Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

How To Tell Your Imprint That She’s Your Imprint

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 03:

Two months later…

Bella’s POV

Life went on, and I found myself hanging out in La Push more and more. The primary reason for this was that Jess and Lauren were now imprints of wolves, and I had nothing better to do. At the beginning of the school year, or even in January, I would have never imagined becoming friends with Jess and Lauren. But that changed when they saw me crying in the girl’s bathroom one day.

Surprisingly, Lauren approached me and asked, “What in the hell did Edward Cullen do to you to make you like this?”

So, I told them about how he abandoned me in the woods, said he never loved me, and that I was just a distraction. That got both Lauren and Jessica enraged, and from that moment on, they wouldn’t leave me alone until I became friends with them. It was weird, but I was happy because I got over my depression quickly. And now, I wanted nothing to do with Edward Cullen. I thought of him only as the prick that I once dated.

It was now May, and the senior prom was coming up. I promised Angela, Jess, and Lauren that I would go. Jess and Lauren were taking Embry and Quil, their imprints, and Angela was taking Ben. Several guys asked me to the prom, but I turned them all down because I didn’t feel like going to it with some random guy I didn’t know. I figured I’ll just ask one of the guys in the pack. Maybe Kim will loan me Jacob for one night? Yeah, I bet she would. She’s super friendly.

We were all at Billy Black’s house doing homework. His house was like homework central. I finished my work quickly and went to the kitchen to cook dinner. Billy was glad to have my help.

“So, what are we cooking today, Bells?” he asked.

“I was thinking beef stroganoff. What do you think?”

“Sure thing, it’s up to you. What can I do to help?”

“You can chop the onions,” I said. I always had Billy help because he liked to feel useful, even in his wheelchair. So, he got moving on the onion chopping right away.

An hour later, the stroganoff was all prepped and ready. Billy opened his arms up for a hug like he did after every meal we prepared together. He was like an uncle to me. Well, heck, he’s known me since before I was born.

“Aren’t you putting a plate aside for Charlie?” Billy asked.

“Nope, he has a date with Tiffany tonight,” I said.

About a month ago, my father started dating Embry’s mother, Tiffany Call. The two of them have been inseparable.

We all sat down to dinner, and the conversation soon turned to prom. “So, Kim, would you mind if I borrowed Jacob for one night for the prom?”

“Of course, I don’t mi…” Kim looked around at everyone at the table. “Of course, I do… no… No, you can’t borrow him. I’m, um, possessive… That’s it. I’m very possessive and jealous. So, no.”

She really wasn’t. Kim was one of the sweetest, most generous girls around.

“I know, Bella. You should take one of the guys that haven’t imprinted to your prom,” Quil suggested.

“Okay.” I looked up and had a choice of two. It was either Paul or Jared. “Um, that’s okay. I’ll just go to the prom with Mike Newton. I’ll just tell him that we’re only going as friends.”

“No!” Jess and Lauren shouted.

“Um, Mike Newton has a raging case of herpes,” Lauren blurted.

“He does?”

“Um, yes!” Jess said. “And you don’t want to dance with him because he has a skin condition, too.”

“What kind of skin condition?”

“It’s… it’s… um… rhinoceroritis. That’s it. It’s a very rare condition.”

“Jess was on antibiotics for months after she broke up with him,” Lauren blurted suddenly.

“I even heard about his skin condition, and I go to the tribal school,” Kim added.

“Come on, guys, I’m not stupid. Mike Newton does not have herpes or a skin condition.”

“Well, Bella, you can’t go to the prom with him because you’d be breaking the girlfriend code if you did.”

“That’s right,” Lauren agreed.

“What’s the girlfriend code?”

“You can’t date anyone that one of us has dated.”

“Well, that doesn’t leave me with much of a choice, Lauren. That cancels out all of the guys who asked me.”

“That’s right.”

“So, I guess that leaves Paul.”

“What?” Jared asked. “Why Paul?”

“You dated Lauren last year, didn’t you?”

“That wasn’t a date, that was just…”

“Sex!” Lauren burst. “That’s all it was, sex. And it wasn’t good sex, either. It didn’t even count as sex.”

“She’s right. Jared didn’t even remember having sex with her,” Paul added.

