Chapter 5-Plains, Trains and Automobiles...no wait not the Trains

Chapter 5-Plains, Trains and Automobiles…no wait not the Trains

Bella

I awoke a little after eight a.m. and called Renee on my cell. She was at the airport and must have had her caffeine already, as she was overly excited. I told her my plan, and she agreed to the idea of getting on the road right away. I also explained about Edward, giving her the version I wanted everyone to know, not the real story. I knew what she would say if she knew the real story, what she always said. "Bella, tell Edward the truth and let him make his decision."

But I couldn't do that. If I had to hear from Edward's own lips that he didn't want me, I think my heart would shatter into a million pieces. I couldn't take that kind of torture. I needed everyone to think I was ready to move on. That way meant less questions. I couldn't answer any questions about the lie I tried to convince myself was the truth.

Every once in a while Renee surprised me, and this was one of those times. She said she understood and wanted what was best for me, her voice was thick with emotion, I wondered if she was thinking about her relationship with Charlie, perhaps wondering if she should have walked away from him at this stage in their relationship instead of letting herself get carried away and get married. I felt guilty for possibly stirring up those types of feelings and emotions in her. It seems like I'm causing a train wreck of emotions for everyone I know. We hung up after I told her I'd wait for her at the baggage area.

As I entered the living room, I could hear Charlie talking on the phone. I stopped at the doorway as he was saying, "Alice, I know you're worried, but I promise she's fine. She's leaving to meet Renee at the airport, and then they're heading off together to get her settled into her dorms." Charlie paused, obviously allowing Alice to speak. "I'm sorry you're in the middle, but I think giving her a little time will definitely help her. She never meant to hurt you or Edward." Charlie paused again, nodding his head agreeing with Alice even though she couldn't see his agreement. "This is a little overwhelming for her, and she is coping in her own way. Is it the wrong way? Who knows? Not me or you, only she does. She may come around in few months and they may get back together, but for now, please ask him to give her some space. Tell him I'm sorry and wish him well." The suspense was killing me and I wanted to know what Alice was telling him because he was agreeing with him. "Say hi to your folks, and don't be a stranger. Bye for now, Alice."

He turned to hang up the phone, and I saw the sadness in his eyes. I know it killed him to say those things to Alice, of all people. He adored her, and I know if it caused her pain, it would cause him some pain as well.

I quickly mentally started calculating the miles per day we would need to drive and when to stop for gas on our trip. I was trying anything to keep my mind off the situation. I couldn't afford to give into this monster right now. I had too much to do and too much time to spend with the two people that didn't need to know how much I was really hurting, so I charged into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Charlie cleared his throat, and I turned to look at him.

"That was Alice." He shrugged and looked so forlorn. "She said to call her when you feel like it, and she'll listen. She also said she loves you and that doesn't change with your choice in boyfriends." Charlie looked very uncomfortable relaying Alice's words of love and concern for me.

"Thanks, Dad, I know that was hard, and I appreciate you looking out for me. If she calls again after I leave, let her know I promise to call when I get settled." I mumbled under my breath 'I love her for loving me even without my boyfriend.' It almost caused some the tears to come to the surface. "Now I'd better get some breakfast and get my stuff put into the truck. Do you have a small tarp? I don't want my stuff to get wet in the back of the truck." I turned my back and began the breakfast preparations for us. "Alice would have a fit if I ruined all her hard work even before I could use it. And we both know no one wants to cause Alice to have a fit. People usually don't live through her fits." I laughed weakly, hoping my attempt was successful.

"Actually, Bella, I have something better for you. Slip your shoes on and come on outside. I have something to show you."

I wasn't sure what Charlie was up to; he was being very vague. He wasn't usually like this and generally got right to the point before ending the conversation. His actions were confusing me, especially since he wanted me to go outside.

Maybe he got me new tires for the truck.

I sure could use them. I also wanted to get the oil changed, so I was hoping that might be the surprise, as I didn't know when I would have time to get it done. He was looking deep into my eyes, and I could see the excitement in his.

Man, this must be huge!

I had never seen him like this. It seemed like Christmas. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door almost at a full run. I was so focused on him that I didn't see the big surprise waiting for me. When he turned me toward the driveway I froze. My truck was sitting out next to the curb at the street, and in its place in the driveway was a Honda Pilot SUV. It was dark blue and really shiny. I couldn't believe that he had done this.

"I…wha..I don't understand…what is this? Dad, did you do this?"

"Well of course, Bella, I couldn't let you go off to college with that beat up piece of crap truck. Besides I didn't think it would make the drive out there, so I went down this morning and bought you this one." This was so unexpected from Charlie. He always made sure I knew he cared but showy emotional displays were not his thing. He scratched at the back of his neck, a sure sign that he was as totally uncomfortable as I imagined he would be. "It's a Honda so it will get great gas mileage, and I checked out the details in Car & Driver magazine. This thing is safe, so I thought it would be a great car for you to take across country."

