The fat text further down is an A/N, just so you know.
Go check out the car she drives, it's w o n d e r f u l!
Even though my dream car is an Aston Martin, i wouldn't turn down a Lexus. Hoho, hell no.
I didn't get any response when i first uploaded chapter 1.
The reason might be that my summery wasn't that good, the title not original and thrilling enough or that it just wasn't good enough for people to review or alert, i don't know.
I hope it's one or both of the first, though.
But now i've changed both title and summery, so maybe i'll notice a difference.
Anyway, on with the show.
Fluorescent Adolescent part 2
Clinging to not getting sentimental
Said she wasn't going but she went still
After chorus, I was reunited with Bee and she, Liz, Vi, Penny and I went to English together. When the last bell for the day rang, I headed for the parking lot where my beautiful Lexus SC stood parked.
"Hey babe." I purred, running my hand gently across the black lacquer. "Been bored without me?"
"Please don't tell me your talking to your car again, Aurora."
"Tiger shut up, you're talking to your boat." I turned and faced the twins. I grinned at them, leaning casually against my car.
"Yeah, but I'm not calling it babe." I rolled my eyes.
"No, you're calling her honey." Leon laughed, and slammed his brother's back. "Come on, Ti, let's go. Leave the girl alone with her car." They waved and started to walk away.
"Eh, guys." I called after them.
"No, he's not riding with you home. He got something to study for, don't ask me what." Tiger answered without even turning around.
I was actually the only Cullen with a car. It was insane just thinking of it in New York, but since dad was what you can call a collector, it kind of rubbed off on me. My brother usually rode with me home, if he didn't needed to stay and study for one of his advanced course tests. Don't ask me why he took those classes. But then again, I was the school hating Cullen.
I turned back to my baby and jumped in. (I know she can't really drive in New York since she's just 17 and you have to be like 21, but I don't care! I love that car! And it's perfect for her, so I don't give a fuck about New York State Law!) Most of the people in my school rode limousine back and forth to school, Liz, Penny and Vi did. But what was the fun in that? Limousines are so boring, and they're ugly. Why would you want to drive around in one? No, I'd rather take the subway or the bus. But now I had my Lexus, my baby.
It was rather new, I'd only had it since I turned 17 and that was two months ago.
Alice had thrown me the huge birthday-party. She'd invited everyone she thought was good enough to come, which ended with a party of a couple of hundreds. She over did it, of course, but that was Alice for you. The day after my birthday party, and my actual birthday, February 8th, had been so much better. I had woken up in my bed at a very reasonable hour. 11 am. I'd found the entire living room filled with presents, and the dining table was weighed down by a breakfast enough to make an army satisfied. After eating more food than I thought anyone was able to with my family, opening all the gifts in the house and those the other had brought, dad had taken me by the hand and led me downstairs. When I realised we were heading for the garage, my eyes started to water. And when I saw her, my beautiful, beautiful car I had only days before been drooling over on the computer, and when my dad said Happy birthday princess, I couldn't hold them back anymore. I threw myself at him, crying like an infant. He had chuckled, and then I had thrown myself at the car. I found out that it was a gift from all of them, everyone had put some money to it. So they all got the same tear-wet treatment.
I caressed the wheel when I drove her. She had been by far the best birthday present ever, after the camera when I was 11. And in a quite different price range to, I know, but oh, so lovely.
It wasn't far from school to home, but I drove her back and forth everyday just so she could stretch her legs. If mom hadn't been waiting around for me back home, I would have taken a ride up to the Hampton's. Or maybe not that far, but out of town at least.
But now I had a sword hanging over my head. If I didn't watch it very carefully, they'd take my precious Lexus together with my other stuff in the penalty.
I unlocked the gate to the garage and drove in. The purr of the engine still echoed back from the walls when I climbed out. I loved hearing that every day when I came home. That and the smell of gasoline were very comforting.
I jogged up the few stairs to the door into the house. The house was silent, except from soft piano music from dad's study. Debussy. It figures. He always listened to Debussy when he needed to calm down. It stung again, that I had upset and disappointed dad that much.
I walked on my tiptoes so my heels wouldn't smatter too much against the wooden floor. Up in my room I dumped my bag and coat on the bed and pulled off my shoes. No need for them when I was going to talk to my parents. I decided that I should change clothes too. I kind of liked the pleaded skirt and the bow, but not so suited for being home.
So I pulled on one of Alice's dresses she'd given me for my birthday. And then I took a deep breath and walked out of my room.
The bedrooms were on the top floor, and dad's study was on the ground floor. I walked down the steps, and turned the corner.
Debussy was still being played from the inside. I tapped the door lightly and pushed down the handle.
Dad sat turned to me in his big leather desk chair. He looked up from the paper on his table when I walked in. Even though he was angry with me, he smiled.
"Hello, princess." I blushed.
"Hi dad."