“Oh, my God! That is just so plain insensitive. You can’t expect me to go to the prom with a guy like that. Paul, you have to come to the prom with me because I don’t have anyone to go with.”

“When is it?”

“Next weekend.”

“I can’t go, I… I have to go to Seattle with my dad. Yeah, I have to go to Seattle with my dad. Besides, Lauren and I spent a couple of hot nights on the beach together last year, didn’t we, babe?”

“You’re neither as hot as my Quilly nor as tender.”

“Say what?” an outraged Paul asked.

“You heard me.” Lauren wagged her eyebrows at Paul.

It was amazing to me how Lauren owned her sluttiness like a queen! I wish I was confident about my sexual prowess like she was. Meanwhile, I’ve never even French kissed anyone. Maybe I should practice French kissing with someone? But with whom? If there was a girlfriend code, almost the entire senior class and most of La Push was out. But kissing practice was not the same as going out on a date with someone. Maybe Jared or Paul will teach me how to kiss?

Paul shrugged his shoulders and turned to Bella. “You’ll have to go to the prom with Jared.”

“Um, no, thank you. I really don’t want to break any girlfriend codes.” I sat and pondered what I should do. Then, suddenly, I had an idea. “I know. I’ll go with Sam. I’ll just go and ask him now. Emily won’t mind if I borrow him for one night.”

I left the house and knocked on Sam’s door. Emily answered it, and let me in. I immediately plopped down on her sofa. “What’s up, Bella?”

“Emily, can I borrow Sam next weekend? I need a date for the senior prom.”

“You want to borrow my fiancé for the senior prom?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why?”

So, I explained the entire girlfriend code thing and how going to the prom with any of the guys who asked me wouldn’t be possible. I also told her about how the one available guy had to go to Seattle for the weekend and that it turned out he had slept with Lauren, so it would break the code anyway. And then I thought: Who hasn’t Lauren slept with?

“Well, what about Jared?”

“I can’t go with him. He had sex with Lauren. One, it would be breaking the girlfriend code; two, he’s insensitive. He couldn’t even recall having had sex with Lauren. But, then, she said sex with Jared didn’t even count as sex.”

“Well, that cancels out the whole girlfriend code thing.”

“It does?”

“Sure, if one can’t remember having sex and the other said the sex didn’t count, then the sex thing is canceled out.”

“He’s still an insensitive prick, though.”

“No, Jared’s not insensitive. He’s too sensitive; that’s why he appears to be insensitive.”

“I don’t get it.”

“You will understand soon. I promise.”

“Okay, can I take Sam to the prom with me?”

“I’ll ask him, and if Sam can’t go, I will find you a date.”

“Goody, I just want to go to the prom, have fun, and come home. That’s why I’d rather bring a friend or an overprotective big brother.”

“I understand. I’ll make it work for you, Bella. I promise.” Emily reached over and gave me a hug. I felt much better. I knew she’d figure something out for me.

---

Bella’s Prom night…

“This is crazy, Bells,” my father said. “So, you’re telling me that you have no idea who your prom date is?”

“Nope, Emily is setting me up with one of the guys from the reservation. Sam is coming as a last resort.”

“Why couldn’t you just go with the Newton kid?”

“Girlfriend code.”

“Got it.”

“You do?”

“Sure, I do, Bells. I was a kid once too. Guys have a code like that, too. You don’t date your buddies’ exes. That’s a major rule breaker.”

“Oh, okay.” Geez, even my dad knew codes better than I did. Actually, it makes complete sense that my dad knows codes. Cops had all sorts of codes and regulations they had to memorize.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang.

“Who is it?” my father asked.

“ It’s Jared Cameron, sir.”

“I don’t know any Jared Cameron.”

“ Um, you know me as Jeffrey.”

“That’s better.” My father opened the door. Jared Cameron stood on the doorstep looking sexy in a tux and carrying a corsage.

“I’m here to pick up Bella for the prom, Chief Swan.”

“Of course. Bella! Jeffrey’s here to pick you up for the prom!”

“Dad, I’m right here. And put your rifle away. I told you before that pointing it at my dates is rude. Hi, Jared”

“Hi, Bella, you look beautiful,” he greeted with a dazed expression.

