Alice had officially finished unpacking and it only took her…..three hours. Our room was now full of spots because apparently, "polka-spots" as Alice calls them, are her favorite. Nearly everything she owns is spotted, from the bed spread to the notebooks for her classes. Her lamp shade is even speckled with the colorful dots.
I watched as she placed the final poster on the wall of the Joker from the last Batman movie. She had so many posters, there was hardly any wall space left on her side of the room. I glanced from her living space to mine, and realized just how boring I was. I had nothing on my walls; I was just plain Jane. In a way it describes me perfectly because I'm boring to the core. My skin is pasty white like a ghost, my eyes are a lifeless shade of brown and my hair is a dark chestnut color that just hangs around my slender figure. Nothing special.
"There, finished in record time" Alice breaths as she looks at her now complete bedroom.
"Record time? Alice, it took you forever" I laughed.
She turned and walked over to my bed. She climbed up the bottom railing and perched herself with her back against the wall. She sighs as she relaxes and closes her eyes. This is the calmest I have seen Alice, but as I move to mirror her position, I feel anxious that she's sitting on my bed. It's a personal space of mine that she kind of invaded. I'm not upset per se, I just have never had any friends this up close and personal with me. I never had friends come over to my house because I was never home. I was always with Jake off doing whatever that it didn't leave much room to have girl time.
"Bella, the time I spent here in this room is nothing compared to the time I spend decorating and rearranging my house back home" she smiles at me and giggles.
"I didn't ask you earlier, but what's your major?" I frowned because it was such a typical college question to ask someone and I failed to do that.
"Well, I'm a business administration major with a concentration in marketing and management. I want to own my own interior design company" she stated with enthusiasm.
"That's exciting, your own company huh? Those are some big goals you have set for yourself." I looked at my hands which have started fidgeting by now. Alice is just so sure of what she wants out of her education and her life. Why can't I be this sure? Oh because your boyfriend tells you what you're going to do every minute of every day; that's why. I frowned at my inner monologue and Alice noticed.
"Bella? What's wrong? You look upset." She rubs my arm softly and the touch startles me so much I jump. Nobody touches me but Jake and I wasn't used to anyone else's caring gestures. Why didn't I jump when Edward touched me? I'll put that thought aside for later, right now I needed to reassure Alice. She withdrew her hand back but was now sitting pin straight, looking at me with a confused and worried expression.
"I'm sorry Alice, you just scared me a little" I gave her a small smile to try and show her I was fine. Too bad she saw right through it.
"Bella, you nearly jumped out of your skin. You are not fine, what has you so uptight?" She crossed her arms and gave me an intimidating stare. For a small person, she has a big personality. I didn't want to tell her that I don't have any friends therefore I don't have heart to heart conversations with anyone. She just wouldn't understand.
"I'm just nervous about starting my college classes. I guess they have me on edge" I shrugged as if the whole situation was nothing.
"ok, well I know we only met today but if you need someone to listen, I'm here. I won't judge, ok well I might interject but I'll try and hold off until you're finished. I just want you to understand that you have a friend Bella. Actually, let me see, you have…..four and a half friends." She smiles brightly and pats the bed as if my hand were there to pat. I guess she knew better then to touch me again.
I finally caught what she said and wrinkled my brow in confusion. "What do you mean four and a half friends? There's only one Alice, unless you have three and a half sisters I don't know about yet."
She began laughing so hard her body was shaking; I thought she was going to have a seizure. Everyone knows that laughing is contagious and I was now laughing hysterically.
"I meant…Jasper…Emmett…Edward…Rosalie….and I" she listed the names off in between fits of giggles. "Rosalie is the half because she will come around; you just have to give her time to get used to you." Our laughter died down and we were now breathing deeply to catch our breaths. A light rap came from our door. Alice told them to come in and Rosalie entered with a skeptic look. She shut the door and pulled my chair out from my desk to sit in. I didn't mind that she did that, but I was on alert to what she wanted. My good mood that Alice had put me in was now replaced with an uneasy feeling.
