Alice's Future

Chapter 18: Bella's Birthday

Rae groans when she wakes up, she finds both Jacob and Quil sleeping on either side of her. She had a nightmare about James last night, like she has the past couple months since he was killed by the Cullens and burned.

Raelynn gets out of her bed and grabs her school clothes. She looks back at the sleeping boys and she goes to the bathroom. Billy rolls into Rae's room to wake Quil and Jacob up for school.

Rae gets dressed and she leaves the bathroom. "I'm headed to school."

"What, no more gloves?" Mary asks.

"The Cullens make me feel safe enough not to wear them," Rae days with a smile.

"That's great," Mary smiles. "You go on to school, my love."

"We're having a birthday party for Bella later," Rae says.

"All right," Mary says. "Be careful."

Rae kisses Mary on the cheek and she leaves the house. She goes to her car and she drives to Forks and to the high school. Alice embraces Rae securely.

"How are the nightmares?" Alice asks.

"Jacob and his buddy Quil had to sleep with me," Rae says. "They're stil bad."

"Lynn!" Jessica calls.

"Go," Alice says with a smile. "See your friends."

Rae kisses Alice and she jogs across the lot. Mike fist bumps her and Bella parks her truck near them.

"Wherefore Art thou, Bella?" Mike muses.

Bella turns to see Mike, Eric, Angela, Jessica, and Raelynn approaching her. She's not surprised that Jess decided to bring Rae into her little group of friends.

"You finish the Shakespeare assignment?" Mike asks her.

"He means will you finish his assignment?" Rae says.

"No, I don't..." Mike goes to defend himself but sighs in defeat. "Okay, I do."

"I can help you with it," Bella says. "But first..." she pulls a camera from her bag. "I need a picture. My mom's expecting a scrapbook full of memories."

Angela holds up her own camera. "I take 'em. I don't pose for them."

"Today you do," Bella says.

Rae pulls Angela in between her and Jessica, thankful that Angela's wearing a jacket so Raelynn doesn't have contact with her skin.

"You'll Photoshop my nose if it looks big, right?" Jessica asks.

"Don't worry, I'm in the picture;" Eric muses, "no one will be looking at you guys."

"Funny," Rae muses, Eric winks playfully at her, Alice watches with a smile.

Jessica scoffs at them. Jess wraps an arm around Rae, and Rae wraps one around her. Angela lifts her camera to aim at Bella, pretending to take a picture herself. Mike and Eric pretend ti joust as Elena takes a picture.