"Come here." He said, and stood up. I ran into his arms, feeling like five again. But I loved my dad too much to care. He hugged me close, kissing the top of my head. He smelled sweet with home.
"I'm sorry." I said, my voice muffled since my face was hidden in his chest.
"I know you are, princess. But I agree with your mother, this has to end." He let go and sat on the edge of his desk. He looked me straight into the eye, and I looked back. Dad was starting to get old, but that was bound to happen. He couldn't stay young forever, and I was happy about that somehow. Not that I wanted my dad do grow old and die, no I wanted him to live forever, but I wanted him to become old so I could be. If your dad were 20 when you are 30, it wouldn't feel right. I wanted him to be older then me, so I could feel like his little girl longer.
One thing that never changed about dad was his clear green eyes, the same eyes my brother and I had, and the weird-coloured-bronze-hair that was as thick as ever. There was no way in a million years my dad would grow bold, that's for sure.
He raised a hand and brushed away some curls that had escaped my hairpins.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"She's just getting some coffee in the kitchen, she'll be right back." I sighed, and left him to admire the view I've seen so many times through the window. I needed to collect myself before being thrown to the lion.
I heard the smatter of shoes against the wooden floor seconds later, and turned to see my mother entering the room.
My mother was beautiful; there was no doubt about that. Her long, brown hair was naturally wavy and bounced around her thin frame when she walked. She wasn't as small as Alice, but not as tall as Rosalie. Her brown eyes shone when she looked at her husband. The jeans and blouse were obviously Alice' design, but they were still very mom.
She walked up to dad, pecked his lips and handed him a cup.
"Thank you, love." He murmured, shining from the small gesture of love. They had always acted like they were a young couple in love. She ran her hand lovingly through his bronze-hair and smiled.
Then she turned to me.
Her eyes had narrowed and her lips were pressed together. She had the sweetest body shape that made the impression a bit funny, you see, if you see my mother angry, it's hard to take her seriously. Dad had told me he used to call it her kitten temper, since she would be angry as a tiger but harmless like a kitten. Growing up with her had taught me a different lesson. My mom was not to be taken lightly.
"So, what do you have to say for yourself?" I saw how dad's eyes went from mom to me and back again before I answered.
"I'm sorry, mom, I really am. It will never happen again."
"Damn right it won't!" She snapped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Dad stroked her gently over the back. "I just want to know why you did it, Aurora, before I punish you, okay?" She said, eyes still closed, but her voice a bit nicer. I breathed out, hopefully she wouldn't snap at me again. Now I just had to come up with a good answer, or good enough.
"You know I've been working on a project with some friends, and you know how hard we've been working and looking for the right weather and the right spots. It's gone weeks for me without even lifting the camera since it hadn't been right. But this morning it was, it was right. It was the sunrise. I know, I should have known better then to do it on a school day, but I couldn't help myself. I was more productive this morning then I'd ever be if I went straight to school. You always say I need to grow up, take responsibility, earn my living, but didn't I do that this morning? I stood knee-high in water this morning so I could get the right angle, for Christ sake! Bee went to Chem and she said I didn't miss anything, we were working with the Periodic table again, like we always do in the spring. I practically know it back and forth by now. And PE is PE, you should know that." The words had streamed out in such a speed they left me breathless when they ended. I took a deep breath and started to unfold and fold my hands. A clear sign of nervousness.
My parents looked at each other, I could see dad shrug a bit, and mom nodding. I'd never understood the fact that they seemed to read each other's minds some of the time.
"It's not that we don't appreciate your hard work, Aurora, you know that both your father and I are very proud over the things you do. It's just that we don't like you skipping class. If it had been one, or two max, then I'd let it pass, but this seems to be a new thing for you.
So far you cannot live by your camera, I'm sorry to say it but you can't. You're a sophomore, just turned 17, my dear, you need to think about your education. I understand if you won't go to collage after graduation, I can't say I'm happy with that, but it's your decision. What I won't accept is you dropping out from high school, 'cause that's what your behaviour looks like to me." I frowned. Just because I skipped about fifteen classes doesn't mean I want to drop out.
"Mom." I said, arching a brow. "I don't want to drop out. I just, want to take my time and be able to skip a class once in a while. You know they say it's healthy."
"Don't try to be smart." She said; her jaw clenched. Why was dad trying to hide a smile? "You certainly shall not drop out." She turned quickly to dad, and he nodded. The smile was gone. "Your reason isn't enough to justify your behaviour, Aurora, but it's enough for us to lift the penalty a bit." I gulped. Here it comes. "No phone, no computer, no camera, no car for a month." I froze; I couldn't do anything but stare at my mother. A month!? No car!? I had already said good-bye to my phone and camera, I knew she would take them, but my car! And for a month! Did she want me to die?
"But mom!"
"No buts. And if you skip class, even just get a detention, you will regret it. Are we clear?" I looked down on my feet.
"Yes mom."
"Good." She sighed.
