CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The following morning, the majority of Forks woke up to find that Angela Weber and Edward Cullen perished in a car accident involving a stolen vehicle. A week later, residents in both Forks and La Push attended a double funeral for the deceased teens. The deaths of the two students hit the community hard, especially because they died in such tragic circumstances.
Reverend and Mrs Weber were inconsolable and the Cullens all put on a good performance for the funeral—looking like grieving family. Jasper told Bella that Edward wanted him to thank her profusely for knocking some sense into him and making him change Angela. They were now living happily in Denali, Alaska. Bella sent along the message that she wished him and his mate well.
Jasper informed her some of the coven were going their separate ways after this. Alice, Carlisle, and Esme were staying together with Edward and Angela. Emmett and Rose were moving to Tennessee, and Jasper was moving back to Texas to live with friends.
"But isn't Alice your mate?" Bella asked.
"No, she was just a companion, and she's not even that anymore. Remember, you've got my number if you need me. I'll always come running for you, Bella Swan. You're worth it." And then he whispered in her ear, "You would have made a fine vampire. Fine indeed." Jasper gave Bella an appreciative look and kissed her on the cheek before he hopped on his Ducati and sped away from the funeral.
Dr Cullen and his family left the neighborhood two weeks following the funeral, stating he was unable to cope with the loss of his son. The townspeople all understood, but the hospital scrambled to find a replacement doctor.
With James, Laurent, and Victoria dead, peace reigned free again in Forks and La Push. The kids were back to their normal activities, and planning for the prom became the most important event on their minds.
The boys rented tuxedos while the girls all went shopping for prom dresses.
Aunt Joy and Aunt Molly took Bella shopping for her prom dress one afternoon. They were excited to finally be able to take a girl shopping. And shop they did. Not only did they purchase a ball gown for her, but they also took her for a mani-pedi and bought her two girly sundresses for her to wear.
Softball season was in full swing, and Charlie did his best to attend as many games as possible. Old Quil, Aunt Molly, or Joy showed up to cheer Bella on when he couldn't make it to the games. On one of the days when no one could make it, Sam Uley sat in the stands to watch the game. Bella loved the familial support she received. Of course, Paul was always watching, too.
Bella finally got her license during the last week of April, giving her more freedom. She still went to the gym with her father in the mornings, and he drove her to and from school. They found that this arrangement worked well, plus she liked spending time with Charlie.
Paul also passed his driver's license test on the first try. He was a very careful driver and did everything by the book. His stepmother gave him her ten-year-old Mazda for him to drive while she replaced hers with a newer model.
Jared, on the other hand, failed his test. He missed hitting the blinker when changing lanes twice and didn't come to a complete stop at a stop sign. His brother was now giving him refresher classes.
As far as La Push was concerned, many changes were made in the leadership. Billy Black and Harry Clearwater were both removed from the council for conduct unbecoming, while Old Quil took on the mantle of tribal chief. Joe Cameron and Lieutenant Don Lahote took the places of the two deposed elders in their stead.
Billy and Harry's friendship with Charlie Swan did not survive the debacle of the rogue vampires. Charlie was very philosophical about the situation and said their friendship had simply expired. He became close to Joe Cameron and Don Lahote. They were much nicer people, and he didn't miss his old fishing friends much.
Bella was still friends with Leah Clearwater, and asked Taha Aki why she didn't phase this time around. He explained that the rogue vampires had been taken out and her gene simply didn't activate. Instead, Rachel's gene activated out of sheer anger.
As far as the pack was concerned, there was no need for them anymore, so they continued their lives. One significant development was that Rachel Black imprinted on John Cameron. John was the only one who could handle the girl with the mighty temper, having grown up with many outspoken siblings.
XOXO
Once again, Bella and her friends prepared for Prom at Mrs Mallory's shop. Today, they had a special guest. Bella's best friend Emma was in town for the summer. The school year had already ended in Arizona and Emma missed her friend terribly. She had already been planning to stay for the summer at the Swans, but when Jared needed a prom date, she offered herself up as a date.
It was a good thing Bella invited her friend, too, because Jared ended up imprinting on Emma. Bella was over the moon about the situation, and Paul was, too, because his imprint was so elated.
Jared was in absolute awe. Not only was Emma friendly, but she was brimming with sunshine and her smile seemed to light up the world. She was drop dead gorgeous, too. And it was a big bonus that she was Bella's best friend because Jared thought Paul's imprint was awesome.
"Bella, I'm so glad you moved here," Lauren chirped. "You're such a cool part of our group."
"Aw, thanks. I'm glad I moved here, too."
"I'm glad you invited Emma. I can't believe you were trying to set me up with him," Kim commented. She was going to the prom with Mike Newton.
"When did you become such a matchmaker, Bella?" Emma asked.
