I own the storyline, another owns the characters (but you knew that—you're a smart cookie). I also own tickets to a midnight showing of BD. A very nice birthday present, indeed.
~HOH~
Chapter 3: Dates you don't remember
Jake, Embry, and Quil ended up being pretty good guys. All three were from the same part of Oregon and had joined the military immediately after graduating high school. They had a long history together and had a comfort level that had only strengthened while serving abroad. Bella quickly felt like she was surrounded by brothers rather than out on a date and relaxed.
"Having a good time?" Angela asked, returning to the table with a pitcher of beer.
"Yes, thanks," Bella smiled. "Looks like Leah is, too." She motioned toward their friend who seemed to be rather taken with Jake as they slow danced.
"Would not be so disgustingly sweet if there actually was a slow song on," Quil muttered, grabbing a fresh mug and filling his glass.
"Oh, give him a break," Embry replied, motioning for his own refill. "He saved your life."
Angela and Bella gasped at this revelation, their eyes wide. They had met soldiers returning from war zones before but never had one admitted to being so close to mortal peril.
"It is true, ladies," Quil admitted, nodding his head solemnly. Then the two women saw a twinkle in his eyes and instantly began to doubt the seriousness of Embry's words.
"Jake there got himself assigned to two weeks KP because he would not rat us out when we were late back from liberty," Embry smiled.
Bella laughed with the others, especially when Angela smacked Embry in the arm, earning a pained 'OW!' in response. Over the top of her drink, she scanned the crowd casually. Across the bar, she saw Maggie and Sweetie sitting primly at a high table, drinks and a plate of potato skins in front of them. Sweetie waved with a big smile on her face and Bella nodded in acknowledgement.
Two teased and painted giggling barflies passed between them and the lights flashed as the song changed. When Bella looked back, not only were Maggie and Sweetie gone but the entire table was missing. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to wrap her brain around what she was not seeing.
"Something wrong, B?" Angela asked, placing one hand on her friend's arm.
Bella decided it was only her eyes playing tricks on her and shook her head before she went back to listening to the two men tell their stories. After about thirty minutes, Angela signaled toward the ladies room and Bella nodded. The two worked their way through the crowd and after a short wait, found themselves in the relative quiet of the bathroom.
"I am so glad you came out tonight," Angela called from inside a stall while Bella washed her hands.
"I am actually having a pretty good time," she admitted, turning off the water.
Bella looked into the mirror and gasped loudly as she saw the reflection of Maggie standing behind her. She stared blankly at the older woman who stood stoically, arms crossed over her chest as if not-so-patiently waiting her turn at the sink. Bella spun around to find no one there but the faint scent of the perfume Bella remembered in Maggie's office lingered. Now it was not only her eyes playing tricks on her but her olfactory nerves. Bella sighed and shook her head. Perhaps she was more tired than she thought.
Angela emerged from the stall, straightening her belt as she looked down. Upon approaching Bella, Angela quirked an eyebrow at her friend who had a most peculiar look on her face.
"Everything okay?" Angela asked worriedly.
"Um. I'm not sure?"
"Are you telling me this or asking me this?"
"Well…" Bella's voice trailed off as her friend gently pushed past her and washed her hands.
"You've had a very emotional day, Bella. It's normal to have a post-interview let down. Maybe we should go home. Does that sound good? We won't stay out too much longer. One more drink?"
"Okay."
"I do appreciate you doing this, though. I think the guys are all having a good time and Leah for sure seems like she is happy which is saying something. You know how pissy she gets at these things." Angela headed back toward their table, leaving Bella standing alone.
She shook her head as if to clear it and followed her friend back onto the noisy, crowded dance floor. Bella had no more than rounded the corner when she saw the gang standing next to the bar, placing their next orders. Again the lights flickered and when she looked up, Bella saw Sweetie with a bucket of peanuts in her lap sitting on a barstool next to Angela. She took one, cracked it open, tossed the nut into her mouth and primly chewed. Sweetie waved a greeting at Bella, flashing a broad, toothy grin.
Bella stopped in her tracks, unsure after seeing a woman before only for her to disappear in the blink of an eye. She hesitantly raised her hand to wave when someone bumped her from behind. Bella turned to see who it was and nodded at the gruff apology she received. When she turned back around toward her friends, Sweetie was gone.