Wow! I never realized how gorgeous he is. And those eyes, I don’t know what it is, but whenever I look into them, I feel safe and secure.

“Sorry,” my father said, glaring at Jared and cocking his rifle. “I’ll just put this to the side.”

Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.

“So, have a seat, Jeffrey.”

“It’s Jared, sir.”

“Yeah, whatever. How long have you had your driver’s license?”

“Almost a year.”

“So, you’re an inexperienced driver. Have you been in any car accidents?”

“No, sir.”

“What’s the speed limit between here and Forks High School?”

“Thirty-five miles per hour?”

“That’s right. The high school is 1.3 miles away, and it should take you approximately six and a half minutes at the speed limit. You get there one second sooner than that, and I’ll know you’ve been speeding. And trust me, I will find out. You don’t speed, do you, Jeffrey?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you take drugs?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you drink?”

“No, sir.”

“Turn out your pockets.”

“Dad, that’s enough!” I chastised my father when I saw the horrified look on Jared’s face.

“Fine, let me just get some pictures.”

After about ten photos, I finally put my foot down and told my father to stop. Seven pictures of my dad and me were more than enough, for God’s sake. After all, we only had three of Jared and me, and we were the ones actually going to the prom.

My father handed me a twenty in case of emergency and we were finally off to the prom.

“Thank you for the corsage,” I told Jared. “You really didn’t have to get me one.”

“Yes, I did. I’m glad that I get to take you to the prom.”

“Oh, well, that’s good because I thought you were being forced into doing this.”

“I volunteered.” Well, that’s a surprise.

I looked in the rearview mirror and found that a police cruiser was tailing us. “Jared, you’re going speed limit, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely; why?”

“Um, because there’s a police cruiser tailing you.”

“Yeah, I know. Three different ones have been tailing us since we left your house. I think your dad is having us followed. Watch, this guy is going straight through the lights, but once we turn right onto ‘A’ Street, another one will start tailing us. Sure enough, as soon as we turned right, another police cruiser started following us. This one followed us all the way to Forks High School and watched us park. The officer in the car got his radio out and spoke into it.

I got out of the car and marched over to the cruiser.

“ The Swan has landed. I repeat, the Swan has landed,” I heard him say.

I knocked on the window of the cruiser. He unrolled it.

“Hello, Lieutenant Marshall.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Bella, how nice to see you.”

“Yeah, nice to see you, too. You can tell my father that I’ve arrived safely at the prom, and it would be nice if he could just let me enjoy the prom without the extra eyes.”

“Extra eyes?” He pretended to be utterly oblivious to what I was talking about.

I saw another police cruiser arrive and park right behind Lieutenant Marshall’s cruiser. A blue Nissan Sentra belonging to Tyler Crowley parked in the stall next to the one Jared had just parked in. Tyler’s date, Katie Marshall, walked out of the car and stalked to the cruiser, where I talked to her father.

“I can’t believe that you had us followed, Dad!”

“Katie, honey, how nice to see you.”

“He said the same thing to me,” I told her.

We walked over to the cruiser behind Lieutenant Marshall’s and pounded on the window. Captain Marks unrolled the window.

“Whose idea was it to have us followed?” I demanded.

“Isabella, you know well enough that we’re not allowed to discuss police business with the general public.”

“Captain Marks, tell us the truth, or help me, God, I’ll do something drastic!” Katie seethed.

“Fine, it was both of your fathers.”

“Oh, my God! Do you know what a waste of taxpayer money this is?”

“Not really, the public will understand. We’re a close-knit town here. We actually have a list. Besides, your fathers helped me follow all of my girls before and after their proms. It’s a tradition.” He actually dared to smirk at us.

“Fine,” we both huffed and walked to our dates.

“Bella, this is an emergency situation. I’m calling my mother,” Katie stated, pulled her cell phone out, and started dialing. This gave me an idea. I couldn’t exactly call my mother because she couldn’t do anything from Florida, but I could ring Tiffany Call. I explained the situation to her as soon as she answered the phone.

“I’m so happy you felt you could come to me with your problem. I’ll deal with your father, Bella. You just enjoy the prom with Jeffrey.”

“Thanks, Tiffany. And I’m here with Jared Cameron, not Jeffrey.”

