A new story I'm starting, to fill the void, since I'm only actively working on one story really. And since my beta's busy with exams, The Single One may not be updating for a little while. This is, of course, Emmett/Alice, and AH AU. Anyone unfamiliar with my writing, brace yourself. I do not follow cannon, S Meyer did that fine. I'm here to screw everything up, which means unusual pairings. Old readers, you know what I'm up to! I don't own Mrs. Meyer's characters, but I sure as heck can play with them, hahaha.

Pacing, pacing, pacing...

If this guy saw the was I pace, I'm sure he would have never agreed to this blind date. Well, it wouldn't be a blind date if he saw me...

More pacing...

Okay, no more pacing, no more commentating on what I was doing, and no more worrying. This was going to be a fun thing, a no-strings-attached thing. One relationship was over and a new fun-filled date was beginning. Not that there was a relationship to begin with.

James-the-ass-Mason had moved to Portland, and my best friends Rosalie and Isabella's cousin was moving in with them, and coming out with us and their boyfriends, Jasper and Edward.

Bella said I would get along with him. Well... She'd actually said, "You two are perfect for each other, stubborn and annoying as anything, but hard not to love." Now I wasn't sure if 'perfect for each other' was the words I'd choose. James and I had been 'perfect for each other.' But he'd thought he was perfect for Victoria, the school harlot. Oh well, it wasn't as if we ever dated. I was just hopelessly head-over-heels. Which was an epic fail.

Now I hated the jerk, and threw a little party in my head when he moved. Until I realized I was all alone again. Until now...

The doorbell rang and I heard Bella's voice outside, whispering, "Just knock, loser!"

I went to the door, ducking my head as I opened it. I could only see the guy's feet, but whoa, he had big feet. I lifted my eyes and realized his big feet were in perfect porportion to his body. He had to be at least 6 feet tall, towering over my 5. His dark curls were messy on his head, and his grey eyes were huge and round, framed by long and fluffy eyelashes.

"Hi, I'm Emmett, Rose and Bella's cousin," he said, flashing me a sweet smile, making his gargantuan figure a little less threatening.

"I'm-I'm uh- I'm Mary Alice Brandon..." I said stupidly, blushing and looking away from his face, only to land my gaze on his incredibly defined arms. Whoa, was this guy hot...

"Alice, right? Jasper warned me not to call you Mary," he said, looking confused and almost a little hurt that someone would trick him.

"Right, right, sorry, I go by Alice," I said, blushing harder at my own stupidity.

"You ready to go, Alice?" he said, looking releived and offering an elbow. Always the gentleman, as Rose had told me, knowing I had a soft spot for well-mannered guys.

"Yeah, I mean- Yeah, thanks." I locked the door and took his elbow, squealing in my head.

He led me to Renee, Rose and Bella's mom's, mini-van, opening the door and then making sure I was buckled in before closing the door and buckling himself. I wondered why he was so concerned with car-safety, then I remembered his parents had been killed in a caar accident when he was four. He'd been living with their grandmother for ten years, but moved to Forks when she had to be put in round-the-clock care.

"Hey, Alice," Edward, who was sitting on my left, said. "You excited?"

"About a street dance? I don't know," I said. They were dragging me to the summer kick-off, the town party. It was loud, sweaty, and reaked of cheep carnival food and various body odors. It was a total blast, usually.

"Well, get that way," Rose said from the front passenger seat. "We're not leaving until they kick us out!"

"Eleven," Renee corrected.

"Mom!" Bella and Rose whined. This was new... Since when did Bella like staying out at parties late, and since when did the Swan frats agree on anything?

"Eleven," she said, in a final tone.

Jasper snickered from the back seat, earning a smack from Bella. Hehe, she was an abusive girlfriend...

When we got to the dance, the girls got a good look at what I was wearing. I thought I'd done good, having lived in jeans the last month. I'd worn a long ruffled red shirt and denim knee shorts with red elf-shoes. I thought they were going to criticize me until I was hug attacked and Bella whispered in my ear, "Good to have you back."

I felt bad for freaking them out so bad, but I couldn't apologize with Emmett looking so shyly adorable beside me. He offered his hand as "American Idiot" began to blast from the speakers, and I soon learned that that boy could dance. And I mean really dance. When "Dare you to Move" began, and everyone coupled up or went to wallow in self pity for being single, he took my waist gently and led us in a sweet little Waltz-esque slow dance. He even spun me a little, then pulled me to rest my head on his warm chest. It was actually a really fun night. We took a breather and were sitting on a little bench, sharing a funnel cake and chatting.

"So how long have you lived here?" he asked, thoughtfully munching on an extra crispy bite of the cake.

"Pretty much forever. I'm counting the days to when I can leave this place," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"What about your family, you'd just up and leave?"

"I'd come back someday, maybe have a family, but I need to get out. See something a color other than green. Maybe live in New York or San Fransisco, somewhere interesting and exciting."

He smiled a little. "You're one interesting person. You seem to have everything planned out."

"Kinda," I said, blushing a little. "What about you, do you like it here so far?"

"It's interesting. My cousins are a little nutty," he said, smirking.

"Oh yes, who couldn't adore being waken up by Bella at 5 am, griped at by Rose when Bella wakes her up, then eating breakfast with two incredibly angry, fighting females?" I said sarcastically.

"Oh, yes, and Uncle Charlie's 'gun safety' lecture," Emmett said, rolling his eyes. "He seems to have missed the fact that it's not that we don't know better, it's that we mean to aim it at someone's head."

I gave him a startled look, until he laughed, "I'm kidding!"

I glared and gave him my signature pout, turning my back to him as well as I could.

"Aw, come on, Alice, I was joking," he was saying in my ear. Dangerously close to my ear... When his hot breath tickled my neck, I couldn't refuse his next offer. "Dance with me."

I took his hand as "Viva la Vida" began. It was an interesting song to slow dance too, not that I was payin attention to the words. I could practically feel myself falling for this guy I'd just met. And you know what? It felt good. Like really good. Like I'd never had my heart broken in the first place. And I realized something as he rested his head on mine: I didn't really like James that much in the first place if I really liked this guy who seemed to enjoy being around me so much. And it felt good.

Really good.

A/N: Reviews please! Also, who all's out for summer? I am! Yay!

~Sidney