A/N: Okay so driving Tuesday went a lot better than expected so I'm happy! Sorry for the later updates, for me at least. I've had driving most nights and then church and stuff. I am happy to announce that I have offically completed my six hours of driving! Anyway here…

Chapter 54

My stomach lurched upward as I felt my breakfast crawl back up my dry throat. "Excuse me." I breathed out to the teacher as I darted out the door. Guilt coursed through my veins and I couldn't help but feel horrid.

I had caused Seth's death. If it weren't for me then he would still be alive. Of course I didn't hand him over to them and say here's a snack, but I wanted to be with Edward. I was selfish and now Seth had to pay for my decisions.

I burst through the girl's bathroom door and found myself on the floor puking my guts up. It was entirely my fault. I should have let James bite me. I should of given myself over to him.

"Bella open the door." Edward's soothing voice cooed from the other side of the stall door.

I felt the tears that ran down my face and knew that I couldn't. I was too selfish to give up Edward. I reached up and unlocked the stall door.

Sooner than I could blink, Edward's cool arms were around me. "It's okay Bella, they're not going to hurt you. I won't let them." He pulled me into his lap and rocked me back and forth.

"But Seth." My voice cracked on his name and it sent a new wave of guilt through me.

His cool lips pressed against my head and I clutched him as if holding on for my life. "We're going to find out what happened."

I pulled back too look at his face but his eyes were averted to the gray walls in stall. "He was attacked in the woods. For some reason he was in the woods and I doubt he was just taking a stroll."

I didn't have time to take in his words when there was a soft knock on the outside of the stall. I looked up to see Kourtney in the doorway with red streaks running down her face. She took in my state and burst into tears again.

"I've known him since seventh grade Bella." She sobbed.

I stood up to comfort her. I had to be strong for her, for everyone. I found this outburst of emotion not at all strange. It was obvious that however much Kourtney denied it, she considered Seth one of her best friends. I guess you could now say, "had".

I wrapped my arms around her and tried to comfort her as much as I could. Edward stayed there rubbing soothing circles in my back. I had so many things running through my head. What did Edward mean when he talked about Seth? How were things back in Forks? Lastly, how were we supposed to do a freaking play with all this stress?

EPOV

I stepped outside the bathroom to meet Alice's worried face and Jasper's strained posture. Alice peeped through the crack in the door before it closed and I saw that she wanted to do something to help. She was racked with guilt. Why hadn't she seen this coming.

I turned to Jasper. "Go tell your teacher that Bella isn't feeling well and you need to stay with her."

Within seconds Jasper was gone and I was still watching Alice. She had an exasperated look on her face and I didn't have to read her mind to know what she was thinking. She was obviously upset.

"How could I not have gotten that?" She sighed pacing back and forth in front of the girl's bathroom door.

I leaned against the wall and slid down until my bottom met the floor. "Well try concentrating on James."

She shook her head. "I have been. It's just hard."

I eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"

The bathroom door opened and she started to sing Amazing Grace in Latin in her head. I Bella stood in front of me with her arms stretched out as if to help me out. It was a very human action.

I held on to her hands and let her think she was pulling me off the ground. Kourtney was behind her looking a little frazzled. Her eyes darted from my face to Alice's face. Her brain was telling her to avoid us but she truly trusted Bella. She knew that Bella was good and wouldn't hurt her. In the bathroom I had seen the truth behind her reaction to Seth's death. She loved him.

The bell rang signaling for us to go to our hall to go to lunch. Most days we went to the lunch room and took our food to the auditorium. The hall flooded with people and within a couple of minutes everyone was gone. Kourtney took off with another one of her friends and I knew that Bella should eat something.

Jasper jogged down the hallway at a very human speed with both his and Bella's backpacks slung over his shoulder. He smiled weakly and then turned to me. "I over heard some girls talking. That's why I took forever." He explained.

I nodded. "And?"

