chills to watch. "He looks at you like...like you're something to eat."
I cringed, waiting for her response.
Her face turned bright red, and her lips pressed together like she was holding her breath. Then,
suddenly, a giggle burst through her lips.
Now she's laughing at me. Great.
Mike turned, thoughts sullen, and wandered off to change.
I leaned against the gym wall and tried to compose myself. How could she have laughed at Mike's
accusation-so entirely on target that I began to worry that Forks was becoming too aware ... Why would
she laugh at the suggestion that I could kill her, when she knew that it was entirely true? Where was the
humor in that?
What was wrong with her?
Did she have morbid sense of humor? That didn't fit with my idea of her character, but how could I be
sure? Or maybe my daydream of the giddy angel was true in the one respect, in that she had no sense of
fear at all. Brave-that was one word for it. Others might say stupid, but I knew how bright she was. No
matter what the reason, though, this lack of fear or twisted sense of humor wasn't good for her. Was it
this strange lack that put her in danger so constantly? Maybe she would always need me here...
Just like that, my mood was soaring.
If I could just discipline myself, make myself safe, then perhaps it would be right for me to stay with her.
When she walked through the gym doors, her shoulders were stiff and her lower lip was between her
teeth again-a sign of anxiety. But as soon as her eyes met mine, her rigid shoulders relaxed and a wide
smile spread across her face. It was an oddly peaceful expression. She walked right to my side without
hesitation, only stopping when she was so close that her body heat crashed over me like a tidal wave.
"Hi," she whispered.
The happiness I felt in this moment was, again, without precedent. "Hello," I said, and then-because
with my mood suddenly so light I couldn't resist teasing her-I added, "How was gym?"
Her smile wavered. "Fine."
She was a poor liar.
"Really?" I asked, about to press the issue-I was still concerned about her head; was she in pain?-but
then Mike Newton's thoughts we so loud they broke my concentration.
I hate him. I wish he would die. I hope he drives that shiny car right off a cliff. Why couldn't he just leave
her alone? Stick to his own kind-to the freaks.
"What?" Bella demanded.
My eyes refocused on her face. She looked at Mike's retreating back, and then at me again.
"Newton's getting on my nerves," I admitted.
Her mouth fell open, and her smile disappeared. She must have forgotten that I'd had the power to
watch through her calamitous last hour, or hoped that I hadn't utilized it.
"You weren't listening again?"
"How's your head?"
"You're unbelievable!" she said through her teeth, and then she turned away from me and stalked
furiously toward the parking lot. Her skin flushed dark red-she was embarrassed.
I kept pace with her, hoping that her anger would pass soon. She was usually quick to forgive me.
"You were the one who mentioned how I'd never seen you in Gym," I explained. "It made me curious."
She didn't answer; her eyebrows pulled together.
She came to a sudden halt in the parking lot when she realized that the way to my car was blocked by a
crowd of male students.
I wonder how fast they've gone in this thing...
Look at the SMG shift paddles. I've never seen those outside of a magazine...
Nice side grills...
Sure wish I had sixty thousand dollars laying around...
This was exactly why it was better for Rosalie to only use her car out of town. I wound through the
throng of lustful boys to my car; after a second of hesitation, Bella followed suit.
"Ostentatious," I muttered as she climbed in.
"What kind of car is that?" she wondered.
"An M3."
She frowned. "I don't speak Car and Driver."
"It's a BMW." I rolled my eyes and then focused on backing out without running anyone down. I had to
lock eyes with a few boys that didn't seem willing to move out of my way. A half-second meeting my
gaze seemed to be enough to convince them.
"Are you still angry?" I asked her. Her frown had relaxed.
"Definitely," she answered curtly.
I sighed. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. Oh well. I could try to make amends, I supposed. "Will
you forgive me if I apologize?"
She thought about that for a moment. "Maybe...if you mean it," she decided. "And if you promise not to
do it again."
I wasn't going to lie to her, and there was no way I was agreeing to that. Perhaps if I offered her a
different exchange. "How about if I mean it, and I agree to let you drive this Saturday?" I cringed
internally at the thought.
The furrow popped into existence between her eyes as she considered the new bargain. "Deal," she said