Well, that wasn't all there was to know about Paul. But all there is? I know it.

"Are you ready to come back inside?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and retracting the one that I was shaking. I pulled my cigarette back for another drag, watching it all go down. "Alice and Angela want another dance with you. And Jessica was hoping to talk to you."

I saw her roll her eyes, tossing the empty Gatorade at the trash can. It went in with ease. "No, I'm not ready, but I'm going." She sighed, taking his hand and smiling at me. I smiled through my cigarette, and my heart pounded a little faster. "I'll, um, see you later, Edward. Nice talking to you."

She waved as she retreated with Paul, who was practically dragging her. I watched her go.

Stamping out my cigarette - a few minutes later, of course - I followed her in, saying goodbye to the cool, September air and into the heat of the gymnasium - and bodies. The heat hit me instantly, and any sweat that I had gotten rid of? Well…I think I gained it all back. The song that was playing was Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf, and the amount of gyrating bodies in one vicinity made me want to hurl.

It was disgusting really. Jasper was dancing and grinding with Rosalie, Jacob with some girl on his Rez, and Tanya was standing by the bleachers. Most likely waiting for me. I made myself hidden. I would not join that mosh pit. Which is why I didn't got to dances.

The music sucked, the dancing sucked, someone always ends up crying about "having their heart broken". And I knew all this from experience. Except for crying. I did NOT cry. And I swear, I never would.

Soon, the song changed to a slow song, Every Time We Touch by Cascada. Candlelight version, naturally. If I missed this, Tanya would kill me. So I made my way over to her, offering my hand. No words were needed, and I led her onto the dance floor, close enough to Bella and Paul that I could still see them, watch her. I wrapped my arms around Tanya's waist, and her arms snaked around my neck, and I swayed with her, glancing nervously around.

Jasper had his hands on the pixie's - or Alice, known to the rest of mankind - waist, smiling down at her like she was an angel. And she looked like she knew it. There was a smirk on her face, and her face glowed.

I trained my eyes on Bella's swaying hips, listening to Tanya's quiet breathing, and feeling her grasp on my neck and the rub of her hips on mine. Paul's hands traveled lower, and Bella giggled, nipping at his ear. My stomach flopped and bile rose in my throat.

I backed away from Tanya, turning my back on the couple and her, storming off to sit on the bleachers until the dance ended. I wouldn't move. I was done. No more dances. None. I put my chin in my hands, my elbows on my knees, my eyes cast downward. After a couple of seconds, I heard Tanya's sneakers coming closer.

"Edward! What's wrong?" Her voice whined and sounded terrible with the song. "Talk to me!"

"Nothing's wrong. I feel nauseous, that's all," I muttered angrily. "Go away."

I could sense her pout, but I wouldn't budge. I heard her stomp away in a huff. I checked my watch. Eight thirty. A half an hour to go…

Minutes later, I heard more footsteps, and someone sat beside me. "Go away, Tanya," I growled. I heard a deep chuckle, and knew immediately I was wrong. I looked up. Jacob.

"You're in love with my cousin's girlfriend. Ironic, really," he said, staring out into the gym. It didn't seem to bother him that I wasn't looking him in the eye. "She's a catch, isn't she. She seems to capture every guys' heart. It's absolutely true. About half of the male population in this school has it out for Paul for snatching her. They all want her. Myself included. And it seems as if you're in the ballgame too."

My mouth popped open before quickly closing. I floundered. One of my best friends liked the girl I was in love with. Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. "Well…nothing's going for me. She barely even remembers my name. Don't tell anyone, or I'll knock your brain so far back into your head…" I trailed off. He would understand the rest.

Jacob chuckled again, patting my knee. My anger blazed. He was taking this as a joke. It was the farthest thing from a joke. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever, man. Whoever gets her, gets her. And it seems like Paul is going to be that guy." He looked into the crowd, and there, in almost the center, stood the two of them, and Paul was saying some kind of heartfelt thing, and Bella was crying happily. Suddenly, the DJ stepped out of his place, bringing the mike over to the "happy" couple.

And his voice blared out of the speakers. "This girl," he said, smiling, pointing at Bella, "just said she loved me. After I told her. We're officially together. Me and her. Bella and Paul. I love you, Bella. I love you."

Cheers. Whoops. Whistles. She kissed him. He kissed her back. The DJ clapped. Everyone clapped. Alice screamed ecstatically, rushing over to her best friend to jump up and down with her. Angela made her way toward them as well, and kissed her cheeks and laughed with her and everyone was happy.

Except for me. I wasn't happy. Not in the slightest. The anger flared even more, and I stood quickly, slipping out of the loud, crowded, cheerful gymnasium and I stood outside with a new "cancer stick" and I wouldn't go back in.

I heard the door click behind me, but I didn't turn.

"Edward! It seems every time I come out here, you're here," she said, coming up beside me. "It's crazy in there, isn't it? Unbelievable." She sighed. "He's great, isn't he? Did you hear? Paul loves me. Isn't that great?" She sighed again, wistfully. "He's amazing. I never thought I'd love someone as much as I love him. Have you ever felt that way?" She looked at me, her eyes glittering with happiness, and she had never looked so joyful in her entire existence. And I would know. I had been watching her for years.

"Yeah…I have," I answered, my voice quiet and small. I looked at her then, her smile seeming to light up the night.

"Are you OK?" She came closer, in front of me, putting her hands on my shoulders. "You seem kind of down. Did your girlfriend say or do something? What's her name again? Tonya?"

"Tanya," I murmured. "And…" I stopped. An epiphany. Perhaps if I pretended to be sad, depressed about Tanya or whoever, she would comfort me. I would have a few more precious moments with this angel. "Yes. She…I think she isn't in to me anymore. We're fighting all the time. And sometimes…I don't think I'm that in to her. I used to be. I'm sad to see it go."

It wasn't all a lie. I wasn't that in to her. The lies? She was still completely in to me, we didn't fight a lot, and I never had been in to her, and I'm not sad. She wrapped her arms around me in a friendly hug. I faked a couple tears to make it more believable.

She pulled back a little. "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking into my eyes. Her sympathy rolled off her in waves.

Our lips. So close. I ached to close that distance. Her lips were like a magnet, and her eyes were hypnotizing.

It wasn't like I was the only one leaning in. I could see she was affected to. My cigarette fell to the ground, forgotten. My breath, which smelled like smoke, no doubt, blew across her face, and her own - smelling like Gatorade and cinnamon, blew across my own face.

And then our lips touched, and the two worlds collided.