VIOLENT DELIGHTS | Rosalie Hale

CHAPTER SEVEN

YOU'RE SO VAIN

THAT NIGHT ROSALIE HALE starred in my dreams, as usual. However, the climate of my unconscious had changed. It thrilled with the same delight that had charged the afternoon in her car, and I tossed and turned restlessly, waking often. It was only in the early hours of the morning that I finally sank into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

When I woke I was unusually energized. I put in extra effort with my eyeliner, changed outfits four times, and caught myself staring in the mirror more than once wondering what the hell I was doing. Breakfast was the usual, quiet event I expected. I fried eggs for Charlie, Bella and I ate cereal. I realized I was getting dangerously close to Saturday, and my dress still wasn't fixed. I'd have to ask Jess again today, but I wasn't looking forward to the inevitable conversation about who had come to pick me up.

"About this Saturday..." Charlie began, walking across the kitchen and turning on the faucet to wash his plate. I was startled by the abrupt conversation, but grateful for it. I had just been about to think of her.

Bella cringed visibly. "Yes, Dad?"

"Are you still set on going to Seattle?" He asked.

"That was the plan." She grimaced, and I watched with amusement. Charlie didn't know Edward was involved, and Bella was hoping to keep it that way.

He squeezed some dish soap onto his plate and swirled it around with the brush. "And you're sure you can't make it back in time for the dance?"

"I'm not going to the dance, Dad." Bella glared.

"Didn't anyone ask you?" He asked, trying to hide his concern by focusing on rinsing the plate.

"Three people did, as far as I'm aware." I supply, and Bella shoots me a quick glare as I scoop the last bit of cereal in my mouth. "Mm, she said no."

Bella protested. "It's a girl's choice. They shouldn't be asking anyway."

"Oh." He frowned as he dried his plate.

I sympathized with him. It must be a hard thing to be the father of twin daughters; living in fear that one was too in-deep with boys, but also having to worry that the other wasn't. How ghastly it would be, I thought, shuddering, if Charlie had even the slightest inkling of exactly what I did like. Adam Wexler would be the least of his concerns. Charlie left then, with a goodbye wave, and I went upstairs to brush my teeth and gather my books. Bella was already gone by the time I came down, the truck still in place. I had to wait in the kitchen for a while before Adam showed up.

He was prepared this morning. A final ditch effort to change my mind about Saturday. "There's a Weezer concert in Seattle on Saturday."

"We don't have tickets to the Weezer concert in Seattle on Saturday." I snark back. It probably would've worked, had he had tickets. I did love Weezer. But I'd never been able to afford a real concert before, just local bands and free stuff. "Why do you hate the idea of going to a dance with me so much?"

"I don't." He lies, and I give him a look. The argument starts there, and lasts the whole drive to school.

"Okay, you wanna know the truth? I think it's lame. I do!" He finally blows up. "I think it's stupid and boring and cheesy, and only desperate kids seeking approval go to dumb stuff like school dances, like they've gotta prove they can get a date or something. It's a dumb high school ritual for sheep."