"Wow, I don't even know what to say." I stood in total shock and speechless.

"I'm sorry for not taking you with me. I hope you like it. If not, I can drive you back down to the lot and we can trade it for something else." I could see that it was an honest offer, but I would never take this away from him. He spent time choosing my new car, and I loved him for it. I shook my head in the negative and his smile showed his pleasure clearly. "It's a few years old, but it has low miles, and the maintenance has been kept up on it, so it should be a great car for you." I walked around the car and touched it and played with the door handles. "I hope you're okay with the SUV. I figured you would need some space to carry all your stuff out there. Are you, you know, okay with it?"

"It's perfect. I love it, and I want to keep it." I knew that his salary wasn't that great and I worried that he had spent some of his retirement money on my car. I turned to him to ask, "Are you sure you can afford this? Do I need to send you money to help pay for this?"

"Bella, of course not, I paid for it in cash. I've been saving for years to help pay for your college. I knew Renee couldn't afford to send you to college by herself, so I put away some money for you. And since you got that scholarship, I spent some of that money for the car." I was impressed to know that Charlie had planned and took care of me for years now. I always knew he loved me, but during the years I had spent living with Renee I never realized how important I really was to him. "There's quite a bit left to help with books and other stuff you'll need. Since you don't have to pay tuition with it, it should last you for awhile." He hand flew up to his neck again, his sign that he was about to say something that made him extremely uncomfortable. "I just wanted you to know I'm so proud of you. I know I'm a big old pain in the butt asking so many questions all of the time, but I need to know that you're safe."

"It's fine, I swear. I don't mind you asking, I know you can't help it. Occupational hazard, I get it." I tried to lighten up the mood.

"I want you to have the money, Bella. I know you're smart enough to know when to use it and not squander it. I'll give you the bank book and card when we get back in the house so you'll have it." I tried to protest, but Charlie held up his hand and stopped any sound before it came out of my mouth. "Don't be mad at me. I want to know you'll be taken care of. You have all your stuff, a good car to take you there, and money to get by while you're there. What else do you need?" I swear I saw tears well up in his eyes as he said the last part. I didn't think I could handle it if Charlie cried. I needed to start the packing up process and take both our minds off of this emotional scene.

"Well, since Alice talked me into buying so much stuff, I could use some help loading up this new car of mine. Think you're up for that?"

"Oh great, manual labor, that's all I'm good for?"

I ran up stairs to start bringing all my stuff downstairs as Charlie took it out to the car and loaded it up. I couldn't believe how well he packed that Honda. I still had plenty of room. I was excited to know I wouldn't have to leave anything behind. I'm now a fan of the Pilot, its big enough to take all my stuff but small enough to not be considered a "bus".

Charlie and I jumped in when the loading was done, and we drove around the block. I commented on how smooth it drove and how I loved the interior of the car.

A great radio, boy would Edward love…wait don't finish that thought. What was I doing to myself?

I knew I didn't have time to break down and cry, I had to maintain control, I had to build up walls and keep him in his small compartment of my brain that I could unlock and visit when I was alone at night, but not until then. I turned to Charlie and tried to tell him how thankful I was and of course, I ended up in tears anyway. He hugged me, and we sat in the car for a few minutes trying to reign in our emotions. We both were silent, as the weight of me leaving was hitting us both. Charlie, in true Charlie fashion, broke the silence.

"Bells, I'm starving. Let's go grab a burger before you leave. You got time?"

"Yeah, I got an hour and a half before I need to leave to get Mom. Where do you want to eat?"

"Let's go to the diner, simple and quick. That way you won't be late getting on the road."

"Only if I get to drive my new car!"

"Deal."

We ate in a relative silence, Charlie asking a few questions here and there. I could tell he was trying hard to really spend time with me before I left, so I answered the questions and added details as I could. It seemed like time was flying by, and before I knew it, we were both done and Charlie was paying for our lunch.

As we were driving home, Charlie gave me the bank book and card so I could get money when I needed it. I pulled up and he jumped out. He came around to my side, and I unbuckled my seat belt. I wanted to give him a hug and tell him how great he was.

"Dad, you're the best ever. Do you know that? I can't say thanks enough for the car, money, everything." He beamed like a thousand watt light bulb, as he brushed off my comment. "I have loved being here with you, and I should have moved out to Forks sooner." His smile had a small hint of 'I told you so' for Renee. "Just thought you would like to know that Forks is my home now, and I'll come home as often as I can." I embraced him and held on, who knew how often he would let me do this so I took full advantage of it now. "I love you, more than you'll ever know."

