Tripping The Prom Queen
Chapter 4: Birthday, Pt. 2
Author's note: Wow! What an explosion of love on the last chapter! I guess hot Jacob does it every time!
(For all you Team Edward fans, don't worry! We see a little of him in this chapter… and a LOT in the next!)
I hope everyone loves this chapter just as much! Please keep the comments coming! They put smiles on my face!
Thanks to all the reviewers: RoseCullen, angeline95, MadTwilighter, Cullengirl10,EsmeAliceRose, itsjadee, Sarcasm110011, and IKNOWIMWEIRD!
Oh, I added something to Chapter 2, just a little bit of backstory about Alice. You may want to go back and check it out!
Chapter 4: Birthday, Pt. 2
Bella curled up in a ball on the couch, in front of the TV. While it was on, she wasn't even sure what program currently played. She just welcomed the background noise, which comforted her, even if it didn't assuage her loneliness.
Happy freaking birthday to me! Just five more hours and its over!
Her eyes drifted to the table across the room. In a litter of wrapping paper sat a sleek new camera, along with an oversize scrapbook. She had feigned enthusiasm when Charlie presented his and her mother's gifts.
''For Senior year." Charlie had explained. 'It was your mother's idea. Take pictures of everything! All your friends. "
Great! The book will stay empty!
However, even if the gifts saddened her, she was touched by the gesture. Her parents had clearly put considerable thought into choosing them, and had even had one of their rare discussions to coordinate their efforts.
"It's perfect!" she said, forcing a bright smile for her father. "I love it! Thanks!"
"Great!" Charlie said, closing the lid on the pizza box. He had brought home food, rather than let Bella cook dinner on her birthday.
He's so good to me! He tries so hard! I can't tell him what's been going on! He can't help me anyway!
"Everything ok, Bells?" her father asked.
"Yeah"
"Haven't seen Rosalie here lately"
"She's just busy. Cheerleading and stuff." Bella said quickly.
"Yeah…" Charlie's voice drifted off thoughtfully. "How come you didn't try out?"
"Dad!" she protested. "You know I have no athletic ability at all!"
"Well, I guess you two can't do everything together!" Charlie chuckled. "But isn't she coming over tonight? It's your big day!"
"Sure" she answered, knowing what was coming next.
"Then you don't mind if I go over to Harry Clearwater's? There's a big game on tonight."
"Surprise!" Bella joked. "Go on!"
"Can I trust you girls?"
"Dad!" Bella admonished. "When have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?"
"Never"
In a rare show of affection, he bent over to kiss her cheek.
"Happy Birthday, Bella! Have fun!"
Charlie departed, leaving Bella alone in the house. Trying to enjoy her solitude… and her birthday, Bella flipped the channels on the TV, hoping to discover that something amazing… or at least acceptable, was on. Her quick survey revealed nothing even remotely interesting. She snapped off the TV, and turned on the radio, picking up her copy of "Jane Eyre".
"And it's Dr. Party, your Saturday night DJ! Seeing you through the night with all the latest hits!"
"Loser!" Bella snorted. All the teenagers in Forks listened to Dr. Party, but no one could ever admit to liking him. It was social suicide.
"And we've got a special dedication tonight!" the lame-ass DJ continued. "Happy Birthday, Bella! From Alice and Jacob!"
They didn't… Bella thought, as Wakefield's "Unsweet 16" came on the radio. "I'm going to kill them!"
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Bella peered out the window, and noted the exotic yellow sports car now parked in front of her house.
She swung open the door.
"Surprise!" Alice squealed, flinging her arms around Bella.
"Happy Birthday, Bells!" Jacob said, grinning wolfishly, before hugging her.
"Jake! Stop it! You'll kill her!" the smaller girl teased. "You don't know your own strength!"
"What are you guys doing here?" Bella asked breathlessly.
"You didn't think we could just ignore your birthday, did you?" Alice proclaimed, dragging in a large pink shopping bag.
"Never!" Jacob replied, leading the girls into the living room.
"I can't believe you guys did this!" Bella exclaimed.
Alice doesn't even know me. And Jacob… after the way I treated you…
Alice smiled.
"Always for a friend! First, cake! Then, presents!"
"Presents?"
"Nothing big." Jacob assured her. "I'm just a poor high school student."
"Here we go!" Ali trilled, removing a small, but scrumptious-looking chocolate cake from a plain white box.
"Jake says it's your favorite!"
"It is." Bella confirmed. "You guys didn't make that, did you?"
"Hell, no!" Jacob exploded
"My mom did!" Alice replied.
"Your mom?" Bella's voice conveyed her surprise. "But she doesn't even know me."
