CHAPTER NINE

"Oh please, he won't," Alice said, ripping a piece of her breadstick and sticking it in the sauce. Bella stared at her with hopeful eyes.

"She's been hinting at it all week."

"What's it going to take for her to realize that no matter what she does, her army of evil skanks will never sink their claws into that boy," Alice said, rolling her golden hazel eyes. Bella smirked. She liked Alice. When all the other girls had turned up their nose at Bella, because Tanya had said so, Alice waltzed right into her life.

Alice had not been afraid to be her friend, telling anyone off who dared to mock Bella. Bella had learned to trust her so quickly and so fast, she was almost sad. Alice was just another person she would have to say goodbye to.

"I don't know. It's senior prom. Why wouldn't he want to go with her?" she asked, peeling a pepperoni off her pizza and tossing it in the plate.

"Because he's gonna take you," she stated.

"You sound so sure. He doesn't have to take me. I mean we're just friends," she stated, looking down at her hands. Alice snorted.

"Oh please. You love that boy. Don't try to deny it."

Bella opened her mouth to protest and Alice raised a knowing brow. Alice could read her like an open book. Next to Edward, Bella didn't know another person who knew her so well.

"Do you really think he'll ask me?" she asked. Alice giggled, delighted to indulge in teenage gossip.

"Oh well, here I thought they didn't let animals into restaurants," a snobby voice said. Alice and Bella started. Bella felt her stomach churn. She hated that voice.

"Victoria, so nice to see you," Alice said with false cheeriness. Victoria was one of Tanya's groupies. For some reason Bella did not know, Victoria had made it her life goal to torture Bella's senior year.

The red headed teen sneered and glared at Bella.

"Was there something we could help you with? Like perhaps finding your class, we don't appreciate trailer trash," Alice said, smiling sweetly. Victoria looked stunned. She was always butting heads with Alice.

"As if. I just wanted to know if Bella was going to prom. Since Edward's going with Tanya, I'll wonder who you'll find to take pity on you," Victoria said, smiling like the cat that snared the canary.

Bella gritted her teeth.

"Looks like someone is hitting the booze early, because we have no idea what you're talking about," Alice said, while Bella stared at her napkin, letting Victoria's words sink into her head. Edward wouldn't ask Tanya.

Sure she was considering it as a possibility but she didn't actually think it would come true. She hadn't actually prepared herself for that.

"And here I thought you and Edward were friends. But I guess he just couldn't find the time to tell you," Victoria said, as though she cared. Something within Bella snapped.

"You know what Vicky," Bella sneered, standing from the table and staring down at the redheaded demon, "I think it's really pathetic how your entire life revolves around me and my social life. Maybe if you stopped being such a bitch you would make friends and be able to care about something more than me and my friends!"

Bella stormed away from the table, hearing Alice cheering behind her. Normally this would have amused her, but today she just wanted to go home and wallow in her pity.

As she exited the small pizza place she rammed into the very person she wanted to wallow about. Edward grasped her arms and smiled.

"Hey, why the hurry, I thought we were having lunch," Edward asked, his clear green eyes searching hers. She offered a small smile, because Edward always made her happy, until she remembered why she was storming out. She took a step back, away from his grasp.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, feeling the hurt bubble within her chest. His brows furrowed in confusion.

"Tell you what?"

"Are you taking Tanya to prom?" she asked and his eyes widened.

"What? Who told you that?" he asked and she began to feel just a twinge of relief. Perhaps it wasn't true.

"Vic—it doesn't matter. Are you?" she asked, looking down afraid of the answer.

"No. Of course not. The only person I actually want to take to prom is you," he said so softly and so sweetly Bella couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks.

"Really?" she asked. Edward nodded. Bella should have known Victoria was lying, trying to upset her.

She wrapped her arms around Edward and hugged him. He was surprised at her sudden affection, but quickly wrapped his own arms around her waist, holding her tightly. The words he so wanted to tell her fighting to spill from his lips, but he held back.

"I'll go to prom with you," she said and he laughed into her hair.

Of course she would. They did everything together.

And at prom, he would tell her that he would always want to be together.

So my updates have been sporadic lately, but so has life. I'm sorry. I'll try to keep them normal from now on.
:)

-T-Tanya