A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first Twilight story so please go easy on me! If there are any mistakes feel free to point it out! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Read and review! Oh and I would also like to thank my cousin for doing some beta-reading on my story for me! Love you my dear cousin!!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, but my story idea LoL
Summary: "There is no way Bella is going to fall for you, Edward," Emmett said with a laugh. "Wanna bet on it?" was Edward's cocky reply. It started off as a bet but when he finds himself falling for her things begin to get complicated.
Chapter 1: Encounters
"Jasper, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to go! I don't want to be the fifth wheel," I said exasperatedly as my brother gave me a look, begging me to go with him to dinner.
"Bella, that's unlikely to happen. Edward will be there," Jasper replied.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and I repeat, I do not want to be the fifth wheel," I looked up at Jasper. "Besides, need I remind you who my best friend is?"
I personally don't have a problem with Edward, but my best friend James, on the other hand, does. Why you may ask? They're rivals; simple as that. They compete in everything ranging from academics to sports – and it doesn't help the fact that they're both co-captains for the football team. Honestly, I think their animosity derives from their pride and according to James, it's a "mutual hate," – whatever that's suppose to mean in guy lingo.
"First of all," Jasper paused and raised an eyebrow "that's not going to happen. You're not going to be the 'fifth wheel' of the group. Secondly, of course I know who your best friend is, but I thought you don't base your opinion of other people on what others feel about them?"
"I have homework Jasper," I replied with a sigh, walking towards my back pack that was on my bed. "And to answer your question, Edward hasn't exactly done anything to disprove any of James's claims."
Jasper closed my door behind him and sighed. "Look Bells, I just really want to see you be more social. I'm not saying your anti-social or anything, but going out once every blue moon won't hurt you, will it?" He looked at the books that I took out of my bag and continued. "It's a Friday night Bells, putting off homework 'til tomorrow will seriously not kill you. James doesn't run your life. Give Edward a chance, hm. For me?"
I looked at my 'beloved' older brother and sighed. What's the point of arguing when I knew he wouldn't give up until he got what he wanted?
"Alright, alright, I will, but please don't let Alice dress me. I seriously do not like being her Barbie Doll," I sighed remembering the memories of Alice dragging me into my room and locking the door just to change my outfit for school.
Jasper chuckled, "I'll try my best Bella. But you should know, Alice won't like this,"
"It's ok for me. Her fury will not be unleashed on me. I'm not her boyfriend," I winked at him.
Jasper glared at me and I just had to laugh. I pushed him out of my room and closed the door, locking it behind him, before walking over to my closet. Since I wasn't much of a shopper, I didn't really have any difficulty in choosing what to wear. A plain black tee shirt and jeans did it for me. I pulled my hair up in a messy pony tail and slipped on my boots before grabbing my jacket that was lying on the bed. As I walked down the stairs I found Jasper and his girlfriend Alice talking quietly amongst themselves. Despite the occasional squabbles, I consider myself lucky to have Jasper here with me. With my mother in Florida and my other older brother Anthony in Seattle taking care of our late father's – may he rest in peace – business, Jasper's the only family I have.
My father died a few years ago in a place crash when he was heading on a business trip to Los Angeles. My mother lives in Florida with her new husband Phil and my baby brother Nathan. We had the choice of moving to Florida, but my older brother Anthony was old enough to take care of us so our mother let us stay in Forks. Jasper was fifteen at that time and Anthony was 18. He would leave Sunday night to stay at Seattle for a week and come back Friday evening. I know he seems like a bad older brother for leaving his younger siblings, but he had to think of his future too. Besides that, he's been raised to take over my father's business. I understood why he had to leave, but Jasper has his reasons for holding a grudge against him.
Anthony felt that Jasper was responsible enough to take care of me. I laughed at the thought of Jasper being responsible. There are times when I feel that I act way more mature than Jasper – my brother who is a whole year older than me.
Alice and Jasper acknowledged my presence and turned their heads towards me. Jasper gave me a small smile while Alice, I noticed, began to observe the outfit I was wearing. She frowned. I knew what she was about to do and I looked at Jasper with pleading eyes. He gave me the 'I'm sorry,' look and I just sighed. So much for brotherly support.
"Bella, you cannot be serious! I bought you a new shirt and I haven't seen you wear it once!" Alice scolded.
"I'm sorry Alice, it's just I'm comfortable with my regular clothes," I gave her an apologetic look as I held out the edge of my shirt trying to emphasize my point.
