A/N: I based some of this story off the movie "Adventureland." If you have seen it, then you will recognize some of the uniforms and parts of the park referenced. Updates are sporadic. That's just the way my life is, but I appreciate all reading this story. There are a lot of 80s and 90s movie references in this chapter.
You'll meet Andy in this chapter. I'm currently into Alexander Skarsgard, so that is who Andy looked like for me. My God, that man is beautiful. More beautiful than Andy needs to be actually but still.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight world.
CHAPTER 7: GOSSIP GIRL
I went back to Charlie's knowing he was at work but thinking I could make dinner for him. I took inventory of his pantry and leftovers in the refrigerator and decided to make him a casserole. I put it in the oven and set the timer for forty minutes. Charlie always appreciated when I showed up to cook for him in the last couple of months. He wasn't, however, over the fact that I couldn't sit and eat traditional dinner anymore, so I usually just liked to make something and leave it for him to eat. Alone. Poor Charlie, no wonder he liked eating at the diner or at the Lodge so often. Even though I loved keeping up my culinary skills, I realized not every part of my new life was as fun to flaunt in front of Charlie as my car and strength.
I headed up to my room and looked through some of my things in the closet. I found myself just cleaning it out and gathering up some things to give to Goodwill. I sat down at my desk and started up the laptop. As it was booting up I eyed the bottom desk drawer. That was the epitome of a metaphorically speaking drawer in my life, a drawer that was closed by fate the minute I became a vampire. But in the literal sense, it was here with physical reminders of my past.
Was this a drawer I wanted to open right now?
After reliving the knowledge of Jacob attacking me, after going on a stupid mission based on a heartbeat, after my conversation with Emmett just yesterday…yeah, yes, and hell yeah! I did really want to go into this drawer, just climb in and not come back out for a while until I had a chance to revisit those feelings. Sort of like when you wake up from a really great dream and you close your eyes hoping to fall asleep back into it. Well, I couldn't dream anymore, but I had been working on the memories. I needed to travel back in time to a better place, just for a short while today, and feelings were the only Delorian I had for this kind of time travel.
I got up to open the window and pulled the cigarettes out of my purse. Before I lit one, I opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a green metal lockbox. It wasn't locked, of course; Charlie had no real problem with giving me privacy. I placed the box on the desk next to my laptop and stared at it. I fumbled around the bottom of my purse for the Ski & Skies Adventureland lighter until retrieving it from the bottom of my bag. I just knew it was going to die out one of these days. I dragged my thumb down the roller and with a flick had a flame just big enough to light my cigarette while still contemplating opening the green memory vault that sat before me.
I lifted the lid hesitantly.
My first smile came at the sight of my nametag. "Can I help you? My name is Isabella." For our nametags, Ski & Skies Adventureland insisted we use our full first name as stated on our birth certificate—no nicknames were allowed. How many times did I have to correct people to just call me Bella? I pushed aside the other three nametags (I had one for each summer I worked there). Next up…photos. I held my cigarette between my fingers and sorted through the pictures—most Jessica took from Andy's parties before she drank. I didn't have too many because I was never one to remember a camera. Pictures of drunken people with their arms around each other's shoulders and holding up red cups are the best! There were a lot of faces I agonized over trying to remember. I pulled out a small notepad and tried to write down the names I knew.
And there at the bottom of the handful of pictures was one of him...Justin.
The feelings flooded me as I sighed at his picture—light auburn hair, shimmering steel eyes, a smirk that spelled out 'trouble.' That day we met, he was overwhelmingly everything in one perfect smile. My cigarette had burnt out. I relit it and sucked in deeply, closing my eyes, trying to drown myself in those feelings.
