Chapter 13:

"What did you find out?" I answered the phone while sitting at my desk in the middle of homework. Alice and Rose went over to hang out with Jake and Leah to give me the dirt.

"You were right. The fool is head over heels," Alice said.

"Damnit," I muttered. "Alright. Thanks," I said.

"No problem," she said and hung up before I could say anything else. Today is my 17th birthday and as far as I knew nobody knew about it. Except Jake and my dad. Alice and Rose know...but I didn't think they remembered. I didn't want anyone making a scene. I hate parties. My mom called me at midnight being the teenager she is. I was too sleepy to talk to her for that long.

I finished up my homework so that I didn't have any over the weekend. I can't believe that it's Friday night and almost a week went by since I last saw Jake. My phone rang again. Edward.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey babe, it's me," Edward said and I waited for him to go on. "Anyway, are you coming over tonight?" he asked.

"Don't I always?" I answered with a smile.

"Alright. I will see you soon then," he said and hung up. I put on jeans with my converse and a black cami with a grey v-neck sweater over it. It was considered warm this time of year...even if it was 65 degrees during the day and 60 at night. I left my hair naturally straight and did my usual make up and grabbed my keys, wallet and phone while heading out the door.

When I got there I rang the doorbell and looked down at my feet while crossing my arms over my stomache. The door opened and there had to be at least 20 people there.

"Happy Birthday!" they all said as I walked in the door. I immediately felt self conceious.

"Uh...Thanks," I said putting on a small smile. They all went back to chatting and Alice came up to me.

"Happy birthday," she sang and pulled me into a hug. I did my round of hugs to all of my friends and left Edward for last.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us!" Emmett said and I bit my lip and looked at my shoes.

"Sorry," I muttered and then walked over to Esme and gave her a hug. I spotted something or rather someone in the corner. Jake.

"Jake? What are you doing here?" I asked and walked over and gave him a hug. Leah glowered at me.

"What? I can't come to my best friends birthday?" he teased and then hugged me again.

"Just suprized," I said. "Hello Leah."

"Happy birthday, Bella," Leah said, trying to be nice. It was forced.

"Thank you," I said and then walked back over to Edward.

"I'm very upset you didn't tell me," Edward said and I felt guilty.

"I'm sorry...I just don't like attention," I explained and it wasn't until after I said that that I realized he was joking. He picked me up in a hug and twirled me around. I kissed him when he set me down. Someone cleared their throat. Charlie.

"Happy birthday, Bells," he said and I smiled.

"Thanks, Dad," I said and he smiled and then walked away.

After about an hour, everyone left except Alice, Jasper, Rose, Emmett, Edward and I. It wasn't before they made me blow out the candles on my cake completely humiliating me. I refused to open any gifts when the party went on. But when everyone left except us 6, they made me.

"Open mine first!" Alice chirped and I sighed and grabbed the box from her. It was a new bikini. It was actually really cute and I quite liked it.

"When am I using this?" I asked and everyone laughed.

"Tonight. We are all going swimming," she said and I looked at her like she lost her mind.

"Are you crazy? We will all freeze to death!" I said. They all seemed to hold back a laugh.

"Ah...our little girl from Arizona. Ya'll heard of a thing called a pool heater? It warms the pool up like a chicken in a fryin' pan," Emmett mocked me again with a Southern accent. Everyone cracked up. I frowned.

"That didn't even make sense! If you are going to insult me choose different and smarter expressions," I said.

"My mama always told me if I'm gonna make a southern joke, it outta be 'bout chickens!" Emmett still played it up. I glarred at everyone as they continued laughing.

"Next present!" I screamed over them and Emmett handed me his. I sighed.

"Here ya are darlin'. Just a little somethin'," Emmett still thought he was funny.

"Are you gonna talk like that all night? Seriously, that accent isn't even Arizonian. That is how people talk in Alabama or something," I said and he smiled.

"I'll challenge ya," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"All night we can both make Southern accents and then ask everyone who wins," he said.

"Fine. Your on," I said. I didn't know anything about Southern accents, but I knew I could beat Emmett at it. He had less experience.

"Open my present then," he said starting it. I sighed.

"You better calm down or I'm gonna have my daddy come in an shoot ya'll," I said and everyone laughed at Emmett and I. This was going to be a long night. I opened Emmett's present and didn't find anything in there.

"What in the Sam Hill is this?" I asked and everyone giggle a little.

"I already put it'n your car darlin'," Em said. "It's one of 'em CDs. I made it from scratch like a chicken's egg," he said.

