All recognisable characters belong to SM. I just own the plot.
Thank you to A Jasper For Me for whipping this chapter into shape. To all of my readers, thank you for the love.
A big shout out to the Fictionators (www. fictionators .com) for sending me a bunch of new readers. Go check out their blog - click on the link I posted ... just remove the spaces before and after fictionators.
"I'm not sure anyone makes better pizza than Papa G's, Bells." Jessica took another bite of the cheese pizza she had ordered from the local Italian restaurant a block away from my apartment.
"Yeah, just don't forget that you keep complaining about your weight every time you finish half the box."
"I do not!" She looked indignant, but she stood up quickly to stare at her butt in the living room mirror. "Do you think I'm fat?"
I shook my head, not knowing whether to laugh at how silly she was being, or get angry that she kept on insulting her weight. She wasn't fat, but she was too damned hardheaded to believe me. That dreaded mother of hers should have been executed for drilling into her head that a size zero was the only way to go.
"Jess, you are not FAT!" I grabbed a slice and sat on the kitchen counter. "I hate Cecilia, you know."
"I know." She raised her pizza in a toast before taking a huge bite. "I wish Cecilia would just disappear from my life … from the face of this earth."
Cecilia was her mother, and if there was an award for the most dreadful mother in the universe, it should be awarded to her.
"When will she arrive?" I asked, taking a bite of my food.
"Next week. God, what the hell am I going to do? John's not here, and I'm not sure I can handle her."
The Stanleys were an unconventional family. Jessica called her parents by their first names, and they were okay with it. The first time I heard her talk to them like that was when I was seven years old. To say I was speechless was an understatement. She had been a vocal child, and that had not changed.
"I thought she was supposed to stay in Europe for three months. Why the sudden change of plans?"
She merely shrugged and continued eating. "Maybe she got bored. You know her – she's picky, and spoiled and overbearing … and …"
"She's a bitch … plain and simple," I deadpanned.
She laughed until I thought she would choke. She had tears in her eyes when she finished. "God, how I wish I could say that to her face."
"Why don't you?"
She lowered her gaze. Jessica had always been insecure when it came to her mother. Maybe because that witch tried to mould her into this Barbie doll type of girl, which Jessica certainly wasn't. All her teenage years, Cecilia had required her to attend different modeling and beauty schools to compensate for what her mother called plainness in Jess' features. Jessica was pretty, but her mother wanted her to be gorgeously beautiful, something that would be hard to accomplish because of their genetics.
"Jess, I'm sorry. I know she's your mother and you love her, but she's mean and bitchy to you most of the time. Maybe you should stand up to her sometimes."
"I will … someday. I promise."
She had been telling me this since we were teens, but I hadn't seen her do it once. She was brave and vivacious, but she was still that little insecure kid around Cecilia.
"Okay, if you say so."
She gave me a thankful smile and quickly changed the subject.
"So do you think your sister will allow me to increase my account in your store? There's going to be a sale, and I don't wanna miss out."
"Jess, you don't wear last season wardrobes."
She rolled her eyes at me.
"I just attended the board meeting yesterday, remember? Alice wanted to dispose of last season's coats and shoes. I don't think you'll like this sale much."
She was brand conscious, hating anything cheap. Her parents were rich and they compensated their absence with monetary reward.
"That's beside the point, Bells. Your stores cater to more designer labels than anyone I know, and I'm positive I can find something there."
"Something?" I arched my brow in question.
"Okay, okay fine!" She huffed, irritated. "I just want to see your new store manager. That handsome guy … what's his name again?"
"Bret," I answered, trying to hide my amusement. She was so easy to read.
"Yeah, that one."
I giggled, and she stuck her tongue out at me. Jessica was my best friend, but honestly, she was not a monogamous type of girl. When she would see someone she liked, she would go after that guy without qualms … without care. Not that I begrudged her for that. I loved her regardless.
"Now I understand," I said, with a light chuckle.
She threw her napkin at me.
"But I can totally get why you're going gaga over him. He's cute, I admit."
"He has these very tight buns, Bells, and I would love more than anything to squeeze them," she admitted without shame. "And he wears these tight fitting pants that show off the outline of his crotch. His big-"
"Oh my God, Jess. Can you think of anything else other than ..." I waved my hand in front of me in frustration "… you know?"
She smirked. "Sex?"
"You really have a dirty mind. I just can't believe I'm friends with you."
"Oh, you know you love me."
