CHAPTER 2: BROKEN SONNET

I don't care what they say, I don't care what they do

Tonight, I'll leave my fears behind

Tonight, I'll be by your side

-Broken Sonnet, Hale

The second week of school proved to be just as boring as the first and Edward idly wondered if his entire Senior year would go by in such a way. He was so bored, he almost accepted Jessica Stanley's offer for 'Pizza'. Almost.

He groaned when he found Alice and Jasper staring at each other lovingly at their table. He shouldn't have allowed Jasper to go for Alice. Now, all they ever do is give each other disgusting looks and hold hands. He awkwardly took a seat next to Jasper, suddenly fascinated with his own apple. At least it wasn't making out with his celery and orange juice. He heard a chair pull out beside him and he looked up, startled. Never, in his entire life in Forks, Washington did any other kid pay interest to him and his posse. They weren't outcasts- they simply didn't bother with anyone else. So whoever this intruder was was seriously thick-faced, suicidal or stupid. Rosalie would kill anyone who attempted to pop their bubble.

Speaking of Rosalie, where was she?

"Uh hi," Edward started, staring at the brunette who he remembered to be the one who bumped into him, "are you at the wrong table?"

Alice gasped, flicking Edward lightly at his forearm. "Edward! Don't be so rude. This is Bella, she's my and Rosalie's friend." Alice gave Bella an apologetic look and shook her head, "Excuse my brother- he's not usually this tactless."

Edward rolled his eyes and mumbled back a quiet 'sorry' to Bella. He noticed she didn't carry food with her so he gently pushed his tray to the brunette as some sort of invitation but she politely refused. Lunch went by uneventful. The chocolate haired girl didn't talk, he didn't talk, Alice and Jasper didn't talk and Rosalie didn't show up. He wanted to say a lot of things- ask the girl where on earth she came from, ask Alice where Rosalie was, Ask Jasper to quit eye-fucking his sister, and yet he couldn't move his lips. The bell finally rang and he left the stuffy cafeteria quicker than you can possibly say 'awkward'.

Rosalie was in Gym, looking the most horrible Edward has ever seen her in.

"What the hell happened to you?" Her blonde hair was in a messy bun (and Rosalie never did buns), strands falling down. Her typically red lips were void of any colour and the bags below her eyes were just damn scary. "Never mind, Rosie, I'm taking you home." Edward gave her one pointed look and pulled her out of the stadium. He didn't even bother taking the girl to the nurse's office.

Once inside the Volvo, Rosalie burst out crying. "Woman, no tears," Edward was petrified- he could not, for the life of him, handle tears. Anything but tears, "what's wrong?"

"I got an abortion, Edward."

He sucked in a deep breath and looked at his friend. Abortion? Rosie did nothing but plan her future. At thirteen, she had a clear book with all her dreams and plans inside it. She wanted a family, a house with a picket fence, a husband, a car tyre swing and a dog. Abortion? Rosalie noticed his look and urged him to drive. He revved his engine once, twice, thrice. At the road, Rosalie finally talked.

"Royce... well, during his last visit from College, we had sex. Edward, don't give me that look. Yes, anyway, I've been missing my period recently and decided to get myself checked up. I was pregnant and I was damn happy. My mother was happy, Alice was happy, my father was okay. But then Royce wasn't. The weekend, last, when I told him the good news- he hit me. Edward, unclench those fists. Anyway, he was going to break up with me for a girl named Heidi. I told him I was alright. I told him I don't need him. I'd raise the baby on my own. But, but, but...

"But, I should've known he wasn't done hitting me. He got two hits to my guts, noticed I was bleeding and sped off. I went to the police station because I didn't know what else to do. Chief Swan called for your father, but Carlisle wasn't in two nights ago... So this officer McCarty brought me to the hospital... They had to, they had to... Edward... They had to give me pills so I could abort the baby... Edward, he or she didn't even survive to be more than a month and a half... Ed- Edward..."

