A/N: So before I start this chapter I thought I would share with you all some oh so exciting news!! I'm engaged now!! So that's going to be my excuse as to why it has taken me like 2 weeks to get this out. I'm so so so so so sorry! It's just that I got engaged and so there was a lot of wedding stuff that had to be taken care of because the wedding is going to be in August (it seems a long way away, but trust me, it's not!) and then classes started up again so I've been terribly busy. All that to say, I'm very sorry!

Also, we have just about reached the last chapter of my story. There's gonna be this one and the next one and then we're done. :( I was debating dragging it out, which is why I didn't say it was the last until now, but I've got another story idea burning a hole in my brain so I want to finish this one so I can start on that one! Love you all!

Chapter 14: Such A Sucker For Those Big Green Eyes

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is
different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4

As my life settled back into a normal routine after fall break, I felt more content than I ever have been in my whole entire life. Finally resolving all of the issues with the guys in my life had been such a relief and I only noticed how depressed the whole situation had made me until after it was all resolved. I understood slowly how Charlie had been able to recognize the problem so easily. I had been so transparent without even knowing it. I could now see that the only times I had ever been truly happy in those couple months was right after I had been with Edward. I wanted to smack myself for being so stupid to think I could keep my relationship with Jacob.

I sat there with my head rested in my hand while the teacher droned on about ancient civilizations of some sort, my piece of paper that was supposed to be for notes sitting blank on the desk in front of me. Someone kicked the leg of my desk, jolting me out of my reverie just in time to see the teacher staring back at me with an expectant look on his face.

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled slowly, shrinking under his disapproving stare. "What was the question?"

He sighed deeply before turning to another girl in the front row of the class who had her hand raised.

"Miss Dillon, can you tell us where the ancient Mayans lived?"

"They lived in the southern part of Mexico and the Central American countries of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador." She turned and smirked at me as she finished her answer like she thought I was stupid or something.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my paper, drawing circles and swirls all along the top edge, trying not to focus on Rebecca Dillon and her annoying teacher's pet attitude. As I was beginning to forget about her I felt a poke in my back and turned around to where Angela was sitting right behind me giving me a weird look.

"Bella, where's your head today?!" She asked in a raspy whisper.

I just shrugged in reply and turned back toward the front of the classroom to try to focus on the teacher.

I knew I was out of it today, but I really couldn't put my finger on why. All I could think about was Edward, my Greek god of a boyfriend. He had been the best boyfriend anybody could ever ask for, but for these last few days something had been bothering him. I could tell.

My mind drifted away again, this time back to Florida three weeks ago, when Renee had been quizzing me about my relationship with Edward.

"So, is he the love of your life?" She asked in a teasing voice, eyes dancing with amusement.

I could tell under her teasing she really wanted to know, so I spoke the words that had been on my mind since I told Edward I loved him.

"Maybe he is, Mom," I said quietly.

Her eyes bugged out and she gave me a shocked look.

"You really think that?" She asked, all teasing out of her voice.

"Yeah, maybe," I had replied, giving her a weak smile.

This time I was brought back to reality by the sharp ringing of the bell that signaled the end of class.

I walked with Angela over the lunch room where Edward was waiting for me at our normal table with a group of his friends.

"Hey, sweetheart," He said kissing the top of my head when I sat down next to him.

"Hey," I mumbled back, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Our whole group quickly fell into conversation about various things that had happened at school the last few days. Mr. Poole, the Spanish teacher, had been fired, to all the students' relief, and a new woman who looked no older than her 20's came to replace him. All the guys were talking about her as the girls rolled their eyes at them. I didn't really care either way. Even if Edward did think she was attractive, I wasn't one of those girls who couldn't stand for her boyfriend to be looking at anyone else. As long as he still liked me best. I smiled and snuggled closer into his arm, and he turned to give me a sweet smile before continuing in his conversation.

I was picking at the corn mush left oozing on my plate when the conversation turned to a topic that the girls were more interested in. Marissa squealed with excitement, catching my attention, and I looked up to see all the girls huddled together whispering back and forth. Since Angela was sitting beside me, I could partially hear their conversation.

They were talking about some kind of dance this Friday. I had never been one for dancing, considering I fell when I was standing still on flat surfaces. No need to throw dancing into the mix.

Edward bent down near my ear and whispered, "So. Any plans for Friday night?"

I gave him a look that could melt the ice caps and turned back to the corn mush on my plate.

"No, I'm serious!" He said with a hint of hurt in his voice. I peeked at his face out of the corner of my eye, trying not to let him know I was acknowledging his words, but he saw me and caught the side of my face with his hand before I had the chance to turn back toward my tray.

