Chapter 2 – Meet the Neighbors
Edward
The first week of this new town hadn't been promising, but really I hadn't expected it to be. I never had any real expectations, for that matter. Life hands you a pile of shit often enough, you stop having expectations. At least that way you don't get served a heaping serving of disappointment along with the shit. Still, only one more year and then…then what? I didn't even know. I had never expected to have a future of any sort, now that there was a possibility for one, I didn't have the first fucking clue what to do with it.
I sighed and stepped out onto the patio of my third floor room. It faced the street in front of the house. Not the best view, but at least I had access to the outdoors. And pathetically, I had become somewhat addicted to spying on the neighbors.
It was only 10:30 or so, which meant I still had a little while before I got to watch the nightly comings and goings of the two star-crossed lovers across the street. I breathed in the crisp night air and got comfortable in the lawn chair I had situated in the corner. From here I could observe the neighborhood without being very noticeable myself. My bedroom light was off, so I was shrouded in shadows, which is how I liked it.
I checked my watch and wondered if I was going to see tall and lanky or short and mousy sneaking out tonight. So far, I hadn't been able to make out much of a pattern. Sometimes she came out her front door and climbed the lattice to his window. Other times he came out his window and in her front door. My favorite times were when he was feeling romantic and shimmied up the tree to her window. He wasn't all that good at it, and I kept waiting for the time when he'd fall out and wake up the Chief. I might never be that lucky, but here's hoping. The only thing I had yet to see was an attempt on her part to come down the tree. Of course with her tendency to fall down 20 or 30 times a day, she probably wouldn't risk it.
I stretched a little and leaned my head back to look up at the sky. It wasn't very usual to see the stars here in Forks; most of the time it was too overcast to see anything, even at night. But tonight, I was lucky, and the skies were wonderfully clear, absolutely sparkling with stars. It took my breath away. You could never see this many stars in Chicago; too much smog.
I heard a faint noise and glanced over to the house across the street. I saw her silhouette as she paused in front of the window she had just pushed up, and I realized that it must be his turn to make the climb tonight. I glanced back over to the clock in my room and saw it was slightly after 11. Hmm. They were early tonight, must be feeling eager.
Movement from over to the left caught my eye, and sure enough, there was Romeo striding across the lawn between the two houses. He had a bag slung over one of his shoulders and he went straight to the tree, but instead of starting up, he just waited there. A moment later I saw a pail leg appear over the ledge of the window, and then the long fall of dark hair as Juliet ducked her head down and through the opening of the window.
"Hummingbird, are you sure about this? Maybe it's not such a good idea." He was speaking quietly, but in the silent stillness of the night, his voice carried easily to my ears.
Why the hell did he call her hummingbird? With that hick town accent of his, he sounded like Nick Cage in that ridiculous ConAir movie. Come to think of it, he had long hair like Cage in that movie too. And he was wearing a wife-beater. Ugh. Where the hell are we living?
"Well, he's on the sofa, Jazz. Which means he's not gonna wake up and move until 1 or 2. I don't want to wait that long."
Jazz? What the hell kind of names did these people have?
"Alright, but I'm coming up there. Don't move." He dropped the bag and shimmied, none to gracefully, up the tree. He got to the thick branch that conveniently ran right alongside her window, braced himself with his back against the trunk and held his hand out to her. She leaned out the window and dropped what looked to be bedding out onto the lawn before gently taking the hand he offered and moving out onto the branch next to him.
Even from here I could see she was nervous out on that limb, and none too steady. Romeo, or Jazz, I guess, got her over to the trunk without her falling and breaking her neck, and then descended slowly, keeping her braced carefully between the cage of his arms and body and the thick trunk of the tree. He dropped from the lowest branch, and then held his arms up to her, gesturing with his hands for her to drop down too.
She attempted it, but must have lost her grip before she was ready, because she fell more than dropped out of the tree. He moved to break her fall, and somewhat succeeded, though he ended up on his ass with her straddling his body.
"Oh my god! Jasper, are you okay? I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" She was trying to get up off of him and check him for injuries at the same time. At least that explained the name Jazz. Still, what kind of parent names their kid Jasper?
His deep chuckle floated across the street, followed by his response. "I'm fine Bella. Don't worry about it. In fact, that went well, all things considered." He got to his feet and held his hand out to her, but she swatted it away.
"Shut up, you ass." She started to get up on her own, but somehow managed to tangle her feet together and trip. He caught her around the middle before she could go sprawling, and helped her straighten up. He stood there looking down at her for a moment, before he started laughing.
She looked up at him, and I thought maybe she was going to swat him again, but then started giggling herself. It was an innocent and happy laugh. Completely free and unselfconscious. It somehow managed to sound intimate, as though it was only a laugh she shared with him, and I suddenly felt both uncomfortable for watching their private moment and more compelled to continue.
