(Lynna's P.O.V)

"Are you excited for the dance tonight?" Alice asked as I sat down in my assigned seat next to her brooding brother.

Edward hadn't said one word to me since Tuesday when we were all setting up for the dance. As a matter of fact, I don't think he even so much as looked at me— Which was a far cry from his usual incessant glares. He seemed to be perfectly focused on his schoolwork anytime I was around.

I found myself nodding in answer to her question. Emmett flashed me a goofy grin which I returned half-heartedly. Alice studied me with curious eyes.

"Well, you don't look very excited," she said to me.

To be honest, I wasn't. I was kind of dreading it. I shrugged at her comment.

"I'm totally excited," I lied through my teeth.

Edward scoffed, causing my head to swivel in his direction. He was staring straight ahead but his lips were pursed and his jaw was clenched. I narrowed my eyes at the side of his face.

"What time are you going to start getting ready? How are you going to style your hair? Up or down? And what about your makeup? Bold or natural? Either one would look good with your dress." Alice's eyes were lit with excitement.

Emmett chuckled lowly at his sister's giddiness, while Edward continued to ignore my existence.

"Hmm. I haven't thought about it actually," I admitted with another shrug.

She frowned her disapproval. "Well, what time is Tyler picking you up?"

A snapping sound came from beside me. I looked at Edward and saw that he had snapped his pencil in half. I quirked a brow at his stoic face. He continued staring straight ahead; I noticed how his fists were clenched so tightly that the whites of his knuckles were visible.

I found myself studying his strong jawline. He had a lovely side profile. He was extremely good-looking, I had to admit. If he wasn't such a brooding, hateful, temperamental asshole, then I knew for a fact that the girls would be all over him. He was simply far too intimidating for any of them to try.

"Need another pencil, bro?" Emmett asked his brother, attempting to hand him a pencil from across Edward's shoulder.

Edward scowled and shook him away, but not before grabbing the pencil from Emmett's hand and snapping it in half as well. My mouth dropped at his behavior. He was acting like a spoiled little brat that didn't get his way. Emmett chuckled lowly and slunk back in his seat, finding amusement at his brother's childish antics.

"What the hell was that, Cullen?!" I could no longer stay quiet.

His head snapped in my direction, his midnight eyes locking with mine for the first time in three days. A flicker of fury sparked in their onyx depths. Goosebumps erupted all over my body due to his penetrating gaze.

"Mind your business, Holloway," he sneered before tearing his eyes from me.

Any progress we had made previously was out the window. In that moment, I hated him more than I ever have.

"Don't talk to her that way, man," Emmett said to him.

Edward spun around in his seat and sent him a glare that would have anyone else shaking in their shoes.

"Watch yourself, Emmett," he practically growled. "And keep your comments to yourself."

Emmett shook his head and chuckled wryly. "I didn't even say anything," he mumbled in amusement, catching my eye and winking at me.

My face heated up immediately before I breathed out a small laugh. The two brothers seemed to be polar opposites.

Edward was dark and ominous. To me, it seemed as though he had previously carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and the burden had proven to be too much. The weight came crashing down, crushing him in the process. What we see now is what he was able to salvage of himself— a dark and twisty, angry mess of a boy. He's always on the defense, believing that the entire world is out to get him— that we all exist simply to make his life miserable.

Emmett, on the other hand, was the polar opposite of that. He was happy-go-lucky with a contagious smile and laughter to match. He never seemed to let anything or anyone get him down— including his angsty brother. I could tell that Emmett wanted desperately to pull his brother out of whatever funk he was in, but Edward was too blindsided by his own misery to allow his brother to help him.

Edward was a wallower. He liked to wallow.

Alice tapped my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned to face her.

"You didn't answer my question," she reminded me.

I furrowed my brows. "What was your question again?"

She laughed airily. "What time is Tyler picking you up for the dance?"

The tension radiating off of Edward was making me uncomfortable. He was visibly vexed and I wasn't sure why.

"Oh, um. He's not," I said to her, earning confused glances from Edward and Emmett.

Alice pursed her lips. "Aren't you two going to the dance together?"

I sighed and nodded. "Yes, but just as friends. Like I've said for the trillionth time already." I chuckled before continuing, "I'm just going to meet him there. It would be too 'datey' if he picked me up."

Emmett snickered quietly. "Datey," he mumbled, finding humor at my made-up word.

Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance. Alice's eyes glowed with delight. I could practically see the light-bulb that went off in her head.

"Omg! That means you can ride with us!" She clasped her hands together in excitement.

