Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.

A/N: Also thanks to my awesome Beta, Blueboarderchick.

Thank you guys for all the alerts and thank you to my reviewers.

I'm wrapping up Bella's vacation in this chapter !

Chapter 13

The following morning I woke up with a cramp in my neck. When my mind was able to properly register my surroundings, I realized why. I was currently being sandwiched by Angela and Karen on the bed. I didn't get a full nights rest as Angela was a restless sleeper and Karen's knee seemed permanently lodged in my back. I was about to climb over Angela to get off the bed when the door burst open and Liz came flying in. She didn't even pause to look before she dove on the bed, or more accurately, on me and the still sleeping girls.

I heard a muffled curse come out of Karen and Angela moaned, "Oh god, my spleen."

Liz was unperturbed by our response. "Come on, girls. You don't want to be late for our Girls Day Out!" To say Liz was excited would be an understatement. Liz beamed from ear to ear as she bounced on us.

"Oh crud, Liz. Do you think you could turn down the volume a few notches?" I said while trying to untangle myself from the mass of limbs.

"Less talking, more moving." She hopped off the bed and began poking us. In the end, we were left with no other choice but to get up. I made a bee line for the bathroom but before I was able to reach the door a breeze that was Karen blew past me and the door slammed in my face.

Angela chuckled when Karen spoke through the door. "Sorry, Bella, but I really gotta pee."

I rolled my eyes. For the first time I was grateful I grew up as an only child. I stepped out of the room and used the bathroom across the hall instead. After we took turns bathing and changing. We made our way downstairs for breakfast. The boys were already up and had breakfast lay out on the table.

Liz crooned. "Aw, that's so sweet. You guys made breakfast for us."

Taylor snorted, "Not really, they just want to get you out of the house as soon as possible."

As we sat down to eat, I didn't miss when Karen almost ran Angela over to sit in the chair next to Taylor. Angela ended up sitting next to me and Liz stifled a giggle. Taylor raised an inquiring eyebrow at me and I smiled. Let games begin.

As we were leaving the house Ryan shouted, "Have fun at the spa." He turned me and whispered. "Thanks for doing this, Izzy. It means a lot to Liz." I smiled.

We took the car and drove to the Serenity Day Spa where we would be spending the day. Liz already had us signed up for the Full Spectrum of Beauty Treatment. I found out as we were having a hydrotherapy soak that we would be there for six hours.

I groaned and sunk even further into the water. Liz and Karen were chatting together when Angela turned to me. "So you want to tell me about what happened with Jacob." She made sure to keep her voice low.

I slid a quick glance at Liz. Seeing that she was preoccupied talking to Karen, I answered, "I realized it would never work out with me being away at college and him still in high school. I thought it would be best to end things." I decided to keep my answer short.

Angela was still very perceptive. She looked like she wanted to say something but changed her mind. Instead she said, "You know, you've changed."

I was surprised, "Changed? Changed how?"

"I mean you're more relaxed and you smile more. Back in Forks, you were always so tense and unhappy. Even when you were with Edward." She threw a pointed glance at Liz. "You've let yourself get close to new people. The old Bella would have never let anyone in." Angela was right. I was so caught up in Edward that there just wasn't room for anyone else. So I never made any effort to really know anyone.

She took a sip of her champagne. "You know you've changed too. You seem so confident and I didn't know you drank." I motion to the glass in her hand. I knew her preacher father would flip his wig if he knew.

She laughed. "Bella, college is the place to try new things and be a different person. You know why I'm so glad I came to Florida?"

I shook my head, "No, why?"

"Because to me it was a fresh start. Nobody has to know that I was the shy, bookworm with nerdy glasses in high school. Here I get the chance to reinvent myself and meet new people. You know what I mean?"

I smiled. "Yes, I do." And I really did too. If I had married Edward like I was so determined to, I would have been a vampire, forever unable to change or go out into the sunlight. I wouldn't have met my friends or been able to experience college as an ordinary girl.

Suddenly I remembered Karen's reaction upon meeting me. "Hey, what did you tell Karen about me?" I was curious about Karen's statement.

Angela grinned sheepishly. "Nothing bad. I just told her that you managed to snag the most unattainable guy in our school. When I told her that, your cool factor went through the roof. She's all about the hunt."

"Karen's kind of …" A piranha. I didn't want to offend Angela by bad mouthing her friend.

Angela rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yeah, I know. But she makes me laugh."

