Aeipathy • Paul Lahote

Rosalie

Balancing her time between Paul, Rosalie, and Bella was next to impossible when none of them wanted to be near the other. Bella and Rosalie both scolded her constantly about spending time with Paul, telling her that he was aggressive and angry and dangerous even though he had never been anything but gentle and kind to her. Meanwhile, Paul only had negative remarks about Rosalie, saying she was stuck up and rude and a horrid friend. However, Rosalie had warmed up to Estrella considerably since their first meeting and the two often spent time talking, whether it be about harmless topics such as movies, or more intense conversations, like how Rosalie got turned. If anything, Estrella could see that Rosalie was extremely guarded, but not stuck up or rude. 

And while Estrella set boundaries right away, refusing to be around either Paul or Rosalie if they were to talk poorly of her sister, she knew that neither were very fond of the brunette girl, and Bella was overly uncomfortable around the both of them. So she tired to schedule properly, attempting to spend time with each of her favourite people equally while still getting to reconnect with her father and keeping up with her studies. 

"For something as mythical and strange as witchcraft, you'd expect it to be a very... different experience," Rosalie commented one day. Estrella found herself in a position very similar to one that Bella had used to be in with her friend Jake. She sat on the counter of the Cullen's garage, her laptop on her lap, as Rosalie sat tinkering with another of her "toys". Emmett would come to join them for an hour or two before getting bored and running off to find something else to do.

"You expected a bit more parchment and quills?" Estrella asked with a laugh. Her fingres flew across the keyboard of her laptop as she completed an assignment for one of her courses. Occasionally she would glance down at the notes beside her, sometimes having to pick them up and reread them before continuing to type. 

"Honestly? I did." Both girls laughed at that before Rosalie stood with a stretch. "Alright, Elle," she grinned. "Let's get the human her food."

Estrella snorted at that, saving her work and closing her laptop. "Yes, mother," she said in a monotone with a teasing grin. "What's our dining excuse this time?"

When Rosalie and Estrella would hang out, it often followed a similar routine. They spent the entire day together, starting in the morning with a trip to the local cafe. Sometimes Estrella would get her coffee to go, other times they would sit and chat as Estrella drank her coffee and munched on a muffin. Then the pair would return to the Cullen house, both preferring the secluded building surrounded by woods. From there, it would vary. Sometimes they would go on a hike or sit by the river. Rosalie had tried to pick up painting, only to get frustrated by the task causing her to throw the canvas into the stream. Other times the pair would spend time with Emmett, playing video games. But around dinner time, Rosalie always took Estrella to one of the diners in town. 

People would look at any of the Cullens weirdly, but if someone where to watch as Estrella ate dinner while Rosalie simply sat at their table, suspicions would rise. So the two girls devised a game. It was overly amusing to find a different reason Rosalie wasn't eating each time they went in, and even funnier for the girls when the same waitress would serve them. Eventually, it became a joke between them and the servers, both preventing suspicions and acting as a fun game. 

At first it started with tame explanations, like that Rosalie had an abundance of food allergies and ate at home while Estrella enjoyed the food from the dinner. But it got into outrageous fairly quickly. Their most recent story was that Rosalie simply couldn't handle the texture of any form of food in her mouth and had to be completely unconscious to eat and that she had learned to sleep eat. 

"I'm thinking we throw them off a bit," Rosalie stated, throwing Estrella a hoodie and leading her to a car. "I'm just not hungry."

Estrella snorted at that, knowing that the servers expected something outlandish and she knew their reactions to such a mundane answer would make both girls laugh. She agreed to that and she quickly climbed in the car after the blonde, both excited for their diner trip. 

As they sat across from each other at their usual booth, they both had to calm their own giggles before they could start up a conversation. But a conversation could barely be started as they both heard whispers from other tables. 

"Is that Rosalie Hale?" a girl questioned, not hiding her voice too well, even from Estrella. "Since when did she hang out with anyone outside of her family?"

"And who's the girl?" a guy snickered. "Little orphan Annie? A new Cullen, perhaps?"

Rosalie's hands got tense as she tried not to get too angry. "Rose, don't worry," Estrella comforted with a smile. The anger was bubbling in her stomach as well, but she focused her energy on calming her friend. "We've both had the whispers for a very long time. It's never going to be anything new."

"They shouldn't be allowed to talk about you," Rosalie sighed, her jaw and shoulders still tensed. "Not like that."

Estrella simply shrugged with a grin. "I've been called orphan Annie for years, Rose," she snorted. "They're not clever when a pack of first graders came up with it first."

"Doesn't it upset you?"

"It did," Estrella sighed. "When I was younger and more insecure about being adopted. I used to think that I wasn't loved by my biological parents or my adoptive parents. People used to say that Renee and Charlie adopted me to try and save a failing marriage. And maybe they did, yanno? But that doesn't change the fact that they both still love me and that I'm their daughter. It doesn't change the fact that Bella is my sister and that I'm family. And I've learned that and gotten confident in that fact and I've also learned to not be worried about what happened with my biological parents." She shrugged again. "They can't use my adoption to hurt me anymore."

Rosalie smiled at that, relaxing as she saw that her friend had everything under control. After that, they both fell into a comfortable conversation as Estrella's dinner arrived and she ate. And after the dinner, Rosalie dropped Estrella off at the Swan residence, where her and Bella sat with Charlie on the couch. Both girls were on their phones as Charlie intently watched the game on the tv, Bella texting Edward, and Estrella texting Paul.