Chapter Twenty-Five

I turned the key in the ignition.

Nothing.

The engine spurred but did not start. I banged my fist against the steering wheel and cursed to everyone and no one in particular. Glancing at my watch, I sighed heavily. I had exactly ten minutes to get to school, or I would be late.

I had already been tardy to first period several times. Three strikes, and you're out.

Well, not out, but sentenced to an afternoon in detention, and that was punishment enough.

I snatched my backpack from the passenger seat and ran back into the house through the snow that lightly drifted down. In any other state, there'd be a snow day. Not here in Washington, though. Forks High never closed, never had delays. They planned on keeping us hostage through rain, snow, and tornados. Dad was gathering his briefcase just as I rushed in.

"Dad, the Volvo won't start." Grabbing his car keys, Dad grimaced.

"What's wrong with it?"

I let out an exasperated groan. How was I supposed to know? I wasn't a mechanic.

"I have no idea. The battery, I think. Do you have jumper cables?"

Dad stood handsomely in his business suit and frowned. "No."

What kind of Dad didn't have cables? Oh, that's right. The kind who didn't own a single tool. He just paid everyone to do everything for him.

"I'll call the Jim at the Seattle dealership to come take a look at it," Dad offered. See what I mean? "I'll give you a ride, honey."

I handed Dad his pea coat and followed him out the door to his BMW. I now had eight - no, make that seven - minutes to get to class.

Dad's SUV started with a purr. He adjusted his mirror and slowly backed out of the driveway. I fidgeted at his leisurely pace. Old people had no concept of time.

We finally arrived at school, and I practically jumped out of the vehicle, nearly skidding on the wet ground. "Are you coming to pick me up?"

Dad shook his head. "I have meetings all day today. I'll tell your mother to come get you. Have a good day, sweetie."

I nodded, waved a quick goodbye, and ran into the brick prison without even stopping at my locker. The near empty hallways reaffirmed my tardiness. I stumbled through the doorway of class just as the bell rang.

Mr. Garrett grimaced as I walked past him. "Glad you could grace us with your presence, Miss Swan."

"You're welcome," I mumbled under my breath and sat in the desk in front of Cullen. He immediately poked me between my shoulder blades with his pencil.

"Why are you late? I waited for you at your locker." Though I couldn't see his face, his tone was full of accusations.

I turned my head slightly and whispered back. "Stupid Volvo wouldn't start."

"Oh." He said it simply, as if my explanation satisfied him. He probably thought I was avoiding him. If I had any common sense, I would have.

"Class, today you will be calculating 12 word problems. You are to use trigonometric ratios to find the angles of elevation and depression. On the other set of questions, I want you to find the distances between objects using those ratios. You may choose a partner for this assignment."

The class cheered as Mr. Garrett cleared his throat. "There will be no horse playing or chatting. If I see you not completing this assignment or talking about matters other than trigonometry, you will receive a zero and given additional work. Do I make myself clear?"

We shouted "Crystal!" at Mr. Garrett's usual threat and passed the worksheets down the rows of seats. Students picked partners and loudly scraped their desks to turn them around.

Looking around the room, Rosalie had already chosen Alice. I sighed, turning my desk sit next to Edward.

"Oh, don't look so depressed. You enjoy my company." Edward smiled, a glimpse of his old charm creeping back in.

I clicked my mechanical pencil, avoiding his comment, and cursed as the lead broke. This day was going to hell. When I didn't answer, Edward pouted.

"Are you mad at me?"

Mad? No, Cullen, I'm not mad. I'm fucking furious.

"No." I refilled my pencil, clicked again, and tried to read the first problem.

"You seem mad."

Huffing, I leaned closer. "Edward, you treated me like shit yesterday, gave me an ultimatum, and tried to blame me for everything. You can't expect me to be all smiles and rainbows after that. Of course I'm pissed at you."

"I was wrong," he admitted. "I was angry about the beach. That fire… and Mike… and the things I said… I shouldn't have gone off like that."

This was not the place or time, but it needed to be said. I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Edward, you need to talk to someone," I began in a hushed tone. "Not me and not your aunt or uncle. You need to see a therapist or something. Maybe if I speak to my dad, he can find-"

"No fucking way."

