Broken Soul • Emmett Cullen

chapter twenty

"No, Alice! I think it would look better straight!"

"Rosalie, it's prom night, not a school day! She has to look fancy. I'm curling her hair!"

"No, you're not!"

"Sorry, Rose!" Alice said, grabbing the curling iron from the bathroom counter. "It's my turn! I'm doing her hair and that's final!" Rosalie stared at her in annoyance from the bathroom door, staring daggers into the room. Alaina looked at her sheepishly, not wanting to get into the middle of a vampire fight. Rosalie growled at her sister before leaving the room in a huff.

Alaina was watching the two sisters fight with an amused grin on her face. She almost wished she had taken Bella's route of staying home to get ready. After everything that had happened over the last few weeks, Charlie was doing his best to keep Bella away from the Cullens, so Bella indulged him when it came to getting ready for prom.

Alice chuckled. "She's so dramatic, but I love her." Alaina nodded and closed her eyes as Alice tenderly brushed her hair. "You know, I really like this. Bella doesn't let me do this to her."

Alaina nodded. She knew that Alice was closer to Bella, but she always appreciated the time that the two of them had together. Plus, Bella hated most attention and being overly feminine, and Alaina would gladly accept any pampering the girl had to offer.

"So Alaina," she said, picking up with hot curling iron from the counter. She fiddled with a piece of hair before wrapping it around the barrel. "I've been meaning to talk to you for a while about Jasper."

"Oh?" She said in confusion, raising her eyebrows. She didn't know what she expected Alice to say when she started talking, but she didn't think it would be about Jasper. Needless to say, she was taken aback.

"Mmh-hmm," she said cheerfully. "He likes you! I know you had a class or two with him this year, and you helped him get used to being around humans. Your emotions are very strong, so he was able to hyperfocus on keeping you calm which kept his mind busy. As you know, he can struggle with that, but you were a high point in his day. I just wanted to thank you for being there for him, whether you realized you were or not."

She was stunned. Alaina adored Jasper and noticed a shift in his demeanor. He seemed calmer and more social than he was when they first met months ago, but she didn't think it had anything to do with her. "Thanks, Alice. Jasper is really lucky to have you," she said. Alaina loved observing the couple; they were so in sync with each other that it was fascinating. It was like they were sharing one brain as their movements completely complemented each other. It was very similar to how Carlisle and Esme moved. After being around each other for so long, you can't help but become their other half.

Alice smiled. "Now, get your makeup done! I can't wait to see the finished look!" She squealed, heading out of the room.

Alaina sighed and dumped out her makeup bag on the counter. The glass bottles and plastic brushes settled around the sink. She began putting on her makeup carefully, enjoying the few moments she had alone. Alaina had always loved doing makeup. It started in grade school; her mother had let her put on concealer because of her acne. Concealer opened the door to foundation, which led to mascara and eye shadow... And everything snowballed from there. Although she wasn't as self-conscious as she was back when she was younger, there were still plenty of things she wished that she could change about herself, and makeup gave her the ability to do that while still being fun and creative.

After finishing her face and putting on her lip gloss, she took a hard look at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized the person staring back at her, but it wasn't just because of the makeup. Alaina felt and looked so happy she was almost beaming. She paused for a moment to take in a deep breath, willing the moment to last as long as possible.