She sighed resignedly, "Since we're about to be late, I'll let you slide this time. Just this one time, okay!" The glimmer in her eyes and change of attitude began to make me nervous. "But since you didn't let me dress you tonight, I will dress you on Monday morning," she finished, smiling victoriously. I nodded my head warily. There was honestly no point on arguing. When it comes to fashion, Alice will stop at nothing to get her way and make you wear clothes that are 'in style' and 'chic'.
They stepped out of the house first and I walked out after them, shutting and locking the door in the process. I had to admit, as good as we were situated financially, I never really liked to flaunt the amount of money we had. To me, everyone is the same. The only quality that set people apart from each other, in my opinion, is the goodness of their heart.
I got in the backseat, while Jasper and Alice occupied the two front seats. As soon as their seatbelts were on, we were off.
The car ride was pretty silent. That's a miracle because everyone knew how much Alice can talk. Miracles, however, do not last forever.
"So Bella, I'm really happy you finally decided to come to dinner with us." Alice beamed at me.
I must admit, even though Alice and I have our disagreements on fashion, I really like her. Ever since she and Jasper started dating we've become closer. We may not talk much in school but outside of school was a slightly different story.
Sometimes she would bring Rosalie over to my house while Jasper was at practice. Some people think that all they care about is designer clothes and how great their boyfriends are, but they are very wrong. These two are two of the nicest girls that I have had the pleasure of meeting. I can even say that they're probably nicer than some of the girls at school who aren't into the 'latest fashion' and flaunting their 'hot beau'. They aren't judgmental and they are down to earth girls. True, there was one instance where I judged them wrongly but as soon as I met them and go to know them better, everything was different.
Alice, of course, was the easiest to get along with. She's just naturally an all around friendly person with a good heart. Besides that, I'm Jasper sister, so in a way she just had to be nice to me. Rosalie is a different story. Sure we get along now, but it wasn't always this way. It took some time for Rosalie to warm up to me. At first she was cold towards me. It's as if I never existed to Rosalie. I couldn't blame her though. Why would she want to talk to an ordinary looking girl like me? Rosalie was without a doubt the most beautiful girl in school and she knew it. But as time passed by, we just started getting along.
"Well I had to give you little people some of my precious time," I replied playfully.
Alice laughed, "I'm glad you graced us with your presence," She looked towards Jasper then turned back towards me, "Have you met Edward?"
Ah. Edward Cullen. The 'most popular and one of the hottest guys on campus' – at least that's what I've heard in the girls' locker room – who just happened to also be the star running back of the football team. With a reputation like his, I was shocked to find out that the guy was actually pretty smart and did well in his classes. Boys like him don't give me the time of day. He was Emmett Cullen's, Rosalie's boyfriend, younger brother. We were in the same grade and had a few classes together but we hardly ever spoke to each other.
"Nope," was my simple reply.
"Why not? Don't you two have like, a few classes together?" She asked, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we actually talk."
She nodded before asking knowingly, "James?"
"I guess you can say that. But it's not like Edward has actually proved James's accusations wrong."
"Yeah, but you shouldn't base your judgment of him on what your best friend says," Alice replied wisely.
"Do you think Edward is nice?" I asked after a pause of silence.
She turned in her seat to look at me before sighing, "Alright, I'll admit, he isn't exactly a 'saint' but who is? Once you get use to him, he actually isn't that bad."
"Well… I guess I could give him a chance tonight…" I replied unsurely.
Alice decided to drop the subject and started talking to Jasper about their shopping trip tomorrow. They invited me but, of course, I kindly declined. I honestly did not want to go on a shopping trip with Alice. Not again. No offense to her but if it was allowed, that girl would jump at the chance to live in the mall. Her shopping addiction can be scary sometimes… And whoever got in the way of it had to face her fury – something I did not want to experience.
It wasn't long until the car stopped and we all stepped out to make our way to the door of the Italian restaurant. The unsettled feeling in my stomach grew with every step we took forward that I couldn't help but gulp. All I wanted to do was get this dinner over with. I really didn't mind hanging out with them – I had no problem with Alice, Jasper, or James - but I couldn't say the same for the football team, or as they were labeled as, "The Jocks." Oh, and besides the people I mentioned before, Emmett was another person who I didn't mind being around.
Jasper held the door open for us and we immediately spotted Emmett and the rest of them, all thanks to Emmett's gigantic body. Emmett wasn't fat, but by 'gigantic' I mean that he was extremely muscular. Rosalie was seated on his right looking like a Vogue model, while Edward sat on his left with the most annoyed face I've ever seen. I guess, much like myself, he didn't really want to be here. I guess that could count for something that we had in common. As soon as they saw us Emmett stood up and gave me a big bear hug. That's Emmett for you: the friendly bear. Rosalie gave me a hug right after before we all sat down. Jasper sat down beside Edward while Alice sat on his other side. I sat beside Alice which put me in the middle of her and Rosalie.