We all jumped half a feet when the phone on dad's desk rang. Dad leaned over it and grabbed the receiver.
"Cullen." He said. His voice was still serious, probably from the conversation we just had. I turned and started walking out the door. "Well, hello, son. Yeah, she's here. One second. Aurora. It's your brother." I twirled, and stared at dad and the phone.
"My brother? Why is he calling home?" Dad shrugged.
"You'll have to ask him." I reached out and grabbed the phone. Mom left the room after another kiss from dad.
"What do you want?"
"Why do you always have to be so rude, Aurora?" I heard rustle of paper and scratching of pens in the background. I had no idea how he was able to ring people, read and write essays at the same time. My brother really was something.
"It's for you, love." I sang." You bring out the best in me."
"No, I'm serious, when did you get like that?" I groaned, now he would start lecturing me too. Why couldn't my family understand when to leave me alone?
"Was that what you rang about?"
"No, I heard something." Ten points to Aurora for skilfully avoiding the question. Yes!
"Yeah? What did you heard?"
"Did you make out with Sarah Conrad's boyfriend in the locker room this morning?" Oh, holy crap. Liz had been right, oh so right. It was a gift she had, I was sure.
I groaned. Dad gave me a questioning look from across the table where he sat with his papers. I shook my head, and he turned back to them.
"No, I didn't."
"Why is she telling the entire school that you're a slut then?" Did he just say slut? I think he did. That was a big step, brother.
"Well, you know Sarah Conrad." I giggled awkwardly.
"Don't try, sis, you know she has a reason if she starts a rumour."
"Why do you want to know either way?"
"I want to start keeping a list of whom I should send the twins at tomorrow morning. This far it's pretty long. So, did you do it?" This was embarrassing, especially being in the same room as dad.
"No, I didn't." I sighed, admitting defeat.
"Then where did she get that?" A chair got pulled out in the background, and papers were collected.
"Oh, well, I don't know." I tried. He wasn't fooled.
"Dad's there, right?" I glanced at him.
"Yeah."
"Tell me either way."
"But!"
"If you do things like that you have to be able to stand for them. Now tell me." I groaned.
"I hate you, you know that." I hissed.
"Aurora." Dad glanced at me.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it." I muttered. "Okay, I'll tell you. Yeah, she provoked me, okay. In chorus. She'd heard that mom had been yelling at me through the phone, and she asked me what it was about, so I said that the principal had called her. Which was true! And then I said that the principal had called since I'd been doing the stuff you know, you know where." I glanced at dad. He didn't look back, and didn't look curious, so hopefully I'd gotten away.
My brother sighed in the other end.
"It's embarrassing how much of a daddy's little girl you are, sis. It really is, you know. You should stop being such an eye servant." I blushed, something I did rarely, but always when my brother scolded me.
I kept silent. What was I suppose to answer? "Yes I know"? Yes, I did know, but I wouldn't admit it. Never, and especially not when he was in the room.
"Tell mom I'm on my way home, she can start dinner. See you later, sis."
"Bye." I wanted to throw the phone at the table, but that would make dad wonder, so I gently put it back where it belonged.
I silently sneaked out the room on bare feet so I wouldn't disturb dad. Enough of that had been done today.
I found mom in the living room, snuggled up in the couch with her laptop in her lap and a blanket around her shoulders.
"Hey mom." I said, the air still tense after the fight.
"Hey honey." She said, looking up and smiling. She reached out one arm to invite me to sit beside her. "I'm sorry if I were a little hard on you before, but I just want you to know limits." I climb up beside her, and she folded the blanket around me to. I leaned my head against her shoulder and nodded.
"I understand." I looked at the screen on the computer. "Are you writing something new?" My mom was a writer. A very good one, and a very read one. She'd written all kinds of books through the years. Love stories when she met dad. Chic lit when they got married. Children's books when my brother and I were little. Cook books when we got older. Educational books when we started school.
Now she was back to fiction. Last year she published one that sold out within weeks. She was compared to all these giant writers, but she just blushed and thanked her family for putting up with her glued to the computer writing.
She smiled and kissed the top of my head.
"Yeah, I got an idea last night when I tried to sleep, and the inspiration won't end. It might be a good one." Mom had more ideas and storylines in her computer then most had in their life. But that was how she wanted it. She liked being busy and hard-working.
"What is it about?" I asked, not wanting to read over her shoulder without permission. She might not want me to read it yet.
"Well, it's for teenagers, so it's about love, and growing up, and a pregnancy, and making decisions of your own."
"Wow, mom, you've got it all in there." She laughed.
"I hope. I remember being a teenager after all."
"Are you saying you got pregnant as a teenager?" I asked, faking surprise. "Do I have a sibling I don't know of?" She laughed again, and ran her hand up and down my arm.
"No, I didn't, and no you don't. Your brother was my first pregnancy, frankly." Maybe too much information, but calming to hear there'd never been anyone else. I didn't like the idea of more siblings then my brother.
