I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

April and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and Fran, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

**This is a repost due the Error FF has with alert not an update. I was told if I reposted it an alert would go out. Worth a try.

Ch. 6

EPOV

I sat back on my heels on the floor of the stall, closing my eyes tightly and willing my stomach to settle while ignoring the bitter taste in my mouth.

"So did you almost die?" Emmett's words rang in my head.

My stomach twisted and lurched once more.

I watched dumbfounded as Bella left my room with my mother. The look Mom had given was one of disappointment. I knew she was hoping that Bella and I would pick up where we left off and be friends again—but I didn't see that happening.

She left and never contacted any of us.

Okay, so leaving may not have been in her control; her parents divorced, and she had to go with her mother. I realized this now but not back then. Perhaps, if I stayed longer that day, she would've told me herself. Or if I hadn't chickened out of asking Chief Swan for her address or phone number, I could've contacted her. But she still didn't try either, after that—it was as if she had forgotten us completely.

I looked up when there was a knock on my door. I hated how my hopes lifted for a moment thinking she had come back. However, it was my father in my doorway.

"Can I come in, son?" he asked.

"Your house." I shrugged.

"I just saw your mother and Bella Swan, leaving as I was arriving. Bella looked pretty upset, did something happen?" He shoved his hands in his pockets as he roamed my room.

"You automatically assume that was my fault?" I busied myself with cleaning up our project.

"I didn't say…what happened to your eye?" He came closer and reached out to examine it.

What was with everyone needing to touch it?

"Nothing, accident in gym." I tried to turn away.

"It's going to bruise. What exactly hit you? Volleyball…basketball?" He was in doctor mode.

"A basketball. I caught one to the face and got detention," I answered.

"Son, that doesn't sound right—you got hit, so you got detention? Shouldn't it be the other way around and the person that hit you got it—well, assuming it was on purpose and not an accident." He cocked an eyebrow and looked at me sternly.

"I got into a fight with Emmett McCarty. I threw the ball at him hard, he caught it and chucked it back—I missed," I admitted.

Dad frowned and sat in Bella's vacant chair. "Edward, I don't think I have to tell you that your mother and I don't approve of fighting. This is the second time the two of you got into it. We excused the first time since you were both kids, but now, you're almost grown adults."

"I know," I said impatiently.

"What was it about?" He pushed.

I shook my head. "Something stupid, tempers flared, it won't happen again."

I refused to admit that I lost it when I heard Emmett bragging about his newest conquest—Bella. She had promised to work with me after school, but Emmett claimed they had plans. I was furious that she would do that…well, she didn't, but when I thought she had…

"Edward." Dad waved his hand in front of me.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know how to ground you since you never go anywhere but your classes. But fighting will have its consequences, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded.

"Now, you didn't answer me why Bella was so upset?" He clearly wasn't done with his lecture mode yet.

"She overreacted and was being absurd." I rolled my eyes. "She claims that I'm callous since I didn't name my mouse for my project because it will most likely die. I explained to her that I didn't want to get attached to it; which is practice for when I'm a doctor and can't get attached to my patients who are only going to die. I might have also said something about how when they die, we could learn more." I shrugged.

Dad's eyes widened, and he ran a hand over his face. "I'm sorry, son, but I have to side with Bella on this one—that remark does sound cold. As a doctor myself, I care about my patient's wellbeing, and I certainly wouldn't wish death on one just so I could study them like a lab experiment."

"I didn't mean it like that. I wouldn't hope they'd die, I just wouldn't let it bother me," I explained, feeling irritated.

"Well, maybe you ought to clarify that," Dad suggested then hesitated.

"Well, I think she was overreacting. She didn't have to take it so personally," I argued.

Dad smiled sadly. "Perhaps you're overdue with having a talk with Bella. Maybe to her…" he trailed off. "I just think you shouldn't be quick to judge without all the facts. Also explain your reasons a bit better."

I was wrong…it was personal. I didn't mean it, but I basically told her if she died I wouldn't care; that she could be studied like my mouse. She was right…so was Dad…my words were callous.

A thought dawned on me; Dad knew she had cancer for all these years, and he never told me.

I felt sick again for the way I've treated her. She tried several times to talk to me, and I brushed her aside.

Out the corner of my eye, I saw a damp paper towel dangling towards me. I glanced up to see Bella, standing outside of the stall, looking concerned.

"Here." She offered me the towel.

"What are you doing in here, this is the men's room." I took it, refusing to meet her gaze as I was too overwhelmed with guilt.

"Someone needed to check on you, and I doubt Bevis and Butthead were about to do it. Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes…no." I got my feet slowly and tossed the ball of paper into the trash before washing my hands.

I turned back in time to see Bella raise her foot and kick the flusher.

"You didn't have to do that." I grimaced at what she had to have seen.

"Don't worry about it, I think I've become desensitized to it." She shrugged her shoulders. "We should get back in case Jasper is wrong, and Mrs. Burke wakes up."

