Forks was beautiful from that angle. It looked so small and yet large before us. It seemed entirely accessible, as though there were no walls or borders, no boundaries or property lines. Everything was laid before us, dotted with its own set of light, like stars reflected, shining in the inverted night-face that was the countryside around it. It made me feel peaceful.

I vaguely recalled being in Edwards embrace, my eyes finally falling down without fear. Wordlessly, he seemed to grasp what I was doing, and shifted himself around me, his arms about my waist and shoulders as we began to descend. At last, we set feet to ground once again in the parking lot at school.

"Bella," he said into the night, coming to stand before me. "Is anything the matter?"

I hadn't spoken, not since before the end of his confession and that kiss. I wasn't sure if there was a way to be ready for something like that. His lips, so shockingly cool and smooth, firm and yet yielding. I felt found and lost all at once, like coming home and being somewhere I had never been before. Since that moment, I wasn't sure I had had a more complex thought than noticing the reality before me.

"No," I said simply. "I haven't really been thinking much of anything."

He grinned, "I am not sure if that is heartening or maddening."

I smiled too.

Then, one singular fact came crashing down upon me.

Edward had said he loved me. There was, traditionally, a pretty specific response to that; a response that I had not provided.

"No, Bella," he said, taking both my hands in his. "No. I did not say what I said in order for you to respond in any way. As I said when I told you that you did not trust me, I did so because it was true, not because I need anything from you or so that you would change or tell me what you thought I wanted to hear. None of that interests me. I love you, without needing a single thing from you."

That was good. I needed that. I had some thinking to do, and I wasn't up to speaking yet. He seemed to understand completely. I was starting to wonder if he had finally learned to read my mind.

"Shall we?" he asked, dropping one hand to step to his usual place at my side. He kept that hand to steady me as I refitted my shoes in place. Not standing in the shoes for as long as I had had shifted them about a bit. Once secured, and Edward had tucked my wrap into place, we walked to the Gym.

We joined the students still in the lot who were starting to meander in, some in groups but mostly in pairs, their voices already starting to carry in their simple exuberance, or perhaps to combat the increasingly loud music. I felt a part and apart, at once. I was with them, but I was with him too. As we walked, I wondered which I felt more in the moment, but before I could answer, I decided it didn't matter; I could be both tonight, as I wished.

I noticed that as we approached the lights of the doors, more than a few students fell silent. We walked inside, and I covertly whispered, "You are causing quite the stir with your tux…"

He laughed, quietly but less covertly, before turning, putting his mouth to my ear, and it took me several seconds longer to process his words while tendrils of cool air whispered down my neck and across my hair.

"You don't see yourself clearly," he had said. "They aren't looking at me, Bella."

Okay, so maybe I was getting more attention than I expected. I mean, seriously, I had spent most of my life as a wallflower. No… that wasn't it. I had spent most of my life wanting to be a wallflower. This… this was new. I wasn't fading in any more. This was my first night willingly stepping into the spotlight. I squeezed Edward's hand, mostly to reassure myself that I wasn't alone. Then, we walked inside the gym proper.

It was hard to tell if our entrance created much of a stir, what with the noise already going on inside. There was a pretty hopping dance number going on, and most people had their boogie shoes on. I thought for a moment that no one would notice us, until I heard a delicate scream of enthusiasm. Before I could do more than register the sound, I was caught up in a thin pair of cold arms as I was all but accosted by Alice.

"You look amazing!" she squealed as she pulled back to look at me again, her voice carrying over the music. I was pretty sure she had just deliberately subjected me for scrutiny to every single person in earshot. I was desperately trying not to care.

"Bella," she said more quietly, "You are with Edward now. You are going to have to get used to the limelight at some point."

I sighed and huffed a light laugh under my breath, finally smiling. Alice beamed at me.

Jess and the others walked up, looking somehow even more glamorous and at home under the dim colored lights occasionally cut through with bright white spotlight and the flash of cameras. The music seemed to permeate me, giving everything a slightly bubbly feeling. Someone more prone to feeling comfortable in their body might have wanted to dance, and they did! I couldn't count the number of kids dancing on the main floor. I couldn't even name them. It was obvious even kids who didn't go here were in attendance.

