Chapter 3: Everything Has a Price
"Rose, get out of bed!" Rosalie heard her mother shout. She groaned, rolling over in her bed and glanced at her clock. It was almost nine in the morning. Rosalie shook her head. She didn't see why her mother insisted on waking her up this early. She didn't have any kinds of lessons until the afternoon, and she hadn't fallen asleep until late the night before.
Rosalie sighed, climbing out of her bed and wrapped her robe around her body. "What is it mother?" she asked, opening the door to her room and walking out into the hall. Her slippers made clicking sounds on the wooden floors of the hall as she walked in search of her mother.
"Rosalie, there you are," her mother said exasperated, fixing her harsh gaze on her eldest daughter. "Get dressed. You should have left half an hour ago!"
Rosalie looked up at her mother with a confused expression. "Left for where, mother?" she asked, yawning loudly.
Mrs. Hale let out an exasperated sigh. "Your father left his lunch here. I need you to head to the store and bring it to him. And wear that yellow dress. You look so pretty in it!" she said, walking away.
"Mother, just get Victor to do it," she said, naming one of their servants. She had no desire to go into town just to bring her father his lunch.
Mrs. Hale let out a laugh. "I'm not sending Victor into the store to bring your father his lunch. You can do it. I'll have Harold drive you into town," she said.
Rosalie sighed, though nodded her head. She knew there was no way to get out of what her mother wanted her to do. So, with a reluctant sigh, Rosalie headed back into her room.
She changed into a yellow and white polka-dotted dress that had a belt around her waist. As she did her makeup, Marie fixed her hair, pinning her curls back and securing them with a yellow ribbon. She pulled her brown shoes on, then finished the looked with a gold necklace and matching earrings.
Once she was dressed, Rosalie grabbed her lace umbrella and headed downstairs. Her mother handed her a tin container which held her father's lunch, then told her to be on her way.
Rosalie headed out to the front, holding her umbrella over her head as she waited for Harold to bring the car up. It was sunny out, and Rosalie didn't like the sun being in her eyes. Even though she spent a good amount of her time at the pool, she avoided the sun when she wasn't in her swim suit.
Of course, since he seemed to be everywhere she was, Emmett McCarthy appeared next to her. "Good morning, Miss Hale," he greeted, giving her a warm smile.
Bella let out a small laugh. "He's like, stalking her," she joked. "If that happened today, she could have him arrested."
"Oh, stop Bella," Alice scolded. "He seems sweet."
"So, you're telling me you wouldn't find it creepy if some guy who worked for you showed up everywhere you were," Bella challenged.
"I'm not saying that," Alice said. "I just mean that Emmett seems harmless. He just has a crush on her. He's not doing anything to hurt her…right?" she asked, looking up at her grandmother.
Emily shook her head. "Of course not. Emmett would have rather died then hurt Rose. Even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, he cared for her deeply.
"Oh, Emmett," Rosalie said, a smile forming on her face. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Just working on the flowers out front," he said, gesturing to the rows of tulips that graced the front yard of her home. "After all, I have to give them plenty of water to make sure they don't die in this heat. Going somewhere?" he asked, taking in her appearance.
"Yes, my father left his lunch here. So Mother is sending me to the store to bring it to him. I'm just waiting for Harold to bring the car up and drive me," she explained.
Emmett gave her a funny look. "She's sending you to do that? Why doesn't she just get Victor or someone else to do that?"
Rosalie grinned, glad to see someone else had her point of view. "That's why I told her, but she insisted I go. I don't see why. I was sleeping and she woke me up to run an errand. That's what we have the help for—no offense," she added, realizing she was talking to someone she considered the help.
"None taken," Emmett said, dusting his dirty hands off on his jeans. "You know, I've been thinking over what we talked about last week," he said, referring to their walk around the lake. "When you return home, would you meet me out back? I have something I want to show you."
"Show me?" she asked.
