AN: I'm so glad so many of you reviewed. It made me so happy. Thank you everyone. The day has finally arrived. Bella is finally going to be seen as herself and what do you think they will think?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything on this list:

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Bad Reputation by Cecil Castellucci
Beauty and the Beast by Disney
To Love You More by Celine Dion
Remember Me This Way by Jordon Hill
All the pictures of everyone's dress and hairstyle will be posted on my profile and no I don't own those either. If there is anything I might've missed, I of course don't own it.

Chapter 19 Wedding Day Jitters

On Sunday I spent the whole morning fixing my newly curled hair into the proper positioning, pinning them into place. I designed the hair on top of my head into a French braid running along my crown and had the rest come together up into a fluffy mess. I added tiny white flowers into the braid for a more alluring affect. My dress was lavender in satin. It was strapless with a bodice that hugged my curves perfectly. It was simple, but still elegant. I added platinum amethyst earrings to my lobes to finish the look. When my mom saw me, she gasped in delight and insisted I use her lavender shawl. My mother did my makeup. I allowed it only on the account if it was horrible I'll redo it. It was excellent. She lightly covered my face in foundation to even my complexion. Used black mascara to my lashes, nude shadow and heavy black liner on my eyes in a very 60's appeal. Subtly blushed my cheeks in rose and covered my lips in a dusty pink in a matte finish.

I draped the shawl over my shoulders, put on my silver stilettos and went out the door carrying my black panther print coat. I drove my silver MX-5 Miata over to Jacob's house hoping to thoroughly impress him by my early arrival.

I pulled into a parking spot in front of Jacob's house and of course had to make a last minute check to my makeup. I had to be perfect. I knew that with my realization of how I felt about Jacob I would automatically dislike Leah. I had no idea what she looked like, but this was a wedding I was going to and everyone at weddings look awesome. She will be standing near him, touching him, maybe even dancing with him if the bride required it. I once went to a wedding where all the marchers had to dance together in a ball-like bride/groom first dance. They did the same movements in a dance they all had to learn. It was beautiful. Jacob's apathy for Leah drove me nuts. He had no desire to meet her—which was good, but if she turned out looking great he might be swept away by all the attention—which was bad. I hated jealousy. It made me feel so unsure of myself.

I took care as I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. I heard someone's irritated voice ask who it was and answered cordially. There was a few mumbles behind the door, but then Jacob opened it with a big smile on his face. He took in my appearance, eyes roaming all of me. "Wow."

I allowed my eyes to move from his face to notice he was already in a black tuxedo. It was hugging his built frame nicely to accent his muscular shoulders. He wore a black cummerbund and a bow tie. His hair was gelled to slightly tousled appearance as if he was still in the midst of styling it.

"You're looking mighty well yourself," I commented flirtatiously.

His mother stood just behind him. She wore a gold gown, tight around an oddly perfect waist. It was A-line and had a shawl to match. Her brown hair was up in a simple bun, but its sleekness made it beautiful.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said to me. "It isn't appropriate to crash a wedding."

"I was invited," I retorted. I looked toward Jacob. "Maybe I should go."

He caught my hand. "Oh no. Now that you're all dressed up, I want to show you off." He pulled me in. "Mother this is the real Bella."

"Yeah. I'll believe it when I catch her off guard."

I giggled and shook my head at Jacob. I didn't think she'll ever like me. She only saw the skewed view Jacob had portrayed of me and it didn't matter now in what light I was held.

"Mom, I need help!" Rebecca came down the stairs. Her light hair stood at awkward angles.

"What did you do?" her mother screamed.

"It was too tight. It felt like every strand was being pulled out of my head. I couldn't take it anymore."

"There isn't enough time to take you to get it redone and I don't know what you expected me to do to it. I could've loosened it, but a restyle?" Mrs. Black looked disappointed. Her daughter was probably going to mar the family portrait. She tried to gather Rebecca's hair together.

"I could help her," I chimed. "I'm good with hair. I always do my own."

Rebecca and her mother stopped what they were doing and gawked. "Thanks, but I prefer my daughter to not have orange hair."

"Seriously Mom," Jacob defended, "she really is good with hair."

"Please? I even did my own hairdo today." I circled around to show the full extent of my hairstyle.

"Mom, let her try," Rebecca asked. Their mom yielded under the pressure.

Upstairs I got a good look at Rebecca's room. She was not unlike her brother. Her walls were painted a deep purple and she had a poster of the Savage Gord band above her bed. Other teen idols plastered the rest. She sat by her dresser and faced the mirror.

"Could you—"

"I'm not spraying your hair purple," I interrupted.

She belly laughed and I joined in. "No. But now that you mentioned it, maybe another time. I want my hair braided but not too tight. I can't take too much tension on my head," she instructed.

"Don't worry. I could make you look better than the bride."

