CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
PAPER CUT

THEA is wearing a dress. A stunning one. A brown with a voluminous slanted slit. There is a beautiful jewel in the middle and two strands that tie behind her neck to keep it together.

Thea was so upset about the library incident that she simply stood there as everyone else did the work. She watched as Esme set up the roses and Rosalie lit the candles that could surely burn the entire place down.

Emmett comes down the steps, wrapping his arm around Thea. "Why the pout, little sister?"

Thea was glaring at Alice, who seemed to wear a bigger smile than usual as she finished setting up. "I hate this house."

Emmett follows Thea's glare, "the house? Or Alice?" He grins.

"I hate her too." Thea mumbles.

Emmett squints, "I doubt that."

Alice looks to her wife, "Sweetheart, can you light these candles and put them on the window frames, please?" She was wearing an innocent smile.

Thea takes them, or more so snatches them, "I should light you on fire." She mumbles.

Alice turns back to her, still wearing a smile, "what was that?"

Thea mimics her fake smile, clearly annoyed, "oh nothing." She goes to light the candles.

Rosalie and Emmett share an amused smile at the two. 

A few minutes later, the family hears Bella pulling up in the driveway with Edward. "They're here!" Alice claps.

"Great." Thea and Rosalie say in unison.

Thea suddenly feels her mood brighten. She wasn't happen but she wasn't as angry either. She frowns, her eyes sanding the room and seeing Jasper at the top of the staircase. "Very funny."

"Your...frustration...was beginning to bother me." Jasper chuckles as he walks down. "Whatever it is that Alice did, I'm sure she didn't mean it." He tries to defend his best friend.

"Oh, but she did." Thea pushes her tongue against her cheek., her eyes gazing at her wife. Jasper chuckles, patting her shoulder before moving further down.

Thea takes a deep breath as Bella and Edward walk in. Esme walks over and wraps her hand around Thea's shoulder before kissing her temple.

"Sorry about all this." Carlisle apologizes to Bella, "we tried to rein Alice in."

Esme steps over to Bella, chuckling, "as if that's even possible." She hugs her. "Happy birthday, Bella."

"Thanks." Bella smiles before it falters from a flash. She turns to see Alice holding a camera.

"I borrowed it from your bag, you mind?" Alice takes another picture.

Esme returns to Thea, wrapping her arm around her yet again. Emmett and Edward were standing behind them. "Dating an older woman. Hot." Emmett raises a brow with a grin.

Edward was stunned. Simply shaking his head. Emmett frowns at his reaction, "what?"

"Speaking of older women, Edward. How many more birthday parties will there be? Sixty, seventy?" Thea turns her head but keeping her body in Esme's hold. "It's all hot until you're dating a ninety-year-old woman who needs her diapers changed. But hey, if you never change her, even better, at least I know I won't have to deal with her problems for eternity."

Edward now seemed troubled. Esme looks at Edward before looking at her daughter, "Thea." She silently scolds her.

Bella glances at Thea, she definitely heard every word of that but Alice was quick to pull her back into excitement.

"What?" Thea rolls her eyes before Esme pulls her to the side as the rest of the the family move on to exchange gifts. "It was just a question."

"A question that you knew would affect him." Esme sighs, "I understand you're upset about Bella. And you don't have to like but I'm asking you to respect her night."

"I can't ask questions now?" Thea holds up her hands defensively.

"Not when they're inappropriate and at a time like this." Esme signals to the birthday party. "Just a couple hours...that's all I'm asking for."

Thea huffs, "a couple hours." She repeated. Esme smiles successfully, leading the both of them back into the gift exchange.

Rosalie had given Bella a necklace Alice picked out. Emmett gifted her a sound system since the one in Bella's truck was basically a piece of junk. They were on Esme and Carlisle's gift.

Alice steps over to Thea, silently lacing their fingers. Thea was stubborn and still upset about the whole library incident so she moves her hand away. Alice raises a brow, shocked and Thea returns the playful smile.

Carlisle had his arm wrapped around Esme's "just a little something to brighten your day."

"Yes. You've been looking a little pale lately." Esme comments.

Bella struggles for a moment to open the small box. Then with one little tug from her finger, Bella hisses. Blood was dripping out of a small cut caused by the paper. Bella brings it to eye level, sighing, "paper cut."

"More like glass." Thea rolls her eyes at the clumsy human. Since when did that much blood come from a paper cut?

A droplet of blood fell to the carpet. Then silence fell over everyone.

It all happened so fast. And that's saying something if it's coming from a vampire.

Jasper speeds towards Bella, his eyes dark. Edward shields Bella, pushing her back against a glass table while simultaneously shoving Jasper back into a piano, causing it to collapse.

Thea's eyes widen as Carlisle and Emmett jump to hold back a hissing Jasper. Alice goes to calm down his friend, "Jazz—Jazz, it's okay. It's just a little...blood."

The smell hit the vampires like a ton of bricks. The faint smell of blood from the paper cut had now became a thousand times more strong.

Because of Edward pushing her against a table with glass on top of it. She now had a deep cut running down her arm.

Carlisle speeds over to Bella's aid. "Get Jasper out of here."

Emmett pulls Jasper away, his aggressive nature fading as he'd realized what he'd done.

Alice stood in shock. She shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I—"

Thea was quick to lace their fingers, rubbing her shoulder, "come on, let's go check on Jazz."

     ragerwrites,           Not Thea clocking Edward out of nowhere! Slay!

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