The rest of our spa visit consisted of hot stone messages, facials, manicures and pedicures with a pause in between for a gourmet lunch. We had a lot of fun laughing and giggling. Karen was like a female version of Zach. She flirted with every cute guy in the spa. All in all, Girls Day Out really wasn't so bad .I was feeling pretty relaxed by the end of it and I'd even forgotten Ryan's cryptic warning.

After our pedicures Liz glanced at the clock then turned to us. "Okay, girls. It's time for our bikini wax."

"Wait, what?" I was on instant alert. Suddenly I remembered Ryan's hint, Taylor's pity filled looks and Zach snickering. The bastards knew about this.

"Our bikini wax, silly. You don't want to look like you have Chewbacca stuffed in your crotch when wearing your bikini, do you?" Karen nodded in agreement with Liz.

I gave a tortured groan. Why did women sign themselves up for that punishment? "What's wrong with shaving?"

The three girls were aghast and Liz looked at me with dawning realization in her eyes. "You've never waxed before, have you?" I shook my head. She grabbed my hand and tugged me into a room. "We are so doing this. I'll come in with you"

Angela and Karen giggled behind me and I threw them a mean look over my shoulders. Bitches.

A kind mannered lady was waiting for me. The tag on her uniform indicated that her name was Min. "Please put these on and hop on the table and lay down." She handed me a pair of disposable panties and I slipped them on.

I climbed on the table and lay down. Min parted my robe then she placed powder on the area. I felt a little self conscious having a strange lady's hand on my crotch. Liz held one of my hands. The aesthetician applied some warm wax then a strip. Well this wasn't so bad. I thought to myself until she pulled the strip off along with my hair. RIP!

I yelped when I felt a sharp pain. Oh dear God, it was awful. My vision returned as I blinked away my tears and I saw Liz trying to stifle her laughter.

I moaned pitifully, "Stop laughing, you bitch."

Min and Liz both burst out laughing when I said that. I couldn't help but laugh at myself. It wasn't hard to find the hilarity in my situation. After my unpleasant experience I sat outside and waited for the others to finish their waxes. I would not be in a hurry to revisit bikini waxing anytime soon.

Afterwards, we gingerly made our way into the minivan and drove home. I was still feeling surly about the whole hair ripping encounter and I decided that the first guy to mouth off to me about it would get decked. When we got back to the house as we made our way to the living room I was greeted by a smiling Zach, "Hey Izzy. Did you do something with your hair? It looks nice."

He didn't even see my fist coming as I punched him in the gut. He doubled over in pain. "What did I say?" My hand hurt but it was totally worth it. I crawled to the couch and sat down.

I heard Ryan laughing, "Dude, that was harsh." His laugh was cut off by the sound of Liz smacking him in the back of the head. I guess we were all a little cranky. At least Taylor had the good sense to remain silent.

Angela moaned as she sat down. "Thank you, Liz."

"So what do you girls have planned for tonight?" Ryan asked cautiously.

Liz sat next to me and laid her head on my lap. "I was thinking we could just hang out and do nothing. I'm so tired."

"I agree with that plan. We'll need all the rest we could get because tomorrow we have to go shopping. We're all going to a karaoke bar later." Karen added. She kept sneaking glances at Taylor.

"What did you guys do today?" I kicked off my shoes.

"We went down to that water sports place and rented some jet skis. We spent the entire day in the water." Ryan sat on the floor next to Liz and rubbed her feet. I smiled at the scene.

Taylor walked around the couch and sat on the armrest next to me. "We bought Chinese food earlier. It's in the kitchen. Do you want me to bring you some?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "Um, no thanks. I'm still full from that big lunch we had today." I saw Karen pout and Angela hide a smile. I didn't see what the big deal was. Taylor always did stuff like that for me. I hoped they didn't read too much into it.

We spent the rest of the night lying around on the floor watching TV. The girls decided to put pillows and blankets on the floor and sleep in the living room. Ryan grumbled because he had to sleep alone but I knew underneath he was glad that Liz was getting her 'girl time.'

"Hold still, Izzy. You don't want me to burn you, right?" Liz said, as she ran the flat iron through a sectioned off part of my hair.

She then spritzed some styling spray in my hair and stepped away admiring her masterpiece. "Perfect." I ran my fingers through my straightened hair. It was a new look for me and I liked it. I wasn't wearing much makeup as I didn't want to overdo it. Just some mascara and lip gloss.

Liz looked beautiful with her hair in curls. Her long legs made even longer by the six inch heels she wore. I was amazed at how easily she balanced in those things. She wore red top and black skin tight pants.

