Dear Bella Swan, You're Playing with the Big Boys

Disclaimer-I don't own Twilight. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are property of me, Dobber17. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This chapter has been edited by CherryBerry12.

Chapter Fourteen: Moments Like This

"Every year I like to meet with the team one final time before you all begin your summer. First off, I want to thank you all for another great year. I admit it hasn't exactly been a normal year—but it's been one of the best ones I've had the pleasure of coaching. It's one I will always remember. We started off the year with a few bumps in the road, but it turned out pretty damn good. To those of you who are not graduating, I hope your experience this year was memorable enough you want to try out again next year. To those graduating, I wish you the very best of luck in your futures. Have fun at prom." Coach Wilson looked at each of his graduating players in turn. "Be safe."

Smirks and sly fist bumps passed between some of my former teammates, their own interpretations clear. I rolled my eyes as I stood with the rest of the team, clapping hard as Coach finished his speech. The thrill of football had long since died down, the past few months had us concentrating on college and what we wanted to do with the next chapter in our lives. We slowly made our way out, near the end of the line of everyone shaking hands with him as the left.

"It's been a good four years, boys," Emmett said, slinging his arms around Edward and Jasper's shoulders as we walked down the hall.

"It was a great final year, though, with a special addition to our last season," Jasper said with a playful nudge in my side.

"I know, I know. I'm considered one of the boys now even though I lack certain anatomy." I rolled my eyes and tried to hide my smile. It felt nice though, to finally be accepted by all the guys on the team—to know that I was one of the boys.

"You know what? I'm okay with that," Edward joked, moving away from Emmett to grab my hand.

I put my free hand over my heart as we walked. "Are you saying you wouldn't love me if I had a penis?"

It was just my luck that someone cleared their throat behind us. I froze wide-eyed to see Coach Wilson only a few feet behind us. He opened his mouth to say something and looked at all four of us before he shut it. He shook his head, opting to not say a word as he walked past us and turned into his office.

"And that's how he'll always remember you," Jasper said, unable to resist laughing. Even Edward couldn't keep himself from chuckling as we walked, though Emmett seemed unfazed by the whole situation.

By the time we reached the parking lot, I was still horrified but slightly less humiliated by the whole situation. Edward and I split from Jasper and Emmett, heading towards our respective cars. Edward and I held hands as we made our way to our cars parked side-by-side.

He checked his watch before opening the door of my truck. "Is two hours enough time to get ready?"

"It should be," I lied. I highly doubted it. I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my hair, and Alice had threatened bodily harm if I didn't put effort in doing my makeup.

Alice and Rose had appointments at a salon in Port Angeles for manicures, pedicures, and hair-dos. Due to my end of the year football meeting, I wasn't able to join them, nor was there enough time permitting to have them come help me.

With a groan and two failed attempts at starting the truck, I pulled out, giving Edward a quick wave as I passed. I tried not to speed, I really did, but I pulled into my driveway far sooner than I should have. With a quick greeting to Charlie, I ran up the stairs, not stopping until I was under the hot stream of the shower.

Though I was in a hurry to get ready and should have been thinking of what I needed to do, my thoughts drifted to Edward. Though it had been assumed we were going to prom together, Edward had outdone himself once again. It included him surprising me in my own home—once again. My truck had been in La Push with Jake so he could work on the brakes. I'd relied on Edward for rides, just like old times, and he was more than happy to help. After he'd dropped me off one afternoon with a grin he didn't try to hide, I'd walked in to Charlie in the kitchen, a very similar grin on his face.

"Hey, Bells. Can I get you anything? A soda pop? Maybe make you some popcorn?"

In all honesty, I was pretty hungry. Not thinking anything of it, I'd told him I'd split a bowl of popcorn with him after I dropped my stuff in my room. Only I'd walked into my room to find it stuffed with gold and silver balloons. That boy could not do anything simply.

