Made of Glass Chapter 20

A Chapter by Charlie

Commencing Project Dark Side!

I had broken the pattern! I had him! He was mine and he wasn’t getting away. He came into the bar the day after the meadow and the day after that and the day after that. It was just like it had always been. Better than how it had been! I had won! I was victorious!

It was pretty hard to miss my euphoric mood. People around the bar were constantly asking me what was going on. Why was I smiling so much or if I was doing something different that made my face glow like that. I’d just glance over at Eddie and smile some more.

I know it sounds hopelessly teenage girlish. But hey I was in love. I think I deserved a little silly enjoyment.

What was even better than how happy I was was how happy Eddie was. His mood mirrored my own. He didn’t seem gloomy at all about almost killing me! What more could I ask for in life?

There wasn’t anything that I could ask for but there was something Eddie was missing.

Jasper started coming into the bar with Eddie every once in a while. I could tell by the way that they behaved around each other that I had been wrong about how Eddie had felt about his family. He didn’t dislike them like I disliked mine. He loved them. He wanted them to approve of what he did. Only they didn’t. They weren’t going along with him and that is why he was frustrated with them. I knew that it would mean the world to Eddie if all of his family came to the bar and met me and got along with me as well as Jasper did. After so long he didn’t have to be the odd wheel anymore. He was part of a pair now. Only rather than creating a great big happy eight wheeler we were forced to be a bicycle. Sometimes a tricycle whenever Jasper came over to our side. I frequently worried what Alice thought about that. I knew how she felt about me. I could still imagine her icy stare from the one time I visited the Cullen home. I could imagine her shifting that gaze to Jasper for just being here with me. He didn’t seem to mind too much. We all had a great time. Both the boys were very good at pretending the home problems didn’t exist.

Still when I was alone with Eddie and we were talking quietly sometimes he would mention something and I could see the regret in his eyes that he couldn’t be around them more. That they didn’t know me and love me the way he did.

This what prompted the proposal of Project Dark Side Cullens. I suggested it to Eddie one night after I had closed up and he had accompanied me back up to my apartment.

“There has got to be a way we can get them to like me. Or at least not disapprove. If we just work on them maybe they’ll come around. Like Jasper did! It worked just fine with him and now he’s on Team Dolly. I think we can get the rest of them!” I said enthusiastically.

“And what do you propose we do?” Eddie said lackadaisically laying on my air mattress with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. He was not as excited about the plan as I was. Probably because he thought it couldn’t be done.

I plopped down next to him. “I don’t know. I’ve never met most of them. You’re the one that reads minds. I’m sure you can come up with something.”

He opened one eye to look at me. He wasn’t buying it.

“You shouldn’t worry so much. It doesn’t matter what they think of us.”

“It matters to you!” I pleaded.

He shrugged.

I stood back up ignoring his lack of cooperation.

“Fine I can do this myself,” I started pacing back and forth hacking out my plan. “First, I’ll need some more intelligence. Not just background stories. I need to know how they’ll respond to me. I need to know what we have to work with. I think we should plan a field trip to your house. Let me meet everyone. Once I get a better picture I can decided the correct way to approach each of them. One on one. It would be too hard for one defining act to pull them in, but we have time. I can pay them all individual attention.”

Eddie sat up smirking at me. “This really means that much to you?”

“You can't tell me you wouldn’t prefer for them to like me! We have to at least try and hanging out here all the time isn’t going to fix anything.”

“I think we shouldn’t have to try. They should just be happy that I’m happy,” Eddie said laying back down.

“We’ll have to show them how absolutely happy you are and that I’m not in any danger. We have to show them that this is going to end up well. This would be a lot easier with your intelligence!” I kicked him lightly in the ribs.

He grabbed my foot and pulled me down next to him on the bed.

“Stop trying to distract me with your caressing and lovey dovey eyes. I need to focus!” I tried to stand up again but he held me firmly to the bed.

“Fine, we can go to my house tomorrow. I’ll introduce you to everyone. You’ll see how hopeless it all is,” he said pessimistically.

