Twilight Fan Fiction ❯ The Fragrance of the Perfect Lie ❯ Reality Hurts ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Overwhelming scents of roses and other flowers that Bella couldn’t identify filled the room with a sweet fragrance. This was it. She would fulfill the last demand of Edward’s that would join them together for the rest of the eternity. Alice must’ve sensed her anxiety because she danced towards her in the blink of an eye.

“Cheer up, this is your wedding. Let me help you get your dress on,” She trilled in delight. Alice gracefully led her to a tall mirror and brought out Bella’s antique, yet beautiful wedding dress. Alice rambled on about how much trouble it caused her to order the right (human) food on such a short notice. Bella smirked at this; she knew how excited Alice was with preparing every little detail for her wedding.

Even though Alice had promised her wedding to be an unforgettable day; her hands shook whenever she thought about her wedding guests. Rosalie’s patient smile from behind made her feel slightly better; ever since that night Rosalie finally explained her behavior to her, slowly but surely, an everlasting friendship began to grow. She couldn’t imagine how flawless Edward would look in a tuxedo; it made her lightheaded to even try. She suddenly wondered if Jacob would come to her wedding or not; she wholeheartedly understood if he chose to not arrive.

Even so, a pang of sadness swept through her chest. She had a strong feeling that she wouldn’t see Jacob ever again, regardless of whether she changed into a vampire or not. The strength of her and Edward’s love would become that much more obvious after she would say “I do.” As she had explained to Edward and herself over and over again - she knew what she could live through, and leaving Edward wasn’t one of them.

“It’s time.” Rosalie lightly touched her shoulder, startling Bella out of her scattered daydream. They led her to the entrance of the magnificent church. She gave a shaky sigh when she saw Charlie - love and plain excitement shining his features - ready to lead her down the aisle.

He took a hold of her arm and as they slowly walked down the aisle; Bella finally settled her gaze on her future husband. His scorching golden eyes were filled with all the love and joy of the world - his beauty radiated the entire church and captured her heart. His gaze pulled her like a magnet as she walked down the aisle without managing to trip on her dress' full skirt. She barely noticed as Charlie let go and Bella completely ignored the priest’s words as she stared lovingly back into Edward’s eyes.

She regained focus when Edward said, "I do." This was the happiest moment of Bella’s entire life - all of the dangers and heartbreak that she had to face was worth it. She now knew better than to bet against Alice again. Her pixie sister in law was right: she was entirely grateful that Alice had made this perfect.

As the words, “I do,” formed on her mouth, a persistent alarm woke her up.

“What?” she whispered to herself, studying the room. She shook her head in confusion; looking around, she realized she was still in her bedroom, tangled in the sheets of her messy bed. Her wedding hadn’t happened yet. She wondered why Edward wasn’t there to greet her like he always was.

Oh well, maybe he needed to hunt with Jasper and Emmett and I completely forgot about it, she thought as she grasped for some reason to explain why Edward was gone. She quickly got dressed in a casual outfit of a blue sweater and jeans - Edward’s favorite outfit on her. She raced down the stairs, eager to spend the day at the Cullen’s house again. Charlie met her hurried pace with a frown.

“Eager for your first day of school?” He asked, confused.

“What do you mean? College?” She asked back, pouring some cereal into a bowl.

“What do you mean? You have to finish your Junior year and Senior year here first.” He joked. Bella froze and the spoon in her hand dropped when his words settled in.

Junior and senior year? She had already finished high school already…right? She gazed into Charlie’s eyes and took in his honest yet slightly confused facial expression.

Oh no, she thought as it clicked. Then the kitchen around her started to whirl sickeningly and her hands shook violently.

“Bella, what’s wrong? Are you nervous about meeting new people at Forks High?" Charlie asked worriedly. He must have noticed her most recent near-tumble to the floor had little to do with her usual clumsiness. "Don't worry about it, the kids around here are friendly," he said reassuringly.

“Nothing at all,” she managed to squeak. Maybe it was a belated April Fool’s joke that Charlie forgot to celebrate. She tried to quiet her agitated thoughts and decided that she would get through the day to see if he was joking or not.

She picked up her book bag and called a good-bye behind her as she climbed in her Chevy. She drove to its creaky limits and ignored the whining that her car gave her. If she hadn’t met Edward and it was all a dream, what would she do? She silenced the question at once, in order to keep her sanity in check.

She didn’t want to think about what she would do if it really had been a long, brilliant dream. Carefully parking her car by the administration building, she scanned the student parking lot and let out a sigh of relief as she saw the familiar shiny silver Volvo. Okay, it was a good sign so far. It had to be Edward’s Volvo; nobody else around would be able to afford one. If the people she knew really existed, that is.

I’m not going insane, I’m not going insane, she repeated the mantra in her mind numbly, over and over again. She entered the orange office once again, with a feeling of déjà vu clouding her senses.

“Can I help you?” Ms. Cope asked her politely. Bella used all the strength she could muster to not faint or throw up on her.

“I’m Isabella Swan,” she replied, feeling a hard lump in her throat rise.

“Of course,” said Ms. Cope as she once again, dug through a stack of documents and handed her the correct papers. “I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school.”

Bella grabbed the papers and ran out of the office before Ms. Cope could highlight the best routes to each class. She weighed her options of what to do next. Should she play out her first day of school again?