CHAPTER TWO

Edward was wearing an immaculate black tuxedo that looked as though it was handmade by Italian tailors especially for him. His broad shoulders and super-slim frame was the perfect body shape for the elegant cut of the suit, which just oozed class. He had ditched his tinted glasses for contacts and Bella noticed the color of his eyes for the first time. They were blue, no they were grey; whatever they were, they were the most beautiful, dreamy color, and were surrounded by long, dark eyelashes.

Without his thick-framed glasses, the shape of his face was now evident as Edward's now-visible high cheekbones gave his face a lean, hungry and very sexy appearance. His eyebrows had been trimmed and tamed so that they framed his eyes, making them look intense. His hair was the same usual mess, but it gave him the 'just out of bed' look, which was also very sexy. His skin was still in a bad way, either due to hormones or poor diet, but the overall transformation was amazing and Bella was speechless.

Edward was holding a small box that he handed to her with an embarrassed smile.

"You look very lovely, Bella," he said, as he watched Bella open the box and with shaking hands take out a dainty pale yellow and white corsage. He helped her slip it onto her wrist, then offered his arm for her to take, leading her out of the room under the watchful gaze of Charlie, who was wondering where the heck his little girl had gone.

Parked in the drive was Edward's father's beautiful silver Mercedes sports coupe. Edward opened the passenger door for Bella and helped her into the seat, then casually picked up the hem of her dress, tucking it in beside her before he carefully closed the door and strolled around to the driver's side whilst trying to ignore Charlie's threatening glare. As he skillfully reversed the car out onto the road, Bella gave her father a small wave and a big smile as they pulled away.

Bella settled herself into the car's luxurious leather seats, and as they sped towards the Prom venue, she just couldn't help it, but the biggest, smuggest grin appeared on her face, as she imagined, with enormous satisfaction, what the reaction was going to be when she walked into the Prom with Mr. Edward 'Sex-on-Legs' Masen.

She was trying to 'sideways' look at him without making it obvious that she was staring, as she couldn't get over Edward's metamorphosis. The change in his appearance was amazing. It wasn't just losing the glasses that had made him look so different; his body language had altered. He normally walked with his head down, not wanting to make eye contact; but tonight it was though he had grown another six inches, as he had walked into her living room with his head held high, and an air of confidence that was oozing out of every pore.

The venue was only ten minutes away by car and the Mercedes was soon moving slowly through the entrance and being sent in the opposite direction from the ostentatious stretched limos that were queuing up by the main door, ready to spill out their already intoxicated occupants.

Mike, Jessica, Angela and Ben had arrived early and were hanging around the doorway waiting for Bella's arrival; Mike and Jessica to inevitably poke fun at her and her date and Angela and Ben to give support to both Edward and Bella, who they anticipated were going to have a hard time this evening. Mike had already drunk far too much before arriving at the Prom and Jessica was sneakily taking sips from a small bottle of vodka that she had hidden in her bag, so Angela was already feeling anxious on Bella's behalf as she hated conflict.

"There she is!" Angela said to Jessica, pointing towards Bella who was walking in their direction from the parking lot. She had helped Bella choose her dress when they went to Port Angeles on their shopping trip, and the emerald creation was easy to spot from a distance.

"Who's that guy she's with? That's not Edward," Jessica commented enviously, squinting her eyes into the low evening sun. "He's fucking gorgeous."

Mike burst out laughing. "She was winding us up all along, don't you see. She had no intention of coming with that skank Edward; she was just pissing with us."

"I don't think so, Mike," Angela replied. "Look."

Bella and Edward walked slowly up to the welcoming party, arm in arm. Angela was the only one capable of speech as the other three were staring open-mouthed at Edward.

"Hi, Bella," she said, and kissed her on the cheek. "You look really lovely; your dress is so gorgeous. Hi, Edward. We didn't recognize you without your glasses; what a fantastic tux."

"Thanks, Angela," Bella replied, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. "Were you waiting for us?"

Jessica's chin was on her chest, so she could just manage a whimpered, "Hi," before turning her back to them and taking a long swig straight from her bottle of vodka. She was seriously expecting to be Prom Queen tonight, but now she wasn't so sure. Bella looked sensational, and the term, 'less is more,' suddenly made total sense to her. Edward was a revelation; he was hot, pure and simple, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. How the heck had that happened she thought, enviously.

Mike pulled himself away from the wall he had been slumped against and straightened his jacket. He had always been top dog in this school; best looking, best footballer, rich parents, but he recognized there was serious competition here so he was glad that Edward was leaving Forks for University soon, which meant he could carry on working his way through the town's female population without a rival to spoil his fun.

"Masen" he muttered, acknowledging Edward's presence. Edward just nodded back as he could sense an invitation to start a pissing contest here and he wasn't interested.

Ben took Angela's hand and said, "Let's go in guys" trying to lighten the mood, so they walked into the hall together and were ushered first of all to have their official photographs taken.