I suddenly wondered why I didn't invite Jacob to come. I mean, I didn't think Edward would mind. He seemed to be doing just fine with Mike here, and I was sure that we could all be friends had he come. I felt… I didn't know, sort of like I was okay being selfish. I knew that it might cause friction or that it might be a little uncomfortable, but for some reason, that didn't seem like such a big deal.

"Where were you?" Jessica asked me, a meaningful tone to her low voice she probably thought I was the only one who could hear.

"I'll tell you later," I said, smiling. She relented, for now.

We found and commendered a table, not far from the one that the rest of the Cullen's had claimed. I couldn't look at Rosalie for long, lest I find myself bespelled by her in her red dress and doubting every aspect of my body. I had the feeling that if it wasn't for Emmett, looking like a boulder even in a tux, she would be completely swarmed by boys. Jasper danced with Alice to one side of the crowd, oddly subdued next to Alice who seemed to exult in the act so many around her took for granted. He danced beside her almost vicariously, as if his joy was only hers reflected, though he would have it all the same.

"Are you good?" Jess asked, bent so that I might hear her, her hand still clasped in Mike's, a look of eagerness upon her.

"Go," I said, and she looked torn until Edward shifted, catching her attention.

"Okay," she said, smiling fully and stepping back. "Are you coming?"

I looked out onto the dance floor.

"In a minute," I said, knowing I would just as soon step into a bear trap as onto that dance floor. She grinned, as though unsurprised, then stepped off, the others in tow. I watched them go, not sure how to follow.

Edwards lips at my ear stirred shivery air about me.

"Do you want to go with them?" he asked patiently. "Or do you simply want to want to go with them?"

I considered his questions.

"It is more as though I want to go but don't know how," I said back, not concerned that it would be hard for a human to hear my quiet words against the noise of the music. "Today and tonight have been so great already. I don't want to do anything to screw that up."

I felt his hands on my arms and realized that mine were wrapped tightly around myself, almost tangling my wrap. His hands drifting up under said wrap and touching my bare skin was, I think, far more suggestive than her meant it. It was certainly enough to break me out of my funk.

"How the night progresses is not within your control," he pointed out, "nor will it change what has transpired so far."

I snort, "But breaking my ankle would really put a damper on the rest of the night."

"I told you," he said. "I will let nothing bad befall you tonight."

I looked at him, "That is not within your control."

He smiled, "Maybe not. You might just have to trust me."

I looked into his eyes, his caring, warm, dark, deep, beautiful eyes.

"I don't know if I love you," I said, the thoughts just spilling out of me, like they usually did him, in a rush.

"I want to," I continued, "but it isn't enough to believe that I want to; I actually want to. But I don't understand what it really means to love you, not yet, and until I truly understand it, I can't say it back. I don't want to say it just to say it unless I am sure it is true. I will never fake my feelings, not for anyone or anything."

He leaned in and kissed my cheek, "You are so very thoughtful and wise, my Bella."

Okay, so, I was kinda okay being called his. I knew it wasn't a possession thing. He was stating a fact that I had chosen, freely. I liked being his. Then, an odd thought trickled through my brain. Was Edward mine?

Suddenly a popular song came on. I could tell because it was very jumpy and catchy and everyone was suddenly in an uproar in their enthusiasm. In moments, I felt a tug on my wrap, and turned to see Jess pull it away and set it on a chair. Suddenly, her hand was in mine and I was going with her or I was losing the arm. I turned to see Edward trailing after me, needing no such pull. And abruptly, we were in the crowd.

I wasn't sure what to pay attention to. It was loud and fast and this close to the speaker, I could feel the music as much as hear it. There was so much going on, it was torrential, as though trying to take it all in would require four more eyes, a few more sets of ears and an extra brain or two. There wasn't time to think or time to worry or care. We were towards the front, close to where a DJ had set up on the roll out stage that was normally folded into one wall. I was pressed next to Jess as the music began to build and was taken aback as I realized that Alice was on the other side of me, in similar states of delight. Hands went over heads as the song peaked and burst forth in exuberance as those around me did the same. They weren't dancing so much as just moving, as though the feelings within them were too much, too intense to express in any other way. They jumped and they threw up their hands and shook and twisted, part of the music and the crowd more than they seemed a part from it. And with Jess and Alice beside me, and Edward at my back, I let go. I let myself be apart from myself and a part of them for a time. It was scary and thrilling and fun and funny and freeing and made sense. I understood why Jess loved this and why she wanted me here and why she couldn't or wouldn't put this into words; it would have paled in comparison and was best left to experiencing it.

