I'm going to ignore the mean review someone sent me (partly because they apologized :)) and focus on something extremely awesome! I GOT MY TICKETS FOR TWILIGHT, THE MIDNIGHT PREMIERE!!!!!
Okay, sorry about that. This chapter is for two amazing people who read my stories and have become my uber cool new friends: Cynthia (she's SO amazing! I love talking to her & she listens to me about my guy drama) and Bernie (AAAAHHHH! She lives in my hometown and knows some of my friends! I could've meet her but my mother didn't let to go to that kung fu class because of the price and now she's asking Daniel to train me alone. I know he's in adult classes…but hello! I want to be with Bernie! Anyway, she's awesome.)
Quotes from friends used in this chapter:
"I don't go trick-or-treating; my friends and I hide in bushes and scare kids. That way, we don't have to walk all the way up to houses for candy." -Daniel
Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Chapter 17: Check Up, Up and...Halloween Costumes?
Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death. –Omar N. Bradley
B.P.O.V.
I tried to get comfortable, but every little move I made would make the thin paper under me crumble or tear. Even the black pillow was a little stiff. I made light movements to try to pull my shirt down, but then I heard a loud rip. No, not from me, from the paper.
"Stop fidgeting, Bella, it's fine." Edward said from the chair next to the green bed I was laying on.
I sighed, showing I was giving up. It's no use; no matter how little I move, the paper is going to make some sort of noise. I sat up straight and looked at Edward. He was doing something on his phone. "What's taking him so long?" I asked, slightly annoyed Dr. Cullen was late.
Edward made no move to look at my direction but shrugged. "He's a busy man, he'll be here soon." His undeniable perfect eyes stayed glued to the addicting object – a.k.a. his phone – in his hands.
I groaned and hit the back of my head against the wall. I'm waiting for Dr. Cullen for yet another check up. It's been about three days since Edward and everyone else found out I was still cutting myself and this is the second time I've come to met with Edward's dad. I've been taking the anti-depressant pills, but since they believe I need extra 'push' (their way of saying help), I need to take two in the morning and two before bed. There is one bright side, Edward and everyone seems to be really into music. They've introduced me to so many kinds.
Jasper was a bit too much country, Emmett's was senseless rap, Rosalie and Alice's was pop and hip-hop, so there was only one type of music to really help me relax, Edward's: rock and classical. The rock part threw me off too, but I was skimming through his CD collection and found this cover that caught my eye. I popped it into the stereo but soon covered my ears as the blasting music came on. Emmett and Rose also help me pick out music that's more 'my style'. They're big help, but yesterday Emmett showed me a band named Armor for Sleep and said it fit me perfectly because, get this, the genre was emo.
Ha, ha, very funny.
But seriously, classical and rock are a big help the last couple of days. Classical can clam me and send me into a comfort zone filled with relaxation. While the crazy pounding of drums and amazing strings of guitar hammer out my inner wild side. The way the music blasts and distracts me from the world, I just can't cut myself when I'm listening to it.
"But it's boring." I sighed.
Edward laughed at my childness and handed me his Blackberry. "Here, play, it's a time consumer." I looked at the phone's big screen saw it was a game called Brick. At first it was hard, but I got the hang of it.
Just as I was going to reach the new high score, a knock on the door threw off my concentration and the last ball I had fell. LOSER! Appeared on screen and I narrowed my eyes at Doctor Cullen. Edward reached for his phone and put it in his pockets.
"Hello, Edward," Mr. Cullen nodded towards his son and hesitantly drew his attention to me. "Isabella."
Edward got up and hugged his dad. "Hey, Dad," I could swear I heard Edward tell him, "Be nice." But that could've been my imagination.
I think Edward's warning was real because Dr. Cullen attempted a smile. He looks nicer when he smiles at Edward or Alice. "So, Isabella, how've you been?" He asked.
"Fine," I shrugged. He got a black, round rolling chair, sat on it and took out what I think is my file.
"Good," He gazed at my papers and took out a pen from the pockets stitched onto his lab coat. "Now, did you take your pills yesterday?"
Edward looked at me. "Yes," I answered and leaned my back against the wall.
"Okay," He scribbled something down. "And this morning?"
"Yup," I popped the 'p'. Do they always have to ask? Edward saw me taking them, he knows for a fact I want to stop. Of course I'll take the pills. I sighed again.
Edward noticed and looked at Dr. Cullen. "She's been doing a lot better, Dad. You should see her grades. They've been going up the roof!" He smiled. "And she's been taking her pills, helping out around the suite and following the rules nicely. There are no complaints from her or from me." Edward beamed.
