Twilight: A Story Retold

by Mystical Mattie

Bella is not all she seems to be. When she moves to Forks, something in her unlocks, and she feels as though she's spiraling out of control. With the help of her new friends, she may figure it out...If she doesn't, the consequences will be deadly. {B/J, Other Pairings Added Later, Very AU} [ON HOLD FOR NOW]

4. Chapter Three

p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Jessica was attacked last week," I tell him carefully, slowly, as though the words are having a hard time coming out. "She'd gone to Port Angeles, dress shopping for the dance Sunday night. She was walking back to her car when someone grabbed her and dragged her into an alley. She…tried to fight. But it wasn't working, and she was about to give up when someone knocked him off of her and told her to run. She didn't get a good look at her attacker or saviour before she was running away. Then she ran into Alice," I said. Jasper nodded, and I figured he knew of the encounter with Alice, so I skipped over it. "She won't talk about it. She's really shaken up about it. But she's acting like nothing happened. Then today, during lunch, she just turns to me and asks me to get her out. She wouldn't tell me why until we got here," I say, and take a sip of the tea. It burns my throat. "She said she thought she saw him. I asked her how could that be since she told me she hadn't gotten a good look at him. She told me it wasn't that she saw him, but heard him. He was telling her he was going to get her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"br /"I told her I was going to call my dad, Chief Swan," I say. "She wouldn't let me. She said that she just knew she shouldn't tell. I yelled at her, I asked her why…She said it was for the same reason that I lied to Mike Newton," I look up at him, and he looked confused, so I explained. "I took the open position at his mothers' store, and Jessica warned me about it and Edward said something about it, too. And so I asked Mike about it, and he freaked out, said 'It was Cullen, wasn't it?' And I lied, I told him it wasn't, even though it was. And I told Jessica that I had, and why I had."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"br /Jasper looked slightly pained, his eyebrows knitted together. "Why did you lie?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I felt like I should," I tell him honestly. "I felt like someone was telling me to lie because it would be very bad if I didn't. And I just… Knew I could trust whoever it was, and so I lied. And Jessica said she felt the same way now. That someone was telling her not to tell anyone. And I said 'What if it's him, what if he's getting in your head!?', and she said she knew it wasn't. That this voice sounded sweet, sweet like honey. And this is going to sound weird, but, right after Jessica was attacked, Edward asked me about it. He asked me to tell him what happened, and when I wouldn't…His voice got really low, and he tried to make me tell him what happened…His voice…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Sounded like honey," Jasper murmured. I nodded slowly. "And you think he attacked her." I nodded again. He sighed. "I…I can assure you Edward did not."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""How would you know?" I asked him suspiciously. He grimaced./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's….Complicated," He said slowly, carefully. "But I was with him all that night. He didn't leave Forks. I promise."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"His voice didn't drop, his voice didn't sound like honey, and he was looking me straight in the eye as he said this. I found myself nodding, trusting him, someone I barely know. He gave me a small smile. "Jessica will be okay." He sounds like he's changing the subject, but I can't find it in me to ask why./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Maybe," I said softly. Then I looked up at him. "Do you think I should tell Charlie?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jasper leaned back in his chair and sighed. He considered my question for a moment, and then said slowly, "I…I think you should respect Jessica's wishes."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Why?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He considered this as well, picking up a napkin from the table and slowly beginning to rip it up. I watched him do this while he figured out how to answer me. Only after the entire thing was in shreds did he answer./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Because it would cause her unnecessary pain," He said. I looked at him, and he looked sympathetic. "I understand your want for justice for your friend. But if she doesn't want to talk to the police, you can't make her. If…If he comes after her again, then I would tell you in a heart beat to do so. But I don't think he will."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I looked at him sceptically, but before I could ask any more questions, Jessica groaned in the living room. "Bella?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I'm in here," I called automatically. "Please don't mention to her that I told you," I whispered to him. He nodded./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You have my word."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jessica stumbled her way in, and I don't think she even saw Jasper as she yanked out the third seat and sat down heavily, taking my tea from me and sipping on it. "I feel hungover," She groaned. I smiled and rubbed her arm./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You can stay the night," I tell her as her head slumps onto her arms. Jasper stays quite, probably out of worry of scaring her again. Jessica nods. I assume she'd already decided she would. "Want me to call your mom?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Please," She mumbled. I looked at her, then to Jasper, and got up. I grabbed my phone and played music with it loudly, and then dialled Jessica's home number./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Mrs Stanley picked up after a minute of it ringing. "Hello?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hi, Mrs Stanley!" I half yelled over the phone. "Oh, hang on-" I turned the phone down some, but still loud enough that she could hear it. "Sorry," I giggled./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Who is this?" She asked, her voice stern and annoyed./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's Bella!" I chirped happily. "I just wanted you to know that Jessica's spending the night, we're going dress shopping tomorrow with Angela and we wanted to get a head start. If that's okay with you, of course."