~x~
I had met Justin my first week at working at the SSA. The first two weeks I got moved around day after day until they approved a permanent place for me. One day I was helping to run rides in the kiddie area. The next day I was selling tickets at the entrance. One day they sent me over to a large food stand to work. Gross. If I had wanted to work at McDonalds then that's where I would have worked. I walked in through the "Employees Only" door and for some unknown reason everyone looked at me like I was something to eat. There was a mix of kids my age and some older people there who all looked bored. I guess I was just a distraction, the shiny new toy. Some of the other employees wanted to know how long I had worked there and what other areas I had worked already. I really was not very comfortable with all the attention so when the manager said he needed someone to go out and work in a small outside stand I volunteered.
The manager, Glenn, led me to a small hut that was a one-person operation Icee stand and told me I was going to relieve the employee there who needed to go on break. I followed him through a gate that led through an employee only area. The path ended in the back of a small stand I would work that afternoon. The line was long because it was an unseasonably warm day and people were looking for something to cool them off. Glenn announced himself to the current employee. "Your relief is here."
"Finally, I get to go have a smoke." His voice was quiet, but I heard him mutter that just before he turned to look at me and smile. His eyes were like looking at the ocean line, deep and moving waves of green and gray. His hair was brown with a side part with some spikey pieces running along the part on just one side and the rest gelled up. He had adorable dimples. He wore the exact same horrible uniform as me—brown pants and a yellow shirt-and yet he looked like an actor from a television show. He was the first person I met at this place that actually looked hot in a brown apron. I stood there not hearing any of the voices of the crowds around me or seeing anything but a blur around him.
I only saw him. I was completely lost to dreamweaving.
Glenn took the necessary actions to clear out his register and set me up to start working. "Have you worked a stand like this before?" he asked me.
"Umm, no not really," I said quietly, still stunned by my observations.
Justin's voice filled my ears. "Well it's boring as hell but really busy so the time flies, except when you are completely fucking jonesin' for a smoke." He winked and the glint in his eye told me he enjoyed whatever bad-boy reputation I might associate with that. Then he pursed his lips and looked me up and down. "Thought, you don't look like someone who smokes."
I just smiled. I came up with nothing else to say. Was that an insult?
They left and I was engrossed in customers and trying to figure things out. After being left out there for two hours I realized I was not just covering Justin's break time. I was sentenced here for the rest of the day. Great! Did that mean I wouldn't see him again today? Just when I thought I was never going to figure out how to make more popcorn a girl showed up in the familiar employee uniform.
"Hi, I'm Lauren. Glenn sent me out here to see if you needed anything." She said it so perky. Lauren had distinctly beautiful auburn hair flowing out from under the paper hat (another attractive part of the uniform) and more curves than I thought my body would develop this year. Or ever.
"Well, I'm running out of popcorn and I really don't know how to make more. Oh, and I could use some more quarters for making change."
"Okay sure. I'll let Glenn know," she said.
About half an hour later he appeared. "Knock knock. Hey! How's it going? Looks like the line died down." I think those were the words he spoke, but I was too caught off guard by his presence.
His face: beautiful.
His voice: cool.
His eyes: smiling gently.
My stomach: a mess.
"Fine," I said quietly then gestured toward the machine. "Ummmm, but I'm not real sure how to make popcorn." About five minutes ago there had actually been a break in the once long line and I was thankful just to catch my breath, though now I felt like I had lost it again.
"I know," he said as he hopped up onto the counter, "that's why I'm here." I looked toward him, and he pointed to his nametag with a grin. "Sooo, my official name is Justin but everyone calls me Jay, and you're Izzza Bell-lahhh!" he said as his face glanced over to read my nametag but trying to be funny in dragging out my name like that old Rob Schneider guy at the office skit on Saturday Night Live.
"Just Bella," I corrected him. It was the fourth time I had to correct someone today but I couldn't bring myself to be annoyed. God he was so cute-so much cuter than any of the guys from Forks. Like CW show cute. I was sinking painfully in my own timidity, but I realized I needed to pull something together before I had an "I carried a watermelon" Dirty Dancing moment.
"Did you bring me quarters?" I asked. Oh yeah…that was only about two notches above 'I carried a watermelon" in coolness.
