"Stupid parking ticket. I wasn't double-parked. I was barely single parked! The two lines were outside the perimeters of the car, not inside, not running through, not anywhere close, but no, keystone cop over there, Barney Fife, had to go and write me a big one because I had a car that could outrun his piece of crap that's older than my grandmother! Is that my fault? No, it isn't!" I screamed as I slammed cups, rocks, and doors. Not really slamming, just enough to make noise. If I really wanted to slam something I would need Emmett. He understood. He liked to slam things.

"What happened, Bella?" Edward called from the hall. He obviously heard me being overly loud and yelling to myself. You didn't need vampire hearing for that.

"I know you heard!" I snapped. Usually this would result in me feeling bad afterwards, but I didn't care. He asked, now he was in for the full wrath of Bella.

"You got a ticket, what's the problem?"

"What's the problem? You're right. Life's just fine and dandy! Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all! Then that stupid 'officer of the law' had to come and write me up." I growled and accidentally broke the glass that was in my hand, thinking of this afternoon.

Edward stroked my cheek and took the crumbled shards from my hand.

I shoved him away, "Leave me alone."

"Bella?" His hand was still outstretched to me.

"What? You act like it's not me. It is. Obnoxiously loud and clear!" I stormed off into the other end of our cottage. I know the rest of the Cullen clan had to have heard us. Heck, the whole town of Forks could have heard us, but the family knew not to interfere when one of the couples had a quarrel.

Edward couldn't take a hint. He followed me into the biggest room in the house, the closet. I sat down in front of a pink, satin, backless dress. It wasn't anything special, it just happened to be there. "You know, you'd look stunning in that dress right there."

The filter from my head to my mouth was on autopilot. My mouth was in control now. "Stunning? I come in, distraught as ever, and you think I'd look good in that dress? What good are you? Did you not hear me before? Leave. Me. Alone." I stood up, got right in his face, and walked defiantly out of the cottage.

"We can talk about this. What happened?" Edward called after, but I pretended I didn't hear. I heard everything, especially the shallow gasp from Alice in the house.

The woods smelled oddly familiar. I didn't turn around because I knew what I'd find. "Track me. I dare you." It's pretty bad when you have to run from your own family.

I wasn't running from them all. Just Edward. Edward. His name was so old fashioned. Why couldn't it be Jason or something recent, not all high and mighty Edward?

I was mad as ever, but I couldn't hunt. I wasn't hungry. Not for any animal at least. My anger was evident in the surrounding animals. Maybe because they saw me as a threat, not because I was a vampire, because I was mad as—

"Bella!" Emmett called from behind me.

There was no way my eyes were golden anymore. "Did you not hear me? I dared you to track me. You looking for a fight?" Emmett was stupid and he thought he could beat me, but I wasn't in the mood. Not now. Not ever.

"No." His mouth hung on the word, like he almost didn't believe himself.

"Ah, come on my brother, you know you want to tango." I enticed him and crouched down to the ground.

"Bella. No."

I stood back up like a civilized human being. "Then what do you want?" I knew exactly what he wanted. I just wanted to hear it from him, hoping it would be different.

"You know why I'm here."

"Now you're the mind reader? Why'd he send you to do his dirty work? Scared?" I would be if I came across a royally ticked vampire.

"I'm not a mind reader and I'm not here to do his dirty work. Yes he told me to come, but I wanted to see an angry Bella for myself. The one time I'm not the one you're mad at. It's quite funny." Emmett chuckled and casually leaned up against a boulder on the face of a mountain.

I stared at him blankly. I didn't have a response to that. He didn't ask me a question, so what?

"Who are you mad at?"

I turned around. I was done with this nonsense. "Nice try. Go home to your family. Have a nice juicy steak for dinner, have a nice life." I walked past him, back into the denser forest. I knew it wasn't likely, but the different scents could delay him somewhat if I ran.

He grabbed my arm before I could go past. I glared at him, my eyes wider than ever. He let go quickly and put his hands up defensively. "Sorry. I'm your family too. This is your family too."

"This? So they're here, too?"

Emmett looked around. "Does it look like they're here?"

I never wavered my glare. I knew they weren't there. I would have smelled them if they were.

"My point exactly, it's just you and me. We can stay out here all night and talk it out, you know, considering we don't sleep and all. We can resolve this." He sat down on the ground and cleared a spot next to him, apparently for me.

My jaw tightened. "I thought you came to see me mad because it's the one time it's not at you? You're acting like you did something."

"I thought you weren't mad at me, but you're acting like it. Maybe I was wrong. It's about not putting the furniture back after painting isn't it? I'm sorry, that was extremely rude and inconsiderate of me." He waved his hand over his chest, apologetically.

"You think this is about that? Furniture? Really? Like moving a few nightstands are a problem?" I kicked the leaves back on my spot and continued walking.

I heard Emmett clamber up, quicker and quieter than any human could have heard. "Then what is it!?"

His tone caught me off guard. He was always happy go lucky. I had never seen him mad, or even raise his voice in a threatening way, it was all for fun and show. I could tell him. No, if he thinks about it then everyone will know. Well everyone probably already knows. "You can't tell him."

"I won't."

"Promise." I gritted my sharp teeth together, praying he was serious.

"Promise." He held out his hand and I took it. A contract. A signed oath. I had his word. He better not break it.