"Yes, show you. That's all I'm going to say. Oh, here comes Harold," he said, seeing the black car drive up to them. Emmett took Rosalie's hand, kissing the back of it. "I'll be waiting for you," he said quietly before releasing his hold on her and heading back to work.
Rosalie, with pink cheeks, climbed into the car, gently fingering the spot where Emmett's lips had been a moment earlier. No, she scolded herself. She couldn't think like this. Emmett worked for her family. She was supposed to love Royce. He was the one she was dating, after all.
Rosalie sighed, knowing that wasn't how things were turning out. Rosalie had now gone out with Royce a few times and kissed him goodnight each time. Yet, it was her walk with Emmett that she thought about at night before she fell asleep. It was Emmett's face she saw in her dreams. And, when she pictured her future wedding, it was Emmett she saw standing next to her.
She was being silly, of course. It was just an innocent crush.
But it wasn't. She had fallen hard for Emmett, and she couldn't make her feelings for him go away, no matter how hard she tried.
And she had tried. She tried not thinking about him, but his goofy face still came into her mind every night. She just wished it wouldn't. How was she supposed to marry Royce when someone else had a hold on her heart?
Rosalie played around with her necklace as Harold drove through town. She looked out the window, looking sympathetically at the people desperately selling fruit on the side of the road, hoping for enough money so their family could eat that night.
Rosalie called forward to Harold and asked him to stop. She got out of the car, walking over to the destitute woman who was selling apples. The woman took in Rosalie's appearance, a mixture of jealousy and hatred crossing her face. Why did this girl get to live the life of luxury while she was begging on the streets?
"Ma'am? I'd like to buy everything you're selling," Rosalie said, handing her a wad of cash.
The woman looked up at her before handing her the sack of apples. "God bless you," she whispered, looking at the money. Her three children, who were sitting on the side of the road, looked up at the beautiful stranger in awe, then at their mother as she began weeping.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" Rosalie asked, handing the bag of apples to Harold, instructing him to place them in the car.
"It's just been so hard. No one ever buys anything from me," she said, taking a seat on the side. Rosalie adjusted her dress before sitting next to her.
"I can't understand what you and your family are going through, but I can maybe help somewhat. Would you like a job?" she asked.
The woman looked up at her. "What?" she asked.
"My father owns a chain of grocery stores. And I'm sure he can find somewhere for you to work there. And the man I'm dating—his family owns a few apartment buildings, among other things. I can talk to him about giving you a place to live—free of charge until you have enough money to afford it, of course," she said.
"Oh my goodness, thank you, you lovely child."
"Here, come with me," she said, gesturing to the car. "I'm on my way to see my father right now." The woman and her children climbed in the car, Rosalie following behind them. Harold started driving again.
During the drive, Rosalie learned more about the woman—whose name was Mary. She hadn't always been like this. Her husband had a job working in the mines. Then, the shaft he was working in collapsed, and he was killed. She and her children lost their house and ran out of money shortly after. She was selling apples and stealing to get by. More than once, she thanked Rosalie as they drove to her father's store.
When the car came to a stop, Rosalie told Mary and her children to wait as she spoke to her father. Rose grabbed her umbrella and her father's lunch, heading inside.
She looked around at the full store, glad to see her father still had business, despite the bad times. She spotted him, telling one of the girls who worked for him to restock the fruit. She nodded, walking away.
"Daddy!" Rosalie walled, walking up to him.
"Rose?" What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Mother said you left your lunch at home," she said, handing him the tin.
Her father smiled, laughing a little. "Yes, I suppose I did leave that at home. Did Harold drive you?" he asked.
Rose nodded her head before biting her lip. "Daddy, I need to ask you a question. Are you hiring?" she asked.
"Rose? You don't need a job here."
"It's not for me. It's for…a friend," she said.
"Well, my one stock girl moved, so I could use one. Why don't you tell her to come in next week and—"
"She's here right now, Daddy. I can go get her," she said.
Jackson nodded his head. "Yes, go on and do that," he said, looking at his daughter curiously. Rosalie headed outside for a minute, and then returned with Mary and her children.