Was he that proud of me? And was he bragging…about me? No one…no one has ever done that. Then again Edward has always been the first with that kind of stuff, but… I tried to swallow the lump of joy down my throat.
Dr. Cullen seemed as stunned as I am by Edward's praise. "Wow, umm…that's very good." He tore his gaze from Edward to me. "Congratulations."
I blushed a new shade of red. Did Doctor Cullen – Dr. Hate Me Cullen – just congratulate me? I laughed awkwardly, "Thanks."
Mr. Cullen cleared his throat. "Now, Isabella, roll up your sleeves, please."
I did as he ordered and what now seemed like our usual routine. He checked my arms and old scars, which were now the same color as my skin. My wound on my shoulder was just a light, light pink. Barely noticeable. "That's healing nicely," Mr. Cullen commented and gave me a tight lipped smile.
I pulled down on my sleeves and looked at Edward. It was his turn to sigh as he rolled his eyes and got up. "I'm going, I'm going." He teased and waltzed to the door.
"Thank you." I smiled brightly. Edward chuckled and walked out.
Something familiar, yet so uncommon among me, was heard. A chuckle; a deep, throaty chuckle. Not like Emmett's booming hysteria or Jasper's care free laughter. It was more musical, more Edward. Dr. Cullen.
He was shaking in his chair as Edward shut the door. Mr. Cullen shook his head and calmed down in a second. "He seems to know the drill already."
I involuntary smiled. "Yeah," I added a quick giggle. "You should see what happens when he thinks he said something that might have offend me." A smirk appeared on my face.
Doctor Cullen's eyes resembled my mischief. "Really? Like what?" He didn't forget what I was here for, though. His hands gestured for me to stand up.
I jumped down from the bed and unbuttoned my pants. A partial blush gradually shone on my face as I pulled them down. I should be used to him checking me on my thighs, but I'm not. It's…well, it's very uncomfortable.
Distracting myself from Dr. Cullen's cold hands on the sensitive part of my legs, I tried to recall the last time I messed with Edward's clever mind. "Umm…well yesterday Edward took me to this music store. It was big. They had every CD, album and anything you could possibly think of when it comes to music there. Emmett and Jasper showed me how to work this site on the internet the night before; the site is called YouTube. I was checking it out on my own late at night since I couldn't sleep – I didn't want to wake Edward up – and searched through it."
"I found this band named Bless The Fall; I really like them. I don't know what I like about them." I shrugged without thinking, a common thing to do when you're talking to someone you're comfortable with. So why am I doing it with Dr. Cullen? "Maybe it's the way they sing beautifully one moment and scream their souls out the next. It can be the amazing lyrics and messages in the song itself. Or maybe it's that they're really, really, hot." I smiled and Mr. Cullen threw out a quick laugh. "Point is, I love their music, but I only found a couple of their songs. So when Edward took me to the music store, I grabbed their CD and ran to the cash register."
Dr. Cullen started applying some gooey substance on my vacant scars. They behold no meaning for me anymore, only the memories of a sad past. "How was that guilt-tricking Edward?" Mr. Cullen asked, and I could sense a smile by his tone.
"Right, well, Edward didn't notice who the band was until I played their CD in his car. He read the label and laughed. I asked him why he was laughing, but he responded with a question of his own. He asked why I like them and I told him my reasons. The last part seemed to tick him off for some reason…"I lied on the last note. I knew why Edward was mad at the time, he was jealous. He blew off Bless The Fall because I thought they were hot. Can't he see he's the uttermost gorgeous man on the face of the planet? I skipped that part and went on with my story.
"Anyway, when I asked him why me thinking the guys from the band are hot is silly, he replied with the answer, 'They're emo.'." Doctor Cullen was about to put away the bottle filled with the clear goo he rubbed on my old cuts, but was unable to due to the cause of laughing hard.
"What did you do?" He asked breathlessly. An illuminated smile emerged from his face as his curiosity grew more pronounced.
"I pretended to get watery-eyed, bowed my head and stuck out my bottom lip." I replied proudly as I pulled up my jeans.
"Ah," Dr. Cullen chuckled. "The old puppy dog pout. How'd that work for you?" He moved closer to me and patted the bed I was once resting on.
I hopped up and he lifted my red shirt, examining my newly marked stomach. "Pretty good, actually. He started apologizing like crazy and ran off to get Bless The Fall's earlier albums, only to come back 30 minutes later saying they only had one, the one I had bought. After a while, remorse kicked in and I laughed my ass off." I smiled, but it soon faded when I realized my poor choice of words.
