Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I'm just the uninvited guest swimming around in her pool.
I have to take an opportunity to thank all of my anonymous reviewers since I have no other way of getting in touch with you. So, thank you!
The Path We Chose
Chapter 17: Gifts, Apologies, and the Princess
Of course, I woke up in my own room. Edward and I hadn't spent all night together since the day of my breakdown at school a month ago. A part of me wanted to fake another one so we could do it again. I couldn't bring myself to fake it, though. Firstly, I would have to scare Edward, and secondly, I wasn't that great an actress. At least I was lucky enough to run into him in the hallway this morning. I jumped on him and he caught me, stumbling back against the wall.
"Hey," he said. I kissed his cheek and squeezed him tight with my arms and my legs because I didn't know what I did to deserve him, but I wasn't letting him go. He laughed.
"Good morning," I said and kissed the edge of his eyebrow. I avoided his lips in case they still hurt. They were less swollen, I noticed.
"That's a greeting I could get used to. Be careful of spoiling me, Bella. I'm going to start expecting this."
"Go ahead and expect it." I lowered myself and took him by the fingers, guiding him downstairs to the kitchen where I cooked for him: eggs and bacon and toast. I made him sit down while I cooked--wouldn't let him help. Cracking eggs, I decided we should have the college talk. I thought it was about time we shared this part of ourselves. I told him that I had planned on majoring in literature in college even though it was kind of cheating because it would be more like a hobby for me than school.
"You probably already knew that," I said as the bacon sizzled on the stove. I hadn't chosen a college yet, I told him. Even with my college savings I couldn't afford any school of my choice, and I didn't have the grades that would grant me a full scholarship like he did. "What about you? At Stanford. What were you going to study?"
"Business," he said.
"Ah, yes," Esme said, joining us in the kitchen. "My little business boy." She ruffled up his hair like he was just a little boy. "Making breakfast again, Bella?"
"Yes, would you like some?"
"No. Thank you. Just coffee for me." She poured herself a cup. "I'm running late. But Bella, I want you to do something for me. When you finish up here, if you have time before school, go to my room, open the second drawer of my jewelry box, and the first thing you see, I want you to ask Edward to explain it to you."
She had my interest piqued. I raised an eyebrow at Edward but he just shrugged. I asked him to watch the eggs for a minute, deciding I could use his help after all. I had something to do upstairs. I wanted to make sure there was enough time before school for whatever it was Esme was asking of me.
I went to her and Carlisle's room. I had never been in there before. Of course I didn't need to flick on the light because of all the natural light coming in from the huge windows. Their room had a different look than the rest of the house--much more old fashioned. Their bedroom furniture appeared antique. The room was spotless, too. Not a speck of dust that I could see. And this early in the morning? Their clean room, it made me feel bad for leaving my room in disarray so often. I hadn't even made my bed yet, and last night's clothes were still on my floor. I almost opened a dresser drawer just to see if everything was color coordinated and folded just so. Almost. I couldn't invade their privacy, though.
Her jewelry box was mirrored. I was careful not to leave smudge marks on the glass as I pulled the drawer open. Right on top was a beaded bracelet. It looked like it was made of natural stones. Very pretty. I took it out and returned to Edward in the kitchen. He had already dished out breakfast on the table and was waiting for me in his seat. I sat down and slid the bracelet toward his plate.
"Oh no," he said, shaking his head. "I can't believe her."
"What is it?"
He picked up the bracelet and just fingered it for a minute. "I can't believe she still has this."
"What, did you buy that for her or something?" I took a crispy bite of bacon.
"I made it," he said.
I plucked it from his hands. "You made this? It's beautiful."
"Yeah, when I was ten. My grandpa used to be a hiker. He hiked all over the US and mined for rocks. Every time he visited he brought me one and told me all about it. He showed me how to bash them, cut them and polish them. I made this for my mom and she loved it so much I decided to make more and sell them. I went door to door in Forks selling them. That's when she first called me her business boy." He shook his head again, embarrassed. "The guys found out about it and made fun of me so I stopped. I just stopped."
"That is so…adorable."
"Don't call me adorable."
"Then don't be so adorable." He laughed and I kissed his adorable business boy face.
He told me he wanted me to wear the bracelet and started clasping it around my wrist. I said that I couldn't because it belonged to his mom.
