Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.

A/N: Also thanks to my awesome Beta, Blueboarderchick.

Thank you to my reviewers.

To Koto- I don't think I've ever heard those songs before but I'll give it them a listen and we'll see.

Chapter 34

The fall semester of our junior year began, and things were hectic, running around trying to locate classes and buying textbooks. I still hadn't told anyone about my fast approaching date with Dillon. It was constantly on my mind and it didn't take long for everyone to notice my distraction. When Taylor asked me what was up, I changed the topic by apologizing to him for the bar incident and the dark red bruise on his face. He said I could make it up to him by watching my drinking. I knew that by watching my drinking he meant paying attention to who I drank with.

Dillon apologized to me for the ass grabbing incident and I waved him off. I knew he was drunk, and to be honest, a part of me felt like I'd encouraged him with my wanton behavior. He said that he didn't hold any grudges against Taylor. But, deep down I knew he was pissed about the small cut on his eyebrow. Dillon was still excited about our date, though. He told me he made reservations for us to have dinner at Riverside Restaurant. The most exclusive and expensive restaurant in town. People had to book reservations at least two months in advance to eat there. When I inquired as to how he pulled it off, he mysteriously told me that he knew a guy then left it at that.

By Thursday night I was a nervous wreck. We were sitting around on the living room floor watching RocknRolla on DVD. But even Gerard Butler's hotness wasn't enough to fully take my mind off my date the next night. What do I say to him? Hell, what do I wear? With these questions running rampant in my mind, I didn't hear when Liz asked me if I wanted some of her fries.

The sound of Liz calling my name broke me out of my musings. "Izzy, what's up with you? You've been distracted all week."

It was now or never. I decided to tell them the truth. After taking a deep breath, I confessed, "I have a date with Dillon."

Almost instantly, I felt Taylor's body stiffen next to me. I was too chicken to look at him. Liz smiled tentatively, but Ryan and Zach both wore scowls on their faces. "So he finally wore you down, huh?" This came from Ryan as he dropped his half-eaten burger back on his plate. Guess he'd lost his appetite.

"Leah and I made a pact to start dating again and well…" I trailed off, not knowing how to finish my sentence. Okay… so I altered the truth a little. I asked Dillon out before I made the pact but Ryan's glaring intimidated me.

At the mention of Leah's name Zach's head snapped up. "Leah's dating?"

Oh crap! Me and my big mouth. I didn't think Leah would have wanted Zach to know about her dating. I opened and closed my mouth, unsure of what to say to him. He'd been in a weird mood ever since Leah left and constantly bugged me for Leah's phone number, but I didn't give it to him because Leah made me promise not to.

"So when's the big occasion?" I really had to hand it to Liz. She was doing her best to be supportive in the face of almost overwhelming disapproval.

While nervously picking my burger to pieces, I mumbled, "Tomorrow night."

"When did he ask you?" Liz queried softly, shooting anxious glances at Taylor.

"Um… he didn't ask me. I asked him that night at the Jimmy's." I replied quietly, wishing that a fire would break out in our apartment and provide me with a distraction.

"Hm." Was Taylor's only response as he got up and left the apartment. By the stiffness of his shoulders and the clenching of his fists, I was able to denote that he wasn't happy.

Liz's face was a mixture of worry and annoyance as she watched Taylor leave. When Zach stood up to follow Taylor's lead, Liz's eyes glinted dangerously, "And just where do you think you're going?"

Zach barely heard her as he mumbled distractedly to himself. "I can't believe she's dating." He then hastily made an exit. Poor thing. He looked so forlorn. I gathered Zach really had genuine feelings for Leah.

Liz looked positively pissed. No one was allowed to walk out on one of Liz's movie nights, no one. The last time someone tried to leave before the movie was over, it was like Armageddon. You couldn't even go on a bathroom break while the movie was playing. Liz always insisted that bathroom breaks were before and after the movie.

As Ryan stood to his feet Liz snapped, "Fine! Just fine! Walk out on movie night! I don't care!"

