Leah stepped out of her house in a low, v-cut dress. The straps holding it up comprised three strings, twisted at each shoulder and crisscrossing down her spine where it connected to the skirt just above the swell of her ass. Sleek and pin-straight, Leah's hair was pinned back on the left side with a pale gold comb.
Jack looked caught somewhere between heaven and a heart attack as he gaped at her for a solid minute, slack-jawed.
Bella climbed out to greet her and laughed as Jack snapped out of his swooning stupor and took pictures of them together.
In some twisted way, Bella felt this was what her prom should have felt like. Gathering with friends and traveling together, anticipating the experience - good or bad - instead of getting blindsided and forced into going when she didn't want to. And, just like her prom night, Bella likely wouldn't get laid tonight either.
It was a good thing she had that morning… and the night before.
In a way, Bella wished she could have taken Paul with her to the reunion and that she could introduce him as her husband. Part of her wondered if it offended him she didn't invite him or if he felt relieved that he didn't have to go.
Bella's thoughts returned to bite her as they walked into the lobby outside of the gymnasium. Someone had recreated the "Monte Carlo Night" banner. It hung above the double doors precisely as it had ten years earlier.
Through the doors leading into the gymnasium, she could see gaming tables, a bar, and a photography booth, ironically situated to mimic a flower-covered arch similar to the one she'd been married in front of in Vegas. Everything felt eerily familiar and dreamlike, and she didn't know what to think about it.
Bella glanced down at her dress and took a deep breath as the sensation of déjà vu swallowed her. She was beginning to loathe the feeling.
Amused, Jack said, "Look at this setup."
"It's insane. It's like someone recreated our senior prom and added alcohol to the mix. Last time, there was an old-time photo booth with a weird Old-West setting. Instead of poker or any real gambling, there were games like Uno and Yahtzee. There were slot machines that used tokens instead of money, and there were buckets of tokens for it, just… everywhere. People were slipping on them by the end of the night. Feathery boas hung from everything. It looks a little tamer this time."
"Sounds fun, actually," Jack said. "You never described it before. You've always said it sucked."
"Well, most of it sucked. My dress didn't fit right, I had a broken leg…"
Leah asked, "Oh. After Arizona? What? Did asswipe Cullen cling to you all night?"
Bella couldn't help but laugh. "Of course, he did. I didn't even want to go. I'd said so all year! He tricked me and got mad at me for getting mad at him for tricking me."
Leah laughed. "Sounds complicated."
"It was! He was. He made me stand on his feet and danced me around."
"Like a puppet," Leah said, frowning.
"Jake showed up to see me, and we danced part of one song before Ed cut in, acting all possessive."
Leah groaned. "Ugh. I like him even less now. You probably thought he was super romantic then because you were a teenager… He totally groomed you, Bells."
"Believe me, I know." Bella chuckled despite the dark topic. It was laugh or cry, right? Bella had gotten good at not crying over the last ten years. Now, she was here and couldn't seem to stop. It still felt odd to be so emotional lately.
"It's so weird to be here."
Quietly, Jack said, "You're different here, Honey."
She laughed. "Yeah. It's the place. Every fucking time I come back to Forks, I leave… different. Even as a kid, this place just… does something to me. I don't know how to explain it. I know who I am and what I want for myself, but every time I'm here, I question every fucking thing about myself."
Leah teased, "Well, this all used to be tribal land. You know, before the colonists and land sales. You grew up with the tribe, more or less. Maybe it's the magic. Trying to push you toward your destiny."
"Oh, it's magic, all right. Your ancestors had Cupid shoot an arrow with Paul's name on it right at my ass."
Leah laughed. "I don't think they're responsible for all that."
Jack chuckled. "Did it leave a scar on your bum? Like a tattoo?" He gestured with his hands, holding them up as though projecting his words as he teased, "Paul was here. X marks the spot."
