AN: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 11

The blood was rushing into her face. Of course, Alice's head was upside down from where she was hanging over the edge of my bed.

"We need the most epic costumes ever. There is no way that Pete is going have a better one this year," she announced. "I think this is the best head rush ever."

"Petey's costume was lame," Jacob disagreed. He was laying on my bed next to her on his stomach and flipping through an issue of Seventeen. "Mr. Rodgers? Mocking a hero of my childhood is a shitty thing to do."

"It was funny!" Alice was swaying her head back and forth. Her hair looked like a curtain in a breeze. "I'm going to be Stevie Nicks. I'm a musical gypsy!"

"You sound like a wounded goose," Jacob stated with a chuckle.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked. Sometimes Alice talks about things that I have no clue about.

Alice sat up and looked at me like I had two heads. "Fleetwood Mac, girl! They were visionaries of rock music!"

"My parents like them." I tried not to wrinkle up my nose. Old people music. Its like Alice was from another time.

"You're already Stevie Nicks, Al," Jacob pointed out. "Your clothes already look like an ethereal hobo."

I spun my desk chair around in circles to get dizzy, as Alice threw one of my sneakers at his head. Those two were the best distraction ever. There was no way that I wanted to work on a report about 1984. It wasn't that the book was bad or anything. It really made me think about having no power at all and being oppressed. Teenagers have no power at all. This story was just what we were all living anyway. I think. I might be missing the whole point, because instead of concentrating on the words, I was daydreaming about Edward's kissing skills.

"I'm not sure I'm going. I need to ask Edward if he wants to go," I said this without thinking.

Alice tumbled off my bed, landing in a heap on the floor. "Ow! Oh no, you don't, lady! Don't you dare become one of those girls that only hangs out and does what her boyfriend tells her to."

"I'm not!" Maybe I was. "This thing is so new and I don't want to make waves."

Jacob didn't look up from the article on Brad Pitt he was reading. "Waves keep relationships exciting, Bell. If he can't ride the surf than find a new board, babe. It says this in this month's relationship quiz."

"This month's relationship quiz never dated Edward Cullen," I pointed out, as I kept spinning.

"He's just a boy like the rest," Alice stated. She sat up and grinned. "Don't put him on a pedestal, Isabella. Cullen hasn't earned shit."

I looked down at the coloring book that sat on the edge of my desk. Hello Kitty and her bright pink bow looked up at me with her black circles eyes. Edward did earn a little something in my opinion.

Jacob interrupted my staring contest with the kitty. I wouldn't have won it anyway. "Do you want to go to the dance?"

My answer was effortless. "Yeah."

"Well there you go." He gave a little smile and flipped a page.

Jacob should write some sort of advice column in like the school newspaper. He had all the answers. His life might be a mess, but he sure could straighten the rest of us out.

"Always so smart," I teased.

"Of course, I am," he agreed and than yawned.

My mom brought in a tray of celery sticks covered in cream cheese and apples decorated in peanut butter. There were glasses of milk. She was the most embarrassing mother on the planet.

"Mom!" She treated us like babies. It wasn't like we couldn't grab a bag of chips and some soda. Of course, Dad hid them where mom couldn't find them. Sugar was good! I had no idea what Mom's problem was. Maybe she was lacking a sweet tooth. It would explain so much. "We don't want that—"

"So cool, Mrs. S!" Jacob exclaimed.

My friends were traitors. Jacob and Alice descended on the tray like starving people.

Mom was beaming. "You kids need to keep your strength up with all this studying! Do you need any help?"

No.

"We're trying to figure out what we're going to be for the Halloween dance!" Alice explained. Her mouth was full of peanut butter and apple. It made her talk all funny.

"I love Halloween!" My mom plopped down on my bed next to my friends. What was she thinking? She wasn't allowed to hangout with us!

Plus, Mom has no right to like Halloween. The woman hated candy goodness. That makes her not allowed to have an opinion on anything.

"Mom, I think Bree is calling you," I lied. Bree was probably happily content playing Barbies or something childish in the basement. The little brat told me she was being me for Halloween. If she gets dressed like a witch or a zombie and says that's me, she's a dead girl.

"Vampires are always fun," Mom said this as if she was an expert on all that was creepy in the night. As if. "Bella loves watching that Buffy show."

Maybe the rug in my bedroom could suck me into the floor. That would be far more pleasant than my mother talking to us.

"That would be so neat! I need fangs." Alice looked wistfully at my mom. "That would be cool, right?"

Sometimes, Alice acted like my mom was the coolest. It was if she wanted my mom's approval or something.

"I think I have a velvet cape!" Mom clapped excitedly. "You want to borrow it?"

"Oh yes!" Alice looked joyful. That joy turned to a devious smirk. "I have an idea for Bella, but—"

"What do you need?" She had my mother eating out of her hands.

Alice hopped up. "A ride to this great vintage shop I know. The perfect costume is there. You'll love it, Mrs. Swan!"