Popping the balloons was a challenge in itself. Since I had no nails to aid me due to my terrible habits, I'd resorted to scrounging for a pen from my backpack. The popping sounds had turned deafening but I had still been able to hear the sound of something hitting the floor. I'd reached down and picked up the small, square object. It was a scrabble tile with the letter M. It was only a matter of time before I'd found the other four tiles. Letters P, R, O, and a blank tile with a question mark written on it with black sharpie.

I was on my way back downstairs, my phone out to text Edward when I caught sight of him sitting with Charlie in the living room, an empty popcorn bowl between them.

It turned out Edward had simply driven around the block after he'd dropped me off, waiting with Charlie while I popped the balloons. Edward revealed that while I was over at Alice's house the night before, he had come over and he and Charlie worked together to blow up all the balloons, hiding them in the tiny basement that was bare except for the furnace. With Charlie having a day off, he'd told Edward he would move all the balloons to my room while we were at school.

"Simplicity is not in your nature, is it?" I'd asked.

He'd smiled sheepishly. His eyes held a certain sparkle—a sparkle filled with life and mischief. "You love it and Charlie finds it amusing."

I secretly loved the effort he put into things. Though I had already purchased my prom dress, this only solidified us going to an event I'd reserved no anticipation for. I took it as a sign when I'd gotten that concussion the night of the 80's themed dance. Forget that prom was supposed to be the best night of everyone's life—if it hadn't been for Edward, I wouldn't be going. I knew this was something he was looking forward to and I was doing this for him. Even though I loved him, I still cringed at the thoughts of what the "Lovers in Paris" themed prom night would have in store. Would it have been so bad for the six of us to dress up and just sit at someone's house and play Twister?

Damn prom. Damn dancing. Damn Edward.

I stood facing my closet, hands on my hips. My dress hung on my closet door, the hem only inches from the floor. My heart leapt in my throat as I regarded it. It was a soft turquoise and floor-length, and just a bit sexy with a low-cut sweetheart neckline, and cut out sides on the tight bodice. It was far more revealing than what I anticipated getting, but I admittedly loved it at first sight.

I searched my room for my sole pair of seamless underwear, groaning as I remembered I didn't bring up my laundry basket the night before. I tightened my robe around me, skipping down the stairs to avoid wasting time.

"Takes a girl long enough to get ready." I turned at the deep voice, finding Jacob on the couch with Charlie, nursing a beer. Seth was on the floor, surrounded by an endless sea of crayons.

Billy's health had taken a turn for the worse. Jake opted to visit as much as possible, bringing Seth whenever he could get him out of school and if his girlfriend Nessie couldn't watch him. I had only met her a handful of times, but I loved her. Between her quick wit and ability to sass Jake, not to mention the love and adoration in her eyes when they were together, it was no wonder Billy teased Jake about getting a ring on her.

I crossed the living room to the laundry room, rolling my eyes as I went. "I'm not even ready yet. I still have to do my hair—did you really think I would leave it like this?"

Charlie looked away from the television. "You didn't book an appointment?"

I grabbed the basket, propping it on my hip as I walked. "At the only hair salon in town on the day of prom? No."

Charlie looked at the clock on the wall. "Isn't Edward—"

"I know, I know. I'll be ready," I cut him off, cringing as I looked at the clock. I raced up to my room, yanking on my seamless underwear followed by my dress. No bras allowed with the dress's cut out sides and half exposed back. They left me in peace, intermittent squeals of laughter form Seth the only sounds I could hear. My hair was in a wild arrangement of hair clips and half curled sections of hair when Charlie appeared at my bedroom door.

"I have something for you."

I released the section of hair from the curling iron, carefully unwinding it before turning my full attention to him.

"Dad, you didn't have to get me anything."

He shrugged, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "Your mom sent this a few days ago. It was a gift I gave her on our prom night and she wanted you to have it for yours."

He passed me a simple silver box the size of my palm. I looked up at him warily as I opened it. Inside was a simple teardrop pendant on a silver chain. It was the same one I remember my mom wearing every day up until her wedding day with Phil.