"Please wear it? It would mean a lot to me if you wore something that I made."
Edward had this way about him that often made it impossible for me to say no. Maybe it was how the corner of his mouth smiled when he spoke, or his voice, or the way his eyes still looked so deeply into mine. It was probably just him--all of him. I spun the bracelet around on my wrist to look at every different color stone. They were each shaped uniquely and slightly differed in size. They looked raw and perfect.
"See this?" He pointed to a green stone. "It's jade. He found it in California, outside of Monterrey. And this turquoise is from Nevada. And this?" He pointed to the crystally amethyst one. "It's made from a geode he found in, I think, Indiana."
"What's a geode?"
"They're rocks that, over time, form crystals on the inside. It takes years. And it's like a mystery rock. You never know what you get until you break it open. Usually you find clear quartz inside but this one contained amethyst."
"Edward," I said, but then had no more words.
"Bella."
"What if I lose it or ruin it?"
"Wear it." Then he took another bite to let me know that arguing with him was useless. I kissed his cheek as he chewed.
"Can I tell you something kind of selfish?" I asked.
"Sure."
"I'm glad you want to go into business and not medicine like your dad. I couldn't stand it if you were gone all the time like Carlisle. I don't know how Esme does it. Staying away from him for so long."
"Me too," he said. "It wouldn't be fair to the patients either because I would just be thinking about you all the time. I don't even want to think about what James Gun-wound would do to me after I called him Bella."
It was my turn to laugh. I ruffled up his hair, "My business boy."
"No, not that. Please. Adorable is better than that." Then he pulled my arm until I was in his lap and he was holding me around my back. He brushed his lips over my face and down my neck, resting at my collar bone. He didn't kiss me, though; his lips must have still hurt.
At lunch Emmett asked to talk to me but Edward immediately positioned himself between us. "Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of me."
"Come on man, I already apologized to you." I glanced at Edward wondering when that had happened. Maybe Emmett had returned to the Cullens' house when I was with my dad.
"You can talk to her, but not without me."
"It's okay, Edward. I'd like to talk to Emmett, too." Emmett and I left the cafeteria, heading toward the track field. Edward followed.
"Edward, dude, I'm not going to attack her."
"I'll keep my distance, but I want to see her."
Emmett and I kept walking, but when we were out of Edward's hearing distance, he still wouldn't talk, he just glared at Edward, arms folded, biceps accentuated. He looked really intimidating and probably downright scary to somebody who didn't know him. I waited while they had their silent stare down until Edward finally, reluctantly, retreated. He kept throwing glances over his shoulder until he was completely out of sight.
Emmett looked down at me for a minute before he spoke. I thought about telling him, no mind-wrestling, but that would have been like telling a kid he can't have candy only to place a big colorful lollypop right in front of him. He'd only want it more and he'd reach for it anyway.
"Bella, I apologize for my behavior yesterday. I can't even begin to comprehend what you've been going through lately and I took my anger out on you." He shook his head, eyes closed. He was really ashamed. "The truth is, I've known for a while now that something was up with Edward and our whole Stanford plan. I'd held my worries in for so long that when they were confirmed yesterday, my frustration came out uncontrolled. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to make a joke out of your love, either. It's obvious he loves you--Stanford has nothing to do with that."
"I know, Emmett. I accept your apology. And I'm sorry. I mean, it's not all my fault, I know that, too, but I'm sorry about the situation. It's hard for all of us."
"Well, I shouldn't be making things any more difficult for you or Edward. Friends?" He held out a hand to me. I shook it.
"Friends," I said, and he tugged me in to kiss my cheek.
"Let's get back before Edward shits a grizzly bear."
"Wait, there's one more thing."
"Enlighten me."
I told him that I wanted to help Edward get to Stanford and find a way to pay for it. If Edward could do it before, he could do it now. I would wait to go to college until after he was finished. Him first. He deserved it. "Edward told me about a scholarship, do you know anything about it?"
"A little," he said. "But that was through the school. Those scholarships are limited and I doubt they would offer it to him now because of his…your situation. I'll find out more, though. I'm sure my dad will help. He's in the know with a lot of those Stanford stiffs. We can figure out something, Bella. Holy fuck, you're beautiful! Edward, man, he better know how lucky he is to have you." Emmett was smiling, and for the first time, I noticed he had dimples, one on each cheek, and they only appeared when he smiled this big.