With eyes as wide as saucers, Ryan replied. "I'll be right back. I have to run to the drugstore." He then quickly disappeared out the door, leaving Liz in the midst of her tantrum. I concluded that Ryan's departure had more to do with escaping Liz's temper and less to do with his sudden need find out what kind of hemorrhoid cream the drugstore sold. He immediately went into a flight-or-fight response and had chosen to flee.

I sat in guilty silence, contemplating my own escape route before Liz had the chance to turn her wrath on me for ruining movie night. Staring at the door, Liz absentmindedly tugged at her brown hair. Something she only did when extremely irritated. As she turned to face me, I braced myself. My worry would be in vain as her expression was that of sympathy and not ire.

Reaching out a hand, Liz rubbed my shoulder. "I'm sorry about the guys, Izzy. This should be an exciting time for you and they just ruined it."

Suddenly, I was beginning to have second thoughts about going out with Dillon. "Liz, maybe I should just cancel my date," I said unsurely.

Liz's reaction was both startling and indignant as she fixed me with one of her glares. "Don't you dare, Izzy." Her eyes softened and she sighed, "Look, I know you're concerned about how my brother reacted, but this date is a good thing. You're finally getting past your post-Jacob apocalyptic breakup. My brother will understand that…" She paused as if trying to find the right words.

"Understand what?"

"That Dillon is an experience that you need to have. He's… necessary." Liz gave a satisfied nod, evidently contented with her answer.

Scrunching up my nose in confusion, I asked, "Necessary? What do you mean by that?"

Liz explained further, "Look, I know you're not going to fall in love with him. I view Dillon as a sort of stepping stone until you're ready for bigger and better things." She then gave me one of Taylor's enigmatic smiles, and I knew that was all I would get out of her. Bigger and better things?

Realizing that movie night was officially dead, she turned off the TV and shifted her body in my direction, "So where's he taking you?"

"Riverside Restaurant."

"Seriously?" Her eyes shone with fascination.

I nodded. "Yep." I wasn't overly excited about the whole fancy restaurant thing. Why couldn't we do something simple and cheap?

Because it's Dillon Buchanon, that's why.

Liz's beamed excitedly, "Wow. That's the best restaurant in town. He must really be trying to impress you." Liz suddenly shot up from the couch with an excited squeal. "We'll have to find you something to wear."

Without giving me a chance to respond, Liz grabbed me by the hand and dragged me to my closet. For the next two hours, I was subjected to questions and comments like:

Dillon won't mind if you show off so much cleavage.

I think that dress isn't short enough.

Remember, Izzy, lace is our friend.

Do you plan on wearing panties with that?

How do you feel about going commando?

I spent the remainder of the night wishing I'd joined Ryan on his hunt for hemorrhoid cream. Why me?

In the end, Liz decided that I had nothing in my closet that was Riverside Restaurant worthy, so we spent the next day running from store to store looking for the perfect dress.

Zach had been a perfect grump the entire day, choosing to speak and answer questions in a series of grunts and groans. Ryan still didn't like my going out with Dillon, but he kept his comments to himself, due to the threat known as Liz. Taylor didn't join us for breakfast that morning and when I asked about him, I was told by Ryan, that he was busy. His reaction bothered and angered me. I knew that Dillon wasn't his favorite person, but he could have at least stayed and pretended to be supportive.

Hours later, I stood in front of the mirror watching my reflection while Liz crooned at her crowning achievement. My chestnut hair hung in loose waves around my head, cascading over my shoulders and down my back. I wore a cabaret, silk chiffon, strapless dress that clung to my body and accentuated my curves. Liz fell in love with the dress from the first moment she laid her eyes on it. On my feet, I wore a pair of black stiletto heels that made my legs look shapely and long.

"You look so beautiful, Izzy. Dillon's a lucky man." Liz complimented me.

I grinned in appreciation, "Thanks, Liz."