I wasn't sure how long we were out there. The next song was just as thrilling, as was the third. I have never heard them before or, at least, hadn't paid attention to their lengths. But the fourth, apparently, was not up to Jess's standards, and I found her pulling me off the dance floor. We found Mike waiting with a cup of punch for Jess. Edward met my eyes, and I realized I was sweating a bit and was parched. He smiled, and went to get me something to drink.

I was about to ask Mike why he hadn't been dancing when-

"Hey, good-lookin'," said someone beside me. I didn't like how familiar his tone was, until I realized how familiar his voice was. I turned and found myself facing Jacob.

There really wasn't any other way to put it. Jacob looked hot. He wore a pair of jeans and dark sneakers, I thought, though it was hard to tell in the dim light. He wore a light, both in color and thickness, button up shirt that didn't really fit him, which was to say that it was bunched and loosely tucked in at his trim waist and tight across his chest, one button too many unbuttoned for what was a formal dance. His sleeves were rolled to the elbow, exposing wiry, toned forearms, probably from all the work he did on cars. On one wrist was a braided leather bracelet, hung with something that looked wooden and carved, but it was hard to tell what it was. Around his neck was a similar necklace, looped through with shells and with a hung sand dollar. He was clean shaven, though there wasn't much to shave, and the front and top of his hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, leaving the back free. In the thinner shirt and with more of his arms exposed, he cut quite the impressive figure. But it was his confident, devil may care posture that was so entirely Jacob that really hammered it home.

"I was here," he said, his tone teasing in the way it almost always sounded, "looking for my friend Bella, but since she wouldn't be caught dead dancing or all dolled up, my guess is she decided not to turn up. So, I figured, since I am the best looking guy here, it was only fair that I ask the best looking girl to dance with me."

I smiled, shaking my head, "I can't agree with that."

"What?" he said, overly loud, as though to be heard over the music. "You can't argue with that? Why thank you!"

I giggled.

"Bella," said Jess, "who is your friend?"

"Hey," said Jacob, with a charming smile that was just this side of inviting. "I'm Jacob."

He made the introduction for both Jess and Mike and shook his hand, his gaze cutting across Jess in a politely appreciative smile. I could tell immediately that Mike wasn't sure how to feel about him.

"You're from the res?" asked Mike.

Jacob laughed, "Duh!"

He made it funny and obvious and some of the tension lifted.

"Friend of the family," he said. "I've known our little Bella here since she was… well, more little."

"Shut up," I admonished, pushing at his arm.

I felt a hand at my back, cool and felt stilled by it. His other had come around me, proffering my drink unobtrusively. I took it and sippied the sugary beverage that was so sweet, it almost hurt my teeth.

"Hey," said Jacob.

"Hello, Jacob," he said back, his tone pleasant. "I didn't know you would be here."

He smiled, "I unpredictable like that."

A slow song came on, just as I was finishing my punch. I could feel Edward moving behind me, knew that he was about to ask, which was why it was so abrupt when Jacob got there first.

"Do you want to dance with me, Bella?" asked Jacob. Edward stilled next to me, too close and to one side for me to see where he was looking.

"I…" I stammered, looking to Edward.

Jacob did too, "Does she need your permission or something?"

Edward looked relaxed, "I believe she was just being polite."

I looked back at Jacob. He seemed relaxed too.

"Hey," he said, "it is just a question. Do you want to?"

I did, actually. I knew that, but the words were having trouble getting out. Why was that?

"Hey," he said again, the word lighter by his tone deeper, comforting. "It's okay. My ego can take it if you say no."

He wasn't asking me to dance with him. He was asking me if I wanted to dance with him. There was a world of difference there. I looked to Edward, and he smiled my favorite lopsided smile.

"And my ego can take it if you say yes," he said, his words lyrical and perfect. Without additional thought, I stepped from Edward to Jacob.

"Don't worry, Eddie," Jacob said, his tone light and teasing, typical Jacob. "I'll have her back before you turn into a pumpkin."

Edward just smiled back, "See that you do, Jay Jay."

Jacob froze, blinked, but kept walking.

"Your boyfriend's creeptastic," he said, as he led me to the nearest edge of the dance floor, and turned to face me. I wasn't sure if it was so I couldn't see Edward or if it was so I could see the majority of the people in the room, but it felt purposeful somehow.