He jumped back down off the counter. "Yeah I've got'em right here in my pocket." He reached down in front of him and then looked up at me. "And you thought I was just happy to see you." He laughed at himself.
I completely flushed as I followed his hand into his pocket. He smiled retrieving the rolled up coins and handed them to me as his fingertips gently grazed my palm. I felt my body tingle in reaction to his touch.
He showed me where the bags of kernels were, how to put them in the machine, add the oil and turn the big contraption on to start popping.
"So where are you from, just-Bella?"
"Forks," I muttered while I punched a few numbers into the cash register to get it to open up and deposited the quarters inside. I knew I was at the point I was not good at, reciprocating the conversation. I bit my bottom lip nervously.
"You?" I asked.
"Port Angeles. I go to Port Angeles North. I'll be a senior in the fall," he said happily.
"Me too," I replied as I inhaled a bit of cigarettes from him.
"I'll be glad when high school is over. School was never really my thing. How long have you worked here?" he asked.
"Only about five days now. They keep sending me to different places to work."
"I've only been here about two weeks. I like Food Emporium. Glenn is cool. The other managers aren't bad. You're all set for popcorn," he said closing the huge machine. It banged loudly as it started up with a quick flip of a switch.
"Okay, thanks." I was overwhelmed by his chatter. It was good chatter, but it felt more familiar than having just met him. And I was really grateful he set up the popcorn because as I looked at the big bag of kernels I imagined myself somehow spilling t all over the floor.
"So do you think you'll want to come back?" He looked at me questioningly. "You know, to work at Food Emporium?"
"I don't know if I have a choice or not. I kind of just go where they send me."
"Well you should come back…." he said invitingly. "We have fun, but I think it would be more fun with you." With that he turned and strode away. Oh my God.
About two hours later Glenn was back with Lauren. The temperature had cooled off. "Has the afternoon been slow?"
"Pretty much," I replied looking at how much popcorn Justin had made that was still sitting in the glass case.
"Well then I think I'll close it down rather than putting Lauren out here."
"Yes!" Lauren shouted. "I hate the bugs."
"Why do people even drink Icees in this type of weather? It's not like they need to cool off," I blurted out.
Glenn laughed. "Hey, don't mock our bread and butter! The bigwigs send people out to compare our park to those around the country. Selling Icee drinks is more about the overall theme park experience apparently."
"Oh." I hadn't realized how gung-ho Glenn was about his job. He was short and a little pudgy, like he enjoyed beer. His hair was full and wavy. He had a pen constantly tapping in his mouth or in his hand.
"Yeah, well we still sell plenty of coffee and hot chocolate over at the Food Emporium. You can go on your break now."
"Do you think you could tell me how to get to the Employee Lounge building? I've brought my lunch up until today, so I've always just eaten in the back of whatever stand I worked at and haven't made it over there yet."
Lauren cut in, "Hey if I can go take a break now then I can take her there."
Glenn glanced at his watch and nodded that it was okay stating, "Yeah, that is fine. Alicia is due back any time now." Lauren turned and said, "Come on, follow me." I grabbed my purse and headed back out the door of the stand and through the little gate. She led me deeper into a section I had never realized existed. I must have missed out on seeing this during that hour-long orientation.
As we walked Lauren prattled on about how long a day it had been and how she couldn't stand working the Icee stand because it left her with no one to talk to, and she was glad to get out of doing it today. A girl approached us from the other direction and Lauren catapulted into some kind of butt-kissing wannabe Heather.
"Heyyyy Alicia! What's up? What the hell is going on girl?"
"Nothing, I just had my break. Employee dining room is really quiet right now." Lauren rolled her eyes and seemed disinterested.
"So party at Andy's this weekend—are you and Justin going?" Lauren asked. I noticed the book Alicia was holding was Jane Eyre, one of my favorites.
"I haven't really talked to Justin about it yet but we'll probably try to go. I heard it was a lot of fun last year from some of the other kids at the stand."
I smiled at Alicia and realized this must be Justin's girlfriend. Of course, he had a girlfriend. "How far along in the book are you?" I asked. Might as well be polite, after all, he had been nothing but nice to me.