"My mom loves to bake. She wanted to do it. Don't worry about it." the other girl said, sliding eighteen multicolored candles into the cake's rich frosting.
"No. Don't sing, please!" beseeched the birthday girl.
"Oh, yes!" Jacob insisted.
"And now…" Alice paused dramatically. "Please give it up for the vocal stylings of Jacob Black and Alice Brandon!"
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Bella! Happy Birthday to you!"
"Make a wish!"
"Bossy, isn't she?" Jacob muttered to Bella.
"Yeah. But in a good way."
"Hurry, before they go out!" Alice insisted.
Bella bit her lip, and concentrated. She knew exactly what she wanted, but also realized it was impossible. Still, there was no harm in trying.
"Blow!" Jacob commanded, then raised an eyebrow suggestively.
"Ewwww!" Bella screeched. "We are so not going there!"
Quickly, she extinguished the flames.
As Bella caught her breath, Alice daintily plucked the burned candles from the cake, then began slicing it.
"So? What did you wish for?" Jake asked nosily.
Alice shoved him firmly in the ribs.
"Ouch!" he screamed. "You know, for a little person, you can cause a lot of pain!"
"Thanks!" she replied proudly. "Remember that!"
"You deserved it! You know she can't tell you that! Or it won't come true!"
"It won't anyway." Bella mumbled.
The words had somehow slipped out. She hadn't meant to speak them.
"Is it about Rosalie?" Alice asked perceptively.
"Yeah" Bella admitted, as the other girl passed out pieces of cake.
Jacob immediately began devouring his. Alice took small, feminine bites. However, Bella wasn't the least bit hungry and toyed with her food.
"What she did to you sucked Bella!" Jacob said angrily, stabbing into his slice.
"You don't deserve that." Alice agreed.
Moodily, Bella licked a blob of icing off her fork.
"Yeah, well it doesn't matter. We're not friends anymore. And I have no idea why."
"You don't?"
"No!" Bella insisted. "That's what sucks! I don't know what I did wrong! If I did, maybe I could fix it!"
"You didn't do anything Bella." Jacob said loyally.
"How do you know that?"
"Because I know you. I've known you most of your life. What do you ever do that's so awful?"
"So, you're saying I'm boring! I guess that's it!" Bella exploded, pushing away her plate.
"Bella, please! Don't twist my words around! That's not what I meant at all!" her friend replied soothingly. "I just meant that nothing you could do is so unforgivable."
"He's right, Bella." Alice said softly.
"How do you know? You don't even know me!" Bella yelled.
"You're right." the other girl conceded.
"I don't know you. But I know Rosalie."
"How…"
"Before he died, my father was in the army. I've moved around a lot. I've gone to eight different schools so far. I've seen a lot of girls like Rosalie."
"It's the same everywhere…" Alice continued. "One girl is the "It girl". The Queen Bee. Surrounded by a swarm of worker bees. Anyone who gets in her way is crushed. Anyone who challenges her. Anyone who poses a threat."
"That's not what happened!" Bella snorted. "Me, a threat to Rosalie? Please! She gets whatever she wants. She always has. It's always about her. Not me!"
"Are you so sure of that, Bella?" Jacob questioned. "Because I can remember at least one time when it wasn't."
She looked at him questioningly.
"Seventh grade." he hinted.
"The essay contest. America At The Dawn Of The New Millennium."
"What happened?" Alice's eyes shone with curiosity.
"Tell her, Bells"
Radiators hissed noisily, pumping steam into the auditorium of Fork's Middle School. Their heat was essential on this frigid February day. The sound further distracted the seventh graders, many of whom were half asleep. Others shifted restlessly, uncomfortable in their small wooden folding chairs. Onstage, Mr. DeWitt, the principal, droned on and on.
"And now, for the announcement we've all been waiting for!" he proclaimed excitedly.
"The end of this assembly?" Rosalie whispered, making Bella giggle.
"The winner of the essay contest. "America At The Dawn Of The New Millennium""
"So lame!" Rosalie said yet again. She and Bella had discussed it. The topic was weak, and unoriginal. Still both girls admitted that it would be cool to win. The winner would receive not only a $50 cash prize, but have their work published in a local paper, the Washington Press. Pragmatic Rosalie was interested in the money, but Bella had other ideas.
So great to be published… Even in a small local paper. I want to be a writer… maybe this is a good omen!"
"I'm going to win!" Rosalie said confidently.
"Yes" Bella agreed. She knew it was true. All their teachers favored Rosalie, and just like their classmates, Rose had them wrapped around her little finger.
"And now, I'd like to announce our four finalists…" Mr. DeWitt paused dramatically.
"Edward Cullen!"