Dr. Cullen didn't seem to mind my slip up. In fact, I could feel his cold graze on my new cuts wobble as he laughed. "Ah, Edward, it seems like he can't get enough of you. And you do seem like quite the catch. Hopefully both of you know what you're doing." He lowered my shirt and winked at me.
Was that his way of approving me? Should I thank him? Mr. Cullen walked out and motioned Edward to come in. He was all smiles, but they soon dissolved when he noticed my state of shock.
"Bella? Bells?" He waved a perfectly sculpted hand over my face. I never though Dr. Cullen could be so easy to talk to and get along with. "Are you okay?" He's not that bad. Come to think of it, he's an okay guy. I'll think I'll stick to Dr. Cullen and forget about Dr. Hate Me. "Bella, you're scaring me. Did everything go alright?" Edward's chime-like voice dripped with worry.
Doctor Cullen laughed. "Isabella, give my son a break. Please." He grinned.
Edward looked at his father, then slowly back at me. His face mirrored the exact way I felt right now. Edward's mouth was open, making his adorable face even cuter. His emerald eyes were wide, but perfect, balanced eyebrows were twisted with confusion. "Did I miss something?"
I shrugged and shook my head. "Beats me."
Dr. Cullen seemed thoughtful as he intently watched over Edward and I. Was he truly happy about me and Edward? I mean, it's not like we're anything – not even a couple - , but the feeling circling around us, back and forth, is without a doubt there. Was Dr. Cullen keeping all this up as a façade? I couldn't be too sure, he still calls me Isabella.
Mr. Cullen sighed and stepped away from the counter, a deep frown engraved upon his face, wisdom clearly spread through his golden hair. Father figure written over his eyes and the feeling of uncertainty echoing his words, "Isabella, I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I'm not saying we can change our past, our differences and what we think of each other, but do you think we can predict the upcoming future? Getting along, I mean. I'm sorry for jumping on you at first, but you have to see it from my perspective, it's not all that easy taking this in." His hands waved between my and Edward's stance.
I never thought about it; he had a point. If my son was sharing a home, paying bills, and all the stuff Edward is doing for me for a girl like me, I would stop him. Warn him about what might happen and keep him away from the trouble I caused. My whole life, I've ruined other lives. My mom's and Charlie's, and I don't want to kill Edward or anybody else's either.
I nodded in understanding and Edward gave him a bright grin. As if having this weird communication telepathically, Dr. Cullen imitated Edward's exact same crooked grin: my smile.
After we said our goodbye's and Dr. Cullen said I was all clean, Edward was practically racing back home. "The past days, you've been spending way too much time with me and the guys." Edward said randomly out of nowhere as we barely made it past a green light.
I tried to focus less on dying – sure, now he speeds when I don't want to be dead – and more on his question. Loosening my grip on the doors handle, I looked at Edward. "What do you mean?"
"Well, the girls, Rosalie and Alice, wanted to know if you wanted to go Halloween costume shopping with them. They want to buy you an outfit for tomorrow's dance and trick-or-treating afterwards." Dance? Trick-or-treating? I sense panic growing inside of me.
"What?" I asked in astonishment and saw the building and trees pass at the speed of light. Edward sighed and shook his head.
"I knew I should've had them tell you." He muttered.
The entire drive back to our suite, I contemplated about Edward's announcement. I ordered him a couple of times to let me know about the dance and trick-or-treating stuff, but he muttered some unintelligible words under his breath.
As Edward jogged - danced in a very manly, graceful way - to open the passenger door for me, I noticed a BMW that resembled the same one I saw Rose walk to the first time I went to Starbucks. We walked into the lobby in silence, that is, until we entered the elevators and classical music played. Way better than cheap elevator music in any other hotel.
"So, what did you say to my dad that made him so happy? I thought he was about to jump on his desk and do a happy-dance." As funny the image of Dr. Cullen doing the cabbage-patch on his desk, Edward's question was too serious for me to laugh.
"Honestly, I have no idea." I replied truthfully.
"Well, whatever you did, keep doing it. It's working and I can tell you're warming up to each other." We exited through the opening doors and weaved our way to our room.
"I think the trick was to making him laugh and keeping the mood light." I added.
Edward sighed deeply. "Speaking of the word trick…" Rosalie and Alice were standing impatiently in front of the door.
"Bella!" Rose stomped to me, Alice half a step behind. "Where have you been?"
"Dr. Cullen was…late." I answered, a little scared what they were going to do to me.
