AN: I don't own Twilight. The characters just bounce around in my head wanting to come out.
Spring Fling
Dear Diary,
Edward Cullen kissed me. Tonight there was this party…
\0-0/
(Three and a half years later.)
Three girls walk into the school gym that had been decorated top to bottom in metallic objects. The red and purple lighting flashed alternately giving a very disco to early eighties night club scene. The Spring Fling was usually the dance the Juniors at Forks High looked forward to, but this year there was a change in the Dance's format.
"I can't understand why the school would implement a dumb thing like a single's dance," Jessica commented.
"Jess I think it is a good idea. It gives everyone equal footing," Angela suggested.
"It's pure BS. I don't know why just because losers can't get a date, we all have to suffer. Look at me. I'm at my perfection peak. I finally got the right guys to notice me and none of them were allowed to bring me as their date."
Bella sighed. "Look at it this way Jess. You don't have to limit yourself to just one guy tonight."
"Hey you're right."
The three walked over to a group of girls waiting for someone to ask them to dance. There were already several dancers on the floor.
"OMG, look who's walking over to us!" Jessica exclaimed. A group of boys walked over and each held a hand out to another girl, guiding them out to the dance floor. Bella stood left behind standing idle away from the rest of the awaiting girls. Edward Cullen had trailed behind the guys pausing for them to clear the way.
When Bella notice him, she purposely focused on the gym floor in front of her. He looked at his friends with dance partners then turned back to Bella. He stood beside her and looked to the spot of her focus.
"What are we looking at," he whispered in her ear. She jumped away from him. "Oh, sorry."
Her body gave an involuntary shudder as she refocused her attention elsewhere.
Edward scratched the back of his head and walked closer to her again. "Do you want to dance?" he asked hesitantly. She shook her head. "Okay, we could just stand here awkwardly."
He faced the dance floor and they both stared at their friends having a good time. A small smile lifted Bella's cheeks. Edward caught it in his peripheral vision and turned to her.
"Why are you smiling?" he asked. She shook her head. "Come on Bella. I know you aren't shy." She still didn't say anything. "Okay fine. I'm just going to talk to you until you answer back."
She glanced at him. "I was just thinking how nice it was that Mike asked Jess to dance. She liked him for a while and it's good to see him reciprocate."
"Oh…" he seemed at a loss for words. "You sure you don't want to dance?" he gestured to the dance floor.
"I'm sure." They continued to watch the people dance.
She actually did want to dance and so her body swayed back and forth to the slow beat. She noticed her slow paced rhythmic movement seemed to be in sync with his. She contorted her face and turned toward him. "I thought you hated me."
"What?" his own rocking halting in surprise. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Your note."
"What note?"
"The one you wrote in eighth grade," she stated.
"Eighth grade?"
"Yeah. Right after Jasper Whitlock's party, the one with the spin the bottle, you started avoiding me…"
"That's because you started acting weird," he interrupted. "You were my best friend and suddenly you wanted to hang out with me alone, not wanting to play baseball with the guys. It was just a stupid party; it didn't have to change anything."
"Well you were the one who changed things. Laura Mallory wrote a note to you in math class asking you why you were avoiding me. You wrote back and I quote 'I hate her guts!'" A small tear began to form in the corner of her eye.
His mouth was agape from the astonishment. "I didn't write that! I would never write that under any circumstances."
"I saw it. You did. Jacob Black showed it to me," she said matter-of-factly.
"Ooh, I see now." He was smiling a bit.
"What?"
"Jacob Black liked you. He used to get all irritated whenever I talked about one of our baseball games," Edward explained.
"Liked me? You're making that up."
"No I'm not."
"Then why didn't he ask me out?"
"How should I know? You expect me to know the thoughts of that dog. He ruined our friendship. You know even though you acted all weird, for a month after the party I came over every Saturday for baseball and you were never home. Your dad said you went out with the girls. He didn't like me, that dad of yours, thought I was turning you into a boy."
She gave a giggle. Her face became curious. "Jake really liked me?"
"Yeah, and he wasn't the only one. Present company excluded, you had quite a following."
"Nooo," she muttered. Her face warmed up, pinking from her blush. "Why 'present company excluded'?"