They stood there with their arms around each other, laughing in the night air. I really had to wonder about her father. Did he really sleep through all that racket? I would have expected the Chief of Police to be a lighter sleeper than that. Of course, police work in Forks probably didn't require you to be ready for trouble at every moment, after all.
The couple across the street quieted slowly until they just stood there, looking at each other for a moment before he said, "I do love you, hummingbird." Then he kissed her gently on the forehead, then the nose, and then the lips. Just soft, loving little pecks, but as he pulled away, she grabbed his neck and pulled him back down. This time, his lips met hers and tangled with them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her slim waist. Their mouths angled together in a way that spoke of familiarity, and when his hands slid down to cup her ass and pull her in closer to his lower half, they did so without hesitation, as if he already knew she wouldn't say no.
Just as I was starting to feel creepy for watching, they broke apart, kissing one last small press of lips, before releasing each other. He stepped back from her and bent down to grab his bag and the bedding, but glanced back up at her just in time to see her shiver and wrap her arms around herself. She was wearing just a pair of shorts and a wife-beater like his. Except for the fact that her shorts were shorter, and showed a lot more pale leg, they were dressed similarly. I heard him chuckle and shake his head as he bent back to the bag and pulled out a sweatshirt, holding it out to her silently. She took it and slid it over her head; it fell to below the edge of her shorts.
He grabbed the stuff with one hand and held his other out to her. "Ready for some star-gazing?" He asked. She clapped her hands lightly and bounced a little, nodding excitedly. Then she grabbed his proffered hand, and they disappeared around the side of the house.
I sighed before standing and stretching and making my way back into my room. I wasn't sure why it was that I couldn't seem to stop watching those two. They seemed so absolutely comfortable with each other. They were together all day every day. I saw one of them heading over to the other's house early in the day, not separating and going back to their own home until late in the evening, only to sneak out a few short hours later to be together again. I would have assumed it was just the infatuation stage of a new romance, where you want to be together all the time, except the way they interacted with each other. Even watching from a distance it was obvious that they shared a familiarity that spoke of a long time together.
I could hardly stand to be around my family for more than a few hours at a time. And girls? Well, let's just say it rarely took longer than an hour or two to get my cock sucked or lay some pipe, and by the end of it, I was always happy to get the fuck away from them. Maybe I would feel differently if I ever fooled around with someone that I actually enjoyed talking to, but I almost never found anyone like that. If I did, I wouldn't ruin it by boinking her. It was slightly fascinating to watch these two across the street be together all the time, and still want to be together. I was secretly waiting for it all to blow up in their faces. Or maybe I was just jealous. Nah.
**~~~**
The next day found me sprawled out on the couch with the remote in my hand, mindlessly staring at the TV and some nature show detailing the intricate dance between prey and predator. Alice and Emmett were out back observing the construction of the new in-ground swimming pool Esme and Carlisle were putting in the backyard for us. I heard a knock on the door, but ignored it, figuring that Esme would get it. When it repeated a moment later, I frowned, pushing myself off the couch and ambling toward the door. I ran my fingers through my hair more in annoyance than an attempt to straighten it out, which was a lost-fucking-cause if ever there was one.
The knocking occurred again as I reached for the knob, so that when I yanked it open it was with an irritated expression on my face. People in forks had never heard of patience being a virtue, apparently.
I found myself face to face with the blonde Barbie from across the street. I tried to place her name. Something to do with flowers. Certainly not Petunia or anything. She had come by with her mom last week to "welcome us to the neighborhood." And seriously, if the neighbors around here all came with huge tits, tiny waists, and fuckgood cookies and felt it was perfectly acceptable to greet their new neighbors in a bikini just barely hidden beneath some crazy terrycloth, tube-top dress thingy and sex-kitten heels, then maybe Forks wasn't going to be a such a bad place to live after all.
"Hi! Edward, right?" Barbie asked and I nodded, raising my eyebrow in question as to what she wanted. Really, she wasn't bad to look at, but she wasn't really my type. "I'm Rosalie Hale. Rose, in case you don't remember. I know the introductions were a little hurried last week." She drawled; the perfect picture of the down-home Southern belle.
I nodded again, and then caught movement from the side of the door, where Romeo, I mean, Jasper, suddenly popped into view behind Rose. He was almost as tall as Emmett, which put him a couple of inches over my respectable 6'1". But where Em was all beefy bulk, Jasper was long and lean.
He smiled warmly at me and stuck out his hand as Rose made the introductions. "This is my brother Jasper Whitlock. Jasper this is our new neighbor, Edward Cullen." Despite the fact that I had carried the last name of Cullen for a few years now, it still sounded somewhat strange. It always took me a moment to realize people were referring to me when they called me that.
