BPOV
I catch a glance of myself in Tanya's full-length mirror, half my hair is swept up in a high pony. I have gold eyeshadow on to match my sparkly gold high low dress. Tanya talked me into a red lip to match hers.
Her dress is crimson low cut and looks more like an evening gown than a Homecoming dress. She looks like a grown-up, even with her blonde hair pin-straight.
"Are you ready to head downstairs?" she asks cautiously.
I've been weird since my date with Edward last week, not with him but with her and Jazz, well mostly Jazz.
I hadn't said anything to him about his argument with Alice. I still had no clue why he was even talking to her.
But I wasn't the only one being weird, it was almost like he was trying to avoid me or at least avoid having a conversation with me.
The person who now occupied my time and conversations was downstairs waiting to drive us to the Homecoming game.
"Tanya, your mom just texted me that you're ten minutes from being late," Edward calls.
"He assumes I'm the one running late," she grumbles, running a hand over her hair.
"I've been ready for the past fifteen minutes," I pointed out from my seat on her bed.
She rolls her eyes.
Our parents had already left for the game, and our escorts were meeting us at the cars taking us onto the field at halftime.
I follow as Tanya leads the way downstairs.
Edward is leaning against the front door scrolling through his phone as we descend the stairs. Once Tanya's heel clacks on the hardwood floor he looks up, his eyes find me instantly and his smile is swoony.
Tanya gives him a good glare before she grabs the tux jacket from the banister that her dad left out for her to borrow.
Edward moves around her to wrap his arms loosely around me.
"You're beautiful," he says simply.
I cup his cheek, letting my thumb brush his scruff.
I want to kiss him, but know my lipstick will be wrecked if I do.
I've seen him three times since our date, and last night was the first night that we kissed while lying on the couch in the pool house. It was intense— he was intense and I liked that.
He must be reading my mind, because he gives the tip of my nose a quick peck.
"God you two are gross," Tanya says going out the door.
"Like she and Maggie aren't lost in their own world," he says, rolling his eyes.
I laugh because he isn't wrong. They are probably the sweetest couple at our school with chaste kisses and saccharine whispers.
He helps me into his Patagonia puffer, it's light enough so I won't sweat and won't let me freeze in the crisp October bite.
"I think it's crazy your school does Homecoming this late in the month, ours was always near the end of September," Edward says, opening the car door for me.
"Forks High doesn't run like your normal run-of-the-mill public school," I explain.
"It's too progressive," Tanya adds, not looking up from her phone.
"Says the most popular girl in the school who gets to canoodle with her girlfriend," Edward comments while starting up the car.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tanya asks, ready to throw down.
"Most kids would love to go to a school where they are accepted and can just be their true self," he says before adding. "Your school might be progressive, but all schools have assholes."
Tanya decides to back down but gives me a long sideways glance.
Edward takes my hand in his while we drive to the stadium.
When he pulls into the adjoining lot Tanya is out of his SUV as soon as we're parked in the space.
"She was born without patience," Edward mumbles.
I laugh as he gets out to get my door.
Once I'm out of the car I reach up, giving him a quick peck. "Thanks," I told him.
"Where are you supposed to be?" he asks looking near the stadium entrance.
"See that small hill over there?" I ask, pointing out the end of the field where the cars were. I can see Tanya walking down the paved slope.
Edward nods silently escorting me down to the cars.
I see my dad with the Cullens and Emmett hanging out with Brady and Ben.
"I want to get pictures of the girls and their escorts," Esme says phone ready.
Edward presses a kiss on top of my head.
"Are you going to hang around?" I ask, holding on to the opening of the jacket he's wearing.
"Yeah," he smiles. "I'm here to support you tonight."
I nod with a smile.
Once Esme wrangles us together, she gets some pictures of me and Brady and Jazz and Tanya in front of the convertibles on loan to the school.
"So you're dating Em's friend?" Brady asks, a little perplexed.
"Edward— yes, we're dating," I tell him as I look over to where Edward is standing with Em.
Things get chaotic when Royce arrives with his parents and Rosalie. She was clingy with him, Senna Matthews was unfortunately paired with him. If I were to wager a bet Rosalie feels threatened by Senna.
Senna was taller, thinner, and more beautiful than Rosalie. Her black curls were pinned on top of her head, her caramel skin glowed in her canary yellow dress.
In the pictures their mothers were taking, Royce stood like an arrogant prick with his chest puffed out.
"I need players for the game," Coach Clapp hollers from the gate.