I worked on her hair, misting it with water to loosen the sticky hairspray. I tried to avoid brushing, but when that didn't work we ended up washing her hair in the sink.

I quickly took to the hairdryer fanatically trying to recover for lost time. I now had to redo her makeup as well.

"You know, I'm glad you're here," Rebecca spoke in a voice just above a whisper.

"Thanks, but that's the desperation talking." I knew Jacob wanted me to keep clear of his family lest they get to know me. He preferred me to be a mystery.

"No, I mean I'm glad you're in Jacob's life. He's a much better brother when he's happy. And you make him happy."

I didn't know much about Jacob and Rebecca's sibling relationship. I assumed by the amount of yelling happening as I would leave that Jacob didn't get along with his family much. This assumption created the confusion when I discovered the ownership of the red helmet.

I kept on working on her hair as I spoke. "Your brother makes me happy too. I wish he didn't like to use me to anger your mother. I'm sure in a different situation she would like me."

"Fix me all up for the wedding and I'm sure you'll be on your way to achieving that."

I sprayed her head with a last uniform spraying of hairspray.

"Take a look," I directed.

She turned to look at herself in the mirror and gasped. I had braided her straight hair much like mine with a French braid across her crown, but I wrapped the braid around a low pony by the nape of her neck. I curved the pony edge up and secured it to the underside creating a beautiful bun.

"Thank you so much." She was about to hug me.

"Wait a minute. I still need to do your face so hold still."

*0*

When Rebecca walked down the steps, her mother looked awed as her daughter shimmered in her gold gown. The gown reminded me of Belle's gown from Beauty and the Beast. It was off the shoulder and pulled out wide to a floor. It was attached in odd places along the skirt. As she walked it made a swooshing sound.

"Didn't she do a great job, Mom?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," a small smile peaked through her lips, "yes she did."

Jacob approached me, his hair now fully styled. "Now my sister looks almost as princess-like as you." He carried a smug grin on his face.

"Almost? I'd say your sister has turned into competition for all the other teens at the wedding."

He growled and pulled me into a hug.

"Watch the hair and makeup. It took me all morning," I worried.

He gave me a squeeze. "My mom's impressed," he whispered. He lightly pecked my lips and let go. It felt like teasing. My heart thumped out a beat almost loud enough to hear—practically screaming lub dub "love you" lub dub "love you." I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to get a grip on my breathing before I hyperventilated.

His dad had pulled the car out of the garage and was now beeping for us to come out. We all took our seats with me in the back between Jacob and Rebecca. His dad, too, was in a black tux for the occasion.

"Did I have an extra child I didn't know about?" Jacob's father jested.

"Dad, it's Bella," Rebecca explained not appreciating the joke.

"Well you clean up nice," he complimented.

I looked at Jacob and smiled. "Thanks."

*0*

When we got to the Wedding Hall Jacob's dad dropped everyone off and went to park the car himself. He didn't trust valets. The hall was decorated with gold and pearl ribbons and tablecloths. Even the chairs were covered. Someone from Jacob's extended family handed a bouquet of yellow roses to Rebecca, a yellow rose corsage for his mom, and a single white rose to Jacob for his lapel. Everything seemed exciting. Jacob told me to go take a seat while he and the others prepared for the procession.

I sat down at my seat as the music began playing. The handsome groom waited by the altar with his Best Man. Several marchers went by all beautiful in the exact gown as Rebecca alongside a male in a tux. Then I saw Rebecca walking down the aisle. She glowed in her exquisiteness with a male her age. I thought there couldn't possibly be anyone that could look better than she until I saw who Jacob was marching down with. The girl was tan with dark hair and eyes. Her makeup application was perfect from her black liner and golden lids to her flawless complexion. Her full lips were maroon and her teeth shined white in a perfect smile. Her body filled the dress in all ways possible. My mouth dropped as I thought of how I could possibly compete with such a goddess. Even her curls in her hair held perfectly along her neck, ornamented with a diamond encrusted flower.

"Leah," I whispered to myself. "She's beautiful."

The matron-of-honor walked down with her husband next. Her dress was ivory and hugged her wide hips. When Jacob's Aunt Emmie walked down in her white bridal gown everyone stood up. It was beaded along the torso with wide lace straps. Only her magnificence eclipsed the thoughts of Jacob's partner.

Once the wedding itself was over I was all too eager to reclaim my boyfriend. My heart beat frantic as I questioned Jacob on how Leah looked.

"Wow, everyone looked great," I began.

"I know. Did you see how beautiful Aunt Emmie looked? I never saw her so dressed up. At her first wedding I was too little. I'm not even sure I was there."

"Oh and the all the bridesmaids were lovely. You know Rebecca and Rachel and . . . Leah," I mentioned.

"Leah?" he questioned.

"Yes she really looked great."

"I guess so. I hadn't really noticed," he stated.

"Liar."

