I heard the front door open and slam shut from the kitchen where Emmett and I were playing cards while waiting for Bo to get home from her first homecoming dance. Her best friend's mother drove her home along with the girls' dates, something she said dad's – at least hers - wouldn't act cool doing.

I had taken at least fifty pictures of her in her baby blue dress, it was strapless, though we compromised with a sheer shall, and the bottom poofed out to her knees. It was bright, sparkly, and so Bo. Rose had come over and curled her hair and did her makeup for her. She was stunning, and I seethed that Chris Newton had asked her to be his date.

"Bo?"

"Leave me alone!"

I could tell she was crying as she ran up the stairs. Her bedroom door opened, and then slammed shut. I knew that this wasn't the time to reprimand her or threaten to take it off its hinges.

I did that once and she locked herself in the bathroom until I put it back on. I made it twenty minutes until I struggled to replace it. We both knew it was now an empty threat.

Emmett looked as confused as I did.

"Do I go talk to her?"

"She said to leave her alone…" He shrugged.

"I'll be right back."

"God be with you." He crossed himself and took another handful of almonds, looking down at his cards.

I could hear her crying when I reached her door and gave it a gentle knock.

"Bo, may I come in?"

She didn't respond and I slowly opened the door.

When pillows weren't thrown in my direction, I took it as admittance. She had her face pressed into a pillow, turning to look at me and wipe at her eyes.

"What happened baby?" I asked softly, sitting on the side of the bed.

"I was dancing with my friends when a slow song came on and I couldn't find Chris. I asked his friend Mark and he just grinned and pointed. Chris was under the bleachers making out with Lauren! I was so embarrassed, I ran into the bathroom and hid in a stall, waiting for Emily's mom to pick us up. Emily came and got me and when we were getting into the van I saw Chris and Lauren getting into the back of Chris's dad's truck."

I really wish you were here, Bella. How do I make this better?

As if Bella heard me, I caught the scent of her favorite perfume. A glance at Bo's vanity and I saw she had taken the bottle that had sat on Bella's dresser, in the exact spot she had left it. It warmed me that she went looking for something of her mothers for this special occasion and wish I had thought of it myself.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I remember my first, her name was Vicky. I thought she was the hottest girl in eighth grade. I know this will probably be shocking, but I wasn't always cool." She gave me a little hiccup laugh, hiding her face again. "I had these glasses with special prescription lenses that made my eyes look bugged out and braces. At lunch one day Emmett dared me to ask Vicky out on a date. Even then we were competitive, and we never backed down from one another's dares. I was so intimidated walking to the cool kids' table, but I did it knowing Emmett would never let it down and asked her out on a date."

"What happened?" Bo asked, her face reappearing.

"She said yes! I felt ten feet high, strutting back to inform Emmett what happened. I looked back at her table and she waved at me while her friends giggled behind their hands. Well, I put so much cologne on my mother made me change my shirt before she drove me to the movies where Vicky and I were supposed to meet. I sat on the bench outside the theater with a wilting bouquet of daisies. I was still sitting there when the movie ended and she came out holding hands with Jasper Whitlock, only the coolest boy in tenth grade, and a group of friends. They pointed and laughed when they saw me."

"What did you do?"

"I ran into the theater and called my mom from a payphone-"

"A what?"

"Shhh." I glared, putting a finger against her lips, which she slapped away. "and hid behind a movie poster near a window, waiting for them to leave and my mother to show up. That night I demanded contacts be ordered, started using gel, and didn't let Nana pick out my clothes any longer. I was teased relentlessly, but the next year I grew almost two feet and filled out more, my braces were off, and Vicky started asking me out."

"Did you get her back and stand her up too?"

"No, I dated her throughout ninth grade." I laughed.

"I'm not a geek, Dad." She snorted. "Chris is just an ass."

"The biggest ass." I agreed. "Will you come downstairs and let Uncle Em know you are okay?"

"Let me change out of this dress, these heels are a bitch."

"Language." I corrected, though I held back a laugh because it reminded me so much of her mother.

Ten minutes later Emmett parked across from the Newton residence.

"You ready?" I asked Bo and she nodded, grinning widely.

We all got out and hid behind trees in the front yard.

"One, two, three!" I hissed.

Between the three of us we pegged two dozen eggs at the house before lights turned on and I heard Mike Newton cussing behind blinds, trying to find us out.

We hightailed it into the car, Emmett squealing the tires as we took off before we were caught. I looked into the backseat, watching Bo laugh crazily. Emmett and I grinned, fist-bumping.

When we got home Charlie was waiting for us, the lights blinking on top.

"Aw, shit."

"Edward, I seem to recall an incident involving you and Emmett egging Victoria Sutherland's house when you were thirteen."

Bo gasped and looked at me, punching me in the arm, "You liar!" She squealed.

"You wouldn't have anything to do with the call I just received from Mike Newton, would you?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Didn't Bo and Chris go to the dance together?"

Bo and I glanced at each other and shifted our feet.

"He's an ass, Gramps."

"The biggest." I nodded.

"I know nothing,-" Charlie said, shaking his head and getting back into his patrol car. "Give me a kiss before I have to get his written statement."

Bo ran over and hugged him tightly, arms around his neck just like Bella use to.

Thank you to my wonderful beta, Fran! Not only for helping fix my mistakes, but he talking through this chapter with me when I was in doubt. Another huge thank you to Steph and Dawn for prereading this for me.