"Daddy, please. She's desperate," Rosalie pleaded.
Jackson looked at his daughter, the woman, and her children. "Carl!" he called. One of the managers came over to them. "Can you take this woman and children to my office. Get them something to eat. And get her a uniform," he said.
Mary smiled. "Oh, thank you so much, sir," she said as Carl led them away.
Rosalie smiled up at her father, hugging him. "Thank you, Daddy," she said. He smiled down at her, hugging her back.
"I think someone's here to see you," he said. Rose turned, looking at Royce.
"Royce?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"What? Can't a man shop for groceries?" he joked. Rose's father smiled, kissing the top of her head before going back to work. Royce came up, taking Rosalie's hand. "I would like a word," he said. Rosalie nodded, following him out back, taking a seat on one of the benches.
"What is it, Royce?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Well, as you may or may not know, the governor's ball is next week, and my family has been invited to go."
"Oh, how nice," she said, confused as to why he was telling her this. "I'm not sure why this warranted a visit to the grocery store to see me," she said.
Royce laughed quietly. "Oh, Rose. You can be so silly," he teased. "I needed to see you because I was hoping you'd come as my date."
"Your date?" she asked, smiling a little. "Of course. I'd love to, Royce," she said. Royce grinned, leaning down to kiss her. "Wait," she said, holding her hand up in front of his lips. "There's something I need to ask you first."
"Okay?" he asked, not sure what she could need to ask him.
"Your family's apartment complex—would it be possible to get an apartment for a friend? And, maybe not have her pay rent until she gets back on her feet? She doesn't have much money right now. Daddy just gave her a job, but it's going to take a bit for her to get enough to afford the place."
Royce sighed. "I don't know, Rosalie. That's a lot to ask."
"Please," she begged. "She has two children. I don't want her to have to live on the streets," she said.
Royce considered this for a moment. "If I do this for you," he said. "Will you do something for me?"
Rosalie nodded her head eagerly. "Of course. I'll do anything for you," she said, looking up at him.
Royce smiled. But it wasn't a normal smile. It was more of a smirk. He took Rosalie's hand in his, looking down at her. "Great. Then get on your knees," he instructed.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"Rose, you just said you were going to do something for me," he said in the kind of voice one would use when talking to a child. "So, on your knees," he said again.
Rosalie, getting the sense that things weren't right, did as he said. What could he want her to do for him if she was on her knees?
Royce reached down, pulling the zipper to his pants down and pulled himself out. Rosalie's eyes widened. "Royce…" she said quietly. This was not okay. She was sixteen, and a virgin. Her mother had always said good girls waited until they were married. "I'm a virgin," she whispered.
Royce gave her another smirk. "I know. Don't worry; you're still going to be a virgin after this. Now, touch it," he ordered, though his voice was no longer gentle. It was harsh and commanding, like the way a general would speak to his troops.
Rosalie, her hand shaking, did as he said. She was scared. She'd never been in this kind of position before. And this didn't feel right. This was wrong.
Royce pushed his hips forward a bit, looking down at her. "Kiss it," he ordered.
Rosalie felt tears falling down her face. "Please, Royce," she whispered.
"Do it," he growled. Rosalie, still crying, leaned forward to do what he said. Though he took the opportunity to grab her head and force himself into her mouth. She tried pulling away, but he was holding her head there. She gagged, feeling sick.
The whole thing lasted five minutes. When he was done, Royce was at least kind enough to not come in her mouth. He pulled out of her mouth, exploding on her dress. She looked down at the sticky white spot on her dress and buried her face in her hands as she cried. Her hair was ruined, her makeup smeared, and she felt dirty.
Bella, Alice, and everyone else sat there with their mouths open. "He…oh my god," Alice said, making a disgusted face. "He actually did that to her?"
Emily nodded her head. "Yes, he did. Royce wasn't as nice as everyone thought he was."
"What did you think of him, Gran?" Bella asked.
"Me?" she asked. Her granddaughters nodded their heads. "He seemed nice when I first met him. But after a while, I could tell that he wasn't nice at all," she said. "It's too bad I didn't know sooner," she said.
