SIHE; Chapter 2; Part One; The unexpected
APOV
Night had finally set on the western sky(wink wink) and it was nearly time for the party to begin. Anna and Lisa had spent the last two hours trapped in her room primping and prepping themselves for the last party of their junior year. It reminded Anna vividly of the days when the Cullen girls and wolf girls would do the same although it usually lasted several hours longer. She missed the arguments about colors and who should wear what. It had been a long while since she had last spoken to them and she wondered why now she was so keen to call them and hear their familiar voices.
"Anna," Lisa asked from the closet, "Heels or flats?"
Anna shook her head to clear it and then studied the two shoes carefully. Lisa was holding up a pair of shoes, neither matching. One was a glittering green stiletto the other a black flat with a large green bow attached to the front of it. She glanced at Lisa's outfit again. The petite girl was wearing a short green tank top paired with a black skirt and tiny black sweater.
"The flats," Anna nodded after careful consideration, "Collin loves it when he feels really tall."
"And you should where the heels," She grinned and threw the glittering heel to her, "Give Brady something to look up to."
"I'm plenty to look up to," Anna rolled her eyes and slipped the heels on.
"So tell me something," Lisa said seriously as she sat down on the bed.
"What?"
"Have you and Brady-" Lisa cut herself off and motioned with her hands.
"Absolutely not!" Anna cried ludicrously, "We're friends and nothing more!"
"I know I know," Lisa attempted to soothe her, "I was just wondering because of the imprint if you guys would end up together."
"I don't think all imprints work like that," Anna shook her head sharply, "At least mine and Brady's doesn't. We're just good friends."
"If you say so," She shrugged disbelievingly.
"Why do you say it like that?" Anna eyed her suspiciously.
"Well, Collin says that Brady never takes his mind off of you when they're phased," She smiled slightly.
"We think about each other all the time," Anna shrugged off.
"Not exactly innocent friendly thoughts," Lisa sang and fell back smirking.
"What does that mean?" Anna blanched.
"He dreams of kissing you under the stars, on the beach, on a Ferris wheel, etc. etc.," she giggled.
"No he doesn't," Anna shook her head defensively.
"Yes he does," She argued.
"I don't believe you," Anna said defiantly.
"Haven't you noticed the way he looks at you?" She gasped shocked.
"Like a person?"
"Like your the sun and he's the moon. He can't believe there's anything brighter than him," Lisa sighed.
"Brady and I love each other just not like that. He's my best friend, nothing more," Anna said with a tone of finality.
"If you say so," Lisa muttered.
"Anna!" Kevin called over the bumping bass.
Anna smiled weakly and nodded making her way on jelly legs to Kevin and Ryan. She felt sick to her stomach and it wasn't because of the massive amounts of alcohol she had consumed, knowing well that those substances had been burned out it minutes. No she wasn't sick for that, it was her heart. All night she had carefully avoided Brady, stepping around him and quickly changing locations whenever he got too close for comfort. It didn't help that every time she tried to have a conversation with someone else they would ask why Brady wasn't with her. She hadn't realized how strange it would be for two inseparable people to be seen without the other. Some people thought that Brady must be dying if he was away from Anna for even a night. She was beyond mortified and even more confused why she agreed with them.
"Are you okay?" Ryan analyzed her curiously.
"Never better," She grinned widely but she could tell he didn't believe her.
"Where's Brady gotten to?" Kevin asked.
"Haven't seen him all night," Anna answered a bit too quickly.
They both eyed her cautiously. Anna pretended not to notice and sipped her drink and avoided their eyes. They glanced at each other and shared a raised eyebrow.
"Are you positive-" Ryan began.
'ANNA!" Derek Palmer called to her.
She turned around and faced him as he made his way over to them. Derek was a nice guy with shaggy dark hair and equally dark eyes. He had nice features and a wonderful personality to match. He had half the girls at La Push High lusting after him for his good looks and his 4.0 GPA and basketball hero status were just an added bonus.
