CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
a summer

The sound of laughter drifted prettily through the air, covering the sound of the record player. Celia looked like an angel- sounded like an angel- with her red-coated lips and perfectly glittered face. She was singling along to the music, a song that Violet had picked out, a silvery white dress gathering by her heels, the cutout lace glamorous against her dark skin. Violet wished she could capture the image of her best friend and memorise every single detail, never forgetting it. 

She would miss these days when their cares were few in far between and their thoughts were taken up by minor things like the words of other people. Violet would be leaving soon after the summer, off to a new city that she wasn't sure she was going to like. The people there, she thought, would be nothing like Celia, or her dad... or even Rosalie Hale. 

The laughter died and Celia lifted her head from against the bed frame, capturing her deep into her stare. "What?"

"Nothing," Violet sighed as she sat beside her, head leaning on her shoulder. She would make this comfort last. "I wish you could see yourself how I see you."

Celia only smiled. "Come on. Up!" She tugged under her arms and Violet stood up from the bed. "You asked me to make you look 'like you haven't just rolled out of bed' in your own words. Now we both know why you're so bothered about what you look like tonight-"

"Celia!"

"I'm just being honest," she said, a mischievous grin etched on her face. "Now let me do my job."

Violet's own dress was red with a beaded collar, borrowed from her dad's girlfriend. She felt different in it, but it was the hair that Violet cared about. Celia curled it and decorated it with a jewelled pin, matching the colour of the glitter she painted on her eyelids. It took only an hour before they were rushing down the stairs, purses in hand, to where Robbie Green stood in the doorway. 

"You look beautiful," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Violet would miss this too. Her dad was a place of comfort and soon she wouldn't have that so readily. She was supposed to cringe away at his compliments as any girl would do because he was her dad and he had to say that. But he was always sincere, always supportive. It was why she was able to go away. 

"Thanks, dad."

"Any girl you dance with will be lucky." Violet blushed, but before she could complain, he was rushing them into the living room. "Now let me get pictures."

"Be quick, we're already going to be late!"

The two tucked in together, smiling as he snapped a picture with the old camera. It was a picture worth framing, she thought, as they crowded around to look back at it on the tiny screen. 

"Let me take one, Robbie, and you get in with the girls," Ally said, pushing him their way.

It took too long for them to pile into the truck on the driveway, finding a stern Jacob in the driver's seat. "What took you so long? You'll be late at this rate."

"Not with the way you speed," Violet laughed, planting a kiss on his cheek as he swiftly pulled away.

"Besides, you can't put a time restraint on perfection," Celia said, only to earn a roll of the eyes.

With Jake's speeding, they arrived at the dance with plenty of time. Cars were still pulling into the car park outside of the school and as Jacob swung the truck around to sit under the tree, they spotted Bella slipping from one of the Cullens' sleek black cars. There was a cast on her broken leg, revealed by the shorter length of her purple dress.

"Not a bad drive," Violet said, patting his shoulder as she hauled herself out after Celia. "Even though this is so illegal."

"A simple thank you would be fine, you know."

"There's no fun in that, is there Cee?"

"None at all. We take a certain sense of enjoyment out of teasing you," her friend agreed, smiling at his scowl. If there was one thing Celia enjoyed, it was teasing Jacob.

"Why am I still friends with you?" Violet only shrugged. "I'm going to talk to Bella."

"Tell her I think she looks pretty. Even with the boot," she shouted, watching as he sulked away from the truck, hands stuffed in pockets.

"I can't believe she came here with Edward Cullen," Celia gossiped, tucking herself into Violet's arm. "A few months ago that would have been unheard of. And now you're looking forward to seeing Rosalie Hale. It's like the world has flipped upside down."

"I don't know how I'm still standing on my own two feet," Violet said.

Celia was too enthusiastic. "You better ask her to dance."

"She'll say no."

"I don't think she'll be able to say no to you."

Something in her tone made Violet blush. She shook her head, looped their arms and pushed them towards the entrance.

The lights glittered across the ceiling of the gym like stars. It was a wonder how the old hall had been made to look so charming within such little time, but somehow it had been done. Red drapes hung from the frosted windows, and an equally crimson carpet led from the wide doors into the room, lined by a single camera and a barrier of golden rope.

The music that played as Violet and Celia entered the dance was not nearly loud enough. Far across the room, a DJ set was placed with too-small speakers accompanying it. Violet shook her head but said nothing. It was not a night for complaints and she would not ruin a moment of it for Celia, who'd been thinking of the night for weeks.

