable with one another."
They laughed.
Then, out of nowhere, Alice froze. The arm that had rested on Bella's shoulders slumped to her side, feeling heavy. Her lips parted, eyes growing wide. Her stomach retracted and she went slightly paler.
"Al? You okay?" Bella asked, stopping.
But Rosalie was two steps ahead of them both, and linked arms with Bella.
"Come on," she whispered to her, a wicked gleam in her eye.
Alice didn't budge.
"But-" started Bella. But Rosalie simply pointed to a bench a little past them and Bella instantly understood. She smiled herself, and glanced back at the stunned Alice before continuing on with Rosalie.
Alice attempted to compose herself, rubbing at her golden eyes.
Mahogany waves of hair framed the soft, heart shaped face with two caribbean blue eyes placed gently on either side of a delicate but charming nose. The mouth spoke quietly to itself, reading something on a paper held by gloved fingers. Once Alice had pried herself from surprise, she noticed the battered guitar case at the girl's feet. Since when did the sun start shining directly on individuals? But no doubt, the girl was bathed in a thick glow. Her shoulder length hair was set aflame with it, floating slightly in the breeze. Alice took a deep breath. She should introduce herself. The girl would look up eventually and notice her gawking. She could be her normal perky self for a moment couldn't she?
"Hello," she said, though too quietly for the girl to hear at first. She swallowed. "Um, hi," she said, stepping closer, speaking clearer.
The girl looked up and gave a small smile. "Hi." She looked back down, pen in hand.
What a voice! Alice was sure no vampire could match it's loveliness.
"I'm Alice."
"Natalie."
Alice smiled, feeling her sweaty palms through her skirt.
"What-um. You play guitar?" She stumbled, pointing shakily at the worn case.
"Yeah. Working on a song now. Can't seem to get the last lines though... want to help?" Natalie asked.
"Uhhh, yes. Yeah! Okay, sure."
After a minute Natalie laughed.
"Well you can sit down," she smiled, motioning to the space next to her on the bench.
Alice laughed stiffly as she hurriedly sat down. Natalie's long wool coat brushed her designer one as she was handed the piece of lined paper. Alice skimmed it, then read it closer.
"This is really good," she said, genuinely impressed.
"But I can't seem to end it. It's just missing something, you know?"
Alice read the last few lines. "Well, I'm no poet, but maybe this could work...?"
The two sat working on the song until the first bell rang. They'd managed to find a fitting ending.
"I love it," Natalie beamed, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "Thank you, Alice."
Alice shrugged. "It was all you."
Natalie turned to go, but stopped herself. "You want to join me for lunch? I think I have a few other songs that need mending."
Alice hesitated for a moment, not sure if she'd heard her properly. When the words did register however, she agreed happily.
"Meet back here?"
"See you then."
"Bye."
"Bye, Alice."
After about thirty dumbfounded seconds Alice realized Natalie had forgotten her instrument.
"Hey wait!" she yelled, picking it up and jumping up from the bench. "Your guitar!"
"Leave it," was Natalie's only reply. When she glanced over her shoulder to smile at Alice's bewildered expression she added "It'll be there when we get back."
"But-"
"Lunch then."
And she was gone.
Bye Natalie...
Alice tried to clear her mind, the process taking longer than usual. But sure enough when she searched, she found the case right where she was about to leave it: safe under the bench. But how did she know that? she wondered before realizing that she was late for class. Tucking the beaten case underneath the place they'd just polished a song, Alice sped-slightly dazed-to class.
Lunch didn't come soon enough, and of course Rose and Bella wanted details.
"Does she like you?"
"Does she like girls?"
"What did you say?"
"What's she like?"
Shrugging them off as playfully as possible, Alice threw her jacket in her locker and stepped outside to find Natalie. Sure enough, there she sat; long jacket over her faded but flattering jeans. As Alice walked toward her, trying not to go too fast or slow, she noticed that same aura about her she'd seen that morning. A uniqueness she'd rarely seen before. It was something only humans could pull off. Vampires were too stunning for it. Simplicity. Calm, undemanding prettiness. She wasn't a model like her or Rose, or even Bella. She was well fed, but not large. She looked you in the eye with confidence and openness. It was a sort of power that might frighten certain people away, but Alice felt it pulling her in, and fast.
"How'd you know it'd be here?" she asked, nodding to the guitar on Natalie's knee.
"This is usually where the musicians hang out. Band geeks, orchestra nerds, people like that. I left it here once by mistake, came running back like a madman after school for it. Musicians don't mess with other musicians instruments. Some kind of taboo I guess."
"So I take it you don't play here? In orchestra," Alice said, taking a seat.
"I jam with them now and then, but it's not official, no." She smiled, tilting her head. "And you? Do you play anything?"
"Not me. My brother's a pianist though."
"A good one? Or just says that to impress the ladies?"
Alice chuckled.
"Probably a little of both. But no, he's good."
Natalie nodded amiably before reaching into her backpack. She withdrew two sandwiches, handing one to Alice.
"Oh, thanks," beamed Alice. "But actually I already ate. Big breakfast... Why do you have two?"
Alice wanted to slap herself for that last bit, but fortunately the potential affront slid past Natalie.
"That's another thing about musicians. You never have to worry about getting rid of food. There's always someone without a lunch."
"That's really nice of you," Alice said, looking back at the guitar.
"You want to make a request?"
"Oh, sure. Um... could you play..." Alice tried to remember the current music, failed, and ending up requesting 'Dreamer' by Supertramp.
"You know Supertramp?" Natalie gaped.
"Umm."
"That's awesome! You're the first one. Everyone else just stares at me. How about Tears for Fears?"
"I know them."
"Rolling Stones?"
"Yep."
"Beatles?"
"Are you kidding?"
"Alright then," Natalie said, clearly impressed. "How about composers?"
"Chopin, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven,"
"Philip Glass, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Williams, Debussy..."
They talked like that for the first half of lunch before Natalie actually fulfilled Alice's request. Her voice was clear and resonate, light but strong. She sang other songs Alice hadn't heard, and she hadn't the slightest idea how no one was even glancing at them. Did she do this every day? How could something as commonplace as school still be going when there was a star strumming her heart out right there in front of them? Alice felt like she had won free backstage passes to the best performance she'd ever heard.
Bella and Rosalie watched from a distance inside the cafeteria, exchanging their bursts of excitement.
"She's into her."
"But is the other girl?"
"That's who I meant."
"But we don't even know if she likes girls."
"No, she likes girls. Can't you tell by the way she keeps nudging Alice? The eye contact especially."
Bella studied the two closer, smiling.
"I hope she does. Alice really seems drawn to her."
Rosalie laughed. "I'd say! She nearly started drooling this morning."
"So what should we do?"
"We don't do a thing. We sit back and watch our dear Alice fall head over heals."
Bella smiled, gazing out the window then back at Rose, playing with her hair. "I'm glad she's moving on. I mean, we couldn't have stayed like that forever."
"The three of us you mean?"
Bella nodded and Rose pulled her into her arms.
"Even if it was pretty fun at times," Bella added in an undertone and immediately had to stifle the laughter that came from Rose tickling her ribs mercilessly.
A/N: -sings in childish voice- Alice has a crush, Alice has a cruussh.
Heh, sorry. Reviews welcome as always, dear readers. ^^