Bella turned to Edward and asked him if he was okay with this. He nodded his assent and posed with Bella, placing his arm around her waist and tilting his head downwards so he was looking at her. After they left the photographer, they walked across the dance floor heading for the bar and Bella watched with amusement as the crowd parted like the Red Sea in front of them. The looks on the faces of her classmates who stared at Edward, first in lust, then in confusion, then recognition, then shock, and then lust again, was priceless. It wasn't Edward's clothes, or even the fact that without his glasses his eyes and bone structure were now revealed for all to see, it was his manner, his confidence, his elegance that made him stand out. He was a man in a room full of boys, and every person in the room with a pair of ovaries was taking notice.

At the bar, Edward ordered two sodas and escorted Bella to a table as far away from the noise of the music as possible so that they could talk. He pulled Bella's chair out for her and stood until Bella sat down. Bella wasn't used to manners like this and wondered whether he attended Charm School in his free time.

"Do you like these events?" Edward shouted over the music, which was still too loud for normal conversation.

"No, not really" Bella replied." I can't dance and I don't like this type of music, but I wanted to come tonight as it's the end of an era, I suppose. I can't really tell my future kids that I didn't bother going to the Senior Prom."

Edward laughed. "That's true, but it wouldn't have bothered me." He gestured that they should touch glasses together and they both had a drink. "Have you chosen your college yet?" he said, trying to keep the conversation going.

Bella nodded her head. "I'm taking a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in Seattle, specializing in Forensics. My dad's Chief of Police in Forks, and he tells me about some of the cases he gets involved with and it sounds really fascinating."

"Wow!" Edward said, genuinely impressed. "That sounds really interesting. Have you been to Seattle before?"

"Only occasionally at weekends and of course when I went to visit the college, but I can't wait to get out of Forks; to be somewhere where there's more life."

"I know how you feel; it's a bit claustrophobic around here."

"Don't you mean dead?"

Edward laughed.

"Where are you studying, Edward?" Bella already knew, but she wanted Edward to keep talking.

"I'm doing a Bio-Medical Science Degree at Yale. I'm hoping to specialize in DNA and genetics, which means I'll probably stay there to do my PhD, so I'll be at the University for about six years at least. I may do a medical degree at the same time, but I haven't decided yet."

"So you're going to move permanently to Connecticut?"

"Yes, my father went to Yale; it's sort of expected and I have family there."

"What does your father do?" Bella was surprised that Edward was talking so freely. In the past few minutes she had got more out of him than she had in the past year.

"He's a neurosurgeon now. He used to be a scientist but he changed careers and went into medicine when he was in his early thirties. He was called away on the day of the graduation as there was an emergency at the hospital, so he couldn't attend the ceremony."

"What branch of science was he in" Bella asked.

"My father and his brother started off in medical research after they both graduated from Yale, but my father eventually decided he wanted to be more hands-on and trained to become a surgeon. My uncle has stayed in research and now owns and runs a private laboratory close to Yale."

"What about your mother?"

"My mother is in a nursing home. She contracted senile dementia at a very young age, which is one of the reasons why I want to go into medical research. My ambition is to find a cure for dementia and Alzheimer's one day, or at least to stop its progression once it's been diagnosed."

"I'm so sorry about your mother," Bella said, now feeling bad that she thought Edward's parents hadn't bothered to attend his graduation.

"What about your family, Bella?"

"Well I live with my Dad, but my mom and her latest husband live in Florida. She left Dad when I was four and ran off with his best friend to live in Phoenix taking me with her. He's never forgiven her for that; not for leaving him but for taking his best friend away. The relationship didn't last long though, and I've had several 'step dads' while I was growing up. Then she found Phil and she packed me off to live with Charlie a year and a half ago."

"That sounds tough," Edward said, sympathetically.

"It was okay," Bella responded philosophically. "I just stayed in my room studying when Mom was 'entertaining' downstairs. We hardly spoke to each other when I was a teenager, and I preferred it that way."

As they were both running out of things to talk about, Bella took a sip of her drink and they both watched in amusement at the antics taking place on the dance floor. The music had slowed down and there was lots of groping and fondling going on under the glitter-ball lights. Bella spotted Ben's hand slowly creeping south onto Angela's bottom, only for it to be slapped and forcefully moved up to her waist, where it had to remain. Mike, however, had both hands blatantly placed on Jessica's buttocks as they turned slowly in a circle, their heads on each other's shoulders, both looking totally wasted.

Simply Red's 'Holding Back the Years' was being played and Edward stood up and held his hand out to Bella. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, confidently.

"I can't dance, Edward. I was born with two left feet."

Edward took her hands and pulled her out of her seat, guiding her onto the dance floor. "It's not that difficult, Bella. Look. Mike and Jessica are doing it, and they are seriously drunk."

Bella giggled and slid one hand around the back of Edward's waist as he took her other hand gently in his and started swaying in time to the music.

