well, here ya go. :D

this story has changed so much from the original. you don't even know. like...wow. it's kinda scary looking back and realizing where it is.

anyways...

imma put more up tonight. this is just the first of many. :)

R&R first, though. :D

and i must say. Paramore? :D i LOVE them. i think, if you think about the definition of "favorite band," they're one of the top that i've loved the longest, up there with Three Days Grace, Skillet, and Breaking Benjamin. as soon as i heard Paramore (and all the others XD) i was a fan. now, i still love them.

29. That's What You Get: Paramore

I didn't usually like getting the attention of being told happy birthday, but I wondered why Edward hadn't said it yet. It was almost as if he had completely forgotten.

He talked to Oliver for over an hour. It was pretty weird. After about thirty minutes into their conversation, he got his number, and they talked on his phone.

So, of course, I naturally texted Sapphire to see if she was awake. She thankfully was, so I called her and told her all about Edward. I didn't bother calling Brooklyn, 'cause she and I weren't exactly the best of friends. And, if I tell her I'm engaged, I'll get a four hour long bitch out session on how stupid I'm being—even though she's engaged to some cheating bastard herself.

And I just don't wanna hear it.

Sapphire, who was also getting fed up with Brooklyn—now more so than me, since she's been living with her all of this time when I haven't—promised not to tell her until a week or so before they left to come out here.

She said they would just come out with Oliver.

Brooklyn and I were the same age, but Sapphire, Oliver, and I were in the same grade. We also have two other friends, Brynk and Karma, who are seventeen, about to be eighteen. Even though they're twins, they don't really look alike, but they're twins, nonetheless.

I only got to talk to Karma this morning. Brynk was in the shower when I called, so I didn't get to talk to her. She promised to call me after school, though.

Anyways, Karma, Brynk, Oliver, and Sapphire were all set to come not only as soon as school let out, but over Christmas break too. We—meaning Edward—were providing the round trip tickets.

They just didn't know it yet, and they wouldn't until they received them in the mail, because, otherwise, they would protest.

I spent extra time picking out what I was wearing today. I wanted to look awesome today, because I only turn seventeen once. It would be the last birthday I have as a human.

So, I decided to wear a pair of black fishnet tights; a green camouflage miniskirt with a black leather belt studded with silver studs; my black combat boots; a black loose fitting, cotton tank with Support the troops written across the center in green; a black, thick cotton zip-up Puma hoodie, and my green camouflage cadet cap.

My hair was, of course, straightened, but it was getting long, so I was able to put it in an awesome sideways ponytail with my bang-type things poking out under the cap in a pretty kickass way.

Not to brag or anything.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist when I walked out of my closet, my bright green eye shadow, black eyeliner, and black mascara already on. "Very sexy."

After he kissed me, I smiled up at him. "Thank you. Did you enjoy talking to my best friend who is practically my brother?"

He nodded. "Oliver is awesome, Mayzie. I was jealous at first, especially when he called you Mayzie-boo, but I was wrong to think he had feelings for you other than brother/sister feelings."

I grinned. "He got over his crush a couple years ago. But, Edward, are you sure getting them tickets is no big deal?"

"I'm positive," he said simply. "Mayzie, look at it this way. Carlisleis four hundred years old. He works as a surgeon, a very amazing one at that. He gets paid a lot just doing that. Now, pile that across about four hundred years; plus all of my large inheritance, his own, and Esme's; plus our stock investments—purchases helped greatly with a psychic sister. We have so much money that we don't know what to do with it. Like, for instance, we have stacks of money hiding in each of our closets, because we have too much in our many foreign bank accounts as it is."

I blinked. "Okay, wow. Although I already knew about the stacks, of course."

He nodded. "That's why I need you to just trust me when I say it's no big deal. That's part of the reason why I want to give you the world, because I very well could. You just get so upset when I

do . . . ."

I grimaced. "If you promise not to go way too overboard, I promise to let you get me things without complaining."

He kissed me quickly, and in his mind, I could already see the wheels turning. "Thank you, love."

Right about then, I heard a knock on the door downstairs. Of course, I knew it wasAlice. Everyone did.

So, Edward and I both descended the stairs with my backpack on my shoulder and our fingers intertwined.

