Time passed. School let out for the summer, and Bella still wasn't talking to the Cullens. It was weird, not going to their house every day. And Bella was lonely because Charlie still worked just as much as before, only now she had no escape from her empty house. It wasn't how Bella would've chosen to spend her summer before senior year, but she just didn't feel like going out. Finishing the school year had been hard enough, and now she was glad for the opportunity to stay home.

Bella was sitting on her bed, reading a book for English, when her bedroom door was thrown open. She started and looked up. Standing there was a very angry Alice.

They stared at each other for a minute before Bella broke the silence.

"How did you get in here?" she asked.

"The back door was open."

"Oh."

They were silent again.

"So, uh, what are you, uh, doing here?"

"I'm here to figure out why my best friend hasn't talked to me in weeks!"

"Oh."

Alice's angry expression faltered, and Bella could see the hurt underneath.

"What happened Bella?"

"What - what do you mean?" Bella looked down, refusing to meet Alice's gaze.

"You know what I mean. You haven't talked to me since prom. And I don't even know why! What did I do? I asked Edward what happened, and he said he didn't know. I lost my best friend, and I don't even know why! Bella, what's going on?"

"Alice…" Bella bit her lip, unsure of what to say.

"Bella, please, just tell me what happened," Alice pleaded, moving to sit next to her on the bed. "I promise I won't be mad. I have a right to know why I'm losing my best friend, don't I?"

Bella sighed. "You didn't do anything, Alice."

"Then why have you been ignoring me? Why haven't you returned my calls?"

"Because you would choose your brother over me every time."

Alice was hurt. "Not necessarily. Not if he was being a complete idiot. And anyway, you didn't even give me a choice."

Bella shrugged. "But I know you. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Family should come first, always."

"But Bella…"

"Alice, please, just… leave it alone. I can't - I just can't bear to see him right now, and you just remind me so much of him…"

Alice put her arm around her friend. "Bella, even though family comes first, you're still my best friend. Will you at least answer my calls now? We can hang out here; you don't have to see him. This is the summer before senior year, and I want to spend it with you."

Bella sighed. "I want to spend it with you too, Alice. Just… not around him."

Alice nodded. "I can handle that. But you're going to have to tell me what happened eventually. Just not today. I won't push you too hard. Now come on, get up! Its way too soon to be doing homework," Alice said, grabbing the book from Bella's hands. "Let's go shopping!"

Bella got up and put a hand on Alice's arm to stop her.

"Alice, I'm sorry. I was being unreasonable. I just… I wasn't exactly thinking straight after prom. I shouldn't have ignored you like that. It's just that, after the first couple days, it was too hard to not ignore you, even though you didn't do anything. I'm so sorry."

Alice smiled. "It's okay, Bella."

"No, it's not," Bella insisted, shaking her head. "I'm just lucky to have a best friend who won't give up on me.

Alice's smile became a full-blown grin. "Glad to be of service. Now, come on! We have to make up for lost time! And I don't want to here any complaints! Consider this shopping spree your punishment for ignoring me."

Bella allowed Alice to drag her from the room. She smiled. She had missed her best friend.

Edward was bored. He didn't feel like hanging out with anyone and he didn't feel like getting up and doing something. He was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, when Alice burst into his room.

"Edward, you really should try to be more social," Alice reprimanded.

Edward didn't even look up.

"I went to see Bella today. She didn't ignore me this time."

Edward slowly sat up and stared at his sister. After a pause he said, "How is she doing? Is she - is she okay?"

"She still wouldn't talk to me about prom, but at least she's not ignoring me anymore. Are you sure you told me everything from that night?"

"Alice, I don't know what happened. Everything was fine until she went to the bathroom. I'm sorry that she stopped talking to you, but I really don't know what went wrong."

Alice sighed and walked over to his bed. "She's lost some weight, you know, and I've never seen her look so sad."

Edward nodded slowly, processing the information. "But she's talking to you again. That's good, right?"

"Yeah, she's talking to me, but only as long as I don't mention you and we don't hang out here."

Edward took a deep breath to try to ease the pain in his heart. The words hurt more than he expected.

"She's lucky I missed her so much, because I never would've let someone else off the hook like that for ignoring me for a month!" Alice paused and glanced at her brother. Although he was trying to hide it, she could see pain etched on his face. "Edward, I think it might be best if you just left her alone for the moment. I know that's not what you want to hear, but she's really hurting right now."

Edward nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry," Alice whispered, placing a hand on his arm. "I really hope this turns out alright in the end."

Alice walked out of the room, and then stuck her head back in. "And Edward, remember that in the end, I'm on your side. I love you."

Edward nodded again, unable to come up with a more eloquent response. After Alice left he resumed his position lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Only this time, there was a throbbing pain in his chest. He really missed his sister's best friend.

A few weeks passed, and Bella fell into a summer routine. Alice came over most days; Bella was grateful that they had patched up their friendship. They would go shopping or to the movies or to the beach or sometimes just hang out at the house. Bella was enjoying her summer, more than she thought she would. Granted, she still felt like there was this huge hole in her life and in her heart, but it was getting easier to breathe. Alice provided excellent distractions.