"The boys are finished with their rooms, I thought I'd let you know" she stated in a bored tone as she examined her cuticles.
"Great, are they coming down?" Alice asked her. She was still nestled on my bed.
I just sat there while they conversed about what they were going to do tonight. Apparently they throw a party every year in their suite to celebrate being back and seeing their friends again.
"Emmett and Sam got a bunch of booze for us, but other people have to bring their own; no sharing this time Alice" Rosalie waved her index finger to Alice in a condescending way.
"Oh Rose stop it, you know I was under the influence and had no idea what I was doing" Alice retorted as she put her hands on her hips.
"What did they end up getting? Please say they got Smirnoff" Alice crossed her fingers as she waited for the answer.
"Yea they got a party pack, which will hold us off, but they bought two thirty racks and two fifths of vodka."
"Oh no…" Alice's eyes got big. She put her face in her hands and shook her head.
"Alice? What's wrong?" I asked her quietly as I watched Rosalie from the corner of my eyes. I had no idea what was so bad about beer and vodka. They were the normal stuff, right?
"Alice here is remembering last year's party, aren't yea Alice" Rose giggled and I was shocked to say the least that she answered me.
"Their making skippy…." Alice answered me but I had no clue what she was talking about. Skippy? What the hell was Skippy?
"Alright, well what's so bad about this skippy?"
Rosalie laughed at my question. "You're so innocent Bella. Have you ever had alcohol?" she had a smirk on her face and I wasn't sure if she was asking to actually know, or if she was being a bitch.
"No, I haven't" I answered quietly, like I was ashamed of my answer. I have wanted to drink in the past but Jake said he didn't believe in underage drinking so while he and his friends could have it, I got to sit and watch. I even tried to stand up to him once and I told him he was being ridiculous to flaunt what he could have in front of me. I had even gone over to the cooler to grab a Mike's hard lemonade and that's when I felt his tight grip on my arm. I dropped the bottle just like he wanted and he told me to never touch his alcohol again. That's the one and only time I touched alcohol.
"Well we will just have to change that won't we" Alice told me but I frantically shook my head.
"No no, I can't have any because my classes start tomorrow" I said so quickly I don't think they understood what I had said.
Rosalie huffed, "We all have classes tomorrow, were celebrating that fact actually so it's ok" she tried to reassure me, which I felt was a nice attempt from her. Maybe she isn't so bad after all. Even though they tried to relax my feelings, I didn't budge. I was not drinking and isn't because I have class in the morning; that wouldn't bother me one bit. Jake was the deciding factor. If he found out I drank here at school, he'd flip shit. Not only does he not believe in underage drinking, but he also doesn't feel its right for people to drink at school. "People are there to learn not drink" he would say to me when the topic would spring up.
"Bella, come on, it's your first night as an official college student. You have to celebrate it!" Alice I chirped. She was beginning to bounce on my bed from excitement. I didn't answer her and looked at my hands to think. I don't want to drink tonight, that won't change but maybe I could just go for a little while. I mean I will be with Alice and Rosalie so I'm with other girls; I won't be alone with any boys so that's a plus. If I become too uncomfortable I can just leave. Ok so my list of reasons to go were getting longer and out weighing the one reason not to go, Jake. I know he won't call me until his break at 12:00 so that leaves four hours to be back in time. It's probably best not to mention it. I really don't want to cry already. As I went over my pros and cons list, I realized the girls were still waiting for an answer.
"Ok, here's the deal Alice." I turned my body to face her.
"I will go to the gathering with you, but I will not drink tonight and if I become too uncomfortable I'm leaving, got it?" I tried to be stern when I told her, but as her face lit up at me going out with them she threw herself at me in death defying hug.
"Can't….breath….Alice…." I gasped.
"Oh sorry, I'm just so excited your going with us! It's ok if you don't drink we can always do that another time."
She dropped of my bed and ran to her closet. She been to frantically though all the clothes she just put on hangers out onto her bed. "Alice" I laughed, you just put all those in there and now your taking them out?" I questioned.