"Right, that reminds me. He's on his way home from school now, so we can start dinner." Mom nodded, saved and closed the laptop.
"That seems like a good idea. I'm starving. Want to help me?" She put the laptop on the coffee table and got up.
"Yeah, sure. What are we making?" My mom had always been an amazing cook, she had written cookbooks after all.
She tapped her chin, thinking.
"Don't know. What do you feel like? Maybe lasagne?"
It might be strange for some people, but even though we had a lot of money, and we could keep a housekeeper and all that, mom hated the fact to have someone else cleaning up our dirt. So we cleaned our own house regularly, I even changed my bed sheets myself. And mom cooked family dinner every night. It wasn't rare that she got help, and once in a while dad would take over that chore.
I had been brought up to do all those stuff, so I was used to it. It would be weird having someone else going through my things and cooking my meals now.
"Mhm, lasagne would be good." Mom's lasagne was famous. Honestly, it was! She had even been on Martha Stewart making it.
"Lasagne it is."
I followed her into the kitchen and started cooking the dish.
She sang happy tunes while making the sauce. I smiled and glanced at her from the corner of my eye.
"Mom?" I asked after an especially false version of Be my baby. "What's going on?"
"What do you mean what's going on?" She asked, trying to hide her face. Now I knew something was going on.
"You're all happy."
"Aren't I allowed to be?" She gasped, faking shock as I had earlier. I laughed, and shook my head.
"Of course you are. But when you are this happy, you usually have a reason."
"It must be because I'm such a wonderful husband, right?" Dad stepped in and wrapped his arms around mom's waist from behind. I rolled my eyes at them, typical my parents.
"That's definitely not it." Mom said, patting his arms. "You're like always." She smiled and turned in his arms.
"Exactly, I'm wonderful, as always."
"You're very cocky, you know that?" She whispered, caressing his cheeks. For any other girl my age, seeing her parents all physical and lovey-dovey would probably make her gag. But I was so used to it by now. They'd always been like that, I found it comforting, knowing that they still loved each other after all these years, when my friends' parents didn't even speak to one another.
"No, I'm self-confident." He grinned. I rolled my eyes.
"So I've noticed." They leaned closer and were just about to kiss when I smelled something.
"Mom, you're going to burn the sauce!" I called. She snapped her head towards the pot and started stirring again. Dad's kiss was rejected and landed on her cheek instead.
He glanced, faking anger, at me.
I just chuckled and turned to the chopping-board.
"Isabella Cullen never burns anything." She exclaimed proudly. "Come back here, I still want that kiss."
"Can you two get a room or something?" I looked up and saw my brother in the door. He had still his uniform on, and dumped his bag on the kitchen island. Dad, who still, but not for long, was a bit taller, ruffled his hair playfully.
"Noah Cullen! Get out of my room." Mom grabbed dad's tie and pulled him close. Just so she could tease her son.
"Ew, mom, I didn't need those pictures." He groaned. "What are you making?"
"Lasagne." I said proudly, even though I hadn't stepped close to the actual lasagne yet. I was on salad-duty.
"Sounds good." He said jumping up on a counter.
"How's school been today, Noah?" Dad asked, still with his arms around mom.
"Same old. I've got history and psychology test tomorrow, that's what I've been doing all afternoon. All those dates are killing me." He groaned. He leaned back, but banged his head straight in the cabin. I snickered and shook my head; it was so like him. "Not funny, Aurora." He snorted, rubbing the sore spot.
"You know that Jazz has offered help, if you need it?" Mom said. Alice's husband Jasper was a history professor at the university, so he was bound to be able to help my brother. Noah had a small problem with pride, that's all.
"No, I think I can handle it." Maybe it didn't sound like he could handle it, but he could. I knew my brother.
"How's your days been, mom, dad?" I asked, so hopefully no one would ask me that question.
They looked at each other and then turned away. I grinned and looked at me brother; he had seen it too. Nothing escapes us.
"Good." Dad murmured and cleared his throat.
"I don't think we want to press that any further, Noah." I snickered.
"I think you're right, sis." He jumped down from the countertop. "So, if you won't be needing me down here, I'm going upstairs."
"Dinners ready in 30 minutes." He nodded and disappeared upstairs.
"So, princess. How's your day been?" I should have known better than to think that I'd gotten away.
I put down the knife slowly and turned to them.
"Well, pretty good. Nothing exiting happened after this morning." I mumbled, not really looking at them. Mom just rolled her eyes, all happiness turned in frustration.
"What happened?"
"Oh, nothing." I hurried to say. "Alice showed by, that's all."
"Alice?" Dad echoed. "Why would she come to school? Did something happen to Briony?"
"No, she didn't even meet Briony. She just told me something."
"What did she tell you?" He asked. He knew of his sisters funny way of knowing things that she wasn't supposed to know, and took it quite seriously.