He said it as a matter of fact, a statement without thought or consideration.

For the first time in a while, I felt courage stir within me. In the past couple of months, I had let Edward's behavior become justified. As long as I allowed it, he would continue to run over me, using me as his personal emotional punching bag.

I was tired of being bruised.

"Then we can't be together."

Edward sucked in a breath, startled by my own ultimatum. As he glared at me with piercing eyes, I didn't even flinch. There was no anxiety about my decision, no fear about my choice.

If he didn't see a professional, then I had to let him go. It would be like cutting off my own arm, severing a part of myself. But I would live.

Because this tumultuous tug-and-pull, this give-and-take, this love-and-hate we had going wasn't working.

Edward swallowed as I tried to calculate a formula.

"And if I don't? If I refuse?" he questioned.

"Then you just refuse," I shrugged. "But I won't be here to watch you fall. I love you enough to walk away. Do you know what's more important to me than you getting help?"

The numbers blurred together, but I carried on, because eventually, they would make sense. After figuring out the problem, after analyzing all of the angles, the solution would come.

I smiled as I realized I needed to subtract rather than multiply the equation.

"Nothing, Edward. The answer is nothing."

I didn't see him the rest of the school day. He wasn't in any of the classes we shared, and even when lunchtime came and passed, he never showed up.

Alice said she saw him walk into the nurse's station, and I figured he was bullshitting his way to leaving school.

While a part of me was upset that he wasn't talking to me, a larger part was relieved. Maybe I would be spared from his wrath.

At final dismissal, students rushed out to their vehicles. Jess passed by me as I waited on the steps. "You need a ride, Bella?"

I shook my head. "No, my mom is coming." This was so embarrassing. I was waiting outside like a child whose parents were running late to pick her up from soccer practice.

After I reassured her, I was fine, I waited impatiently under the cover of the door. The snow was coming down harder, and it was freaking freezing outside. I reached into my pocket to grab my cell, but it wasn't there.

I searched frantically through my backpack only to come to a depressing conclusion; I'd left it in my Volvo.

Shit. Although I could have walked back inside to use the office phone, I decided to wait it out. I was sure Mom was on her way. Several teachers peeled out of the parking lot, escaping from the hell of another work day.

I sat on the concrete, with my hood as my only shield from the weather. After I was tired of shivering, I grabbed the front door.

It was locked.

I made my way toward the side of the building, where the teacher's parking lot was located. It was empty.

Dammit.

That must have been Principal Black's red car that had left five minutes earlier.

I was going to kill Mom for this. I tightened my coat around me and began the trek home. Though it was only a few miles, I'd probably die of pneumonia before then.

The snow had gained a few inches, and it was still coming down quite heavily. The longer I walked, the less I could see. The street was starting to become slick with ice, and I was careful to take each step.

It was the headlights that finally made me turn around. When I squinted, a white van appeared behind me.

I tried to think of who drove a large white van…

Scalper!

Yes! As much as I couldn't stand him, I hated walking in the snow even more. I stood on the side of the road, waiting for it to come closer.

Maybe Mike was too blind to see through the snowy drift.

Perhaps the road had become too slick.

Whatever the condition, it was apparent the van couldn't stop in time. I never even heard tires squealing.

Instead, it crashed right into me.

I should have felt pain, I should have screamed in agony, but as I laid there on the ground, not a single moan escaped from my mouth.

I slipped into unconsciousness, too overcome by my injuries to see anything.

Or to feel the strong arms that lifted and carried me away.

Dun dun dun dun...

TY MariahajilE who sends me chapters on time and they sit in my email lurking, while you guys suffered yesterday. Let's kiss and make up, m'kay? Or blame Muffin. It's always best to blame the Muffin.

Blueyedcherry harasses me with green ink and questioning emails. Whatever happened to you being my mistress? I haven't been humped, not even once!

Do you think Bella was right to stand up for herself, or she should have been easier on Edward? Why hasn't anyone killed Mike yet? Just say the word people, and I'm on it!