I would've had the excuse to go to the room they let me stay in because I needed to unpack...but I didn't have any luggage. Looked like I was going to have to come up with something else. I had to be alone. "I'd love to stay, but I really should do my homework. I had a lot. I'm sorry."
"No problem," Dr. Cullen replied softly with a small smile.
"Thank you." I nodded to the rest of them and quickly bounded up the stairs to Edward's room that he had given up for me.
I'd rejected it and fought that it was his and it wouldn't be fair but he was persistant. He insisted so many times, I just got tired out and finally gave in. It wasn't worth it.
When I got up there, I looked around to see if there was something I could do so that I could make it better so that he doesn't regret letting me use it. But it was spotless. I looked around and there was a dresser, a bed, a desk, and a full bookcase. That was it. I threw my backpack down and strolled over to the bookcase to see what kind of books he had.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when there was a light touch on my shoulder. My hand flew to my mouth and I jumped around to see who it was. It was just Edward.
And he was smiling.
It took all I had not to flip him off.
"What's up, Edward?" I spoke through clenched teeth.
"You lied."
"What?" I was taken aback.
"You didn't even have so much as one problem for homework. You want to be alone."
"Good work, Einstien. Now, if you can figure that out, can you figure out what I'm about to ask you to do?"
He smirked. "I was just checking if your okay."
"Don't get me started." My eyes were closed and I was taking deep breaths to calm myself. What an eventful day.
He smiled slightly and turned to leave. At the doorway, he turned halfway and spoke. "Dinner's in half an hour. Hope to see you down there."
With that, he was gone. I felt bad for being so impatient with him, but that was about the last thing I needed to think about. Maybe I should sneak out and go see Charlie. I had to do it fast, though. Only half an hour...I was going to need a car. I'd have to go downstairs. Time to show some ninja skills. Yeah, this should be interesting.
Especially because halfway down the stairs, I tripped. Because my hand got stuck a little on the railing from me trying to be careful. How does that shit happen?
Suddenly there were five faces around me with worried looks on their faces. All but Rosalie. Didn't surprise me. "Bella,
are you okay?" Alice's windchimes tone inquired.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I mumbled, helping myself up, again rejecting any gestured offers from them. When I got up - and almost fell again - I convinced them I was fine. Rosalie was next to the flat screen television, acting like she was watching it and paying no attention to the rest of us, but she was way too rigid to pull that off.
I sighed, figuring that she hated me. Gee, I wonder how I cracked that code.
Well, my not-so-awesome-skills have failed yet again which meant I had to wait until their attention was totally elsewhere until I tried my next move. Wow, I've never been able to pull anything like this off before and I'm still trying. Guess I wasn't the brightest Crayon in the box.
After about an hour of being normal and quiet - but not too quiet - I finally thought their attention was elsewhere so I made a move that I believed was inconspicous. Until Edward took a sidelong glance over and I knew my so-called "cover" had been blown before it began. This was going to be complicated.
Alice suddenly spun around and looked at me, her eyes wide. Then, not a moment later, Edward grabbed her shoulder and gave her a meaningful look. Alice and Edward's glares were locked for a while until Alice gave in with a sigh and resumed her stance at posing a stance in front of the TV.
Edward did the same except I could tell he stood in a certain position so that he could keep one eye on me. Great.
I excused myself to my room to make a new plan, something I probably should've done a long time ago.
I was in my room when it hit me.
Plan B.
I looked out the window. It was a pretty long way down. Even if I eased myself over the railing and jumped onto a high-off -the-ground surface. Or if I landed on the dirt. Or grass.
I looked down at my shoes and looked back down to where I was going to land, calculating the distance and pain. And how important my mission was. I mean, yeah, I wanted to see Charlie and make sure he was okay but really? Thinking realistically, I would have to walk all the way to the home that would probably be burned to ashes right now and, assuming that that doesn't break me right there, and assuming that Charlie wasn't there, where would be the next place to look?
The station? That was about five miles away and by the time I got there, it would probably about midnight, way past closing time. Then what? Hospital? Billy's?
...Billy's?
Mind set, I redid the calculations to the ground. I guessed with enough willpower and rolling at the exact right time, I might get away with a sprained ankle. I could still walk on that. Not easy, but possible. And possible was all I needed at that moment.
As my feet dangled over the ledge, preparing for the fall, I heard someone clear their throat behind me. Crap!
I turned slowly only to come face to face with the person I least expected.