Besides, it was not the music, for once, that controlled her attention. Violet slipped passed the camera before Celia could drag her to it, and let her eyes fall across the small group toward the centre of the gym. She was not the only one looking at the Cullens. They commanded attention like nothing else, with their pasty skin and amber eyes and expensive clothes. But only Violet's gaze was returned.

Rosalie Hale looked flawless, her slim body wrapped in black fabric, sharp cut-out along her collar and waist revealing stretches of smooth skin. Her blonde hair was curled too, falling past her shoulders and when she turned to look across the room it seemed to flow like silk down her back. Violet found herself grinning before she could stop herself. There was a silver shimmer coated on Rosalie's eyelids, only making her golden eyes look brighter.

It was as if she'd forgotten to breathe, when Violet realised Rosalie was stepping forward, brushing past her sister with a whisper, only to find her side.

Rosalie was quiet for a moment, as she always was. "You look beautiful."

Violet could not respond. She didn't know how to. For a moment, she couldn't speak English.

She had thought that of Rosalie when she'd first seen her. Breathtakingly beautiful. But if she could use that to describe Violet, then the word did not seem strong enough to be worthy of Rosalie Hale's beauty.

"Thank you," were the only words to be uttered by Violet at first.

"I was just about to head outside, get some air. Want to come?" Rosalie said, then her eyes shifted to glance behind.

She followed her eyes easily, finding Celia and Emmett on the other side, both too distracted by one another to notice them slipping away. Violet struggled to suppress her shocked grin. 

"Emmett will keep your friend occupied long enough I'm sure," Rosalie said. 

But Violet just nodded, skimming past Rosalie, and grabbing her wrist to lead them outside. If Rosalie was going to make it up to her, it would start here and now, and last the whole summer. 

Outside, the sky had darkened. Violet led them to the tree line, just across from the entrance to the gym. Out there, the music was little more than static in the background, but somehow still Violet, with her human ears, could still make out the faint tune and join in with a hum.

You look beautiful. Rosalie found herself wanting to speak those thoughts again. Edward had heard them enough in the first half an hour that he'd resigned himself to forcing Alice to talk to her. Had Bella not been there, it would have been him pushing her to talk to Violet, if only to quieten her usually guarded thoughts. But Rosalie was too distracted to create that blurred barrier today.

Violet wore a dress that didn't look like hers, but she wore it well, Rosalie couldn't help but think. She smelled of fresh perfume but still beneath that she could detect the faint lingering scent of the garage. That scent was a familiar comfort to Rose now, it seemed. Her hair fell in heated curls to her shoulders and in the darkness, beneath the trees, the tips looked more red than usual.

The two didn't need the small talk. It felt like they were capable of more than that now. They sat opposite one another until their shoes were almost touching. Rosalie listened to her heartbeat, to the gentle, familiar rhythm and let her head lull against her arms. It was a wonder something so human could make her feel so calm. There was a skip in the cadence and Rosalie waited for the words to come.

"I'm leaving," Violet said and Rosalie lifted her head once more. She had not expected that.

"What?"

"After the summer. I'm leaving." Violet watched for a reaction but Rosalie didn't give one. For a moment she wondered how she'd forgotten that the world still went on, that people aged. Violet would age. "NYU for engineering. But I was thinking, if I get my Jeep finished, I'll still have a couple of months left. And I love Celia  but she won't be able to come to the places I want to go and-"

Violet was rambling and Rosalie tried her hardest not to stare. In that minute she remembered the feeling of leaning against Violet on the floor of her bedroom, of being so close as she promised to make it up to her. It was a dangerous game she was playing, but Rosalie was competitive and she could feel the question that was brewing.

"What are you asking?"

"Let's take the Jeep and go," Violet said, steeling herself and lifting her chin confidently. "We can have a summer."

In that, there seemed to be an understanding, a common awareness of their attraction. Violet had never been so bold.

"A summer?"

Violet nodded and held out her pinky finger. It was juvenile, but it made Rose smile. "A summer."

She waited a moment before she nodded, bringing her own finger to interlock with Violet's. Rosalie repeated the words again, wishing she could hear all of Violet's thoughts as Edward could. Maybe one day they could share all they held back, but there and then she felt satisfied enough to have that unspoken promise. A summer.

I could have easily sped things up and put a surprise kiss in here but that's not me and I don't think it fits rose and vi yet (opinions????). Anyway, this took me agessss to write for some reason and I'm not even all too happy with the outcome. I just couldn't get it to be right. Better late than never though!