Rosalie Lillian Hale lost it.

Edward was at a loss. Rosalie was his most beautiful friend. She was frighteningly similar to him. They had the same antics, they had the same attitude. They had the same volatile tempers and if at first they couldn't even see eye to eye, they have come to have major respect for each other. They even tried dating before- but they were just too similar. It got boring after three months. In his whole life, he has never seen Rosalie in a status wherein she was less than perfect. So seeing her in such a state, he was scared out of his mind.

He pulled the broken beauty into his arms and hugged her as she shuddered against him. He allowed her to cry and cry and cry until she couldn't cry anymore. Slowly, her heaves became deep breaths and her fingers lessened their grip on his sweater. Edward's cold heart broke at the sight of her. She was so pretty, so beautiful, so much like his sunshine haired angel. He couldn't even imagine his Tanya experiencing such loss.

But then again, Tanya was dead... He gripped Rosalie tighter as bile climbed up his throat and his own sadness threatened to make its presence known. "Take me home." Rosalie whispered against his chest. She climbed back over the console and turned away from her friend. "Rosie, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, I'm sorry Royce did that to you, I'm sorry we wouldn't meet the little boy in you... Rosie, I'm sorry that happened to you..." He didn't know what else to say, but he knew he had to say something. Surely, 'my condolences' wouldn't be appropriate.

She turned to him with a sad smile on her gorgeous face, "Boy?"

"Well, honestly—you're such a fighter. I think your first born would be a boy. Definitely."

She smiled at that. Yet Edward knew better. He knew that beneath the pretty face- there was a pandemonium. That the haemorrhage within her didn't only cause her veins to bleed, but her heart as well.

"I would've named him after you and Jasper."

"How do you even do that?"

"Uhm... Jasward? Edsper? Jed? Janthony? Ansper?"

"Rosalie, you suck at this." He gave out a hearty laugh at hearing his friend's lame attempts at naming her unborn. He knew the topic was touchy but he was just happy she was cracking a smile. "Jass and Jedd sound cool, for a nickname. How about Jared?"

"Jared would've been nice."

Edward pulled over Rosalie's house, "Will you be fine?"

"I'm always perfect," She flashed him a large grin, showing off her pearly whites, momentarily blinding him with her undeniable beauty, before kissing him on the cheek and walking off.

Jared would've been one good looking little boy.

Can you hear me?

I can hear you

Why are you pushing me away

I wanna stay with you

Can you feel me?

I can't feel you

Mama don't let me go

He stared at the words with disdain. Edward was feeling so much anger for Royce. How could such a bastard even exist in this planet? If only the guy didn't study so bloody damn far away, Edward wouldn't hesitate introducing his fist to the man's face. Royce dated Rosalie for two whole years, how could he just forsake that and beat her up? How could anyone even beat anyone up? He couldn't fathom the idea of ever laying a hand on a woman. Both his fathers- Edward Sr and Carlisle, loved their respective wives very much. He couldn't imagine a home where in a woman was treated with anything less than utter love and respect. If anything remained true and correct in Edward's messed up system- it was that women were gold. They were precious. They were meant to be loved.

Rosalie deserved that.

Alice danced into his bedroom, dropping a couple of books on his bed. "You've homework tonight, bro. And for the first time in six years, you have a class partner."

"What? Why! Which class?"

"Literature. Well, apparently, she was placed in music studies when she clearly wanted to take up Lit. So Mrs Cope switched her schedule today and you were supposed to teach her the ropes in class and what she's missed for the past week. But you were absent for the second half of the day, so she asked me to give you a heads up."

"Alice, who's she?"

"Oh shit! Sorry. It's Bella."

Bella? Bella... Bella! "The brunette at lunch?"

Alice gave a distracted hum of confirmation before leaving his room. Literature with Bella? Literature with Bella as a class partner? Well, it'll surely give him a chance to ask her that question.

Where has she been hiding all this time?