Chapter twenty-eight. Confessions and truth telling.
I climbed up the side gutter and slipped in my left leg through the window. The icy wind blew my hair everywhere. I could feel myself getting droopy now. It was a long night and I was very exhausted from all the drama that had been happening the previous hours.
Mike had dropped me off at the end of my road a couple of minutes ago. I sighed, knowing that he was crossed off the problems on my very long list.
"Bella?" whispered a voice. Before I could react, something warm had grabbed my leg and my arm and was pulling me into the room.
I fell on my bottom with an 'ompf' and an 'ouch'.
"Alice! What are you doing?" I hissed at her. Alice stood up and frowned at me. She went to flick on the lights. She was wearing a white and pink dressing gown and her arms were crossed across her chest.
"I could ask you the same thing", she whisper-argued back to me. I sighed as I got up.
"What the hell! It's half past three in the morning", she carried on, waving her arms about, "do you know how much trouble you would've gotten into if –"
"Yeah, I do", I cut in, "but it was something important. So…please don't tell. I won't do it again, I just needed to –"
"After everything that you do Bella, can you stop thinking about yourself?" snapped Alice. She glared at me for a couple of seconds before her eyes softened. "Sometimes…I feel like I don't know you anymore, Bella. You've changed so much and…I don't know."
I stood in my rooted spot with my chest heaving. Sighing, I turned around and closed the window gently.
Alice deserved to know, I guess.
"I went to see Mike", I muttered as I turned back to face her slowly. Her small dark eyes widened. "He wanted to get back together and I needed to tell him to get that idea out of his head."
"Ever heard of the phone?"
"He wanted to talk in person", I continued talking, "and I wouldn't be able to go see him during the day because of, well, because of Emmett. So I met up with him tonight. But it last less than an hour and it's all cleared up now."
"All cleared up?" she confirmed. I nodded.
"Everything. I won't sneak out to see him, I promise", I told her softly.
Alice went over to her and sat down, crossing her legs.
"And…what about the stuff with mom and dad?" she asked hesitantly. I walked over and sat down next to her, staring at the floor.
"We heard you shouting", she added in a whispered voice, "something…something about seeing a psychiatrist. You're not…I mean, you're ok, aren't you Bella?"
Her concerned voice made me smile. Alice was always one to take someone else's problems on her small shoulder.
"Apparently I have a problem with food", I told her, "and mom and dad want me to see a psychiatrist because of that."
She didn't say anything else about that subject.
"And what about you and Edward?" she questioned gently. I stood up and stretched, walking slowly over to my own bed before stripping down.
"I love him", I told her confidently, "and he loves me."
--
The face of my parents was alarming. Carlisle smiled encouragingly behind his large desk. Esme sat on the sofa with me, she watched me with cautious as if I was a bomb about to blow.
I shifted uncomfortably.
"Well?" I asked, after all the waiting.
"Why did you change your mind, Bella?" asked dad with pure curiosity in his voice. Not suspicion.
"I realised you were right", I said. Of course every teenager knows how hard those words are to be said to your parents.
Esme beamed.
"Alright", she said, smiling brightly, "it's a good compromise Bella. And I'm glad you're going to make an effort for us. And for you."
"So it's a deal?" I asked with an arched eyebrow. I held out my hand to her. She laughed lightly before taking and shaking it.
"Deal", she said.
I nodded. "Good, good. I'm going back downstairs now."
I skipped down the stairs and straight into the kitchen where Emmett was. I had already explained to him and Alice what I was going to do. It was now half past ten in the morning and I had forced down the breakfast before going to speak to my parents.
The deal was, if I ate right and gained a little bit of weight by the end of the month, and then I wouldn't have to see a stinking shrink. I also had to 'be more attentive'. Whatever that meant.
I agreed to it of course. It gave me over twenty-five days to show my parents that I wasn't going to drop dead any second.
Carlisle had already gone to Gratin Park first thing in the morning, to collect his car. We had talked about why I went there and of course, we talked about not running off with people's cars while I still didn't have my licence.
Over all, I felt like a great weight had been lifted off my chest. But then again, there was still one more thing in my head.
"Hey, is Rosalie coming around today?" I asked Emmett. He turned around from the fridge with a guilty look on his face.
"Emmett! Put down the cake, the last bit is mine", shrieked Alice, zooming into the kitchen and launching herself on Emmett's back.
