I am so sorry this took so long. Um…here's the next chapter? Hehehe…?
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I couldn't believe the dance was already here. It felt like only yesterday I had been arguing with Emmett about it. Now I was standing outside the Grand Ballroom, my hand wrapped around Jacob's arm. He smiled at me, and we walked into the giant room. My mouth fell open, and my hand dropped from his arm.
The hall was HUGE. As big as my house back in Washington. Bigger, even. A beautiful chandelier, as big as a car, hung form the ceiling, reflecting light across the room like a disco ball. A long buffet table was pushed against the wall, and the rest of the floor was covered in dancing students, all dressed in extremely nice, likely expensive, clothing. I felt poor being in their presence.
Rosalie was still not talking to me. It had gotten so bad that I had crashed in Anna and Celia's room for the past week. Anna had lent me a dress, and Celia had done my hair, and Nessie had insisted on doing my makeup. The dress was nice, but obviously not Channel or Dolce and Gabbana. She had mentioned something about being vintage, from a local resale shop from her hometown.
I had not seen Angelina or Angelica since the chaos in the courtyard. Nor Alice since the night in the Dump. Emmett came by occasionally, checking on Rosalie. But mainly, I stuck to the people whom I "belonged" with.
I walked into the ballroom, stunned. Jake laughed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Yeah, I reacted the same way my first year." He took my arm, leading me to the side of the room where our friends stood.
"Hey, guys," He said, his eyes flashing to Nessie. Edward rolled his eyes at the wistful look on his roommate's face. I blushed, remembering the conversation Jake and I had had a few days previous.
"And he said I needed a date. This is gonna suck. How am I supposed to find a date?" I whined, slamming down my pencil during Creative Writing. Jake didn't say anything, but his cheeks flushed slightly.
"Well…" he said. "You could always go with me."
I froze. I liked Jacob, but not like that. "Uh, well, Jake…I mean…" I stuttered, unsure of what to say.
He realized what I was thinking. "Oh, no, I mean…Nessie already has a date. And…"
I laughed. "You want to make her jealous?" He looked down in embarrassment, nodding.
"Well, then, of course I will happy to accompany you to the dance, Mr. Black." He smiled, relieved. I was happy to help my friend, but secretly, I had someone I wanted to make jealous too.
Of course, we didn't seem to be the only ones trying to make some others jealous. Anna was Matt's date, and the two seemed very uncomfortable. Matt kept eyeing Celia, who looked quite lovely in her purple dress. Anna looked absolutely bored, picking at the ties on her dress. Angela was whispering something to her, and the two girls looked over at a group of boys, giggling.
Edward stood next to Nessie, who was waiting for her date. Ronald. Slick hair boy. Even though she was an outsider, Nessie had every eye on her. It was understandable that she would be asked out. In her flowing green dress and pinned up curls, even Rosalie didn't stand a chance.
Jacob looked like he was going to hurl, so I pulled him out to the dance floor. He muttered, "Thanks." and we awkwardly danced for a few minutes. Suddenly a booming voice rose above the music.
"Hey! You're dancing with him!" Emmett came over, mock anger on his face. "Why wont you dance with me?!"
I blushed, looking down. Jacob eyed Emmett curiously. Then, he held out his hand. "Jacob Black."
Emmett returned it, smiling. "Emmett McCarty. Mind if I cut in?" Jake shrugged.
"She's all yours." He grinned wickedly. "Remember what we talked about, Bella. Use protection."
I blushed even harder, and Emmett laughed as Jake walked away. He put one hand on my waist, the other in my hand as we waltzed around the dance floor. Who knew rich kids danced to classical music? I guess it was the school's doing.
"So, cheating on me, I see," Emmett said, winking.
"If I remember right, you said that you were taken. Crushed my heart, you did. But I've moved on." He laughed, spinning me around.
"So, I did." He pulled me close to him chest, our faces nearly touching. I blushed, making him laugh.
"Why is everyone staring at us?" I noticed both sides of the ballroom, the punks and the preppies, staring and glaring, whispering behind their hands. It was unnerving.
"Because I'm dancing with you." He waved at the crowd, smiling. They seemed to gasp, appalled.
