June 23, 2012

Hello, lovelies,

I hope everyone is enjoying a phenomenal summer so far. It's chilly in the Pacific Northwest compared to South Carolina, so I'm not experiencing the heat that I love, but everything is new and interesting here. And no, I'm not in Forks, although there's a chance that I may stop in on my way to Canada next month!

Fluff is always good, hence a chapter with little action. Please send me copious comments and critiques.

Blessings,

evelyn-shaye

Special thanks to my delightful betas, ChloeCougar and Linnfromia. I admire you ladies for always finding stylistic suggestions and giving me the incentive to improve my writing. You're truly the best!

Chapter Twenty: Drama and Dresses

"I don't get it," Garet whispered to me. "I really don't get it."

I shrugged noncommittally, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the ridiculous scene playing out at our normal lunch table.

"I just don't understand it—"

"Drop it, okay, Garet?" I hissed. "Jacob is at perfect liberty to date whomever he wants."

Jake's eyes flickered in my direction when I said his name but immediately returned to Tamara's face, which was stretched in a confused but delighted smile.

Garet fell silent, and the two of us continued to observe the strange turn of events. Tamara and Jacob sat on the same side of the table as one another, facing one another and talking quietly and, on Tamara's part at least, happily. Jacob's face showed interest, but his body language could easily be interpreted as annoyed and ready for his job to be over.

Or maybe he was just tense, since Braden and his coven had situated themselves adjacent to Tamara. Braden fixed me with a glare, obviously not fooled by our scheme. It wasn't Braden that we were concerned about, though—Momma had her shield tightly bound to us, rendering any efforts ineffective—so I eyed him steadily until he turned away and muttered something to his sister. Our only care at this point was Tamara, and Jacob was doing an excellent job at distracting her.

It was almost too excellent. If I weren't Jacob's imprint and practically living with him, I would believe his actions one hundred percent. Tamara obviously did. The senior vampire sitting on her other side held no sway over her as he'd had yesterday – at least, not at the moment. I wasn't sure how the dynamics would change once the two of them were left on their own, but then again, I had no intention of letting that happen. Even if Braden's affection for her wasn't real, he could still persuade her to date him. Would he fool her into believing that they were mates, maybe even change her?

I shuddered, and Braden's glare intensified. He probably sensed the tenor of my thoughts, so I was careful to keep my calm façade after that. I didn't need to give him another reason to hate me.

After lunch, Tamara approached me hesitantly. "Jacob asked me to the Homecoming dance," she informed me softly.

I refused to look at her. If I had, I knew I would ask the question that was not allowed: Weren't you planning to go with Braden? "I'm happy for you," I answered instead.

She shifted on her feet. "Are you sure? I mean…I really thought he liked you," she said quickly. "And I know you like him."

This time I did face her, my expression stoic. "If he likes you and this is what you truly want, I won't get in your way," I replied.

Tamara stared at me, her lips wobbling slightly, and swallowed. "We still want you to be in our group for the dance," she offered.

I smiled then, even through the pain that Jacob wouldn't be my date. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," I answered sincerely.

Tamara beamed and clapped her hands. "I'm so glad to hear that!" she said delightedly. "We'll have to go shopping sometime this week for dresses."

I laughed lightly. "I probably have something at home I can wear," I hedged. Alice had filled my closet with such formal attire that selecting something at home would be just as arduous as shopping in public.

Tamara reached for my hand, accustomed to the warmth by now. "At least come with us," she begged. "Garet and I need your opinion."

"I'm sure you'll look great in whatever you decide to buy," I answered, but I didn't protest. I really did want to be closer friends with Tamara; after all, I was going through this whole charade for her.

After school, Alice met me in the parking lot. "Oh, Nessie, you shouldn't have!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.

I stared at her with confusion, Garet and Tamara stopping beside me to see what the commotion was about. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"You're taking me with you to go shopping!" she sighed happily.

I groaned. "No, no, Alice, that really won't be necessary—" I attempted.

"Oh, please come with us!" my two friends pleaded at the same time. I shot them a warning glare, but they completely ignored me.

Alice beamed. "I brought my Porsche with me just for the occasion," she answered, already leading us across the parking lot. "And don't worry about a thing, Nessie. Your parents are totally fine with this."

In fewer than ten seconds, I had been completely overcome by my tiny aunt and two human girls. I slid into the passenger seat and reached for Alice's hand in a false show of affection. Of course they were, I seethed. It's an excuse for me not to hang out with Jacob and to seem more human.

"Minor details!" Alice trilled under her breath, squeezing my hand encouragingly.

I rolled my eyes as the girls marveled over the shiny yellow convertible that had been a gift from my father years ago. As a Cullen, I had the deepest respect and admiration for sleek, fast, beautiful cars, but human reactions never ceased to amuse me. That factor was likely due to the fact that expensive cars were easily accessible to me; my family possessed enough money to end hunger in a third-world country.

I pondered that, as I strapped myself in. Did my family make regular contributions to world causes? We certainly had the means to do so. I made a mental note to ask my parents if we sponsored any countries in particular.

Alice glanced over at me with interest. "Why did I just see a million dollars leave our bank account to be dispersed among families in Ethiopia?" she murmured.

My mouth twitched, and I rested my hand on her arm. I'll tell you later, I promised.

Alice nodded. "I approve," she added.

"Approve of what?" Garet wondered. She glanced up from an incomplete text message, probably telling her mother where we were headed.