"So what's going on between you and Taylor?" Karen was sitting on the bed. She crossed one tanned leg over the other as she peered at me. She was wearing a short skirt and a thin strap top. In the corner of my eye I saw Liz and Angela exchange smirks.

"What do you mean? Nothing's going on. We're friends, that's all." I stood up and straightened my blouse.

She studied me with her grey eyes. "You see, the reason I asked is because you two seem couplish."

"Couplish? Is that even a word?" I carefully turned to look at her. I was still a little unsteady in the kitten heels Liz forced me to wear.

Angela laughed, "It is to her. She makes up words all the time."

"Well, I don't know how it seems to other people but we're just friends. Tell her Liz." I turned to Liz for support.

Liz rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yes, they're friends. Just friends." She sounded slightly annoyed.

"So you wouldn't mind at all if I made a play for him?" Karen gave me a sly look that I didn't like at all.

It was almost a year since I last saw him but Jacob Black was still the only man I dreamed about. "Knock yourself out." I answered while trying to keep my annoyance out of voice. Karen made it seem as if there was something going on with Taylor and me but there wasn't. I bet Taylor would have been irritated too if he overheard our conversation. I was sure he dated even if I never saw or heard anything about his girlfriends. I was of the firm belief that men and women could be friends without things getting sexual.

Our conversation was interrupted by Ryan's yelling from downstairs. "God, are you girls ready yet?!"

Liz yelled back, "All right, caveman. We're coming down now."

We made our way down the stairs to where the boys were waiting by the door. Ryan embraced Liz and whispered something perverted, in her ear. All the boys' head turned to look at me and I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear.

Zach was the first one to speak. "Love the hair, Izzy. You look hot." He grinned as he looked me up and down while tugging on my hair.

I blushed and slapped his hand away. "Avert your eyes, pervert."

Everyone laughed and I heard Taylor say to me, "You look beautiful."

A quick glance at Karen confirmed that she was watching our interaction. I didn't want to give her anymore ideas so I mumbled a quick 'thanks' and left it at that. Taylor frowned but didn't add anything else.

We decide to drive the distance to the bar instead of walking there. Personally I would have preferred to walk. I needed something to calm my nerves. Liz was determined that I go up on stage with them to sing and I was not looking forward to it.

It was the weekend, so Pete's Karaoke Bar had a great turn out. It was wonderful for the owner of the bar, but not so great for me. Liz insisted we sign up early before all the good songs were taken. I opted to pick a song that I was familiar with. I'd sung it a few times around the apartment and I didn't sound too bad.

We sat in our seats and I noticed Karen was in full hunter mode as she grabbed a chair next to Taylor. Angela and I exchanged looks. Poor Taylor had no idea what was coming his way tonight. I saw the song Karen picked and I couldn't wait to watch the carnage.

I tried not to cringe as an obviously drunk man performed his rendition of Don't Stop Believing. Oh it was awful as his voice was terribly off-key. I sipped my beer, hoping to relieve some of my tension. Liz had no idea how close I was to freaking out. Singing on a stage in front of strangers was not on my list of fun things to do. I feared I would be blinded by the stage's bright lights, trip and fall off the stage. Thereby, completely humiliating myself.

I turned to Liz with fear in my eyes. "Liz, I don't think this is a good idea. I'll die up there."

"Way to be dramatic, Izzy. Just have some more beer. It'll calm your nerves." I didn't look convinced and she sighed, "This is just for fun. No one here expects you to be the next Pink. Just listen to that up there." She gestured to the woman sing I Will Always Love You and cringed. "I've heard you singing around the apartment and you sounded way better than her. Time to be brave, Izzy." She patted my arm and sipped her beer.

I groaned. I didn't want to be brave. Being a coward suited me just fine. My stomach was in knots and I was beginning to feel slightly nauseous. I looked at the boys as they laughed and joked with each other. They were all having fun.

Sensing my discomfort Angela nudged me with her elbow and whispered. "Remember, we here to try new things. Just give it a try, Bella." I didn't trust my voice so I nodded yes instead.

Before I knew it Ryan was up on stage singing Wild Thing. A song I was sure he picked for Liz. He was a little off key at times but it was so cute to watch him serenade her. When it was Zach's turn, he brought the house down with his song, Mustang Sally. He flirted with the women at the front of the stage as he performed, wildly gyrating his hips. Taylor's honey voice had the women screaming as he sang Hey Jude. There were times when Angela and I thought Karen was going to throw her panties at him.