"Well think about it. You dressed pretty nicely during school time, but I've seen you in a t-shirt and a ponytail, and covered from head to toe in dirt. Anytime I pictured you, it was like that playing ball with the rest of us."
"So you thought of me as a guy?"
"No, I mean I did notice you were a girl. Every time you made a mad dash your boobs would bounce," he snickered.
Bella crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey, you knew I wasn't comfortable with bras yet."
"Exactly," he uttered as he stared into her deep brown eyes. "I knew everything about you, like I do with my sister. I may think she is beautiful in her dress from time to time, but I'm not attracted to her."
"Oh. I guess that explains it." She began chewing on her lower lip.
He smiled his crooked grin. "There is one good thing that came out of our separation."
"What's that?"
"I don't see you like that anymore."
Bella's eyes dropped as the pink tinge in her cheeks returned.
"How about that dance?" he asked.
She looked up at him. "Could I have a minute to think? You could go get me some punch. I'm kind of thirsty."
"Sure. Don't go anywhere." Edward headed for the punch table.
Bella was really confused. For the past couple of years she believed Edward thought the worst of her, but here he was talking to her as if they never stopped being best friends.
Just then Angela walked by returning from the rest room. "OMG Bella, Ben is so cute!" She looked at the area round her. "Have you been standing here alone this whole time?"
"No. I've been chatting with Edward Cullen."
"Oh, that's good."
"No, that's not good. You remember what I said happened with him—"
"Hey listen," she interrupted. She wasn't really paying attention. "Ben was telling me about some of the guys wanting to check out early. He asked if I or any of my friends wanted to go too. How about it?"
"I guess."
"You guess what?" Edward asked carrying back a cup of water.
"Ditching the dance to go to Port Angeles," Angela explained.
Bella stared at the water. "Is that for me?"
"Oh, yes. When Mr. Greene went to the rest room, I saw about five guys pour some bottles into the punch. I figured water would be a safer choice."
"Thanks." She took the cup from his extended arm and accidentally touched her fingers to his.
"I'm up for going," he said with a smile at Angela.
"Great. I'll tell Ben. We need to know how many cars we should take." She headed off back to the dance floor.
Bella took a sip from her cup. "I didn't know she meant Port Angeles. I'm not sure if I should go now," she worried. "I need to be home by 1:00. That's about when my dad gets off from work. He said by two he'll have the whole patrol looking for me."
"That technically gives you an extra hour. Come on. It sounds like it might be fun," Edward replied.
"Okay."
He lifted his wrist to reveal his digital watch. He fiddled with it for a bit and the time keeper made a few beeps. "I set my alarm to go off at 12:30, one and two o'clock. This way we will know when to start heading home, when you're late, and when we're about to be arrested."
Bella giggled at the joke.
\0-0/
A dozen teens stuffed themselves into two vehicles. Emmett's Jeep, which could barely contain his burly frame, had an open roof so only five people could fit in safely. Poor Bella ended up in the backseat of James's four door sedan with half her derrière on Angela's lap. Everyone was squished into uncomfortable positions and the cars took off at high unsafe speeds. In little under an hour the gang was all toppling out of the cars onto the pavement in front of a night club.
"Are you kidding me?" Rose said. "We were just at a dance."
"Yeah, but you didn't need to be 21 to get in," James snickered.
"And here you do?" Victoria questioned. "How do you expect us to get in?"
"I know a guy." James walked around to the back and the others cautiously followed. James knocked on the back door.
A man opened it a crack and asked, "Who are you?" James responded with, "Coconut seeds float my boat."
The man widened the opening and stepped out. "Hand."
James put forth his hand and the man stamped it. Each of them in turn received one and they were directed to enter through the hall to the main club section.
The group looked at the people dancing then James noticed the bar. "Hey, let's get a drink."
"Yeah, I've been dying to try a Long Island Iced Tea," Ben agreed.
The teens began heading for the bar. "Wait a minute," Rosalie paused. "Who's driving home?"
"What do you mean?" Emmett questioned. "James and I are driving. It's our cars."
"Well then the two of you can't drink. Unless you designate another two drivers" Rose declared.
"No way," James pouted. "Can't I take a few sips?"
"You have six other people in the car with you. You need to function," Victoria uttered. "I don't want to die."
"You won't. I've done it plenty of times."
"What?" Tanya exclaimed.