I traced the lines of the pendant carefully. "It's beautiful. It really is. Thank you, Dad."

He waved his hand as if it was nothing, but I could see the color rising in his cheeks. Like father, like daughter. Without another word, he left, clearing his throat on the way back down the stairs. I slipped the necklace on before continuing the struggle with my hair, though in the end, it actually turned out decent.

Two lost battles with eyeshadow and a horrendous slip with my eyeliner later, I deemed my make-up acceptable. I kept my eyelids fairly neutral, and the combination of eye shadow, dark eyeliner and heavy mascara made my run-of-the-mill brown eyes look capable of capturing attention. As I didn't own a single tube of lipstick, a coat of matte pink lip-gloss officially made me ready just as the doorbell rang.

"You better be ready now! The gang's all here." Jake's voice boomed up the stairs.

I made my way down the stairs, taking extra precaution, since I didn't trust myself in heels. Edward was already waiting at the bottom, his hand outstretched and a wide grin on his face. As soon I placed my hand in his, he pulled me close. "You are absolutely beautiful." He pulled away, and for the first time I noticed the corsage he had in his other hand. It was simple and white, and I loved it.

Everyone else would be waiting outside. The six of us were going to the Cullens' for pictures before prom, but Charlie shyly waved our ancient digital camera before we could go. "Can we get a few for the old man first?"

I smiled. "Of course, Dad."

Edward and I managed to get in a few normal pictures before Jake took control, refusing to let us leave without taking at least one ridiculously cliché photo. I managed to coax Charlie into taking a picture with me, and even Seth asked if he could pose with me. I didn't hesitate before I waved Seth over, getting only one with him before Jake joined us.

Incessant honking sounded from outside just as we opened the front door. Emmett was leaning over from the passenger seat, battling Jasper with his free hand as he kept honking. He only stopped when Charlie walked onto the porch.

"Hi, Papa Swan," Emmett called out. "Can the kids come out and play yet?"

Charlie nearly snorted, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "Have fun. Call if you need me at all."

We hustled out the door, but I still took my time climbing down the stairs before walking towards Jasper's van. Before Edward left me to go around to the other side of the vehicle, his hand reached down and gently traced the curve of my behind.

"Edward!" I looked around to make sure Charlie wasn't looking from the window.

"What?" he asked with mock innocence, clamping his hands behind his back. "I didn't do anything."

I rolled my eyes, climbing into the van. "Yeah, be sure to tell him that when you're in handcuffs."

He flashed me a grin and buckled himself into the seat beside me. "That only happened once."

After witnessing someone get out of handcuffs in one of the million cop movies Charlie owned, Emmett had wanted to see if he would be able to get out of them too. It quickly became a challenge. Shockingly Charlie was more than thrilled, and wrangled up three pairs of handcuffs from around the house. Charlie had cuffed Emmett and Edward, while Rose had pushed Jasper out of the way in order to be the third participant. Her competitive nature was in full force and she'd done a few stretches before allowing Charlie to cuff her. Not only was it highly amusing to watch Emmett struggle to the point where he had been face down on the floor, unable to get his arms out from behind him, but I'd had tears of laughter from watching Edward try to use his teeth to escape after successfully getting his hands out from behind his back. Rose, on the other hand, had been the picture of pure calm. She'd kept her eyes closed as she had barely moved her arms behind her, opening them with a cry of victory when she had pulled her hands from behind her, the handcuffs unlocked. Apparently, the key charm on her charm bracelet worked at undoing handcuffs.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Emmett groaned from the front as Jasper pulled away from my house, causing the rest of us to grin.

It was a good time to say the least. With Rose and Emmett back on more comfortable terms, we had all been able to hang out a lot more, even having weekly movie nights with limited awkwardness and near bloodshed with competitive games of Twister.

"Yet only one of us is good at problem solving," Rose teased from the backseat.

