XLIII. Get in, Loser, We're Going Shopping

Despite the last minute plans I'd made with Jessica to go dress-shopping, everyone else was immediately on board. I'd been fully prepared for Alice's enthusiastic agreement, but what I hadn't expected, was for Rosalie to accept my invitation, and then for Edward and his brothers to chime in that they'd also be tailing us.

"Isn't this going a little overboard?" I asked, when Edward met me outside of the gym after school. Above us, the skies remained a dark, ominous gray, though the rain had let up momentarily.

"Tell me," he said, eyes suddenly grim as he tilted his head down to meet my gaze. "How did this go the first time around?"

I grimaced. "I'm nearly assaulted by a group of men," I confessed honestly, tightening my grip on his hand. "And then you find me, before anything awful can happen."

Edward nodded, not appearing the least bit surprised, though his expression was near thunderous. "I know Alice and Rosalie are perfectly capable of protecting you from human scum," he assured me. "But we're working within the realm of the unknown here. Alice's visions of this afternoon are clear, but that doesn't mean they'll necessarily stay that way. I'd rather be nearby, in case that changes. Jasper and Emmett are of a similar mind."

"I get it. Better safe than sorry."

"Exactly," he said, expression relaxing by the slightest degree. "If everything goes as planned, you won't even see me."

I nodded, but when I didn't say anything, he pressed a cool palm against my cheek, eyes pleading. "You must understand what it would do to me, if something were to happen to you."

I frowned. "You're not going to lose me," I said firmly, with all the determination that I could muster. "If we're going to get through this without losing hope, you must hold on to that promise."

For a moment, Edward didn't say anything. But I could see the way the resolve slowly cemented in the light of his eyes.

He drew me into a tight, lingering hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he mumbled against the top of my head.

"Yes, you can pick me up this time," I teased, pulling away with a smile.

He leaned down and dropped a brief kiss against my cheek. "I look forward to it."

In the parking lot, Edward and I reluctantly parted ways.

"Hey!" Jessica called as soon as she caught sight of me. She and Angela were waiting near her car. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said, once I reached their side. "Do you guys mind if we take Rosalie's car though?"

They exchanged a startled glance. "Rosalie?" Jessica asked. "I thought you were only inviting Alice."

"Oh. I guess I did say that. I just didn't think Rosalie would want to come," I admitted with a helpless shrug. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not!" Angela was quick to reassure me. "I'm sure we'll have a great time!"

Although Jessica didn't appear convinced, she nodded in agreement.

"Right," I said, flickering my gaze between them, before adjusting my grip on the strap of my backpack and gesturing for them to follow me. "Let's go then."

That was how the five of us ended up inside of Rosalie's apple red convertible, speeding through the highway, on our way to Port Angeles. (Fortunately, the roof was pulled over to avoid any sporadic rain.)

In the backseat, Jessica and Angela sat on either side of me, shifting nervously. I refrained from sighing. Despite having made introductions between the four of them, Jess and Angela seemed doubtful about the whole setup. Not that I could blame them for feeling that way, but I wasn't willing to jeopardize our safety for the sake of their comfort.

Finally, Alice twisted around, peeking over the side of the front passenger seat. "So! I was flirting with the idea of wearing a jumpsuit for the dance, instead of a dress. What do you think?"

To my relief, Jessica actually responded. "You guys are really going to the dance?" she asked.

"Of course!" Alice grinned. "There's no way we're missing out on this one. Are you girls excited?"

Somehow, that did the trick.

"We are," Angela smiled shyly. "It's my first one with Ben."

"Oh my gosh, it is!" Jessica gasped. "You guys have been together for nearly a month now!"

"It'll be a month on Monday," Angela's smile widened, her eyes crinkling.

"That's even better!" I chimed in. "You get to celebrate during spring break."

"That's right!" Jessica gasped again. "Oh my gosh! What are you guys planning?"

"I'm not sure yet," Angela admitted. "What did you and Mike do, Jess?"

Abruptly, Jessica's smile fell, her features twisting into a pained expression. "Our day kind of got ruined…"

"What happened?" Alice asked, still kneeling in her seat and gazing at Jessica with wide, curious eyes.

For a moment, Jessica appeared startled, as though she'd forgotten about Alice's presence. "Oh, um, you weren't there Alice," she finally said. "But it was the day that we got detention and Mr. Brown died…"

"Ouch, Jess! Talk about rotten luck," I grimaced sympathetically. "At least you got to spend time with him at the beach the next day."

"That's true," she said with a fond smile. "I wasn't feeling the best, but he was so sweet!"

"That's wonderful, Jess," Angela beamed, and then shifted her gaze towards me. "What about you and Edward, Isabella?"