"Did you know Rosalie?" Alice asked.
"I saw her once or twice. She and I didn't run in the same circles. I wasn't very wealthy," she said. "Though she always seemed like a sweet person to me."
"I should go home," she said quietly, rising to her feet. She couldn't even look at Royce, she was so ashamed. How could she have let him do that to her? She should have pushed him off. But he was so much stronger.
Royce nodded, taking Rosalie's arm. His touch burned, but she didn't pull away. She knew not to. Royce walked her outside, pausing at her car. "I'll pick you up Friday for dinner," he said, leaning down and kissing her softly. "We'll be over next Wednesday at five to pick you up for the ball. I can't wait to see you all dressed up," he said, his fingers running up and down her arm.
Rosalie nodded her head slowly, climbing into the car, shutting the door behind her. As Harold drove her home, Rosalie cried in the back seat of the car. Though, as they got closer to home, she calmed down, fixing her hair and makeup. But she didn't know what to do about the spot on her dress. It had dried, and now wasn't coming out.
When Harold opened the door to the car, she stepped out, trying to hide the spot with the belt on her dress. It mostly worked, but was still slightly visible.
Rosalie was so upset when she arrived that she almost forgot about her meeting with Emmett in the back.
She remembered, of course, after she made it up to her room and saw a bouquet of roses sitting on her bed. She walked over, picking them up. There was no card, just a small little note that read 'Emmett'.
Hitting her forehead, Rosalie rushed out of her room, heading down the stairs and sneaking out back. Luckily, her mother was too busy with her sister to notice Rosalie.
Rose hurried across the back lawn, looking around for Emmett. She didn't see him anywhere. She prayed he hadn't gone home—she'd been a lot longer at the store than she planned, after all.
She heard a rustling sound behind her and jumped. Emmett laughed, coming out from behind the large oak tree Rosalie sometimes sat under. "Emmett!" she breathed. "Don't sneak up on me like that. You scared me," she said, reaching out and taking his arm. "So, what is this thing you want to show me?" she asked, walking with him as he led her away from the back yard and into the woods.
Emmett chuckled under his breath. "I can't very well tell you, now can I, Miss Hale?" he joked. "It wouldn't be a surprise then," he said, pushing a branch to the side as he led her deeper into the woods.
Rosalie shivered nervously, a bit on edge after leaving Royce. She wasn't sure if she should trust Emmett. After all, she trusted Royce, and look what he had done to her.
"Scared?" Emmett teased as the trees thinned out and they walked into a secluded meadow.
Rosalie smiled, looking around at all the flowers growing before looking up at Emmett. "It's so beautiful," she breathed, looking around.
"I know," Emmett said. "I've been clearing this place out for months," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"How'd you even find this? No one ever comes this far back," she said.
"During my breaks I like to walk around," he said. "I found this one day when I was walking around. It was full of weeds and other nonsense, so I've been clearing this place out. I thought you'd like it," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
Rosalie smiled. "I love it," she said. "Why did you bring me here, though?"
"Well, I've been thinking about what you told me. You know, not being able to do what you want. About your parents not letting you read what you want. And I was thinking this would be a good place to do it," he said. "You could keep your books here and everything."
Rosalie smiled. "That's a great idea!" she laughed, jumping up excitedly. "But, I'll be so lonely here," she sighed. Rosalie bit her lower lip. "Maybe you could come out here with me?" she asked. It would be an excuse to spend more time with him.
"Me?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I mean, you could read with me," she said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
"I could get in a lot of trouble, you know," he said.
"But you work for me. I promise you, you won't get in trouble," she said. "Please? Will you some out here with me. You don't have to come out every day. Just once or twice a week."
Emmett seemed to think before sighing. "Okay, I'll come out here with you. Though only once or twice a week," he said. Emmett had a bad feeling about this, though, for some reason, he could never say no to Rosalie Hale.
Pictures of the dress Rosalie was wearing is in my profile.
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