She answered, "Not too far…Jane is being sent away from the school. I hope I finish this by the end of summer because so far it is kind of boring. I'm Alicia by the way."
"It gets better once she goes to live with Mr. Rochester. And I'm Bella."
Lauren grabbed Alicia's attention again, "So hopefully you will be able to talk Justin into going to the party because I'll be there and want to hang with you guys."
Alicia looked at her watch. "Yeah okay, well I have to get back to the stand now before Glenn marks me as late. See you guys back at the stand."
Lauren and I started walking again, "Oh God isn't Justin gorgeous? I mean, just…just So…hot! I just want to run my fingers through his hair and fuck him senseless! He better be at that party and his ass will be mine by the end of that night."
Whoa! Gossip Girl here. All the girls were sweet on Justin, but it seems Justin's dance card is already full.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud as her words came out of nowhere and assaulted my ears. "Umm yeah, he is really cute but wasn't that his girlfriend?"
"Alicia? Hell no! Thank God! That is his sister. Actually he was adopted, but Alicia wasn't so they have different last names, but they are the same age."
That explains why they look absolutely nothing alike. But still both Justin and his sister seemed very nice.
"And she works at the Food Emporium, too?" I asked.
"Oh yeah!" she replied then elaborated more about the two to me.
I was amazed at how much information this girl I barely knew was sharing with me, though I didn't mind finding out more information about him. But with the way this Lauren spoke about him I realized that like a character from a CW show, this boy was out of my league. He probably had girls throwing themselves at him all the time, just like Lauren was willing to do all too eagerly. And I could see why, but I knew I wasn't that girl—the one that would win out up against girls like her.
When I returned to the stand after my break I was informed I was being sent to another stand to help with cleanup. This was the part I was beginning to hate as a floater—they just sent me anywhere at any point in time during the day and I would have to start all over again. I said goodbye to the people around me that I had spoken with that afternoon. Lauren and Alicia had gone to the stockroom in the back to do inventory. I snuck a quick glimpse of Justin out back smoking before I slipped out quietly without saying goodbye to anyone other than Glenn.
After my shift was over, I met up with Jessica in the locker room as we changed out of our uniforms and deposited them in large laundry bins to be washed.
"Hey, do you know about some guy named Andy who is having a party?" I asked Jessica.
"Uh, huh. We are totally invited." Jess squeezed her fists and bubbled over in excitement. "He works this place all year round so I met him a couple months back. Oh he's totally hot, too," she squealed. "You wanna go, right? Because I'm going. I need Andy to get to know me outside of this place."
"I think so," I said. Just then Alicia and Lauren came walking by us already changed out of their uniforms.
"Hey!" Alicia said, "So where did you get shipped off to?"
"Some Mexican food stand at the other end of the park that needed to be cleaned. It was really gross, actually. I'm really hoping they send me back to running kiddie rides tomorrow," I said.
"Ick! I've got to get out of the food places and try to work in a ride, game stand, or souvenir shop." Lauren said. "All this grease sitting in my hair by the end of the day is nasty!"
"It was nice meeting you guys today and the rest," I said.
"Oh, did you have the pleasure of meeting my brother?" Alicia asked.
"Justin, right?" I replied back hoping she would not see through the fact that I was really trying to play it off.
"Justin?" she laughed. "That would be him, I guess, though we just call him Jay. He thinks he is cool or something." Alicia giggled.
Cool? Gorgeous. Funny. I'd never met anyone cooler in my life.
The last thing I wanted was Lauren to get the wrong idea about me. I was pretty sure she was already waiting to pull Alicia away from me, so I tried to say something very neutral.
"Yeah, he brought me quarters today." And there it was, my 'I carried a watermelon line' now to his sister. Let's hope that doesn't get back to him.
"Alicia, c'mon we gotta go find your brother and hit the 7-11 for some snacks. Then I have softball practice tonight." As expected, that was Lauren trying to tear Alicia away. Girls can be so predictable.