"Oh, um," I said, thinking back to Monday. "Wasn't so great for us either, actually. I did see him, but that's because he took me over to his dad's so he could check over my stitches and change my bandages," I explained, gently patting my right arm, where the bandages were hidden under the layers of my coat and long-sleeved shirt. The ache was dull, but ever present.

At the very least, everyone had found the exploding candle story entertaining enough. So much so, that Mrs. Donnelly, the chemistry teacher, had apparently done a whole lecture on the chemical reaction between water and hot wax.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Angela frowned. "I guess my prospects aren't looking so good…"

"Well…at least there's the dance," Jessica said.

I rolled my eyes. "Very reassuring, Jess."

"What about you, Alice?" Jessica suddenly piped up. "Did you and Jasper do anything special?"

Alice's bell-like laugh filled the small space. "Not exactly. I was getting Jasper to try a new diet with me at the time, so he was rather irritable."

Jessica frowned. "A new diet?" she repeated, sounding unimpressed.

"Um, yeah!" Alice said, sounding slightly unsure. "Vegetarianism."

"Oh, interesting."

I elbowed her.

Jessica shot me a glare, but thankfully, Angela cut in.

"Port Angeles only has like one boutique. Do you think you'll find what you're looking for?"

"It is pretty limited," Alice briefly pouted. "I'd rather go to Seattle, but I'll make do. And I already called ahead of time, so I have a very clear idea as to what their selection looks like!"

"Really? Do you think they'll have something long enough for me?" Angela wondered. "Their knee-length dresses are always too short on me, and I don't want to wear a prom dress to the spring dance…"

"Oh, Alice actually designs clothes for fun!" I grinned. "I bet she could totally rehem your dress for you!"

"Wow! Really?"

"Totally!" Alice chirped. "Jeans and dresses are always way too long on me, so I'm totally ace at hemming clothes! I could do that for you, if you need me to."

"Thank you, Alice. I'd really appreciate that," Angela smiled sweetly.

"We're here," Rosalie announced, speaking up for the first time since we'd left.

"Already?" Jessica cried. "How fast were you driving?!"

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," Rosalie deadpanned as she smoothly pulled into one of the parking spaces along the main street.

"Uh, right," Jess squeaked.

"She's kidding," I said.

"If you say so," she muttered.

"Come on," I said, sliding across the seat and stepping out of the car after Angela.

Once we'd all gathered on the walkway by the car, I looped my non-injured arm with Jess and announced, "We're gonna grab something warm to drink real quick! We'll meet you inside the boutique."

"Sounds good! Come on, Angela, let's see if they have anything length-appropriate already in stock!"

"Uh, okay," Angela said as Alice grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her in the direction of the boutique located a few stores down.

"I'll just wait for you out here," Rosalie said, leaning pointedly against the side of her convertible.

"Sure!" I called back, dragging Jessica with me in the opposite direction, to the coffee shop one store down. It wasn't very far, so I didn't think Rosalie's presence was necessary, but at this point I wasn't willing to argue.

Inside, I ordered a hot chocolate for myself and two lattes.

It was as we were waiting for our drinks, that I finally turned to Jessica. "What's your deal with Alice?" I asked without preamble.

"Oh. That," she frowned.

"Yes, that. Is there something I need to know?"

"Probably. But not from me," she huffed. "Don't you think her whole diet talk was concerning? Like, I'd heard rumors about her being anorexic, but I'm pretty sure Lauren started that one in a fit of petty jealousy. I didn't think they might actually be true!"

I blinked. "You're…worried about her."

"You're not?" she demanded.

"Alice isn't anorexic," I said.

"Oh. Then why was she talking about dieting? She's so thin!"

"She's not trying to lose weight," I explained. "She just cares about what goes into her body. Which doesn't include genetically modified and disease riddled meat produced by the American meat industry. Ergo, vegetarian."

"Ew!" she said, face twisting in disgust. "That explains why she barely touches her plate at lunch."

"Yeah, their parents force them to buy lunch every day," I said with a shrug.

For someone who didn't like lying, I was becoming worryingly good at it.

"That makes sense, I guess," she said with a sigh. "Sorry for being so weird. I wanted to say something, but I don't really know her like that."

"No, you don't," I agreed. "But I'm glad you were just concerned for her. I was worried it might be something else."

Before Jessica could respond, my name was called by the barista.

"Wait," Jess said, as she picked up her and Angela's lattes. "What about Alice and Rosalie?"

"Alice is allergic to coffee and God knows what Rosalie likes. Unless you want to ask her?"

"No way," Jessica shook her head as we exited the coffee shop.

I laughed. "Thought so!"

"Isabella!" Rosalie called as we drew near to where she was still leaning against her BMW. "Can I speak with you for a second?"