Our parents take this time to say their goodbyes and take their seats. Jazz is the only guy on court who isn't playing in the game and he's still being weird as he hangs around Tanya. I moved over to Edward and Emmett.
"Who's the blonde?"
"Rosalie Hale," Edward says, wrapping his arm around me.
"No fucking way that's little Rosie Hale," Emmett says like Edward has lost his mind.
"Rosie?" I ask raising my brow at him.
"She lives next door to my parents," he responds, running a hand through his curly mop. "That's for real Rosie?"
"She's never gone by Rosie," I say with a laugh. Happy, cute girls can be called Rosie not raging lunatics like Rosalie.
"I've called her that since she used to follow me around everywhere, she didn't look like that last spring," he says.
"She had some work done over the summer," I say.
Emmett's eyes widened. "She's like what? Seventeen?"
I think about it, my birthday is in a weird pocket making me a little older than a chunk of my classmates. Rosalie's birthday is in January I believe, so he's right she's only seventeen.
I nod.
"She looked fine before," Emmett mumbles.
Like Brady, this is why the McCarty boys are so endearing, they are sweet and genuinely honest.
"She's a bit of a nightmare," Edward says, causing more surprise from Emmett.
"Why'd you say that, Ed?" Emmett asks, looking over at Rosalie who looks all kinds of uncomfortable sitting in the first row of bleachers near where we are located.
Since she came back from her suspension her friends have ostracized her. Alice and Jess have dropped her like a bad habit, surprisingly sticking close to the cheer squad. I wondered if it was a falling out or because they blame her for not making court.
Rosalie was now a pariah at Forks High and I think Royce got off on it.
Her isolation only made her rely on him more than ever.
I questioned if her appearance was for popularity or more for Royce all along.
Royce fumbles two plays, his dad looks irate from the stands. I don't think the boos helped his dad's ire. Brady was the one saving the game near the end of the first half.
"That right there is why my brother should have been captain," Emmett yells in Alistair King's direction.
Edward snorts out a laugh.
"No joke that fucker can't play," Emmett huffs.
Jazz and Tanya come to stand with us at this point, I notice Jazz looking up into the stands. I turn my head to see Alice staring at him from the bleachers. When he sees that I've caught on, his gaze goes back to the field.
"Fucking go, Brady," Emmett roars as Brady scores yet another touchdown.
Royce whips his helmet off slamming it to the ground.
"Shouldn't be fucking captain if he's pitching a fit," Em gripes.
Edward places a hand on Emmett's shoulder trying to calm him down. Emmett's dad is sitting next to Charlie reacting the same way as his son.
"Man, you're going to get thrown out," Edward tells him.
The boys come off the field and head over to the cars. Mrs. Cope comes down and announces that we need to get in our cars.
"I have to go," I tell Edward.
He leans down giving me a kiss, "Good luck," he murmurs.
I watch him and Emmett head up to the rents while I let Brady help me up onto the back of the seat.
He's sweaty and still puffing from the game.
"I think you might just win the game," I tell him.
His smile is shy, humble.
"We'll see," he says quietly.
"On behalf of our faculty and students we would like to introduce you to this year's Homecoming Court for twenty, twenty-one," Mr. Cope announces as we drive onto the field.
He announces us by car, of course, Royce and Senna are first since his grandfather's car dealership is lending the school the cars.
Then Brady and I follow, Newton and Bree, Tori Hunter and Ben, and Jazz and Tanya. We all got out for the King and Queen announcement.
"This year's Forks High Homecoming Queen is Isabella Swan," Mr. Cope announces.
The crowd is loud and I can hear my dad and Edward over it all. Edward is hooting cupping his hands over his mouth adding "That's my girl." My dad keeps yelling "Way to go Bells," at the top of his lungs.
"And for your Forks High Homecoming King, Jasper Whitlock," Mr. Cope finishes.
Tanya starts cat-calling Jazz as we both step forward for our crowns.
Jazz pulls me in for a hug murmuring his congratulations.
"You're being weird," I decide now is the time to call him out.
The surprise on his face is enough to let me know I need to get better on my timing, but Jazz and I weren't ones to hide things. We were pretty open with each other.
"Not now," he says, eyes pleading.
"Okay, but soon," I tell him, meaning it.
Once the cheers die down Royce's displeasure of not winning King is known. Coach Clapp is heard warning him that he'll be benched if he keeps it up.
After halftime, we're allowed to go sit in the bleachers with everyone else. My dad is beaming with pride that I won. I stay tucked into Edward's side the rest of the game until I have to head in for the dance.
It felt good that something was in my favor for once.
A/N: I can see you all are reading not sure why you're not reviewing...