"Bye," I said. Jessica looked at me and then a big goofy grin came over her face.
"Soooooo, who's Justin?" she asked all nosey and giddy.
I felt my entire body blush and realized that apparently Justin was going to be my summer crush. "Oh you know, just probably one of the cutest guys I've ever known. I'll have to point him out to you one day, if I run into him again. I don't know if I will or not because they keep sending me all over the place to work at different sections."
"So why don't you request to work at his stand permanently?" she asked.
"No way! I don't think I could work all day with the kind of butterflies in my stomach like I had today. Besides, I'm not his type at all. That girl that was just standing here-she's his type. Trust me." I finished getting dressed and tried to brush my hair. Eww. Grease and cotton candy had settled into my hair and nested. If I could ever get my hair clean, I decided I wasn't opposed to going to the party to find out if she was his type.
Jessica and I headed to the car. "So how old is Andy?"
"Umm, I think like twenty-one. He graduated high school a couple years ago and got offered a full time year-round position here. Do I need to tell you about how much hotter than Mike he is?" She stated matter-of-factly, a sign that she was over her ex-boyfriend, Mike Newton.
We agreed we would be going to the party that was being held on Saturday if Charlie was going to give me permission. As the next few days passed I was still getting passed around the stands within the park on a daily basis but had not been returned to the Food Emporium. I hoped to see Justin every day but doubted he was even going to remember me if I saw him again. At this point, I was meeting new people every day that I couldn't keep track of, so how could I expect he was keeping track of everyone he met?
I did come across one stand where the others that worked there seemed extra friendly. It was an area of four squares that held different games—toss the hat on the moving mannequin, bottle ring toss, bang the frog onto the lily pad, and knock over the milk cans. It was a stand in the midsection of the park—just far enough away from Food Emporium. I recognized two boys that worked there as recent graduates from my high school and, though they didn't really know me, I did let them know that I went to Forks High, too . For some reason, Geoff and Mark, formed a linked familiarity with me when I told them that I knew Mike Newton. He had been dating Jessica up until May. Mike's older brother, Pete, was in their class. They were willing to be very helpful to me during my time working there. We each took turns running the various games, and I felt a bit more comfortable in my Games uniform—just a simple t-shirt that read GAMES across it three times paired with jeans and sneakers—over any other uniform I had to wear there. By the end of the day I realized I had a fun ease and comfort during the day that I hadn't experienced anywhere else within the park. I had strived to do a really good job and then asked the area manager, Elyse, if I could put in for a permanent position there. Once she told me yes I finally hoped that I would settle in to this job better and even meet enough new people to keep my mind off Justin.
I had to plead with Charlie on Saturday to let me go to the party. "Dad my head is swimming with people I've just met at the park but haven't had a chance to get to know because I do actually have to work while I'm there, plus they kept sending me all over the place each day. Can't I just go to this party so I can try to get to know some of these people better?"
"Bells, is there gonna be anyone there I know?" Charlie scrunched his face and raised his eyebrows as he questioned me.
"Well yeah, Jessica and I are going together. Oh and Mark Harris and Geoff Sommers are going to be there, do you know them? They have GOT to have been some of Forks High's finest," I snickered as I wrapped my arm around my Dad. "They really aren't bad guys. They have been very helpful to me."
"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do know their families, and you are right, they aren't bad guys, though that Geoff thinks speed limits are always ten miles higher than posted. Okay then. Go. Have a good time. But Bells, do me a favor and make sure you get your own drink-never take a drink someone hands you, do you hear me? And I don't think I even need to say no alcohol, do I? Oh, and take this." He handed me a small gray canister that held pepper spray. "Give your old man some peace of mind, will ya?"
"Yes, Chief Swan. I'll be home by two and please don't embarrass me by calling the Port Angeles Police and giving them a heads up about the party," I replied and kissed him goodnight. Charlie rolled his eyes like he'd never do that, but I knew he would. He would do anything for my safety.