"Sure!" I said. "You go ahead, Jess. Pick out a dress for me?"

"Sure thing," she said, shooting Rosalie a curious look, before scurrying off, warm drinks in hand.

"Sorry, should I have picked up a drink for you too?" I teased, coming to a stop beside Rosalie and leaning against her car.

"Don't be absurd," she scoffed. "I just wanted to say thank you. You surprised me, standing up for Alice like you did."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why? Because I didn't say something while we were in the car?"

"I would have."

"So why didn't you?"

"Because she's your friend, not mine. And she technically hadn't said anything problematic, yet," Rosalie explained. "But if she'd kept up that nasty attitude, she would've definitely heard it from me."

"It was just a misunderstanding," I reminded her.

"It usually isn't," she said with a shrug and pushed herself off of her car. "Come on. And a bit of warning: Don't expect to try anything on. Alice has got it handled."

I frowned. "But trying on dresses is the best part!" I protested, falling into step with her.

"I know," she shot me a knowing smile. "And I agree. But we need to hurry this along. If we don't time it right, your friends will want to grab dinner, and I for one, do not plan to choke down any―what was it you called it? 'Genetically modified and disease riddled meat?'"

I scowled. "I came up with that story on the fly! Excuse me if it was a bit pretentious."

"No," she said, pausing just outside the boutique. "Actually, you did good."

"Oh, um, thank you."

"No need to look so surprised," she huffed, opening the door and leading me inside.

We found the girls in the back, by the fitting rooms.

"What do you think?" Alice grinned, gesturing towards Angela, who was admiring herself in one of the floor-length mirrors.

She wore a pretty lilac dress made up of layers of tulle. It was off-the-shoulders and flared out at the waist.

"Angie, you look stunning!" I grinned. The color looked lovely against her shiny, light brown hair.

"Thank you, Isabella," she smiled shyly, tugging at the hem of the dress. "I just wish it was longer."

Her 6'1" frame meant that the dress ended mid-thigh, rather than above the knees.

"Don't worry!" Alice assured her. "I have that exact shade of tulle at home, so I can definitely make the adjustments for you!"

"Thanks, Alice!" Angela beamed. "I'm going to get changed then."

"Rosalie, I already have the perfect dress for you!" Alice said, turning to the blonde at my side. "Here!"

"Thanks," Rosalie said, amused. "I'll go try it on."

Once she disappeared behind one of the curtained-off rooms, I turned back to Alice. "Did you find your jumpsuit?"

"Yes," she said, picking up another hanger from the long ottoman bisecting the fitting room area, and holding up a long black garment with thin straps and a V-shape neckline. "It's much too long though, so I'll have to rehem it as well."

"That's to be expected," I laughed. "What did you find for me?"

Alice eagerly picked up a different hanger, displaying another dress.

It was form-fitting and a very pale yellow, almost off-white. The whole of the fabric glistened brightly with sequins and the sleeves were long and poofy―perfect to conceal my bandages without irritating them.

"It's perfect," I smiled. "I just wish I could try it on now!"

"Patience please!" Alice smirked. "It'll be best to wait until the day of!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whatever you say."

"That's what I like to hear."

"Where's Jess?" I asked, lifting my cup and sipping my hot chocolate now that it'd cooled down a bit.

"In here!" I heard her call from behind one of the curtains. "I'll be out in a sec!"

"Got it!"

I turned back to Alice and lowered my voice to a whisper. "How soon do we need to finish up here?"

She followed my lead and murmured, "If we're not out of here within the hour, they'll start to complain about being hungry."

"That's cutting it a bit close," I winced.

"Don't worry yourself about it," Alice reassured me, setting my dress back down. "I know exactly what jewelry and which pairs of shoes to pick out for them."

"What do you think?"

I turned back around at the sound of Jessica's voice.

"You look amazing, Jess!" I grinned as she twirled in front of one of the mirrors.

She wore a pale pink halter-style dress, with silver-beaded designs across the top half, the bottom half falling to her knees in layers of flowing, sheer pink fabric.

"Thanks!" she beamed. "Alice picked it out for me before I even had a chance to browse! It was exactly what I was looking for!"

"Pink is definitely your color," Alice chimed in. "It brings out your eyes."

Her smile brightened. "Thank you!"

"Looks like we have a winner," I laughed.

"I agree, Jess," Angela said as she joined us, changed into her jeans and sweater, lilac dress draped across one arm.

"Thanks, Ange!" Jessica said. "I'm really excited now! The dance is―wow! You're gorgeous!" Jess suddenly cut herself short with a gasp, as Rosalie pulled back the curtain and stepped out.