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""That's perfectly fine," Mrs Stanley said, sounding much less annoyed and happier. "Does she need any clothes, I could bring some over-"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""No, ma'am," I said. "Jessica is about my size, so it'll be okay. Could she spend the night tomorrow, too? It might be late when we get back."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yes, that's fine. You girls have fun, say hello to Charlie for me," She said./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I will! Thank you so much, Mrs Stanley!" I said and hung up./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""My Mom is going to love you," Jessica said tiredly, sitting up again. She turned towards Jasper and blinked once, twice, and then confusion dawned on her face. "You're not Bella."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jasper just blinked at her, and after a second, I let out a loud laugh. Jessica groaned again and laid her head on the table. Jasper looked at me in bewilderment. "Jess, I'm gonna walk Jasper out, okay?" I say./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Don't let the boogeymen bite," She muttered, then giggled. "But you can let Jasper!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"My face flamed, and Jasper looked just as embarrassed as he got up./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""See you later, Jessica," He said politely. "I hope you feel better."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jessica snored in response. He went around the island instead of behind her to follow me out./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I'd say you could stay later, but my Dad'll be home soon," I tell him quietly as I open the front door. He steps out onto the front porch and looks back at me as I lean against the doorframe./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I understand. You focus on Jessica for now, yeah?" He said with a charming smile. I nodded./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I just don't know how to help her," I whisper. "I don't know what she needs."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jasper considered me for a moment, then said, "I think, right now, she just needs you to be there for her, while she deals with this in her own way. What is it that girls normally do at sleep overs? Ice cream, pizza, movies?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I smile and almost laugh. "More like browsing the internet while being in the same room." He chuckles./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Just be there for her," He said. "And… If you ever need to talk again, about anything, anytime, you can come to me, okay? I wrote my number on the pad by the phone before you came in there earlier."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I smile lightly, blushing a little. "That's really nice of you, Jasper. Thank you. I appreciate it."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""No thanks needed, darlin'," He said, a devil-may-care smile on his face as he tipped an imaginary hat to me. I giggled, the sound girlish and not at all something I ever expected to come out of my mouth. I felt like Jessica when she was talking about Mike. Hope flowed through me, as I wondered if perhaps he was interested in me, too. "One more thing, though," He said, and then paused, smile dropping to a frown./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yes?" I prompted, leaning towards him a little./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Watch out for yourself in Port Angeles," He said. "You and your friends. And if anything happens, you can call me, and I'll come, okay?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I didn't say anything for a moment, confusion clouding my mind, but I nodded slowly. "Okay. Yeah," I said. He smiled charmingly again and reached out to touch my hand, squeezing my fingers gently./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I'll see you Sunday night, Bella," He said. My heart sunk and all slim hope that he was interested in me flew out the window. Sunday night was girls choice, and Jasper must have been asked…And he must've accepted someone else's invitation./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""See you," I said meekly. If he noticed my change in attitude, he didn't say anything and walked back off the porch and I watched him climb onto his motorcycle and speed away./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"*_*_*_*/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jessica was in and out when I went back into the kitchen. She acted hungover, and I figured the emotional rollercoaster ride today probably took a lot out of her. I called Charlie to let him know I was ordering a pizza and that I had a friend over for the weekend./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Chief Swan," He answered formally./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Dad? It's me," I said, wrapping the cord around my finger as I spoke. I hadn't thought about how Charlie might feel about me just inviting a friend over. Renee had never cared, but I didn't know if Charlie may be different./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Bells?" He said. "Everything all right?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah, everything's fine," I said, looking at his memo board that still had medical exam results from three years ago pinned up. "I was just going to let you know I'd invited Jessica Stanley over for the weekend. We're going shopping tomorrow in Port Angeles and we're gonna leave out early to hit up as many stores as we can, so I told her she could just spend the night. We're gonna pick up Angela Weber on the way, too. If that's okay with you?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah, of course," He said quickly. "I was gonna tell you tonight, but I'll go on and tell you now. I'm going down to the reserve for an all weekend fishing trip with Billy and Henry Clearwater. I'd actually be happy for you to have someone around the house with you while I'm gone."br /For a moment I felt a blind panic. What if Billy mentioned that message he left Charlie that I'd deleted last week? He hadn't called back so far as I knew, but what if he was just waiting to talk to Charlie about it in person?