"You're beautiful, too," I said, and he laughed because that was probably one compliment he had never heard. Gorgeous, yes. Sexy, yes. Strong, yes. But beautiful? Most likely not. "Your mind," I said. "You have a beautiful mind."
We headed back to the cafeteria and just before we entered, he stopped me. "Hold up. Was that a back-handed…Wasn't A Beautiful Mind that movie about that schizophrenic mathematician?"
"John Nash," I said, then left him right where he stood and entered the cafeteria first. He followed me and I was fairly certain I just brain-slammed him. That's two for Bella.
My proud face turned into an embarrassed face when everyone at our table stood and smiled at me. I wondered if my make-up with Emmett was really deserving of this, but then one by one they all hugged me whispering, "Congratulations." I was beaming. I beamed at Edward because I knew this was his doing. Alice added some bounces with her hug and told me she knew I would make a wonderful mother, then insisted on taking me out to dinner. She called it a date.
Jasper hugged me gently, rubbing my back a little, and pressing his cheek against mine. "I'm glad you and Edward worked things out." Warmth spread throughout my body neutralizing the cold that had reddened my nose and my ears while standing outside with Emmett. And if I wasn't already feeling peaceful, I now felt pure contentment. Jasper was almost like a drug. Jasper: better than Prozac.
Emmett hugged me the tightest and I was amazed he never crushed Rosalie, even by accident. Rosalie's hug wasn't so much a hug as a lean and a pat, but she initiated it which meant infinitely more than hug length or squeeze-quality. Then they all hugged each other just to confuse the rest of the nosy teenagers that had stopped mid-bite or mid-chew to gape at us.
It was funny to see Jasper and Emmett hug. Emmett jumped back almost immediately. "Can't you shut that off, man?" Jasper laughed and took Emmett's shoulder. Emmett smiled at Jasper and shook his head. "You're never going to stop, are you?"
"Bella called it," Jasper pointed at me, "humanitarian."
My hug with Edward was the longest. He felt like home, like safety. We didn't want to let go of each other but we had to because we were at school. Eventually, a teacher or cafeteria chaperon would have separated us anyway and told us to get to class.
I had to sneak my lunch into Health to eat because I ran out of time before the bell rang and I was hungry. I had my hamburger wrapped in a napkin and hid it under my desk. It wasn't too hard to sneak bites since we were watching another video; this time about fire safety, teaching you to map out a safety exit at home with your mom and dad. Mrs. Hines, of course was reading a book. I thought it was quite the job to teach Health at Forks High. You got to play marriage games, show videos, and catch up on your literature. Even when we learned CPR, a guest teacher came in and took over that day. I wondered if you even needed a teaching credential for this.
Edward leaned over and whispered, "What are you thinking about? You're glowing."
"I'm thinking about teaching Health when I grow up."
And then we both laughed. We couldn't help it. We were cracking up. Everyone turned to look at us. Mrs. Hines shushed us, angrily, most likely because we interrupted her reading and not because we had disrupted the class. Edward and I really tried to stop laughing, but every time we looked at each other it started all over again. We kept it as quiet as possible--whisper-laughs--until we finally just had to avoid looking at each other to get ourselves under control. Jessica kept her eyes on us, even when everyone else's attention had returned to the movie. She cocked an eyebrow. I smiled and waved because that usually got her to turn around. It worked this time, too.
It was killing her that she didn't know what was going on with Edward and me. I had to stare straight ahead, away from Edward's gaze, otherwise we would have doubled over in laughter again.
I heard Jessica and Lauren's theory while I was exchanging books in my locker. They were standing right behind me talking deliberately loud.
"I heard Chief Swan couldn't take care of her anymore so she moved in with the Cullens' and Dr. Cullen is adopting her," Lauren said in her nasally voice.
"Yeah," Jessica said, "they live together. They're like brother and sister and they're together, together. That's just weird."
Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Hey, my beautiful."
"Edward! Did you hear?" I turned to face him. "We're like brother and sister!" I looked over at Jessica and Lauren to let him know what I meant. They pursed their lips at me with heads tilted, hands on hips. Their stance and motion mirrored each other. I didn't think they could be more generic if they tried.