Emmett twisted enough that I could see his raised eyebrows. "Let us all be clear that the only reason you were able to get out was because of a very thoughtful Christmas present from a very handsome man."

The charm bracelet that helped her escape was the one Emmett has given to her as a gift the very first Christmas they were together. The same one I rarely saw her without, even after the breakup. Rose and Emmett had been doing a lot better. They were able to tease and talk like they were a couple again, but both seemed content with staying single and friends at the moment. I think it helped that Royce, who had stirred up so much trouble in their paradise, had almost fizzled out of their lives completely. The latest—and as far as I knew—final encounter with Royce was one week prior to the day of prom, the day that Emmett officially asked Rose to be his "friend-without-benefits' date. All Emmett would say about the situation was that Royce overheard the conversation and tried to make one last move on Rose. The only thing anyone could get out of Rose was that she never denied giving Royce the black eye that was just beginning to heal.

I let out a long breath and wiped my clammy palms on my dress before I could stop myself. Thinking of anything prom related was putting my nerves into overdrive. Edward reached over to give my hand a squeeze, ignoring the clamminess.

Esme and Carlisle were on the porch awaiting our arrival. As we climbed out, straightening suits and dresses, Esme pulled me into her arms. "You're a vision, my dear." She held onto me as she turned to Alice and Rose. "You all are."

Alice was in a beautiful mint green dress that was both elegant and romantic. It was long and strapless, with stunning rhinestones trimming the sweetheart neckline. Rose's dress was a blend of chic and glamorous that showed off her incredible figure. It was a red one-shoulder gown that flaunted her curves with a slim fitting bodice. The cut out back and sequin embellished straps made it even more remarkable. I admit I had a hard time swallowing my spark of jealousy, but I noticed Emmet was having an even harder time keeping his eyes off her.

Esme led us around the house to their lush backyard. She had quite the green thumb, though she had a hard time accepting compliments about her artfully landscaped backyard. She directed the group of us while Carlisle manned the camera. We took single, couple, and group shots until the six of us saw stars. Though Rose and Emmett weren't together anymore, they didn't argue when Esme told them to pose together. They were technically dates after all.

In a blink of an eye we went from climbing into Jasper's minivan to pulling into the parking lot at school. As we piled out, my gaze was drawn to the clouds fighting to keep the rain away.

Damn prom. Damn dancing. Damn Edward. I kept repeating my mantra as we drew near the doors. Edward pulled me to a stop, waving everyone else ahead when there was no hiding my hand had turned into its own personal slip-and-slide. He didn't release my hand when he wrapped me in his arms.

"Why are you so nervous?"

"I don't do well at dances." I could already feel my heart in my throat as I heard the music pumping out from the school.

With my head against his chest I could feel him chuckling. "You haven't been to one here yet. If memory serves me correct, someone skipped the last one."

"I was concussed!" I objected, pulling away only to see the permanent smile on Edward's face—the one that had been there ever since he saw me walk down the stairs at my house.

"Sure, sure." He chuckled. He pulled me close again and bent his head so his lips were at my ear. "But if I recall, you still owe me a dance."

He was right. I blew out a sigh and felt my shoulders relax. I slipped my hand back into his and squeezed. "Promise not to let me make a fool of myself?"

He squeezed back. "I promise."

And with that, we walked through the doors, hand-in-hand, to fulfill my promise.

~!~ DBSYPWTBB ~!~

Admittedly, prom wasn't bad. It was without a doubt overly clichéd with the Lovers in Paris theme complete with an inflatable Eiffel Tower just inside the gym doors. The Tower was situated behind the ticket table and its sole purpose was to provide the backdrop for pictures that would later be printed on complimentary key chains.

Heart shaped confetti was everywhere. All the tables had a gallon dumped on the plastic tablecloths, with even more knocked onto the floor than on the tables. It was a challenge to maneuver across the school gym without slipping. The only semi-safe place was the dance floor.