We shook hands. He had a good shake. Strong and confident, but not indicating any insecurity by trying to squeeze the shit out of my hand. We released our grip and Rose moved over to the side revealing a girl who had been effectively hiding behind her. I immediately recognized her as Juliet, even though I had never seen her other than in silhouette from a distance. I felt my breath stop in my body and for a moment my mind blanked and it felt as though time stood still as I drank her in with my eyes.
She was small. Nearly as short as Alice, which only put her a little over 5'. She looked especially dwarfed standing next to the two tall siblings. Her skin was pale and creamy, despite the fact that I had seen her lying around in the sun repeatedly in the past week. It was almost translucent it was so light, and I could map the faint blue lines of veins moving up her slender neck. It contrasted sharply with the dark mahogany of her hair, which was thick and long, cascading in slight waves to nearly her waist. Her nose was small and button-shaped and her mouth was lush and perfect. The lower lip was fuller than the other, which made it look perpetually pouted. But nothing of that was as startling as her eyes, huge and deep; a brown so liquid it looked like melted dark chocolate. They were almond shaped and lined with thick dark lashes. They were so big in her face and opened so wide that she looked terrified, and yet she stood straight and tall as though nothing ever frightened her. Her posture was so incongruous to the look on her face, I was immediately intrigued by what might be going on behind those eyes.
Her face suddenly flushed pink, turning into peaches and cream, her lips deepening an even darker red. I hadn't realized before now that lips blushed. It made me want to bite them. That thought combined with the flush of her cheeks made me realize I had been standing there staring at her with my mouth open like a complete dumbass for what was obviously an inappropriate amount of time.
I tore my eyes away from the beautiful waif before me, and glanced back at Rose. The way she was looking at me told me that not only had I been caught ogling, but I had been so out of it that I had managed to miss some integral part of the conversation too. Fuck. "Huh?" I grunted, and then barely restrained myself from slapping myself in the forehead. Could I look like more of a damn caveman? Christ, what was wrong with me?
"I said, this is our best friend Bella Swan. She lives across the street as well." Rosalie repeated, but I imagine the first time, she hadn't sounded quite so irritated. I narrowed my eyes a little at the protective way she was leaning in towards Bella. I mean I wasn't going to attack her for shit's sake. Although as soon as I thought it, my dick twitched in my pants, disagreeing, and I suddenly became aware of the fact that I was hard inside my board shorts. What the fuck? My hormones weren't usually this out of control, especially with some chick who wasn't even in any state of undress yet.
I cleared my throat and managed to croak out a "Hey" without sounding like a complete assfuck. Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red at the sound of my voice, and I smirked at her without really meaning to.
"Hi. Welcome to the neighborhood." She said in return and I was shocked speechless again. Her voice was unexpectedly deep and sultry and just sexy as fuck. Something you expected to hear in a darkened bedroom and not in the bright sunshine standing in your open front door. Again, completely incongruous with her gorgeous, timid, girl-next-door face. Where did she come from?
"Are your brother and sister around?" Rose asked, effectively nipping what would probably have been another completely inappropriate eye-fucking in the bud.
"Yeah. They're out back. Follow me." I said and turned around to head through the house, relieved to have a reason to look away from Bella. They followed me through the house and out the French doors to the backyard, where there was a crew currently digging up the ground for the pool. The threesome all looked at the construction inquisitively and I shrugged but elaborated. "We're putting in a heated pool out here."
"Oh!" exclaimed that sultry lounge singer voice again, and my dick did another little happy dance in my shorts. "I love swimming. Jazz and I are both on the swim team at school." And she smiled innocently at me, not seeming to notice how my jaw clenched when she said his name. When I heard her call him Jazz, I suddenly realized that this was the same girl I had watched sucking face with Jasper across the street while he groped her ass last night. And though last night I had watched them with nothing more than a slight fascination and morbid curiosity, I was now suddenly pissed-off that he apparently had her permission to touch her like that. I was now regretting not squeezing the crap out of his hand until the bones ground together in my palm when we shook hands earlier, completely ignoring what that might suddenly say about my level of insecurity.
"Yo, Em, Ali!" I shouted and they turned from the lounge chairs they were sprawled across to glance over at us. Emmett's eye's honed in on the blonde immediately, and his signature "babe-killer" smile (his name for it, not mine) lit up his face.
Alice hopped out of her chair, clearly excited by the idea of company, and came dancing over to us at the speed of light. Emmett didn't seem any less eager, but he tried to hide it by wandering over more slowly, clearly not wanting to seem so to Rose. However, I noticed he was standing up to his full height, and slightly flexing the muscles in his massive arms as if on display. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him before I started the introductions.