Alice had selected a pale, slate blue dress with a plunging neckline and an asymmetrical skirt, short in the front, and falling down elegantly to the back of her calves. It had floral-patterned lace climbing up to its thin straps, which tapered off at the top of her skirt.

"Thank you," Rosalie said with a pleased smile, pausing long enough to admire her reflection. "I like it, Alice."

"I knew you would," Alice said with all the confidence of a natural born psychic.

"What about you, Isabella? Have you had a chance to look around?" Jessica asked, once Rosalie returned to go change.

"This is the one for me," I said, picking up the radiantly sequined dress. "What do you think?"

"I love it!" Angela gasped.

"It's so pretty!" Jessica said in agreement. "I can't wait to see you try it on!"

"You'll have to wait until Saturday for that," I said, setting the dress back down.

"What? Why?" she demanded.

"The painkillers are wearing off and I don't want to aggravate my injury by trying clothes on," I lied with an apologetic expression.

"Aww, that's right! I forgot," Jessica grimaced.

"Don't worry about it. I needed to come out here to buy a dress regardless," I reassured her.

"Did you bring any more pain medication with you?" Angela asked worriedly, spreading her dress beside mine and picking up her latte.

"She didn't," Alice cut in. "So we might have to hurry this along, if that's okay?"

"Duh! Let me go get changed," Jess said, hurrying back into her fitting room.

"I'm sorry, Isabella," Angela said. "We should've thought to ask before we left."

"Don't worry about it, Ange. I'll be fine," I assured her, pushing down a twinge of guilt.

"Come on," Alice said, suddenly tugging along Angela. "Why don't we start picking out your shoes and jewelry now?"

"Oh, good idea," Angela agreed.

"I'll watch the dresses," I said, before they disappeared around a few racks, to the other corner of the small store.

I sat down on the ottoman while I waited, sipping on my hot chocolate. Rosalie was the first to step back out.

She draped her dress beside the others and took a seat next to me. "In all seriousness," she said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. The meds are starting to wear off a bit though," I admitted.

"When did you take your last dose?" she asked.

"At lunch."

Rosalie frowned. "You're due for another soon."

"I'll wait until we get back," I said. "I'd rather not get caught."

She rolled her eyes. "Your friends can be distracted easily enough."

I shook my head. "I'll wait."

"Your funeral," she huffed.

"Where did Angela and Alice go?" Jessica asked, pink dress in hand as she pushed aside the curtain.

"They're looking at shoes," I said. "I'm just taking a break. I can watch your dress for you?"

"Yes," Jessica said, appearing remorseful. "I promise, Isabella, we'll be quick!"

"It's fine, go on."

She paused long to hand me her dress, before rushing off.

As soon as she disappeared, Rosalie cracked a small grin. "We'll have to take you on a real shopping trip some time."

"Depends. Will Alice actually let us try on clothes?"

She laughed. "She will. And then turn around and say 'I told you so.' She's insufferable."

"I bet," I laughed with her. "I look forward to it."

When I got back to the house, it was to the smell of warm pizza and the sound of a strike out.

"Bella? You're home?" Charlie called from the living room, above the noise of the blaring TV.

"Yep," I called back, dropping my backpack and hanging my coat.

"I thought you were supposed to go shopping in Port Angeles?"

"I did. We found everything we needed," I said, joining him in the living room and plopping down the couch. "So it didn't take as long as we thought."

"Did you already have your banadages changed by Dr. Cullen?" he asked around a sip of his beer.

I kicked off my boots. "I did. Did you get enough pizza for me too?"

"Of course, kiddo," he said, gesturing towards the pizza box. "I left you a slice."

"Only one?" I laughed, but when I leaned over to open the box, only two slices were missing. I grabbed myself a paper plate and a slice of pepperoni.

"Oh, by the way, your friend Leah called," Charlie said. "Said something about a furry emergency?"

"But I just saw her yesterday!" I whined. "…I'll go see what she wants."

Reluctantly, I abandoned my plate of pizza on the coffee table and got up to pick up the phone in the kitchen.

The phone had only rung once, when Leah answered.

"I fucked up."

Despite her admittance, she didn't sound particularly repentant.

I sighed, thinking about my lone pizza slice. "What did you do now?"

"…I may have goaded Paul to shifting in front of me. You know, for shits and giggles. But it sure as hell pissed some people off."

I felt my face twist into an expression of horror. "Leah! What the hell!"

"Anyway," she said. "The boys and I are being officially summoned by the council tomorrow."

I massaged my temple in a feeble attempt to war off an oncoming headache. "I guess we're doing this shit. I'll see you tomorrow."

A/N: Yes, Leah really went there :)

In answer to your question Kingese, Alice designed Isabella's prom dress during their slumber party, not her Sadie Hawkins dress!

Be sure to review! :)