Her head poked out from the wardrobe. "Bella, we have to get you ready, you can't go in that" she pointed to my jeans and hoody with a disgusted face. Rosalie just laughed. I had forgotten she was even here she was so quiet. "Nice Alice, insulting the girl isn't going to get her into a new outfit" she stated as she stood up from the chair. She began going through the clothes and found a long sweater dress and blue spandex leggings. I shook my head at that, "no way Rosalie, I can't wear that. Those leggings show off everything!" I nearly shrieked at her.
"Bella, this is cute and the dress will be long enough to cover your ass if that what your worried about" Rose tried to make me feel better about the clothes. I didn't want to feel exposed to people I didn't know.
"At least try it on to see what its like. You never know, you might be over analyzing it" Alice said with a determined look on her face that read "get your butt in these clothes'' I wasn't going to argue with Alice. I trusted her so I did what she asked. They turned around to give me privacy while I put the death trap spandex on. Good this shit is tight. It was already giving my bikini panties a wedgie. I didn't want to be picking at my ass all night.
"Bella, its two pieces of clothing, what the hell is taking so long!" Rose growled at me.
"I'm sorry it's just that these leggings are giving me a frieking wedgie already."
"Let me help," Alice turned around to see what I had wrong. "Well that would be the problem right there….." She stood back and giggled to herself.
"What Alice, what is it?" I looked at her with confusion. I knew how to put pants on so what was the issue?
"Bella" Rose was now giggling too. "You can't wear those underwear with spandex" Both girls were laughing as my face turned beat red with blush. I was so embarrassed that they were even looking at my ass.
"s-so w-what do I-I do?" I stuttered because I had no clue about fashion.
"Do you have a g-string?" Alice asked.
"umm nope must have left that at home" I barely whispered. I didn't own one of those. It's like a piece of floss. What was even the point of even wearing it. For outfits like these idiot. Well Bella Swan didn't wear outfits this so had no use for one.
"Lucky for you I have brand new ones so you can just have one of mine. I have like a ton" Alice giggled and skipped over to one the drawers and took the scrap of fabric out. She tossed it to me and I grabbed it. I looked at it of a minute, trying figure out what string went where.
"Bella, it won't bit now put the damn thing on so we can fix your hair" Rose was becoming impatient and crossed her arms. They both turned to give me privacy again as I took the leggings off and proceeded to put the g-string on. I pull the leggings up and to my surprise they fit a shit ton better. The g-string was uncomfortable at first but I guess I could get used to it.
"There isn't that better" Alice clapped at the progress we were making and I smiled. "Now for the hair do!" she announced. They sat me down and began combing through my hair discussing what style would be best.
"I think we should leave it down. The color is nice with the white and makes her face bright" Rose inquired.
"Alright, but were curling it to frame her face and give it some body, maybe we should clip her bangs in the front, yea that's a great idea" Alice congratulated herself with the epiphany.
I sat there for an hour as Rose worked on one side and Alice worked on the other. After curling all my hair, they clip my bang up to frame my face better and to keep my hair out of my face, effectively cutting of my ability to hide behind it if I needed to. My hair was my curtain. If I was uncomfortable, I just let it cover my face and escaped. Now I was bare. Stripped of my escape route. Rose applied a light make up around my eyes but otherwise said she didn't want to cover up my beauty. I was ready physically, but mentally was I? I had never been to one of these without Jake so I wasn't sure what to do. I guess I would stick to Rose and Alice. They would be my crutch tonight, I just hope they don't think I'm too clingy.
As I thought through my decision to go, Alice and Rose got ready for the party, and before I knew it we were walking out our suite door and up the stairs to the boys. I began to panic. What if I'm not welcome? What if I make a fool out of myself? The what-ifs kept coming with each step I took and as if Alice read my mind to bolt, she took and entwined her are with mine.
"Bella, everything will be fine Rose and I are here, just stick with us and you will have a ball" she smiled and soothed my inner thoughts. We were at the door and my heart felt like it was going to bust loose. Just as Alice was about to grab the handle, it swung open and my breath was caught in my throat.