July 24 -
"I passed Bella! I passed!" Alice screamed as she ran through the door. I tried to stand up to get to her but Edward held me against him, unwilling to let me up. Alice must have sensed it, "Edward let her up, she needs to come with me. I'm going to drive her around town."
"Maybe you should practice more before you endanger others lives" Edward said and held me tighter. We were nothing more than friends, but he was still very protective of me.
"She is actually a very conscientious driver Edward. There is nothing to worry about" Carlisle spoke calmly as he patted Edward shoulder.
Edward sighed and slowly released me from his grip so I could get up from the couch. "She can take Bella but not in my Volvo!" he sighed.
Edward had turned sixteen last month and since school was now out for the summer he had been driving Alice and I around all the time. He didn't care though; any reason to drive his car was worth it to him. The Volvo was his baby. But Alice would disagree, she would say that he just wanted to be with me, but I refused to believe it.
"Well actually I was thinking that before you girls leave we could give you your gift Alice, if that's alright?" Carlisle smiled.
Alice squealed like a fan girl. Carlisle smile widened, he quickly disappeared into the kitchen to get Esme and Emmett.
"Yeah she'll like it" I heard Emmett whisper. But with his whisper was the volume of a normal person's voice.
Alice jumped up and down, truly excited. The total opposite of me, I hated presents, but that was us, just plain opposites.
Emmett walked over to Alice and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from bouncing.
Edward slowly walked over to me and snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. It was times like these that I truly believed that he actually like me more than a friend, but then I would hear him talking with Emmett or friends about some chick at school and I felt as if I could never be good enough.
"We may want to show her before she explodes" Emmett boomed.
"Ok then, follow me" Carlisle waved his hands in the direction of the door.
Edward slipped his arms away from me, but grabbed my hand and started walking toward the door. I blushed and turned to look at the ground. He was always finding new ways to make me blush.
"Emmett, don't let her see" Esme reminded him. Emmett grabbed Alice and covered her eyes with his oversized hands. He only needed one hand to cover her entire face but he used two to make sure she couldn't see.
We walked out into the garage and I stopped in my tracks.
I faintly heard someone yell, "Show her on three" and then many screams from Alice. But I was too shocked to move, did they really get her that?
Edward squeezed my hand tighter and I could tell he was smiling. But I couldn't look at him; my eyes were fixed on a brand new bright yellow Porsche.
Edward laughed lightly, I turned to look into is mesmerizing green orbs. "You think it's too much don't you" he smiled crookedly.
I was about to answer but couldn't because I was pulled into the passenger seat by Alice. I sighed and buckled in, not sure of what to expect.
Carlisle yelled over the low rumble of the engine, "Be safe." Alice nodded and started backing out. But before we were out of the garage something came flying through the open window and landed on my lap. It was my cell and Edward was standing ten feet away from the car smiling sheepishly.
"Edward if that would have hit my car!" Alice warned shaking her fist at him.
"But it did" he grinned, "Don't kill her; I would never be able to live without her." I blushed, how did he always find ways to make me blush, it was getting annoying. "And Bella don't' hesitate to call me if needed" he added honestly. I smiled at watched him until he was out of sight.
We drove for a while until I realized that we weren't driving in the direction of Forks. "Where exactly are we going Alice?" I asked.
"We're meeting Rose and Jas at the mall" she said happily as she took in her new car.
"In Port Angles?"
"Yep" she replied distracted by how fast she could go. "I love this car! Oh My God I love this car" she laughed throwing her head back and laughing like a baboon.
"Don't you think it's a little much?" I asked truthfully, I could never expect a gift like that, it just wouldn't seem right.
She looked at me confused, "Just because you don't like gifts Bella, it doesn't mean others don't like them."
"Duh" I groaned, "I know you like gifts and that's fine, but isn't this to much? I mean a car, and an expensive one at that!"
Alice smiled with pride, "I guess but I'm not going to give it back. That would be rude. And anyway they have the money to give gifts like this."
I was astonished; did she really think that it was no big deal that she had just received a $100,000 car? What ever happened to the girl who had to spend a summer babysitting for a family she barely knew to get food for her family during the school year? The girl who wouldn't spend more than $30 on a shirt and $50 on a pair of pants?
She was starting to take the Cullen's generosity of granted. She was forgetting how good this opportunity was.
I let out a long sigh and turned to look out the window. Alice sensed my tension, "Hey, we should look for something for you to wear tonight." Alice was having a small party with some friends for her birthday.
Great! I thought just another thing bought by the Cullens. Even though they were happy to spend money on us, it felt wrong to me.
I nodded slightly, not taking my eyes off the passing forest, still thinking about the car.
We rode like that for awhile, no one spoke. The only noise was the radio. But when All summer long, by Kid Rock came on, we both broke free from our silence.
That was our song, we sang our hearts out to it. When it ended, we both laughed, looked at each other and I knew that everything was fine, our song brought us back together every time.
Alice looked over at me with a serious face, "Bella" she said shaky. I looked at her worried, but she shook her head, "It's not bad" she paused, "I think I'm in love" she smiled.
I had known for awhile, she had been dating Jasper for nine months now. And every time that they were together she couldn't stop smiling. She would say his name in her sleep and all together she was just happier when he was around. They were a match made in heaven.
"Have you told him?" I grinned.