"You really won't go with me?" He asked, his dazzling green eyes drilling holes into my own.

Unfortunately, Angela and the rest of the girls sitting beside me had heard the last part of this conversation and now they were all staring at me in disbelief.

"Bella, you have to go!" Angela practically screamed at me, shaking my arm to reinforce her plea.

"You really have to," another girl named Kate begged, "we would get to go buy dresses and get our hair and makeup done…" She trailed off on the list of "fun" things we would have to do.

"Do I really have to?" I asked Edward with a pout on my face. I could see how much they all, especially Edward, wanted me there, and I couldn't turn him down, especially with those beautiful green eyes looking more and more sad with every second.

"Bella, it's the winter formal. It's a big deal," He said with a small smile, knowing he was going to get his way, but still trying to give me his best puppy dog look.

I sighed deeply and mumbled a quick "fine."

He leaned over and kissed the side of my head and tightened his arm around my waist.

"Thank you, Bella! You won't regret it, I promise!" Angela squealed.

She and the rest of the girls started bouncing in their seats and began talking about when to go dress shopping and how my hair would look the best and on and on for the rest of the lunch period.

When the bell rang to dismiss us to our next class, Angela followed me over to the trash cans in the corner of the lunch room to throw our trash away.

"Do you want to go dress shopping with us tonight?" She asked. "Several of us are going out to a little shop here in Forks but we might go on out to Port Angeles if we don't find anything here."

I rolled my eyes and agreed without much enthusiasm, but definitely perked up once she mentioned that we were going to have dinner afterwards. After this partially edible meal from the school cafeteria, I would have done about anything for a nice meal.

"No. Bella. Really, you have to get that dress. You have no idea."

"Angela, no, it's not my style," I whined back, trying to push my way back to the dressing room, but Angela stuck her arms out and stood in front of the door.

"Marissa, Cassie, Kate! Come here, please! Look at Bella's dress!" She yelled down the small hallway of dressing rooms.

All three of them stuck their heads out the doors of the rooms they were in and looked me up and down quickly.

"Oh my god, Bella, that dress was made for you," Marissa squeaked, coming closer to me to get a better look at the detailing on the front of the dress.

The rest of the girls murmured in agreement and I gave a sigh of resignation and turned to look at the dress in the big full length mirrors one more time.

It really was a pretty dress, just not something I would normally pick out for myself. Angela had actually thrown it over the top of the dressing room door after I had already picked out a few dresses of my own to try on. It was a dark blue satin dress with a brown sash right under the chest that came around the back, and there were straps on it that were brown also that went out around the ends of my shoulders. It was form fitting down to my hips where it cascaded down to the ground and pooled around my feet. I would need heels in order to walk in it without holding it up constantly. Great, add another thing to the list of reasons I might fall flat on my face.

"I guess I'll get it," I said, turning from the mirror to face all of my friends whose heads were poking out of their rooms to admire my dress. I sighed in resignation and turned to step back into my dressing room to put my jeans back on, but as I took my first step, my foot landed on the front hem of the dress and sent me toppling into the door of the room I was trying to get into.

My head hit first of course, pushing the door back into the dressing room leaving room for the rest of me to land flat on my stomach.

I could hear my friends trying to stifle their laughter as they all started asking me if I was okay. As they stood me up and dusted me back off, I scowled at all of them.

"Told you I shouldn't have to wear things like this," I grumbled. "I'm a hazard."

"But Edward will just melt when he sees you in this," Angela said, straightening the fabric in my dress. "Will you wear it for him?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed. She definitely knew how to manipulate me.

"Fine," I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest.

Several hours later, we were walking back out of the mall in Port Angeles with long dress bags thrown over our shoulders, each holding several other bags in our hands full of all kinds of other stuff we needed for the dance.

I personally didn't see the need for about a hundred dollars worth of panty hose, shoes, and jewelry, but the other girls insisted I needed it, so here I was with three extra bags. The jewelry that I got was actually really pretty though. It was silver with three delicate looking silver flowers in the center of the chain, with earrings to match the flowers. The shoes were actually not that bad either. They were brown to match the straps on my dress, with a thick heel to help me keep my balance, and small silver rhinestones tracing the straps across my foot. The panty hose on the other hand were bad. Nothing particularly about this pair, they were just the same as all the others, but panty hose in general were terrible. They came halfway up my torso and still managed to fall down between my legs, and bunch up in all the wrong places, and basically just make an entire outfit into living hell. I just had to keep reminding myself that this is all for Edward.

Once again, sorry this took so long!! Bella's dress is in my photobucket account- there's a link to it on my profile if you'd like to see! Review please!!