"Actually," Fred spoke up, "he could have one beer now. In about an hour he will be one-hundred percent sober and I think we'll be here for a bit."
"Just one? That's not even enough for a buzz."
"It's that or nothing," Tanya said.
James looked at the others and they all nodded.
"Fine." He led the way to the bar.
As the rest followed, Victoria was heard saying, "Don't worry. I'll watch him."
After they all got something to drink, most got non-alcoholic, they took seats at a double table. James downed his beer in one gulp then stood up. "Which one of you fine ladies would like to dance?"
Victoria stood up instantly. "I will."
As they were off, Emmett stood up. "Come on, Babe," he said to Rosalie. "If I can't drink, I should have some fun tonight."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she fired back.
"Dance with me."
Ben sat there sipping his "tea." "This wasn't what I expected. I can't finish it off."
"Wimp." Angela finished her Long Island iced tea and then took his. "Don't worry. I still think you're adorable." She kissed him quickly then whispered, "Let's dance." Once they left the other six moved closer together ending up in this order: Bella, Mike, Jessica, Edward, Tanya, and Fred.
"That's going to hit her hard," Fred said as he sat down. "She's so skinny."
"You know a lot about drinks, don't you?" Tanya asked. "So why did you order water?"
"Well I do get out a lot, but I'm always the designated driver."
"Square," Jess snickered.
"Ha!" Fred laughed. "Shows how much you know. The best part of being the sober one is getting to remember the shit that happens while everyone is drunk. You can't even believe all the stories I have. And I make sure everyone gets home safely enough to do all again another day."
Tanya looked at him memorized. "What kind of stories?"
Fred gave her a once over. "Dance with me and maybe I'll tell you some."
"How about we join them Mike?" Jess asked.
Mike looked at Edward then to Jess. "Fine."
"And then there were two," Bella uttered as Edward scooted over.
"It's been more than a minute."
"Excuse me?" She seemed confused.
"When I asked you to dance before, you asked for a minute to think. Well the minute is up. What's your answer?"
"No."
"What? Why?"
She looked at the others on the dance floor. "It's weird. Our group isn't all friends. How did we even end up all together?"
Edward's brows furrowed in confusion. He didn't understand her train of thought. "I suppose we are all connected, because we are friends with someone in the group."
"I never thought I would ever be hanging out with Rosalie and Victoria — and definitely not with Tanya."
"Well," he chimed in hesitantly, "I think Emmett asked Rose. I saw him dancing with her at the Dance and Rose doesn't go anywhere without Victoria."
"I know. And I know Ben and Mike are on the baseball team with you, Emmett, and James."
"Fred is always James's designated driver. James believes he drives home after having a few beers, but Fred just lets him think that," he explained.
Bella again glanced over at the mass of bodies and zeroed in on Fred and the blonde he danced with. "And Tanya?"
"What about her?"
"She's connected to you. She's your ex, isn't she?"
Edward smiled. "One date in September. I'd hardly call her an ex."
"Why are you smiling?"
"You've been keeping tabs on me."
"No I haven't," she spoke defensively. "It's just when someone as beautiful as Tanya starts paying attention to a boy, other people pay attention too."
"Come on," he begged. "Dance with me."
"You're not going to stop until I give in?"
"Nope."
"Fine."
They got up to join the others in more or less a group flailing of limbs and shaking of various parts. Several times Edward tugged at Bella's dress to bring her closer to him. Though it gave her a bit of a shock the first time, she figured it was so not to lose her in the thickness of the crowd.
\0-0/
As the night wore on, more people crammed into the club. Bella noticed the average age of the masses had dropped in the past hour. Out of the blue the house lights illuminated and the music silenced. Everyone looked around with questioning glances.
A tall, tan man in a suit took the mike. He held up a badge. "Everyone I am Officer Clearwater. There has been a problem with underage drinking in this club in the past." The teens all looked at each other. "I need you all to form an orderly line and show me your IDs. There is no need to panic."
Unexpectedly, the room became dark and screams were heard all over. Bella could feel people running and bumping trying to make their way out. "Edward!" she yelled, but nothing could be made out over the chaos.