If that's the case, I'll absolutely hate it.

XXXXXX

I didn't quite hate it. It was pretty perfect.

"You know the story, right?" Alice asked as we sat in the library. I was trying to study, surrounded by books and she was painting her nails black.

"The only story I know right now is this report on Romeo and Juliet. It might be considered a classic, but it's depressing." I had no clue why two teenagers would want to kill themselves because they had crushes on each other. It was just dumb.

"I'm talking about the inspiration for your costume, Isabella!" She must have messed up a nail. Alice's face wrinkled up in disgust as she examined her finger. "Damn it!"

"Lillian Hale? That story is a myth they tell to explain the noises the boiler makes," I said. I started writing more notes.

Alice closed my notebook in front of my face. "She was Rosalie's great aunt!"

"Rosalie?"

"Emmett's chick," Alice reminded me.

"Oh, yeah?" The mean one that I had never met. She was related to the dead girl. Cool.

"Yeah. Rose tells a wicked story about how it all went down. The reason she's haunting the halls of our school is due to the broken heart she received on a fated Halloween night. A rose clutched in her hand from her beloved Matthew, she wandered the halls the night of the Sweetheart's Dance to search for him. Only when Lilly finally saw her love, he was in the arms of another girl. She was the vile captain of the cheerleading squad. Poor Lilly was so distraught that she threw herself out of the window in the biology lab and died on the pavement below under a full moon!" Alice threw her arms in the air cackled loudly. The school librarian angrily shushed her.

Alice's story was so full of holes it might as well be swiss cheese. It's a goofy expression, but my dad always says it. I think those words are now stuck in my brain.

I gave her a grin. "My grandfather used to tell a story about her. She tripped on her shoelace and fell down the stairs on her way to Home Ec. It was during the middle of the day and she was dating some guy named Dick who was on the chess team. He was Grampy's friend."

My friend glared at me and wrinkled up her nose. "You have no romantic soul, Isabella. You're dead inside. Let's go with my version, it's beautiful and haunting."

"It's also completely made up."

Alice pulled out a flask and took a drink. She had no issue with pulling that thing out. Supposedly there was fruit punch in it, but it smelled like the varnish my mom was using on some old furniture she was fixing. I glanced around for the librarian, but she was probably sipping her own flask in her office.

"Put that away!" I hissed.

"It's totally good, chicka." She pulled out an old year book from her bag. "You look just like her."

I looked nothing like her. The front of Lillian Hale's blond bob was pulled back in a barrette. Her thick glasses took up most of her face. She kind of looked like a rat.

"Thanks a lot." I frowned at the picture.

Alice looked at me thoughtfully. "Not really, but it's just the impression of her that we're going for. You are much prettier, my little swan. A girl from the fifties with a little mohair sweater and ankle socks. Cullen will lose his shit when he sees you looking like that. You'll look like a wet dream come true."

I threw a wadded up piece of notebook paper at her head. Alice laughed and tried to duck out of the way. I still managed to get her ear.

"Wet dream? You thinking about me, Bella?" Edward pulled the chair out that was next to me. He threw an arm around my shoulder and kissed me on the side of my head.

"We were discussing yours, Cullen," Alice answered for me. I was going to kill her. It would be slow and painful.

He pulled me closer. "Really? Are these starring any girl in particular?"

I would welcome any person, including obnoxious Jasper, to save me from all this embarrassment right now.

"We were discussing Bella's Halloween costume." Alice was grinning happily at my discomfort.

Edward ran his nose down my cheek. "Slutty nurse?"

Oh my God.

"What are your feelings on school girls?" Her eyes were twinkling and my face was burning.

"Catholic? Plaid skirts are hot." His hand was running up and down my leg. "Am I getting a private trick and treat show, Miss Bella."

I put my head on the table. My words were muffled by the fake wood. "Can we stop talking about this?"

"All will be revealed at the dance, Cullen." I heard Alice stand. "Did she tell you that she was going? You should join in. It will be a blast. I'm going to find Jakey. Toodles, pumpkins!"

Fingers were tickling the back of my neck. I giggled and turned my head to see him looking at me. He quietly said, "I don't do dances."

"I know. My friends are going and I need to spend time with them. It's important," I explained. A piece of me knew that what I had with Edward was fleeting. I felt it deep in the marrow of my bones. When it ended, I didn't want to end up alone.

His green eyes bore into me. "Help me find a, you know, book or something."

I was pulled up from the table. His hand held mine tightly and I was led back into the stacks away from prying eyes. He pushed me against the books and placed his mouth on mine. Lips clashed and tongues twisted. His hands went under my shirt and stroked the skin.

"So soft," he said into my mouth.

"You need a book about chemistry?" I asked breathlessly. We were in the science section.

He gave his little smile. "I like the chemistry I have with you. I don't completely understand it though. You make me want to be different."

Edward sucked on my neck. He nipped it with his teeth and it felt wonderful.