Jessica drove us to the party. We found our way there and headed through the open front door. It was already crowded. We were greeted by some passing hellos but so far I didn't recognize anyone. We headed into the living room and there was Justin. I froze. He was dancing with a red cup in one hand and Lauren hanging all over him everywhere else. I turned around and looked at Jessica.
"That's him," I nodded, "the one dancing with that girl from the locker room."
"That's him! Like wow! You were right! He's just so yummy. Love the sideburns! Wow he's like season one Jason Priestley and Luke Perry combined." Jessica smirked reminding me about her obsession with watching Beverly Hills, 90210 on Soapnet.
But she was right. It didn't hit me until that moment when I glanced back over at him. He looked as if he was both a boy scout and a bad boy, the hero and the bad guy.
I sighed, heavily. "Yeah, I know. Okay, stop looking at him. I don't want him to see me, he's clearly occupied." All hopes I had that Lauren would not be here sank down into the floorboards taking with it the small amount of confidence I had brought with me to the party and my plan of trying to talk to him tonight. "Hey what are you doing?" I snapped to Jessica.
"Taking a sneaky pic of him with my phone," she giggled. "You'll thank me later. Got it!" she declared holding up her phone.
With that I grabbed Jessica's arm and drug her back out the front door. We followed the paver path outside around the back where there were a lot more people, twinkling lights strung around a square canopy, and blaring music. Jessica went straight for the keg and looked at me pleadingly. "Don't worry," I said rolling my eyes, "I'll drive us home and you can sleep over. Charlie won't mind as long as I'm home by curfew."
"Good, because that is what I already told the parental figures," Jessica snickered. After about ten minutes Jessica nodded and said, "Look, there he is." My head snapped back immediately to follow her gaze. Not who I hoped to see.
"Andy and friends? He's the really tall light-haired guy, right?" I presumed. Clearly Jessica preferred light-haired guys, though she had no problem acknowledging Justin's brown and auburn locks just now.
"You bets! Well I'm off to chat with him. You'll be okay here, right?" she asked.
"Sure," I said as I scanned the back patio looking for familiar faces and seeing none.
I found myself wandering in and out of conversations with shy introductions. I was constantly regurgitating how I lived in Forks and worked in various stands in the park in just my first two weeks there. Just when I finally was ready to go drag Jessica away from her conversation with Andy, or at least get her to introduce me, I heard my name being called.
"Hey look it's Bella. Bella!" I turned around hoping but was instead greeted by Mark and Geoff, but I felt myself relax into an easy smile. I was relieved to see some familiar faces.
Geoff spied my red cup, "Wow, we've got ourselves a party girl here."
"Hardly, it's just Coke," I replied. "Did you guys just get off work?"
Mark replied, "Yeah, we stayed late. It was busy tonight and boring as hell without you there."
I blushed. "Yeah, I bet." I doubted I brought little more entertainment than not successfully setting the games back up or dropping balls before I was able to give them to customers.
Geoff asked, "So is your friend here tonight? You know the one you told us was Newton's ex-girlfriend."
"Yeah, she's over there with Andy—the guy who is throwing this party." I nodded toward her direction, pointing out Jessica.
Geoff followed my glance, "Oh Newton was right, she is a cute little piece of…." Just then I watched as Jessica lost her balance falling backward and had to use Andy's arm as a crutch. "Oh, I see she's the party girl. Introduce me to her later." He winked at me causing me to roll my eyes.
"I don't know, that surely has to go against some guy code with you being friends with Mike's older brother and all," I joked with him.
Geoff's response time had yet to be affected by his beverage of choice. "Bella, this is summertime outside of Forks—codes don't apply, all bets are off, and it's every dude for himself! You're a cute girl, you'll see how it is. C'mon, Mark and I will introduce you around."