Bella snorted. "Yeah, no targets or tattoos, just a few tiny sca…"
She froze as too many pieces clicked together in her mind. Paul's bite mark on her inner thigh. Tribal magic. How Bella and Paul seemed to gravitate toward one another - not like Edward had with his hovering, but unconsciously. She thought of how the pack had run her off versus the welcome home they gave her now.
Bella grabbed Leah's wrist and said, "Jack, can you sign all of us in and gather the stupid name tags? If there's an entrance fee for non-alumni…"
"I'll get it," He said, waving her off. "Go pee, freak out, or whatever you need to do."
Bella smiled at him in thanks. She was grateful he understood her so well as she pulled Leah behind her toward the bathrooms.
She blanched as she entered the old bathroom, which looked and smelled the same. "Ugh, this time warp has to stop!" She looked under the stalls for feet as Leah laughed.
"What the hell are you doing? What's wrong?"
Reassured they were alone but not wanting to chance it, Bella whispered, "Are you positive no one else ever imprinted?"
Leah shook her head and frowned. "None to my knowledge. Why?"
"Okay, so what about this?" Bella lifted her dress and turned her leg outward to expose her inner thigh. Despite the black nylon and dim fluorescent lighting, Leah's enhanced vision immediately squared on the bite, and she gasped.
Worried someone might come in, Bella hurried to drop her leg and fixed her dress.
Leah asked, "Paul did that?"
"Seven years ago. My thighs are thicker now, and it's pretty high up, so people rarely notice it. He had forgotten all about it until he felt it."
Leah asked, "Does it do anything weird? Like, the Leech's scar is cold, right? Does that," She glanced at Bella's leg, "feel any different?"
"It does if he touches it. I've noticed it three times, but I honestly didn't want to think about what it might signify. It had no effect on me before. Not when anyone else has felt it, anyway. Seems odd to turn sensitive after seven years, doesn't it?"
Leah said, "If that is what I suspect it is…" She glanced toward the door and said, "We'll ask Mom about it tomorrow. I'll meet you there early. I don't want to tell you something that might be wrong. Are you okay with that?"
Bella said, "I'm perfect with that. Let's go get a drink?"
"Yes, Bitch, I love you," Leah said as she opened the door.
The lobby was quickly filling with people who'd just arrived. Leah spotted Jack first, and they hurried toward him. He held a sticker out to Leah that said, 'Hottest Leah Here." She rolled her eyes but laughed as she peeled off the backing.
Jack's name tag said, 'Lucky Bastard aka Yo! Jack-ee!'
Bella shook her head at him, but he beamed. He was incorrigible - and he knew it.
She asked, "Where's mine?"
Jack laughed and cringed as he rocked back on his heels. He looked like a kid waiting for a fireworks display.
"What?" She frowned, growing frustrated as he slid an arm around Leah's shoulders.
"Bella, you got signed in already." Jack pointed toward the gym. "Your nametag is somewhere in there."
She huffed. "What did you do?"
Jack laughed. "I had nothing to do with this. Let's get drinks and see if there's a dessert table."
Leah scoffed and said, "I hope they have a fucking nacho table."
As Leah walked ahead to scope out the gym, Jack whipped around to look at Bella, grinning, and whispered, "I'm going to marry that girl!"
Bella laughed as she walked behind him. "You haven't even kissed her yet."
Jack turned back again, smiling cockily. "How do you know I haven't kissed her yet?"
Bella scoffed. "You'd have told me."
"A gentleman never kisses and tells, Honey."
"Since when are you a gentleman?"
He gritted his teeth, lowered his voice, and teased, "Since I met my future wife. Don't ruin this for me!"
She cackled and said, "That's my sister!"
"You married a dude in Vegas during a bachelorette weekend getaway, and now, your best friend married your sister! You really are a walking cliche, Honey."
She laughed again, loudly enough that half the room turned to look at her. "You're ridiculous. Why the hell did I invite you again?"
With a sickeningly sweet, affectionate tone, Jack pouted and said, "Because I'm here, and you love me."
"Ugh. I hate it when you're right."