“ Oh, what happened to Jeffrey, dear?”

“I was never with Jeffrey.”

“ But your father called not five minutes ago and told me that Jeffrey picked you up. He didn’t abandon you at the prom, did he?”

“Oh, well, I guess his name is Jeffrey. Thanks, Tiffany.”

Jared and I finally walked to the prom and took the obligatory photos with the photographer hired by the school. Afterward, he took my hand, and we walked into the gym. Everyone else was already there.

“What took you guys so long?” Jess asked.

“My father had us followed, and so did Katie Marshall’s. They were working in cahoots with each other.”

“You’re kidding me?”

“Nope.”

“Bella?”

“Yes?”

“Look towards the far left-hand corner of the gym,” Lauren instructed.

I did as she asked, and I scowled. “What the hell are Edward and Alice Fucking Cullen doing here?” I said out loud, knowing that they could hear me. Could this night get any worse? What happened to making it like they didn’t exist? They both immediately turned their heads toward me.

“Fuck them. We’re just going to enjoy the prom,” Embry said.

Jared pulled a chair out. I thought he was pulling it out for me, but instead, he sat down and dragged me onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, and I had to admit that I felt pretty secure with him holding me like that.

I tried to enjoy the prom, but it wasn’t easy with the two Cullens staring at me from across the room. Alice kept blinking her eyes, rubbing her temples, and shaking her head as if trying to clear it. And you could tell that Edward was reading the minds of everyone at our table.

“Just ignore them, Bella. And don’t leave Jared’s side even for one second,” Embry warned.

I nodded my head, indicating that I understood. Then, Quil and Ben stood up to go and get some punch for all of us. They returned with eight cups.

I put the cup to my lips when Edward suddenly appeared at the table. “Don’t drink that, Bella. It’s been tainted.”

“With what?” I asked.

“Vodka,” he snarled as if it were a deadly substance.

I rolled my eyes, downed the whole thing in one go, and smirked at him.

Edward was speechless. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and he was staring at me with his mouth hanging open.

Jared took the opportunity to say, “Let’s dance, baby.” I let him lead me to the dance floor. Everyone else at our table followed. It was a slow song, and I noticed that Quil and Embry made sure I was pretty much cocooned between them so that Edward couldn’t intrude.

Jared and I looked into each other’s eyes as we danced. It was weird, I was becoming completely mesmerized by him, and I didn’t even know him. This has happened several times since I met him. The first time was after I slapped Paul. I couldn’t take my eyes off Jared for some reason. The second time it happened was when he showed up at my house to tell me that Victoria was destroyed. After that, it happened while we were in the car on the way back from the March Madness Beach Party.

Jared smiled at me and stroked my cheek with his hand. “You really do look beautiful tonight, Bells.”

“Thanks, so do you,” I returned, because he really did look gorgeous in his tux.

I wanted to reach up and kiss him, but I didn’t have the guts. I’ve never actually kissed anyone or been kissed, for that matter. What if I fucked it up?

Our moment was interrupted by Deadward and Malice, of course.

“Would you mind if we traded partners?” Edward asked Jared.

“Hell, yes, I mind. Get away from us!” Jared snapped. He twirled me away, but the dynamic duo was on our heels.

“Bella, please. Just talk to Edward. You love him,” Alice stated while staring into my eyes.

“Don’t look into her eyes, Bella,” Jared stated. Turning my head towards him.

Edward and Alice came to the other side. “Bella, we love each other. You’re my mate,” Edward stated, keeping his eyes fixed on my eyes.

“Mate?”

“That’s right, Bella. Mate,” he insisted while nodding and looking into my eyes. “Now, come to me where you belong, and we can leave this insipid dance and these ridiculous people.”

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. Then, suddenly, Jared’s lips were on mine, kissing me.

“Bella, get away from that mutt… man!” Alice snapped, then said more gently, “You’re meant to be my sister, Bella. We have so much fun together. Let’s leave this gathering and go on a grand shopping trip together tomorrow.”

“You hate shopping, Bella,” Lauren reminded me. “Get away from my best friend, you wannabe diva!”

“Come, love, let me take you home, and I’ll hold you while you sleep,” Edward said in a hypnotic tone. His eyes seemed to have taken hold of me.