"I'm glad you came, Jinx," Emmett said using the nickname he made for me, thanks to Jasper. That's one reason you gotta hate older brothers. They love to blab about your embarrassing qualities and mine just happened to be my clumsiness.
"Must you really call me that? I honestly haven't had any clumsy moments lately," I replied, trying to keep the faint blush from my cheeks. Jasper snorted and I returned it with a glare.
"Really now little sis? Shall I remind you what happened yesterday?" Jasper asked with a smug smile on his lips.
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms across my chest, "Hey, that doesn't count, especially since your darn shirt was lying on the ground instead of inside the laundry basket, where it should have been."
"Yeah blame my innocent little shirt that was causing no harm to anyone at all, until you just happened to step on it and somehow slip." Emmett's booming laugh was heard all over the restaurant.
"See Jinx, that nickname's perfect for you!"
Just as I was about to give him a swift kick underneath the table Rosalie beat me to him and smacked Emmett up the head causing him to cry out indignantly then pout at her. Ha, he deserved that. It's funny how Emmett acts all tough yet his weakness was dainty Rosalie.
It wasn't long until a waitress arrived. She glanced at Emmett and Jasper but her eyes lingered longer on Edward. No surprise there. I've seen similar scenes like this everyday for the past three years so I was already use to it. Edward noticed the girls lingering gaze and threw her a flirty smile in return. The waitress blushed and looked away shyly. I'm guessing she'll be added to his list tonight. It's disgusting how he just changes 'girlfriends' just like how he changes his clothes. What's even more pathetic is that even though the girls he dates know that he's only using them, they still want to have a shot at him.
The waitress finally went around the table to take our orders. I ordered spaghetti since I haven't had that in a while. Once everyone placed their order, she walked away but not before giving Edward one last smile which he returned with a wink. I swear if his 'moves' could kill; most of the girls in my school would have dropped dead a long time ago.
"So Jasper, will I see you tomorrow?" Emmett asked, breaking the silence that had come upon the table.
"Nope, I'm going with Alice to Seattle."
"Seattle? What for?"
Jasper sighed. "What else?"
Emmett's booming laugh was once again heard through the restaurant. "I must say man, you are truly whipped."
"Whipped? Jasper Swan is not whipped," Jasper replied indignantly, trying to salvage his pride.
I laughed. "Okay brother, whatever you say."
Jasper turned his head towards me with a slight glare, "You're supposed to be on my side here Bella."
"I am on your side, but I can't deny it if what Emmett says is true," I replied simply.
Jasper rolled his eyes and turned to Edward. "So Edward, I saw that waitress eyeing you," Edward chuckled.
"I noticed," he simply replied, a smug look still on his face. Seriously, how cocky can a guy be? There had to be some limit somewhere, shouldn't there?
"I bet you did," I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else but when his gaze turned to my direction it was obvious that he heard me.
"Did you say something?" he asked.
"Nope," I answered plainly.
"Are you sure? I could have sworn I heard you say 'I bet you did'?"
"Well if you clearly heard what I said, what's the point of asking me if I said something?" I asked, beginning to feel aggravated, sarcasm dripping from my voice.
He chuckled. I guess annoying me entertains him. "I'm just making sure I heard you correctly."
I rolled my eyes and looked away. At that moment I could have been doing something way more productive than hanging out with my brother and his friends. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't enjoy spending time with them or anything but, I guess, I'm just not that social – it's not me.
"Wow Edward, that's a first," Emmett commented with a raised brow.
"What are you talking about?" Jasper asked.
"That's the first time a girl actually gave you attitude," Emmett replied.
Rosalie let out a small laugh, "You know babe, just because most of the female population in our high school is in love with Edward, doesn't mean there aren't any girls who aren't interested in him and will give him attitude."
"Aw, sorry Eddie. I guess not everyone falls for your charm," Emmett teased as Edward scowled at him in return. I don't know if he was angry because of the comment or the nickname but either way, what Emmett said ticked him off.
"Shut up Em," Edward growled as he crumpled a paper napkin in his hand and threw it at a chuckling Emmett. After that, everyone just busied themselves with conversation while I quietly sat there observing everyone around me. At one point, I actually thought about talking to Edward, but in the end I decided against it. What could the two of us actually have in common that we could talk about, besides the fact that my best friend hated his guts? Suddenly, Jasper's phone started ringing. He glanced at the screen and rolled his eyes before pressing the ignore button and looking up to meet my eyes. Even though no words were exchanged between us, I automatically knew who it was that just called. It was Anthony.