Yes I did. My parents and hers ran in the same circle, so were friends since we were children, but it was when we were in boarding school that I had gotten closer to her.
"So, how were the 'rents?"
I was supposed to meet with my parents after the group study earlier this evening, but as you know, an unexpected visitor came. It would be hard to explain, so instead of giving her an answer, I stalled, nibbling on the remaining slice of Papa G's pizza.
"Something came up, and I wasn't able to go." I hoped my voice didn't give away my nervousness.
"Oh, ok," she said nonchalantly, accepting my answer easily. She turned to grab the remote for the television from the table and proceeded to increase the volume.
"The recent pictures of Prince Edward drunk and almost unable to carry himself seemed to illicit different reactions from the people. Some lambasted what they call an irresponsible act of the prince, doubting even more his capacity to take his brother's place as the heir to the throne."
"I hate to say this, but I pity the bastard," Jessica said. "Have you seen the pictures, Bells?"
"No, I didn't."
She looked at me, and I felt guilty by not telling her about Edward. I dropped my gaze. The background voice of the anchorwoman resonated loud and clear.
"There is still no official statement from the Royal family about the issue, but some sources say the King was displeased and had already made sanctions on his second son's actions."
It had taken me a long time before I could watch news that pertained to any member of the Royal family, especially Edward. Although I could stand it now, I still avoided it as much as possible. I didn't need those kinds of information.
"Jess," I said, trying to get her attention.
"Hmm?" She was still engrossed with watching the news but had glanced over her shoulder to look at me. She might have seen my expression, because she suddenly looked concerned.
"Bella? Did something happen?" she asked.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, and whispered, "I saw Edward."
"Wait … wait, did you just say you saw Edward?" She had an eyebrow arched as she lowered the volume. It was obvious by her expression she didn't like what she heard. Mentioning his name aloud had started the hammering in my chest, and so instead of repeating what I just said, I busied myself with arranging the pizza box and throwing it away. It was avoidance, and she knew it. I could see her tapping her foot in my peripheral vision.
"You can't ignore me, missy. I won't let you."
"Yes, Edward came. That's why I wasn't able to attend the dinner with my parents tonight."
"So what did he want?" The iciness in her tone was evident.
"Jess-"
"No, Bells. Alec's death doesn't excuse the fact your ex is an asshole, and if he came to use that as an excuse, then he's more pathetic than I thought."
"Jessica Stanley, can you listen to me first?" I demanded, a little irritated with her protectiveness. "You're being over dramatic again."
"Can you blame me?"
"No," I answered timidly.
She was one of those who knew what went down between Edward and I, and although I had convinced her I was more than okay now, she was still angry with him for what he did.
"Bella, tell me."
"He didn't do anything, okay, so just chill out," I defended, not wanting for her to hate him more. Edward had too much going on in his life right now; he didn't need this from us ... from me. "We just talked a bit."
"So you say. Edward's visit clearly meant something. I'm sure he didn't come to you just because."
It had taken me a long time to get over what happened with us, and I truly believed I was no longer bitter about it. "Maybe … I dunno. I've never been an expert when it came to Edward, as you had witnessed before, so perhaps he was just in the neighborhood –"
"That's bull, Bells, and you know it!"
I gave her a shrug, and she sighed, looking worried.
"You didn't do anything stupid, did you?"
"What? Oh my God, no! I told you, he just came by. Maybe he needed someone to talk to."
"After all this time, he needed a talk … with you?" she asked incredulously, shaking her head in disbelief. "I think it's high time I get the full 411 of that meeting," she said and pulled me towards the living room to the couch.
OOOOOOOOOO
Alice stood, immaculate and pretty as ever, as she waved for me to wait as she conversed with someone on her phone.
I took that time to make myself a martini. My mother insisted I come home for the weekend, and so she sent Matt to get me. After my clinical shift in the hospital, I only had a few minutes to change and pack before I had to leave in order not to be late for dinner. Renee hated waiting above anything else.
It took around ten minutes for Alice to finish the phone call.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said and sat opposite me on the couch, a glass of wine in her hand. "Is it okay for you if we eat a little late? I'm still waiting for Jasper.
I smiled, and she rolled her eyes at me. Dr. Whitlock was the head of the surgical division in the Seattle Medical Center. Although, he didn't handle medical students, he knew me because of my sister.
"Does this mean you two are an item now?"
Alice blushed, and that was all the confirmation I needed.
"Finally!" I said, giving her a wink. "I thought you two would never get together."