"Thanks, Bells. It was easy being a good father to the best daughter. You practically didn't even need me. So thanks for being great yourself." His arms wrapped around me and held on just as hard as I held onto him. Perhaps he was going soft, he seemed emotional the whole morning. I laughed inwardly at the whole thought. "I love you, too. Call me often so I don't worry about you guys traveling. Do you have your cell phone charger with you?"

"Yeah, I got it," I said as I was getting back in the car and locked the doors, buckled my seat belt, and checked my mirrors. I honked the horn and yelled "I love you!" as I drove off. I could see Charlie standing in the yard waving until I turned the corner to start toward the highway. I knew he was going to be fine, but I was sad anyway.

Edward

"Alice, please try to call again. I know she said she was leaving today, so this is my last chance. Please, Charlie won't talk to me. I have to speak with her before she leaves, this is my last chance! Please!" I begged, pleaded and whined to her. I didn't care how weak this made me look, I couldn't let Bella leave without talking to me. I just needed to talk to her one more time. To make sure this was really what she wanted.

I felt badly for raising my voice, but I needed Alice to understand. I wanted to follow her around and stalk her, but I knew Charlie wouldn't allow that and probably would lock me up if that started. So I had to keep begging Alice; she was my only hope. I knew Charlie liked her so she stood a better chance of speaking to Bella. I had never felt so hopeless.

How could she just leave me? I thought we had something special. I knew we just graduated from high school, and it sounded like a cliché, but I thought we were really in love- not some high school shit, real fucking love.

I really only wanted to lay in bed and wallow in despair. The fact that this was my last chance to speak to Bella is the only thing that got me out of bed this morning. I needed Bella. She was the one person that made me feel like I could accomplish all of my, no, all of our goals.

I knew I had the full support of my family. I knew they were all behind me, but none of my future plans were made with them in mind. All of my future plans were made with Bella in mind. As a matter of fact, most of them were made with Bella. We planned and talked out each step we were going to make together. What do I do now without her in those plans? Do I scrap all those plans and start over? Do I follow our dreams without her? I was lost and not in a small way. I was totally fucking lost, and she was just going off without me. How did we get here? Am I so stupid that I didn't see the signs?

"Please, someone call her. Someone help me get in touch with her. Dad, maybe you could call. Chief Swan won't be expecting that, and maybe you can talk to her. Please, please someone pick up the phone and start dialing!"

I knew I was at the hysterical point but didn't care. I was pacing and pulling at my hair now. I started out running my hands thru it, but that was several hours ago. I think my scalp was actually sore from all the attention my hair had received while trying to figure out what to do, and how to make this work.

I was sure I probably needed some medication but wasn't going to ask for it. That would make it harder to get to Bella if I was medicated.

Mom came to me, put her arms around me, and began to talk to me in whispers. I could see Rosalie looking on, and I swear she had tears in her eyes. I had never seen Rosalie cry. Maybe she could help me fix this. Alice was off in the corner crying quietly, tears falling down her cheeks. Emmett and Jasper both looked terrified. I'm sure they were thinking that I needed to be committed. I turned to face my mother, buried my face in her neck, and did the only thing I could do at that moment. I cried like a baby.

I couldn't make my mind work, and the emotions just took over. I was a wreck and I didn't care. My only reason for being a normal, happy human just left without me.

At some point Emmett and Jasper helped me upstairs to my room. Later, how long I was uncertain, I shifted in my bed and realized that Jasper was sitting on my couch. I sat up and looked at him.

"Jasper, what're you doing in here?" I croaked, my voice sounding like someone else's.

"I wanted to make sure you're okay. It kills me to see you like this." He leaned down and placed his forearms on his knees. "I wanted to be there for you, just in case. You don't have to talk; just know that I'm here."

With his declaration I did feel a small amount better so I rolled back over and went back to sleep. I was too tired to think or feel anymore today. Tomorrow I would figure out what to do; tonight I was going to sleep.

ARLTY-Chapter 10

Chapter 10~Bella

After checking ourselves in the mirrors of the car one last time, we noticed that Charlie made his way out to us and carried our bags into the diner. He talked the whole time but for the life of me I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. I wanted to see Edward again. His voice sounded like sin on a stick dipped in chocolate but his attitude scared me off. I hope that he had changed in the few years since I had seen him last.

I forced myself to slow it down, in fact I walked behind Charlie, Alice and Rose. I didn't want to give Alice any reason to doubt me or to pester the shit out of me. Rose, devious minx that she is, must have been on to me because she slowed even further the closer we got to the table. I wanted to stab her and then chop off her long beautiful hair. I'm sure some poor kid somewhere could use it to make a wig out of, see two good things from that scenario.

