On Monday at lunch, I didn't go to the cafeteria. If I had gone there, and then left, they would have gotten all suspicious.

So I just went straight to the biology lab.

Strangely enough, though, as I was walking through the halls, I couldn't smell him. I couldn't smell the enchanting aroma.

And, when I go to the biology lab, and looked through the little window, he wasn't there. I frowned and stood on my tiptoes just to be one hundred percent sure. But I still couldn't smell him. I still couldn't see him.

I opened the door and took two steps inside. All I could see was textbooks and microscopes and pieces of paper. No Edward.

He was here today, though. I knew he was. He had been in second period with me.

So I walked back to the cafeteria, wondering if maybe he decided to eat in the cafeteria today. I mean, the only reason he had been in the biology lab in the first place was because he didn't have anyone to eat with, right? So a few days after the first day of school, he should be eating with his new friends... right?

I got into the cafeteria and began looking around, past all of the tables. He wasn't with the jocks. Or the people who always studied instead of ate their lunch. He wasn't with those girly girls—clearly—or with the people with the long black hair and facial piercings.

Still frowning, I turned my attention to my table.

Well hell.

I felt my eyes widen as I took in everybody at the table.

But just as I was about to get out of there, Rosalie's eyes looked up at me. When she saw me, her eyes turned into slits and she lifted up an arm, waving me over.

Too late.

"Bella." Edward stood up in the seat beside Alice. "We were wondering where you were."

"Yeah, Bella," Rosalie muttered. "We were all very worried."

I swallowed hard. "Oh... well..." I laughed nervously and sat beside Edward. "I was just talking to my teacher after class... about... the homework." I paused. "I got stuck on this one part."

"Of course you did." Rosalie put her head in her hands and glared at me. "You know, Bells, we're so glad Edward is sitting with us today." Her glares went from me, to Alice. "Alice saw him in here looking for you, and asked him to sit down with us."

I looked at Alice and mouthed to her, "What?" considering Friday night she had told me, quite seriously and specifically, to stay away from him.

She mouthed back, "Changed my mind," and then turned to Edward and started talking to him about something I couldn't fully understand. Chemistry, or something like that.

"Aren't you hungry?" Edward asked me suddenly as he took a bite out of his Italian sandwich. "I haven't seen you eat anything today."

"Big breakfast," I said.

"Ah." He nodded as if this explained everything.

"So..." Emmett took in the awkward silence that was lingering over us. "The weather's nice today, eh?"

Edward looked up. "I don't really like the rain. Cold and wet—not my thing."

I snorted. Alice muffled her laugh. Emmett and Jasper's eyes crinkled in amusement. Rosalie glared some more.

Edward didn't notice. He took another bite out of his sandwich, not realizing that he was the only one eating.

The rest of lunch was spoke throughout those same awkward silences. We probably would have talked about the Chris thing, or something like that, such as where he could be and how many newborns Alice had seen, exactly, but we couldn't. Of course we couldn't talk about evil, bloodthirsty, out-to-get-you vampires in front of Edward.

So did the rest of the day. Edward was in my sixth period class, but not in any other afternoon blocks, so I had a lot of time to talk to Alice about her changing her mind about Edward.

"I ran into him in the hallway," Alice told me in last period. "And we started talking—and I resisted him. And he's actually not that bad of a guy it's just... his looks..." She paused for a second. "Well yeah. He's a good looking guy. But... you know what I mean."

I didn't see how this was a 'but' about Edward, but I nodded anyways, wanting to get on Alice's good side today. "Yeah. I know. But I guess Rosalie still doesn't see it that way?"

She shook her head and answered question four. "Nope. She still see's him what he actually is—a danger. To everybody."

I sighed and put my head in my hand and my chin on my desktop. No matter what I did, Rosalie would probably never see it my way. Not even if he became a vampire—WHICH HE WOULDN'T, because that'd be... outrages. I couldn't let someone I cared about become one of us, damned forever. He'd be happier in a regular human life. He'd be happier without me. And probably better off.

The last few minutes of the day went by slower than usual. Mr. Hollish was up by the map of the world, saying something about the similarities between the Renaissance and Medieval times in Europe. He must have thought we cared.

After class, Edward caught me in the halls.

"Next Friday—dinner?"

Dinner.

"Umm—I have plans for dinner Friday." Technically, this wasn't a lie. Maybe I'd go hunting. "But... we could... do something else. Like... um... hmm..."

We stood there for a few seconds, each of us thinking of something else to do in Forks on a Friday night. Truth be told, there really wasn't that much to think about. But, somehow, Edward came up with the worst possible thing.

"La Push beach!"

"NO!" I practically cried. Then I regained myself. "I mean... I can't go there because... um... well, you see, I can't. They have a restraining order on me."

Oh. Yeah. Really smooth, Bella. A restraining order.

He smiled a smile that was somewhere in between amusement and astonishment. "A restraining order? On you? What did you do—if you don't mind me asking, of course."

Think, I told myself. Think fast!

"I—uh, well, I..." I chewed my upper lip. "I..."

Thankfully, at that moment, Alice rounded the corner. "Bella!" She skipped over towards us. "I've been looking all over for you—Rosalie is waiting in the car." When Edward wasn't looking, she frowned at me and mouthed, "Restraining order?"

"I couldn't think." I shrugged.

She rolled her eyes at me.

"Well, Rosalie isn't very patient these days—so I better get a-going."

A-going. Jeez, I couldn't get any cheesier, could I?

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Edward said.

I nodded before walking away.

When we both were out of hearing range, Alice began laughing. "Restraining order? A-going? What's wrong with you today? You're usually not so..." She stopped for a second to think. "Speechless? I don't know the right word."

I let out a long breath. "Neither do I."

***

"Where were you guys?" Rosalie snapped as Alice and I climbed into the back of Emmett's jeep. The only reason I had accepted a ride from her this morning was because the tires on my truck needed it's tires changed, and, right now, it was in the shop, and Alice was already riding with her. "We've been waiting for at least ten minutes."

"Well then what are you waiting for?" I asked. "Let's go."

Scowling, Rosalie turned back around and faced the windshield. Emmett started the jeep.

Emmett drove faster than normal; I guessed he could sense the tension between all of us, too. So when we got home, I rushed upstairs to my room, locking the door behind me. Why I would look a door, I wasn't quite sure. Anyone who wanted to get in could get past a lock easily.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

"Okay," I said to myself. "You can do this. You're not... weak. You're strong. You're independent. You can prove to the others that—" I stopped talking, realizing I hadn't just said one honest thing.

Well, about the weak part.

"You're strong," I said again. "STRONG! You're better than—you're better than Emmett, if you try! You outran him the other night, remember?"

Yes. There. You see? I was strong. I could do this. Anyone who could outrun Emmett could easily defeat a pack of newborns...

...Or not.

I sighed at myself. "You're an idiot!" I said to the mirror. "An idiot! A coward! That's exactly what you are!"

So, before I could hesitate, I jumped out the window and into the forest. I could do this. I had to. I could prove to everybody else that this whole mess may be my fault—but I could definitely solve it, just as well as I had started it. It would be easy, anyways. Carlisle and Jasper were already on the hunt, looking. But I had The List. I had more evidence... and stuff.

And, without another glance back at the house, I began looking.

A/N: Ahh I know I haven't updated for a few days. =( I think I'm going to post one more chapter by Wednesday, though, because I finished this school project and—

Kay, never mind, none of you actually care about my school projects, do you? So, point is, I'll try to update by Wednesday.

'Nuf said.