Alice had been dating Jasper for over a year now, but not exclusively to Jasper's dismay. She didn't want to commit to him for some reason. She was hot one moment, then cold the other, which made me pity Jasper. Her cautiousness, however, stemmed from her ex-boyfriend Paul's infidelity, and I could understand that. It was a good thing Jasper had enough patience to wait.
"When did this happen, Ali? You should tell me about these things," I teased her, grinning cheekily at her.
"Bella, darling!" My mother's sudden appearance surprised me, and even before I could respond, she had pulled me from the couch and hugged me. I could smell the fragrance of her expensive perfume, and I sighed.
"Hi, Mom."
"I missed you." She pulled back from the embrace, and eyed my dress, arching an eyebrow as she made the perusal.
I groaned in frustration. "Please, don't start."
"What? I was just looking at this," she said, and fingered the red cashmere dress I had on. "I was about to say you look nice."
"I should be. This is one of the dresses I got from S," I replied, looking smug. My mother and sister loved to dress up, and it was a good thing our father, Charlie Swan, owned a chain of upscale department stores, or we would be piss poor by the way they shopped.
"I don't remember that particular one," Alice commented as she checked out my dress.
"That's because you were out of the country when this particular set from your favorite designer arrived. I think Angela mentioned it was sold out even before the day ended."
"Hmm," was all she said.
I didn't know whether to be insulted or not. Alice and our mother shared the same love for shopping, and although I loved buying expensive things for myself, I was nowhere in their league.
"Ali, did you tell Bella about the ad?" Renee asked.
"Only about a million times!" I answered, exasperation laced in my tone. "I already told you guys I'm not interested. Why can't Ali do it herself? She's been modeling for the store for years now-"
"You'd been doing it with me, if you remember. You just suddenly stopped three years ago, " she said dryly.
"Yeah, and you've been doing fine without me." I huffed, irritated. We had talked about this for months now, and I told them no repeatedly.
"Bella, Alice needs you. The campaign for the holiday season is always important to us as this brings more revenue than any other month. The board agreed this year we need to emphasize on family."
"Mom, please! You know I hate doing the ads, and I have tons of work to do," I countered, hell-bent on getting out of this. "Besides, you could always shoot with Alice, Mom."
"Bella, that won't do. Look at me, I'm not yo-"
"You are beautiful and don't you dare for one second think you're not!" I cut her off. My mother was a beautiful woman, but her husband's illness had taken a toll on her, and it showed on her face.
"Bella, baby, please, for me?"
My mother hardly asked me for something, and that was why I found myself in agreement with them to be in the holiday ad for S, alongside my sister.
"This is going to be the last one. Promise me, Alice," I begged, but she just shrugged. I wanted to strangle her.
She was the Vice President for Marketing, and she had been eyeing to become the CEO. At the age of thirty, she had already accomplished so much, but for a woman in her status, she still needed to show better things … greater things than her male counterparts. That was why she needed to show good, if not excellent, sales reports while she held her current position. My father was no longer active in the business after being paralyzed when he had a massive heart attack two years ago. Alice had been running the S chain of stores, and she had been doing a darn good job at it.
The arrival of Jasper signaled the start of dinner. We were in the middle of dessert when my mother mentioned something I didn't want to talk about.
"I saw Heidi's mom the other day, and she mentioned you went to see Heidi," she said, looking at me, her expression curios.
"You did what?" It was Alice. "Please tell me you didn't do anything to piss them off."
"When you say them, you mean the Cullens?" I asked, trying not to be angry.
"Of course."
"For one, I didn't go to the Cullens. I went to Heidi. There's a difference, you know," I deadpanned.
"Tomato – tomato."
"Is visiting a friend a crime now?"
"Bella, you know it's not good for you to see them," she said.
"Oh, you mean it won't be good for business," I accused, wiping my mouth with the napkin. Alice had been afraid my break-up with Edward could jeopardize our business in one way or the other, and always cautioned me against commenting about our past. She didn't have to say her negative reaction to my visit to Heidi had something to do with this fear. "Alec was also my friend!"
"I didn't mean to insinuate-"
"Yes, you did," I snapped at her. "I know S is important to you, Alice, but dammit, you don't get to say what I can or can't do just because you think I can hurt S."
"Girls-"
"Mom, I'm going to see Dad now." With that, I turned to head out the dining room up my parents' bedroom.
Review please.
I'll be going out of town for two weeks, so I might not be able to update next week. I'll try my best though, but just in case I won't be able to ... I'll just see you when I come back.
Thanks for reading.