Alice rolled her eyes and placed a tiny, delicate hand on her small hip. "Daddy is so going to pay for this. Now come on! We need to get you a costume!"
"Costume?" I repeated. Now I'm terrified. "Why would I need a costume?"
"Bella, has Edward kept you away from the world? Torturing you until you break and crumble like gram crackers when you stomp on them, and feed them to pigeons! Taking you away from any form of data, calendars-!" Rosalie got a hold of Alice's arms and slapped her manicured hand over Alice's perfectly formed lips.
"What Miss Exaggeration over here means is…Is living with Edward really that boring?" Rosalie was known for her beauty and bluntness.
I laughed but quit as soon as my humorous eyes met Edward's narrow ones. "No, no," I assured the girls as Rosalie released Alice.
"I'm okay; I'm okay." Alice quietly chanted.
"Edward's really fun to be with," I continued. "It's just that I don't understand the need for costumes."
"Bella, you really don't know what date it is, do you?" Edward accused, crossing his arms over his sculpted chest.
I blushed and lied. "Well, it's Thursday and we're in October. I know where we're at." I nodded to myself and pretended to occupy my attention on my nails.
"Yes, it's October and Thursday, but do you know the date?" Alice inquired.
"It's the…uh," I looked up at their stares and sighed. "No, I don't know the date."
"It's October 30th, tomorrow is Halloween." Edward informed me.
The end of October? Where did time go? "Yeah," Rosalie grabbed my arm. "We have to get you an outfit. Before all the good ones run out!"
"Rose, it's a day before Halloween, don't you think the scariest costumes will be sold out already? What's the point?" I defended myself from spending hours trying on meaningless costumes.
Rosalie dropped my arm in an instant and Alice gasped. "Bells," Alice sounded insulted. "We do not dress up like monsters!"
Now I'm confused. My brows puckered together. "Isn't that the point of costumes?"
"Guys!" We all turned around and saw Emmett jogging toward us. "Hey," He kissed me and Alice on the cheek, saving a sweet, full of love kiss on Rosalie's lips. "What are we talking about?"
"Bella's dress," Rose said simply, entwining her thin fingers through Emmett's paws. Dress?
"Back it up, guys. Why would I need a dress for Halloween?" I asked, my voice coming up higher octaves.
"The Halloween dance is tomorrow, remember?" Edward questioned, eyeing me closely.
I shrugged. "So?"
"Yeah, and we're always catching people's eyes on the streets when getting our candy." Rose beamed.
Emmett laughed. "Yes, but while you girls go around asking for candy, Jasper, Edward and I do it the easier way."
"Em, aren't you too old for trick-or-treating?" I wondered aloud.
He scoffed. "I don't go trick-or-treating; my friends and I hide in the bushes and scare kids. That way, we don't have to walk all the way up to houses for candy."
I stared at him, shock isolated me. "Emmett! That's mean!" I scolded.
He laughed it off, his hand on his chest. "But you should see their faces!"
My eyes rolled at his Emmett-ness and I focused our attention back to the main subject. "Okay, what about a dress and this dance?" I referred to the girls with the dress and to Edward about the dance.
"Well, we can't have you looking all ugly on Halloween! We-" Alice linked her arms with Rosalie's free one. "-dress up like beautiful goddesses on Halloween. Not some hideous people. This year, we're going as drop dead gorgeous vampires!"
"And, remember? The dance at school? You're going; I have your ticket right here." In Edward's soft hands was a black ticket for the school dance. What!?
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I held up my hands. "Who said I was dressing up as some supermodel and going to the stupid dance?" I looked back and forth between my group of friends.
"We did." They all said in unison. A smirk hinted on all their faces.
Emmett was, of course, the first to laugh. "Bells, you have to go trick-or-treating with us. You're one of us now," He ruffled my hair and grinned.
I sighed, for I have never been trick-or-treating before, only with the gang two years ago. "Fine, but what about the school dance? I'm not wearing a dress and how did you get a ticket? They're six freakin' dollars!" It was my turn to lap my arms over my chest, and I raised an eyebrow in Edward's amused direction.
He stiffed a laughed. "Six dollars isn't much for me, and I got the ticket for you."
"For me?" I repeated.
Edward cautiously put his hands in his front pockets and pretended to casually look around. "Well, I'm chaperoning, and I was…wondering if you would go with me?"
I froze, not understanding what he meant, although Alice, Rose and Em were staring at us intently. "How can I go with you?"
He didn't look at me but everywhere else. "I'll drive you there, drive you back, and maybe…dance with you?"