"You just need one more thing to complete your look." Liz removed a small blue box from atop the dresser. She then opened it to reveal a pair of black pearl earrings. The pearls hung from white gold hooks and were topped with a diamond encrusted design.

"Wow, Liz. They're gorgeous." I gasped softly and reach out a fingertip to lightly trace the diamond design.

"They were my mother's." Liz's eyes held a far away look, thinking about the woman she only knew from photos. She had a few framed pictures of her mother in her room. Liz was a lighter skinned, green eyed version of her mother.

This was way too much for just one silly date with Dillon. Just as I opened my mouth to protest, Liz beat me to the punch. "Relax, Izzy. I'm only loaning them to you. But if you and Dillon get robbed tonight, I expect you to swallow them to keep them safe. Is you feelin' me?" Her lips twitched comically as she tried to hold back her smile.

"Wow. Bad grammar and threats. I feel the love." I smiled sardonically.

She handed me the earrings and I slipped them on, one after the other. When I was done, I returned my attention to the mirror. I'd chosen to keep my makeup light, wearing eye shadow for that smoky-eyed look and berry lip-gloss on my lips.

Liz clapped her hands together and rocked on her heels. "Look at you, going out on your first date. I feel like a proud mama." She flittered around me like a humming bird, spraying me with perfume.

The opening and closing of the front door informed us that we had company. Liz left my room to see who it was, practically skipping out the door. She was really excited for this date to happen. I wished I shared her enthusiasm. At the moment, feelings of nervousness were prevailing over everything else. I glanced at the clock to see it was almost eight thirty.

Dillon should be here any minute now.

Making an O with my mouth, I retouched my lip gloss. As I smoothed down my dress, I agreed with Liz's judgment on my dress. The dark color really flattered my pale skin tone. The prickly sensation of being watched made me halt in my self-examination. A slight twist of my head confirmed that I had an unexpected visitor.

Taylor was standing in my doorway, looking at me. Green eyes swept over my frame and I suppressed a quiver.

I suddenly remembered I was still angry with him. "You left."

"I came back." Slowly, Taylor stepped over the threshold then shut the door behind him. Deliberately, he moved toward me. His feet made no sound on the carpet.

"It's just a date, you know?" I said for the sake of saying as he closed the distance between us.

"I know." Keeping the same lazy pace in his footsteps, he murmured. I felt like prey being stalked by a predator. The overwhelming urge to flee was present, but my entire being was frozen where I stood. Excitement and fear mingled together, creating a frenzy of emotions in me. For one brief, twisted moment, I wondered if Taylor would chase me if I ran and what would happen when he caught me.

As he came to a stop in front of me, I gazed up at him. Even though I wore heels, there was still a noticeable difference in our height.

"You look beautiful."

Without thinking, I blurted softly, "I know." A blush bloomed on my cheeks when I realized what I said. Jeez, I can't believe I just said that. Verbal diarrhea strikes again!

Seeing my blush, humor flicked in his eyes for a moment before they darkened, boring into mine. The intensity of his stare made me shiver. The atmosphere of the room changed then it was like we had been transported back to that drunken night three weeks ago.

It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Lightly, Taylor ran his rough hands up and down my arms, creating electric chills that travelled up my spine. Fingertips trailed up my slender bicep and gently brushed the hair off my shoulder. His hands were warm, and I could smell the manly scent that was so unique to him. It was so Taylor.

As he leaned in slowly, my heart pounded furiously in my ears and I struggled to control my erratic breathing. Torn between wanting to push him away and pulling him closer, I fisted my hands firmly. My nails bit into my palms as I fought to resist doing either one. He shifted his head slightly and warm breath tickled my ear as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Taylor's movements were torturously slow as he pulled away and his smooth cheek brushed against mine. He paused briefly before pressing a lingering kiss dangerously close to my mouth. My eyelids fluttered close and I instinctively leaned into him. He removed his lips from my skin but didn't step away. Instead, he tilted his head imperceptibly and waited. I knew that I only needed to turn my head a little and our lips would touch. He waited for me to make the first move while my body and mind were waging an internal war.