This was not good. After knowing Alice all these years, I knew that I you told someone that they were going to look out for something, they usually overdid it, and the whole thing turned out differently. But that might not be so bad now, considering I would hate the place they decided to take me.
It was worth a try.
"She said to say hi, and that you were going to take me and Noah somewhere this summer." Mom dropped her chin.
"I'm never getting used to those perceptions of her, am I?" She said.
"If you haven't by now, you probably won't." Dad chuckled.
"Why?" I asked, curious that they sounded like they knew what was going on.
"We are actually going somewhere this summer." Oh no, they had already decided. This was exactly like Alice said!
"Yeah? Where are we going?"
"Chicago." It was lucky that I had put the knife down. Otherwise I would have a long cut along my palm and a hole in my foot.
It would never stop to amaze me how right Alice always was. I slowly closed my eyes, breathing in and out even slower to calm myself down.
Chicago equals bad, bad memories. The humiliation connected to the city was unbearable. I couldn't even think about it without wincing.
"Chicago?" I asked under my breath, eyes still closed. "Why?" Even without looking at her, I knew mom raised one eyebrow. She'd always found my dislike for the city irrational, but then again, she didn't know why I hated it.
"Do we have to have a reason for a family gathering?" I mentally shone up. Family gathering … that meant that the rest of the Cullens would come to. We would probably all stay at grandpa and grandma's enormous house. I probably wouldn't have to go out. That would be good, that would be really good.
I smiled softly, opening my eyes again.
"No, of course not. It was just a question." I breathed, almost whispering.
"Good." Dad smiled, my little outburst hadn't passed him by, but he decided not to push it further. Thankfully. "Then I'll tell Carlisle and Esme we'll be up after my birthday." Why dad always called grandpa and grandma by their first names I didn't know. He always had, it was as normal as to not call Alice by aunt and Emmett by uncle. That had been really weird.
"How long will we stay there?" I asked, turning back to the knife to clean it up.
"For the summer." I winced so fiercely I banged my forehead into the cupboard.
"Ouch." I whined.
"You really are Noah's sister." Mom snickered. I just grunted at her.
"And your daughter apparently." I muttered.
"I'll try to take that as a compliment." Before I could answer what I had planned, I realised that it probably wasn't the most suitable thing to tell your mother. So I kept quiet.
Nothing escaped us Cullens, I just tell you.
"No quick reply?" Dad smirked. "That was something new."
"I'm trying to change, actually." I said, and lied.
"You are? How?" Mom stepped closer, so she would be able to stare me in the eye and see if I was lying. She knew me far to well for my own good.
"I'm trying to be less mean and more the person, the Cullen, I should be."
"You know, princess." Dad sighed. "You have almost an unhealthy obsession about our last name and our family. You know you have to let that go. Stop being Aurora Cullen for a while, and just be Aurora."
He should know that I wasn't obsessing over our reputation, and all that jazz. If I did, I would probably stop cutting class and hanging around with less of the people I knew.
Well, okay, I didn't need to lie to myself. I did actually care about the reputation, but not in that way. Just so I wouldn't embarrass them too much, so no one would buy mom's books, so no one would have faith in dad, or anything other that would hurt my loved ones.
Other than that, I did pretty much anything I wanted, for I was quite good at getting away with stuff too.
I put away the knife into the dishwasher.
"Well, tell me when we'll eat. I'm going upstairs."
"Sure." Mom smiled.
I took the stairs two steps at a time, sliding my hand on the railing so I would be able to catch myself if I fell.
I considered quickly the possible things I would be able to do in my room, with me not being allowed to the computer, camera or phone, and gave up that thought. I'd never been much for books, and as soon as I read one, I started thinking filming-perspective. How would I do this scene? This scene should probably been scratched from the screenplay, etc.
It always distracted me when reading, so I ended up writing screenplays or editing in the computer in the middle of a page. There weren't many books I'd actually read through.
So I stopped outside Noah's door instead. All I heard was silence from inside, and since I knew my brother, I opened the door slightly.
He was sitting on his bead, leaning against the wall, with his laptop in his lap and half the school-library on his comforter. The curtains were pulled back, letting sunshine flood into the room.
He didn't look up from what he was doing when I came into the room and closed the door behind me.
I walked on bare feet over to his bed, and crawled up beside him.
He didn't comment when I pushed the books in the way aside, and leaned casually against him.
I sighed and closed my eyes.
"Is there something bothering you?" He asked then. I sighed and shook my head.
"No, nothing more then usual. Even though I'm not that used to being grounded, it wasn't that bad. But it probably hasn't dawned on me yet. I just miss you I guess." I sighed again, leaning my head against his shoulder.
Noah and I had grown up practically stitched together. We didn't go anywhere without the other.
Not even when Noah had been invited to some cousin's party, and I hadn't, we were separated. Mom had called dad's distant relative and told her that Noah was ill, just so I wouldn't be left behind. He'd been sleeping in my bed that night, telling me all those stories about the party he'd never gone to.