With a last minute smile she turned and walked to an available seat, I saw Charlie step around to the seat he was occupying before we got there and then I stood face to face with Edward. OMG, with shouty capitals doesn't even describe how good he looked. The years had been kind to Edward that is for sure. I knew that I was in a lot better shape than I was back then so it gave me a great amount of pleasure when I saw his eyes roam all over me. I swear they stopped at my hips, my breasts and my eyes. For him to stop at my eyes at all was a huge accomplishment for a guy his age. Usually they just notice the hips and chest and don't bother with anything else. Maybe something other than Edward's looks had changed. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

His arms shot out to engulf me in a hug, don't think that I didn't notice when he pushed my breasts flat against his chest. The hug was all too brief, but I guess he had no choice because both of our dad's were there and witnessing our every move. That's the last thing I needed was Charlie getting the idea that this trip would be a big old orgy from day one. He would never let us go and I was determined to make this money and not mooch off of him next year. I stepped away at the same time Edward did, I dropped a small kiss to his cheek. It was mostly for my pleasure but I did want him to know how thankful I was that he agreed to help us out.

We made pleasantries, which was fucking hard to do, by the way. The way his full pouty lips moved almost made me cream my pants. Edward introduced me to Emmett and Jasper grabbed me up and swung me around as he greeted me. He was taller but looked more like he did in high school. He had a darker tan and his smile was wider but for the most part he was the same old laid back country boy with the amazing accent. So clichéd that we would fall for that accent and good old boy thing he had but damn, don't fix it if it ain't broke. I think that was how he said it.

Our food was ordered and I tried my best to eat but it was hard to eat, stare at Edward, inconspicuously of course, and fend off all the women that made extra trips by our table for no damn good reason. The good thing was that Alice and Rose were swatting off their fair share also. Believe me that Rose's bitch brow will rival anyone's. I've seen her take down all kinds with that thing.

Before I knew it, it was time to load up and drive off. All three of us hugged Charlie, he whispered his same old advice and let us know that he packed an extra three containers of pepper spray for us and said, 'Even if it is on these Forks boys here, don't matter, you use it.' We all chuckled and climbed into the big ass boat we would use to make it to California. Every single nerve ending in me tingled at the thought of being on a road trip with this group.

ARLTY- Chapter 9

Chapter 9- Edward

Chief Swan appeared as I was pulling my door closed. He stopped it and stepped into the opening. "Edward, you always were a good boy growing up, but those girls back there are all I have. If anything happens to them, I mean anything, on this trip it will be your ass that I come looking for, you got me?" His hand dropped to his gun and unsnapped the thin leather strap that held it in place on his belt. I had no doubt what so ever that he meant to use it if anything happened to the girls. I prayed that he would not ever need to unsnap the gun in my presence ever again. I nodded my head and pulled the door closed when he stepped back around to the front beside Carlisle to wave at us as we backed out of the parking lot and headed off.

We played twenty questions as we drove out of Forks. I learned that Bella and her friends were nothing like Bella and her friends in high school. Some of her answers shocked me, I heard Emmett choke several times after Rosalie answered her questions. After twenty questions was done Jasper suggested that we play Never have I ever, and again I was blown away by the answers that the girls gave. This would certainly be a fun trip if we were to take their pasts as an indication.

When we stopped for gas, Emmett and Jasper suggested that we stop for the night to grab a hotel. The girls agreed with us and thirty minutes later we stopped. They had one suite left. Two rooms adjoined by a living room area, score! Not only would we get to stay in a decent bed but it would be within close proximity of the girls as well. Once our bags were in the rooms we all changed into our bathing suits and made our way down to the pool. The girls of course took much, much longer than we did so we left them behind. We were all playing in the pool when the three of them made their way towards the pool in what looked like slow motion, Charlie's Angels style. My chin hit the ground and I'm certain that Jasper and Emmett's did as well. The girls were stunning and one thing was for sure, Bella Swan had grown up, she was no longer the little girl from high school that I remembered.

My hands itched to touch her and run along her pale skin but I knew we shouldn't do any of those things. I mean we only had the summer and there was no need to form any attachments for such a short time. Bella and her friends would be returning to college and so would we, on opposite ends of the continent from each other. There was definitely no need to start something that we would only have to end in a few short months. So I stared at her from afar and pretended that I wasn't looking when she caught me.

We hung out in the pool for a few hours and several times I caught Bella looking at me as well, but I had to play it cool and try not to get caught. After a while Rose and Alice both made their way up to the room to shower off and wash their hair. I noticed, to my delight, that Bella did not follow along with them. She chose to stay, in fact, she came over to sit on the side of the pool with me. Jasper and Emmett noticed the absence of the other girls and they chose to take off towards the room as well. No doubt to see if they could catch a peek of the two of them semi undressed. That left Bella and I to sit and catch up.