A knock on my door broke our trance and I pulled away from Taylor, moments before Liz opened the door. Keeping my eyes on the floor, I tried to calm down.

A frown creased Liz's brow as she eyed us with a mixture of suspicion and playfulness. "Well, I see you two have made up." She ignored the tense silence as she announced cheerfully, "Dillon's here."

Reality hit me like a ton of bricks. Crap! I almost forgot about my date with Dillon. This was exactly why I needed to start dating. So I would stop myself from rubbing up against Taylor like a cat in heat. Without looking at Taylor, I grabbed my purse off the bed and left the room with Liz while Taylor trailed behind us. However, our advancement was blocked by Ryan's large frame.

His face was a combination of irritation and embarrassment as he pushed a small, brown paper bag at me. "Here." He said tersely.

"What is it?" I didn't take the bag from him.

Ryan annoyed that I was forcing him to explain, wordlessly opened the bag, pulled out a box of condoms and shoved it into my hands.

Oh my God.

My cheeks burned as I asked, "Is that the reason you went to the drugstore last night?"

Ryan nodded his response. Moments later, the condoms were snatched out of my hands by a pissed off looking Taylor. "She doesn't need that."

"Oh really? Did you forget who she's going out with? Do you want her to get something from him?" Ryan argued.

Taylor's lips tightened into a thin line as he mutely thrust the condoms back into my hands.

The word mortified wasn't enough to cover my feelings at this point. Just when I thought my embarrassment was over, Liz proved me wrong. "Hey, guys, relax. Izzy's not gonna put out on the first date. Are you, Izzy?"

They were discussing my non-existent sex life with a guy I hadn't even kissed yet. Without answering Liz, I threw the box at Ryan and stomped down the hall into the living room, where my date waited. Behind me, Ryan called out, "Good for you, Izzy. You be a good girl and keep your legs closed tonight."

Oh God! I hastened my steps.

Dillon looked handsome in his sharply tailored, dark blue suit. Behind me, Liz's awed murmurs informed me that it was Armani. He wore a light blue shirt inside his jacket and a dark blue silk necktie. Dillon was definitely dressed to impress. Everything he wore, from his French gold cufflinks to his shiny, black leather shoes, screamed money. I felt my unease return. His blue eyes roamed up and down my figure. His appreciative gaze left me feeling a little unnerved.

"You look stunning, Izzy." Dillon took my hands in his and smiled. His gazed moved to someone over my shoulder and his eyes narrowed slightly. I craned my neck to see Taylor glaring back at him. No doubt challenging him to a rematch.

I sighed inwardly. This was so not the time and place for their puffed up egos to come out on display. Taylor had a good twenty pound advantage on Dillon and I was certain if they got into it again, Ryan would help Taylor pound on him.

"She has mace." Ryan announced behind me. "And don't forget, I know where you live, Buchanon."

Dillon rolled his eyes, clearly bored with the turn of the conversation. "I know where you live too, Sinclair." He replied with a slight edge to his voice. Okay, things were beginning to get a bit out of hand.

Liz elbowed Ryan in the stomach but that didn't stop him. "What? I'm just letting him know that if he touches her, I'll come touch him." Ugh! Ryan had no idea how gay his statement sounded. Dillon wrinkled his nose in distaste.

I was so embarrassed. My gaze was pleading as I turned to Taylor for help only to be disappointed. He was too busy trying to hold in his laughs. Bastard!

Taking the initiative, I grabbed my jacket then took a hold of Dillon's arm and led him out the door. "We should get to the restaurant, Dillon."

I shut the door behind us, effectively cutting off Taylor's roaring laughter. "I'm sorry about that, Dillon." I expressed my remorse as we walked to the elevator.

"No need to apologize, Izzy. They're protective of you, it's… cute."

