Thanks to Kitty Cullen for her beta'ing skills!
Disclaimer: I still don't own!
When I left Washington for New Hampshire, I left with the hope that I wouldn't have to seek approval. That everyone would either like me or leave me alone. I spent so much of my time in Forks, not really caring, but wondering why I never really fit in and then, there I was, staring at the door Emmett slipped out of, and right back in the same position; only… I did care. I wanted Rosalie to like me. She meant a lot to Jasper, which made it important to me that she accepted our relationship.
Moving back to my pile of clothes, I realized that Emmett's sudden appearance affected me more than it should have. His plan didn't make me believe that he could get Rosalie to like me, but I was confident that I had made the right decision. If I had to play a few games to make my potential sister-in-law see that I did truly love her brother, then that was what I would do. Old emotions of longing and insecurity bubbled to the surface. Would I ever be good enough? I shook my head to clear the thought the moment it appeared. I was good enough. I came a long way from being the shy, innocent teen that I was before. With the help of Jasper and Alice I had started to come into my own. There were slight changes in my demeanor that other people may not have noticed, but I did. I walked a little straighter. I took pride in my figure. I began to open up to people, whether they were close to me or not. The biggest thing was that my anxiety attacks, which I had since I was nine, halted.
I shoved my dirty clothes into two beige canvas laundry bags, grabbed my laptop, and made my way downstairs. Being late Friday morning, most students were already in their classes, so I got lucky and was able to load two washers at once. I sat down at one of the folding tables and decided to read my email. My mom, Renee, sent me something the day before, but I didn't have time to check it. There was something from Jessica asking about how things were going with Jasper and if I was still enjoying New Hampshire. I sent a quick reply and told her I hoped that she would be able to come and visit me during the spring. When I got to my mom's message I was reluctant to open it. She and Charlie weren't too happy about my decision to stay with Jasper's family for the holiday. It would be the first time since I was born that they spent Christmas alone, and my dad being the worrier of the family was always skeptical, not only of people, but of my decisions as well. I knew that he meant well, but he was going to have to learn to let go.
Shock ran through me as I read the few lines Renee had typed. She said that she understood and that she was young and in love once, too. The email closed with a promise to talk to my dad and an "I love you." Tears welled up in my eyes as I began to feel bad my choice. Washington was too far to travel for Thanksgiving and I really didn't want my first Christmas with Jasper to be spent apart. My mom was always so understanding. I often joked that she should have been a therapist instead of the eccentric interior designer she was. There were times where she was more my best friend than my mom, but no matter which role she was playing, she always knew just what to say to make me feel better. I sent her a quick reply, apologizing again and thanking her for her understanding. My mind was made up and it wouldn't feel right to go back on my decision after seeing how happy it made Jasper.
An hour and a half later I was back in my room, putting away my clothes when I heard the door open. It was too early for Jasper to be home, but hoped that he had decided to surprise me. It was Alice. She walked right in and took a seat on the bed.
"Are you going to do it?" She lay back and rested her elbows on the bed. Her smirk told me that she had been let in on mine and Emmett's secret.
"Do what?" I asked, continuing to fumble with the laundry.
"Emmett is my roommate, Bella, and believe it or not we are friends." She rolled her eyes as she finished. Alice never mentioned being friends with Emmett; in fact, she never really mentioned him at all. I wondered how she could stand to be around him.
"Oh. I didn't know that."
"Well?" Her tone held expectancy. I couldn't hide anything from Alice. She was the one person besides Renee that I opened up to completely.
"Yeah, I'm going to do it," I said, sitting down next to her. "I hope I made the right decision. I want her to like me, Alice. I want Jasper to like him. Every time we're in the same room with them it's miserable and now we're going to be spending Christmas break together. Three weeks under the same roof and honestly, I don't think I will be able to stay if she's mean. I don't want to put Jasper in that situation."
"I agree." She jumped off of the bed and walked over to me. I was still playing with the same shirt I was holding since before my rant, so Alice grabbed it and put it away.