ARLTY-Chapter 8

Chapter 8~ Bella

Last night was the first night I dreamt of Edward Cullen, and I didn't like it! All that work last night to quietly take a shower and release all that tension and for what? Nothing, because I was more wound up this morning than I was last night. Fuck him! Wait, no maybe those weren't the words I wanted to use, what about forget him? I started to hum Cee Lo Green's song as I cleaned up my room and made sure all of my stuff was in my suitcase.

Alice stopped in the doorway and gave me the-you're-up-to-something-but-I-don't-know-what-yet-but-have-no-fear-I-will-figure-it out-soon look. I tried out my-I'm so innocent the Virgin Mary would be proud of me look. I don't know if I successfully pulled it off or not but she started packing again so either way it was a victory for me. Rose, on the other hand, snorted and whispered, "You know she will figure it out, you might as well tell her now and save yourself the trouble." I gasped and turned to Rose.

"What are you talking about?" I even put my hand on my hip to feign my misunderstanding.

"You're the worst actress ever! Your facial expression never changes when you are trying to act. Mark my words, she will find out." She pushed my head off to the side as she stepped around me and shoved a few more things into her suitcase. I finally really looked at their bags and mine. They had three times as much stuff as I did. I'm sure part of it was Alice packing all the stuff she wanted me to bring but didn't want to fight with me to bring it so she packed it for me in her stuff. I loved that we knew each other so well that we knew to do that sort of shit for each other; and I couldn't be happier to be on this road trip with them, even if it meant we had to bring along some boys with us. I mean, we did need someone to carry the luggage, didn't we?

After some music, lots of arguing and some yelling by Charlie we finally were loaded up and on our way to the diner. I have to say that we were actually a few minutes early as well. Ha, take that Edward Cullen!

While we were we waiting we thought it was the perfect time to run over to the drug store to get a few things we forgot so we could leave Charlie and Carlisle standing outside, watching our luggage. We were in and out of there in no time, as it was really an excuse to not sit around and wait for the guys. After our trip was over we drove back and parked across the street to watch the guys pull in.

Soon a behemoth of a SUV pulled in and three boys all tumbled out. The largest one, must have been Emmett because I didn't recognize him, ran towards Carlisle. Carlisle threw out his hands and stopped him. I giggled, I was going to like Emmett that much was for sure. Edward and Jasper also greeted Charlie and Carlisle as Jasper began to open the back of the Suburban to load up our luggage.

Alice appeared in awe and commented on how delicately Jasper handled her bags. "I told you that I was going to marry that man! Anybody that can handle my bags with as much reverence as he did has to be a good person." I just snorted at her; I mean who finds a husband based on the way he packs some damn luggage.

"Or he's gay." Rosalie drawled as she examined her nails. I wanted to chuckle but it would invite Alice's wrath so I stifled that shit and gave Alice a sorrowful look.

When all the loading was done, the boys made their way back inside the diner and I braced myself for the re-intros that were bound to happen. When everyone was inside and seated we decided that it was time to make our appearance. So we drove back into the diner parking lot and made our way inside.

ARLTY-Chapter 7

Chapter 7~Edward

Bella starred in my dreams last night, in a big way, but not the high school Bella. No, a more mature, grown up Bella, a very filled out Bella. I begged every single deity that I knew that she looked more like my dreams than my old yearbook. Emmett and Jasper were unaware of my new dream crush. They would never let me live it down if it didn't turn out just right. I couldn't take the next few months in close confines with them if I turned out to be wrong.

The next morning we arrived in Forks about twenty minutes ahead of schedule. I called Bella when we were about an hour away and I could hear her moving her stuff around, hopefully getting ready to go. She agreed to meet us and I hung up with her.

We pulled into the diner parking lot and saw a few people standing around, all of them male. Carlisle and the Chief turned as we pulled in and made their way towards us. Emmett jumped out and ran to Carlisle like he was still a small child. Thankfully, after spending time at our house over the years Carlisle knew to stop the onslaught of Emmett's approach. Chief Swan backed away as well, apparently smart enough to know that he didn't want to be greeted in a friendly fashion by him either. Emmett seemed no worse for the wear from the denial of the fun he wanted. Jasper, being the most OCD of the three of us, took it upon himself to get all the luggage packed and organized, so he opened the back of the Sub and began to pack in the luggage that littered the ground around Carlisle and Chief Swan. It drove him crazy when things like this were not done to his specifications. I had no care in the world for the job, the only thing that mattered to me was that it was all in the Sub and we all fit; but not to Jasper, he wanted it in an exact manner. His words, not mine.

When the luggage was loaded and the Sub locked up again, we all made our way into the diner to eat lunch. None of the girls had made their appearance as of yet, and I have to say it had me intrigued. I couldn't wait to see which Bella would actually appear before me.

We settled around a large round table and placed our drink orders when a very loud vehicle chugged into the parking lot and Chief Swan stood. "There's Bella and the girls now. They forgot a few things and ran to the drug store." He made his way to them and carried their bags into the diner. He walked into the diner in front of the three girls so it was hard to tell what they looked like. At the last moment he stepped off to the side and Bella Swan stood before me. I rushed out of my chair and began to greet her.