"You are terrible at this," I said in a regular voice Emmett just grinned, but I knew it wasn't over yet. Rose handed me her present.

"Well I'll be damned," I said and everyone laughed. I swear everyone will have a six pack by the end of tonight if we keep up the laughing. She got me very beautiful and very real diamond earings. I took Jasper's next. It was a gift card to a book store. I smiled at him.

"Thanks ya'll," I said and everyone laughed. I didn't let Edward give me his present just yet. We went and changed into bathing suits and I steped outside and shivered.

"I'm blamin' ya'll if I get sick," I said, still in competition with Emmett.

"Ah...com'n darlin'! Take off 'em cowgirl boots and get in! Time to cowboy up," Emmett said and picked me up and threw me in the pool.

"People should be wearing full body suits in this weather," I said in a normal voice.

"Bella! Stop cheatin'," Emmett said.

"Em, we sound really stupid. Or atleast you do. I'm done making a fool of myself on my birthday," I said and he frowned.

"You are no fun," Emmett told me.

"She is just angry we threw her a party," Alice said right before jumping right next to me to splash me. Edward jumped on Emmett and then swam over to me.

"Yes, I am angry but I appreciate your efforts," I said and everyone laughed at me.

"Would you please stop that?" I asked in a yelling tone.

"Stop what?" they all asked at the same time and then laughed a eachother.

"Laughing at me. It isn't nice," I said and then Edward hugged me from behind.

"I'm sorry. I swear it wasn't my idea to throw a party," he whispered into my ear which made me calm down a bit. I sighed.

"I know," I said and then turned around and he held me close to his chest. "I would have rather it just be you and me on my birthday night," I said and he kissed my forehead.

"I can arrange that," he said and I smiled and lifted my head to kiss him. He deepened it and then we got water splashed at us.

"No PDA!" Rose said and I smiled at her.

"It's my birthday. I can do whatever I want," I said.

"Oh so now you want it to be your birthday? And also you don't get to do anything you want until next year when you turn 18," she retorted and I frowned. I was the baby of the bunch.

"Don't make fun," I said and then returned back in Edward's arms.

"Sorry baby Bella," Rose said and I rolled my eyes ignoring her.

"How am I going to get threw this night alive?" I asked Edward.

"I won't let them kill you. I wouldn't be able to survive without you," he said and I smiled.

"Thank you," I said.

"It's only cause I love you," he said and my heart skipped a beat. I knew he felt that way, but it was the first time he had actually said it to me aloud.

"I love you, too," I said and I tightened my hold on him. I felt him smile and then he brought my face up to his to kiss me again. It was filled with love and passion. I smiled into the kiss and then we broke apart.

"Ya'll are grosser than mating chickens," Emmett said and I splashed water at him.

"Chickens can't mate you moron," I said and he frown and then smiled again.

"Unless they are lesbians," he retorted and I splashed him again.

"Only you would think of that sicko," I told him and he grinned like an idiot and went back to talking with Rose. Alice and Jasper have been oddly quiet in the pool. They were too absorbed in eachother.

"Rose, we should be in the match-makin' business," I told her and nodded my head in Alice and Jasper's direction.

"I agree. Except I would have never put you two together," Rose said and I frowned at her.

"You are just jealous because you can't fight a love like ours," Edward said and I smiled.

"Whatever," Rose said and Alice actually seemed aware of our conversation.

"I think they are perfect for each other," Alice told me and I smiled at her and sent her a quiet thank you.

"I wonder how Rose and Alice became friends. They disagree on everything," Jasper observed and I laughed.

"That is why I am here to keep them civil," I said and he nodded in understanding. "But you gotta love them for it. It is quite entertaining to see them fight over me or about my life. They don't help me at all when I make life decisions," I told him and everyone laughed while Alice and Rose frowned.

"Well at least we give you a list of pros and cons," Rose said and I shrugged.

"Yeah...we are simply logical about it," Alice chimed in.

"About living my life and making decisions for me?" I looked at them with raised eyebrows.

"You can't make them on your own," Rose said and Alice just sat back. She knew this bothered me.

"Rosalie, I am 17 years old and have been taking care of myself since as long as I can remember. I think that I can figure out how to make rational decisions," I said and she shrugged and I let it go and turned back to Edward annoyed.

"She is just trying to protect you," Edward said and I shurgged.

"It just drives me crazy sometimes," I said and he held me in a tight hug. I sighed in contentment. If this is how life is always going to be; friends that make decisions for you and fight constantly, a boyfriend that is amazing and loves you, and two great guys who are like brothers...then I love my life and will always enjoy every second of it.