Edward's head swiveled in our direction. He was sporting a scowl and his usual glare, though this time, it was directed towards his sister. Emmett nodded his head in agreement with Alice.

"Yeah, you should ride with us. It'd be fun." He smiled hugely.

"No, she shouldn't. And no, it wouldn't." Edward's words were dripping with venom.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Why do you care?" Emmett shot back. "It's not like you're going anyway."

The scowl on Edward's face deepened.

"Don't listen to him," Alice piped up. "We're renting a limo and everything. There's plenty of room. It will be fun."

A limo? I found myself smiling at the idea of actually riding in one.

"Well, I have always wanted to ride in a limo…" I trailed off in thought.

"Is that a yes?!" Her eyes widened in excitement.

I nodded. "Indeed, it is," I said with a smile.

She squealed while managing to giggle simultaneously. Emmett smiled his approval while Edward visibly grimaced.

"Oh, Lynna! Can I do your hair and makeup? Pretty please?!" Alice asked me with a pout.

I shrugged. Why not? "Sure. I have no idea what to do with it anyway," I admitted before flashing her a genuine smile. "So, I would greatly appreciate your expertise."

She looked at me as though I had given her the greatest gift in the world.

"You won't be disappointed! Tyler won't be able to take his eyes off of you," she said a bit smugly, flashing me a smile.

"He already doesn't," Edward sneered through gritted teeth with a look of utter disgust.

I narrowed my eyes at him, genuinely not understanding his attitude.

"He's not the only one," Emmett mumbled under his breath, smirking to himself.

Edward was quick to spin around in his seat and shoot another deadly glare at his amused brother.

"Why do you feel the need to make a snide remark after everything I say?" He asked Emmett; his voice was dripping with annoyance and laced with anger.

Emmett shrugged nonchalantly and flashed him a boyish grin. "You make it too easy."

This earned him an eye-roll from the fuming boy before he spun back around in his seat. I breathed out a laugh at his annoyed expression.

"–Yeah, Dustin is going with Jade, so I'm just going to ride with Alice and them to the dance," I told Tyler as we walked into chemistry together.

He raised his brows. "Are you sure? I can pick you up, you know. It's not a big deal."

"I'm sure," I said with a forced smile. "I'll just see you there."

He beamed at me, exposing his perfectly white teeth. "Can't wait," he said as he took his seat.

I smiled back before taking my seat next to Edward who was glaring out the window like the tree outside offended him.

"You know, you really shouldn't frown all the time. You'll get wrinkles," I said to him as I took out my textbook and notebook.

He ripped his glare from the window and directed it towards me. His fists were clenched on top of the table. The negativity was rolling off of him in waves.

"Who peed in your cheerios, for real?" I asked with a frown of my own. "I mean, don't get me wrong— You're always in a bad mood, but not to this extent."

He said nothing as he continued to glare at me like I had kicked his puppy. Realization flooded through me, causing a smirk to spring to my lips.

"I know what your problem is," I stated, my smirk growing when he quirked a brow at me.

"You," he said sternly, his frown deepening.

I allowed his comment to roll off my back. "You have a problem with everyone, Cullen. But that's not what your issue is."

"Oh, yeah?" He challenged, leaning back in his seat and folding his arms across his chest. "Then what's my issue then? Hmm?"

His voice was low and smooth yet rough somehow. It sounded oddly seductive. I mentally slapped myself at the absurd thought. Even still, I couldn't help that my heart skipped a beat at the sound of it.

"You're upset that you don't have a date to the dance," I mused, watching as his features twisted into one of shock. "You're jealous."

His jaw dropped. "Jealous?!"

I hummed in response. "That's right. You, Edward Cullen, are jealous."

He clenched his jaw and scowled. "I'm not jealous, Holloway."

"Yes, you are. You're jealous that we're all going to go to the dance and have a great time without you." I folded my arms across my chest and flashed him a smug smile.

He raised his brows as if to challenge me. "Who said I'm not going to the dance?" His voice was smooth as velvet, without it's usual harshness.

My mouth opened and closed before my brain started functioning properly. "Um. Well, Emmett said—"

He interrupted me mid-sentence. "Oh, I'm going to the dance, Holloway."

I felt my mouth fall open. "Oh," was all I said.

A derisive smirk worked its way onto his lips. I bit my lip at the sight, not being able to resist finding him attractive. What the hell is wrong with me? I hadn't been touched in that way since Grayson, so surely it was just my hormones talking. Edward was exceptionally good-looking. Despite my disdain for him, finding him attractive was perfectly normal, right?