"Bella? You look like you have seen a ghost," Angela whisper-shouted over the cacophony. "Are you sure you are feeling okay?"
"I think I am overtired, Ange. I keep seeing Sweetie and Maggie here in the bar and they disappear before I can focus completely on them."
Angela looked around the bar before turning toward her friend and sadly shook her head. Bella was one of her closest girlfriends and years of experience told her that the woman had probably thrown herself into preparing for this interview and was on the verge of emotional and physical collapse. An early night after the few relaxing beverages Bella had enjoyed would be just the ticket to put her back to rights.
"I don't see them, Bells. I am pretty sure a Nigerian albino would stick out in this crowd," Angela said sympathetically. "Maybe I need to take you home. You have been stressing over this job interview for weeks, and I should have just let you stay home and get some rest."
Bella was certain her friend was wondering if medical experts needed to be called in to assist and a small part of her wondered if that would not be a bad idea at all.
"What's shakin'?" Leah interrupted, plopping down on the barstool Bella would have sworn she saw the personal assistant sitting upon.
"I think Bella is ready to go home," Angela stated before checking out the crowd for the guys.
"But it's only a bit before midnight! The party is just getting started!" Leah insisted.
"Yeah, looked like you were getting it on with Jake quite nicely," Bella smiled apologetically. "I just think I'll just call a cab and go on home. I have got to go to my dad's tomorrow."
"I will take you home," Angela insisted, gathering up her stuff. "Let me go tell the guys. You wanna go wait outside and get some air?"
"That would be great," Bella smiled wanly. She waved her farewells and stepped out into the clean fall air. After shrugging on her jacket, she stood down the sidewalk opposite the valet parking crew who eyed her speculatively. She shook her head and they returned to their conversation, effectively ignoring her.
"Have a good time?" a voice behind her interrupted her thoughts.
Bella jumped before four hands gently secured her until she could regain her footing.
"There now," another voice soothed. "Nah-ting to be so frightened about."
The hands released her and Bella spun around to see Sweetie and Maggie smiling kindly at her.
"You were in there!" she exclaimed.
"Well, of course, we were in there," Maggie clipped, straightening her gray Chanel suit which looked very out of place outside a mid-range bar. "You have interesting tastes in watering holes, Miss Swan."
"I didn't pick it," Bella replied peevishly.
"No worries. It was a test and you passed with flying colors."
"Test?"
Sweetie and Maggie both smiled broadly at Bella as they began to fade from her sight.
"Wait! What test? What for? Who?" Bella stepped toward the quickly dimming sight of the two women but by the time she reached them, they were completely gone.
"Fuck," Bella muttered, spinning on her heel and marching back to the door to wait for Angela. She stood there in the cool night air, her arms crossed, tapping one foot impatiently wondering just what the Hell was going on. Bella felt the beginnings of a migraine forming and clenched her eyes shut and rubbed her temples in an attempt to stave it off.
Just as Angela emerged from the building, the streetlights flickered ever so briefly and a strange sensation floated over Bella, as if she was climbing into a warm cozy bed at the end of a hard day. As quickly as it came upon her, the splitting headache disappeared, leaving not so much as a headache echo. A peaceful smile graced her lips, and she sighed contently as if everything in the world was set aright and the memory of seeing Sweetie and Maggie in the bar was nothing more than a fuzzy misrecollection.
"Good to go?" Angela asked, pulling on her jacket and fiddling with her keys as she approached her friend.
"Absolutely wonderful," Bella asserted. "Never better."
"Then let us go. I am exhausted."
The following Monday morning, Bella Swan officially accepted the position of archival historian-in-residence. She would never know that the announcement to the staff of Hands-On History had been posted in a blast e-mail a full hour before her phone call.
~HOH~
Did you know you have only until November 15th to contribute to Mostly a lurker's fundraiser? Deets at mostlyalurker dot blogspot dot com. I've contributed part of Liriope's back story and it's quite eye opening!
Did you know I'm an utter fail at responding to reviews? Yeah. Sorry. It will happen, though. NaNo has just taken every free minute of my writing (and some others as evidenced by the pile of laundry I completed this weekend)
I will be going out of town this weekend and not returning until late Monday so posting the next chapter may be delayed (unless you'd rather it went up on Friday but y'all might have something else to do…)
Thank you for reading!