Bella had never been held like this before. Edward's suit jacket was soft like silk, which it probably was, and she could feel his body under the material. He was really thin, in fact she could not recall ever seeing him eat anything, and she wondered whether he had been obliged to look after himself when his mother became ill. His father obviously worked long hours and he probably didn't have time to make sure Edward ate properly. His skin problems were most likely due to bad diet, and she suddenly felt very sad now that she had not taken him under her wing when they first started working together.

Without realizing she was doing it, she laid her head against Edward's chest and they slowly moved together, while Mick Hucknall was soulfully singing about his lost childhood. At the end of the song, the lights were turned up, as the announcement of the Prom King and Queen was about to be made by the Principal. Edward led Bella back to their table to carry on where their conversation left off, as this part of the evening held no interest for them.

They were chatting about their university courses when they heard a cheer go up when Mike was proclaimed Prom King, followed by shouts of laughter as the crowd watched in amusement as he fell up the steps onto the stage, before grabbing hold of the Principal to steady himself, almost pulling her jacket off. Jessica was hopping up and down in anticipation of her name being called. She had worked her butt off for votes, and was still smarting from not being made Homecoming Queen. She ran her fingers through her hair and straightened her dress up, rearranging her cleavage to show it off to its best advantage for the photographer.

The Principal stepped up to the microphone and announced, "Our Prom Queen for 2003 is Isabella Swan."

"Oh My God" Bella said, and put her face in her hands. This was the last thing she wanted. She knew a few of her friends had said they would vote for her, but she hadn't canvassed for this at all. She hated being the center of attention, and she knew Jessica would be devastated again, but what was freaking her out was that she would have to dance with Mike, and that thought horrified her.

"I can't go up there, Edward; you've got to help me," she begged.

"Come on, Bella. Just get it over and done with. If Mike starts groping you, I'll cut in."

Edward took her hand and led her through the crowd who were clapping and cheering, but Jessica and Angela were nowhere to be seen. He walked with her to the stage and watched anxiously as she carefully negotiated the steps towards her personal hell in her high heels, then he applauded with everyone else as Mike and Bella followed the school's tradition and sat on the ornate 'thrones' and had silver crowns placed on their heads.

After a tedious speech by the Principal about the benefits of further education, Mike and Bella were escorted to the dance floor by members of staff, and the DJ played Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On', which was a totally inappropriate song to play at a High School Prom as far as the staff were concerned, but for the students – many of whom were more than likely going to be 'getting it on' before the evening was over - highly appropriate.

Bella was practically holding Mike upright as they moved around the floor. His hands started to wander and she grabbed hold of them before they touched any of the 'No-Go' areas. She could see Edward's eyes watching Mike intently and the last thing she wanted was a scene.

"Why are you so uptight, Bella?" Mike whispered in her ear. His lips went down to her neck and he attempted to give her a hickey.

"Get off, Mike, everyone is watching. You're drunk." Bella pulled away from him as far as possible but his arms were locked tightly around her waist.

"Would you prefer to go somewhere quieter then, you and me alone? Just lead the way, Bella," he slurred and tried to give her a sexy wink, but failed.

"No, Mike. I'm with Edward tonight, and you're with Jessica. After this dance I'm going home, with Edward," she said forcefully.

Mike's hand grabbed her bottom aggressively and he pulled her body tightly against him. She could feel his erection through his trousers and felt sick.

"You're a prick-tease, Bella Swan. You play all coy like you're not interested in me, just to provoke a reaction. You need teaching a lesson." He smashed his lips onto Bella's mouth and the audience cheered, as they were totally unaware what they were witnessing.

Edward strode across the dance floor and grabbed Mike by the ears, digging his fingernails into the flesh and dragging him backwards, causing Mike to shriek out and instantly loosen his grip on Bella. She staggered away and fell into the arms of Angela, who had just come back from comforting Jessica. She had instantly worked out what was going on and had been trying to persuade Ben to intervene.

Mike spun around and took a swing at Edward, who easily ducked out of the way causing Mike to lose his balance and end up in a heap face down on the floor.

The music stopped and the Principal and other members of staff barrelled their way through the crowd towards the disturbance. They saw Mike prostrate on the ground and immediately presumed that Edward had attacked him. The sports coach and another teacher got hold of Edward by the arms and started to manhandle him towards the entrance.

"Stop!" Bella screamed, and rushed up to the Principal. "Edward was protecting me. Mike's drunk, and he was touching me inappropriately. Edward stopped him."

Edward shook himself free from his assailants and they backed away from him quickly when they saw the murderous look in his eyes. The audience of stunned students were looking on in disbelief; first at their disheveled Prom King, who was now trying, unsuccessfully, to get himself up off the floor, and then at the boy they had previously known as geeky, skinny, feeble Edward Masen, who was now bristling with rage, and standing over his opponent like a prize fighter.

They couldn't wait to see what happened next.