He sauntered over to them with a brilliant smile to blind them. Anna snorted quietly into her drink and rolled her eyes slyly. She personally had no idea what the big deal about him was. She thought he was just some ordinary guy. If anything he was as normal and boring to her as could be. For her there was just no excitement and therefore no appeal.
'Hey, Anna, guys," He nodded politely.
"Hey Derek," They chorused.
'So where's the protector?" Derek smiled to Anna.
"Protector?"
"Brady," He said, "The guy never leaves your side. I'm surprised he let you come here alone."
"Let me come?" Anna snorted, "He doesn't control me."
"And she didn't come alone," Ryan added.
"Yeah, she came with us," Kevin said protectively slinging his arm over her shoulder.
Derek arched and eyebrow, "Junior protectors?"
'I don't need to be protected," Anna said defiantly shrugging off Kevin.
"Then dance with me," Derek said offering her his hand.
"Yeah," She breathed suddenly breathless.
She placed her hand in his gently. The second she touched his skin an electric shock resembling a lightening bolt jumped to her. Her hand twitched in response and Derek looked down at her confused.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Anna breathed shocked, "Yeah I'm fine."
As he led her to the floor the shock played out in her mind again. It definitely wasn't the same as touching Brady's hand, that was for sure. The shock from Brady was always energizing and made her smile. This one had made her scared and nervous. This shock made her want to leave, to turn away from Derek and find Brady. So lost in her thoughts she had barely acknowledged Derek's hands on her hips, guiding her to the upbeat song. She looked around over his shoulder until she caught what she had been looking for. In the farthest corner from the dance floor were her friends. They were watching her confused and disappointed. That's when Brady came through the backdoor holding onto Angie's hand. She was giggling and the pair grinned at each other. Rage welled in Anna's stomach. She pulled back from Derek slightly and looked him in the eye smiling. He grinned back at her and his gaze lowered to her lips. They slowly closed the distance between their lips and locked in a kiss for life. Anna put her all her energy into making that kiss fiery as she felt. The floor erupted with cheers and taunts. They broke apart abruptly and Derek looked dazed. Anna forced herself to grin at him and he returned it easily.
Her gaze moved from him around the room. Amongst the cheering spectators were her friends. They looked as if she had slapped them in the face and kissed their moms. She rolled her eyes and the gazed at Brady. He was still holding Angie's hand but now looked close to crushing it in his hand. He was shaking violently and bolted for the door. She hadn't intended to make him that angry.
"ANNA REY!"
Lisa threw back the door with surprising force and stomped into Anna's room. She wrenched the bed hangings apart and stood over her menacingly. On Lisa's face one would usually expect smiles and laughter. Today it was just an angry scowl and confusion. Anna rolled onto her back and looked Lisa in the face.
"What?" Anna sat up tiredly.
"How could you do that to Brady?" Lisa demanded angrily.
"I didn't do anything to him!" Anna defended herself vehemently.
"You kissed Derek right in front of him! In front of the whole party!" She shouted.
"That's not my problem," Anna said stubbornly.
"He's your imprint!"
"What's going on in here?" Allie demanded from the threshold.
"Ask Anna," Lisa cried exasperatedly and threw herself down on the window seat.
"Anna?" Allie asked amusedly.
"Nothing," she shook her head.
"She kissed another guy right in front of Brady!" Lisa shouted.
"Really?" Allie snorted.
"Yup," Anna sighed.
Allie glanced behind her and shut the door quietly. She plopped down in the bed and made herself comfortable, adjusting pillows to lean on and folding her legs beneath her before motioning for Anna to speak.
"We were at the party last night and Derek Palmer asked me to dance so we did," Anna shrugged nonchalantly, "We ended up kissing and Brady happened to see it."
Allie nodded wisely, "I see. Brady happened to notice you kissing another guy."
"It wasn't just a kiss!", Lisa cried indignantly, 'They were practically groping each other."
"You are so lucky I made Seth go grocery shopping,'' Allie shook her head laughingly.
