Better Things

Chapter 7

A/N: I believe this is the chapter everyone's been waiting for, so on you go.  Thanks for reading and reviewing.  Huge thanks to Heather for her awesomeness.

....

After waking up the next morning, I was surprised to find how late it was.  I wasn't one for sleeping in so long, but I'd obviously been exhausted.  After a long shower, I got dressed, threw on an old hoodie, a ripped pair of jeans, and my purple Chuck Taylor's.  Grabbing my wallet and keys, I made my way to the cafeteria for brunch.  By the time I finished making my waffle and grabbed a glass of orange juice, Emmett and Rose had arrived.

"Morning, guys," I greeted them once they sat down at the table.  They gave me smiles and asked if I'd had a good time the night before. 

I shrugged before answering.  "It wasn't bad.  I'm not a big party person, and I'm not a drinker, but it's always fun being with you guys."

A little while later, Alice and Jasper arrived, and Alice looked like crap.  Her usual perfectly-sculpted hair was sitting flat on her head, she wasn't wearing any makeup, and she was sporting a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt.  I'd never seen her look so un-Alice like.  She collapsed into the chair Jasper held out for her before asking her wanted she wanted.

"Coffee," she groaned.  "Lots and lots of coffee."

With a kiss to the top of her head, Jasper went and got her coffee as well as some food from the line.

"How you feeling, sis?" Emmett boomed, grinning in delight when she groaned and flipped him off. 

She muttered something I couldn't understand before sighing in relief when Jasper placed a large mug of coffee and some bacon and eggs in front of her.  Jasper shot me a wink as he rubbed Alice's back while she took large gulps of coffee.  She was obviously suffering from a hangover, but I couldn't find too much sympathy for her.  She did bring it on herself. 

"Where's Ed?" Emmett asked Jasper who shook his head.

"I'm guessing he's with Lauren.  He didn't come back last night."

And just like that, my appetite was gone.  Subconsciously, I knew that he and Lauren were intimate; hell I'd seen her groping him, but hearing he hadn't come back to his room and he'd been with Lauren was sort of a wakeup call.  Shoving my plate of food away from me, I leaned back in my chair and stared out the window. 

"What are everyone's plans today?" Emmett asked.

"To curl up and die," Alice responded, causing Jasper to chuckle.  Emmett grinned and looked at me.

"I'm hitting up the public library in a bit.  After that, I'll probably just stay in and read."

Emmett made a face and called me boring, but I knew it was in good fun.  I loved reading, and I hadn't gotten much time to do it lately, what with school work and tests.  Saying goodbye to them, I threw out my trash and made my way to the parking lot.  I hopped in my car and drove the few miles it was to the library.