She found her way out in time to see Ben fireman-carrying Angela jump into Emmett's Jeep already occupied with Victoria and Rose. Emmett started the engine and drove away. James then ran past her into his car. He started the engine. She ran to catch up, but he didn't wait. James drove off leaving the rest of them behind.
"Shit," she swore. All she could think to do was run. She needed to get away fast and find a way back home before her dad found out where she'd been.
\0-0/
Hidden in the trees of the nearby park, Bella began panicking. It was getting close to twelve and she didn't know where the others were. She could see from her vantage point more police cars had pulled up and some people were being arrested. She kept her eyes peeled trying to see if anyone of her ensemble were being put into one of the vehicles. She focused so hard, she hadn't heard the sound of someone approaching her from behind.
"Hey," he whispered as he pat her shoulder.
"AAH!"
"Shh! Do you want us to get caught?" Edward commented.
"Gd, Edward. Don't sneak up on me like that." She swatted at his side. "You scared me half to death." She was trembling.
He carefully put his arms around her in a comforting hug. "It's okay."
Tears sprang from her eyes. "I thought I was all alone, that you all got arrested."
"Shh, it's fine. I saw you run this way, while the others went the other direction."
She pulled away from him. "What the hell is wrong with your friend? He drove off without us."
"Oh, James? He and the police are not on good terms. If his car was spotted at the club, he could automatically get us all in severe trouble."
"Oh well. Then I'm really glad we took his car tonight," she commented sarcastically.
Edward pulled out his phone and dialed up Fred. After a minute or so, Edward hung up. "Okay they are at a small grocery store about a block and a half away. They're waiting there. Come on." He took her hand to lead the way.
\0-0/
Edward and Bella made it to the store where the other four were buying something to eat. "I'm starving. All this excitement gave me hunger pains," Mike uttered.
"You people need to hurry up," the cashier said. "I'm closing soon."
"I already dialed up Angela," Jess informed Bella. "She passed out halfway through the conversation."
"I knew she wouldn't be able to handle it. Did you see her guzzling down two more?" Fred commented.
"Anyway," Jess continued, "Victoria said she'd call James and we should wait here."
Five minutes later James called Fred, informing him and the others to wait outside and around the block so the patrol cars wouldn't see him. They all departed the store and headed to the meeting spot. Once they turned the corner, Bella saw the red break lights illuminate the car halfway down the block. James got out of the driver-side and called out, "Hurry up!" His arms were waving around. The others all picked up the pace and she followed.
"Oh shit!" James yelled and slammed his door. Bella turned around to see what shock was coming. A law enforcement vehicle was making the turn. They must have spotted the group leaving the store and came to investigate. When Bella turned forward she saw everyone made it into the car and Edward was standing on the passenger-side with the door opened waiting for her. The back door on the other side opened and Jess yelled, "Come on Bella! There's room over here."
Bella ran and got to the car, but her shoe slipped. Edward got in on his side and slammed his door as she fixed her shoe. James pressed on the gas pedal just as the police car's siren went off. His car took off speeding with Bella still not in the car. The back door slammed shut from the acceleration.
"Hey!" she screamed and ran after the car. The patrol car zoomed past her in pursuit of James's vehicle. There was no was James could stop again without getting caught. She still followed behind in blind hope of accomplishing a miracle. The cars were far off and Bella paused for a second to remove her shoes, bouncing a bit to keep her momentum. She retrieved them from the ground and ran at full speed tearing the hem of her dress slightly. She was panting fully as she saw James turn the corner followed by the law enforcement vehicle.
"Shit," she swore. "What am I going to do now?" She stopped and unhooked her bag from her shoulder. "Oh, what a night!" She pulled out her phone again to glance through her contact list.
"Bella!" she heard someone yell. She looked up and saw a man in a suit limping.
"Edward?" She ran over to him. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I jumped out of the car. I scraped my knee a bit, but otherwise I'm unscathed."
"You what? Are you insane?"
"I wasn't going to leave you alone out here. Who knows what dangers lurk about?"
"Yeah well, now we are both stranded. Come on, I'll help you to that bench." Bella put Edward's arm over her shoulders so she could support him.
As they walked over he uttered, "I'm really all right."
They sat down. Bella put on her shoes and checked his knee. "You tore your pants and I see some blood. Hold on a second." She took a few cleansing breaths and went through her bag looking for a tissue to stop the bleed.