But that was when we were little. Since Noah is a year older than I, he started school earlier. I remember all those afternoons, being home alone with mom, or every Friday dad, and just sitting around waiting. Half laying on the sofa in the living room; waiting. Sitting on the bottom steps on the stairs; waiting. Pacing back and forth on the kitchen floor; waiting. And when he finally stepped through the door, he wasn't the same Noah. Well, the first weeks or months he was, but with his new friends his patience with me fell, his embarrassment with admitting spending so time with his sister grew. Then Noah hadn't been such a confident kid.
That was different now, though. I'd grown up too, gotten friends of my own other than our cousins, and he started to miss me when I wasn't as reachable like I used to.
So we started hanging out again, just him and me. Like siblings, like this.
"I miss you too." He said, clicking and closing the computer. "School sucks these days you know. Be glad you're not in the same class as the twins." He groaned. I giggled.
"Why is that? Are they starting to pick on you too?"
"They've always been picking on me, Aurora! No, they've just recently decided that it's time for me to get a girlfriend. Or as Tiger so tactfully said 'You better get out there, use your Cullen charm and get some ass. A guy can't be virgin at 18, you know!'" Noah imitated Tiger's voice perfectly. He was the dim brother, but Leon wasn't that much better. "Not that bad, maybe, but since he was pretty loud, and the café was pretty crowded, it could have been better."
I swallowed. Hm, this might be awkward.
"So? What did you do?"
"Well." Noah shrugged. "I screamed 'That's awesome, man, you really should say that in front of drama class, you know you should always talk from personal experience.' I think I handled it pretty well, don't you think." I broke out into laughter. I could without a problem see this happening.
"Very well, Noah, your reputation as the greatest womanizer of the century is defended."
"Thanks, sis. That's real heart-warming." He sighed, straightening a bit. My head almost fell off. "However, they're starting to get desperate, since I'm turning 18 soon. It seems like they are treating my "virginity-problem" like it's the countdown to the end of the world." I snorted.
"Let's blame that on our parents."
"Ew, Aurora, I didn't want to hear that."
"I didn't say anything. It was you who made the assumptions." We fell silent. I loved the way we could just sit all still like this, and just think.
"We're going to Chicago this summer." I stuttered out after a couple of minutes. He was still, but managed to be more so when he heard the tone in my voice. He quickly sat up and grabbed my arms.
He pulled me in into a bone-crushing hug.
The dreadful tears started running down my cheeks. Why was I crying? The whole Chicago thing wasn't that bad?
Was it?
I wrapped my arms around my brother's neck, hugged him back with all my power.
"Thank you." I said, my voice muffled since I pressed my face into his shoulder. He didn't answer, just squeezed me tighter for a second.
When I started letting go, he did to. He'd just been waiting for me to pull myself together, taking the first step. He wouldn't have let me go, ever, if I hadn't made the move.
I whipped my tears with the back of my hand, and smiled weakly.
"Why Chicago?" He asked, stroking my hair gently.
Noah was the only one knowing what had really happened in Chicago last year. And I intended to let it stay that way. If dad would find out, I wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes again.
"I don't know." I shrugged. I knew my eyes still were all swollen after the crying, and I had to remind myself that I was going downstairs to mom and dad soon. "They didn't say. Just that we would go there after dad's birthday."
"We as in who?"
"You, me, mom, dad, Whitlocks and Cullens. Everybody I guess." I sighed, leaning back against his wall again. He copied.
"But that won't be so bad, will it? If you gotBriony and I to keep you company, you might not have to go out at all." He honestly tried to cheer me up. He was the sweetest brother anyone could have.
"Exactly, that was what I thought." I grinned, half-heartedly. "But you know our family, they will force me out of the house sooner or later." He chuckled.
"Just pray it won't be Emmett who wants to take us to some park and play family football. I have no idea why, but we've never won any of those matches. You would think dad would be good at football, but no, no." He had a mocking bitter tone to his voice.
"No, dad's more the baseball type, you know. Not as big and manly like Emmett." I teased.
"Yeah, you're right." Noah smiled. "Then, if dad would be the baseball type, and Emmett clearly is the football type, what would Jazz' sport be?"
"If we're going with the popular sports, I'd say basketball of course. At least his tall enough." Noah started laughing.
"Yeah, he sure is. But just imagine Jazz on the basketball court." I had to agree, it was a funny picture.
Jasper wasn't stiff, just the stiffest of us all. That made a sport like basketball hard to connect with him and his intellectual personality. Maybe Alice was so bored with her sporty brothers (yes, dad hade been into sports in high-school too) and went for the straight-a-know-it-all. But it'd turned out that Jasper was way less stiff then they'd all thought.
I hadn't heard the whole story, but I understood that it wouldn't be very healthy for me to hear, considering it being about my parents and uncles and aunts. I might get traumatized.