I started to follow her out of the room and then touched her elbow. She looked back at me curiously, leaving her hand on the door.

"I owe you an apology—a couple of them." I straightened my glasses. "You were right. I made a callous comment yesterday about death. I hope you didn't take it personally."

"You didn't know," she said softly. "It was hard to hear your views; but after some thinking, I get where you're coming from, logistic wise. I've always hoped that my doctors want me to live and beat and the odds, and not that they wouldn't care if I died because I was a statistic that they could learn from." She frowned.

"I didn't mean it like that. I wouldn't want my patients to die—I wouldn't want you to die," I explained.

"I know." She gave me a small smile then pulled open the door.

I fell into step with her. "I'm also sorry for how I treated you the last few days. If I took my head out of my ass and listened to you, I would've known that you tried to stay in touch and didn't just abandon me…us."

Her forehead wrinkled as she frowned. "I wish I knew what happened to all those letters. I can understand a letter or two getting lost in the mail—but sixty? How does that happen? I know I had the correct addresses."

"I don't know." I knew now she hadn't been lying to us.

It bothered me that while she was lying sick in a hospital, hoping to hear from us, she got nothing. She had to feel as if we had all abandoned her and didn't care that she was fighting for her life. I remembered how it felt to feel as if you had no one—and that sentiment wasn't good.

"I would've written back—every day. I also would've visited, if I had known," I blurted out just before we entered the library.

She turned, and her eyes welled with tears. Well, shit, I thought what I said was a good thing.

Suddenly her arms were around my waist, and she was hugging me tightly. My arms hung loosely at my side, in shock. It had been forever since anyone, but my parents had hugged me. Before I knew it, I wrapped my arms around her and returned the embrace—it felt warm and comforting.

"That means a lot to me." She stepped away, wiping her eyes.

We paused inside the doorway, Emmett and Rose appeared to be arguing.

"Come on, Rosie, just one date," Emmett begged. "You can ask Laurie, she had a great time last night."

"Her name is Lauren. Not Laura, not Laurel, and not Laurie. Why would I date you when you can't get a girl's name right? I wouldn't date you if you paid me." Rose was now sitting in my chair.

"How much does a date with you cost?" Emmett asked, stupidly.

Rose's face turned dark red, and she looked ready to blow her top. Emmett pushed it too far this time.

"She said not if you paid her. My sister isn't is a prostitute, Jockstrap." Jasper glared menacingly at him.

"I can handle myself, and I don't need you to defend me," Rose snapped at Jasper.

"Fuck it. I don't defend you, you get mad. I defend you, you get mad. I can't fucking win." Jasper threw up his hands.

"Join the club." Emmett pouted. "I was only joking around."

Just then he noticed us enter the room and a mischievous look appeared in his eyes. "Where you two been, fooling around in the boy's bathroom?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the boy's bathroom is so my idea of a good time…not. Quit being so crude, Emmett. You still owe Rose an apology." Bella walked back to her seat.

"I don't need you to defend me either." Rose huffed.

"No, you don't. However, that still doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to say," Bella said.

Since it didn't look like Rose was going to move, I took the seat behind her and in front of Bella. I was shocked to see Alice beside Bella; she had become more of a recluse than me. She skirted the hallways with her head down and seemed more like a ghost.

"I'm sorry, Rosie…Rosalie. I was just trying to make a joke and not insinuate anything." Emmett turned in his seat. "Bella, I'm sorry that I've been a jerk since you've arrived. And my comment about dying, I was out of line."

Emmett then looked at me." Edbor…Edward, I'm sorry for hitting you in the face in gym class, landing us both here."

I blinked, surprised by his apology. Emmett never apologized for his actions before, and I tried to decipher if he was sincere or not.

"I can forgive you as long as you don't it again." Bella was the first to respond.

"I'm sorry too, I started that fight," I admitted. I could feel Bella staring at the back of my head.

"You started a fight with Jockstrap, man I wish I was in that class." Jasper snickered.

"Okay, enough with the name calling, or anything else that sounds insulting," Bella spoke up. "I'm returning to my original question. What happened after I left?" There was silence.

I certainly wasn't going to be the first to speak. Her leaving created a domino effect within the group.

"Alice? I know you can speak, I heard you. Please talk to me and tell me what's going on," Bella pleaded.

I turned my head slightly, Bella's gaze was intent on Alice, who was staring at the desk in front of her. Slowly, Alice looked up and observed each all of us with a blank stare.

When her eyes landed back on Bella, a fire had ignited behind them.

A/N:

So many of you were wondering what Edward could have done to land in detention, now you now.

Em and Jasper call him Edborg because he tends to act more robotic than human. Edward has tried to cut himself off from feeling things for awhile. The facade broke when he found out about Bella. He was overwhelmed with guilt for accidently implying that if Bella died he wouldn't care and she could be used for research and also she was sick and couldn't help moving away like she did. Edward isn't the only one that is starting to feel guilty.

Next chapter, do you think we will finally here was has been going on with Alice or will she run?

Thank you for the review and the love you have given my story.