"What? You do? And did you say you were friends with Emmett? How did I not know that?" I tried to move the conversation away from me.
"I don't know, but I am. Always have been; Jasper was, too. That's why I think this is a good thing. Emmett may be loud and obnoxious, but he is a good guy, at least, he's good for Rose and she isn't always a bitch, Bella. She's just worried about Jasper. I can't tell you their story, but they haven't always had it easy and she doesn't want to see him heartbroken." Her eyes grew soft as she talked about her cousins. I didn't really know that much about Jasper other then the fact that his parents dies and that's why him and Rosalie lived with the Cullen's.
"I'm not going to hurt him." I whispered.
"She doesn't know that and really, neither can you. You may love him now, but things happen, people change." She shrugged.
"I won't hurt him, Al. I swear."
"I know, honey. I'm just trying to make you see Rose's side." She placed her hand in the middle of my back and tried to comfort me.
"I just want her to give me a chance." I looked her in the eyes as I spoke, trying to show her just how true the statement was.
"Give it time, show her that you love him, and she'll come around. Don't worry. Everything will work out, okay?"
"Thank you," I said, turning back to my dresser.
"Now, let's talk about Thanksgiving."
"I thought we all decided not to do Thanksgiving since your parents are going out of town." My eyes wandered back to her. I couldn't deal with being stuck with Rosalie for another holiday.
"Yeah, but every year we go to iHop for breakfast. Edward, Rose and I would still like to do that." She seemed genuinely excited. I gulped.
"Rose?"
"She knows you're coming, Bella. Besides, it's not like she can attack you; we'll be in a public place," she said with a smirk.
Reluctantly, I agreed to the iHop thing. Who was I to fuck with family tradition? Maybe Emmett would get to Rosalie before then; he had two weeks. Alice and I spent most of the afternoon and the better part of the evening immersed in a Molly Ringwald movie marathon. I loved being around Alice. She was a happy person and in turn, made me want to be happy, too. We rarely talked about her, but when I pointed it out she said there wasn't much to tell. She's never had a boyfriend, got good grades in high school, and sat on the top of the social ladder. It was obvious to everyone that she and Edward had a very loving relationship. They didn't fight like a lot of siblings and there was absolutely nothing that Alice wouldn't do to make him happy.
We were half way through Sixteen Candles when Jasper walked in. He walked straight over to kiss my forehead and greet us hello. He very rarely hung out with us, so I was surprised when he sat down, wrapped his arms around my waist, and finished the movie. The second the credits started to roll Alice stood up and said something about needing to study. She gave Jasper and me both a quick hug before making her way back to her room. I turned to Jasper and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.
"How was your day?" I asked, snuggling into his side.
"Good. I'm exhausted, though. How was yours? What did you do?" He looked exhausted. His eyes appeared to be slightly puffy, yet, sunk in and I could tell he hadn't shaved in a couple of days.
"Laundry and Alice."
"You did Alice?" He laughed.
"You know what I meant." I swatted him playfully.
He chuckled before bringing his lips to mine. The kiss started off slowly, but quickly the passion built and there were things I had to say, and questions I wanted to ask, so I pushed him away. I saw the confusion in his eye, so I smiled and pecked him lightly.
"Sorry. We need to talk for a second. We can get back to that later."
"What's wrong?" He shifted away from me with panic in his eyes.
"Nothing, I was just wondering about you and Emmett. You don't really talk about him much and Alice mentioned that you used to be friends." While I hated to use Alice, it was a great way to start.
"Nothing happened. The guys an asshole. End of story." He turned away to face the TV. I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching. I imagined he was trying to calm himself down.
"There has to be more to it, Jasper. Why don't you like him?"
"He has Rose believing that he's going to marry her and I don't think it's going to happen. She dropped out of school because that was the decision the both of them came to as a couple and I know my sister, she would never had come to that conclusion on her own." He sounded more confident in that confession than I'd ever heard him.
"But you liked him before that?" I questioned.
"Yeah, we were friends before him and Rosalie. I didn't even know they were together until she told the family she was pregnant." Shock ran through me. I didn't see how that was possible. The impression I had been given was that Emmett and Rose were long term.
