End

We had spent the whole day together, laughing and talking and sharing secrets. It felt like we had never been apart, and when Charlie came to pick me up, it was too soon. He had let me spend the night there and we had stayed awake all night… The very next day I had had to leave to fly back to Phoenix, and though we had promised to stay in touch, had swore to visit each other as often as we could… Well, time goes by fast, and after a few hasty e-mails we hadn’t really had any contact at all. I had skipped my next summer’s mandatory Charlie visit due to him being so busy at work (Charlie is the chief of police here in Forks), and after that I didn’t even think about calling Alice when was in town… We had only been two years apart, but at sixteen it felt like forever, and I had thought I would not have much in common with a girl I had been friends with so long time ago. Now I was excited to see her. Even if she were totally different, it would be nice to see how she had turned out. And Esme, it would be good to see her too. To me, she had always been more like a big sister than a mom of Alice’s.

I hadn’t seen Carlisle or Edward the last time I was there, and from what I remembered from the times I was younger, Carlisle had always been nice to us girls, but he had spent a lot of time at the hospital, so I never really got to know him that well. And as for Edward, he had always been the annoying older brother, just a tad nicer than Emmett. They had been friends, too, with their favorite hobby being “let’s-make-the-little-girls-cry”. It had been a very succesful hobby, featuring many ugly faces and a few scary stories. I laughed at the memories that had once made me cry and hide.

“Here we are”, said Charlie cheerfully as he parked the car on the side of the road. The wedding was held at some country club, and there were quite many guests, judging from the amount of cars parked around. “Let’s go then”, mom hopped out and I quickly followed her example. Emmett was already standing outside, all big and brawny, and I have to admit, he looked decent in his good clothes. Handsome, even. We started walking towards the entrance, mom and dad hand in hand, Emmett and I alongside each other, not saying a word. It didn’t feel uncomfortable; we just weren’t big fans of pointless chit-chat.

Mom broke the silence, excited. “Bella, Em, the Cullens are right there, by the stairs. Let’s go say hi to them. Esme!” She waved and dragged Charlie after her. We followed them, Emmett and I, and I put an awkward smile on my face. When we got closer, I saw Alice there. She looked the same as before, except for her black hair, which was now shorter. Ever so beautiful. She saw me too, and smiled, delighted. When we got to them, she came to me and gave me a hug. It felt utterly normal, as if there hadn't been the four years, instead just four days since I last saw her. “Bella, you look amazing”, was the first thing she said. I doubted her honesty, knowing I looked like a character from the Muppets. Next to her was standing a young man, approximately Emmett’s age, and if I could describe him with just one word, gorgeous.

“Um, thanks…” I muttered, “You look really great too, Alice.” Alice turned to the guy, took him by the hand and then turned back to look at me again. “Bella, this is my boyfriend Jasper. Jasper, this is my best friend Bella.” It made me happy that she called me her best friend, even after so long… And the name Jasper rang some familiar bells in my head. I looked at her, my eyebrows raised. “The Jasper?” I mouthed at her. She nodded enthusiastically. Wow. Four years ago her biggest news had been about a boy named Jasper, who she had just met at a football game. She had fallen hard for him then, and couldn’t stop talking about him. And here they were now, four years later, and looked like they were meant to be. “His sister, Rosalie, should be here somewhere too”, Alice continued. I gave her a quick smile and turned my head slightly to the right. Something had caught my attention. Laughter. There was the most attractive guy I had ever seen, laughing and joking with Carlisle and Charlie. And as if he had sensed me looking at him, he turned his head and flashed me a crooked smile…