He chortled. "Okay I noticed, but there really isn't anything to worry about. I tried to talk to her a little before the marching. Could you believe she's never been out past midnight on the weekends? And during the week, she doesn't go out at all."

"You had a conversation with her?" My heart sank as I realized she successfully captured his attention.

"Well I was standing right next to her. It would've been rude to completely ignore her. Besides, it was more like short comments. It was like . . ." Jacob took a step back and to the side to reenact his conversation. When he spoke her words, it came out softly. He batted his eyes in a feminine way and stepped to the opposite side.

Hey, have you ever heard of a band called Savage Gord?

No.

They usually play out in Club Dread in the city.

Oh, I don't go to the city for stuff like that.

Why not?

I'd come back too late and I can't break curfew.

So what do you do for fun?

Fun?

Yeah, like what do you do besides school?

I study.

"End scene." He took a bow.

I smiled and applauded. "You should really try out for the school play. Wait a minute . . . Jane is in that. Forget what I said."

Jacob was in tears with laughter. We went to sit at the reserved table with his family.

After a few minutes the bride and groom were announced as husband and wife and the tune for the first dance began. Jacob's aunt and new uncle chose To Love You More by Celine Dion. I hummed and rocked as it played, keeping my eyes on the two on the dance floor. I momentarily glanced at Jacob and he was just watching me with a small smile on his face. I stopped and I felt the heat rise to my cheeks.

"Jacob, why don't you dance with Leah?" his mom suggested trying to break his focused attention.

"Can't, I'm going to dance with Bella," he answered. He took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

The music transitioned and Remember Me This Way by Jordon Hill played. The slow motion of the beat ran through me and we swayed along. He looked into my eyes and caressed my face before kissing me lightly.

"You and Leah looked really nice walking down the aisle," I complimented into his ear. The song was making me emotional. I was on the verge of admitting my feelings. I needed to keep speaking about something else—anything else. "You sure you don't want to dance with her?"

He stopped and stared at me. "I'm already dancing with the girl I want." I smiled. He wasn't making it easy. "There is no comparison, no contest between the two of you. She's a goody two shoes and really boring. You are so much more fun than any girl in this room." His deep brown eyes bore into mine and I couldn't hold my tongue anymore. But I wasn't going to do it here. I wanted to be in a private place, away from the chatter of bystanders.

"I need to talk to you," I whispered.

"Why, what's wrong?" His forehead creased into a worried expression.

"Nothing. I just want to tell you something without the noise of the crowd." I smiled at his tension.

We walked out into the hall to sit on one of the many couches in the open area. Out there with the music muted it made the lack of voices deafening.

"Jacob I've been thinking a lot about this lately. You and I, we have such a good time together."

"I think so too," he chimed in.

I smiled. "And I tried to understand the way things are and how my feelings have changed."

"Changed?" Tension grew into his face again.

"Grown," I corrected. "Jacob what I'm trying to say is . . ." I took his hands into mine. "I think I love you."

His tension seemed to melt right off him and a smile grew instead. "Really?"

I nodded. Now that I admitted it, I was at a loss for words. I tried to pay attention to the song still playing. I wanted to remember this moment. The song was so long.

He licked his lips and he leaned his face to mine. Our lips touched in a burning blaze.

He stood up still holding my hand. "Come with me." He had that familiar look in his eyes where he needed to do more than innocently kiss me.

He looked over to the side and saw the bridal room door. After locking the door behind us, he took off his tux jacket and gazed into my chocolate browns. Jordon Hill's voice echoed loudly as people walked in and out of the dancehall.

And I won't ever leave, as long as you believe
You just believe
I'll make a wish for you and hope it will come true
That life will just be kind to such a gentle mind
And if you lose your way,

Oh I really loved this song. His hand came up to my cheek, caressing it as he moved in closer to allow our lips to touch. I was trying to be quiet because if I could hear the song, perhaps the people will be able to hear us.

As the last verses of the lyrics sang he softly kissed me. It was always how he started before he deepened it, but this time he abruptly pulled away.

I thought he must have heard someone coming. "What?" I whispered.

He just stared at me. His focus concentrated. He shook his head slowly. "Nothing." He leaned in once again and our lips barely touched.

His forehead met mine separating us. He looked downward like he was trying to listen to something outside.

All I heard was people passing. No one sounded like they were approaching the door or even searching for us.

"We better get back." He picked up his jacket and put it back on. I was all confused. He opened the door, waited for me and we walked back into the dancehall.

We sat at our table silent. The music of the hall resonated in our ears.

"I need to go to the men's room," I heard him say over the noise. And that was the last I saw of Jacob for the night. I tried to call Jacob, but it went straight to voice mail. I had to call a taxi to drive me back to my car to go home.

AN: Okay what just happened there? I'm completely confused. How about you?
Do you think the whole love thing freaked him out? Or did he decide to give Leah a second chance?
Send me a review or tell me what you think happened. I'm so curious to know what you guys think.