Minutes earlier.
"Shoot!" Once again I am cursing my old beat up truck. "Come one! Start!" I command as I turn the key. It wheezes and a thick black smoke starts leaking into the cab. I cough and rip the key out. Stumbling out of the truck I slam the door with excessive force, letting out a frustrated growl. I look around at the empty school parking lot. The wind plays with the end of my scarf and I sigh. I reach into my pocket and pull out the oversized cell phone Charlie had given me.
"Just in case of emergencies." He said as he handed it to me. It was ugly and awkward to carry. Luckily my jacket pockets were large enough to fit the monstrous thing. I thanked him and gave him an awkward hug.
I stare at the tiny glowing screen. It politely tells me the time and the battery level, as I rub my finger over the smooth surface and take a deep breath.
The urge to call Edward is unbearable. My finger hovers over the number two button. I had programmed him into speed dial months ago and hadn't used it since. The wind is picking up and I begin to feel the cold. I could call Charlie…but I don't want to call Charlie. I want to call…my thoughts trail off and I fix my eyes on a spot in the distance. Suddenly I slam my finger into the button and shakily raise the phone to my ear. Just to hear his voice... The phone rings 3 times, my heart beats so loudly in my ears I can hardly hear the ringing.
Four…five…I count the rings. Six… It stops ringing and goes to his voice mail. I hang up quickly regretting ever making the call. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I push the phone back into my pocket. Ill just walk home! I tell my self stubbornly. Some time alone with my thoughts could be good for me. I cross the parking lot and step onto the field. The grass is frozen and makes a crisp sound with every step. I smile to myself. A quiet rumbling catches my attention and I turn around. My heart skips a beat as I watch the silver Volvo roll quietly into view.
I can't move. My limbs feel numb. Part of me wants to run to him, throw myself into his arms, but I know I can't. I stare as the volvo parks expertly along side the curb. I feel like I'm about to faint.
I remember very clearly the last time we had an actual conversation.
"It's too dangerous Bella. We can't do this." At first I had argued.
"No, we can Edward I'll do what ever it takes to make it easier for you."
"Bella! It's not about what's easier for me. It's about what's safer for you." I pretended to accept this and looked into his smoldering eyes.
"We can still try to be friends Bella." However the key word was 'try'. We had tried. Tried and failed. I couldn't handle it. I couldn't get over him when he was constantly around me, dazzling me at every turn. I told him to give me space. That I would talk to him when I was ready. He nodded and left without complaint but I could see the pain in his eyes as I fought back tears and told him I needed time without him. He could clearly see the pain in mine.
Getting over him was impossible, but I worked on hiding the hole in my chest. Some days it was more difficult than others. When I attempted to talk to Jessica about it, she scoffed and reminded me that we had only dated for a month, to get over it. I decided I wouldn't talk to her about it because she clearly had no idea how I felt. Jessica was fickle, she liked a different boy every day and when she ran out of boys to like, she looped back around to the first.
I had dated Edward for a month, but there was something about him. Something that told me he was important. He was something I need in my life. Love is a tricky word and calling my emotion love seemed rash, but I was starting to believe that love was the correct word for how I felt.
I was constantly trying to gain the courage to say something to him. To bring him back into my life somehow but to be honest, I was a coward. At one point I had made the decision to go say 'Hi' to him in the cafeteria. I walked half way from my table to where he stood but turned right around and sat back down at the table, my head in my hands. I could see him smiling as I pretended to be interested in what Jessica was rambling on about.
I eye the Volvo now. My heart racing. Why is he here? I imagine what he will say. The sound of his voice. My thoughts come to a screeching halt when the door opens and Edward doesn't step out. The muscular boy that steps out of the car is most certainly not Edward, it's Emmett. The aching hole had dulled to a low throb over the past weeks, but seeing Emmett's large frame getting out of that Volvo the hole begins to ache more than it did before. It must show on my face because I can see Emmett frown.
"Need a ride home?" My started filling with tears.
"No. I'm fine." I turn quickly, trying to hide them. Walking fast across the field. Large snow flakes start falling and by the time I am half way across the field the ground is half covered by them. It's slippery now so I slow my pace. I don't realize it but Emmett is right behind me. When he speaks I jump.
"Bella. Let me give you a ride home."
"No. I said I'm fine." The cold is making it difficult to cry, the tears fade back into my eyes but I am still in pain.
"Bella. Come on. If you don't let me give you a ride home I am going to walk with you, all the way there." He says this as if it is a threat. I could care less actually. I ignore him. The wind picks up creating flurries of snow flakes making it difficult to see. The darkening sky isn't helping either.
"Come on Bella." He is still a few feet away. I screech to a halt and take a few steps so I am right in his face.
"I said. NO." My blood is pounding in my ears. Why won't he leave me alone!
Without warning his eyes glaze over and seem to change color, they turn from a dark amber, to almost black. The wind whirls the snow around me. Cautiously I step backwards, nervously watching Emmett. He stops moving and is taking deep breathes, a contemplative look on his face.
I figure it's unimportant so I turn and keep walking. I am stepping hard on the ground…too hard, my foot slips out from under me and I fall but I never collide with the frozen ground. I am suspended in Emmett's strong arms. He is inhaling deeply right next to my ear.
"Uh, thanks." I say and try to keep walking. Before I have time to register what is happening Emmett's teeth have sunk into the soft flesh of my neck. I gasp in pain and shock. My heart skips a beat and I managed to squeal "Emmett!" He grunts and pushes me onto the ground running away, upwind of me.
