Epilogue
I walked through the hallways of school, holding my white denim jacket together tightly. My heart felt heavier than ever. As I cut across in the pouring rain in a desperate attempt to avoid as many people as possible, I felt alone. Lonelier than I had ever been for a long time.
I was shivering by the time I finally got under shelter. The sky was thick with heavy-looking grey clouds. Not one trickle of sunlight penetrated it. The early morning suddenly looked like twilight. Jagged lightning cut across the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder. I heard several screams.
Nearer to class, I started to feel more self-conscious. Everyone milling around classroom entrances looked at me strangely. I saw Mike, Eric, Tyler. All three looking more upbeat than they had in a long time, leaning against the wall in a triangle-like formation, books clutched to their chests. They were the only ones smiling at me. The girls definitely were either leering happily or glaring viciously.
Then I saw him. The flash of bronze hair and emerald eyes, the two colors that stood out against the whitewashed walls of Forks High School. He was coming my way. Apparently I had seen him first, because the moment his eyes locked with mine, his eyes flipped wide open before narrowing. I opened my mouth to try talk to him. He brushed past me coolly. My eyes widened as I saw Lauren in her baby-pink glory clutched on his arm. She smiled at me, obviously to show me who had finally won. My heart was now settling somewhere near my toes.
I could see Jacob amidst the throng of students. I walked quickly to him. He turned suddenly. His dark brows furrowed, and he stalked off in the opposite direction, his head bowed against the sudden wind that swept into the school buildings.
The stinging cold did good for me. It brought tears to my eyes, whipped at my skin. As long as I felt the cold, I knew I was alive.
How could I have lost so much so fast? The one I loved and the one I respected, both gone in one slip of the tongue. That one miserable secret. Someone might as well have had penciled LAME on my forehead. It would've been less painful.
I turned around and walked off. I would deal with it. With or without Edward, I would survive.
I always had.