Chapter 8
We danced the night away, we drank too much
I held your hair back when
You were throwing up -Say You Won't Let Go, James Arthur
Leah
Bree Tanner, a strange but brave seventh-grade girl, stalked Jasper to take her to the Forks Teen Holiday Dance, a fundraising event held to raise money for needing families in the area.
Friendly, athletic, and popular, he got asked out a lot. He didn't want to go with Bree, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings, either, so he told her he was already taking someone else. She went all fatal attraction, annoying him with her persistence. I couldn't wait to tease him about it some more. I approached them and stood nearby at our lockers, eavesdropping, when she demanded to know the name of his date. Jasper reached for my arm, jerking me toward him. "Speaking of the angel. I'm going with Leah. We've been planning this for months. Haven't we, Leah?"
It was hilarious. I burst out laughing, and Bree stared at me, surprised.
"Tell her, babe." Jasper glared. I recognized his seriousness, and how pissed he'd get if I didn't back him up.
Leaning my head against his shoulder, I cleared my throat, attempting to hold a straight face. "It's true, Bree. I've looked forward to this day for... well, forever." I barely contained my laugh.
She didn't buy it. "Whatever... Jerks!" Wrenching herself around, she sent her dark, chin-length hair bouncing back and forth as she stormed down the hallway.
"That was mean, Jazz." I decided after I thought about it.
He shrugged. "Not if we really go together."
To ease our consciences, we plotted to make good on the lie and attend the dance as a couple, a pretend couple. It was the honorable thing to do according to him. We attempted to convince Bella to come out with us. She never wanted to do anything. I knew she was crazy in love with Jacob, but he wasn't around, and she couldn't stay home wasting away her youth waiting for him to come back. Well, she could. I just didn't think she should. Fifteen was prime dating time. A lot of good-looking guys showed interest in Bella, but no one surpassed Jacob in her eyes. She didn't want to waste a minute of her time on them.
When Seth told me that he thought he loved Bella, it stunned me how he couldn't see she only had eyes for Jacob. He was clueless. He and Jake both were.
I saw that love-struck look in my brother's eyes, and I didn't have the heart to tell him he didn't stand a chance. Instead, I just promised not to tell Bella, concluding what Seth didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
Bella was just as clueless. Seth did anything and everything he could do for her. All she ever noticed was a friend. She never saw how he looked at her, how sweetly he treated her, letting her know how nice she looked, and protecting her from her awkward self whenever it was necessary. A true white knight, only his damsel in distress wasn't aware of his affections.
Seth didn't take his non-existent romantic relationship with Bella to the extreme the way she did with Jake. He sometimes went out with other girls. He said he was patiently waiting for Bella to notice him and saw no harm in going out with someone else while he waited. I thought it was a guy thing, the difference between them and us. His dating was the reason Bella never realized how he felt about her.
I made it a priority to steer clear of the entire situation, which was no simple task, since they all found it easy to confide in me about these things. I loved Jacob like a brother, but my loyalty lay with Seth. I didn't want to see anybody hurt. Bella included. It was best if she didn't go out with either of them. So, I had no qualms about hooking her up with another able-bodied guy, as long as he wasn't a dork. I had yet to succeed.
On my way to my bedroom to get ready for the dance, I caught sight of Seth sitting on his bed. Slouched over with his head lowered, he looked devastated. "What's wrong, Seth?"
"Nothing important. I just got off the phone with Lauren." He kept his head down. "She thinks we're spending too much time together. She told me she didn't want to break-up. She just wanted to go with some high school dude to the dance tonight."
"Are you serious? What a bitch! Get rid of her, Seth!"
"Duh. You think I'm an idiot? I told her I didn't have time for a girlfriend, anyway. She could do what she wants. I don't even care."
"You look like you care."
"Ah... I'll get over it. I just want to be alone. Do you mind, Leah?"
I left Seth's room holding in my tears for him. He was hurting, and when Seth was hurting, I was hurting. Lauren had been the first girl he seemed to care about—besides Bella. A helpful electrical spark flickered through my brain. Bella!
If she went with Seth to the dance, he'd forget all about hag-zilla. Jasper and I were going together; I saw no reason they couldn't do the same. I called Bella, prepared to use the "you owe me one" line if I needed it. She knew it was true. Once I told her what happened, I had no trouble persuading her to come with us. She cared about Seth as much as I did.