She looked around and then back to the road, "Well, no….What if he doesn't feel the same way?"
"Alice, he loves you." I assured her, "Have you seen the way he looks at you?" A small smile spread across her face. "Or how about when he waits for you on the couch until you come home from wherever; even if you won't be home for hours, just so he can see you?" her smile grew. "He calls you every night before you go to bed just so that he is the last voice you hear at night and he calls you right away in the morning so that he is the first person you hear? Face it, he loves you."
Alice smiled, "Are you sure though, I mean what if…"
"Alice" I screamed, "There are no what ifs, you both love each other and that's finial. You say that I'm blind to love, but look at you, you're swimming in it and you don't realize it."
Her smile grew and she shook her head slightly, "You are blind to love. Did you see how protective Edward was of you as we pulled out of the garage?"
"You're changing the subject. We were talking about you for once and then it gets switch back to me" I sighed.
"Oh Bella you bring it one yourself" she giggled.
"I guess" I mumbled. We drove the rest of the way to Port Angeles as we sang along with the radio.
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I slumped down in the leather armchair, watching everyone dance around me and have a good time.
Alice's party was amazing, it was small but it everyone looked like they were having a good time. Laura and Mike Newton were here, along with the normal Edward, Emmett, Rose and of course Jasper. There were a handful of other people I had met once, but now forgot their names.
Alice had spent all her time getting me ready that she was late to her own party.
Rose and Alice had picked me out a short red dress that fell to mid thigh while we were shopping. I hung out with Jasper and let them shop for me. When we got home they rushed me up to the bathroom and started "primping me", as they would say.
They had spent a considerable amount of time on me and right now what I really wanted was to go home.
"Not having a good time?" Jasper asked sitting on the armrest of the chair.
I gave him a fake smile, "I guess I'm not really in the party mood."
He nodded, "Then someone has to get you in the party mood" he smiled, extending a hand for me.
I shook my head, "I don't know Jas…"
"Come on, you don't want to be a party pooper do you? It's Alice's sixteenth birthday, let's have some fun."
I rolled my eyes and took his hand. He pulled me to the dance floor or the middle of the living room, which had all the furniture removed and a massive speaker system instead.
Jas let me go and began dancing like a crazy person. He was flailing his arms, jumping around and spinning in circles.
I laughed and started to move to the beat. I never really knew what to do. Dancing definitely isn't my forte.
"Come on Bella" he shouted over the music. I looked around, I knew most of the people and the others I would probably never seen again so what the heck. All bearers were coming down tonight.
Screw the self cautious Bella, I was going to have fun. I slowly started jumping around, then spinning. I must have looked insane, but it was fun.
Jasper grabbed my hand and spun me around the room. We jumped and made our own kind of dancing.
"Hey it looks like we have a ballerina!" Emmett boomed.
O great I thought, just what I want, someone to make jokes about this for the rest of my life. No, I wouldn't let Emmett effect me. "Shut up Emmett, I'm having fun" I screamed.
That was the night all the barriers came down. For years I thought that what people thought was important, that I should please others in the way I dress and act. But in reality it's not that way.
I needed to forget about what people think and just have fun, you're only a teenager for so long.
Edward came between Jasper and I when a slow song started, "May I have this dance?" he grinned, bowing like you see in old movies.
Jas nodded and wondered over to Alice.
Edward picked me up and placed me on his feet, just like he did at Renee's wedding. "It looks like you're having fun" he mocked.
"You're only young once, might as well have fun" I shrugged.
He nodded and pulled me closer. "You look amazing tonight" he whispered after awhile.
I blushed tomatoes whipping my head down to the ground. But of course nothing can go smoothly for me, my locket slapped me in the face, "Great!" I mumbled.
Edward tried to hold in his laughter, "Are. You. Alright?" he managed to choke out. If I wasn't redder than my dress before, I was now. Edward grabbed the chain to my necklace and moved the clasp to the back. He paused staring at the pendant, "Is this the one we gave you for your birthday?" he murmured.
I nodded shyly, "I wear it all the time."
He smiled my favorite smile, "I'm glad you like it."
"It reminds me of how far I've come" I muttered.
He shook is head slowly, "What do you mean?"
I took a deep breath, "Well before I meet Alice, I never opened up to anyone. I didn't really have any friends and I never, ever talked to guys. I didn't even know what fun was. I would spend my weekends reading a book or something, I never went out. And most of all I was always so scared of what people thought of me. When I was introduced to Alice, my first thought was, 'I look like shit'. But look at me now, I have a great group of friends, I don't care what others think and I'm having the time of my life. In the past year and a half, my life has done a 360 and it's amazing. This" I said grabbing the golden heart, "reminds me of all of that."
Alice popped her head up behind Edward. She had heard my whole spechl. "Bella" she cried, "You've done the same for me." We smiled and Alice pushed Edward out of the way. She hugged me tight, "You're an amazing person don't ever forget that."
I gave her a small smile, "You too, and nothing can ever stand in your way."
Emmett, Rose and Jasper all crowed around us too. "You have changed both are lives for the better" Alice smiled pulling everyone closer.
Alice, Rose and I got teary eyed, and hugged each other, "GROUP HUG!" Emmett yelled and the guys wrapped around us.
These are the people that, through everything are still by my side. They pulled me out of my shell and showed me how to live. These are my friends.
"Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down."