Angela was a little flirtatious when she performed Barbie Girl. Karen, Liz and I laughed and danced in our seats. I was beginning to feel more at ease. I almost peed myself when Karen performed Like a Virgin. She sidled off the stage and right up to where a worried looking Taylor sat. As Karen performed, she trailed her fingers up his arm and along his shoulders. Ryan and Zach were beside themselves with laughter. I really had to give it to Karen. She was really a balls out kind of girl. When she saw something she wanted and went after it. Even though, judging by Taylor's reaction, she wasn't having much luck.

As the song ended and Karen went to return the microphone to the stage, Taylor glanced at me with a raised eyebrow as if to say, what was that? Then his eyes narrowed slightly and I knew that meant, you could have warned me.

I answered him with a shoulder shrug and an evil smirk which meant, I could have warned you but this way was funnier. I looked away to see Angela watching our interaction with a small smile. But before I could ask her about it, it was my turn on stage.

I carefully made my way to the stage. All the while praying I wouldn't trip. I took the microphone in my hands and faced the crowd. Feeling all eyes on me, I nodded to the music guy and the song started. I took a deep breath and began to sing.

One, two, three, four
Tell me that you love me more
Sleepless long nights
That is what my youth was for

Old teenage hopes are alive at your door
Left you with nothing but they want some more

Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, You know who you are

Sweetheart bitterheart now I can't tell you apart
Cosy and cold, put the horse before the cart

Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes
Too scared to own up to one little lie

Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are

One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can't buy you back the love that you had then
One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can't buy you back the love that you had then

Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
Oh, who you are

For the teenage boys
They're breaking your heart
For the teenage boys
They're breaking your heart

As I finished my song there was clapping and whistling from my friends and other people in the bar. I was relieved they liked my singing. As I made my way back to our table, my cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and joy. I couldn't believe it was possible to feel so high from doing something that terrified you. The feeling of being up on stage was incredible.

Before I could sit down Angela jumped up and hugged me "I knew you could do it." She whispered. I returned to my seat between a grinning Liz and an ecstatic Angela and took a large gulp of my beer.

Ryan was his usual eloquent self. "Holy shit! Why didn't you tell us you could sing, Izzy?"

I tucked my hair behind my ear and laughed, "I'm not that good. It's no big deal."

Zach shook his head, he still looked amazed. "No big deal? Did you hear yourself out there? You totally owned that song."

"Your voice is beautiful. You are full of surprises, Isabella." Taylor complimented me and I saw Karen pouting once again.

I mumbled thanks and gratefully our food finally arrived. I dug into my fries and took in the rest of the acts on stage. After a few minutes Liz turned to me. "You were great. You know that right?"

I laughed, "Thanks but don't think you can get me to do that again."

Suddenly an evil grin spread across her face and I gulped. That was the look Liz got whenever she was told she wouldn't be able to do something. "Oh yeah? Well, you're coming up to sing with Ryan and me right now." She grabbed my arm and one minute later I was back on stage again singing Love Shack with her and Ryan. The whole time I was embarrassed but I had to admit I still enjoyed myself. Angela was right, it was fun to try new things.

We spent most of our days relaxing at the beach. The girls and I usually wore our bikinis but today we were donned in shorts and tank tops. Today was supposed to be the day we play touch football with the guys. All the girls groaned as we shuffled onto the beach with our shoulders already slumped in defeat. None of us except for Liz, wanted to play but it was the agreed payment for making them watch 27 Dresses with us. Most of us knew little about the game but Liz was practically a pro. It came from all her years of attending Ryan's games.

When we arrived at a secluded spot on the beach, the guys along with two unfamiliar guys were waiting for us. I recognized them as the guys they hung out with whenever they played football.

Ryan and Zach were team captains. Liz, Ryan, Alan and I were on one team and Taylor, Zach, David and Karen were on the other. Angela opted to sit on the beach and cheer us on. We huddled and discussed our game plan. I didn't understand a lot of it but Liz was hyped. "Let's do this!"

As we went to our positions (I had to be told where mine was) I shouted to the other team. "Remember people. This is touch football so please, nothing hardcore." I made sure to stress the touch part. My tiny body would not be able to withstand strength of their blocks if they were to come at me full force.

"Don't worry, sweetness, I'll be sure to touch you gently." David said as he boldly looked me up and down. I had the sneaking suspicion that I wouldn't only be trying to prevent injury to my body. I would also be fighting to keep David's hands off of me. He wasn't a bad looking guy but the fact that he was blatantly eye-humping me made me a little uncomfortable.