I was thankful to be taken under their wings and hauled around outside. Geoff and Mark really did seem to know a lot of people at the party, but their best friend there was the keg. A couple hours had passed since they got there, and finally I needed to return inside to use the bathroom. I should have gone easier on the Coke. I considered taking Jessica in with me but with a quick glance I saw her stumble again and realized she might threaten my get in and get out of that house as quick as possible sneak attack I was planning. I excused myself and darted inside carefully checking for signs of Justin—he was in a corner standing by a table where Lauren was taking a turn at beer pong. I slipped by unnoticed and made my way down the hall to assume a place in line for the bathroom. I stood there being assaulted by loud rap music and keeping my eyes buried down into the carpeting like I was inspecting the fibers for blood drops.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeey, I know you," I was greeted with a gentle shove in my arm. I turned to see Alicia getting in line behind me.
"Hi Alicia," I said giving her a short wave of acknowledgement.
"This party is a lot of fun but I think I've had waaaaaaay too much beer already. Did you just get here?" She was speaking very loudly and hanging onto my shoulder.
"No, I've been here for a few hours now, mostly outside on the patio with some people I know," I told her quietly hoping my low tone would convince her to lower her own.
"Oh that must be why I didn't see you." She was still buzz shouting. "You'll have to come play beer pong with me, Jay, and Lauren. You remember them, right?"
"Umm, yeah, but that's okay, like I said I have some friends waiting for me outside. And I'm the designated driver tonight so beer pong is kinda out for me."
With that the bathroom opened up and I darted inside thinking how I hoped she wasn't going to tell him how she saw me. But even if she did, he probably would not remember me. As I exited the bathroom, Alicia looked like she was just about ready to puke.
"All yours…ut oh, are you okay?" I asked. Her coloring was off, a mix of green and gray.
She cupped her mouth and bee-lined into the bathroom. I sighed and followed her in to hold her long light brown hair back for her. She heaved three times as I stood scrunching my nose. Then the classic inebriation apologies started.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never get sick like this. Thank you so much….uhh…I don't remember your name. I'm sorry."
"It's Bella. It is okay. Really. It isn't a big deal. I'll go get you some water."
"Oh Bella…yeah that's it. I'm sorry I just never get sick off of beer. Ohhhh, headrush…Can you find my brother and tell him I need my pocketbook from my car?" she asked.
Oh God no, I CAN'T do that.
"Umm…sure."
Great. So much for avoiding him at this party.
I turned around and walked away heading down the hall toward the living room where the beer pong table was set up and there he stood with his back to me and with Lauren snaking one arm around his waist, basically hanging on him, still. I'm surprised I didn't have to retrieve them from occupying a spare bedroom or the laundry room or a corner in the garage. I approached him quietly from behind. I breathed in the cologne he was wearing and admired how broad his shoulders were and how his jeans were tight around his butt. I reconsidered once before tapping him on the shoulder. He turned around and looked at me.
"Hey, it's just-Bella!" he announced.
He remembers my name? My heart skipped. One.
He's smiling so sweetly at me? Two.
He's waiting for me to respond? Three.
His eyes are twinkling expectantly? Four.
He's sliding her arm off? Five
Five flops of my stomach.
Five head spins.
Five seconds.
Five thousand butterflies.
"Umm, hi. Your sister is sick in the bathroom. She wants you to bring her purse in to her. She said she left it in her car." There was absolutely no eloquence to the words as they barely pushed up past the butterflies stirring in my stomach, escaping from the diaphragm, and out of my mouth.
His smiling face contorted. His brightened eyes went flat. "Freakin' lightweight. I told her to go easy," he sneered as he shook his head.
"And she needs some water to drink." I added.
Lauren jumped in, "C'mon, I'll walk with you out to the car." And with the skank practically dragged him away. I was really starting to hate this girl. She was like Catwoman with her paws always all over him leading him away.
Oh and you're welcome!
I waited for them to disappear out the door and then returned back to the patio making my way over to Jessica who was still keeping herself in the mix of Andy and his circle that only seemed to only widen without moving from the same spot.