"Oh?" I asked almost slyly. "How so?"

"Jay Jay is what my dad used to call me when I was a kid," he explained. He took my hand and put the other at my back. I don't think either of us were ready for his hand to touch my bare skin. After a beat of silence in which we stared to see the others' reaction, we started to dance. And by dance, I mean we sort of swayed a little back and forth in the same spot.

"Well," I said, knowing full well that there was every chance in the world that Edward had picked it out of Billy Black's mind. "You familiarized his name, and he did the same with yours. If you can't take it, don't dish it."

He laughed, "See, that is what I like about you Bella. You use the right words."

I frowned at him, "As opposed to the wrong ones?"

He shook his head, "Do you know how many of my friends have ever said familiarized? Probably none, even at school. Yet, you used it and in the next sentence, sound like you're a greaser."

I giggled, "I just read a lot."

"And can't take a compliment," he said playful.

I give him a sideways look, "Or I just don't react the way you want."

The barb didn't touch his good humor.

"I just want you to accept the good things about you is all," he said. "What I said was a fact that just so happened to be a compliment. You should have someone in your life who points out the good things about you, just in case you can't see them yourself."

I smiled, "I do. Thank you."

He smiled, "Was that so hard?"

"Oh, shut up," I said.

"So, enough about Mister Fancy-Pants-With-Too-Much-Money," he said dismissively, then sincerely, "how are you doing? It seems like forever since we really talked."

"It has been like two days," I said skeptically.

"I know," he said smiling, "if feels like forever! But that isn't what I meant. I mean really talked."

I thought about that, "Have we ever really talked?"

He looked thoughtful himself, "We did, a couple of times, when we were kids. There weren't many times when it was just you and me, but they did happen. I liked you better than when we hung out with my sisters. You performed less."

"'Performed'?" I asked.

"You were trying to behave the way a younger girl did around older girls," he explained. "You were less you."

I remembered when I gave that up. There was this girl in Middle School, Lizzy something, Tabor I think, who invited me to a sleepover. She was the popular girl and said that it was a special occasion and to get dressed up and gave me her address. So, when I showed up in new pajamas and a nice sleeping bag to a house in the seedier side of town where she didn't live and with a rather abrasive, possibly intoxicated guy at the door, I was crushed. The whole way there, my mom had been telling me that she didn't think this was right, but I had been sure. I had insisted. And it had all been a trick. I hated slumber parties and I had never had a whole conversation with her in my life. But I had thought that it was my chance to be one of the girls. Not one of the popular girls, just a girl. Not someone standing on the outside, looking in, for once.

The next day at school, I smiled and said hi and seemed completely unphased by her laughter at my expense. It tripped her up and she never talked to me again. From that day on, I decided to stick closer to what made me happy first, and decide who to trust better. I believed I had done both really well so far. That was why I was here.

"What about you?" I asked teasingly back. "You seem to be Mister Performance."

"What?" he asked, a slightly confused and defensive edge to the word. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, please," I said, practically giggling. "If you got a bigger head, it wouldn't stay on your shoulders!"

He sort of grinned sheepishly.

"Okay," he conceded. "I have been tooting my own horn a bit. But, to be fair, what I have been saying is true. It is like with the compliments. I know myself and I know that I am great."

He got a little softer, his face relaxing in this utterly young way, so much so that for a moment, I felt like I was back on the beach with him, that last time before I left Forks and didn't come back until this year. I didn't even remember we had been on the beach that last time until this very moment. It made my heart flutter to see him so… unguarded. I wanted to protect him.

"It has been sort of nice," he said, "being able to say it freely. Most of the time, if you actually talk about all the good things that you have, that you are, people don't get it. They think you are looking to get something out of them or that you are trying to make yourself seem more impressive. The truth is, I am awesome. Most people are. They just don't know how to express it. It is nice to express it, with you. You don't take it the wrong way."

He grinned, "Okay, except for maybe the big head comment, but I won't hold that against you."

Wow. I didn't know what to say. Something about it, seeing him like that, had a similar effect on me to when Edward told me he loved me. I lost the ability to think, and was totally present in a way I almost never was. I said the first thing that came to mind, feeling right somehow.

"It's because of your mom," I said, just knowing somehow. Was this the way he felt when he could read me so well? Did he just see clearly because his head was quiet and answers just sort of came to him?"

