A/N - sorry if this one's a little short - Happy October!

Chapter Five: Spinning

"So basically, I am a fifth wheel."

"No," Alice protested "of course not!"

"Don't be silly," admonished Rosalie. But their shared glance suggested otherwise.

I sighed, but it was too late to switch groups now. Today was Saturday, a glorious, sun-filled afternoon of absolutely no schoolwork whatsoever. As much as I loved class, I couldn't deny that I was looking forward this town trip.

The town was so pretty - fairly small, but so unlike main feature was not highway, but cobbled walks and a park. The walk into town was lined by trees and flowers, and for once I was able to look at the flora without thinking 'too green'. The only hitch in the trip was my group: I was the awkward fifth wheel on Emmett and Rosalie and Alice and Jasper's double date.

It wasn't my fault - Alice and Rose insisted I come along. Though I knew they each liked their boys, their interest levels were far below those of their would-be boyfriends. Rose in particular expressed an interest in 'keeping things casual' that Emmett just did not seem to share.

We fell silent as the boys rejoined us, carrying our ice cream. To my embarrassment, Alice had sent Jasper to get mine as well. He handed me my hazelnut gelato with good grace, and I accepted it with repeated thanks, before having my mind blown away by my first lick.

"Mmmmmmmmm," I hummed, my eyes closing of their own accord.

Emmett raised his eyebrows. "That good?"

"Try," I commanded, offering him a bite. I regretted it as I held it out; this was bordering on so-good-the-world-must-know and so-good-I-must-have-every-drop-to-myself. Too late.

Never what anyone might call delicate, Emmett took a big slurp. Rosalie smacked the back of his head, but we knew his loud moan wasn't from the pain.

"Flavorgasm?" Alice inquired lightly.

"A what?" I repeated, feeling flustered.

She rolled her eyes. "Flavorgasm - a food so good that it produces levels of pleasure comparative to an orgasm."

Emmett nodded fervently, but Alice was still looking at me.

"So...was it?" she prompted.

I flushed, feeling all eyes on me. "How should I know?"

"Oh, please, Bella, you don't expect us to believe all of the innocent little angel act," Rose snorted.

"It isn't an act," I hissed, turning redder by the second. It was pointless to hope that Jasper and Emmett were engrossed in some other distraction: when I peeked at them, they were trying not to look so eager.

"We can fix that," Alice piped up unhelpfully.

I jabbed my finger into her side.

"Ow! Do you want my help, or not?"

"Not."

"I can get you with Edward…" She dangled the half-formed promise in front of me, and it was tempting not to refuse a second time.

Emmett swallowed his blue mango gelato whole. "Brain freeze," he groaned. "But wait…Bella's diggin' on Eddie?"

"Duh," Rose scoffed. "Why do you think she's so pink? She's warm for his form."

Jasper snickered, and I buried my head in my hands. Not. Happening.

"Seriously, Bella," Alice said, ignoring the others, who were interfering with her very sincere matchmaking. "You should ask him to the dance! Even better, you should have asked him to come to the movies with us –scratch that, I should have asked him to come with us for you, you chicken," she griped.

I checked my watch. "Oh, would you look at the time. As much as I love being mortified in public settings, I think we should head to the movie now."

Alice kept up a constant stream of suggestions as we walked the three blocks to the theater, which was playing the romantic comedy that Jasper, Emmett, and I had been persuaded to see. And by persuaded, I mean coerced.

She only stopped nagging me to do something about Edward when she reached up with her little hands and grabbed me by the shoulders, maneuvering me in between Rose and herself, smack dab in the middle of the two couples. Sure, Alice, you're right. I'm not a fifth wheel at all.

As the two pairs quickly became absorbed in their own little conversations, I craned my neck, looking around the movie theater for other people I knew. If I spotted Angela, I would go sit by her, Alice be damned.
Sadly, I spotted not Angela, but Edward. Sitting with Lauren.

I whipped back around before he could catch me staring at him. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course it was stupid of me to want a guy like him. I belonged with Eric Yorkie.

I was distracted from my romantic sorrows by the opening credits, and I was enjoying the movie until an aroma reached me that made my stomach turn.

Emmett cursed his box of Junior Mints and flung it three rows in front of us; the squawk that followed led us believed that the candy missile had hit someone in the head. Rosalie made a disgusted noise and Emmett showed her his bleeding finger, cut by the corner of the box. She was unimpressed, but I was – I had to get out of here before I threw up.

I stumbled over Jasper and Alice until I reached the aisle, hurrying out into the popcorn-scented air of the theater lobby. My head was spinning as I rushed, so much so that I momentarily lost vision and my hearing went fuzzy.

"Oomph," I collided with something solid and started to fall, before something pulled me back up again.

"Whoa, there,"

I blinked several times until the green and purple spots cleared away, leaving me with a clear view of Edward Cullen. Typical.

"I am so sorry," I stammered, turning fuschia. I would run into Edward, literally. Alice was so deluded if she thought that I could get a guy by running into him while getting sick from the smell of blood.

Oh, God, please do not let me throw up on him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, evidently deciding that I wasn't, because he didn't let go of me, but led me over to a bench instead, and set me down. I put my head between my knees and moaned softly as waves of nausea threatened to break over me.

"Never better," I said weakly. If I couldn't be Alice or Rosalie, I could at least be the kind-of-funny girl.

"What happened, anyway?" he wondered, running his hand through his hair as he stood before me, freshly purchased box of Raisinets in hand. At least he didn't buy popcorn - it would have been all over the floor.

"Um, I kinda have this thing about blood."

He looked confused. "Did I miss a massacre scene? It seemed like a pretty tame boy-meets-girl story..."

I shook my head, my cheeks heating up again. "No, Emmett got a paper cut."

He looked at me for a moment, trying to decide if I was serious, and then burst out laughing. Great.

The look on my face must have been enough to calm him down, though, because we lapsed into silence.

Think, Bella, think - what would Alice do?

"Are you going to the dance?" I blurted.

Edward looked taken aback. "Well, yeah...we kinda have to, right? Mandatory fun and all."

Right. Nicely done, Bella.

I stood up then, deciding that it was my opportunity to escape. With an attempt at damage control, I gave him a cheery smile, and said "Well, I sure hope there weren't any massacres while we were out here."

"Wouldn't want to miss that," he agreed with a wry smile.

As I turned back toward the door, I noticed that he had his spoon tucked into his back pocket.

Now would be the perfect time to Blammo him.

But...I needed an excuse to watch him.

I ignored the spoon, gleaming whitely at me from under the fluorescent lights, and walked back inside, with Edward holding the door.