Rosalie POV

"Come back to me."

Bella's words echoed in my head.

I stared into those chocolate eyes and I felt the anger fade away. Now that I wasn't blinded by the anger, I could feel Jasper's gift working. "Let me go," I told him. "And stop with the calm." Jasper let me go but the calm didn't stop.

"Come on," Alice said grabbing Jasper's hand. "Let's give them some privacy."

Emmett looked reluctant to leave. "Go Em," I told him. "I'm fine." I nodded toward Bella. The one way to guarantee I wouldn't do anything stupid was to put my human mate in the room with me.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked concerned.

I took a deep breath. The last thing I wanted to do was snap at Bella. She didn't deserve it. She never deserved it. "The things they were saying," I said gritting my teeth. "Calling you a…" I couldn't finish it. I could barely think it without getting angry again.

"Jessica and Lauren, they're all talk" Bella said, not at all bothered by what they said.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing can justify what they said," I snapped. I regretted snapping at her, especially when I saw her flinch. "I'm sorry Bella."

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"Emmett is outside the door; in case I try to go after them again." I rolled my eyes. Like I was going to do that with Bella standing here. "Alice and Jasper went to the cafeteria to get you food."

"They didn't have to do that," she said.

"Maybe not, but I learned long ago not to argue with Alice," I said. I sat on the teacher's desk. "You can leave you know. I won't go on a murder spree."

"I don't want to go," Bella said honestly. She climbed on the desk and leaned against me.

"Are you trying to avoid Jessica and Lauren?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I prefer to avoid everyone," she said. "But specifically, them. I can imagine the kind of things they'll say if I go in there with you."

"Are you really worried about what they think?" I questioned.

Bella sighed. "No, not really." Her stomach growled.

"Come on," I said hopping off the desk. "You're hungry."

She followed me out of the classroom where Emmett was still standing, waiting for us. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I told him.

"Rosalie you were going to murder two humans," Emmett said. "You're not fine."

"Tell me you didn't want to do the same," I said glaring at me.

"Alright, you win," he said holding his hands up. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"It'll be fine. By bringing Bella into this, you succeeded in making sure I wouldn't do anything stupid," I said. "I won't risk her safety. Even if it's to punish those… humans." My lip curled back. Bella must have sensed my anger as she squeezed my hand. I instantly relaxed.

As soon as we walked into the cafeteria all eyes were on us. I mentally rolled my eyes at all the rumors now flying. Some of were talking about the possibility of Bella and I dating. Others thought Emmett, Bella and I were in some ménage à trois. Not one of the human's better theories.

Alice waved at us as we got closer. "Bella," she greeted as if she hadn't just seen her.

"Hi Alice," Bella said sitting next to Alice.

"Don't worry about the humans," Jasper muttered to Bella. She crossed her arms over her chest, probably annoyed that he was so good at reading her. "It's okay. I'm used to that frustration."

Alice laughed. "You get used to it Bella."

"I don't know if I want to get used to it," Bella grumbled.

Jasper pushed the plate of food toward her. "Eat Bella." Alice pushed her own plate at Bella. One had pizza, the other had a salad. Bella grabbed the pizza. Alice smirked at Jasper. He rolled his eyes and kissed her forehead. Why Jasper continued to bet against Alice we would never know.

Alice looked at me. "Charlie would approve if we asked to have another sleepover, if you want to invite her. He's happy she's making friends. He's afraid she'll want to go back to her mother. Charlie believes if she makes friends she'll want to stay."

The thought of Bella going back to her mother was enough for Jasper to send me a wave of love and calm. "Thanks Jazz," I muttered too quietly for Bella to hear.

"She's not going," Alice told me. "In all my visions of the future, she never leaves Forks. Well there is a couple of her going to college. Dartmouth seems to be the popular choice. In every possible future she is always with you."

"You're not helping," I growled. The reminders that we would be together in the future reminded me that we weren't together now. I felt guilty for my thoughts. It wasn't Bella's fault we weren't together. It was no one's fault. She was human. I needed to give her time.

"Stop overthinking everything," Alice hissed, kicking my shin.

"What's going on?" Bella asked looking back and forth between me and Alice.

"Nothing," I told her. "Alice needs to learn to keep her comments to herself."

Alice glared at me. "Don't blame me," she huffed.

I glared back. "Stop reminding me of a future I may never have," I hissed too low for Bella to hear.

"Both of you need to stop having these quiet conversations," Jasper said. "Bella is more perceptive than you think. She's knows what you're doing. She thinks you're both hiding something and you are."

Alice tilted her head to the side. "Rosalie you may want to step outside. Your phone is about to ring."

Sure enough my phone started ringing. Caller ID said it was Edward. "I'll be right back," I told Bella.

"Hello," I answered once I was outside.

"Rosalie," Edward greeted. He sounded different.

"Edward," I greeted.

"How are you?" he questioned.

"Edward, you didn't call to check on me," I told him. I wasn't in the mood for small talk.

"You're right. How's Bella?" he asked.

