Bella's Little Sister

Chapter 18

I watched from the bench I was sitting on as Edward went to park the car. My eyes wandered to the boot on my leg, and I sighed as I reached down to adjust the straps. Edward had not exactly been happy about the fact that I had run off to meet James, but he understood. He knew that I had only done it to protect him and his family, as well as dad and Bella. I also knew that he would have done the same if the situation were reversed.

"Jess."

I glanced up at the sound of Jacob's voice. "Hey."

Jacob moved to sit next to me, his eyes raking over my body as he took in my appearance. "Nice."

My upper lip curled back slightly as I shook my head, not agreeing with him. "Not really, but okay. You look good, though. Are you crashing the prom or something?"

Jacob only grinned in response. "Actually, no. Bella's meeting me here in a few minutes. We're going to dinner."

A faint smirk pulled at the edges of my lips as I watched him, though he was now avoiding my gaze. "I was right," I told him, grinning at the faint blush on his cheeks. "You do like her."

He rolled his eyes as a serious expression crossed his features. "My dad paid me to come talk to you."

I was instantly wary, and the moment of levity that had surrounded us was now gone. "Why?"

Jacob asked that I try not to get mad, but I stayed silent, knowing it was likely a promise I would not be able to keep. "He wants you to break up with your boyfriend." He said the words slowly, watching for my reaction. "He also said that we'll be watching you."

With an audible click of my jaw as my teeth snapped together, I stood and backed away. "My personal life is none of his concern. You can tell your dad I said to back off."

A look of anger crossed Jacob's face as he also stood, shining brightly in his dark eyes. "I'm only telling you what he told me."

"I don't care," I snapped. "He has no right-"

Cold hands were suddenly on my arms, pulling me further away from Jacob. "You're free to leave," Edward's tone was clipped as he spoke.

Before either Jacob or I could say anything further, Bella walked up, her gaze flickering between the three of us. "What's going on?" My sister was wearing a white dress, simple in design yet beautiful all the same. She wore the barest hint of makeup, which surprised me, before I realized Alice had probably helped her get ready.

I returned to looking at Jacob, my eyes narrowed as I clenched my fists. "Nothing." My tone held no emotion whatsoever, which caused Bella to more closely gaze at me, a flicker of concern flashing in her eyes. "Jacob was just leaving." With one last glare towards Jacob, I turned and walked away, Edward trailing along behind me.

He wrapped his arm around me, though I quickly shrugged it off. I heard him sigh as he pulled me off the path to avoid causing traffic. "Jess-"

"Don't." I crossed my arms tightly-there was a faint breeze blowing and I was a bit cold, though Edward seemed to interpret that gesture as a coinciding reaction of my anger. "Why are we even here?" I questioned as I turned my gaze on him. "This is more Bella's thing than mine."

Edward stepped towards me, refusing to let me go when I tried to pull back. "Prom is an important rite of passage. I didn't want you to miss anything."

I pressed my lips together as I turned away from him, my expression softening slightly. "But I don't care about prom. I told you that."

With cool fingers, he turned my face back to meet his gaze. He was grinning now, and his eyes were victorious. "Do this for me."

I knew my gaze had darkened considerably when Edward's grin widened further. I once again pressed my lips together as I watched him for a moment longer, before finally sighing in defeat. "You don't play fair."

He only grinned in response as he took my hand, leading me into the building.

After seeing Mike with Jessica, and Eric with Angela, Edward could tell I was starting to close myself off. There were too many people for my liking. Taking my hand, Edward pulled me out the back door of a building to a gazebo strung with fairy lights.

When he turned to face me, his expression was smug. I shook my head at him. "You're serious?" At his nod, I frowned. "You know," I sighed. "When you asked if I wanted to go, this isn't what I figured you meant." I reluctantly took his outstretched hand. "And you know I can't dance. Especially with the cast on."

Edward snickered in response. He took my hand gently in his own, pulling me close to him. "Why not." He hooked an arm around my waist, lifting me onto his feet. "Well, you're dancing now."

I shook my head at him again, allowing a faint smile to cross my lips. After a moment of silence-that is, except for the faint sounds of music coming from inside the building-I looked away from his gaze. "Why did you save me?" I questioned. "If you had just let the venom spread, I could be like you by now."

The light in his eyes dimmed considerably. "You don't know what you're saying. You don't want this."

I pursed my lips as I sighed, knowing he was only half-right. Since the day I had discovered his secret, I had constantly thought about whether or not this would be a life I'd want for myself. "Maybe," I answered. "But I know what I'm saying when I tell you I want to be with you."

Edward looked away for a second, his eyes far away as he gathered his thoughts. "I'm not going to end your life for you."

I stepped back from his grip, my expression serious as I spoke. "I'm not asking you to. I would never ask you to do that." I hesitated before continuing on. "I mean... yes, I am considering the option. Right now, I don't see that life for myself. There's still so many things I want to do before..." I sighed and averted my gaze. "But even then, I would never ask you to end my life for me."

He watched me as I turned away, moving to stand against the railing. After a moment, he joined me. "Then why?"

I took a deep breath, not answering his question right away. "I don't know what my future is going to be like." My voice was quiet and my words were slow. "But I do know that there's no future for me unless you're in it." I turned to face him, fighting the urge to hide my emotions. "All I'm asking is to spend the rest of my life with you."

Edward stared down at me, a hint of sadness in his expression. His fingers brushed slowly along my cheek, before tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You don't have to decide anything right away. You still have your whole life ahead of you."

I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as I turned my gaze to the scenery around us. There were a few small tables covered in clean, white sheets, brightly glowing lights in the center of each one. The lacquered stone pathway leading back to the building was lined on each side by lampposts, strings of lights wrapped around them. Needless to say, it was beautiful.

"You're right," I relented to his words as I moved to embrace him. "You're always right."

"I know." There was a smirk in his tone, though he was careful not to actually show it. Edward carefully returned me to the position I had been in just moments ago, his eyes searching as he looked down at me. "Jess, I just want you to know that whatever you decide... whether it be me or anyone else, I'll always love you."

My gaze was gentle as I watched him. "There will never be anyone else. It's always been you."