He looked surprised and then slightly cheered. I had no idea why.

"Yeah," he said with a breathy little chuckle. "I hadn't thought about it like that, but yeah. It's like, grief, real grief, is like a sand blaster; it strips you down, but you get to choose what parts get stripped. I decided that the stuff that got blasted away were all the things that I thought were so important before. Things like what people thought of you, how much money you had or didn't have, whether or not you had a girlfriend or could be all manly. I was just left with the important stuff."

"Like what?" I asked, feeling like I was hanging on his every word.

"Like family," he said. "Community. Caring about people. Looking after those who need looking after, who can't take care of themselves. Choosing to be grateful for what you have. Learning to roll with it until you find your feet. How to have faith, the right kind of faith, that things will always get better eventually."

His hand in mine squeezed, "How to be honest about how you feel, what and who you care about. That good things come to those with patience. That something as simple as a dance can change how you see the world."

My heart fluttered again.

"Jeez," he said. "That was stupid. I'm sorry."

"No, no," I said. "I mean, yeah, I have a boyfriend, but it… it wasn't stupid."

I wasn't sure what tipped me off. It might have been Jacob standing a bit taller. It might have been his eyes leaving my face and going over my shoulder. It might have been a rustle of cool air behind me. It might have been the almost magnetic effect his presence had on me. I simply understood that Edward was behind me.

"I believe the song has ended," said Edward. "I was wondering if I might have the next."

"In a minute," said Jacob. "I want to finish what I was saying."

"Bella?" asked Edward.

At that moment, I bulked. I couldn't tell you why exactly. I was sort of reminded of the few times I had been in the same room with my parents, before Mom remarried. It felt like I had conflicting loyalties and I didn't know how to move. But it also felt like I was being pulled in two different directions, and I didn't like it.

It happened so fast. I wasn't sure whose came up first or why, but Edward's hand came up, as did Jacob's. They met somewhere to one side of me, and in that exact instant, before I could tell what was going on or why, there was a flash of light, much like the camera flashes that had been going off here and there all night. Edward hissed, a sound not entirely human, withdrawing his hand, in obvious pain.

"Whoa," said Jacob, confused and unsure. "What was that?"

"Edward!" I all but cried. Trying to follow him. He moved towards the door, all but fleeing. What had happened?

"Easy Bella," said Alice, at my arm. "It isn't the best idea to go after him just now. Trust me."

"What?" I asked, concerned. "Why?"

"Bella," cried Jess, coming up to me. "What was that?"

I turned to see her, and to see over her shoulder as Emmett, hulking and huge beside him, throw a companionable arm around Jacobs shoulders and half escorted, half dragged him towards and opposite exit from the one Edward had gone through.

"I'm not sure," I admitted, looking to Alice for help and receiving none.

Jess looked around.

"Not here," she said. She pulled me back to the table, taking up my wrap and her clutch and saying a quick word to Mike who was talking to Tyler and sipping punch. She then took me to the hall and into the school proper. I was surprised it was open. We made it to the second closest bathroom to the gym as Jessica checked and found it empty. We went in.

She sighed, opening the purse.

"This isn't good Bella," she said.

She was right about that. Something had hurt Edward, something I didn't know off. As far as I knew, there weren't many things that could do that. I felt like a fool for not asking more questions when I had the chance. What if I accidentally did something to hurt him? The thought made me positively sick.

"Understand, I say this as your friend," she said, "and I mean absolutely no disrespect, but it needs to be said. I understand Lauren now."

That wasn't the last thing I was expecting her to say, but it would have made the short list.

"What?" I demanded, more wanting her to explain that leap than feeling offended.

"Okay, so, hear me out," she said as she touched up her makeup. "You… You're in a different league, Bella."

She took a moment, sighing, "Like, I don't think I am ever going to be like you. Even when I am an adult and all that, I don't think I will ever get to your level. And that's okay. I get to be on me, where I get to do the best I can and that is great. I love you, and you're my best friend and I am so grateful, you know? But sometimes, and not very often, it is hard to be your friend."

I shut up. This was important, I could tell. It felt like this was not something that was a spur of the moment thing. By her words alone, I could tell this was something that had been building for a while. She took another deep breath and put her makeup aside and looked at me.