"She's alive," I answered, not entirely sure where he was going with this.

"That's good. I'm glad she's alright," he said.

"She knows about us," I added. "I told her everything."

"I figured you would. I didn't give you much of a choice." He paused. "Alice told me about you two." I held my breath and waited for him to continue. "I was confused at first but Tanya explained it and I get it. Bella and I never would have worked. I wanted to let you know, I'm happy for you and Bella."

"Thank you Edward," I said relieved. I was glad I didn't have to deal with an angry Edward on top of everything else.

"Is she mad at me?" he whispered.

"No," I said honestly. "She's scared of you but she's not mad. I think she understands more than we give her credit for."

"You're worried," Edward noted.

I sighed. "I am," I confirmed. "I'm always worried about her. It's a nagging thought in the back of my mind."

"That doesn't sound bad," Edward said. "I would love to have someone to worry about like that. I had thought it was Bella…" I growled. "I was foolish I know. I should have known we weren't meant to be. After Emmett's experience with his singers, why did I think I would be any different?"

"You had hope Edward," I told him. "There's nothing wrong with that. You will find her someday Edward. You need to be patient."

"How did you know that she was the one?" he asked. It was almost too quiet for me to hear.

"It's hard to explain," I said honestly. "I looked into her eyes and I just knew. It was as if nothing else mattered. I had to protect her even if it was from my own brother. I would have killed you if I thought I could win."

"I would have let you," Edward said. "I would like to talk to her, when I return, if she is willing."

"I will ask her," I said after a minute. The thought of him being anywhere near Bella made me uneasy, but that was her decision to make, not mine. It didn't mean I wouldn't do everything in my power to keep her safe.

"Thanks Rosalie. I have to go. Tanya's making me hunt again."

"Edward," I said before he hung up. "Don't beat yourself up too much over what happened. You're a good guy."

"Thanks Rose," he said before hanging up the phone.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked.

How did I miss she was standing behind me? I had been so focused on my conversation with Edward I didn't notice a human sneak up behind me. What a poor excuse of a vampire I was.

"I'm fine," I told her putting my phone away.

"You're lying," she said.

I sighed. "That was Edward." She flinched. "He wanted to check on you. He was worried about you."

She frowned. "He's back to normal? Back to being Edward?"

"I believe so," I said. "He sounded like the old Edward and I don't think Tanya would allow him to call if he wasn't okay."

"You've mentioned Tanya a few times but who is she?" Bella asked.

"She's the leader of the coven in Denali, Alaska," I explained. I don't know how I forgot to explain this to her. "We consider the Denali's our cousins because they survive on the animal diet, like us. They are more civilized."

"More civilized," Bella repeated. "Are other vampires not civilized?"

"Most are like Edward was," I said honestly. "They're not as aggressive but the idea is the same. They only care about blood and sex." Bella blushed. "Feeding on animals allows us to form bonds, real bonds. It makes us human in a way."

"But you're not human," Bella said to herself.

"I'm not," I agreed. "Does it bother you?"

Bella's chocolate eyes locked with mine. "It doesn't," she admitted. "I thought it would. But after spending time with you and the others. It doesn't matter if you're not human. I feel safe with you, safer than I thought possible."

She stepped toward me and wrapped her arms around me. I kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Bella."

She pulled away far quicker than I wanted. "I don't know how I feel about seeing him," she whispered. "I know he's not the same but still…"

"You're scared," I finished. She nodded. "It's okay to be scared. I would be more concerned if you weren't. But you have to know I wouldn't let anything happen to you, none of us would."

"I know. That's part of what scares me," Bella said, leaning against me. "You already said you would die for me. I don't want that to happen. I don't want you, or anyone else to die, especially not for me."

"I'm not going to die," I promised. I felt bad for making a promise that I wasn't sure I would be able to keep. True Alice hadn't seen anything about me dying, except for the other night. But it didn't mean it couldn't, or wouldn't happen. "We should head back inside. You still need to eat."

Bella allowed me to drag her back into the cafeteria. Everyone stared at us as we entered the room. "What are they saying?" Bella asked curious.

"I would rather not repeat what the boys are saying," I answered honestly. Their lewd comments made me want to rip their throats out. "The girls are mostly jealous that you are hanging out with us."

When we got back to the table Jasper was rubbing his head. "This teenage lust is ridiculous," Jasper groaned.

Alice kissed his cheek. I rolled my eyes as they got up and left the cafeteria. "Where did they go?"

"You don't want to know," I said before Emmett could open his mouth. I glared at him, daring him to say anything. He was smart enough to keep his mouth shut

After lunch was over, I walked Bella to her class. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Emmett asked concerned.

"I'm fine," I told him.

"Was that Emmett?" Bella questioned. She had become good at noticing when I was talking to my siblings.

"It was," I confirmed. "He's worried I'm going to snap again."

"Are you?" Bella asked.

"Going to snap?" She nodded. "No, I'm not. As much as I hate Lauren and Jessica, and would love to see them dead, I won't do anything. You should go to class."

She kissed my cheek before heading into class.