The morning began with Bella clattering off in her rust-bucket truck while I slid into my sleek Audi A4 like the flawless goddess I clearly was. She gave me a wave on the road, but I pretended not to see it I was still mildly annoyed after enduring her latest episode of "Edward this, Edward that" yesterday. Honestly, if I had to hear one more "he appeared out of nowhere" speech, I was going to start invoicing her for emotional labor.
When we pulled into the school parking lot, Bella drifted toward her truck bed like it was her personal therapy couch, while I glided my Audi into a spot with the kind of precision that deserved background music and slow-motion. If anyone had been filming, it could've doubled as an Audi commercial.
Stepping out, I slipped on my sunglasses because yes, I was committed to the aesthetic even though Forks hadn't seen proper sunlight since 1983. My hair fell into place without effort, my jacket caught the faint drizzle like it had been stitched by angels, and for one perfect, cinematic second, I thought maybe… just maybe… today wouldn't be a total disaster.
Then Mike Newton appeared.
Like a puppy who'd just learned to stand upright, he bounded toward us with his usual awkward enthusiasm. "Hey, uh, so prom's coming up.."
I internally groaned. Of course. Because nothing said near-death accident recovery like a boy with frosted tips asking you to slow dance under bad lighting.
He cleared his throat, trying to look smooth. "So… want to go with me?"
I blinked. "To prom?"
"Yeah!" His grin widened, too many teeth.
"Sorry, Mike. I can't." I put on my most apologetic but not-that-sorry smile. "I'm going to Jacksonville that weekend."
He deflated like a balloon with a slow leak. "Really? You can't change it?"
"Nope." I popped the 'p' for emphasis.
And then because Mike Newton has the survival instincts of a potato he turned to Bella.
"What about you, Bella?"
I almost choked. Seriously? In front of me?
Bella's eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights. "Uh… I'm going with her. To Jacksonville. Family trip." She gestured at me, her voice flat but convincing enough.
Mike looked between us, confused, as if the concept of cousins doing something together was beyond his comprehension.
"Yep," I confirmed, sliding my sunglasses down just enough to give him the drop it before I bury you alive in the mud look. "Family things."
"Family things," Bella echoed, nodding furiously.
Mike looked between us, his tiny brain cells visibly struggling. "…Both of you? Jacksonville? Together?"
"Yup." I clapped Bella on the back. "Cousin bonding. Sun, sand, probably alligator sightings. Sorry, Mike."
Mike looked like he wanted to protest, but then just muttered something about "catching class" and slunk away.
I let out a dramatic sigh. "Bella, I think your fan club is contagious."
She blushed. "He's just… friendly."
"Friendly? Bella, he just tried to double-book prom like it's a dentist appointment."
She swatted my arm.
By the time we climbed into our bus seats, I was wiping tears from laughing. Bella was smiling too, though hers faded the second she noticed the Cullens boarding a completely different bus like VIPs.
I groaned, leaning my head back dramatically. "Bella, for the love of all that's holy, please do not start another episode of Keeping Up with Edward Cullen."
"I wasn't going to..." she started.
"You were. I see the face. It's the 'oh no, why isn't he sitting with me, did I scare him, does he hate me, maybe he's secretly married' face."
She gasped. "That is not my face!"
"It's totally your face."
Bella sulked into the window while I basked in my natural radiance, legs crossed, sunglasses on, looking like I owned both this bus and the entire greenhouse we were headed to.
And of course, fate being cruel, when we finally got there Bella ended up walking right next to Edward. Me? I tagged along just close enough to hear their nonsense because, frankly, it was free entertainment.
"So… Jacksonville?" Edward asked Bella out of nowhere, his golden eyes way too intense for a simple geography question.
I nearly choked on my water bottle. "Wow, so we're just skipping small talk and going straight to FBI-level interrogation? Smooth, Cullen."
Bella flushed, stammering something about her mom. Edward leaned closer, all serious.
I threw up my hands. "Honestly, the way you two talk, I feel like I'm third wheeling a soap opera. Should I get popcorn or a fire extinguisher?"
Bella kicked my ankle. Edward actually cracked the tiniest smile, which okay, annoying but I counted it as a personal victory. Because if I had to endure another field trip listening to "cryptic Cullen and his adoring fan," I was at least going to make it funny.
But by the time they were staring at each other like they'd fallen into a Nicholas Sparks trailer, I was done. Absolutely not. I didn't survive near-death and hospital food to stand around and watch this.
"I'm going to go explore before I lose brain cells," I muttered, waving them off dramatically and peeling away from the Bella-Edward Twilight Hour.
That's when Alice appeared like she'd just skipped straight out of a fairytale forest, looking all delicate and annoyingly adorable. Jasper trailed behind her, calm and collected, probably silently radiating "please don't panic" energy at me.
Alice's eyes sparkled as she fell into step beside me. "So, how are you? After the accident?"
"I'm fine," I said, shrugging. "Seriously, nothing happened. The truck basically stopped on its own before it reached us."
Alice tilted her head knowingly. "Mm. You know… Lucien feels bad about what happened. At the hospital." Her tone had that subtle sing-song quality that screamed I'm meddling, and I'm enjoying it.
My stomach flipped. "Oh, that. Yeah, the… spat." I rubbed my neck awkwardly. "Look, it's fine. Really. But if he's truly sorry, maybe he should've apologized to me himself."
"He tried," Alice chirped, her smile widening. "He even called you last night."
I blinked. Then blinked again. "…Oh."
A memory surfaced me furiously blocking his number the night before because, hello, self-preservation.
"Oh, right," I mumbled, dragging a hand down my face. "I… might've blocked him yesterday. Oops."
Alice gave me that all-knowing, mischievous smile like she'd just solved a riddle I didn't even know I was part of. Jasper, behind her, was definitely smirking.
(Great. I'm officially ghosting a vampire. Just what I needed on my résumé.)
Alice's grin was practically Cheshire Cat levels now. "You should probably check your phone. Maybe fix that… little block button problem."
I groaned. "Of course he tried to call. And of course I went full dramatic and blocked him. Classic me. Honestly, I should come with a warning label: 'May self sabotage at random.'"
Jasper actually chuckled, which for him felt like witnessing a lunar eclipse.
"Fine, fine!" I yanked my phone out of my pocket like it was some medieval weapon. "Happy now? I'll unblock your precious Lucien before he sends the FBI after me."
With exaggerated flair, I tapped through my settings, muttering the whole time: "This is ridiculous. Unblocking a man like I'm giving him back visiting rights. What's next, a friendship bracelet?"
Click. Number unblocked.
"There." I shoved the phone back into my pocket with a flourish. "One small step for me, one giant leap for human kind."
Alice's giggle was like tiny bells. Jasper just shook his head, clearly amused.
Me? I sighed, already regretting everything. Because somehow, unblocking Lucien felt like I'd just signed myself up for a whole new round of chaos.
And knowing my luck? I had.
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