One night, there was a knock on the door. Alice was out on a date with Jasper, so Bella wasn't expecting company. She was even more surprised when she found Rosalie standing on the porch. It wasn't that she didn't like Rose, it was just that Bella only really hung out with Rosalie when the whole group was there.

"Hey, Rose," Bella greeted her.

"Hey, Bella," Rosalie replied. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Bella stepped aside to let her pass. "What's up?"

"I was hoping we could talk," Rosalie replied.

"Okay," Bella said, leading her to the family room so they could sit on the sofa. "Did you have a specific topic in mind?"

"Prom night."

Bella was stunned. She knew Rosalie was forward, but this was a little extreme.

"I know that it's not really any of my business, but I figured you probably need to talk about it, and it would be easier to talk to someone who's not a Cullen."

"It's not that big of a deal really…"

"Then why did you ignore Alice for a month?" Rosalie demanded. "And why are you still avoiding Edward?"

Bella blushed and fumbled for an excuse. "Well…"

"Bella," Rosalie said, reaching for her hand, "I consider us to be friends. Perhaps not best friends, but we are friends. And as a friend, I'm concerned. You haven't been over in weeks, and it's just weird. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to. But I think you need to talk it out."

"It just… hurts to talk about," Bella said, finally acquiescing.

Rose patted her shoulder. "Just let it out, Bella. You'll feel better after."

And so Bella told Rosalie the whole story, from the dancing to the bathroom conversation. She left nothing out. When she finished, Rosalie just sat there, silent, digesting the story.

Finally, Rose looked up. "I don't get it, Bella."

"Don't get what?"

"What happened? Why did you get upset and walk out? Edward didn't do anything." Bella didn't respond, so Rose continued. "I mean, he wasn't mean or rude. He didn't force you to, you know, go farther than you wanted to. In fact, it seems to me like he was the perfect date. You let two girls, who you hate, by the way, completely ruin your night. You listened to Lauren Mallory, a girl who not only hates you but was also probably pissed that she didn't get prom queen, over Edward. It just doesn't make sense."

Bella sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"Then why did you walk out?"

"Because I didn't know it then. I was hurt and confused and upset and not thinking, obviously. I just couldn't stand to be there for one more minute."

"Bella…"

"Yeah, I know. But Rose, it might be for the best."

Rosalie looked at Bella as though she had grown a second head. "What?"

"I've had a lot of time to think these past few weeks, and I realized something: I don't trust Edward. I mean, come on, I believed Lauren over him. It doesn't make any sense at all, and yet that's what I did. Looking back, he probably didn't make a bet or anything like that, but at the time, I was completely convinced for no reason. Even when he flat-out told me there was no bet, I didn't believe him. And that scares me. How can I have a relationship with someone I doubt so much?"

"Sometimes it's not about trust. I don't trust Emmett with much. I would never trust him with my makeup or with breakables or small children. But I do trust him with my heart, and that's enough for us."

"But that's the one thing I can't trust Edward with."

"Why not?"

"Believe me, Rose. I have seen him break more hearts than I can count."

"But he's changed. He hasn't gone to a party or even been on a date since well before prom. He's been hanging out with his family more, and just been nicer in general. He's finally given up his 'bad-boy player' attitude, or whatever you want to call it. He's really been trying to change, Bella, and he's doing it for you."

Bella was stunned. She had noticed that Edward was acting different the last weeks of school, but she hadn't realized the extent of the change. And she certainly hadn't known that she was his inspiration.

"But…"

"Bella, honestly, you're acting like a child. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I think you need to listen to this. You let one little thing almost ruin your friendship with Alice, and she wasn't even a part of it. And you could've had this great thing with Edward, but you refuse to admit that you made a mistake. And now you're latching onto this obscure reasoning that defends your actions but makes absolutely no sense. You need to just get over it and stop being stubborn and immature and apologize to him. He still loves you, you know."

Bella just sat there. She resented what Rosalie was saying. Rose wasn't her and she didn't understand Bella's feelings.

Rosalie watched emotions play across Bella's face. She stood up. "Listen, Bella, I won't say anything about what happened. But just think about what I said. And ask yourself this: is it really Edward you don't trust? Because it seems to me that that's just an excuse. I'll see myself out."

And with that Rosalie left. Bella just sat there one the family room sofa, trying to digest her conversation with Rosalie. She was deep in thought when her dad came home.

"Bella," Charlie said, "what's wrong? You're usually asleep by the time I get home."

Bella looked at the clock. "I just lost track of time, Charlie. Don't worry about it."

"Alright, if you say so." Charlie started up the stairs. "I'm gonna go to bed. Don't stay up too late."

Bella nodded.

"Oh, and don't forget we were invited to go to La Push on Saturday," Charlie called from upstairs.

"Okay," Bella called back. After a few more minutes, she made her way to her room. But it was hours later that she finally fell asleep. She couldn't get her conversation with Rose out of her mind. Maybe it is time for me to grow up a little bit...