"But…but they aren't staring at Nessie!" I nearly shrieked, feeling extremely self-conscious.
"Because she was Ronald's escort. Everyone just thinks he paid her to come." He spun me again, nearly tripping me.
"What?! But-!" He placed a finger on my lips, quieting me. I fell silent, pouting.
"That's how our world works, Bella. I'm sure Nessie knows." He dipped me, nearly touching my head to the ground. I stuck my tongue at him, punching his arm as he raised me back up.
I looked around, noticing all the people around us. Rosie G stood there, in a strapless, hot pink dress, hand on BT's arm. He waved at us, earning a glare from his date. Hailey stood on the other side of the hall, taking a glass of punch from her date. I vaguely recalled his name being Gaspard or something. Alice was spinning around in a short, black halter dress. Jasper was smiling at her, pulling her close to his chest. She spotted me, and waltzed over, pulling her boyfriend with her.
Emmett saw them and frowned. "Well, thank you for the dance m'lady. I must be off to please my lass." He danced off, grabbing Rosalie around the waist. Alice came up, while Jasper glared after his roommate. At the same moment, Edward came up, placing his hand on my shoulder.
"Oh, hey! Edward, this is Alice and Jasper. Alice, Jasper, meet Edward." Jasper shook Edward's hand, and Alice gave him a friendly hug. Both were a little tense, especially when all the eyes on the room turned on them, but seemed willing to talk to Outsiders in public.
"Well, since everyone is staring at us anyways, may I have this dance, Edward?" Alice asked, grabbing his hand. He barely had time to respond as she dragged him out to the center of the floor. I shrugged and held out my hand to Jasper, who lead me after them, giving me a twirl.
"So, enjoying the dance, Bella?" He asked, pulling me back. I shrugged.
"Not a huge fan of parties. Or dresses. Or high heels." He laughed. We fell into a peaceful silence, so I took the time to study his face. His blonde hair drooped into his face, barely covering the dark circles that lined his eyes. His cheekbones stuck dangerously from his face, and the hand that held mine was skeletal.
"Well, I'm sorry you had to come. You get used to these things after a while. The punch is especially good this year. I don't think anyone's spiked it yet, either." I raised an eyebrow, letting that one pass. I turned to look at Edward. He was spinning Alice around, laughing at the little pixie. Ten minutes and they had already become friends.
But something was off. Edward's smile faltered, his green eyes sad. Alice was smiling, but her arms were too thin, her waist too small. There was something wrong with my new friends, something that I had to figure out.
Just then, a well-built, brown-haired boy came up, obviously drunk. "Jacob…" Jasper muttered under his breath. Jacob. This must have been the ass that Genevieve was here with. The poor girl must be hiding by now.
"Hey there, sweet cheeks," He slurred, stumbling over to us. Jasper shifter in front of me, flashing a look at Edward. Edward moved over, pulling Alice towards us. She balled her fist, primed for a fight. Emmett saw trouble brewing, and started heading over. Jake pulled Matt away from Anna, who was talking with Angela. The girls looked over nervously, motioning to Celia.
"Don't call her sweet cheeks." Jasper said defensively, glaring at Jacob. He smirked, drunkenly, moving around Jasper to me. Leaning in closely he whispered, "But they are so sweet," and goosed me. I shrieked, and Jasper shoved him away. Edward moved next to us, teeth clenched. Jacob, growing angry, punched Jasper in the face, sending him to the floor. Without a second thought, Alice sprang, tackling Jacob to the ground. All hell broke loose.
Jacob threw Alice across the room, causing Edward and Jasper to attack. Ronald and Mike attacked Emmett, both getting punched in the nose. Jake grabbed Nessie while she was free and pulled her from the room, away from the fight. Matt grabbed Celia in one hand, Anna in the other, running. Angela ran after them, a panicked look on her face.
Rosie G and Hartzie jumped Kara and Sunny, and Nikkolina(Gaspard's twin), Brianna, and some girls named Blaire and Elizabeth cornered Cassie and Delilah.
Everyone took their sides, fighting the others. I got shoved to the ground, my nose smashing against the marble floor. I put my hand to it, feeling something hot and sticky flow down from it. I looked at my hand, my stomach turning at the sight of blood.
