BPOV

The year was finally wrapping up and I couldn't have been more thrilled except that the end of the year meant: Prom. School parties were not, and had never been, my kind of scene. I didn't quite understand what the excitement and fuss was all about, in fact I always thought with the way that people idealized and fantasized their perfect prom night pretty much set themselves up for disappointment. It was impossible to live up to expectations set that high.

Either way, Edward and Alice had been harping on me to go. Each time they were met with an emphatic and resounding no. I had to give them credit, they were both pretty persistent. It had been a couple of weeks since I had that difficult conversation about keeping the baby with Charlie and Edward swore that I owed it to myself to have one last night out before the baby got here. One night out before I embarked on teenage motherhood. I hated to say it but the idea of going was getting more and more appealing, but I still held onto my reservations with a death-grip. I would never admit it, but a corny night out with Edward sounded pretty good. I'd always missed out on all of those other high school milestones and school events back in Arizona, and finally getting that taste of a stale tradition felt like what I needed right now.

I came home from a doctor's appointment about a week before prom to a gift box lying on my bed. I felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety that someone had gotten into my room without me being here, but I pushed the emotion away and focused on the box just laying there. It looked harmless enough, a simple white rectangular box with a red box and a small card sticking out, but then again weren't most harmful things put in unassuming containers. Realizing I was being stupid, I plucked the note from the box.

Have fun Saturday night.

That's it, no name, no clue as to who this was. Nothing. I hadn't even made up my mind about going, but there was no way I could just not go now, right?

It felt like a dick move not to go after someone had spent their money on getting me a dress. My heart clenched as the fact that someone had thought about me, thought about me and used their hard-earned money to get me something nice. I hadn't ever been taken care of like this, or really at all, until I got to Forks, until I came to live with Charlie and met the Cullen's.

I exhaled and carefully opened the box. Inside was a long, almost satin like gown. Maybe it was satin, I didn't really know. This wasn't really my forte, I couldn't actually remember a single time I had ever gotten super dressed up like this. I was more inclined to casual clothes, but I liked the dress.

The smile grew on my face as I tried to forget the reservations that I had about going to this dance. Really, just one reservation. I gently cradled my belly. My baby. I took a long breath and thought more about Saturday night. What was really the worst thing that could happen? I get stared at. Maybe people make some snide comments. It wasn't like I was walking into a Carrie situation. I sighed, I had made the decision to keep this baby. A decision I had no intention of going back on. Now was the time to forget everyone else and focus on the people who were important to me. To forget all those assholes and remember that I had people who supported me. This was easier said than done of course, but I figured I'd start with the person who had sparked this anticipation.

A call to both Edward, Alice, and Rose were all fruitless. They had no clue about the dress, though they seemed to agree that now I had to go to Prom, if only to avoid slighting or disrespecting whoever had given me such a nice gift. I wearily sighed and hastily made plans about this Saturday.

When Charlie came home that night, I figured there was no better person to ask than the only other person that had access to the house, though Edward did know where the spare key was and how to sneak into my bedroom, Charlie was officially the only person that could get into the house.

"Hey, Dad," I asked over dinner. "Did you let anyone into the house? To drop off a box maybe?"

He thought about it for a second. "Nope, didn't let anyone in."

I sighed. "Well, do you know anything about the box that was left on my bed? It was a gift, but they didn't say who it was."

He shrugged. "Did you like the gift?"

"Yeah, it was really nice. I just wish I knew who gave it to me."

"Take it as a sign to go enjoy yourself on Saturday."

I nodded and went to wash my plate. As I place the dish on the drying rack I stopped, thinking about the Charlie's inconsistent words, and the fact that I never mentioned the gift being prom related. "Wait, I didn't mention anything about Saturday."

The blush slowly creeped up on his face as he realized his slip-up.

"Dad, you didn't have to do that. I didn't want you spending your money on me."

He quietly shrugged. "I just want you to go out. Have some fun before the baby gets here. You shouldn't be cooped up here all the time, it's not healthy."

Little did he know that being cooped up in this house was probably the healthiest thing I'd done in years. I stepped forward and hugged him. "Thank you, Dad. For everything."

By the time we were pulling up to the dance, I was almost 100% sure that I wasn't going to have a good night. Alice started the day fairly early and spent hours perfecting hair and makeup. I just sat there letting her do as she pleased.

Alice's dress was a champagne color, floor length with plenty of sparkle to it. Rose chose a bold red with a simple silhouette. And then me, a simple black dress, with some black flats Alice had was kind enough to loan me.

"Have I told you how incredible you look?" Edward asked as he helped me out of the car. Even from outside, I could feel the thump of the music's bass.

"You have," I laughed wearily. "But thank you."

We walked into the dance, and except for a few shocked glances, I was glad to say it was uneventful. Edward and I slow-danced underneath the disco ball in the gym that still vaguely smelled like sweat and plastic. And afterward he took me out to the diner for a midnight meal. And that was it.

There was something so simple, so quiet about the night that was everything I wanted. Normalcy. Something I completely rebuked before- I wasn't exactly sure when that started to change but all I wanted was simplicity, a silence without calamity following. To have Edward buy my the flower thing and put it on my wrist for me. To walk into prom and take the cheesy picture with a cheesy pose.

And after all of that- to look over the sticky, faded diner table and see Edward munching on some fries. To have Edward take me home in a comfortable silence with his right hand intertwined with mine.

And I could honestly say that the night was absolutely perfect.

Hello, friends!

Okay, okay, I swear this is the last chapter of fluff. I've doubled checked and it really, really is. Everyone just please bear with me! Alright, I hope you guys are enjoying, please, please, please let me know what you're thinking so far!

See you very soon!