"Bella, hey, long time no see. How are you?" I sounded rushed and stupid but I couldn't help myself, she was the Bella of my dreams and not the Bella we went to school with. I couldn't have been more thrilled. She was beautiful, with long dark hair that glinted with red highlights from the sun that shined through the large windows of the diner. Her dark brown eyes lit up with joy when I engulfed her in a hug. Not a touchy-feely-familiar hug, I didn't want Chief to get the wrong idea about us but damn I wanted to have my arms wrapped around her in some capacity. I realized that the other two girls were being introduced to Jasper and Emmett as I held Bella in my arms.

"Great Edward, really great. Thanks for letting us tag along with you guys." She placed a gentle kiss along my cheek. My thoughts were definitely back to the dreams I had last night. I turned to re-introduce her to Emmett and Jasper.

"Bella, you remember Jasper from high school, don't you? And this is Emmett. Unfortunately, they will be riding along with us." Emmett punched me in my shoulder as Jasper pulled Bella in for a hug himself. I had the urge to pull them apart and fit her under my arm protectively, but I couldn't do either with her father, my father, and the rest of the group standing around watching us. I laughed and moved to shake hands with Alice and Rosalie. We ate and listened to the speeches from our fathers and laughed at their lame jokes. Soon we were standing in the parking lot of Forks diner saying our good-byes. Bella, Alice, and Rosalie all hugged Chief Swan and listened as he whispered to each of them. They piled into the back seat of the Sub and I made my way to the driver's seat after saying good bye to Carlisle myself.

ARLTY- Chapter 6

Chapter 6~ Bella

I heard my phone beep with a voice message as I drifted off to sleep. I was too comfortable to get it now so it could wait till later. Well later was about a half an hour later; Alice was in her dream mode, which meant she moved, kicked, and hit you all night long. I got up, went to the bathroom, got a drink and grabbed my phone on the way back to my lonely twin bed. At least there I would get some sleep.

I hit the button and put in my code to retrieve the voice mail. It was from Edward. I listened to him nervously chat about how long it had been and the timeframe for the trip. Carlisle told us that the boys were expected in Forks tomorrow, we just didn't know the exact time. According to Edward it would be around noon. I deleted his voicemail and dialed his number from my call log. At least he doesn't want to leave early in the morning, thank God for small miracles.

The phone rang several times and I thought I was going to have to leave him a voicemail this time, when he finally picked up. I could hear running water and worried that he might be busy; but knew that we had to make sure all of the plans were set. I talked softly to him so as to not wake up Rose or Alice; I wondered if it came across as creepy or fake sexy, but he seemed okay with it so I left that thought alone. I relayed our thanks and told him that we would be ready when he said they would be there. He sounded distracted so I let him go. Only one thing I could say after that phone call, I was in trouble. His voice was going to kill me that was for sure. He sounded so much more mature and so damn sexy. I had to play it cool, if Ali or Rose caught on to the fact that he turned me on in any way I was dead meat.

I made my way back to the bathroom and tried to quietly take care of the built up tension from that phone call. I mean I was going to be in a car with five other people for a few days so I didn't want to be all tensed up and not have anywhere to relieve myself, if you know what I mean. I ran the shower and hoped that it would help mask the noise; I tend to get loud, according to my so sweet noisy roommates!

With my problem taken care of I climbed back into bed and drifted off to sleep once again. "Feel better now, tramp?" Rose asked from her position on the floor. I pretended to be asleep, denial was usually the best form of action when dealing with these types of situations.

ARLTY- Chapter 5

Chapter 5~Edward

That night we packed and loaded the Suburban with all of our belongings. It amazed me how little three guys needed to spend the summer on the road. We packed some shorts, a few t-shirts, flip-flops, and our toiletries; each of us also tied a surfboard to the top of the car. The only large items in the car with us were the guitars that Jasper and I brought with us. That left plenty of room for the girls and their gear. Hopefully they wouldn't take too many bags. I shook that thought off when I pictured Bella in high school again. She didn't seem like the kind to be overly worried about her fashion, so I figured that we were in the clear.

Bella still hadn't called by the time I decided to shower off the sweat from working out and loading up the car so I took the phone with me to the bathroom and laid it on the ledge with my toiletries. Half way through soaping up my body the phone rang.

Of course, I thought to myself. I dried off my hand and slid the bar across the screen to answer it.

"Hello?" My voice echoed around the empty bathroom.

"Edward? Is that you?" Bella spoke softly through the phone to me.

"Yeah, it's me. You doing okay, Bella?" I asked, feeling sort of creepy because I stood naked, half soaped up in the shower talking to Bella Swan. Her father was Chief of Police for crying out loud; I was sure I had broken at least three laws by my actions alone.

