The Rise of Lydia Rowe ↠ Jasper Hale (ON HOLD)

[1.16] memories

AFTER NEARLY TWO MONTHS IN FORKS, WASHINGTON, Lydia was starting to finally see it as home. She'd been worried the constant rainy, gloomy weather wouldn't do much to lift her mood, but the rainstorms soon became a sort of solace. The sound of the rain hitting her window, the way the trees creaked and shifted with the wind, the smell of the wet earth—it was comforting. 

It was a quiet, foggy Saturday, and all Lydia planned on doing was winding down from the previous week and possibly catching up on one of her current TV obsessions. Tracy and Johanna were out to brunch with one of Johanna's co-workers and his husband, so Lydia had the house to herself for the afternoon. 

Lydia had just finished eating the French toast she'd made herself when her phone dinged with a text from the kitchen island. Lydia quickly rinsed her place and utensils and put them in the dishwasher before she looked at her phone, surprised to see that an unfamiliar number had texted her. 

UNKNOWN: Hey Lydia, this is Alice! I got your number from Jasper (as in I might have stolen his phone and looked for it). I hope that's okay!

Lydia smiled, quickly adding Alice's number to her contacts before texting her back. 

LYDIA: that's fine. what's up?

Alice's response only took a few seconds, which didn't surprise Lydia—she was a vampire with supernatural speed, after all. 

ALICE: Rosalie and I are going to go prom dress shopping and we were wondering if you wanted to join?

Lydia thought about it for a moment. 

LYDIA: i'm not planning on going to prom, but i'd be happy to come along and offer a second (third?) opinion!

ALICE: Awesome! We can pick you up around one if that's okay with you?

Lydia glanced at the clock above the stove. 11:41. She quickly texted Alice back. 

LYDIA: that's perfect. i'll see you guys then!

ALICE: Great! We can't wait!

 Lydia quickly texted Johanna to get her permission, even though she was almost certain her mother would be fine with her going out—thrilled, even. Johanna's approval was pretty enthusiastic, which made Lydia chuckle. 

After taking a shower and getting ready, Lydia went downstairs to mess around on her phone until Alice and Rosalie came to pick her up. Before she knew it, Alice was texting her to let her know that she and Rosalie were in her driveway. Lydia got off of the couch, grabbing her purse and her jacket before going to the front door. She locked the door behind her and went to Rosalie's bright red Camaro, which stood out against the dreary background of Forks' trademark greenery. 

"Hi!" Alice greeted happily as Lydia got into the backseat behind her. 

"Hey," Lydia said with a smile. 

The car ride to Port Angeles was full of small talk. Rosalie was quick to warn Lydia about Alice's enthusiasm when it came to shopping, with the girl in question insisting that she wasn't that bad. Rosalie just met Lydia's eye through the rear-view mirror, mouthing clearly, She is. 

This was the first time Lydia had been to Port Angeles since her near-incident with that group of men, but seeing as she was with the two vampires who had saved her from them, she wasn't as worried as she would have been otherwise. 

After parking on the side of the street, Alice led them to a little boutique that sold a wide assortment of women's clothes, which included prom dresses. Alice looped her arm through Lydia's, nodding at a rack of long, fancy dresses. "So, there's no chance of you going to prom?" she asked, a slight pout on her face.