"All I did was kiss a guy! It's not that big a deal!" Anna defended herself.
"Lisa, honey why don't you go have some breakfast," Allie suggested kindly, "I made a giant stack of pancakes. They're on the kitchen counter."
"I'll take the hint," Lisa said sarcastically, "Call me when you've pulled your head out of your ass."
She stomped out of the room and slammed the door. Anna winced and returned her gaze to Allie. She appeared to be totally at ease with Lisa's uncharacteristic behavior and completely unaffected.
"Brady happened to walk in?" Allie arched an eyebrow skeptically.
"It was bad timing," Anna shrugged.
"And what was Brady doing before you kissed this guy?"
"He came in from the back yard with Angie-"
"That slut? Honey please don't tell me you kissed Derek just because you were angry?" Allie asked.
"No! Derek is a great guy!"
"But he's not your guy."
"I don't have a guy!" Anna exploded.
"Well if you didn't have one before you do now," Allie smiled.
"I-" Anna faltered.
"Maybe you should call Derek and Brady and figure it out," Allie suggested helpfully.
'Maybe," Anna muttered glumly.
"Chicken and waffles downstairs when you get hungry," Allie added on her way out.
"Thanks."
The first day of summer seemed to drag lazily as if forcing Anna to relive last night a hundred times an hour. Despite Allie's prodding she didn't eat much, just some chicken and water. She chose to sit in her room for most of the day staring at the cloudy ceiling and tracing out the swirls with her eyes. Her phone was taunting her mercilessly. Every so often it would beep with a message from Kevin or Ryan and even Collin but not once was it Brady or even Lisa. Around three Allie came in to tell Anna that she and Seth were going to see a movie in Port Angeles and not to drown in her own sorrows. Around four Lisa called to apologize for what she had said. Anna assured her that she deserved it and Lisa was the best friend a girl could ask for. After all who else would tell her when she was being incredibly stupid? Lisa offered to come over and keep Anna company but, she declined, declaring she would rather wallow in solitude. A half hour after she hung up with Lisa. Derek called but she didn't pick up. She'd had enough of him for now. At six Anna decided to go get some dinner at the diner in Forks because she didn't trust herself around fire right now.
Anna pulled into her usual space and flung herself out of the vehicle. She trudged up to the diner and began to walk over to her favorite booth. She hadn't noticed on her way there that there was already someone seated there. His head was hung low but she didn't need to see his face to recognize him. The familiar curve of his neck when his head was in his hands. Brady seemed to have grown old in the past few hours. Anna squared her shoulders and raised her chin.
"Do you mind if I sit?" She asked softly.
He lifted his head but didn't smile. His face was the perfect mask of neutrality.
"Of course not," He assured her and motioned for her to sit.
She sat sown heavily and let her eyes meet Melissa, their favorite waitress. She was a sweet girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes that lit up when she grinned. Anna liked her because she never flirted with Brady and always knew just what Anna might want that day even though it varied by day. Anna never knew exactly how she did it but called it the 'gift of a true waitress'. The Cullen's called it a precognition of vampire powers much like Alice. Seeing her always provoked the thought of tiny Alice fluttering about the restaurant in the horrible uniform in Anna's mind.
Melissa gave her a quick wink and soft smile before scribbling down an order for Anna. She didn't even bother to tell her what she had written. She knew that Anna preferred to be surprised that she had been given the perfect meal.
"So, where's your new boyfriend?" Brady sneered at the table.
"What?" Anna asked dazed at first, "Oh, Derek. He's not my boyfriend Brady."
"Didn't look like it the way that you two were practically swallowing each other," He snarled.
"Why are you so angry?" Anna flared furiously, "You kissed Angie last night! I've gotten at least ten texts today about you cheating on me from people I don't even know!"
"I didn't cheat on you! We're not even together!"
"Exactly! So why are you so angry at me for kissing someone else? You did it too!"
"Angie and I kissed in private! You were flaunting it!" He snapped.
"Apparently not if everyone saw you! What would you have done if you were in a more private location? Huh?" Anna hissed.
