CHAPTER NINE:
REJECTION

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"OKAY, THIS IS NOT what I was expecting," Shay hummed under her breath as she pulled into the Cullen driveway.

The drive was lit up by multi-coloured fairy lights, dozens of cars parked on the lawn that surrounded the beautiful million-dollar home. Shay remembered Alice telling her how her mother, Esme, designed the house when they first decided to move to Forks, describing the great glass walls and beautiful gardens in vivid detail. But seeing it in person was entirely different to imagining it, so to say Shay was amazed by what she was seeing would be a massive understatement.

She soon found an empty spot between two other cars, hastily parking when she spotted several other cars arriving behind her. Taking a moment to sit there and breathe, she glanced in the rearview mirror and adjusted her hair one last time before stepping out of the car into the cool Forks air. Music was pumping through the open doors and windows of Alice's home, teenagers of all ages filing in and outside, red cups of spiked punch and snacks gripped in their hands. From the few people that lingered outside, Shay could tell this party would be one to remember, for everyone was excited to get a look into the infamous lives of the Cullen family.

"Shay!" Alice had spotted the brunette beauty lingering by her car, purse clutched in her hands as she stared at her surroundings in awe. Ignoring the smirks her siblings (minus Rosalie) wore as she broke away from them, she bounded over to Shay with a blinding smile, happy that she'd shown up. "You came."

"Of course," Shay told her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear bashfully. "I wouldn't just ditch you."

Alice beamed, eagerly reaching for Shay's hand and leading her across the yard. "Come join my family, they're so excited to meet you!"

Shay didn't have the chance to say no before she was standing before a group of astoundingly beautiful people. She felt extremely insignificant standing beside Alice and her siblings, who looked like they'd just stepped off a runway in contrast to Shay's cheap dress and scuffed heels that she'd borrowed from Cora's wardrobe. But they seemed nice enough, if you excluded the blonde girl who stood there and scowled at her, so Shay tried to push her anxieties away as she allowed Alice to introduce her to the faces that she didn't recognise.

"Okay, you already know Edward and Jasper," she said, linking her arm with Shay's as she pointed at the other two. "But this is Emmett and Rosalie."

"It's nice to meet you," she muttered nervously, gripping Alice's arm tight as Emmett grinned, nudging his sullen girlfriend who gave a reluctant smile of her own.

"Finally, a face to put to a name," Emmett said. "We've heard so much about you, Shay, you're all Alice talks about nowadays."

"Oh, really?" Shay smirked, turning to Alice as the younger girl shot her brother a glare.

"Just ignore Emmett, he likes to cause trouble," she grumbled. Emmett burst into laughter, followed by Edward and Jasper, who were unused to watching Alice bristle with embarrassment. She turned to Shay, completely ignoring her siblings' presence. "So what do you wanna do tonight? Get something to eat or drink? Dance?"

"I'm not fussed," Shay shrugged, acutely aware of the fact that Alice's arm was still looped through hers. "We could get a drink, maybe?"

"Sure!" Alice exclaimed, and with one final glare at her smirking brothers and Rosalie, she lead Shay up to the house. "I'm sorry about my brothers. They can be a little overbearing sometimes. And Rosalie too, she's a tad distant around strangers, but she warms up to you once you get to know her."

"It's okay, they seemed nice," Shay told her. "Emmett reminds me of my brother, though Seb's a little more shy than he is."

They entered the brightly lit living room, the music pounding in their ears and bodies pressed in around them. The house was full to the brim with celebrating teenagers who were dancing and eating and laughing to their hearts' content. Shay wasn't used to the party scene, so she stuck close to Alice's side, allowing her to lead her through the crowd to where the punch bowl was located.

"You don't talk about your brother much," Alice noted as they each poured themselves a drink. Shay took a long sip from her cup, Alice simply holding hers as they moved to sit at an empty lounge. "What's he like?"

"He's brilliant," Shay beamed at the mention of Seb. "I love him to bits."

"I can tell," Alice smiled, eyes raking over Shay's face. She got this look in her eyes when she spoke of Seb, like a proud mum who was watching their child succeed in life. "You guys must be pretty close then."

"Yeah, we are," she nodded. "I mean, we're all the other has, so it makes sense."

"Oh," Alice muttered, frowning at Shay's words. "What about your parents?"

Shay sipped her drink again, uncertain. It's not that she didn't trust Alice, she did, but a party didn't seem like the place to tell her about her family problems. "They're not around anymore."

"I'm sorry," she winced. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, you didn't," Shay assured her. "I just don't want to talk about it where anyone else can hear. I'll tell you more another time."

They sat in silence for a moment, Shay absentmindedly sipping from her drink and Alice staring down at hers with a faraway look in her eyes. As the song changed from a slower tune to a more upbeat one, Shay decided that she didn't like the silence anymore, placing her empty cup on a side-table and motioning for Alice to do the same.