"Family fun for everyone," Edward said, then kissed me. Apparently his lip no longer hurt because that was some kiss and lasted long after Jessica and Lauren had stomped off. He clutched my hair on both sides of my face, "I am going to thank God everyday that you are not my sister." He gave me a few more light pecks on the lips, trying to calm our hormones down. It sort of worked.
Alice picked my up at the Cullens' for dinner. She insisted because that's what dates do. She drove us to Port Angeles and we walked together, pinky-in-pinky up the steps to her favorite restaurant Bella Italia. She requested a quiet booth. Our table was lit with a candle and a rosebud rested in a small vase. I pushed it away from me, otherwise I was sure to knock it over.
Normally I would like--no, love--pasta, but not tonight. "They don't have hamburgers," I complained. Yes, I had just eaten hamburgers at my dad's last night, and then again at lunch today, but that was what I wanted.
"They have gnocchi and rigatoni and mushroom ravioli, how could you possible prefer a hamburger?"
I put my menu down. "I just do. I can already taste it in my mouth. Nothing else will do."
"All right princess, wait here." She left me alone at the table. I looked around. There were two guys sitting at a nearby table, both looking at me.
"Hi," one of them said. I didn't reply, just picked up my menu and pretended to look it over again. Alice returned with a children's menu.
"Look," she said, "hamburgers!"
She ordered for both of us and since I was getting my "precious" hamburger (yes, she called it precious), she insisted I get the steamed vegetables instead of the fries. Then she pulled a small, pink gift bag out of her big old purse. I didn't carry a purse. I had a little pouch I kept in my jacket pocket that held what little money I had and my keys. But I guess if you went around carrying gift bags, you needed a purse as big as you.
I'm pretty sure I blushed when I peered into the bag. I was never any good at getting gifts and wished she wouldn't look at me while I opened it. Inside was a book. "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy."
"It's supposed to be funny," she said. "My mom suggested it. Then she sat me down and had the sex talk with me all over again, so thanks for that, Bella."
"I bet you're feeling pretty smug right about now for deciding to hold out until marriage."
"I don't feel smug, Bells. Most of the time I feel like I'm missing out. Just because I made the decision doesn't mean it's easy to stick to."
"I know, Alice. Sorry, that was a bad joke. But how do you feel? About my mommy situation?"
"At first my thoughts were self-centered. You won't be in school with me much longer. You won't be going on class trips…" (I didn't tell her that I more than likely wouldn't have gone on class trips anyway) "…it was all the things we wouldn't do that all our classmates would be doing. But then I stopped thinking about me and started thinking about you, how you must feel, and god, Bella, I am so sorry." Here eyes watered. "You are my best friend. I have known Rosalie for what seems like forever, and she doesn't even know as much about me as you do. I just want to be what you need."
"You're my best friend, too, Alice. At one point, apart from Edward, you were my only friend." I took her hand. I felt eyes on us. The boys at the other table were looking over again and one raised his eyebrows at me. I turned back to Alice, kept her hand in mine. "We'll still see each other--do things together. I'm not dying. I'll just have an extra person with me. You can help me. I'm convinced you already know more about motherhood than I do, anyway…just on instinct alone. You can teach me."
"You don't know yourself very well, Bella. You are very mothering. You always want the people around you to be happy, even if it means sacrificing your own comfort. You'll be a fine mother. Won't need my help. But I'll be there anyway. I promise." She lifted my hand to her lips and one of the guys next to us gave a whistle. Alice stood up and stepped to their table.
"Oh, you like this, do you? Well let me tell you something. Maybe if boys didn't act like you all the time, we would be interested in your kind. Look at what your gender is missing out on because of your behavior!"
Then she returned to her seat, gave me a nose-crinkle, leaned back and drank her coke.
Review, please. :)
So, I'm working on another impromptu outtake suggested by one of my loyal reviewers. She knew just how to get the wheels really turning in my head by mentioning it twice! It will be Carlisle's perspective--a glance at the night Carlisle and Esme found out about Bella's pregnancy (and more insight on their relationship). Let me know in your review if this is something you're interested in reading. (YES, I'm trying to get more of you to review, and YES, I will post it anyway, as long as it turns out well.)
