Twilight belongs to S. Meyer. I'm just enjoying her characters.

WitFit Prompt: Canopy

Highline

Chapter 4

Under the canopy of the beer gardens, Emmett and Edward were talking intensely. From my viewpoint it looked like Emmett was scolding him.

Jacob had found a table for the three of us and went to stand in line for drinks. Right after we sat down Edward and Emmett made their way to our spot.

"I didn't introduce myself properly before. I'm Edward." He began. His hair was a still a damp mess, but he looked good in his dark grey button downed shirt and dark jeans. "What are you doing in Banff?"

He never made eye contact, instead scanning the crowd. I got the feeling that his formal introduction was more for his brother's benefit than for ours. Emmett had already sat himself down in the seat next to Rose and started pointing out something in the distance to her, drawing her away from Edward's mock pleasantries.

"We're here for a hiking trip." I replied for the both of us.

"Yeah?" he asked, pulling his phone from the pocket of his jeans. "Mount Robson?"

"No. We're not really beginners."

"Oh really?" He looked up at me briefly. "Have you been on any of the trails around here?"

"Not here, no."

"Well, don't go getting in over your heads."

Without giving me the chance to respond, he turned and disappeared into the crowd of people behind us.

"What's his problem?" I asked Jacob who appeared with three beers and a basket of fries just as Edward left. So much for Edward buying us a round.

"Why? What'd he do?"

"Nothing, I guess. Everyone else here has been really friendly to us so far, and he's just…I don't know. Not." I kept my voice low so I wouldn't offend Emmett. Neither he or Rose were paying any attention to anything but each other, but I still wanted to be careful.

"Well, where do I start." He sighed, shaking his head. "He's done some world renowned treks, has an ego the size of Mount Kilimanjaro. He's kind of a local legend, and he knows it."

"That doesn't give him an excuse to be a dick though."

"He's a bit of a jerk, but deep down he's a good guy."

"Could've fooled me."

"You've gotta realize that not all tourists are as nice as you girls either, Bella. He's been in tourism for a long time – dealt with a lot of whiny, rich complainers. I think he's just not all that great with first impressions."

"Well, I'm glad you're not jaded yet. Thanks for the beers. I'm glad you found us here." I raised my bottle to his and he met my cheers. I meant what I'd said. He had such a friendly face and was easy to be around.

"Me too. I have to go find my brothers though. That stink in the air? It's likely their doing." He winked. I had thought I smelled weed, but with the heavy scent of the hot springs still thick in the air I couldn't be certain. "It was great meeting you, Bella. When do you start out?"

"Tomorrow night we head to the base camp." I figured it was a good time to fill him in on some of the specifics of our trip. He'd given me no reason to lie to him. "I should have said something earlier, by the way- we're booked with Highline."

"Get out! You definitely should've said so!" he said, lightly smacking my arm. His grin was huge.

"I'm scheduled to go out tomorrow too, but I'm not sure which group Jasper's sticking me with. I'll look for your name on the list and see if I can pull some strings and get on with you guys. How sweet would that be?!"

"Pretty sweet." I said with a giggle. It would be nice to have a semi-familiar, friendly face that knew what he was doing along for the journey.

"Get some rest tonight then, eh? I'll catch you soon." He patted my shoulder as he stood and left.

I noticed that Emmett and Rose were still deep in conversation across the table from me, and I didn't want to interrupt. I'd wait until we were back at the hotel to get the scoop on what was going on there. I knew Rose's type, and Emmett definitely fit it. She wasn't one to get involved in short term affairs though, so I was curious to get the scoop on where her head was at with him.

I people-watched the crowd as I picked at the fries Jacob had left behind. As silly as it was, I couldn't help but be bothered by Edward's condescending tone. His comment about being in over our heads was starting to make me second guess myself. I knew it was ridiculous, and after what Jacob explained I realized that his attitude likely had very little to do with us personally, but it still hit a nerve.

Rose and I weren't rookies, but we didn't have a ton of experience. The lighter trails we'd practiced on back in Washington didn't compare to this journey, but we couldn't have done any more than we did. The more I reflected on my hard work, the better I started to feel.

I'd logged hours on a treadmill. I broke in my boots. I did my homework on packing, weather conditions, and read every guide book and manual that I could get my hands on.

I was doing this for me and for Charlie. I would be damned if I was going to let one egotistical asshole get me down.

A/N Thanks so much for reading! Next chapter Bella and Rose begin their big adventure – can't wait! Giant thanks to those who have left reviews. I love to hear your thoughts, or just know you're out there! xo

P.S – Doing this WitFit challenge is doing wonders for my writing mojo. Expect a Palmistry update very soon! :)