"Blood still makes you queasy, huh?"
"I got a handle on it." She found a napkin and spit on it. She looked apologetic. "This is the only way to clean the cut right now."
"Sure. Clean the ground germs with spit germs. It makes perfect sense." He grinned, but tensed as she wiped away the filth from his knee.
She pulled out another napkin. "Here, hold it there to stop the bleeding." He placed it on his injury, while Bella found Jess's number and dialed. "Shoot, it went to voicemail. Hey Jessica, Edward's fine. He's with me. It'd be nice if you guys could swing back and pick us up. We are on a park bench at the … what's the name of this park?"
"Olympic National Park," Edward provided.
"Olympic National Park entrance on East Park Avenue. Call me back so I know you are on the way." She pressed the end button and put the phone back in her purse. "I guess we just wait. How's your knee?"
He peeked at it. "It stopped bleeding."
"Good. Wouldn't want my rescuer needing to be rescued," she smiled. "Thanks, by the way."
She shivered somewhat and he put his hands onto her shoulders, rubbing them to warm her up.
"It's kind of weird how things turned out," she said. "We all started off tonight single and then people just sort of … paired up. Of course, you just got stuck with me."
He stopped rubbing. "No I didn't. I chose you."
"What do you mean?"
"When the guys and I were coming over at the Dance, I called dibs on you. If anyone got stuck with someone, it was Mike with Jessica. Oh, but don't tell her."
Bella was flabbergasted. "What? W…why'd you do that?"
"Because you look really hot," he crookedly grinned as if the answer was obvious.
Her brows furrowed and her mouth twisted. "Edward Cullen, I can't believe you're that shallow. It doesn't matter the kind of person I am?"
"Of course it does," he corrected. "If you were the kind of girl that was mean, I wouldn't be interested. But you're not. You're kind and smart. You're perfect because your outside matches your inside."
She felt her face warming in the bitter chill of the air. "Really?"
He nodded. "Really." His face was nearer than before and seemed to be still moving closer.
Both their eyes migrated south to their mouths and as they inched in, a loud noise broke the silence. They both jumped as the ringing phone called out for their attention.
"It's probably them coming for us," Bella stated. She pulled out her cell. "Hello?" Edward could hear the sound of a siren projecting out of the device. "Wait, what?… What do you mean you're not coming?..." Her face fell as she put her phone down. "She hung up. The cop is still on their tail. Maybe I should call Angela again?"
"What good would that do?" he stated. "We both can't fit in there. There was barely room for five, remember."
"Well what are we going to do, call a taxi or something?"
Edward's watch sounded off its first alarm. He turned the sound effects off. "We could call my sister."
"Alice? It will take too long for her to get here and get back in time, besides I thought she would be off in college by now."
"She is. She's attending Peninsula College here in Port Angeles." He pulled out his cell and pressed a few buttons. The phone sat by his ear as he waited. "No answer."
"Now what?"
"We could walk to her, but it's about three miles."
"Pass."
"Well, I don't think buses run this late, so we could flag down someone and hitchhike."
"Double pass. I think it would be best if we got a taxi," Bella suggested.
"It will cost a fortune. I got it! I'll call Emmett to give us a lift to Alice. Maybe he could drop the others somewhere for about 30 minutes to help us."
"You sure your sister is even there?"
"Yup," he assured her. "She told me she's got midterms now. I bet she's still up studying and the phone is on vibrate."
He dialed on his cell and a female voice answered. "Hello? Oh Rosalie. Where are you guys?" He pulled the phone from his ear. "They're in this all-night diner." He spoke into the phone again. "Could you give the phone to Emmett? Hey Emmett. Bella and I are stranded by the park … yeah, on East Park Avenue." There were some words in response. "No, Bella's got to get home. Listen all we need is a ride to Peninsula College. Great." He pressed a button. "He's coming."
"So we just wait?" she asked.
"He's not far, five minutes tops."
The two sat there feeling the awkward silence. Jessica's phone call had interrupted an intense moment and neither Bella nor Edward was sure how to get that moment back.
Emmett pulled up quickly. "What happened to you guys? I thought James came back."
"He did, but his car was recognized by a patrol car and he sped off without us," Edward explained as he and Bella hopped into the Jeep. She didn't understand why Edward didn't mention he jumped out of the car. "James is still being pursued so he can't retrieve us."