"I'm sorry?"

Pulling away, Edward held my face in his hands. "Never be sorry for making me feel. I'll always be grateful."

I kissed him again, because I was grateful to him too.

XXXXXX

We had to add a floral scarf that Alice stole from her aunt for my costume.

A hickey from Edward needed to be hid from the prying eyes of my parents and the turtlenecks I had been wearing wouldn't work with my costume. The scarf was actually perfect. I peeked at my reflection in the trophy case. I looked like a perfect example of a teenager from the past. My horned rimmed glasses had rhinestones on the edges that looked like a pair I had seen in pictures of my grandmother when she was young. The pair of saddle shoes fit perfectly. I added a plaid skirt. Edward might not be seeing me tonight, but I did that for him anyway.

"Oh my God! Bella Swan, you look amazing!" Jessica ran up to me. She wore a black leotard with a long tail and a headband with ears. A boy whistled at her. Jessica answered with her middle finger. "I love it!"

Alice snuck behind Jessica and grabbed her. She placed her mouth next to Jess's neck. "I shall suck your blood, pretty kitty."

Jessica's laughter filled the hall. "Awesome! Hey, there's my mouse!"

Maria looked awkward as she walked up with Jacob. Her grey mouse costume was really cute, but she seemed embarrassed. "I look awful. I'm sorry."

"You look great." I squeezed her hand. I meant it.

"I like it too!" Alice agreed. "What the hell are you, Jake?"

"A jock." Jacob wore a letterman jacket and looked like every other guy in school. It was only frightening for Halloween, because it was somebody who Jacob was not.

Alice put her arm in his. "What will I do with you, sweetie?"

We went into the gymnasium and it was covered in fake cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns and orange Christmas lights. The whole place had an eerie ambiance that, while tacky, made me feel happy. It made me glad that I came with my friends tonight.

"Hey." Jasper walked up to us. He was dressed like a scarecrow and looked uncomfortable. He kept scratching at the straw stuck into his clothes. He looked at me. "What are you?"

"A dead girl sent to haunt your nightmares," I stated.

His face scrunched up like he was sucking a lemon. "You don't look like a zombie. Where's your rotting flesh?"

Jasper Whitlock was like the worst. "I'm a ghost!"

"Where's your sheet?" He looked confused.

Alice rushed forward to rescue Jasper from me throttling him. "My date is here! Let me bite your stuffing neck and lick out your straw blood."

She actually made him blush. It was amazing. "I . . . Well . . . I should—"

"Dance with me!" She announced and pulled him to the dance floor.

I turned to watch them dance. It was a bunch of odd and jerky movements. I think this might be the weirdest Halloween ever.

"What is Alice doing?" I think she just pinched the butt area of his overalls. Jasper jumped at her touch.

Jacob snorted. "She really likes him. Alice has always had the most unique tastes."

That was an understatement.

"We need to dance like they are!" Jessica announced. She grabbed Jacob and Maria's arms. "Bella?"

I looked for an escape, but was saved by a knight. "Hi, Mike."

"Hey, guys! You all look great." He turned to smile at me and gave me a bow. "You look lovely, milady."

My return curtsey was horrible and I fell into him. He caught me easily. "I like the gallant knight look. It works for you."

His smile grew. "You going to dance?"

"I'm not much of a dancer," I admitted. "You go ahead and dance with Jess."

"Is it because of Edward Cullen? I heard you two are together." He looked down at his boots, frowning.

"Yeah. I—"

His face turned solemn and he took my hand. "You deserve so much. You need to know that. You're such a terrific girl. Really special. I just think—"

I pulled my hand away. "Mike, please—"

"There's my girl," Edward said. He held out a single rose. His hair was slicked back and he wore a leather jacket with a white tee-shirt underneath. There was a cigarette behind his ear. He was the perfect fifties greaser to match my fifties school girl. "Thanks for keeping her company."

Mike muttered, "I'm going to dance with Jessica."

I looked up at Edward. "You don't do dances."

"I do when Bella is involved." He pulled me close. One hand behind my neck and the other on my waist. "I couldn't resist a little schoolgirl waiting for me."

"Oh."

He kissed my nose. "You look pretty. I like the skirt."

"I though you would."

"Can I get under it?" He asked with teasing eyes.

I hit his shoulder gently. "Behave."

He started swaying me slowly. "I told my parents about you. They want you to come to dinner tomorrow night."

"Do you want me to come?"

It was Edward and I always treaded so carefully around him. Would my worry ever fade?

"In so many ways, girl." His lips brushed mine as I frowned at him. "Yes, little lady, I want you to come to dinner."

I smiled and he pulled me so tightly against him that I felt like we were all alone. We continued to sway.

"You know that we're slow dancing to the Monster Mash, right?" I asked. This felt so perfect.

"I wouldn't dance with you any other way." His eyes met mine. "I don't want you out of my arms."

In this moment, I believed in him and I believed in us. I prayed it would last.