Blood. So much blood. Everywhere, everywhere. Screaming. Screaming. Silence.
Death.
The room spun. I couldn't stand it. I ran, shoving through the throng of fighting kids. Teachers were everywhere, trying to restore the peace. I ran out the door, into the chilly night. Sitting on the wall, I cried, unable to help myself. I barely noticed the sound of two soft feet behind me, until Angelina and Angelica appeared in front of me.
"Come with us, Bella." Angelina said, pulling on my hand. I followed, barely noticing where we were going. I eventually found myself in a dorm room, decorated in shades of pink and yellow. Angelina wiped away the blood on my face while Angelica softly prodded my nose.
"Well, it's not broken. Stupid people. Stupid fight. I can't believe this hasn't happened before." She muttered, sitting on the yellow bed next to me. I wiped my eyes, taking a deep breath. Angelina smiled, patting my head.
"There you go! All fresh and pretty! Well, except for your dress…" I stared at the blue fabric, appalled that it was splattered with red.
"Oh, God. Anna's going to murder me." I sighed, unable to think of how I would explain ruining her dress.
"I'm sure she'll understand. It's a bloodbath in there." Angelica said stiffly, picking at the fabric of her strapless yellow dress. I noticed her eyes were yellow, matching the tips of her hair, like her sister.
Angelina sat on the other side of me, her swishy pink dress flying everywhere. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was her sister who spoke first. "So, Bella. You came to the dance with a Scholarship student. You danced with a "Punk". And you hung out with us "preppies" just a little while ago. You really don't get the whole "clique" thing, do you."
I felt myself getting mad. "Well, of course I do! And I think it's ridiculous! Why can't I be friends with all of you?! Why?!?" I realized I was yelling, and closed my mouth quickly, blushing. Instead of shouting back, like I expected, Angelica smiled.
"Good."
"Good?"
"Yes, good!" Angelina said, a bubbly smile on her face. "We don't like it either. It's mean."
"And ridiculous." Angelica frowned, studying my face. "You really don't care about the cliques?"
I shook my head. She moved over to the desk, sitting on the edge.
"You're worried." Angelina said, suddenly. I nodded slowly, biting my lip. "Why?"
"Because…I'm worried about my friends." I explained what I had observed about Alice, Jasper, and Edward. They both nodded, understanding.
"That's not uncommon here, Bella. You know, rich, uncaring parents, unlimited access to drugs and booze, constant pressure to be the best. Everyone has problems here. If you ask me, it's the cause for all the clique tension." Angelina said, digging through the desk drawer. Angelina nodded, pink tips swinging.
"Yeah, we just lucked out. Our parents love us, and keep us from the high society life. But most of our friends have issues. It's sad." She pouted, sad eyes staring at the ground.
"Well, that's just wrong. I want to help. I have to help. I won't sit by and let these kids destroy themselves and each other." I stood up, a determined feeling in my gut. Angelina started clapping, and Angelica walked back over, whispering something in her sister's ear. She started clapping louder, and Angelica sat next to me again, gripping something in her fist. She took my hand, placing the object in my palm. I brought it to my face, studying it. It was a necklace, a leather cord with a metal silhouette of an angel dangling from it. On the angel was the quote: "Midnight is the time for love, above all other lust and fraud."
"It's beautiful." I held it up to the light, watching as a small blue stone cast a sparkling reflection onto my face.
"And, it's like ours!" Angelina said, pulling out a necklace from her bedside table. Angelica did the same thing, and they both handed them to me.
They were both similar to mine, with different quotes and stones. Angelina's had a pink stone, with the quote, "The Dawn is the light of a new day, shining brightly for all to see." and Angelica's had a yellow stone, and "When the sun goes down, a time called dusk, the quiet thrive, and become the loud."
"They came in a set of three. We found them in a resale shop, unopened. We've been waiting for our third angel. Now we've found her." They both looked at me, a sparkle in their eye.
"What?" I asked, incredulously. Angelina giggled, and Angelica sighed.
"We want you to join us. Become the Midnight Angel."