"Stop acting like my girlfriend! We both know that the thought repulses you!"
"Says the guy who's been throwing a fit because I kissed Derek," She smirked leaning back in triumph.
He exhaled sharply and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I wasn't throwing a fit."
"You were too," She muttered.
'Anna," Brady sighed irritably as if he were speaking to a child.
"Look, I don't care what you do with Angie or anyone else as long as you stay out of my business," She said firmly.
"Well Anna I can't do that!" He exclaimed, "You're mine and I won't have anyone else questioning that!"
Anna did a double take. Brady have never claimed her as a possession. They had always been equals. She would have been more angry if she wasn't so nervous about the serious look in his eyes. They burned with an angry fire and odd determination that made her almost scared. Her jaw set angrily and she clenched her fists.
"I'm not yours and never will be," She spat viciously, "I don't want you, and never will. Stay away from me."
She leapt from her seat and ran out of the diner and into the pouring rain. She scrambled to the truck and slammed the door. She quickly started it and pulled out of the lot at break neck speed. As she sped away she caught Brady's figure in the blurring rain. His form grew smaller and smaller as he stood perfectly still watching her leave him.
The ride home was uneventful except for the few times she had been so blinded by tears that she nearly wrapped the car around a tree about three times. When she got home she flung herself into the rain and ran to the house. Forcing her way through the door she stumbled into the house soaked in water. Allie came out then smiling and laughing with Seth's booming laughter following her from the kitchen.
"Hey Anna, what's up-" Her bright expression flipped to one of shock so quickly that by the time Anna blinked all traces of laughter gone.
"Seth!" Allie screamed and rushed forward to hug Anna tightly in her arms.
"What's going on?" Seth said bolting through the door.
'Anna," He said forlorn. He scooped her into his arms and carried her upstairs as she sobbed into his chest.
"We- we had a - f-fight," Anna sobbed.
"Honey what did he say?" Allie asked sadly.
'I-I told h-him that I never w-want to see h-h-him again"
"I'm sure he knows that you didn't mean it," Allie cooed as she stroked Anna's hair.
"I did m-mean it."
"What?" Allie and Seth said so shocked that Seth nearly dropped her on the stairs.
"I-I don't want him," Anna declared.
"What exactly did you say?" Allie asked sharply.
"He said that I was his forever and he looked so serious and I was scared," Anna hiccupped.
"I'll go," Allie told Seth and ran out.
Seth carefully set her down in the bathroom and set about finding towels and laying out blow dryers. Anna stood sniffling tears pouring down her face silently. All the while he worked, Seth didn't speak or look at Anna.
"Is she mad at me?" Anna asked.
"Al?" Seth looked at her, "Nah, she's just nervous about what Brady will do. You know how close they are."
That was true. If Anna was Seth's daughter then Brady was Allie's son. Brady rarely ever spoke a word just against Allie. He was a true mamma's boy just like Anna was a daddy's girl. Brady and Allie often spent numerous hours together perfectly at ease with each other and never once disagreeing. It was Brady who always helped Allie cook and clean and run patrols. They were close as two friends could be.
"Are you?" She said in a small voice.
"I'm never mad at you," He smiled at her and sat down on the edge of the sink, "Your my girl. Second to Allie of course, she's my number one everything but, you're my number one daughter."
"He really scared me," She whispered."
"He was just jealous," Seth comforted her and pulled her into a one arm hug.
"You didn't see his eyes. He was so possessive."
"That's just the wolf in him. You know Brady. He's a kind guy not too rough. He's probably killing himself right now for making you leave."
"He didn't make me leave. I did that on my own."
"Kiddo, I doubt that you two will stay mad at each other. We both know how much you two care for the other. I give it a week tops."
"I don't want to see him again."
"A week," Seth said with finality.
"I hate him."
"If that's true then I could just strangle him for you," Seth shrugged, "I warned him years ago that if he made you cry I would kill him."
"Thanks, I'll put that into consideration," Anna said sarcastically.