His eyes became wary and I heard the thought as clear as a bell.

The girl talked about a guy she had met. He was unbelievably handsome with long blonde hair. He was in college and his voice was smooth and sexy. The thing she remembers most were his maroon colored eyes.

BPOV

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist. He nodded briefly to Jasper and started pulling me down the hallway.

"Get Bella some lunch Alice." He commanded her while forcing me down the hallway.

I struggled against his hold. "Where are we going?" My efforts were useless.

"To the auditorium of course. Now stop fighting me." He snapped his eyes flashing with brief anger.

My eyebrows creased together trying to understand his apparent mood swings. What gave him the right to snap at me like that? That's when the thought hit me. I had caused this. Seth's blood was on my own hand.

I gave up my thrashing and followed him now. It was useless to fight with Edward he always won. We were in the middle of the breezeway when he stopped to face me. "Did I upset you?" He asked me softly.

"No." I avoided his gaze.

He took hold of my chin and titled my head up to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you."

I studied his pleading eyes and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I know but don't I'll be fine. You have Alice watching me like a hawk."

He wrapped an arm around my waist and his eyes darted back and forth scanning the campus and the darkened trees that loomed in the distance. Those were the same trees that Seth had seen before deciding to enter willfully.

Who in their right mind? I looked up to see Edward's eyes now fixed on my face. He smiled weakly as we approached the auditorium. "What are you thinking love?"

I stole one last glance at the woods before we entered the deserted auditorium. "I was wondering why he decided to enter the woods. What in there had appealed to him?"

Edward placed a sweet kiss on the top of my head. "I don't know love. We'll figure it out though."

Edward led me up the stairs of the stage and through the maze of curtains and around the rooms. We came to the girl's dressing room and he led me inside and pulled me onto the couch. It had become a tradition to eat our lunch in the dressing room. At least since the play started it had.

We sat there for a couple of minutes not talking. The silence wasn't rushed though it was kind of peaceful. I sat perfectly content in his arms while he held me and played with a strand of my hair. It seemed like sometimes it was just like it use to be. Edward was human and everything was normal again.

Alice startled me as she danced into the room with a tray full of food. She pulled up one of the tables and sat the food down in front of me. "Eat." She commanded me while hopping up on the one of the mirrored tables.

I did as I was told and took a bite of the stereotypical school pizza. The warm pizza slid down my throat and I waited a few seconds to see if it would come back up. I could still feel the burning in my throat from the acidic vomit.

I had noticed how unbelievably edgy the atmosphere had become. Edward was shooting intense glares at Alice while she was avoiding them. She rummaged through her designer purse and pulled out two iPods. She threw one to Edward and kept the other for herself.

"Keep yourself busy." She stated smugly apparently loving the thought that Edward wasn't getting what he wanted.

I stuck an unsalted fry in my mouth and then ripped open a pack of salt to pour I on the remaining fries. Edward chuckled and scrunched his nose as I took a drink of Vitamin Water.

"It's hard to imagine I use to eat that stuff." He smiled briefly at the memory and scrolled through his iPod.

I finished my pizza and found myself on the stage staring at the baby grand piano. Edward followed me. "Do you want me to play something?" He asked softly.

I nodded. "Sure, but I thought you didn't play well."

He shrugged. "I had to do something to fill my time at Dartmouth."

Edward sat me down next to him and his fingers flew softly over the ivory keys. He closed his eyes and a smooth melody filled the huge auditorium. I'd never seen something so beautiful then Edward engrossed in a melody.

I couldn't help my thoughts going back to what Edward had said, the looks between Edward and Alice. Then I thought back to the visions Alice had been having and what Jasper overheard from the girl. I knew Edward didn't think I caught that… but I did.

One thing was for sure. Life would be easier for all if I surrendered.

A/N: Okay so I'm sorry for the late update. We have exams next week so I'll more than likely be able to update more frequently since I only have to go to school for two days!

Review!

Kayla