September 4th

Quadruple Math.
Is that even possible?

September 7th

Rosalie just asked me to double date with her, the silly cow.
She freaking knows I don't have a date!
It's like she's expecting me to run out and embarrass myself, to the next boy I see, just so I can "impress" her. She probably wants me to do the whole shebang. You know, kneeling down in front of aforementioned boy and begging, simply begging him to take me, because no-one else would. Rosalie thinks she hides it so well, but everyone knows Rosalie gets the hot guys before I get a look in. Not because I'm fugly (though that wouldn't be good) but because Rosalie's gorgeous. Personally I think I've seen better. Waay better. But if Rosalie wants to reassure herself about how "good" she looks. Then fine by me.

That's what best friends are for.

September 7th (later)

Rosalie just won't quit! She only mentioned this double-dating business yesterday but already she's called up four times, IM'ed me twice, and if I don't reply soon, probably post a calligraphed letter by mailman. I don't know what to do. Rosalie's never gotten this intense before, to me anyway. She just won't let go until I bring somebody, preferably someone fugly that she could rub herself up anyway. So I do the unmentionable.
I IM Rosalie.

socca_chick says: i'm feeling really thirsty. its so hawt outside.

perfectprincess says: Bella! ur back! well?

socca_chick says: wat i fancy is a tall, cool glass of lemonade. condensation tricklin down it

perfectprincess says: brb

Perfect. Without patience, I slam Rosalie's home number into my phone and pray who I wanted to answer, will answer.

It looked like I was in luck. Rosalie's older brother, Edward, picked up the phone after several rings when it seemed clear Rosalie was held up elsewhere. "Hello," he answered gruffly.
Yes! I was jumping for joy. Just to make sure Edward wouldn't pass the phone as soon as, I ask where Rosalie is.
"Oh, you want her?" and before I could stop him, he was hollering, "Rosalie! Some-one on the line for you!" and I wanted to break his skull in. I resigned myself to Rosalie stomping into the room and snatching the phone from Edward- before realizing his side of the line was really quiet.

That's because he was listening really hard. And I was too.
"Tell whoever it is to call back! I'm getting Marco to make me a tall, cool glass of lemonade!" Rosalie yelled back.
"You heard the lady," Edward spoke into the phone, knowing full well I had heard everything. If there was one good thing about Edward, he never interjected words where they were un-necessary. Laconic, was the term.

"No, Edward!" I broke in, nearly ruining my guise. When I'd first phoned up, I'd pretended I was an ardent admirer of Rosalie's, lowering my voice to affect. Brett, I'd called myself, knowing Rosalie was a sucker for B-named boys. Something about them always being bad boys...
For my plan to work, I had to make Edward wary and suspicious enough to follow through with my demands.

"How do you know my name?" Edward asked suspiciously. Bingo! Now for my part to be played convincingly.
"Edward Anthony Cullen," I stated calmly. "What I don't know about you."
"Whaddya mean? Who are you, freak?"
"Greenwater Shopping Mall. Thursday evening. 8PM."
"Like hell-"
"Be there," I threatened for last measure. "Or Tanya knows."

TBH, I have nothing on Edward Anthony Cullen. He's squeaky clean as far as I'm concerned. But I'm relying on the fact, that nobody is squeaky clean. If Edward had something to hide...
He'd be there.

September 9th

He was there.
I can't believe it freaking worked!
I was so physcing myself up for a dead-end. A minor disappointment.
But he's actually there and I actually have to go through with it!
Oh god oh god oh god-

I think a part of me had been hoping he wouldn't show- because then it wouldn't be my fault. I would've tried my hardest to get a date- but then I failed.
Oh yes.
All of this, just because I couldn't get a freaking date.
I couldn't flat out ask him on the phone because it would've been too embarrassing and there's a excellent chance he could've said no. A rejection by not appearing at the mall I could've handled. But a flat-out rejection to my face, when I'd just stripped myself bare for him...? Na-uh.

Don't get me wrong, I have no plans of asking him out now, even though I got him to the mall. I'm just relying on fate for that. See this is how my marvellous plan goes:
Edward would be waiting by the front entrance at 8PM sharp. 8: 15 and he's getting restless and by 8: 45 he'd realise he's been played the fool. It kind of makes me interested to know what secret Edward was protecting from Tanya (his current belle) to go such great lengths. But I'm not here for that.

Just as Edward is realizing that the whole thing had been a dud, I show up, and act really surprised to see him there. (Because boys+shopping malls are a weird combination.)
He'd greet me by name, with some relief. One, because I'm a familiar face, two because we were all best friends until Edward hit puberty and realised he was too cool for us. Still, there must be some lingering feelings of affection, right? He's the one who used to insist on sending me valentines every February 14th.
I play my trump card. Alone, and slightly scared I ask him to help me find Rosalie, because his sister had just went of with a really weird bloke.

We stumble across them in restaurant, and I watch with carefully masked glee, as Rosalie takes in my "date" as I clench a hand possessively over his forearm.
Her one and only brother.

Of course, the ruse will only stand so long. The whole thing would be unravelled to shreds. But it'd be all worth it, if just for one second Rosalie believes that me, yes actually me was dating her, yes actually her, brother! What perfect way for her to never ask me on a double date again?
Edward was getting restless now, a whole half an hour earlier than he should've been. The clock was already quarter past but Edward already looked like he wanted to go, actually getting up and shouldering on his jacket.
Shiz-sizzle!
No no no. This was way earlier than planned- but I had to go through with it now because that's what evil genius's do.

"Edward? Is that really you?" I'm walking across the tiling to greet him, but when Edward looks up, he's far from happy. I'm confused for a second. Didn't I sound surprised? Or maybe I sounded too surprised, like it was too convenient? Hell, what if it was my face? I've never been able to master the secret of method-acting.
"Bella," he said coolly, starting to unwind his scarf. "I've been expecting you."
HE HAS?
This isn't good, people.

"Me?" I laughed with a fake tinkle. "Surely you mean someone else."
"No. Just you."
"You mean-"
"I knew all along? Yeah. You must've been pretty desperate to phone up like that, so I wanted to meet. Person to person."

If I could've died of humiliation, I would've been six feet under already. He'd just called me desperate to my face, granted he was being very nice about it. But still he had wanted to meet- wanted to know what could've driven his sister's best friend and former best friend to such drastic lengths. There was no way I could tell him now- or even carry through with my plan. Edward knowing this was a set-up changed everything. If I stuck to the original plan, and pretended I needed help finding Rosalie (to only find her in the nearest Barji, where she normally always is) he'd become suspicious. The moment he spied the dawning horror on his sister's face, he'd clock my possessive hand on his forearm and the way I tucked neatly under his elbow as some ploy to usurp his sister.

And what brother wouldn't want that?
I began to grin.
"It's Rosalie," I finally admitted, when I began to freak myself out. "She roped me into double dating, and I thought the perfect ploy would be to turn up with you, her brother. See how she'd like it. Of course, after seeing the impossibility of the situation," I muttered when I saw Edward's face turn rather dour. Not that he'd been hunky dory to begin with.
"You went to all this? Just to up my sister?"
He was going to call me out as a loser. I just knew it. But what I didn't expect was for the million-watt smile to break over his devillish face and rake me in at the same time.

"I'm in."

r n r pls