"Alice, I told you not to even bother knocking," Charlie insisted as he continued putting on his police belt and his gun in its proper holster. "Our home is your home. You're family now, even more so than you were before the engagement."

She smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm sorry, Charlie. It slipped my mind." She glanced at me. "Any plans for tonight, Mayzie-pop?"

I shook my head. "None. Why?"

She shrugged. "No reason. I was wondering if we could finish up on some important wedding details before Christmas break comes around. I want us to just be able to chill and enjoy this break."

I grinned at her. "Oh, believe me, we will." I looked at Charlie. "Hey, Dad. Guess what."

He glanced down at me. "What?"

"My four best friends fromPhoenixare flying up here for Christmas break, the entire break," I said eagerly, squealing a little. Then, I frowned. "I just realized something. We don't have room for them here . . . ."

"We do," Edward input. "As a matter of fact, we have room for all of them, you, Charlie, and Bella."

Alicenodded. "Yep. I'm not so sure Bella would want to come, though."

Charlie sighed. "I'm afraid not. I can't just leave her here by herself. Just promise me you'll stop by on Christmas and visit from time to time, and I'll just let you go there while your friends are here."

I squealed. "Thank you so much, Dad! This is awesome! Okay. So, Esme said they should get the tickets Wednesday, and their flights are supposed to arrive about five Saturday afternoon. This is turning out to be quite amazing."

Edward smiled. "Yeah, Mayzie, it is."

It was surprising when we went through the entire school day. Edward, nor Alice, said happy birthday to me once. Even Bella said it! But, neither of them did. Honestly, I wasn't sure if they had forgotten.

I mean, they don't forget things, but for some reason, it's just not clicking. Even when I hint how Edward and I are both seventeen now, they still don't understand.

Ugh. Confusing vampires.

When we got to the Cullen's house, I was surprised to see everyone busy. There was a lot of furniture and furniture boxes laying around, and Rose did not look happy. Jasper was busy taking suitcases downstairs, and everyone simply looked busy. Even Esme was in the kitchen cooking away. From the smell of it, she was trying everything.

"Mayze!" she called the moment the door shut. "Sweetheart, can you come in here for a moment? I need you to try something for me."

Edward took my jacket from me and nodded his head towards the kitchen. "Go on. I'll take your stuff to our room."

As soon as he said it, he saw the way that made me smile brilliantly, and he couldn't help but smile back. He even laughed a little—the purely blissful laugh—and leaned over to quickly kiss me. Alice was smiling too, simply because she was truly happy for us. With the kiss, he disappeared upstairs, and I practically danced into the kitchen. Of course, I really wasn't dancing, and the phrase "tripping over everything" would've been a little more accurate, because I practically did.

Esme was smiling warmly at me as she gestured to the table absolutely full of all kinds of food. "I wanted to make sure, since we're having so many new people over who can't know, that my cooking doesn't seem strange. Is it too nasty? Please be honest, dear. You won't hurt my feelings in the slightest bit."

I couldn't do anything but gawk at the table to start. There was so much food! The best part about the food was that I could name everything. She even made homemade doughnuts! It was so much that I couldn't do anything with it for a minute.

Edward came in the kitchen after me, and he could already tell what my dilemma was. So, what does he do?

He picked for me, the doughnut.

I took a bite and instantly fell in love. To be honest, I'm surprised I didn't turn into a big pile of goop on the floor, because these were literally the best doughnuts I had ever tasted.

I took a deep breath and grinned from ear-to-ear at her. "Esme, those are amazing. Too amazing for words to describe. The only thing I'm worried about is whether or not they'll believe a human made those."

The two in here, and some in the other room, laughed at that, and she simply kissed my forehead before gesturing to the rest.

I took a deep breath and stared at my little place of heaven on earth. So much food . . . for me to try.

It was already the best birthday ever. I didn't even notice when everyone in the house, except Esme, left.

Not even when Edward disappeared for a while.

It was just amazing. Everything was so good! It was perfect, beyond what words could describe. For someone who never had to cook and hadn't in decades, Esme was incredible. She was the best cook I had ever had the pleasure of eating her food!

I was now gonna miss being able to do that.