"Alice, Emmett, this is Rose's brother Jasper and their friend Bella." Rose had introduced her as their friend. Not her brother's girlfriend, which made me wonder if no one knew what was going on between them. If that was the case, why? I caught myself before I could get lost in my thoughts again and quickly finished the introductions. "This is Emmett and his twin sister Alice."
"Twins?" Bella blurted out, her eyes darting back and forth between the giant that was Emmet and the fairy sprite that was Alice.
"I know, right?" Alice giggled. "I still think he absorbed some of my embryo when we were still little globs of cells. They'd probably find extra fingernails or something in his brain if they opened up his head."
"That assumes they'd find a brain at all, Ali." I smirked, and then dodged as Emmett flung out his hand towards my head. He was bigger, but I was definitely faster.
We all kind of looked at each other for a moment, and then Rose cleared her throat and nudged Bella hard, pushing her slightly forward towards us. Bella flamed another impossible shade of red and opened her mouth for a moment before snapping it closed again. What was up with this girl?
She hung her head for a moment, obviously breathing and trying to gather her thoughts. She seemed almost painfully shy, which seemed strange compared to the comfortable way she had blurted out her disbelief at the fact that Em and Alice were twins. Then Jasper stepped up closer to her and slid his hand into hers, causing me to clench my jaw. Darting my eyes away from the site for a moment I managed to catch a glimpse of Alice. Her eyes darted to their clasped hands and widened, before her face took on a broken hearted look I had never seen on her before. But a second later it smoothed away and she was smiling and looking happy again. Had I blinked I would have missed it. Huh. Maybe I wasn't the only one disturbed by the love affair going on between these two.
Bella seemed to take some courage from Jasper's hand in hers. She glanced up at him and smiled and then turned back to us. "Um, there's a party at First Beach this weekend. First Beach is down on the Reservation. We traditionally have a party down there on the Saturday before school starts in the fall, which is this weekend, obviously. Anyway, we…I mean I just thought you all might want to come with us. I mean, I know you probably don't know anyone here yet and showing up with Rosie and Jazz could kind of get you over a lot of the first day in a new school awkwardness. I mean, you'll get a chance to meet most of the kids outside of the school environment. And Rose and Jazz are the most popular kids in school, so showing up with them will kind of get you started out on top, you know?" She stopped suddenly, seeming to realize she was kind of babbling and waited for us to respond.
Alice opened her mouth, of course to take her up on her offer, because really, she would never turn up a chance at any social event, but before she could say anything, I blurted out "What about you?"
"What?" Bella asked, looking confused.
"You said Jasper and Rose are the most popular kids in school and showing up with them would get us started out on top, but what about you? We'll be going with you too, right?" I wasn't even sure what I was asking. I just found it disturbing that she seemed to completely leave herself out of the equation.
"Oh, um, I'm nobody." She said quickly.
"Bella," Jasper immediately chided her, but she quickly waved him off.
"Jazz, you know I don't mean I'm nobody. I just mean in the social food chain, I'm not on top of the pile." She glanced away from him and back at me before she shrugged. "Showing up somewhere with me is going to get you jackshit in the scheme of things. I'm just a tag-along." She said it in a completely matter-of-fact way, no embarrassment, no hesitation. And I was again asking myself, what the fuck? I couldn't imagine a universe where this iridescent creature would be nobody.
Alice took advantage of my momentary silence to respond. "Bella, that would be great. That was so nice of you to think of us." And she bounced forward to pull Bella into a quick hug and then bounced back again so quickly that I don't think Bella even had a chance to realize she had been assaulted by a pixie before the assault was already over.
Bella flushed again but smiled and looked pleased by the fact that she had obviously made Alice so happy. I glanced at Emmett and he seemed to be trying not to salivate at the idea of spending time on a beach with Rosalie. He wasn't succeeding very well, but by the way she was eye-fucking him, it appeared that it was mutual, at least. Normally I'm not one for participation when it came to lame-ass high school social events, but I didn't think I could pass up having some time to stare at Bella some more. Even if it meant I would probably be subjected to more PDA between her and the cowboy.
We spent a few more minutes finalizing the plans, mainly listening to Alice quiz Rose on what would be appropriate to wear and deciding Emmett would drive us all down in Esme's Yukon, so that we'd all fit comfortably. Bella stayed pretty much silent for the rest of the conversation, just observing the rest of us quietly with a peaceful look on her face. I noticed that once he didn't need to bolster Bella's confidence or whatever, Jasper slipped his hand out of hers and I was unaccountably happy about that.
They left right after and I immediately went back to my spot on the couch not wanting to listen to Emmett drag on about Rose in a bikini or Alice babble on like the Energizer Bunny on crack about what she was planning to wear and who we might meet. I laid on the couch trying to get back into my nature show and pull my brain away from a certain creamy-skinned waif, trying to ignore the fact that Saturday was just a few short days away.