"Where exactly at the college do you need to get to?"
"The dorms. I'm going to borrow my sister's car."
\0-0/
Edward and Bella walked into the dorm building trying to be as quiet as possible. They navigated slowly trying to find their way through the convoluted hallways and finally discovered Alice's room.
"Alice?" he knocked and called out in a normal voice. "It's me Edward."
They heard some footsteps then the door quickly opened. "Edward, what are you doing here?" Alice was a shorter version of him. They had the same honey-golden eyes and same short messy mop of hair on their head. Although, Bella theorized Alice's was due to the late hour and not by a styling choice.
"I was in the neighborhood," he snickered.
"In the neighborhood? It's almost one in the morning. I'm studying for my physics final."
"I just need to borrow your car. I have to get Bella here back home before two."
"No way!" Her small face contorted, "I need my car for a well deserved shopping spree to congratulate myself on acing my finals, which by the way, you are threatening to screw up. What happened to the car you came in?"
"Long story. Look I'm sorry, but I'm looking at jail-time if I can't get her home," he said with all seriousness.
"Not my problem." She was about to close the door, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Please? I'll bring it back soon and I'll even give you some cash to spree on."
She paused, "How much?"
"Aah …"
"Fifty bucks," Bella interrupted.
The interruption drew Alice's attention. She examined Bella's face. "I know you."
"Oh, how rude of me." Edward released Alice and put his arm around Bella. "Alice this is Isabella Swan. She and I …" he glanced at Bella a moment, "used to hang in middle school."
"I used to play baseball with him," Bella added.
"Oh yeah," Alice recalled. "It's about time you asked her out on a real date." She went back into her room and came out quickly jingling her car keys. "Here and not a single dent or I'll make you pay for the repairs."
"Thanks Alice." He hugged her.
"Yeah thanks," Bella added. "I'll give Edward the money as soon as I get home."
"Nah, don't worry about it," she waved it off. "Just name your first girl after me."
"What?"
"She's joking," Edward chortled and pulled Bella away headed for the parking lot.
\0-0/
They found the yellow Porsche just as Edward's second alarm sounded.
"I remember she used to be more 'enthusiastic' about life," Bella commented as she got into the vehicle.
"Yeah. She hadn't been able to shop for a year to pay off the bills for this car. I imagine she'll be her old self again by summer."
He started the engine revving it up. "Don't worry. In this car, you'll be home in no time."
\0-0/
Edward pulled up in front of Bella's house. "Well, we're here."
"I can't believe it. How much time is left?" she asked turning towards him.
He looked at his watch. "About three minutes."
"This was one crazy night." Her head tilted in curiosity. "Did you really jump out of James's car?"
"Yeah," he smiled. "James slowed down as he rounded the corner and I tumbled out. It really wasn't as dangerous as it sounds."
"Still, thanks."
"You didn't expect me to leave you behind … not when we finally reconnected?" His eyes tensely stared at hers.
She gave a bashful chuckle as her head dropped and she looked down to her lap. His right hand fingered her fallen hair from her eyes, replacing the strands behind her ear. Her face lifted slightly.
"You know there's something I've wanted to do all night," he whispered just before he placed his lips softly on hers.
The kiss lasted but a moment before his alarm went off. "You better get inside before we're arrested."
She focused in on his brown eyes with flecks of honey-gold. "I guess you're right."
She started to open the car door as the front door to her house swung open. A man in a police uniform was stepping out.
Bella slammed the car door and dashed to the man. "Dad, dad," she called, "I'm here."
Chief Swan glanced at the shadow figure waving as the car pulled away. "Who's that?"
"Edward Cullen. You remember him?"
\0-0/
Bella walked into her bedroom, the shock of Edward's mouth still tingled at her lips. She managed to unzip her dress and removed her red stiletto shoes, but she just sat on her bed. Her eyes caught a book on her shelf, a bit dusty from not being used in a while. She stood up and pulled the book off then opened it to where the ribbon held her place. It was to a clean empty page in her old diary. She found a pen and began to write.
Dear Diary,
Edward Cullen kissed me… again. Tonight there was this dance...
AN: I hope you like this one shot. Please read a review. Thanks a whole lot.
~great2read~