Chapter 9: Alice
Izzy's POV:
I was immensely relieved when the school day finally came to an end. I was rushing toward my car when I felt somebody grab my arm. Somebody strong enough to hold on. I turned my head to look, and saw Alice. "Can we talk?" she asked me. I hesitated, unsure. After a few more seconds, I nodded. I wasn't angry with Alice. It wasn't her idea to leave. And I knew that she cared about me. I followed her to the back of the building, where were hidden from the view of other students.
"Bella, do you trust me enough to believe what I say?" she asked me. I nodded. "But I prefer to be called Izzy now," I told her. She nodded, accepting that. "Edward did not leave you for the reasons you think," she said. I stiffened. I hadn't expected her to want to talk about that. "How would you know what I think?" I said coldly. I did not want to discuss this.
"Because he told me what he said to you! Bella, he lied!" she replied. "I know he lied. He lied the entire time I knew him, except for that one night. And now that I'm strong and beautiful and graceful, he decides he wants me back? I'm happy now. You can tell him that. This conversation is over," I said, turning and walking away. I heard her call after me, but I kept walking. I saw Trent and Joey waiting by the car, Joey sitting inside and Trent leaning on the outside. When he saw me, he rushed over.
"Izzy, are you alright? What took you so long?" he asked. "I'm fine. Alice Cullen wanted to talk to me," I told him. His expression turned angry, and a low growl escaped his lips. "And what did she say?" he asked. "She tried to convince me to forgive Edward." Another growl from him. "But I made it clear that I wasn't going to do that," I added. He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. I got into the passenger seat of the car and he got into the back.
"So Joey, how was your day?" I asked. She jumped slightly at my voice. She must have been deep in thought. "Oh, fine. Nothing interesting," she said, in a voice just a bit too high. I frowned. Usually, she would launch into an hour long discussion of every little detail. "Joey, are you feeling okay? You've been acting wierd all day," I said, concerned. She didn't answer, she was deep in thought again. "Joey?" I repeated. She jumped again. "Oh, I'm fine. Just a little distracted," she replied. Her voice was still too high. "Distracted by what?" I asked, making my voice sound teasing. I was really very curious.
"Nothing! Nothing at all! So how was your conversation with Alice?" she said, her voice getting even higher. Nice change of subject, I thought. But I answered her anyway. "Unpleasant," I told her. She didn't react at all, obviously still deep in thought. Why did the Cullens have to come here and complicate things? I wondered if the change in Joey had anything to do with them. They had also caused the first fight between Joey and Trent. And Edward was tempting me, even though I wanted to hate him. Could my life ever be simple?
Alice's POV:
That was not the way I had planned that conversation. I had expected Bella to listen to me. I couldn't be sure she would, because for some reason I couldn't see her or her coven, but I had assumed that she would. So her anger surprised me. The Bella I remembered wasn't so outspoken. I was so troubled by her reaction that I forgot to hide the conversation from Edward when I got to the car.
"Alice! I told you to leave her alone!" he hissed at me. "I had to talk to her Edward. I don't like seeing you upset, and I knew that if I could just get her to listen then maybe..." I began, not finishing. "She insists on being called Izzy now," I said quietly. It didn't feel right. "I know. A new name for her new identity. It doesn't feel right to me," he said. He hesitated. I knew he wanted to know what had happened during the conversation.
I played the whole thing over in my mind. He winced several times, but listened and watched. When it was over, he sighed. "I should have known she would find someone else eventually. I'd hoped she would move on, and she has," he muttered. But I could see the pain in his eyes.
Author's note: I just wanted to thank you all again for your great reviews. And for adding this to your favorites or your story alerts. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it feels to know that people like my work. I didn't expect this kind of response. You all rock and I'll be updating as often as I can. It's like this story writes itself. Thanks again. This story is going to get even more interesting as it goes on. A little hint: something big will happen in the next chapter. I'm not telling you what, but I just wanted to get you all excited for more.