I was at a loss for words when Taylor answered in a clipped tone, "Right. I don't think so." David raised an eyebrow at him and next to me Liz snickered. I snuck a peek at Karen to see what her reaction was but she was too busy flirting with Alan. Ever since our karaoke night at the bar she hadn't made anymore advances toward Taylor. She told us that he had already been poached. Whatever the hell that meant.

We all started to play, on Zach's call. Karen caught the ball when he threw it to her. But as she made a dash for the touchdown she took one look at a scary looking Ryan heading her way, ditched the ball and ran away. Ryan scooped up the ball then took off running with Zach on his tail and blew past the designated goal line.

After thirty minutes of play, we were tied. We team met in our huddle and Ryan worked out our game plan. "Okay, Izzy, I'm gonna throw the ball to you and you're gonna run it to the goal line. Okay?"

I was startled. "Wait, what? Why do you want to give the ball to me?" I didn't want to be the one to blow the game for us.

His gaze was intense. Football really brought out his competitive side. "Because that's the last thing they would expect us to do." Ryan explained and I agreed. It was a brilliant plan. No one would expect them to give me the ball because I was the weakest link on the team. But I was a little concerned. The person with the ball usually got tackled and these guys played kind of rough.

Liz slapped me hard on my back. "Kick ass, Izzy." I smiled at Liz. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

Ryan tossed the ball to me and by a miracle I caught it. I dashed down the beach. Taking a moment to glance at my peripherals, I spotted Taylor hot on my trail and cursed. Holy hell, he's fast. When his hand grazed my shoulder, I discerned that I wouldn't be able to make it across the goal line. Liz was open so I decided to get the ball to her before Taylor took me down. As I spun on my heel and threw the ball at Liz, Taylor knocked me into the sand. With his momentum Taylor wasn't able to stop in time and I grunted as he fell on me.

He raised himself up on his hands and peered down on me. "Are you okay?"

"I think you're crushing my pancreas." I lied. He was too close for comfort and it was starting to freak me out.

"Oh, sorry." He quickly scrambled off me. As he helped me to my feet, I busied myself with dusting the sand off my clothes. Liz had managed to hold on to the ball.

Ryan had called a time out and we returned to our huddle. "Okay, I want us to run the same play as last time. Izzy gets the ball."

I groaned, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" I was tired and out of breath.

"They won't see it coming." Ryan panted.

"Fine, but you guys have to keep them off me." Especially Taylor. I wasn't in the mood to be slammed into the ground again.

Liz grinned, "Don't worry. Ryan won't let him get to you this time." I hoped that meant they had a secret plan.

We left the huddle and took our positions. Ryan tossed me the ball and I caught it again. As I sprinted down the beach I heard Angela cheering me on, "Run Bella, run!"

I was quickly running out of steam and then Taylor was on my tail again. But just as he was about to reach me, Ryan came out of nowhere and slammed into him. They both went down and I was able to cross the goal line.

I couldn't believe it. We won the game. Liz ran to me screaming and we jumped up and down. We did a chest bump and I did a victory dance. Alan patted me on the back then Ryan threw me over his shoulder and ran down the beach hollering. He finally set me down and we were all laughing so hard, it was difficult to catch our breath. I collapsed in the sand and the others followed suit.

While everyone talked to each other, I looked at the waves and allowed my mind to wonder to another not so sunny beach, hundreds of miles away. I tried to figure out what Leah meant by 'pack business.' I was jolted out of my reverie by Liz calling my name.

"Hey Izzy? Are you ready to head back to the house?"

I looked around to see the others were already walking back. "Sure." I pushed myself off the ground and walked back to the house with her. I had no energy left. All I wanted to do was have a bath followed by a long nap. The other team threw sand at us as we sang We are the Champions.

I was sad when our vacation came to an end and we had to say goodbye to Angela and Karen. Even though we had so much fun in Florida, I was a little anxious to head home to Hanover.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. The song Bella sang is '1234' by Feist.

Hope you guys weren't disappointed that Bella wasn't jealous because Karen was flirting with Taylor.

Bella's not ready to look at someone else like that just yet. Jacob Black is a hard man to get over.

That waxing scene was fun to write as well as the football scene. Let me know how you guys liked it.

Coming up next is another chapter in Jacob's POV.

You know what to do if you want your chapter early . Review!