A week had gone by since my first day and I felt like I was settling in nicely. School sucked as usual, but I'd made a lot of good friends. Jessica and Angela were very fun to hang out with and talk to, so I was glad I made friends with them.
The Cullens were. Unexpected. I'd still yet to meet Edward and Emmett, but I was quickly becoming close with Alice and Jasper, and slowly with Rosalie. The three always seemed very relaxed with me in class, which contrasted to what everyone said about them. And even I had to admit they did appear different in passing then when we sat together. I'd quickly realized they were very different to the average teenager and were very odd sometimes. I tried to brush it off and just enjoy their company. I didn't want to let any of the rumors affect my judgement towards them so I ignored everyone's words.
"Karina? Are you still going shopping this weekend?" My mother called upstairs as I sat getting ready. It was Friday afternoon and I had just gotten home from school. Alice had asked, no demanded, that her, Rosalie, and I should have a shopping day in Port Angeles that weekend and I happily accepted.
"Yes mom! I'm gonna go job hunting today though." I really wanted to get my own car and my mom agreed to go in half on one with me if I could come up with the other half so I wanted to find a part time job.
"Do you want me to drop you off anywhere?" My mom said coming upstairs to my room.
"No that's fine. I wanna walk around and get used to the area more. Plus I need to get back into shape again, my muscles are dying!" I laughed.
"Okay just don't stay out too late and call me if you need me." My mom smiled from my doorway.
"Okay mom! Love you," I smiled, grabbing my purse and coat. Though it was still only August, the weather was quickly cooling.
I left the house and walked around asking different shops and restaurants if they needed help. One of the diners in town had a help wanted sign up and I eagerly went inside. The atmosphere was homey and everyone seemed to know each other. I smiled at all the stares, greeting everyone that said hi. One of the only waitresses in the diner walked up to me with a bright smile.
"Hi sweetie! What can I do for you?" She was a pretty middle aged woman with dark skin and short curly hair.
"Hi! I saw the help wanted sign outside and wanted to know if any positions were available still?" I nervously swiped my sweaty palms across my jeans as I gave her a hopeful smile.
"Of course! I've been needing some help around here dealing with all these customers," the woman laughed.
"Come on Cora, don't be like that. You love having us around," one of the men joked at a table nearby. Cora just laughed them off and rolled her eyes.
Going through the application process and getting me an apron for my uniform took only about an hour. She took my number so she could call me and tell me my schedule for the next week.
"Thank you so much again! I'll see you soon!" I waved as I moved to exit the diner.
"Glad to have you sweetie!"
I spent the rest of the day exploring around and even dared to go into the edges of the woods as I explored. I asked around about any lakes or ponds nearby for me to skate on when the water froze. A couple had told me about one closer to the Reservation and I went to find it. It had taken me a little while to find it, it was hidden near a dirt road behind an old and abandoned building but it was a very pretty little lake. It would be perfect to skate on when the time came!
I went home that night and told my mother about the news about me getting hired. She was happy and told me we could start looking for a used car for me soon then.
"I can just get it and you can pay me back when you start making money," my mom had said when I tried to deny. I felt bad as we were still tight on money from the move, but she insisted.
When Saturday rolled around, I tried to get dressed in something cute. It was pretty rainy still so I had to wear something practical though. I decided on a long sleeved green blouse that had small ruffles on true shoulders and cuffs and some black jeans, along with a pair of knee high boots. I threw my hair up into a crown braid as the rain made my hair frizzy and I got sick of trying to tame the waves. I applied a little more makeup then my everyday look with eyeliner and some tinted lipgloss. When I finished getting ready, I looked at myself and was satisfied enough. I was no where near as pretty as Alice or Rosalie, but I thought I looked pretty cute.
"Sweetie! I think Alice is here to pick you up!" My mom called from downstairs. Perfect timing.
I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs to kiss my mother goodbye. "Bye Mama! I'll be home later! Love you!"
"Love you too! Have fun and be safe!"
I left the house and felt my jaw drop at the beautiful red car that sat in my driveway. I didn't know much about cars but this one had to be an expensive one. Alice climbed out of the passenger seat as Rosalie sat in the drivers seat.
"Karina! I'm so happy you're going with us! I know we are going to have so much fun! I love your outfit, you're so pretty!" Alice pulled me into a tight hug, my breath being squeezed out of me.
"Thanks Alice. Me too," I gasped out.
"Sorry! Sometimes I don't know my own strength!" The girl cringed and climbed into the car again.