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I calmed myself down after a moment. Billy hadn't mentioned anything, to my knowledge, yet, and it had been a little over a week now. He most likely wouldn't, and especially in front of their other friend, Henry. I couldn't be sure, but I doubted he would. If he did, and Charlie did bring it up, I'd tell the truth-That I didn't know what Billy was talking about, as I hadn't done anything besides go to school and work since I got here. I'd keep Jessica's secret to myself. Just me, her, and Jasper knew what really happened, and so there was no way for that to get back to Charlie. If he asked me if I deleted Billy's message, I'd play innocent and say I didn't even know he'd called, and maybe the message didn't go through? Charlie wasn't really tech savvy, and would probably buy that./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I told Charlie to have fun and then hung up. Jessica seemed to be coming out of the stupor she was in, but I could tell she was still tired. I told her I was going to order a pizza, and she mumbled an okay before going back into the living room. A moment later I heard the TV turn on./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I dialled the pizza places number to place my order and looked down as it rang. My eyes caught the neat scrawl of Jasper's hand on the top page of the pad, as he said he had left his number. I missed the guy answering the phone as I looked over the neat handwriting./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Jasper Whitlock Hale – 109 4567/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hello? Is anyone there?" Someone said on the phone. I jumped and remembered what I was doing./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yes, hi, hello," I mumbled. "Sorry." I placed my order while thumbing the page that Jasper had written on. I ripped it off right after I hung up with the pizza guy, and put it in my phone. I didn't want Charlie finding it. Or Jessica for that matter. I threw it away right after./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jessica and I laid on the couch watching TV until the pizza got here, and then we ate that and went up to my bedroom. I gave her some sleep shorts and a t-shirt and she changed while I got my own pajamas. I raised one eyebrow and went into the bathroom to change. Clearly, Jessica had no boundaries once so ever. She smiled but didn't tease me like she probably would have normally./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She was curled up under the blankets of my bed when I got back, and I easily slid in on the other side. I thought she was asleep and was working on getting there myself when she spoke./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Thank you," She whispered. "For accommodating me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""No thanks needed," I whispered back, and took her hand. She squeezed it tightly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She was quiet again, and I thought she'd gone to sleep for real that time, but then she spoke again. "Did Jasper kiss you goodnight?" She asked. I blushed, and my heart thaspan style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"-twanged/span as I remembered he was going to girls choice with someone else./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""No," I said quietly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Did you want him to?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Maybe."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jessica didn't say anything for a moment, and then, sleepily, she said, "Next time, you should just kiss him."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I didn't reply, and after a few minutes, her grip on my hand relaxed and I knew she'd fallen asleep. I followed her soon after./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"*_*_*_*/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"br /Jessica woke up before me the next day, and when I woke an hour after her, she was sitting on my couch and eating cold pizza while watching reruns of Zoey 101. She looked at me cheerfully as I blinked at her. "Good morning! There's still some pizza left over. I already called Angela, who cussed me out for waking her up, but she said she'd go shopping with us anyway. I told her if you weren't up in an hour I'd get you up and we'd see her in thirty after that. As it is, we still have forty-five minutes."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You are way too awake," I groaned. She laughed./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Get your perky ass in there and get ready," She said. I rolled my eyes at her, and she winked, before turning back to the tv and I turned towards the kitchen./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Apparently by 'span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"there's still some pizza left over/span' Jessica meant 'span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"there's one piece left/span', so I put two Pop Tarts in the toaster as I ate the pizza and drank some water, staring out the small window over the sink that looked out over the backyard. It was raining outside, as it had been off and on all week. Forks was constantly raining, it was always wet, very dry. My hair frizzed a lot because of the humidity, but it wasn't too bad, not as bad as I had been expecting. If it had been I might've shaved my head./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It was as I was staring out the window, sulking over my life in the wet hellhole that I thought I saw it-Not thought. Knew. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Knew/span I saw it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A flash of golden blonde hair. It whipped behind a tree, and then I was positive I saw a hand, a human hand. I blinked, but it was still there. I dropped my pizza in the /"Hey, Jess?" I called, keeping my voice level. "How quickly can you get ready to go?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Five minutes," She answered promptly. "Why?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I want to get a head start," I lied smoothly. "I haven't had a reason to go to the dances in Phoenix. I want this one to be worth my while." Jessica cut the TV off, cackling./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Trust me, Bella," She said, feet pounding up the stairs. "It will be."