We walked out to the parking lot where his red Jaguar was parked. As I reached for the door handle of his car, Dillon surprised me by rushing forward to open the door himself. Usually, I preferred to open my own doors but… whatever. I sat down and immediately fastened my seatbelt. Something I'd picked up from Taylor, who would refuse to start the car until everyone was safely strapped in. One of his quirks.

Even though Dillon drove a little too fast for my liking, he still wasn't as bad as the Cullens. But I gathered that when you were unable to die, you didn't worry about silly things like dying in a fiery car crash. We pulled up in front of the restaurant and Dillon tossed his keys to the valet as he walked around the car to open my door for me.

As Dillon guided me into the building, the maître d' met us at the door and led us to our table. I couldn't help but admire the décor of the restaurant. Floor to ceiling windows provided a breathtaking view of the river. The dimmed lighting and softly filtered music encouraged intimate conversation. The intricate ironworks and sophisticated artwork adorning the walls gave the restaurant a cosmopolitan quality.

We were led to a secluded table with an excellent view of the river. After we were seated, our waiter for the evening, Mason, provided us with menus and we ordered a plate of garlic bread as our starter. While reviewing the menu, I tried to find cheap dishes but I discovered that the menu had no prices. I chose the mushroom risotto for my main course (at Dillon's urging) while he decided on the lobster ravioli.

After our starter arrived, Dillon entertained me with funny stories from his childhood. Dillon made me giggle when he stole some of my risotto of my plate. In the end, we decided to switch plates with each other. I preferred Dillon's ravioli to my risotto (it tasted awful). Dillon and I were halfway through our meals when we heard a familiar voice.

"Well, look who we have here." Ah shit.

I looked up from my plate to see Amber and some poor, rich schmuck headed in our direction. Her hair was styled in an elegant French twist and she wore a green twist strap, pleated dress. Amber was hideous, except for the fact that she looked drop dead gorgeous.

She arrived at our table and spoke with her eyes on Dillon. "Hello, Dillon."

Dillon greeted her, "Hello, Amber. You know Izzy, right?" He gestured to me with his right hand.

Amber turned to me with false surprise on her face. "Is that you, Izzy? I almost didn't recognize you. You look… different." She shot me a sweet smile filled with venom. What a bitch!

I suddenly felt so tired of people like Amber. People that had no real reason to hate you but did it anyway. I'd put up with people like her all through high school and I wasn't about to do it anymore. Sweet, innocent, forgiving Bella was not in the house tonight.

"Amber? Are you feeling okay? Because you look a little ill to me. Maybe it's that dress. Green really isn't your color." I commented with beguiling concern written all over my face.

If looks could kill, I would have been killed on the spot by Amber's death glare. I heard snickering from Dillon and Amber's date. They quickly stopped after she turned her glower on them. She then shot me a look that said this isn't over. I met her with a hardened gaze of my own that replied, bring it bitch. Amber turned on her heels wordlessly and dragged her date away. Looks like somebody's not getting laid tonight.

Dillon watched her go with a nervous look on his face. "Maybe you shouldn't have said that, Izzy. Amber's one enemy you don't want to make." He cautioned me.

I took a sip of my wine then returned to my ravioli. "Bitch had it coming."

Dillon attempted to lighten my mood by changing the topic. "So, will you be at the Green Monster next week?" The Green Monster was a boat race, held annually on the Connecticut River. MIT, Vermont and Boston University were coming to compete, and Dillon would be a senior on Dartmouth's crew this year.

"Yeah, I think I'll come see what all the fuss is about." I answered coyly, peering at him through my lashes. It was cute, the way his eyes lit up with excitement at the idea of my being there to witness him in his winning glory.

Dillon rambled on enthusiastically about the race and his training all through dessert. When we were finished, he drove me back home and walked me to my door. My nervousness returned again with a vengeance. Was I supposed to kiss him? I hadn't kissed anybody since… I quickly dismissed that thought. I reminded myself that this was about moving forward and on with my life.

"I had a really good time tonight, Dillon." I couldn't help but fidget with my hands.