"Edward is perfect," she said. "I don't even know what I would do if I had a boy like him interested in me. I couldn't handle it. But, you do. And you do it with a grace and any ability that I almost wish I never get, because… like, I am not sure if I could ever live up to that kind of responsibility, to use it in a worthwhile way. I am happy just being me, and having Mike. God, especially now! He is so much more than I ever thought he could be and he makes me wish that I could be so much more than I am, but he doesn't seem to mind that I am just me and he cares about me anyway. I'm rambling. I just mean…"

She swallowed, "God, I know I sound like a bitch but I have to say it. Is it too much to ask that you simply be grateful for what you have?"

She paused, long enough that I could answer.

"You think I am not?" I ask, doing a passable job of keeping the guarded tone out of my voice.

She looked at me hard, not in an offensive way, but an insistent way, a way that was meant to convey serious seriousness.

"What are you doing with Jacob?" she asked.

"Nothing!" I said, hating how high my voice sounded, almost cracking.

She gave me a look, "Bella, it looked an awful lot like 'nothing' almost resulted in a fist fight, at a school dance!"

She said this last like it was the chiefest of faux pas. I could exactly refute her, mostly because I couldn't be sure she was wrong. I didn't know what had happened, but that seemed like it could be one possibility.

"You have a boyfriend," she said.

"I know that," I said quietly. "Jacob knows that. Heck, probably everyone in town knows that."

She seemed to think about it, "How do you think your behavior looks to Edward?"

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

She looked pained, but more like empathetic pain.

"How would you feel if the roles were reversed?" she asked.

The world broke. It was as though the space between one moment and the next was split, as though the two were on opposing universes. I imagined it then. Edward had said, in his way, that Jacob was a worthy contender for my affections. I conjured up a worthy partner for him in my thoughts. I saw her, a vampiress, striking and beautiful and compassionate and thoughtful in all the ways that he deserved, and also loving and pure and… worthy. Then, I imagined standing aside seeing them together, dancing and spending time together, with my consent, for no matter what I felt, I wouldn't possibly stand in the way of anything that he might want. I felt sick with jealousy, with worry, with wondering if he would really prefer to be with her, but stayed with me out of a sense of obligation.

I understood Jessica's look now. Because, I understood that this was my fault. I had caused this. It wasn't that I was taking responsibility for them. If they had started a fight, that was entirely upon them. But I had been so focused upon what I wanted, I hadn't seriously considered Edwards feeling. I had wanted Jacob to like me and I had enjoyed his company. Edward saying that it was okay was simply a pretty justification for me to think that my selfishness was okay.

I didn't even realize I was crying until Jessica's stark look of self-reproach.

"Oh god," she said, standing before me at a complete loss as to what to do. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Bella!"

I hugged her. That calmed her down and quit her frantic fluster. I needed the hug too, and I held my best friend to me. She hugged me back, and I could feel her give herself over to me, her own empathy spilling over. Finally, we pulled back, and she had tears in her eyes too.

"You are terrible," she huffed waterily. "I just fixed this."

She turned back towards the makeup, but was caught firm before she could get there, her hand in mine.

"You…" I said, almost too brimming to speak yet. "You think you aren't on my level? Jess, you just school me on compassion. You lovingly and clearly showed me I was being an idiot, in a way that was so gentle and thoughtful that I couldn't help but hear you."

I touched her face, careful not to smudge her makeup.

"Jessica, I wish I was more like you," I said, giving her a teary smile.

She looked horrified.

"Okay," she said, sniffling, "you really need to stop that or I really will cry."

I have her one last sincere hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, so much meaning in those two words that she practically didn't sound like herself.

"We are going to talk about this level thing later," I said, and she relented.

"Fine, but now, quickly," she said. "We don't want to keep the boys waiting."

She pulled out her makeup again, and touched up hers and mine for good measure.

"You are an amazing friend," I said as we returned to the dance.

"Look who's talking!" she said as we walked out the door. "I-"

Jess slipped. There was a squeak at the end, and she nearly fell.

"Are you okay?" I asked as she caught her balance.

"I think so," she said. "What did I slip on?"

I saw him first. He was lying next to the door, his suit rumpled, as though he had fallen with no way to stop himself and hadn't moved since. Even in the low light, I could see how pale he was, how still. As dark as it was in the hall, I could see the puddle that had pooled at his neck. That was when the smell hit me. I was instantly woozy, and almost went down myself. That was when Jess saw him. That was when the screaming started.

"Mike! Oh god! Mike!? MIKE!?"