"Of Nessie's choice of boutique," Alice lied smoothly. Within a few minutes, she'd parked in front of a small but elegant formalwear store, obviously expensive based on the luxurious gowns in the window display.

Tamara's eyes widened, but she forced her smile into a frown. "Alice, the store looks beautiful, but there's no way we could afford anything inside," she said morosely. "We'd be better off at a Dillard's."

Alice looked positively aghast as she turned to face them. "What could you possibly find at Dillard's?" she demanded.

Tamara and Garet stared at each other in confusion. "Normally we just find something from the clearance rack," Garet answered hesitantly.

Alice's face turned sorrowful at the prospect. "Something off the rack?" she repeated. "Doesn't clearance mean that it's last year's style?" She shot me a dumbfounded look, seeming fearful. "Were you planning to go along with this scheme?"

I suddenly felt as nervous as she looked. I proceeded carefully. "Well, no one really notices if it's last year's style—"

Alice gasped, cutting me off. "This will never do!" she cried, fluttering her hands anxiously. "Ladies, follow me. This Homecoming dance is on me!"

Tamara's jaw dropped. "Alice, we couldn't possibly…"

But Alice reached for their hands—they started at the sudden cold—and gently but determinedly dragged them from the car toward the front doors of the designer store.

"Just play along," I whispered to them. "Alice loves an excuse to go shopping and will insist on buying whatever looks best on you."

The girls gaped at me. Alice let go of their hands the moment we entered the store and immediately began pulling dresses off the rack. "Emerald for Tamara, to complement her hair," she muttered. "Something with flair for Garet to show off those curves…Nessie, grab that black lace strapless – it'll look stunning on you…."

We followed her in a daze, catching dresses as she tossed them in our direction, until we had searched every rack in the small store. Finally, Alice stopped and turned to us. "Dressing rooms, now," she ordered, shoving us toward a curtained-off area. We stepped behind the curtain and undressed as quickly as possible, conscious of my aunt's impatient foot-tapping outside.

"Tamara, try the burnt orange cocktail dress first," Alice instructed from outside. "Nessie, the olive green, if you don't mind. And Garet, I want to see the striking royal blue."

"Ness, don't get me wrong," Garet whispered. "I love what your sister is doing for us, but is she always so pushy?"

"I heard that!" Alice sang sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes as I stepped into the green knee-length party gown. "You have no idea," I muttered.

Just as I was adjusting the top of my dress, Alice barged into the room. "You humans take far too long," she complained, her voice so low that even I could barely hear her. She reached over and zipped up the back of my dress before I realized what was happening. She fixed Tamara's next, and then fastened the satin buttons of Garet's gown with quick and graceful ease.

Taking a fluid step back and clasping her hands together, Alice surveyed us. Her eyes glazed over momentarily, and I knew that she was looking ahead to the dance and how our classmates would react to the different dresses. In an abrupt motion, she yanked my zipper back down. "Wrong color," she explained, reaching for a red full-length dress with silver beading. "This one."

I shook my head frantically. "No, Alice," I protested. "This will clash with my hair."

She frowned. "Then why are there upperclassmen disappearing all over the dance floor?" she demanded. "And why does your father look proud but overly concerned?"

I opened my mouth to answer but immediately snapped it shut again. "You haven't even seen it on me" was the grumble I settled for, already stepping out of the green dress that I personally adored.

Alice winked knowingly at me and returned her attention to the girls. "Garet, the blue is lovely, but I would love to see that yellow one as well," she requested. "Tamara, keep the orange close by but try on the black satin."

I didn't pay the three of them any heed. I was too distracted by how amazingly the red dress flattered my figure. It curved gently in and flared out in a full skirt that almost reached the floor. The beading accentuated my waistline and scattered beautifully down towards the skirt. Daddy would never approve, but I was in love.

I turned away from the mirror to see Alice smiling. "Red is the color of passion and seduction," she informed me slyly. "It's also associated with vampires."

"Vampires!" Tamara laughed. "As if they exist!"

Alice and I wisely chose not to refute her claim.

After about half an hour, Tamara selected a full-length magenta gown with a plunging neckline, and Garet, a soft yellow strapless gown with a black silk sash and embroidered roses.

"We look like we're entering the Miss United States Pageant!" Garet exclaimed nervously, tugging on her long and very expensive skirt.

"Or a high school prom," Tamara added. She too seemed wary about being so formal for Homecoming, but oh so in love with her choice.

"Don't even worry about it," Alice assured them. "I happen to know that this year's Homecoming has a ball theme. Most of the girls there will be in dresses just as fancy as yours."

"I would trust Alice," I vouched, noticing their unease. "She's on the planning committee." That actually wasn't a lie. With Alice's flair for parties and indescribable knack for trends and popularity—well, not exactly indescribable, but the mere mortals didn't understand it—the Homecoming committee welcomed her on board with no reservations. Alice had built up quite an impressive resume, including internships with top-of-the-line designers.

Alice whipped out her credit card to cover our purchases and led us outside, each of us cradling our new dresses in their protective covers. As was her style, Alice had even bought monogrammed garment bags for our dresses, and I knew that Tamara and Garet would treasure them.

There was only one thing to ruin my perfect mood.

I would not be attending this dance as Jacob's date. He would have his hands at Tamara's waist while I attempted to entertain the upperclassmen that, according to Alice, would find my get-up sexy. But maybe, just maybe, Jacob could sneak one dance with me. What would he say about the red vampire dress that Alice had chosen for me?

In my heart, I hoped that he found the human part of me more attractive.