"Heeeeeeeey, this is my very, very, verrrry bestest friend Isabella. She goes to school with me in Forks…we are such good friends. She's the vestest! She's gonna make sure I get home tonight, oh but shhhhh her daddy's the chief of purlice so we don't want to wake him." She said as she was hanging over me giggling. Obviously Jessica was buzzed.
"Jess, we need to get going soon. I'm just going to go over and say goodbye to a couple of guys I know. "
"What guys that you know? Hey is it that cute boy? What's his name?"
I quickly cupped her mouth and looked at her sternly as if to say she would not have a ride home if she continued this conversation that she had no idea she was engaging in so loudly. Another freakin' loud drunk! Andy glanced at me and smiled. I nodded and said hello back to the group that was standing there. "Thanks for having us Andy." And then I turned to Jessica, "I'll be right back."
"Thanks for coming, Isabella. Hope to see you around the park more," Andy said grinning and raising his red cup in gesture to me. I smiled back at his glassed-over eyes politely.
I sought out Mark and Geoff and told them how I ended up holding someone's hair back so they were pretty forgiving that I had lost track of them. I especially had to reassure Mark that I hadn't tried to ditch him. I stood there chatting with them, mostly thanking them for introducing me around when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I inhaled that same cologne and I knew who it was. For a brief second, that scent was calling out to me. I took a gentle gulp that burned on its way down and turned around.
"Hey," he said sweetly and smiled tenderly with his eyes. "Thanks for helping my sister. She said you held her hair back in there."
Butterflies stirring up, again. Nope not just butterflies I was full on dreamweaving again. I shook my head in hopes to clear it.
"Ummmmm, yeah, I hope she feels better." He pulled out a cigarette and placed it up to his mouth allowing it to slightly hang down as he searched his pockets. My eyes followed his hands as he patted himself on his chest against black T-shirt that hugged him tightly, then looked back at his lips around the cigarette, pink meeting white, then watched his hands again as they went to the front of his jeans and reaching behind him to his back pockets.
He started talking out one side of his mouth. "I made her lie down in one of the rooms. She usually needs like twenty minutes to sleep it off when this happens. Hey do you have a light?" he asked.
I shook my head no. "I don't look like someone who smokes, remember?"
"Oh, that's right, you don't. Hang on a second." He looked around and saw Mark smoking then bummed a light off him. "You sure?" he asked, holding his pack out to me. I shook my head no again. Mark and Geoff interrupted to ask if I wanted to go play Asshole with them.
"Actually I'm just on my way out. See you guys at the stands tomorrow." Geoff made some mock gun clicking gestures with his hands. Mark felt the need to pick me up and spin me around. Feeling a little more composed after focusing on Mark and Geoff for those brief five seconds I turned back to Justin.
"Tell Alicia I hope she feels better. See you around?" I held up my keys and shook them to signal to him that I was heading out. I reluctantly turned and headed over toward Jessica who thankfully was completely unaware of my current conversation and who had joined us on the patio.
"Hey just-Bella, wait…" Justin called out.
I closed my eyes for a tiny second and imagined it…him smiling at me then asking me for my phone number, him complimenting my hair, him asking when he will see me again, him asking me what stand I was working at now, him asking me if I wanted to find an empty room with him…
I turned back to look at him. Our eyes met—his steel to my chocolate. My legs felt like jello, and my heart was pounding with anticipation. I felt like I was beaming, but I'm sure I was only smiling to the slightest degree to him.
"Yeah?" I said with a faint brightness.
"Hey, don't tell my sister about this," he said as he pointed to his cigarette with the hand that was not holding it, "she doesn't understand."
Crushing anguish.
"I won't," was about all I could muster up as I turned and walked away from him, over toward Jessica and silently begged her not to fight me on leaving as I yanked on her arm.
"Call me!" Jessica yelled out waving to Andy. "Call me!"
~x~
The sound of the buzzer on the oven downstairs alerting me the casserole was done shook me out of that place.
A/N: Bella struggles with knowing her life has been forever altered by becoming a vampire and she will never be able to actually revisit this part of her past...or can she?