"Wait, how long have they been dating?"
"Three years." His voice was almost a whisper.
"And they didn't tell you?" I yelled, unintentionally.
"No. Rose thought I'd be upset." He shook his head while he spoke. His eyes never met mine.
"Would you have?"
"Probably. I don't think Emmett's the right guy for her," he said, honestly.
"I see, just like she doesn't think I'm the right girl for you." I looked down at my lap, trying to make sense of the bond between them.
"It's different." Each question I asked seemed to push him farther and farther away.
"No, Jasper, I don't think it is. Why are you and Rose so protective of each other? I get that you're brother and sister, but can't you just be happy for each other?"
"We've just been through a lot, that's all. What do you want for dinner?" He stood up and walked to our, what we call, kitchen.
"That's it? You're not going to elaborate?" I said in disbelief.
"Let it go, Bella. Just for tonight, please. It's been a long day and I'm really tired." He didn't sound angry, just slightly perturbed.
"Fine, for tonight." I stood up and went to get my pajamas. "Go ahead and eat. I've been eating junk all day with Alice, so I'm not hungry."
"You're mad." He accused.
"No, not mad." Just a little hurt. I wanted to add, but kept it to myself.
I made my way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I felt like I had been hit in the gut. Emmett was right. If I couldn't get Rose to accept me then Jasper would leave. I cried for the second time that day.
When my tears finally dried, I got in the shower and took my time. I couldn't let Jasper know that our conversation had upset me. My mind was made up that I would try again the next day to talk to Jasper about Emmett and hopefully follow through with my end of the deal. I got out of the shower; towel dried my hair, and slipped on my gray sweats and white t-shirt. With my mind made up, I walk out of there feeling much lighter than I did going in.
Two weeks had passed since Emmett first approached me. It was the day before Thanksgiving; the day I was going to have to face Rosalie. Jasper and I had many discussions about him trying to accept his sister's relationship. He was coming around, but I learned that he was more hurt by Emmett's deception than anything. I finished my last class of the day and was heading out to my car when I heard my name being called. I turned around to find Edward running toward me.
"Hey," I said with a genuine smile.
"Hey, can you study tonight?" He held up his Chemistry book and shook it in front of my face.
"Edward, I don't think that's a good idea. I really don't want a repeat of what happened last time." I sighed at the memory of Jasper and my first fight.
"I understand. I'll talk to Jasper next time. Thanks anyway, Bell." He looked sad, but there was nothing I could do. I wasn't only worried about Jasper, but didn't feel like putting up with Edward's banter.
"Yup." I nodded curtly.
Edward and I hadn't really talked since our episode with Jasper. We said hello in passing, but I wanted to let things calmed down before picking our friendship back up. Edward was very respectful of my relationship. Once things were official he backed off and never said a word, so Jasper's freak out wasn't only uncalled for, but completely unwarranted.
I rushed back to Benson Hall, happy to have Alice coming over to help me find something to wear for the next day. When I got there she was already in my room with a variety of clothes I'd never seen.
"Take your pick." She waved her arm over the display.
"Where did you get all of these clothes, Alice?" I asked, my eyes wide.
"I found a really good sale at the boutique you like. I knew you wanted to look good tomorrow and figured you'd need some for Christmas break as well. You can consider it an early Christmas gift." I rushed to her and wrapped my arms around her neck.
"Thank you, Alice. Thank you so much."
"Eh, it's nothing. Try them on." She sounded so encouraging that I did what I was told.
After trying on every outfit I settled for a pair of distressed jeans, white lace blouse, and a black cardigan. Since we were only having breakfast I didn't want to overdo it. I kissed Alice's cheek and thanked her again. I was overwhelmed by her generosity and would eventually find a way to repay her. In no way was I ready to face Rosalie. She had avoided the dorms like the plague and for that, I was grateful. I changed out of my new clothes and into something I could lounge in. I lay down on the bed and waited for Jasper to get home.
Necessary filler. Hope you guys paid attention! Please R&R
