Hello Everyone,

Back tonight to give you a little more lead up into the dance. We see Bella and Alice enter and who wins the bet about the boys. Thank you all for reading and saying around. I hope that you are enjoying the story. Let me know what you think. Happy Reading.

I don't own any of the Twilight materials or characters. I just make them deal with pushy little pixies.

Chapter 24: The Grand Entrance

Our moms made their way down first, telling their respective husbands that they better have the camera ready or face their wrath. As it was fake prom, Alice insisted that we make a grand entrance. She went first, bouncing on each stair and catwalk turning at the bottom.

I watched from around the corner at the top, shaking my head. I looked down to check myself one last time. My dress was a deep navy blue with ruffles that hit the middle of my shin, covering the top of my fake elastic wrap and gauze cast and a walking boot. Much to my dismay, I let Alice guilt me into a pair of wedge heels – a compromise for both of us – instead of my beautiful, safe new high tops. She said that I would ruin the authenticity of my costume not to wear heels that she picked out and – like an idiot – I gave in. Now I had to try and navigate on these monstrosities all night. Probably leaning on Edward to help me… that sneaky little nymph…

"Bella! We're waiting," yelled the pixie herself.

"Coming," I yelled back, preparing to conquer the stairs in heels. Oh, God, help me and give me momentary grace. I took in a deep – hopefully calming – breath and clenched the stair railing as I descended the stairs slowly.

God bless Edward, who saw me struggling and came to the bottom of the stairs. He let me grab his shoulder and then his arm as I came down the last two steps.

Edward leaned in and whispered low in my ear. "Wow, Bella. You look beautiful!"

Now safely on the ground, I can afford to look around at everyone. My mom and dad were somewhat emotional, though daddy was doing his best not to show it. Part of me felt bad for having slammed my dad with high school and my first date in the span of two months.

Wow. I just said my first date. Date-date it is, I guess. Alice came over to me and took my other arm. She led me to the family room, Edward still in tow.

"I win the bet," She whispered in my ear.

"What?"

"All three of them were catching flies when you came down the stairs, and I'm sure Em will have some – well for lack of a better term – Emmett comment."

I didn't want her to be right, mostly about the Emmett part. God only knew what he would think to say. I knew that this dress made me feel beautiful, and it's okay for Alice to tell me that I am because that's what best friends do. For Edward to tell me that I'm beautiful though, for Jake and Jasper to have stood there, supposedly mouth agape was different. And confusing. Alice was right. Up until now, I was the tomboy friend. The one that they weren't surprised was planning to try-out for the baseball team with them in the spring. The one that dished the innuendos as well as she took them. I was afraid of them seeing me differently because of the pretty dress and the uncharacteristic heels. Worse than that, I didn't know how much of this to actually worry about and how much of it was me being a 12-year-old girl who was out of her depth.

"Hopefully, he will keep it PG-13 with our parents here," I laughed, both at the lack of probability and to shake my thoughts away.

"Can we get these pictures done soon, um, Astrid…" Jasper paused to make sure that he had the name right. "The faster we get them done, the faster I can loosen my tie and be a little less miserable in this monkey suit." Jasper looked to be pleading, and I almost lost my control. I had forgotten Alice's other rule for the night. She had demanded that while we were in costume, we were to use our nicknames. Everyone except her hated the idea, but we also knew not to poke the grizzly.

"Jasper Whitlock, if you lo…like me at all, you won't touch your tie. Besides, we have to wait for Emmett and mystery Rowena." Alice scolded gently. Jasper shrugged it off with a smirk but still looked a little defeated. Edward leaned over to me.

"I can loosen my tie, though, right?"

"I don't have a problem with it. Don't you think that it's a little mean to Jasper to flaunt it in his face, though?" I asked jokingly.

"Uh, no. The bro-code only goes so far. Suits are every man for himself." Edward joked though I could tell he meant it. I laughed at him as Jake made his way over to us.

"Nice Bells. Didn't know you had it in ya." He cringed, waiting for what he knew was coming, and I didn't disappoint.

"Wow, thanks soo much," I said as I smacked the back of his head.

"Oh, come on. I'm kidding. Ember here is the one who looked like the wolf in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Jake laughed. Edward decided on a punch over a slap, and Jake didn't cringe this time.

"Asshat. First, Charlie would've hit me. Secondly, Bianca – God, I feel ridiculous right now – deserves to be looked at tastefully, so I would never do that…" he trailed off with his head down.

Wow. Just wow. How sweet! I don't know what was going to happen on this date, and I was 90 percent sure that Jake was joking, but I was 100 percent sure that Edward wasn't. I would have to tell him when we were alone how sweet and gentlemanly he was being. How much I appreciated it. What it did for that 7, 9, and 12 year-old-girl that I was. I couldn't do it in front of the other guys though, he already looked embarrassed.

"Wow, Cullen. Just yanking your chain, though good to hear you're going to be respectful."

"He better be," Esme interjected. "I raised him better than that."

"Of course, he will. He knows Renée and me by now, I hope," My father said, trying to look intimidating and only half succeeding.

"Daddy! Leave him alone!" I said.

"Ah, and so it begins, Honey," my mother said, patting my father on the shoulder. Every adult but dad and Mr. Brown – who had zeroed in on Jasper's arm high on Alice's waist – laughed at his expense. There was a knock at the door, and Alice and Jazz join our group in a shot.

"Drum roll, please," Jasper whispered, and we all snickered and peered around the archway of the parlor.

End Note: Next up… Mystery Rowena and the photoshoot. And Later… A present for Bella from the boys. See you Tuesday.