"She's not a matchmaker," Jenny commented. "We just wanted my brother to shut up about not having a date."
"Or about failing his driving test," Bella added.
"Ooh! I passed mine on the first go. Of course, my dad had me driving all over the Diné reservation on the weekends. I still can't parallel park, though."
All the girls commented about how they despised parallel parking. "Except Bella here. She can parallel park that big truck her father gave her," Katie commented. "I don't know how she does it. She just swoops in and does it in one shot all the time."
"And you used to be too scared to drive," Emma commented. "I'm glad you got over your fear of driving."
"Bella had a fear of driving?" Jenny asked. "No way! She's fearless."
The girls all assisted each other in getting their gowns on, and in the end, they all looked perfect. Mrs Mallory snapped a photo of all of them and was proud of how beautiful they all turned out.
And then came the embarrassing part. "Now, I bought a jumbo pack of condoms at Costco. I want each of you to carry three in your clutches along with your lipstick and powder."
"Mom!" Lauren yelled, horrified.
"Listen to me, chickie. Teen pregnancy is a thing. When I was in high school, Susie Clearwater was so knocked up she waddled across the graduation stage, ready to pop at any moment. I almost wondered if I should have held a net between her legs to catch the baby. Leah was born that night, and she turned out to be a sweet thing. I'm trying to make the point that it's always good to be careful, and being prepared for any eventuality is the right thing to do."
"Mrs. Mallory, you realize we're all heading to the prom on a party bus, and that's where our after prom party will be, aren't you? We're not going to be doing the deed in public, you know. We're not exhibitionists," Bella pointed out.
"You, maybe, but Lauren's father is Mr. Mallory. Who knows what kind of cray-cray slipped into her blood?"
Lauren rolled her eyes at her mother, and the girls took the offered condoms and placed them in their clutch bags. Mrs. Mallory meant well, after all.
A few minutes later, their parents showed up along with their dates. Jared shot straight to Emma's side, beaming at her. Jenny whispered in Bella's ear, "Maybe he'll be so in awe that he won't open his mouth to speak." Bella couldn't help but laugh.
Bella was surprised when Aunt Joy, Aunt Molly, Uncle Quil, and Quil all showed up to see her off to the prom. Of course, her father was also there and the first to greet her, too.
"You look stunning, Bells."
"She takes after you, Charlie," Aunt Joy said as she snapped a photo of Bella and her father together.
Charlie winked at Joy and agreed. "That she does, Joy."
Bella noticed that Charlie took Joy's hand in his. This was a relationship she could get behind. She looked forward to taste testing all the chocolate cakes in Joy's arsenal.
Bella's hair was knotted into a simple chignon that accentuated the pretty strand of pearls and matching earrings that belonged to her grandmother. Bella and her father had discovered the items in a jewelry box while cleaning out the attic. She wore an elegant strapless gown in lavender with an illusion waist and a full skirt that flowed gracefully to the floor. She paired it with silver high-heeled sandals that she practiced walking in for over a month.
Paul approached her. "You look gorgeous," he whispered, slipping a corsage onto her wrist. She followed by pinning a boutonniere on his lapel. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world."
"You look beautiful, too," Bella said, blushing. Many camera flashes went off as the parents took photos.
"You clean up nice, Swan," Riley commented, giving her a peck on her cheek before presenting his corsage to Jenny.
"So do you, Ry." Bella elbowed him lightly. Who knew that Riley Biers would end up becoming one of her best friends?
XOXO
Prom was much better than the first time when she wore a dress she hated and had a broken leg. The theme was Casino Monte Carlo, just like before, and everything was set up the same. Forks High School always shared homecoming, prom, and other dances with the tribal school because the student bodies of both schools was so small that it didn't make sense for them to each have their own.
Unlike the last time, Bella danced and participated in all the fun. There were roulette tables set up giving out tickets, which they could exchange for small prizes sponsored by the local businesses. Bella won a free ice cream cone from Sully's, while Paul did a little better. He won a free t-shirt from Newtons.
They joined in all the line dances and swayed to a few slow songs-just the two of them. "You know, I wasn't going to go to the homecoming dance, but Jared forced me to go. I'll always be grateful to him for that. And I'm glad you inadvertently squeezed my butt."
Bella leaned in to kiss Paul. "I love you, Paul Lahote. I'm so lucky to be your imprint."
"Not as lucky as I am. I'm pretty sure the spirits sent you straight to me."
Paul held Bella in his arms as they stood outside and glanced up at the stars. One star in particular shone brighter than the others, seemingly focused on the couple.
Bella smiled and whispered, "Thank you, Mr. Taha Aki."
"You're welcome, child," her guardian spirit warrior's voice echoed in her head.
All was right in the world.