"I'm glad." He closed the distance between us. Using his right hand he gently tilted my chin up and leaned in to kiss me. I closed my eyes as his lips touched mine. His hands slipped down and wrapped around my waist, pressing me closer to him. I allowed my hands to trail up his arms to rest on his shoulders. Dillon's lips were soft and warm. His mouth parted slightly and his moist tongue brushed against my lips. I hesitantly opened my mouth and touched his tongue with my own. Dillon let out a groan and began kissing me in earnest. The need for air forced us to break apart. Dillon was definitely an expert kisser but something was missing.

Dillon must have seen something on my face because he asked, "What?"

"Nothing." I stood on my toes and pressed one last lingering kiss on his lips, then pulled away. "Goodnight, Dillon."

"Goodnight, Izzy." Dillon grinned as he turned on his heels, walking back toward the elevator.

I let myself into the apartment with my keys then kicked off my heels. The living room was empty and I wondered if Liz and Ryan were home. I stopped in front of their closed bedroom door and knocked. "Liz?"

I heard a giggle then Liz spoke, "Izzy? You back?"

"Yeah. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Cautiously, I opened their door and peeked around it. Liz and Ryan were dressed for bed. Liz was wearing her ridiculous Hello Kitty shorts and tank top and Ryan, in his sweats and singlet. "Am I interrupting sex?"

"More like interrupting a guy begging for sex." Liz snorted and Ryan pouted. "How was your date?"

I climbed onto the bed, crawled in between them and lay down. "It was great except for the part when Amber Hodge showed up."

"Seriously?" I then relayed our interaction to Liz and she giggled, "I wish I could have seen her face."

Ryan cut in between our girl talk. "So did that punk kiss you, Izzy?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Yes but…" My voice trailed off as I remembered the kiss.

"But what?" Ryan's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I don't know. Dillon's attractive and a great kisser and all, but I feel like something's missing." I murmured distractedly.

"Like what?" Ryan prodded impatiently.

My eyes widened with realization. "Sparks. There were no sparks."

Liz nodded sympathetically while Ryan grumbled, "Good. No sparks for you. Sparks are dangerous."

Ignoring Ryan, I continued, "With Edward and Jacob there were all kinds of sparks but none with Dillon." Sighing in frustration, I wondered if I had to be in love to feel sparks.

"Maybe you should look at that as a good thing. Now, you can just concentrate on having fun with Dillon without the whole love thing. Besides, you said you're not looking for anything serious right now." Liz reasoned.

"I guess." I conceded reluctantly.

Later that night, I lay awake in bed thinking about what Liz said. Maybe the absence of sparks was a good thing but I would really miss them. My mind wondered back to my almost kiss with Taylor. I really didn't understand what was happening between us. Dillon certainly did not inspire feelings of breathless, weak-kneed lightheadedness like Taylor did. Tonight, I almost forgot the promise I made to myself. The promise to never get involved like that with him. I really could not blame it on alcohol this time. I would have to be really careful in the future. Taylor Reed seemed to have some kind of weird gravitational hold on me. He confused the hell out of me. I knew he had feelings for me, but what kind were they? Were they relationship feelings or just attraction feelings?

Eventually, my eyes drifted close and I fell asleep, dreaming about the kiss that never happened. Wanting is dangerous. Wanting could get you in trouble. Especially, when you're not sure what you want.

A/N: How did you guys enjoy Ryan's craziness?

And the date with Dillon?

What about Bella's run in with Amber?

You guys almost didnt get this chapter today due to my inspiration problems and power outages, but I soldiered on and here we are.

Coming up next: Someone does a striptease for Bella.

She gets a breast grabbed.

Charlie calls her with some news.

And Bella causes a scene at the regatta.

PS.Due to previous reviews, I have to remind you guys about Jacob's injunction in chapter 27.

Leah isn't allowed to think about Bella at all when she's phased.

You know what to do if you want your chapter before next Thursday.Review!

It was tough making myself wait till Thursday to give you guys this chapter but if I get enough requests, I'll give you the next one Monday.