Realization swam to me like a shark and bit me. Hard. "You-you mean as in…a…a date?"
Edward sighed and seemed to give up on not looking at me. His green pools stared into my brown eyes, "Will you be my date to the Halloween dance?"
My eyes grew wide and my jaw slacked. What do I say? I like him, but a date? A real date? To make matters worse, Rosalie, Alice, Emmett and Edward were all staring at my stoned face, waiting for my reaction and answer.
Well, that's my reaction, so here's my answer, "Uh…sure?" Brilliant.
Edward seemed relieved, just to the first power, and uncomfortable to the tenth power. "That's…good." He insisted. "So," Both of use looked back at Em, Alice and Rose's gaping faces. Edward looked back at me and scratched the back of his head. "I'll let you go with Alice and Rosalie. See you later…?"
What does he mean, 'See you later?' I live with him! Of course I'll see him later. I nodded slowly and tried to smile, but it was weak. "See you later."
He smiled my grin, lightly hopped on his heels, and reached for my right shoulder. Edward carefully, gently, light as a feather, pulled me to him – only half an inch as he bent down most of the way – and placed a small kiss on my cheek. My face caught on fire, but where his lips met my skin left a tingling sensation.
Edward gave a small smile to the others, and started walking down the left hallway. My hand automatically reached up to the spot he kissed me, slightly running the tips of my fingers over it as I watched him half walk, half jog to our suite.
Alice and Rose squealed, ruining my happy moment.
"Ohmygosh! He kissed you!" Alice glowed. "I knew he would; I just knew it!"
Rosalie released Emmett's large hand and put each of her hands on my shoulders. She looked me directly in the eye. Her beautiful blue eyes were dazzling me with the depth of them. "Bella, now we really have to go shopping for your dress."
I nodded, still in a daze. Because of her radiant beauty or Edward's kiss, I didn't know. "Good," Rose jumped up. "This is awesome!"
Emmett rolled his eyes, and walked carefree the couple steps needed to get closer to me. "Drug addict, I'm really happy for you, but I saw this coming and I got worried. Edward is 21 and hasn't had a girlfriend since senior year, you barely turned into adult age, 18, last month and hasn't had a boyfriend in forever," Gee, thanks for pointing that out.
He stepped closer, making me the only individual in hearing distance. His face was so close to mine I could see the transparent, hardly noticeable, lines around his stunning eyes, emphasizing how much he smiles. "If he tries to pull anything on you that makes you feel uncomfortable or not ready with, let Big Brother Teddy Bear know, alright?"
I bit on my bottom lip, desperately trying not to laugh, as he waited, with eyebrows raised, for my reply. I nodded, not having faith in my voice. Emmett sighed and stepped back, relief fanning over him. "Good, see ya." He kissed my head, Alice's cheek and Rosalie's forehead before running down the hall; obviously to have the same talk with Edward. Except, I think he won't have Edward do any of the talking, Emmett's most likely to threaten him instead of having a lovely conversation like we just did.
The girls smiled broadly, and as they each took one of their soft hands in mine, raced me to the elevators and through the lobby. "I know just the spot to get your dress, Bella!" Alice chirped. Excitement and joy danced around her voice, making her face and eyes sparkle even more.
Rose nodded eagerly, climbing into the driver's seat as I sat alone in the back. "Yeah, and I think dark blue will really bring out your skin color, and complement your chocolate brown eyes."
"Mhh-hmm." Alice added.
Rose swiftly pulled out of the parking lot, pushing a button that made the roof of the BMW go down, transforming it into a convertible. I have to learn to drive so I can borrow this car.
"Store or more?" Rosalie asked Alice. What are they talking about? Some sort of lingo I don't know. Hey, that rhymes. I smiled to myself.
Alice thought about it for a moment, and soon came up with a decision. "More,"
Rose nodded and suddenly stomped on the gas peddle, making us go at a speed that felt like 100 miles per hour. And, let me tell you, when you don't have anything to stop the wind from hitting your face, it felt like the speed doubled.
"More!?" I yelled over the loud air sweeping past our ears.
"That's means the mall!" Alice called.
"Oh!" I said and rested my head back. I bet my hair is going to look like Hell when we get off, while theirs will probably look picture perfect. There is only one thing that I'm wondering about….
How can I wear a dress when so many of my light, yet still there, scars are noticeable all over my arms?
Wow, a day late. I'm so sorry. Guy drama, Bernie should know. ;) Did you like the chapter? So many new things are coming up!
Love, Mayface!