The prospect of spending alone-time with Bella electrified Seth. I'd never seen him so enthusiastic about attending a dance, and all thoughts of his break-up seemed to have vanished by the time we entered the auditorium.
Loud music assaulted my ears as we stepped inside. I covered them to give my poor eardrums time to adjust to the decibel change. Colored strobe-lights pulsed with the music beat, doing a dance of their own.
The holiday event wasn't a winter formal, which was the primary reason I opted to go in the last minute. With all the Christmas lights hanging from the rafters, and sparkling snowflakes and stars dangling low from the ceiling, it could have been formal. The entire gym reminded me of a romantic, wintery prom. The decoration committee outdid themselves.
Cliques of people stood outside the dance circle, but hardly anyone was dancing.
La Push high school guys clustered in a corner. It's where I hoped to be by the end of the evening.
Thrilled with the fluorescent glow of my light-colored blouse, I brushed over my tight-fitting skirt. My curves were coming in, and I didn't mind showing them off.
Bella and I parted from the guys to do our own thing. Before we did, the four of us agreed to share a few dances with our fake dates. This would be important when Bree and Lauren showed up.
I felt a little bored, so seeing Jasper and Seth coming toward us, excited me. I nudged Bella. "Here they come."
"It better be a slow song, or I'm not dancing," Bella said. "I haven't seen Lauren yet. Do you think she's here?"
"Who cares? Besides, I might kick her ass if I see her." I wasn't joking.
A country sounding romantic number twanged through the speakers.
Jasper grinned as he approached, focusing on me like I was the only girl in the room, as if giving me a taste of how he treated an actual date. He was cute. I didn't think I realized how cute before then. He reached for my hand and escorted me onto the dance floor. Beneath the Disco ball, I wrapped my arms around his neck, thinking he would put his hands around my waist. "What are you doing?" he asked. "This is a two-stepping song."
"Two-stepping? What's that?"
He unclasped my hands from his shoulders, positioning us like we were guitars in one another's arms with our hands clasped. "Now. Take two steps forward with the same foot. Then take one step backward with the other foot." He walked me through it.
I had a tough time but laughed, pretending it was fun, having spotted the La Push crowd staring. I glanced at Bella and Seth. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands were holding her waist like normal people. "Why can't we dance like everyone else?"
"It's boring to be like everyone else. I thought you enjoyed being different."
"Only when the difference looks good." I stumbled all over his feet, then tripped over my own. We stopped moving.
"Let's try it again. I'll count and lead. You just relax like a rag doll while I move you."
That he did. When I fell loose, giving into his strength, he carried me around the dance floor, and the graceful momentum exhilarated me. "Where did you learn this?"
"I learned it when we lived in Arizona. My class did it for the school during a Cinco de Mayo celebration. I was in third grade but I never forgot how."
He spun me into a twirl as the music cut. "Nice moves," I said.
"You'd be surprised."
His cocky come back demanded I tease him. "I love surprises."
He chuckled, then said, "Depending on the next song, you're on, but you better give as good as you get."
I burst into laughter, wondering what I got myself into and how was I going to get out of it. Another slow dance began. "Saved by the crappy DJ," I said, about to leave the floor.
"For now!" He pulled me toward him again, asking for another dance with his expression.
"All right, but this time we do it normal," I said.
"You got it."
With my arms wound around his neck, I stared into his eyes. Out of all of them, only he got his mom's green eyes. I liked them. It became clear why he was so popular with the girls in our school.
We stayed together the rest of the evening, dancing several more dances. I wanted to give Seth some time to hang out with Bella. And I was having a blast, giving Jasper as good as I got.
A pretty, dark-haired Latina named Maria came up to Jasper when the DJ made the last dance announcement: "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."
She went to high school. The only reason I knew her name was because she was always with hot guys. Getting asked to dance by a high school girl, a beautiful one, was an accomplishment when you were an eighth grader.
Jasper's eyes relayed excitement.
"Go ahead, Jazz. I'll be at our table when you're done." I smiled at Maria.
As I walked away, I felt this ugly jealous feeling brewing inside of me. Somewhere between two-stepping and our versions of America's Next Best Dance Crew, a huge crush came out of nowhere, blindsiding me.
The thought of me developing a crush on Jasper was ridiculous. I knew him too well to like him that way. I drifted toward our table in a stupor when the shocking sight before my eyes halted me on the spot.
To my amazement, Seth and Bella kissed…