"Hi Rosalie! I'm happy you're coming with us!" I smiled at the blonde girl when I climbed into the backseat.
"Yeah. It's usually just Alice and I." Rosalie trailed off, but I think I could fill in the blanks. The fact that she was here with us, meant that she was letting me into something that was special to her and her sister.
"Thank you for allowing me to come too," I smile warmly at her. Even though she doesn't reply, I don't take offense to it. Over the course of the week, I've come to understand Rosalie's lingo a bit. She's private and protective of her family, which I can relate to, but she seemed that she was trying to make an effort with me. I wasn't sure why, other than maybe if it was because of Alice and Jasper.
When we arrived in Port Angeles, I looked around in awe. It was a pretty small city area, but it was fun to see all the different kinds people and places that were there. We pulled up to a very beautiful shop, the clothes on the mannequins in the window were very pretty. It looked expensive though. My allowance money was about to decrease exponentially.
"This is one of our favorite shops in Port Angeles. Though we usually travel out further for our long shopping trips," Alice explained as we got out of Rosalie's car.
"Oh? Where do you guys usually go to shop?" I asked curiously, the drive here was almost an hour normally, though we had gotten here much quicker with Rosalie driving.
"Uh, just usually anywhere we like," Alice's answer left me confused. That was an odd way to answer. As if sensing my thoughts, Alice dragged me into the store, Rosalie following after us.
"Wholly cow!" I said in awe at the store. It was bigger than it looked on the outside and they had some of the most cutest clothes I had ever seen. I saw Rosalie's mouth quirk and Alice just smiled happily.
"Come on! Let's find you some nice clothes!" Alice drags me around the store. She picks up a few cute clothes, mainly shirts and dresses and occasionally a few pants and skirts. They were all beautiful, but as soon as I saw the price tags, I blanched.
"Uhh, maybe they have a clearance section," I grimace. "It is very cute though Alice." I feel bad when her face drops.
"Well let me get them for you! They are going to look perfect on you, you have to have them!" Alice smiles innocently.
"No way! I can't let you drop this amount of money on me! It's not worth it that much! I can probably find something else just as cute in another store," I deny immediately. Alice frowns again and goes to argue, but promptly stops.
"I know you're just gonna keep arguing with me on it, so I will just get it for you anyways." Alice marches off with the clothes after taking them from me. She grabs a few other things and hands them to the attendant. She whispers something quickly and goes off to find more clothes.
"Alice!" I try to chase after her but she just turns to me with a new outfit.
"Do you think I would look good in this one?" Alice says holding the outfit over her petit body.
"Yes, it's cute. But-"
"Alice likes to give gifts to people she cares about. Just let her." Rosalie speaks fondly, she gives a slight smile towards me. Seeing Rosalie's reaction, I decide to let it go this time.
"Just you wait Alice, when your birthday rolls around, you'll get the best gift possible from me," I jokingly frown out as I follow the other two around. I refuse to let Alice buy me anything else and this time she relents. I watch as Alice and Rosalie pick up a multitude of garments and hand them to the attendees.
After hours of shopping, we finally leave. As much as I love to shop, this was a little too much for me. Though, the smile on Alice's and Rosalie's faces made up for it. We leave the store finally and walk down the strip after dropping the many bags into Rosalie's little red car.
"Hey Karina, do you mind waiting here for a minute? Rose and I need to grab something real quick," Alice says out of the blue. Rosalie and I give her a quick glance but Rosalie quickly follows after her.
"Uh okay?" I feel confused and wait outside the store they walked into. After about thirty minutes I get bored and begin checking out the other shops and restaurants on the strip.
"Karina? What are you doing here?" I hear a voice come from behind and I turn quickly at the noise. I see Jasper standing there, his head tilted in confusion.
"Hi Jasper. I was shopping with Alice and Rosalie, but they said they needed to grab something. I got kinda bored waiting so I went exploring," I try to shrug my shoulders nonchalantly, but my stuttering words gave me away. I tried to ease my racing heart, but the sight of him just always seemed to set my heart racing. Stupid heart.
"Oh. Would you like company while you wait?" The blond says stepping closer to me. I feel my breath catch when I lock eyes with him. Did his eyes just get lighter? It must be the light catching or something, I dismiss.
"Sure. If you don't have anything better to do of course." I shyly look away from his pretty eyes and growing smile. My stomach fills with butterflies and I want to smack myself for my body betraying me like this. It wasn't fair.
"There's nothing I have more important," he says quickly, making my head snap back to look at him in shock. He just smiles more.