Chapter 6

"Alright, so this is…"

"Bella, come on."

"Shut up, Edward, I'm thinking."

I had no idea what I was looking at. I stared at the almost professional sketch of the internal side of a cat that Edward had made for me to quiz myself. The lumpy, squiggly shape just stared back at me.

"What is it, Bella?"

I sighed, and lay back on his carpet. "It's my brain as it melts out my ears."

"Get up," he said, sighing.

"Huh?"

"Get up," he repeated, glaring at me. "We're done."

I sighed. He had been telling me that for the past hour, every time I couldn't remember something on the first try. I had thought being tutored would help me but it just felt like I was locked in a room with my old geometry teacher from Phoenix, Mr. Garmond. Although at least you could sometimes get Mr. Garmond to go on a rant about WWII and forget about you.

Edward was not going to forget about me.

Here I was, in his house, the house of our town's biggest weirdos, and I was locked in a room with a guy who I hated who constantly felt like telling me I was a failure. Whoopdeedoo.

It was also unbearably quite in the house due to most of his family members having gone to see relatives for the day. Actually, they were hunting, but of course I had no idea at the time. Only Alice and Jasper remained downstairs somewhere being abnormally quiet.

I turned my head to look out the gigantic window that covered the entire back of the house. My fingers were itching to take photos of the wildly untamed wilderness behind the sprawling backyard but there was the slight problem of Edward being a total pain in the ass.

"Can we put some music on or something?"

"Bella, why are you even here?"

I stared at the ceiling, flushing from a mix of anger and embarrassment.

"I am here to keep myself from failing."

"Then why is it that over the past hour the only thing that has gotten done was me drawing you a diagram?"

I rolled my eyes and sat up. "Well, Edward, obviously there is a reason I keep failing all my quizzes. I guess you just discovered why."

"Because you have no ambition to learn?" he grumbled leaning back against the squishy leather loveseat in his room. It made a satisfying squelching sound.

I eyed the stacks of CDs laying around his room and edged towards the closest ones, tipping the stack over and fanning them out to stare at the covers.

"Those were alphabetized," Edward mumbled, eyes closed, but even he could tell the words were pointless to me.

"You know what, Edward?" I said, examining the songs on the back of one with a lot of flowers on the front. "I think you need me. You secretly enjoy these little levels of chaos." I put the disk in his huge sound system.

He put his hands over his face and leaned back farther. A low voiced woman started moaning from the stereo. I made a face and ejected the disk, placing it caseless on top of one speaker on purpose just to annoy him. I put in another disk at random.

"Are we done?" He sighed.

I swapped that disk for another, placing it on the other speaker.

"Maybe, I still have English homework if you want to fail at helping me with it."

He stood up, walking over and turning off the stereo just as a gravelly voiced man paused to wail on the banjo (if such a thing was even possible). "I think we're done."

I smiled up at him. "Will you let me take pictures of the woods behind your house?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Why behind my house?"

"I dunno," I said staring out the window behind him with curiosity. "They look different here than by my house. Less…stomped through."

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

He offered me a hand to stand up. "Because when you walk too far in and run into a wild animal, I'm not going to be responsible."

Oh, how the truth comes out.

"I'm not stupid." I snapped.

He glanced pointedly at the blank cat organ worksheet. "No offence, but you're not exactly in the position to be arguing right now."

I had nothing to say to that. I think I just shouted "Oh my God!" but it could have just as easily been "Asshole!" or something to that effect.

I reached out and gathered my things, slinging my backpack on a little too hard. He followed me as I walked down his stairs to let myself out.

We reached the front door and he opened it for me, glaring for all he was worth. I was about to step out when I remembered something.

"Hey, Edward, where's Alice?"

He glare faded into surprise and he said almost automatically, "she's in the kitchen, why-"

I was already walking past him despite not knowing my way around the house. Jessica had recently decided to go dress shopping for prom on Tuesday and when she had told me at the beach my usual fantastic lying abilities had failed me. It was a Tuesday night for crying out loud! What could I possibly be doing on a Tuesday night? So it would be Jessica and Angela shopping for dresses while I just sat in the chair made for fidgeting children and boyfriends with secret second girlfriends.

And then I remembered: the Cullen family is made of a bunch of couples! What were the chances that Alice–energetic, cocky Alice–had not already gotten a dress? She had seemed pretty nice for the few seconds Edward wasn't shoving me, nice enough for me to share my boredom of not needing a dress with at least. And I was sure she'd love to come hang out with people outside her family for once.

I walked through the spotless white living room and found the kitchen through an archway on the right. It was stainless steel and blond wood perfection, unsurprising when I knew the rest of the house was an interior decorator's dream. Alice and Jasper looked up the second I walked into the kitchen. A slightly scruffy looking game board sat between them on the table. I stopped just inside the doorway, a little embarrassed now that I had barged in on them. Edward stopped directly behind me. His frustration encircled me like a dark cloud. I found myself struggling for words with so many eyes on me.

"Hey…Alice, sorry for interrupting. I just was coming to ask you…you know before I left…if you wanted to go with me and Jessica and Angela to go dress shopping on Tuesday." I waited but she wasn't saying anything. "I mean, I just thought maybe…I don't know…it's not a big deal if you don't want to or anything."

She shook her head, apologetic. "I already have a dress."

I nodded, smiling nervously. "Yeah, well, actually I don't need one either. That's kind of why I was asking you to come."

"So we'd just help the others?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She seemed to think for a moment and then smiled at me. "You know what? Yeah, I'll go. I really need to get out of the house."

Edward suppressed a laugh. I turned to glare at him.

"Why are you laughing?"