"Yeah, I'm fine and really grateful; thanks so much for being willing to drive us out; this modeling job is going to make us a boat load of money for next year so I'm glad we still get to go. We'll be ready when you get here, I can have Charlie drop us off at the diner and you can meet us there, if that is okay?" Bella's soft voice drifted across the phone to me. I tried not to get overly excited about how grown up she sounded. I mean I was probably just horny, I knew I should probably take care of that little problem before I left the shower since I was alone in here. I realized that a few seconds of dead air had passed between us as Bella waited for my answer.

I cleared my throat and croaked out, "Sure, sounds good. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay, Edward, good night then." Bella chuckled as she disconnected the call.

What the fuck was that? I thought to myself as I laid the phone down and immediately took my now hard cock in my hands. Two strokes in and Jasper and Emmett came banging into the shower room; and I lost all momentum, no matter how close we were I never was able to jack off with those two in the room with me. Never, it didn't ever happen, and wasn't ever going to happen. I hoped for a few moments alone to finish off this problem before we started our trip.

ARLTY-Chapter 4

Chapter 4~ Bella

Carlisle really came through for us. He and Charlie managed to work out the logistics of us getting to LA; Charlie was a little skeptical about the fact that we would be driving down with three guys, but Carlisle assured him that all three boys could be trusted. I went to high school with Edward and Jasper so I hoped that between the fact that I already knew them and Carlisle's assurances that would be enough to convince Charlie to let us go; the three of us really wanted to get this job.

At the end of it all Carlisle convinced Charlie and we were all squealing like well…girls. Carlisle took down my phone number and promised to have Edward call me. He left to get back to the hospital to finish his shift and we all headed back to the house because Alice and Rosalie wanted to see Edward and Jasper's picture in my yearbook.

With the three of us all snuggled into my childhood bed and the yearbook held above us, they commented on all the boys that I went to school with. Over all Forks High got good grades on the male population from Alice and Rosalie. Funny how I saw it so differently at the time; now, don't get me wrong, Jasper and Edward were both really good looking guys, but they were also popular and that paired with the looks made them a little too cocky for me. They thought that the popularity made them invincible. How can you not think that when you are on the athletic teams, the student body presidential board, and the debate club? They were both golden boys, good at everything and wanted by everyone. I was just plain old Bella so we didn't run in the same circles. I did know them but just didn't hang out with them.

Thankfully when I started collage Alice and Rosalie saw me that first day on campus and took me under their wing. Now I have a new wardrobe, a new attitude, and new best friends. They convinced me that it was okay to live a little, to let go and have fun, but most importantly to find out who I was. As Jessica said at our graduation speech, "This is the time to make mistakes and then make some more," or something like that. I don't know about the mistakes that I've made but I do know that I love the journey of finding me. I love trying new things to see if I like them or not, if I don't, well then I don't do it again; if I do, then that is just one step closer to knowing the real me.

I snapped back to the here and now when I heard Alice and Rose talking about the boys. "Well I don't care what you think, Edward looks like Bella's type if you ask me." Alice commented, while Rose shook her head in denial. "Besides, look at that tall drink of water, momma could crawl all over him and enjoy the trek, if you know what I mean?" Her eyebrows wiggled as she smirked at Rose. The funny thing was that I really could see Alice and Jasper as a couple. They would fit well together, now me and Edward…well that was not going to happen. I would not give into his ego, ever!

"Ladies, let's get in bed or we are not going to be fit to be seen by anyone, much less a bunch of boys." The other two bodies scrambled from my bed and crawled onto the air mattress that Charlie had provided for them to sleep on. Of course, no matter how we started out, all three of us always ended up on the air mattress together anyway, and not in a sexual lesbian sleep over party way, just as the friends that love to cuddle way.

ARLTY- Chapter 3

Chapter 3~Edward

I stood quickly and began to pace. "Look, I had no choice. Carlisle is giving me money to help me pay for this trip and I kind of have to help him out here. I mean what is this trip if I can't go? You two don't have a car so that would screw us all over, right?" Reasoning with them sounded like a good idea.

"Give us more details before we decide if you're off the hook just yet." Jasper answered with his usual cautious self as he folded his arms across his chest. He always was a tough one to convince.

"Carlisle ran into Chief Swan and his daughter, Bella at the diner the other night; they got to talking and he found out that Bella and a couple of her friends were home for the summer from college. Her and two friends were going to drive out to California and work for some modeling agency but Bella's truck died and now they don't have a way to get there. Carlisle, of course, offered up the fact that we would be driving that way and maybe the girls would like to ride with us. The Chief got all happy about the girls not being by themselves on the road and so our fate was sealed." My hands seemed to take on a life of their own as I spoke. My nervousness at how wrong this trip could go was making itself known.

