The drive to school was blissfully uneventful. No deer dashing across the road, no suspicious things cutting me off just me and my Audi purring like a spoiled cat windows down and the morning air cool enough to feel cinematic. My mood was suspiciously good for a weekday morning like the universe had forgotten I was supposed to be brooding and let me have a main-character montage instead.
Beside me Bella was mumbling under her breath clearly debating with herself whether tagging along to the Cullen house was the worst idea she'd ever agreed to. Every few seconds I caught fragments of her self talk.
"This is insane."
"I should just go home."
"Why am I like this."
Honestly, she sounded like a Shakespearean ghost trapped in the passenger seat. I decided to ignore her and hummed along to the song on the radio tapping the steering wheel like life itself was one big playlist.
"Such a nice morning, isn't it?" I chirped, grinning at the road like an overly caffeinated motivational speaker.
Bella slowly turned her head, giving me a side eye so sharp it could've sliced bread. It was the kind of look people give when someone says Mondays are "refreshing" or when a toddler insists on eating glitter.
"Yeah… sure," she muttered her voice flatter than Charlie's expression.
Her tone screamed absolutely not but I wasn't about to let her storm cloud rain on my sunshine bubble. If she wanted to play tragic heroine, fine. I was going to be the chaotic sidekick who whistled through danger.
We pulled into the school lot earlier than usual, which meant we were those suspiciously keen people who looked like they cared about punctuality. My Audi slid into its spot with the kind of grace you'd expect from a catwalk model. Bella sat tightly like a retired mammoth slowly turning into a fossil.
No Cullens yet. Either they were fashionably late still perfecting their hair or busy gnawing on squirrels for breakfast. Honestly all options felt equally possible.
Inside, Bella hesitated again, hovering like she was about to ditch me and run for the woods. "Should you… tell Alice I'm tagging along?"
"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving it off like it was nothing. "She'll be thrilled."
Internally, my brain was rolling its eyes. Even if I don't tell her, Alice sees the future. She probably already knows I'm wearing mismatched socks and that I'll trip on a stair at 10:32 AM. The woman is practically a walking spoiler alert.
Still, manners mattered, so I whipped out my phone and shot Alice a quick text: Bella's tagging along. Hope you don't mind.
And then another thought: Even if she does mind, that's a her problem, not a me problem. I'm just the chauffeur in this sitcom.
I pocketed my phone, smug. One crisis averted. For now.
The day crawled by in a blur of classes. Bella and I shuffled from one subject to the next, until at last we landed in the cafeteria.
Across the room, the Cullens sat at their usual god table, radiating perfection like they were posing for a Renaissance painting with Wi-Fi. Seriously golden lighting symmetrical smiles, some private joke that made them laugh like angels on a group vacation. Meanwhile, the rest of us looked like extras in a cafeteria documentary: "The Tragic Life of Mortals, Episode 3."
My eyes flicked over just in time to catch Alice glancing at her phone tapping a reply then suspiciously looking right at me.
Weird. Who was texting her? Some vampire group chat?
"Reminder: Don't drink humans in public, xoxo."
Or maybe"Make sure the mortal shows up at five. Don't lose her."
I narrowed my eyes. Shady. Very shady.
But instead of spiraling about it, I focused on the thrilling debate Jessica and Angela had launched across the table.
"Seriously, Amara, you should come shopping with us this weekend," Jessica insisted, eyes shining like she'd discovered a new fashion prophet. "Forks needs your style influence. Like, desperately."
Angela nodded politely the civilized person of all of us. "She's right."
Bella contributed her usual monosyllabic "Mm," stabbing her apple like it had wronged her family.
I opened my mouth to say something noncommittal then bam Alice Cullen materialized out of nowhere like she'd been teleported in by pastel angels. Honestly, she had Disney sidekick energy all over her.
A deceptively delicate hand landed on my shoulder. "After school you're carpooling with us to our house, right?" she asked sweetly, as if the answer could only ever be yes.
I blinked. My brain briefly forgot how to function. "Uh, actually no. Bella and I brought my car today. So I'll drive us behind you."
Alice's smile didn't falter one bit sunshine in vampire form. "That's perfect."
Bella, eager to secure her spot on the field trip to Sparkle Mansion, jumped in quickly. "I hope you don't mind me tagging along?"
"Not at all," Alice said, practically glowing. "The more the merrier."
Bella smiled. Alice smiled wider. Me?
I froze. The more the merrier? Why did that sound less like an invitation and more like the tagline of a horror movie? "The More, the Merrier .. coming this fall. Starring: You as the appetizer."
Alice floated away, leaving the faint scent of expensive perfume and vague dread.
Naturally, Jessica and Angela pounced like gossip wolves.
"Wait..did you just get invited to the Cullen house?!" Jessica squealed, practically vibrating with secondhand excitement.
Bella's eyes went wide, because betrayal is fun. "Oh, it's not me. Amara's the one invited. I'm just tagging along."
Jessica smacked the table like she'd won a game show. "Still! That's huge!"
I forced a smile so tight it could've cracked glass. "Not really. Totally normal. Happens all the time."
Angela tilted her head thoughtfully, voice calm but curious. "But the Cullens usually keep to themselves."
Jessica nodded so hard I thought her ponytail might achieve orbit. "Exactly. This is, like, history-making."
"Right," I said dryly. "First person they've ever invited home huh? Lucky me."
Internally: Yes, let's all celebrate my slow march into vampire territory. Someone please buy me a medal. Or at least a garlic necklace.
Jessica leaned in, eyes sparkling. "Exactly! This is, like, history-making. You have to tell us what their house is like. Are the floors marble? Do they have secret underground wine cellars? Oh my god, maybe a library with ladders that slide...!"
"Wow," I cut in loudly, grabbing a fry off my tray. "Speaking of libraries, what is this mystery meat supposed to be? Because I swear it just blinked at me."
Angela blinked. "What?"
I pointed at my tray with all the seriousness of a detective on a case. "That. Right there. Is it chicken? Is it beef? Or is it the sad remains of a science experiment?"
Jessica wrinkled her nose, instantly distracted. "Ew. Don't. I'm literally eating."
Bella, bless her, deadpanned, "It's meatloaf."
"Meatloaf?" I gasped theatrically. "That word implies the existence of an actual loaf of meat somewhere in the world. I demand proof."
Angela laughed quietly, shoulders shaking. "You're ridiculous."
"Ridiculous," I corrected, waving my fork, "but alive. Unlike whoever first tried this 'meatloaf.'"
And just like that, the Cullen house was forgotten, and Jessica launched into a rant about how cafeteria food was cruel and unusual punishment. Mission: successfully derail the cullens.
The conversation drifted back to shopping plans, boy gossip, and Angela quietly advocating for practical footwear, but my brain wasn't entirely in the room anymore.
I had this sinking suspicion that Alice's "more the merrier" smile wasn't harmless enthusiasm. Nope. It sounded like foreshadowing.
And soon, I was about to find out exactly what it meant to be the guest of honor at a vampire slumber party. Spoiler: probably not marshmallows and makeovers.
Hey guys 👋
✨ If you enjoy my story and want to support me, you can leave a tip here 👉https://
Streamelements.Com / z1ref/tip
Your support means a lot and keeps me motivated 💖