"Why do you do that?" I asked. I knew my brothers didn't exactly get along but couldn't they at least act civil with one another?
"Why do I have to waste my time talking to him?" Jasper asked with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Jasper, he's our brother. You still need to respect him," I answered sternly.
He rolled his eyes. "I don't have respect for people who leave their younger siblings in their time of need," he paused and looked around the table. "We'll discuss this later Isabella." Before I could say anything else my phone started ringing. Just as I was about to answer it, I looked at Jasper and saw the look he was giving me. I let my hand drop to my lap and ignored the constant ringing until it eventually stopped. In a way I was intimidated of Jasper. I think it's just in the genes or something. Edward snickered as he saw me look away as Jasper stared me down. I turned to him and he just gave me his crooked smile.
"I guess we have something in common," He pointed out with a small smirk.
"What?" I asked confused. What could we possibly have in common? Well, except for the fact that we both went to the same school.
"It seems that we're both intimidated by our brothers," He replied, glancing over to Emmett then to Jasper.
Surprisingly, I actually let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I guess we do."
"So Bella," Edward started, leaning back and resting his arm on the back of the booth so he had a better view of me. Jasper and Alice were leaning forward with their elbows on the table as they talked to the rest of the group. "What did Jasper offer you to come to this little dinner?"
"Nothing really, this is just benefiting him," I replied nonchalantly.
"How so?"
"Simple, Jasper wants me to have a social life."
Edward chuckled. "Wow, your brother makes you seem like such a low life."
I turned my head towards him and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he's bringing you to tag along on their date. Do you not have any friends?" He asked, half serious and half mockingly. Now I remember why Edward and I never talk during class. He's an ass. Plain and simple as that. What did girls see in him? Because, honestly, all I saw was an egotistical jerk.
"Funny you ask that," I turned to him and plastered on a fake smile. "Is that the reason why your brother tagged you along? Don't you have any friends Eddie?" Payback was fun.
He shot me a look. "Look, I could be doing a lot of other things than sitting here, but I'm doing this as a favor for my brother," he said through gritted teeth.
"Mmhmm, what an amazing excuse, Edward." I replied bored, checking my nails. When I realized that all other conversation had stopped, I noticed that Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett were all now watching us. Awkwardly, I turned away from Edward and fiddled with my hands in my lap.
"At least I could actually have other plans," He mumbled but I heard every word. I chose to ignore it. Thankfully, the food arrived and we quietly started eating. Dinner started to go smoothly again with everyone involved in a conversation, well, except for Edward and myself. Honestly, it was better this way. We didn't need to speak to each other because it would probably only lead to an argument. I was sure of that. It's not that I hated the guy, no hate was such a strong word, but I could safely say that I disliked him very much.
"So how's James?" Edward asked all of sudden. It took me a few moments to realize that he was talking to me.
"Why are you asking?" I asked defensively. If he was trying to start something up, I wouldn't let him do it again.
"Can't a guy ask a simple question?" Edward asked, feigning innocence.
"Well, I know you hate James so what's the point in asking about him?" C'mon, I wasn't dense.
"Honestly, I'm surprise you're even talking to me. Doesn't James have a rule when it comes to his best friend talking to people that he hates?" Edward asked with a smirk, twirling straw in his drink.
"James isn't an obsessive and bossy jerk like you so he doesn't tell people who they should or should not talk too," I replied in defense of my best friend, James.
By this time everyone at our table was looking at us, once again. I could tell that Emmett was quite amused at the scene in front of him. I guess he had never seen a girl talk to his brother like this before.
"Bossy? Psh, I am not bossy."
Emmett and Jasper snickered. Edward turned to them and glared before turning his attention back to me. Joy.
"Oh yeah, you're not bossy at all," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's why when you told some of the football players to mess around with James, they did it right?"
"That was their choice. It isn't my fault they don't like your little boyfriend. I had nothing to do with it." Even though he had a serious face on, I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Yeah, whatever you say," I said, rolling my eyes.
Our so-called conversation came to a halt there. Jasper asked for the bill and they all split it. As soon as our meal was paid for, I stood up and headed for the door to Jasper's car, ignoring everyone's questioning gazes as I passed. I did what Jasper asked for. I gave Edward a chance but it's obvious that James had the right reasons to hate Edward. It was all so clear now.