I shook my head at the thought. I was being ridiculous.

"Don't blink, don't blink, don't blink,' Alice chanted as she applied mascara to my eyelashes.

She had brought a large suitcase full of hair supplies and makeup, and she was making great work out of each product she packed.

"Pause. I have to blink," I blurted out as I felt my dry eyes begin to water.

She frowned her disapproval before pulling away and allowing me ample time to blink. I couldn't help but chuckle at her serious expression. I could tell she was taking immense joy out of playing 'makeover' with me. After she finished with my makeup, she started playing with my hair. She tapped her chin in thought.

"Hmm. You have such lovely natural curls. We could just do a little touch up here and there and go for a gorgeous updo," she said with a smile.

I shrugged. "Or we could just leave it down. That'd be much easier."

She gasped before frowning at my comment. "Or we could just give you a baseball cap and send you on your way," she said sarcastically, placing a hand on her hip. "That would be easy enough."

I laughed whole-heartedly at that. "Okay, okay. You're the expert," I grinned, raising my hands in defeat. "Work your magic."

A smile quickly flitted to her lips. "That's more like it. Wearing your hair up will show off your pretty face. Trust me."

Just as she was starting to pin my hair up, I heard the loud, high-pitched sound of my mother's voice.

"Mom!" She called for my mamaw as she slammed the front door. "We broke up, mom! We broke up."

I could hear her sobbing from upstairs. Alice gave me a wary glance before I sighed and stood up.

"She's been dating this guy for like three months and they just got engaged," I explained to her. "It's a long story. My mother has been married like seven times, if that tells you anything."

She nodded in understanding. "I see. She sounds pretty upset."

"Yeah. We should go check on her. Mamaw won't be back for a little bit," I said as I walked out of my bedroom.

Alice was quick to follow my lead. As we descended the stairs, I could see my mom sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. She was sobbing loudly. I hoped she wouldn't go into hysterics like she's been accustomed of doing.

I saw Dustin peek out of the bathroom; his green eyes were wide as they locked with mine. I heard his shower running. He still needed to finish getting ready for the dance as well.

"Finish getting ready. I got this," I whispered to him.

He gave me a grateful smile before closing the bathroom door. Alice and I walked into the living room and sat down on either side of my mother. I rubbed circles on her back as she continued to cry.

"What happened?" I asked in a soft voice.

She lifted her head from her hands. Her eyes were red and bloodshot. Mascara was running down her face, smearing black splotches across her cheeks.

"He- He said he couldn't handle me!" She wailed loudly. "We were at Walmart and I accused him of looking at someone and he got mad at me. He knows how I am! He knows I can't help it! I saw him look right at the woman. He looks at everyone."

Not only did my mother suffer from bipolar disorder, she suffered from severe paranoia as well.

"Well, if he can't handle your mental illness, then you guys don't need to be together. It takes two to make a relationship work," I said to her, unsure of the right words to say.

She sniffled and wiped at her face. Alice reached for the tissue box that was on the coffee table and handed her a tissue which she was quick to accept.

"She's right," Alice spoke up. "You both have to be willing to put in the work."

My mom proceeded to blow her nose into the tissue quite loudly. I cringed internally at the sound, but offered her a gentle smile. I knew how fragile my mom could be when she was having an episode.

"If he really loves me, he'll come back, right?" She asked in a raspy voice, her green eyes flickering between Alice and me.

We both nodded in sync.

"What's meant to be, will always be," I assured her. "You can't fight fate."

A forlorn smile worked its way onto her lips. She grabbed another tissue and dabbed at her puffy eyes.

"Have you had any visions of me? Do you see him coming back?" She asked me; the hopefulness in her voice was undeniable.

I couldn't help but sigh. "No, mom. You know I try not to 'have visions'."

"Why not? If I was psychic, I would want to have them all the time."

My mom had the mentality of a fourteen-year-old at times, which she openly admits to.

"It can be very mentally draining," Alice spoke up before sauntering off to the kitchen.

She grabbed some water and returned, handing the glass to my mom which she gratefully accepted.

"Alice is psychic too," I explained to my mom.

Her green eyes widened in surprise before turning to Alice. "Really?"

She nodded and sat down on the rug in front of us.

"Does it run in your family too? It goes back for generations in ours," Mom said to her, sipping on the water.

Alice shrugged her small shoulders. "I honestly don't know. I don't really know my biological family. I'm adopted."

My mom's brows knitted together in sadness. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Alice let out a light chuckle. "Don't be. I love my adopted family very much. Esme and Carlisle are the best parents I could have ever hoped for."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said to Alice with a sheepish smile.

