Disclaimer: It's probably obvious, but I don't own any of the Twilight characters or their related elements.

Chapter 2 – The Dinner

"Talk about cheap," Alice scoffed, reading the invitation in the seat beside me as I maneuvered Sue's car into the parking lot. "Having the dinner in the school gym. Couldn't we have gotten a hotel or something? They must have some tiny budget."

I laughed. "It kind of makes sense. High school reunion, have it in the high school."

She snorted. "Cleverly disguised cheap then. Blackmailing us into acceptance through a thick fog of nostalgia. The food better be spectacular, or I'm not buying it for a second."

"Why'd you even come if you're just going to ridicule all of it?"

Alice looked at me in disbelief. "Because I want to see how everybody turned out. Bella, I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

Rolling my eyes at her, I found an empty spot and parked the car. We got out, walking over to the building until we found ourselves in front of Forks High.

"Wow," I breathed, staring at the stone sign above the door. "This brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Completely." Alice finally sounded kind of sincere. She looked over at me, her face vulnerable. "Are you really ready for this?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's do it."

Entering the school, everything seemed new but eerily familiar at the same time. Walking toward the gym, I felt myself flashing back to the moments I'd had in those hallways. That door was my English class. There was Emmett's old locker. That was Mr. Banner's room… where I first ran into Edward after that Christmas vacation.

Alice's hand plucked at my elbow. "Oh my God… look…"

We had reached the entrance to the gym. The doors were held wide open, revealing a softly lit banquet room with about twenty tables set up. If the bleachers and the basketball hoops weren't there, it would have really looked like a hotel ballroom. I gave Alice a told-you-so look. "And you thought they were being cheap."

Suddenly, we were both swept up in a hug. "Bella, Alice!" Letting us go, we could see Emmett smiling back at us. His hair still sprung forth in a curly mass, but it was shorter than it used to be. The grin, though, was as wide as ever. "This is crazy, isn't it? What a blast from the past!" he said.

I grinned at him. "Em, you look just the same! How have you been?"

"Never better," he said. "No more soccer though. I did a bit of college ball but after that I did my degree in physiotherapy. Sports medicine might be next… if the wife agrees." He glanced happily over to a stunning black haired woman sitting at his table.

He turned back to me, smiling delightedly again, and suddenly grabbed my hand and twirled me. My dress, a black wrap with silver thread shot through it, floated out at my knees, one of Alice's originals. "But Bella… you look amazing! Even better than you did in high school, if that was possible."

"Thanks," I said, stumbling slightly out of the spin. "Took years of plastic surgery though."

He stared at me for a moment in silence. I laughed. "Em… I'm kidding."

"Oh, right!" he said, his voice regaining its brightness. "And Alice. You look fantastic too. I heard you were in fashion designing."

"Yep, I've been working at Bloomingdale's for five years." Alice loved to talk about her job. "It's hard work, but you know me. I love it."

Emmett nodded in interest… then suddenly his eyes drifted to the door. He smiled brightly at us again. "Hey. Hold that thought. I've just got to say hi to someone…" He ran off toward the door, hugging a blonde girl that came in.

Alice poked me. "I don't know what I ever saw in him. I wish Jazz had come." Her husband, Jasper was attending a History conference in Europe. She suddenly gasped softly. "Oh my God, check out Rosalie…"

I looked over to see Rosalie walking towards us in high stiletto heels and a form-fitting pink dress. Her hair was done in the bouffant style, and even I had to admit, she looked good. She put her arms around me and pressed my shoulders to her shoulders delicately.

"Isabella Swan," she said, her smile a brilliant white. "Why, you don't look a day older than when I last saw you. And Alice." She did the same careful hug with Alice and then looked her straight in the eyes. "You look absolutely wonderful. What have you been up to?"

"I'm in the fashion scene in New York," said Alice, a little too quickly. I knew she was dying to find out about Rosalie's life. "And what have you been doing?"

"Well, you know." Rosalie waved her hand in the air and smiled mysteriously. "A little of this, a little of that. I mostly work in the charitable organizations around Forks now when I can spare a moment." She laughed. "I'm married to Royce King, you see. Our two little boys take up most of our time."

I could feel Alice pinching my elbow again. Royce King was one of Albuquerque's most successful businessmen. He owned the four biggest car dealerships in town.

"That's great, Rosalie!" Alice sounded over the top fake, but Rosalie didn't seem to notice.

But I started to drift out of their conversation. I could see Edward sitting at one of the nearby tables… and he was looking at me. I felt myself blushing—he wore a green shirt that matched his eyes and grey pants, effortlessly handsome. But he suddenly looked away as he saw my eyes fall on him. And I quickly tore my eyes away and turned back to Alice.

Rosalie, however, had already tottered off somewhere else. And looking at Alice, I knew she had seen me looking over at Edward. Without warning, she moved quietly behind me, then shoved me in his direction.

Thanks a lot, Alice, I thought. Yelping, I skidded on the floor, almost falling over my high heels as I stopped just before him. "Aaaahhh…"

"Hey." He reached out to steady me and smiled. "Looks like you're always falling into my path, Swan."

My heart twinged. He used to call me by my last name in high school. "Yeah," I said, sitting down in the seat beside him. "Just lucky, I guess?"

"I guess so." He grinned, turning slightly toward me, as if to say something more. But before he could speak, a familiar voice boomed out through the speakers in the gym.

"Students! Could I have your attention please?

Old Mrs. Cope was standing at a podium at the front of the gym.

"Welcome back to Forks High!" she said proudly. A round of applause went up from the audience. "We are delighted to host the 10 year reunion of the class of 2003 this weekend. Tonight, of course, is the introduction dinner where you can get to know your classmates all over again. Please find your seats, everyone. Each of your names is at one of the place settings." She leaned closer to the microphone. "And the sooner we get ourselves organized, the sooner we can eat."

People started to rush around. I stood up, grinning sheepishly. "Well, I guess I'd better find my seat."

He nodded, and it looked like he swallowed hard. "Right."

I walked around to the other tables. Alice was seated next to Emmett and his wife, and looked just as thrilled to be there as I thought she would. But I didn't see my name at the place beside hers. I looked around the room, and realized most of the seats had been taken…. except the one I had been sitting in beside Edward.

He watched me as I walked back over. There was my name in front of the plate.

"Welcome back," he said, smiling.

I sat down beside him and laughed, feeling like an idiot. "Well… I guess I didn't need to go that far to find out where I needed to be."

He folded his arms, wearing a crooked smirk that used to drive me wild… and really, kind of still did. "Not at all, Swan," he said. "Not at all."