“Or you’ll see how good I am manipulating people to my will!” I said mischievously.

“Oh I know how good you are at that,” he said laughing. “Clearly since I’m going along with this. Can I distract you now?”

The next day was actually Saturday. I got up early before Eddie arrived. He took great pleasure in being there when I woke up. He thought my bad moods in the morning were hilarious. But this time I had him beat. I took extra care making myself look presentable and had even made it through most of a bowl of cereal before I heard his knock at the door.

Whenever I was awake I made him knock on the door before he could come in. I tried to get him agree to the same practice during all hours of the day but he said he wasn’t willing to wait in the hallway while I slept in. I told him he should only come over when I was awake then but he didn’t like that at all. Since I technically couldn’t stop him from doing whatever he wanted I counted my blessings that he obeyed this one rule. Besides I secretly liked waking up and having him there every morning.

“Come in,” I said at a normal volume.

The door swung open and Eddie walked in with all his glory and that fabulous smile.

“You were up early this morning?” he said looking me up and down.

“I wanted to be fully prepared,” I said solemnly.

“We aren’t preparing for battle,” Eddie laughed. “Although you do look very nice today.”

“Thank you. So do you.”

I dumped my bowl in the skin and headed toward the door. “Let’s go.”

“Don’t you want to wait until normal visiting hours?” Eddie said refusing to follow me out the door.

“Why? It’s not like they won't be awake yet.”

“But if we go in an hour-“

“Procrastination never solves anything, Buttercup! We are going. Isn’t there anything you want to show me about your home. The place where you reside and keep all your possessions?”

He shrugged.

“There has to be some object you own that you’re proud of?”

“I would like you to see my piano. I feel like you would be impressed by the show I can put on,” he said looking down his nose.

I was actually a little upset that I had yet to hear any of the fruits of Eddie’s so called musical talent. I had heard great things but had not yet been privy to the honor. I was pretty excited about that too.

“There you go! How am I to ever hear you play if we don’t go to your house?”

"I could buy you a piano to keep here?" he suggested.

I ignored him and continued down the stairs without looking to see if he was following. I walked out of the bar and all the way across the parking lot to his car without him following. Then the lock on his car door popped up. I bit my lip to prevent my victorious smile and slid into the car. A few seconds passed by and then he was sliding in next to me.

He actually looked nervous.

“You’re lack of confidence hurts me, Eddie,” I said still maintaining my serious air.

“I’m not nervous about what they’ll think of you. I’m nervous about what they’ll do to you. You know not to be offended if they’re less than polite right?”

“Why wouldn’t I be offended if they say offending things?”

“Because they don’t mean them. It’s not that they don’t like you as a person they just don’t like that you’re human and so they’ll say things they don’t mean.”

“I’m a big girl I can handle it. Oh! Look the dairy store is open already!” I said pointing out the window. “I want to get an ice cream cone!” I commanded Eddie to pull over.

“Big girl, right.” He said as I skipped out of the car to buy the frosty treat.

The Cullen mansion was even bigger than I remembered.

“Rich people.” I huffed as I got out of the car. He parked in the middle of the drive just like I had. Maybe he thought we weren’t going to be staying long.

I felt like I could rightfully stare at the glorious estate this time. I turned about in the drive soaking in all the magnificence of the yard and looming house in front of me.

“I am so jealous. I don’t even have furniture. It’s just not fair.”

“Do you want me to buy you furniture?” Eddie offered eagerly.

“No! That is not what I was implying. I don’t need furniture.”

“I wouldn’t mind a comfortable chair,” he mumbled.

It was a glorious day outside. Every once in a while the sun would peek through a cloud and shower Eddie covering him in all his little sparkles. Each time it took my breath away.

Eddie was clearly trying to stall me from entering the house. He started by pointing things out to me in the yard for me to admire. Then he brought to use the glorious day to keep me outside. I hate to admit I was persuaded. We had plenty of time to commence the Project. I could enjoy this day outside with Eddie.

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