"Let's go dance," she beamed, allowing the spiked punch to give her courage as she took Alice's hand and lead her onto the dancefloor.

They danced for what seemed like forever. The music blasting from the speakers and shaking the floor beneath their feet. Blocking out their surroundings; not just the people that swarmed Alice's home, but the rest of Forks, the rest of America, the rest of the whole damn world. Soon, all they could see was each other, Shay with her carefree twirls and Alice with her graceful moves. There was no one else but them, nothing but the butterflies in their stomachs and the smiles they would share every time their eyes met. Shay was happy with Alice, so much so that she took a leap of faith and moved closer to her, arms slowly circling her waist until their arms were pressed together and they were swaying out of time with the music. Alice welcomed the touch, leaning closer until their faces were inches apart. Shay's eyes slowly fluttered shut, but before their lips could touch, Alice gasped and stumbled away from her.

"What is it?" Shay frowned, worried that she'd done something wrong. Alice said nothing for a moment, staring blankly in the distance before she let out another gasp, blinking out of her daze and turning to look at Shay as she waved a hand in front of her face, "Alice?"

"I have to find my family," Alice muttered, ignoring Shay's confused frown as she turned away from her, hastily calling over her shoulder, "Just give me five minutes, alright? I'll be back soon."

Shay watched her leave in disbelief, swallowing thickly with embarrassment as she watched Alice join Bella and Jasper at the staircase, disappearing upstairs with the rest of their family hot on their heels. To Shay, every eye in the room was on her, staring and laughing at her for thinking that she could kiss someone like Alice Cullen. While this wasn't exactly the truth, the people closest to Shay were looking at her and whispering, having caught the moment and spreading it like wildfire. She quickly disappeared into the kitchen, her face burning red as she poured herself another drink, in the end deciding to wait outside for Alice to come back.

Time passed. For the first five minutes, Shay tried not to think too much about what happened. Alice did disappear with her family, so she hadn't been lying to Shay in that regard. But maybe they were in on it. Alice had looked horrified when she left Shay. Was the thought of kissing her really that bad?

Ten minutes passed. Shay's cup was drained and her veins were buzzing with alcohol, her brain racing to find an explanation for Alice's strange behaviour. Surely it wasn't something that she had done? But maybe she'd misread the signs and Alice wasn't interested, she was only being nice by asking Shay out and she wanted nothing more than to be Shay's friend, or even less than that.

Twenty minutes passed. By then, Shay was feeling well and truly rejected. Sitting out in the cold with an empty red cup and hurt feelings. She wanted nothing more than to leave, but part of her was hoping that Alice would stick to her word and come back. She rose to her feet, her skin covered in gooseflesh as she peered through the open door, the wind throwing her hair and the skirt of her dress around. At first, she couldn't see her, but as she went to turn away, she spotted the unmistakable pixie cut off in the corner. There Alice stood chatting with Bella, not a care in the world. Shay's heart sank at the sight.

She stumbled back from the door, deciding she'd taken enough embarrassment for the night, and began to head over to where she'd parked her car. Edward had seen her leave, though, and was quick to alert Alice of Shay's thoughts and plans to leave. The Cullen girl was quick to race outside, cursing herself for completely forgetting about Shay. The brunette in question had just reached her car, jaw clenched tight with annoyance and an emotion that Alice couldn't quite decipher.

"Shay!" she called, walking as fast as she could without seeming suspicious. "Shay, wait a second!"

But Shay ignored her, unlocking her car and hopping into the driver's seat. She was just about to close the door behind her but Alice caught it, pushing it back desperately. "I'm so sorry, I completely lost track of time-"

"You didn't have to invite me if you didn't want to," Shay sighed, refusing to look Alice in the eyes. Her worst fears were confirmed that night; that Alice wouldn't be interested, that she'd get her feelings hurt. How could she look Alice in the eyes now?

"Shay, you don't understand-"

"Then make me understand," she interjected. ""Cause right now, all I'm feeling is rejection."

Alice was quiet for a moment, eyebrows drawn into a frown. She wanted nothing more than to tell Shay the truth, but after what'd she'd just seen, she couldn't risk it. She wouldn't put Shay in harm's way like that, even if it meant they were at odds with each other for the time being. "I can't. I'm sorry."

Shay was silent, lips pressed together in an attempt to not let her sadness show. "Then I'm gonna go."

This time, Alice didn't stop her from slamming the door shut. Shay's honda spluttered to life, the headlights shining bright as Shay hurriedly reversed out of her spot, spinning the car around and driving off into the night. It was only once Alice was no longer in sight that Shay let her disappointment show, a single tear trailing down her cheek followed by many more.