The dancing, admittedly, wasn't half bad. Between good music, Edward's arms, and having the gang back together again, I was having a blast. It helped that Edward didn't have high standards for my dancing ability and seemed content with just having me near him. I wrapped my arms tighter around Edward as soft tunes drifted around us. Slow dancing was much kinder to me. And it was nice, I realized, being able to have such a big moment with all of my friends here in Forks before everyone headed off to college. Jasper and Alice swayed near us on the dancefloor, Ben and Angela near us on the other side, mouthing the lyrics to each other in their own little world. I even spotted Pierre dancing with a petite dark-haired girl near the center of the room. She was cute—rounded cheeks and broad smile on full display as he spun her around.

Rose had dragged Emmett out for the slow dance. I buried my face to hide my smile as I shamelessly watched them. Both looked carefree and happy, ignoring the swaying couples and marching to their own beat. When Emmett dipped her low, Rose let out a squeal and Emmett's smile deepened, not once letting go before he brought her back up.

"Don't get too excited," Edward murmured as we broke apart. "They still have a long way to go." He was right, of course, but I couldn't stop the swelling heart in my chest as I watched them stay in each other's arms for the next song.

The teacher chaperones were on high alert both on and off the dance floor, but I luckily didn't have a run in with one until I went out into the hall to use the restroom. As I turned the final corner I collided with Mr. Wilson.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry," I exclaimed as he rubbed his shoulder.

He laughed. "It's okay. I should have had you on the defensive line, too."

I laughed back. "Oh, no. I think you had your hands full enough as is."

He waved his hand. "Nah. It's always nice to add something different to the mix. Keeps everything interesting." He moved aside and gestured down the hallway for me to pass him. "Take care, Miss Swan."

I turned to push open the door of the women's washroom when I heard his voice.

"Are you sure that's the right one?" he called over his shoulder, disappearing around the corner.

My whole body flushed as I recalled the conversation Mr. Wilson overheard earlier that day. My face flamed. It really wouldn't be my life if there weren't some mortification thrown in there.

I returned to the gym, opting to hit the refreshment table to give my flushed cheeks extra time to return to their normal color. I was pouring myself a glass of punch when I felt a presence hovering at my shoulder.

"I have something better."

I turned to find Mike holding a silver flask down by his leg. He raised it in offering but I shook my hand with a tight smile. "No, thanks."

He let out a heavy sigh and tucked the flask back into his jacket's inner pocket. "Look, I just wanted to say sorry. For, you know, the whole football thing."

Despite my better judgement, I stayed where I was. It was the first time he ever apologized for his actions so many months ago. I was able to forgive Edward for the hazing incident rather quickly, but it was an honest mistake and poor judgement on his part. Considering what Mike did intentionally and everything he was capable of was by no means a fair comparison of the situation. As much as I disliked Mike, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. I hoped he had grown enough as a person to realize his actions. Acceptance of his apology was on the tip on my tongue when he spoke again.

"I mean you really had to expect it all, though. Being a girl and all." He gestured down my body with a lazy flick of his hand. "Bullying is the norm when a girl like you tries to play with the big boys like me."

"Like putting dog collars on people when they're already helpless?" I asked while a cold yet familiar feeling of dread spread through my body.

"Exactly! I mean, you still played pretty good," he continued, his words beginning to slur together.

I stopped him before he could say more. "And you still manage to be a complete asshole when you try to apologize to someone."

I walked away, drinking my glass of punch in a few gulps followed by the one I had initially poured for Edward. Edward intercepted me as I wove back to our table, his hands finding my waist and pulling me to a stop.

"Do I have to kick Newton's ass?"

A smile fleeted across my lips before I could suppress it. "No. No drama, no violence. I'm done with all that bullshit."

"Okay," he said. "You just say the word if that changes."

He guided me back toward the hallway doors instead of back to our table, dodging tables and mounds of confetti along the way. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"It's just a brief kidnapping," he replied smoothly. I didn't want to know.