The audience clapped politely, as Edward walked up to the front of the room. A tall, but slender boy with glasses and unkempt golden brown hair, he was known primarily for his musical ability. Quiet and withdrawn, he did not socialize much with the other kids at school, spending most of his time either practicing the piano or taking music lessons in Seattle. He often played at school assemblies. Bella admired his talent. However, she was the only one who did. Classical music wasn't exactly popular with their classmates. Consequently, Edward mostly went unnoticed.
"Eric Yorkie!"
"Loser!" someone coughed, loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.
"James Moore. My office, immediately after the assembly!" the principal commanded angrily.
"Somebody's in trouble…" Rosalie murmured satisfactorily, as Mr. DeWitt continued.
"Rosalie Hale!"
"Yeah! Yeah! All right Rosalie!" the crowd clamored. She slowly sauntered towards the front of the room.
"You're hot!" one of the boys called.
Rose smiled beatifically, as she took her place between the two boys, who eagerly parted to give her center stage.
"And last… but not least…"
"Isabella Swan!"
Bella froze in shock.
"Bella, please come up here."
Nervously, she made her way down the aisle, praying silently.
Please don't let me fall…
Bella reached the front of the room and stood on the end, next to Edward. He smiled shyly at her. She smiled back.
He has such a nice smile… she thought, as the ceremony continued.
"Congratulations to our finalists. You all did an excellent job! But there can only be one winner…"
"And that person is…"
Rosalie Hale. Bella braced herself to hear her best friend's name… and be disappointed.
Rosalie Hale. Rose thought smugly. I always win! Who else could?
"Isabella Swan!" Mr. DeWitt proclaimed.
No way… Bella couldn't believe it. Me?
"Bella, you won!" Edward gently nudged her. "Go on. Get your award."
No freaking way! Rosalie was even more shocked… and angry, as she watched her best friend claim her prize.
"Congratulations, Bella!" the principal announced, handing her a thick square white envelope.
"Thank you." she whispered, looking at Rosalie.
"It was a very close contest!" Mr. DeWitt continued. So we decided to give out an Honorable Mention. That goes to Rosalie Hale.
Honorable mention. Bella thought happily. That's great! We both won!
"Second place." Rose thought disgustedly. "To Bella! To my own best friend!"
However, her face revealed none of her inner rage. Smiling like a super model, she accepted her prize, a simple certificate tied with silver ribbon.
"Well done!" Jacob congratulated Bella now, as proud as he had been five years ago. "You kicked her butt! She hated that!"
"She did not." Bella said, but wondered about it for the first time. "She said she was happy for me."
Wasn't she? She barely spoke to me for two days.
"And jealous." Alice said with certainty.
"Yes" Bella knew now.
"But that was five years ago. I don't think that's the problem now."
"Probably not." her friends agreed.
Alice took another bite of cake, while Jacob cut himself a second huge piece.
"But it's got to be something like that." Ali concluded.
"What?" Bella snorted.
"She's prettier than I am. More popular. Even her grades are better than mine."
"Really?" Jacob was surprised.
"Yeah. She has the best math and science grades in our class."
"So, she's not as dumb as she looks."
"No. Not at all."
"The Beauty is a geek!" Jacob laughed.
"Yeah!" Alice liked that.
That could be useful
"Interesting" she said.
"Except she doesn't make a big deal about it. So no one cares." Bella told them.
"When you look like that, nothing else matters." Alice replied wisely.
"Not to most guys!" Jacob snorted.
"Still, she's got to have a weakness…" Ali asserted. "No one's perfect. Therefore, no one's invulnerable!"
"Bella?" Jacob looked at her questioningly.
"What?"
"What is Rosalie's weakness?"
"I'm not sure." Bella answered. "What does it matter?"
"Oh, it matters!" he grinned smugly. "It matters a lot!"
"Where are you going with this?"
"So we can take her down, of course!"
"Jacob, no!"
"Why not Bella?" her other friend chimed in
"We don't need to do this. We just aren't friends anymore. She isn't doing anything to me."
"Her friends are." Jacob announced. "Why do you think that is?"
"It's true, Bella." Alice echoed. "And you know it."
Bella nodded. She couldn't deny it any longer.
"Alice…" Bella turned to her. "What do you have up your very expensive sleeve?"
Alice grinned wickedly.
"We give her a taste of her own medicine!"
"A taste!" Jacob sneered. "I say we shove the whole bottle down her toxic throat!"
"That's up to Bella." Alice decided. "We can't do this without you."
"Why me?"
"You are the one who knows Rosalie. You have the ammunition. All we need to do is load the gun and fire!"
"So, what do you say? Are you in?"