"So, there are other 'psychics' in your family?" Alice asked with raised brows.

I nodded. "My great-aunt Pat is. She's a character. And her mother's sister was one as well."

Alice hummed in response. "I'd love to hear more about them some time."

"Of course," I smiled as I stood up. "But we need to finish getting ready for the dance."

My mom looked up at me with appraising eyes. "Dance? You're going to a dance? That's great!"

I couldn't help but grin at her excitement. Alice stood up and flitted to my side, clearly eager to finish her 'masterpiece' as she called it.

"So, who's your date?" She asked excitedly.

She had all-but-forgotten about her depressed state. My mom's moods were all over the place on a daily basis, so I just rolled with it.

I opened my mouth to respond, but she took it upon herself to continue. "Is it that good-looking guy that stopped by the other day? Edmund, was it?"

Alice's brows flew up her forehead. "Edmund? Who's Edmund?"

My heart stuttered in my chest. I felt my face heating up in embarrassment. "She's talking about Edward," I explained to Alice. "And no, mom. He most certainly is not my date."

"That's a shame. He's hott. If I was twenty years younger…" She trailed off, smirking and wagging her eyebrows.

My face was as red as a tomato at this point. "He's also Alice's brother," I was quick to say.

My mom's mouth dropped to the floor. "Oh! Well." She looked at me, her smirk growing. "I'm sure she can put in a good word for you then, Lynna."

My face scrunched up at the thought. Alice threw her head back and laughed loudly at my aghast expression.

Before any other embarrassing comments could be made, my mamaw walked through the front door with her arms full of groceries. Her eyes widened when she saw her daughter sitting on the couch with tear-stained cheeks.

"Christie," she greeted her, worry evident in her voice as she shuffled to the kitchen and sat the bags down before rushing over to her daughter. "What's wrong? I didn't expect you back so soon."

Alice and I sauntered to the kitchen and began putting the groceries away. She handed me a gallon of milk and butter which I placed in the fridge. Mom started replaying the whole story to mamaw who was listening intently. It ended with my mother in tears once again. Mamaw wrapped her arms around her and let her cry in her chest as she rubbed circles on her back.

Once the groceries were away, Alice and I hurried back upstairs to finish getting ready.

(Edward's P.O.V)

I shuffled through my closet before finding the silk bow-tie that was the perfect shade of blue. After tying it in place, I began fastening my cufflinks as I walked downstairs to join the others. Emmett took one look at me and furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Wait. You're actually going?" He asked incredulously.

Esme clasped her hands together in excitement. You look so handsome!

"Of course I'm going. Why wouldn't I?" I challenged.

He gave me a disbelieving look. You're kidding, right?

Jasper quirked a brow at me. "Nice bow-tie," he mused with a smirk, guarding his thoughts carefully.

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. Carlisle walked into the foyer wearing a warm smile.

"You all look great. I hope you all have fun tonight." He caught my eye and held it as he thought, Enjoy yourself.

Rosalie wrapped her arm around Emmett's. His red tie matched her dress perfectly.

"For you, my lady." Emmett grinned from ear to ear as he placed the corsage that was made up of red roses on her wrist.

She returned his grin with enthusiasm as she pinned a matching boutonniere onto his vest. Watching the display left a bitter taste in my mouth. Jasper smiled at the couple, feeling the ooey-gooey love fest secondhand. He too was holding a lavender corsage in his hand that he would be giving to Alice.

"We mustn't keep Alice and her friend waiting," Jasper said before we all walked out to the limo.

The limo was smaller than the ones we usually acquire, but it was still quite extravagant. Blue lights lit up the back of the limo, casting a glow against the tan leather seats. I recalled how Lynna said she had never been in a limo and I hated to admit that I was eager to see her reaction.

Jasper was sitting directly across from me with an empty spot for Alice to his left, while Rosalie and Emmett were tucked away in the corner. If the seating arrangement remained as it was, that would leave the only empty seat next to me. I fought back a smirk at the realization, knowing that Lynna would be far less than thrilled.

As we pulled into Lynna's driveway, I felt my heart drop to my stomach. Why was I.. nervous? The limo came to a stop in front of her house. We each slid out and walked onto the front porch, Rosalie included. It was strange that she was so willing to befriend a human girl. Her thoughts weren't snide or resentful in the slightest when it came to Lynna, which confused me slightly.

Emmett was the one to ring the doorbell. Why hadn't I noticed the doorbell when I was here before? I heard the hushed thoughts of Lynna's grandmother, Leah, as she approached the door.