As Edward led me toward the gym doors, I caught a glance of Lauren making a beeline for where Tyler and Jessica were dancing. From her unsteady gait and bloodshot eyes, I guessed she'd had a fair amount of whatever was in Mike's flask.

Once we were in the hallway I could feel the tension leaving me. My moment of relaxation didn't last long before Edward opened the familiar doors that led outside to the football field, not thinking twice when he pulled me out behind him.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Being disgustingly romantic."

He didn't release my hand while he led me onto the field. I struggled as my heels dug in the ground with every step, and after a mild slip on the grass I gave up. Edward carried my shoes, and I was able to hike my dress up with one hand and reach for Edward's with the other. When we reached center field he placed my heels on the ground and took me in his arms, slowly swaying us to a non-existent song.

The storm clouds above us darkened and swirled, performing a dance of their own. It didn't take long before they opened up, leaving us dancing in the rain.

"Perfect," he murmured with a grin.

"Edward?"

Edward leaned down to kiss me softly. "We had a bad memory in the rain and I want to replace it with a good one."

"Edward, it always rains—"

"Shh," he pleaded affectionately, placing a feather-light kiss on my nose. "As I was saying, I want to replace the bad ones with a good one. I want us to be able to look back and remember the best memories, the ones that resemble moments like this."

I knew he was talking about the night of the hazing, and I held him tighter. "We already have lots of memories that replace the bad ones," I promised.

He nuzzled my neck before placing a handful of long kisses that were anything but innocent down the column of my throat. It didn't take long before I guided his mouth to mine, and both dancing and the rain were forgotten. My knees buckled when he cupped my cheek in his hand, and I clutched his shoulder to keep from falling. His hands slid down my shoulders, past my waist, and rested low on my hips.

Cheering and whistling snapped us back to reality. I looked over to find Jasper and Emmett on the sidelines, hands clapping and feet stomping, completely unfazed by the rain. Edward swore under his breath and rested his forehead against mine. Despite myself, I giggled.

Edward cracked his eyes open. "I'm glad you find this amusing."

"Later," I promised with a smile, giving him a few chaste kisses along his jaw.

"Save it for a rainy day! Then again, I suppose you did . . ." Emmett trailed off with a wink.

With a groan, Edward pulled himself away. "Can we help you?"

"I need food! I need substance," Emmett cried.

"I need you guys to come with us so he will shut up," Jasper chimed in, easily dodging Emmett's punch to his arm.

Edward released me to retrieve my shoes a few yards away, taking my hand in his when he returned. The four of us made our way back to the school and in the distance, I caught sight of Rose and Alice huddled under the part of the roof that extended over the doors … the same place Edward where found me after their game on my first day of school in Forks. I smiled at the memory of that night, and I was far from disappointed when I found out the plan was to go get pizza like old times.

With Alice and Rose unable to bring umbrellas this time around, all six of us were soaked by the time we piled into Jasper's van. It didn't take long before we pulled up to our old pizza joint. After our football season ended we still made a point to eat here, though it wasn't nearly as often. Nevertheless, the waitress took one look at us, a smirk on her face as she pointed to our usual booth. "I'll go get the regular."

We crammed into the booth, separating ourselves like a grade school dance with the boys on side and the girls on the other. And it was just like old times. Jasper and Emmett didn't stop talking about football, I accidentally played footsies with Edward, and Alice and Rose quickly got bored with the conversation at the table and started one of their own. I looked across the table at Edward, happy to see his carefree smile. He turned, catching my eye and his smile broadened. We started at each other for a few long moments until he slowly raised a slice of pizza to his lips, giving me an exaggerated wink as he took the biggest and possibly most disgusting bite of pizza I'd ever seen. I couldn't help but laugh, shaking my head and looking away. He may have been a secret dork, but he was all mine, and I loved him for it.

I looked around the table at my closest friends, realizing how deeply I loved each and every one of them. Though I didn't know what the future held, I knew three things for certain: I would forever be one of the guys, I would forever be one of the girls, and I would forever be part of this crazy six-person family.

The End! :)