"Careful, Emmett. She's armed with a hairdryer", I laughed, backing away.
"Alright! Alright… I was just tasting!" Emmett swatted Alice's hand away and put the cake back into the fridge. Alice scowled at him before jumping back on the ground.
"Hey, Alice. Is jasper coming around?" I asked her, carefully removing the hair dryer out of her hands. She nodded.
"We're all going shopping later", she sang, throwing up her arms and waving it about. I eyed her cautiously.
"Wait, wait! Rose and I are going to be busy", interrupted Emmett, stopping Alice's little happy dance.
"Busy, huh?" I teased, winking at him, "honestly Emmett, isn't it a bit too early for that stuff?"
"Shut up", he laughed, rolling his eyes, "we're having lunch with her parents."
"You haven't met Mr and Mrs Hale, yet?" Alice asked, arching her eyebrow. Emmett shrugged.
"Didn't have time."
"Wait, you've met the parents already?" I asked Alice. She nodded furiously.
"Of course", she said in a 'duh' tone, "It gets the complications out of the way."
"Hey, don't you think that's a bit weird?" I mused aloud, "Rosalie and Jasper are brothers and sisters. And you two are brothers and sisters. Isn't it kind of wrong?"
"Our children will be cousins", rejoiced Alice, clapping her hands together. I stared at her sceptically.
"Anyway", Emmett said loudly, gaining our attention again, "mom and dad are going over to Renée's place so you little girls have to behave whilst I'm gone."
"Who are you calling little?" snapped Alice.
"You", Emmett and I said in unison, and then burst out laughing. She rolled her eyes t us.
"It isn't always the big ones who speak the loudest", said Alice, nodding her head importantly.
"Whatever, Madame Wise! My point is", Emmett carried on, "don't wreck the house, don't throw a party and most of all, don't invite boys."
"Jasper's coming around later", Alice cut in quickly, "and I already invited him so I can't uninvited him."
"Yeah. And Edward's coming too", I added hastily, hoping that was subtle enough for Emmett not to notice. I quickly grabbed a cloth and began scrubbing the shiny table.
"Edward?" repeated Emmett. I avoided his gaze and continued to wipe the same spot.
"Yeah… so I better go upstairs and change", I said quickly, dropping the cloth on the side of the table and about to practically race up the stairs.
"Edward, as in Edward Masen?" question Emmett.
Great.
"Do we know any other Edwards?" I shot back at him. He frowned for a second before speaking.
"Since when have you become best friends with Edward", he mused with an arched eyebrow.
"Your friend, my friend, everybody's friend! It's all the same", I said lightly as I shrugged.
"Why don't you invite one of your friends then?" he asked sceptically.
"Edward is one of my friends", I told him, "so ok. I will. Bye. Have fun with Mr and Mrs Hale."
Before Emmett could say another word, I skipped out of the kitchen and headed up the stairs.
Sorted.
--
Emmett's POV.
"Ouch, get off! Jasper! I'm telling mom", hissed Rosalie, whacking Jasper around the head and moving closer to me. Hey, I wasn't going to complain.
"You two fight like children", Edward pointed out, half chuckling.
"He creased my top", snapped Rose before elbowing jasper then looking away.
"Moody cow", muttered Jasper. He stood up and went to sit next to Edward. "Hey Emmett, where's Alice?"
"She's upstairs with Bella", Edward answered. He turned to face me, "weren't you supposed to be having lunch with the Hales right about now?"
"Oh shit", muttered Rosalie as she stood pulling me up with her, "Emmett, get up! We're supposed to be there in ten minutes."
"You're the one who said you wanted to sit down", I pointed out, putting my hands up.
"Yeah well…Jasper distracted me", Rosalie defended. I laughed at the exchanged look between Rose and Jasper.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go", urged Rose, practically pushing me through the door.
"Yeah, I'm going", I mumbled, pulling the door open, "see ya guys!"
"Bye Emmett! Rose, your top was already creased anyway!"
"Good luck…you might need it!"
"Alice, Bella, we're leaving", I called out a little louder.
"Bye Emmett", a chorused voice yelled back.
I closed the door, half laughing and headed towards my jeep. Just before I opened the passenger door for Rosalie, a blue Mercedes pulled up in front of the house.
"I didn't know Bella invited her friends", Rose murmured.
"Neither did I."