"Yup, Jazz's the basketball. But somehow, I can't place either of their wives in any sport." He mused. "Can you?"
"Maybe, but that wouldn't be ball-sports." I said, tapping my chin. "Alice would definitely be figure skating, with the costumes and all." He nodded in agreement, grinning just like dad. "Rose would have be… karate or judo or a material art or something." Noah barked out a laugh.
"I really didn't see that one coming, but when you say it, it makes perfect sense. Rose would earn a black belt within a week."
"We should give that to her for her next birthday! A test-day at a karate-dojo."
"Brilliant." He just grinned, folding his hands behind his head. "Mom then?"
"Am I paid for coming up with all this? Aren't you supposed to help too?" He just grinned again.
"Yeah yeah, sure, let me think though."
I crossed my legs in front of me and leaned my chin in my hands. There weren't that many sports that a clumsy person could excel in.
"Ah!" I exclaimed mid-thought. "Diving! You know, jumping of a trampoline, doing some twirls in the air and then dive into the water! That's mom for you." I grinned smugly at him.
"Oh, that's almost mean, Aurora." He said, arching a brow at me. He didn't like that I joked at the expense of our mother.
I had to admit though, the joke was a bit imprudent. Not so nice to joke about mom's not-attempt-but-everyone's-assuming-to-commit-suicide. It had been long before Noah or I were born, but it was still somehow fresh in at least dad's memory, since he still blamed himself for it. And I think he always will.
"Maybe we should give up this game before we get to our cousins." He said. "That could be nasty." He knew me, he knew me too well. I had a thing for being meaner and meaner when I grew more excited.
The problem with being so close to all your family, was that everyone knew everything, or the most, about everyone. And if I started matching people with sports, I would connect them with maybe not so good memories.
Noah wasn't fond of hearing me being mean, so he usually stopped me before it could get out of hand.
Like now.
"Noah! Aurora! The dinner's ready!" Mom called from downstairs. I jumped of the bed.
"Are you coming?"
"Yeah sure." He said, climbing out of the bed like an old man. "Calm down, it's just dinner." I wave my finger at him.
"No, that's where you're wrong, my son. This is mrs Cullen's famous lasagne, and it shouldn't be taken lightly." He just rolled his eyes at me.
"Get out of here already!"
I giggled and started bouncing Alice-style down the hall.
I tripped and almost fell down the stairs, but that was why god invented railings.
Since it was just an ordinary dinner, I found mom and dad in the kitchen, already seated by the table.
Both of them where smiling adoringly towards each other when I stepped into the room.
"Daughter-alert, turn down the happy-couple button a notch please."
But they just kept smiling, and I shrugged. It wasn't that bad as I let it out to be.
I walked over and sat down in my usual seat next to dad. Noah sat down on the opposite side, next to mom.
We'd barley started eating when the doorbell rang. Everyone around the table froze, no one wanting to leave the table and opening for the guest.
I remember the promise Bee had left me earlier, and decided that I should get up.
"It might be Bee, I'll get it."
"Invite her in for dinner!" Mom called behind me.
I hadn't even walked halfway down the hall to the doors when they burst open.
"Hello Cullens!" Alice yelled through the house.
I chuckled and groaned at the same time. I could hear the same reactions coming from my family. Dad was most likely the one that groaned, while mom would chuckle.
It was so typical Alice to not have the patience to wait until someone opened the door, but she kept hitting the stupid doorbell anyway, instead of walking straight in.
Behind her I saw Bee, hunching shyly.
Alice ran up to me, and kissed my cheek. "How are you, Aurora, sweetheart? Oh, I love that dress on you. Where are they? Are they eating? Oh, I smell lasagne." Before I even had time to answer, she disappeared around the corner, and found her way to the kitchen.
"Hi Bee." I smiled, closing the door behind my cousin.
She inspected me thoroughly. "You seem rather happy." She said. "Were they that nice?"
Just when I'd managed to forget about my punishment, the loveliest person in the world had to remind me about it.
I groaned, closing my eyes.
"No, I wouldn't call it nice." I sighed, turning my face down. "But I guess it could've been worse."
"Do you want something to eat, Briony?" Dad called from the kitchen.
"Yes, thank you, Edward." She answered, and wrapped her arm around my waist.
"What did they do then?" She whispered. I shook my head, knowing my family very well could hear me from here, and I wasn't comfortable repeating what they'd said earlier.
"Later." I mouthed, and she nodded.
"Sure."
They had set the table for her beside me, Alice across the table from her.
Alice already had a huge pile of salad and half the lasagne on her plate. Mom was grinning smugly over how much Alice loved her cooking.
"So, where is Jazz tonight?" Noah asked, leaning back in his chair. I rolled my eyes at him. Besides dad, Jazz was Noah's idol; it probably had something to do with the fact that he was a professor and the one uncle who didn't tease him for his hobbies.
I was glad that, though we only had two uncles, they were very different, but similar.