"Girls, we're picking up girls?" Emmett boomed. "Hell yeah, that is cool with me."

Jasper slapped him in the chest with the back of his hand, "Dude, do you remember Bella Swan? She had braces and tripped a lot and wore those damn pigtails all the time. She never talked and spent her lunch hours in the library, she isn't a girl, at least she never was to us. She liked that Eric kid from the AV team." With his rant finished he dropped back down on to the bench. His face looked crest fallen. I could understand that feeling. This was our last hurrah, our chance at beaches and babes before it was time to settle down, finish school and get a real job. The last thing we needed to blow our fun and babes was three girls tagging along. Three potentially boring girls, three girls that were interested in all the things we were not interested in. The more I thought about it the more I wanted to cancel the trip. I dropped to the bench alongside Jasper and put my head in my hands.

"Well, at least we'll have a few weeks before we have to drive back. We can have fun once we drop them off. Besides, if gas is going to cost that much then we need some more bodies along to help pay the way. Just think one-twenty split six ways is a lot less than when it's split three ways." For once in his life Emmett had the right idea.

"Carlisle sent me a text with Bella's number, so I will call and talk to her about everything and confirm the plans." It looks like the gas sharing idea perked us all up. I tossed the keys to Jasper and he slid into the driver's seat as I dialed Bella on my cell. I got her voice mail.

"Hey, this is Bella, sorry I missed your call. Leave me your info and I'll get back to you."

"Hey, Bella, this is Edward Cullen. Long time no talk huh? I talked to Carlisle and he told me that your friends and you needed a ride to California. We plan on leaving tomorrow morning to head to Forks so we should be there about noon. I'll call you when we're close. We can grab some lunch then head off again, if that's alright with the three of you. Call me back and let me know. I'll be up late so don't worry about the time. Talk to you soon." I tapped the button to hang up and turned to look at Em and Jas.

"What the fuck was that? You can't give them an option, they're riding with us. We need to lay down the law and let them know who's in charge here. Take off your frilly panties and put on a jock, damn it Edward; I refuse to be pushed around by a bunch of girls on our trip. Be tougher with them next time." Emmett barked at me.

"Shut up Em, you were the one that was so damn gung ho about them coming with us. Shit!" I slapped him in the back of his head. He turned to sit against the door and watched me out the corner of his eye the rest of the trip back to the dorm rooms.

ARLTY-Chapter 2

Chapter 2-Bella

I couldn't believe our luck. Rose's uncle had helped her get a summer modeling job. She sent off her pictures along with mine and Alice's too. Turns out they wanted all three of us. Now all we had to do was get out stuff packed up and get to California. See that was the problem, Alice and Rose has no car since they flew here from so far away and my old truck has chosen this week to die on me. Not just a little hiccup but a big old fat heart attack died. The only person that can beat that truck into submission is Jake and well, he is back in Forks. Not here. So we were stuck here trying to get home to Forks so we could figure out how to get to California.

My dad sent me money for a plane ticket so the three of us could fly to his house. He promised to help us figure out how to get to California once we got there. It wasn't so bad flying out, nor was the flight there but getting out of the airport in Seattle was terrible. There was a convention or something that had everyone fly in at the same time that our flight arrived. So we had plenty of people that had never flown before, never had to find their luggage and get in a cab to get to their hotel room. We, of course, had and their lack of knowledge drove us mad. Absolutely mad! It didn't help that we flew in at almost nine o'clock at night. So we were tired and hungry too.

I texted dad and he replied quite quickly for an old man, that he was right outside. He brought the Suburban with Forks Police Department tattooed down the side, it helped him stay at the curb a lot longer than most people were allowed, so who was I to complain about his choice of vehicles.

We talked about classes, our apartment and our flight while Charlie drove us towards home. We stopped at the diner on our way into town. It was the only think open at this time of night in Forks. It didn't look busy so at least we would not have to wait too long to get our food.

Halfway through our meal Carlisle Cullen stopped by the table and chatted with Charlie. They talked about a case that they were both working on, we ignored the gross talk and resumed our eating. After a few minutes I realized that Carlisle and Charlie were both looking at me. "Sorry, guess I'm more tired than I thought, what did you say?"

"I said nice to see you again, are you spending your summer in Forks?" Rose sat across from me and I saw her lick her lips as he spoke. Good thing he wasn't a mind reader because I'm sure that Rose's thoughts were not innocent in anyway shape or form.

"Uh, no. We," I waved my hand around to introduce the 'we' I spoke of, "have a modeling job in California, if we can get there." My shoulders slumped when I thought about missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime just because I drove a truck that was older than my dad.

"Oh, really?" His tone sounded teasing but for the life of me I didn't know why. "Well I just happen to know a vehicle that will be making its way to California and it has plenty of room for the three of you."