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I looked hard at the hand on the tree and then turned away from it. When I looked back, it was gone./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"*_*_*_*/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Angela was still pissed about having been woken up but didn't complain too much. We were taking her Mustang since my truck was strictly two people. She was also grumbling about that, seeing as she'd wanted to sleep on the way. I'd offered to drive, but she just snapped 'no' at me. I had raised an eyebrow at Jessica, who just shook her head./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You don't touch Angela's baby."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"We were in Port Angeles within an hour, and Jessica lead us to a small custom make dress store. "More expensive, yes, but totally worth it," She's said. "Perfect place to start." Angela had just yawned and slumped into a waiting area seat. Jessica had whined, but I distracted her by asking her opinion on a particularly strappy dress that I had no intentions of buying. Angela was clearly exhausted, and the dresses here didn't really seem her style anyway. I figured this entire thing would be much more enjoyable if she had a chance to wake up more while Jessica and I shopped./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jessica found a few dresses that she was categorizing in the 'maybe' pile; I didn't find anything. The dresses were all nice, but not really my taste. Dresses, in general, weren't really my taste, but when forced to wear them, these weren't what I wanted to wear. Far too frilly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The day was well spent, but it was long and tiring. We all found dresses, thank God. I don't know if I could take Jessica whining about not having the perfect dress any longer. She'd found a bright pink one that made her boobs stand out amazingly. Angela's dress was literally barely there; It was short and flowy, and strapless. The only tight thing about it was around her boobs to hold it up, and she'd had to get it refitted so it wasn't too big. She wasn't exactly all there in the chest department. It looked good on her and made her legs stand out, though. I could only imagine what my mother would say if I'd picked it out. Probably something along the line of 'fuck no'./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I, on the other hand, had found a black and purple dress. The dress itself was black and came down midthigh on me. It was low in the back, but I'd wear a cardigan past Charlie so he couldn't say anything. It didn't show off too much cleavage, which I liked-I wasn't as confident as Jessica or Angela-and was cinched at the waist with a thin purple ribbon. Jessica had squealed when she'd seen it on me. I'd laughed at her reaction. Angela had looked me up and down, leered at me, laughed, and then told me I was 'fine as hell'. I'd smiled, and threw away a hundred dollars on it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jessica and I offered to let Angela stay with us, too, but she couldn't, something about 'family obligations'. Jess had rolled her eyes, and I just gave her a half smile./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I wonder what's so important," I wondered to Jessica after we'd gotten back in my truck and headed back to Forks. She looked up from her phone and tilted her head to the side./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Huh?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Angela," I clarified. "She's always got family obligations. I wonder what's so important." Jessica shrugged./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I dunno," She mumbled. "Around freshman year she started acting really weird and then missed a month of school, and then showed back up acting like nothing had happened. She acted like everyone was crazy when they mentioned her month of absence. And all of a sudden she was really frosty with the Cullens and Mike. But she won't talk about it, so don't even try."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I frowned and didn't reply./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"*_*_*/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The next morning Jessica and I didn't get up until noon, which gave us seven hours to get ready for the dance at seven thirty. Angela would be picking us up sometime after seven and before seven thirty, so Jessica said we needed to be ready before seven because Angela would show up /We sat around for an hour eating breakfast, then Jessica took a shower while I pulled out all the make-up and hair products I had and set it all up in the kitchen, which had the best lighting in the house beside the bathroom, and it would be too hot, and too small, for the both of us. Our dresses were hanging on the back of my closet door. br /Angela texted me at four twenty asking if we were going all out for makeup or subtle. Jessica said subtle, and Angela replied with 'thank god'. I'd sniggered and got in the shower./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When I got out, Jessica was poking through my stuff in with her hair still in a towel and only in a bra and shorts. She held up a purple eyeliner pencil and raised one eyebrow. I blushed. "School play when I was eleven. I was a fairy." She laughed, and sat down, and started on her makeup. I put on a loose t-shirt and started /We were both done by five thirty, and then started on our hair. Jessica curled her normally straight hair and I straightened my curls before adding subtle waves to it. Jessica pinned her hair back with a small silver crown hair piece, and I left mine plain. By six thirty, we were in our dresses and sitting on the living room couch watching Friends and waiting for Angela to show up./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Angela showed up early, as Jessica said she would, at six fifty-five. We figured it'd be pointless to show up at the school thirty minutes early and went to the only restaurant in Forks to get dinner before going./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"We were by far the most dressed up there, but no one treated us oddly for it. The waitress asked if we were waiting for anyone, and looked a little confused when Angela said we weren't, but let it go. Jessica was giggling behind her menu./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"And now, at seven thirty-five, Angela was pulling into a parking space towards the front of the school and we all climbed out of her car. There weren't a ton of people here yet, but Edwards silver Volvo was there, so that meant the Cullens were probably here already. Tyler's van was also there, and Angela said Ben hadn't arrived yet, which was odd because he should have been early to set up the photo booth. Jessica rolled her eyes, linked her arms with mine and Angela's and dragged us towards the school./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""No boys," She said sternly. "No Ben, no Mike, no whoever the hell Bella likes." She grinned at the both of us. "C'mon."