I grabbed my glass, drinking while waiting for Alice to clear her mouth before answering.
She might look like a lady, but she didn't eat like one.
"He's got classes today, so he's at the university." Her eyes sparkled. "I'll tell him you missed him, Noah."
"Yes, please do that." Noah replied, totally ignoring the attempt to tease him. He was so used to it, he didn't even care anymore. "And ask him if I can borrow that European Middle Ages book he got, I've got a test in a couple of weeks." Alice dropped the sparkle.
"European Middle Ages, got it."
"Aren't you taking the advanced course in World History too, Bee?" Mom asked her. Briony shook her head.
"No, I dropped out of that one after realising that I knew everything they tried to learn me. That's why you have a professor for a father, right." She smiled, picking up her knife and fork.
I sighed. I wish mom being a writer could have let me skip English, but no. It had to be compulsory for all high school students. I was sad that law wasn't a subject I studied, then maybe, my genes would have helped me.
"You're thinking about skipping English, aren't you?" Dad asked, grinning crookedly.
"I guess I am." I admitted, smiling goofily at him. "But I also thought that I wished I had law, then maybe…" I trailed of, staring into the distance, dreaming about one class less in my schedule.
"Ain't gonna happen, princess." He chuckled and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
"You can dream right!"
"Talking about law." Alice mused. "How's that case going, Edward?"
Even though I wished I studied law sometimes, I really couldn't care less about it.
So when the others around the table got sucked into a heated discussion about this new case they were talking about, I sighed, glancing at Brinoy's plate.
She smiled. "I'll hurry, if you want me to."
"Yes please." I groaned. "If I hear the world evidence one more time, I'm going to make everything in this room just that." She snickered.
"We wouldn't want that, would we?"
"No." I mumbled, shaking my head. "We certainly wouldn't want that."
"Come on then." She said. "I'm finished." I glanced at her plate again. It was empty.
"Thanks for dinner mom, we're going upstairs."
"Thank you, Bella."
"Have fun girls." She said, not breaking away from the discussion.
I rolled my eyes, and put away our dishes.
I followed Bee up the stairs and closed the door to my room behind us.
"Well, what did they say?" Bee asked, throwing herself on my bed. I showed some clothes and stuff away from my chair and sat down.
"They banned me from the c's."
"Oh no!" She gasped loudly. Suddenly she started giggling. "You know I have no idea what you mean." I rolled my eyes.
"Camera, computer, car. And that's not all. No phone either."
"You're pouting like a schoolgirl."
"Technically, Bee, I am still a schoolgirl."
"You're right." She said and grinned. "And so am I."
"You seem proud of it." I groaned. "All I want to do is to skip it all together, get myself some money and go to Europe." She smiled vaguely at me, sitting up on her knees.
"Is that what you're going to do this summer?" She said. I could clearly hear sadness in her voice. I was glad, though I was miserable at the same time, that I wouldn't leave the country this year.
"No." I sighed. "We're all going to Chicago. Didn't Alice say that?" Bee leaned her head in her hand.
"No, she didn't. Are you sure we're going too? I mean, mom, dad and I?" I nodded my head.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. But maybe mom and dad decided very recently, and are telling your mom now."
"Yeah maybe." She sighed and turned so she was lying on her back.
It was such a relief that she hadn't noticed my sadness when I talked about Chicago.
I dreaded this summer more than I'd dreaded anything in my life.
"Rose's on TV tonight." Bee mumbled.
"Yeah? What is she donating money and time to now?" Rose was a saint, an ex-super model saint with too much money and too much free time. These days she shopped, went to fashion shows on the front row, talked about fashion in magazines and was the face of most charity organisations in North America. You'd think she would never be home, but somehow, she was always the one answering the phone when you called the Emmett Cullen house.
Maybe she'd just linked it to her cell-phone, but that seemed irrational. Maybe she just liked being home a lot. It had probably something to do with the enormous garage they had to house their cars.
"I don't know, some children's hospital in Bronx I think. I can't keep track of everything she's doing, I'm afraid."
"At least she's helping us keep the good face up. What would we do with all our money if we didn't donate some of it."
"Don't be sarcastic. There's no way we'll ever be able to spend the Cullen fortune on ourselves, so why shouldn't we donated it for better causes then new dresses and cars."
"Sometimes I think you're an changeling, there's no way you're related to Alice, the shopping queen herself." Bee huffed.
"Are you saying I'm a troll?" I got up and threw myself on the bed beside her. She rolled over to her side and glanced angrily at me.
"No, I'd say you were more of a fairy."
She giggled. "You always now how to make people forgive you."
"That's one of my many talents." I smiled smugly.
Not much of the heartache mentioned in the summary, huh?
Well, it wouldn't be any fun if it appeared instantly, would it?
You'll all just have to wait and see.
That might be my new motto, actually.
That and, only time can tell.
Review, please.
xoxo