𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙄𝙋𝙄𝙏𝙔

prologue

THIS DRESS IS SO GODDAMN UNCOMFORTABLE, Dawn thinks to herself as she adjusts her prom dress so the fabric no longer digs into the flesh of her freshly shaven armpits, the material stinging and causing irritation to the tender skin.

She's standing in the corner of the slightly crowded gymnasium of Jacob Black's high school and her nose keeps catching the hint of body odor from the guy standing next to her who had forgotten his deodorant. Dawn shifts slightly to her left, putting more distance between them as she shuffles along the back wall. Her eyes are dancing along the groups of teenagers that have flocked to the dance floor and she smiles slightly at the different interactions she observes.

"Thought I would find you back here." Dawn lets her eyes dart to where Jacob had appeared, his black jacket nowhere in sight and his white shirt unbuttoned twice to show the top of his chest.

"Caught me," Dawn teases, holding her hands up in mock surrender at the boy two years her junior. The boy in front of her grins widely before taking up the space on her left side and mirroring the way she is leaning back against the wall.

"I know it isn't as formal or elaborate as the Forks High School prom," Jacob speaks up, his own brown eyes scanning over the student body, "but I still think we all clean up pretty well."

"I love it," Dawn reassures him, letting her arm loop through his and her hand lightly clinging to his bicep.

Jacob was right about the prom not being as formal, but the atmosphere made Dawn that much more comfortable. The soft glow of the fairy lights that were strewn along the perimeter of the gym gave the place a warm glow, the every day neutral colors of the gym complimented nicely. There were several tables set up on the other side of the large crowd that was dancing to the music that hummed through the old speakers, opposite of where Dawn and Jacob were standing to people watch. Dawn thought the décor was perfect.

"Your dress is really pretty," Jacob compliments, letting his significantly larger hand rest over Dawn's on his arm. His thumb rubs circles absentmindedly as they continue gazing out into the crowd, his words causing the corners of Dawn's mouth to tug upwards.

"Thanks, Jake," she whispers back before letting the temple of her head rest against his shoulder.

Dawn's dress was beige in color and the tule was long enough to hit the tops of her shins. The torso of the dress was structured perfectly with intricate flower detailing that expanded from the outer edge of her bust down her ribcage to lightly trail off at the start of the dress's skirt. She paired the dress with a pair of nude strappy heels, the navy color of her freshly painted toes seeming to compliment the look perfectly. Her blonde hair fell in gentle waves down her shoulder blades, half of it pinned in braids at the back of her head thanks to Rosalie. All in all, the look felt slightly formal, but not too gussied up that she wouldn't fit into the attire of the rest of Jacob's school.

Out of the corner of Dawn's eye, she spotted Quil and Embry who were slowly stalking up to her and Jacob. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at their antics as they finally stood before her, both of them wearing matching shit-eating grins.