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The gym didn't look much different than normal, which wasn't surprising since the school didn't exactly have a ton of funding. There were blue and white balloons everywhere and a few tables shoved to the sides, and a snack table, but otherwise, it was pretty unimpressive. Jessica didn't let it disappoint her, though./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It'll be more impressive when there are more people here," She tells me in a reassuring tone. "There'll be a vibe you just can't ignore, it's amazing."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Angela gives the gym a sniff and then turns towards the table filled with food. "I'm starving."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You literally just ate," I point out, following along behind her. Jessica wanders over to where Coach Clapp is by a black box on the wall, which I assume is what's controlling the music./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""So?" Angela said, raising one perfectly made up eyebrow at me before going to the snack table./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Now alone, I look around the room and wander over to the tables, intent on finding one to hide at until Jess or Angela decide to dance or something./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"That's not what happened./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As I sat down, I look around the room and caught sight of the Cullens. Rosalie was in a bright red, backless dress that fit her snuggly. Emmett was in a white button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He was leaning over her as her back was to the wall, and they both had bedroom eyes. My eyes flitted away quickly. br /Alice was in a white dress, her short hair pushed back with a flowery headband. Edward was sitting beside her in a simple suit, and they seemed to be discussing something quietly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Jasper wasn't with them, and I was torn between being disappointed, and relieved. Disappointed because he wasn't here. Relieved because he wasn't here with someone else./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Looking for someone?" A deep, smooth voice asked from beside me, and I jumped, looking up and seeing the man himself smiling down at me. "Mind if I sit?" He asks, finger extended to the chair beside me. I shake my head, mildly stunned. I can't take my eyes off of him. Jasper looks damn span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"hot/span in a suit. Not just hot, fucking span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"sexy/span. My thoughts are quickly going to a very bad place, and I absolutely do not care./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Are you okay?" He asks, eyebrows high/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Wha," I blubber. He smirks, and I shake my head slightly. "Sorry. Late night. I'm fine."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He chuckles, and says, "Of course." And suddenly, I have the uncomfortable thought that he knows exactly how I was just thinking about him. I shake the thought away. "So, where are your friends?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Either changing the music or eating," I say, spying both Jessica and Angela exactly where I'd left them. The gym is slowly filling around us./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He chuckles and leans towards me, his elbows on his knees. His eyes flit over me, and my mind is complete mush again. "So, I'm curious about something."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh?" I squeak out, and he grins at me, all teeth. "What's that?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Why you're over here, looking as ravishing as you do, all alone. Don't you have a date?" He seems genuinely interested, but his eyes are also dark, the promise to fulfil the actions that are running through my mind. I'm a literal puddle now. Ravishing? Who talks like that? I can't find it in me to care. emRavishing/em. Sounds like he wants to eat me. Oh, no... I can't think like that. He's smirking more. I can't shake the feeling that he knows what I'm thinking./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I open my mouth to answer, and a strangled noise comes out. My face flames and I clear my throat as quietly as possible. "Um, no. Not a date, I just came here with my friends. They didn't want to ask anyone, and I barely know anyone here, so...They kind of just decided we could go together." He nodded, pursing his lips as though he could accept that answer. "Who are you here with?" I blurt out before I can stop myself. I blush again, hoping I don't seem too eager to know the answer./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"But it turns out that I won't be getting an answer, as just as Jasper opens his mouth to answer, Jessica shows up out of nowhere, her hands on my shoulders and an annoyed but playful look on her face. "No boys!" She shouts over the music as it gets louder, pointing her finger at Jaspers face. Neither of us has a chance to reply because Jessica pulls me up and drags me away. Disappointment floods me, almost bringing me to my knees. I look back to where I left Jasper, an apologetic look on my face. He's shaking his head, smiling. As Jessica drags me closer to the dance floor, I lose sight of him among the many other students in the gym./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Jessica!" I scold. "What was that for?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She laughs at me, spinning around, her hair flying elegantly. "I told you! No boys! Fighting the system and feminism and all that." With that, she grabbed my hips and grinned at me. "Dance with me, Bella." I rolled my eyes, but reluctantly put my hands on her sides and dance with her./p