He gave me a bored stare. "Jesus, Bella." He didn't elaborate.

I debated whether or not I should start a fight. I opened my mouth-

"I'm leaving." I said coldly.

Edward seemed surprised. "Uh, okay."

I took one step past him, mouth closed tight. Edward could kiss my ass.

"Bella, stop." Edward blurted, his voice too loud in the echoing room. I turned and met his gaze but his eyes widened like he suddenly realized something. His voice got a little higher as he rushed to say, "I'll show you out."

My eyebrows lifted in anger. So now I HAD to leave? I kept walking towards the door, I had already made up my mind after all, but took the time to shout, "don't bother, I'll show myself out."

"Wait, I didn't mean that. Let me-"

"What do you want, Edward?" I stopped in front of the door. "Make up your mind!"

A million different emotions flew across Edward's face. I marched forward and slapped him, only realizing I had to decided to do so after the fact.

I stretched out my fingers as Edward stared at me in surprise. I was surprised as well, I was never physically violent.

Edward's eyes hooded over and he sighed deeply. "Hey, Bella," he said, suddenly quiet. "How about we go back to my room and listen to as many CD's as you want."

I shook my head, I was leaving and he wouldn't stop me. "No, Edward, it's-"

"Oh my God!" He shouted suddenly, turning to glare at Alice and Jasper standing in the archway to the living room. "Cut it the fuck out, right now!"

I glanced between him and his siblings in confusion. "Edward, they're not doing anything."

Alice raised one eyebrow seeming equally confused. "What are we doing, Edward?"

He gritted his teeth. "Didn't you say you were leaving, Bella?"

I glared at him, waiting for an explanation. He met me glare for glare.

"I'm leaving." I gave in finally, stiffly.

"See you Tuesday, Bella!" Alice shouted.

Edward practically shoved me back to the door, not even trying to sound happy when he said "see you tomorrow" before shoving the door in my face. I stood on his porch a few seconds before I was finally able to make it down the sidewalk to my truck. I had just as much homework as I had started with and now I was too confused by the weird conversation that had just happened to focus on anything.

I had also, unknowingly, just survived an attack by vampires.

By Monday all I could thing about was how Edward gone completely bipolar within a matter of seconds. Why had he kept telling me to leave if he was only going to ask me to stay right afterwards? And why had he yelled at his siblings for no reason?

I spent all of my morning classes trying to figure out how to ask Edward what happened. He was always a little intense but never so back and forth that I got angry. At lunch I finally texted all of my friends, hoping at least one would text back so that I could take my mind off of the strange happenings of Sunday.

Alex texted me back in seconds.

Hey

Please help me take my mind off something

I beat Lucas with a shovel yesterday

What?

I ran over his dog and while we were digging the grave he was moping so much that I had to shut him up

I stared at the screen for a couple seconds, chewing my sandwich a little slower.

Please tell me you're kidding

Of course I am, but now you're thinking of that now aren't you?

Not now that you reminded me… Anything new?

Juliet's dating some guy named Chance now

I gasped out loud, startling some of my tablemates.

That's the first time that's ever happened!

Right? Rob and Kim broke up

I slapped a hand over my mouth.

What?!

I don't really know what it was about

The class bell rang; lunch was over.

I have to go…class…I'll text her later thanks!

I shoved my phone in my bag and rushed out of the cafeteria. How could they have broken up? My mind was swimming as I entered the biology classroom. It was only as a certain someone sat down next to me that I remembered my reason for texting in the first place.

I turned to face him, he looked pained. "Edward?"

He turned to me, eyebrows drawn low. "Yeah?"

"What was up with you yesterday?"

He clenched his jaw. "Nothing, just some family issues."

"It's just," I continued. "You're not usually so weird."

"SO weird?" he repeated, then stopped. "Never mind, just forget about it."

"No, listen. Every time we talk we always end up fighting. And it's…whatever, not a big deal. But when you start yelling at other people for no reason that's when I have to draw the line."

He sighed. "I told you, we're having family issues. How about we just forget yesterday?"

I shook my head, rolling my eyes. "Fine."

"Good."

My thoughts returned to Kim and Rob. I mean, I guess if I thought about it the signs were there. They were never quite as together looking as say Alex and Sky. Those two couldn't go more than a couple feet from each other at all times. I had just thought that their relationship was more of an alone type thing. But maybe there never was alone time. Maybe it was as cold as it seemed.

Edward turned sharply towards me fists clenched. I started in surprise and stared at him.

"Bella-" He started and then stopped, letting out a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he whispered, gathering his books quickly and leaving the room just as the teacher entered. Class was put off for the couple seconds it took for everyone to look at me as if I had just destroyed Edward in some way. I wanted to scream "I didn't do it!" but then what HAD happened? Edward had seen extremely pissed off from the second he sat down.

After school I ran up to my bedroom, pulled out my phone, and immediately started texting Kim.

Tell me what happened

It took a while for her to respond. Precious seconds that I filled with nervous eating and TV watching.

I broke up with him. She immediately knew what I was talking about.

Why? Sorry…I don't understand

He's…well you know how he is. How could I go out with someone like that?

I thought you liked him…I didn't know

No! No I really like him still it's just…you know he's not the type of guy you take out into public

That stopped me for a moment. Sure Rob was a little bit of a freak, but in a lovable kind of way. I didn't voice my opinion.

So is it awkward because you see him so much?

She took almost a half an hour to reply back. It was enough time for me to finish half my math homework.

I'm not really hanging with the group anymore. Listen…I gtg…bye

I was up for hours that night with one simple thought skimming through me. The group had been broken and of the two they'd kept Rob?

And then, just as I fell asleep, one more came, unwelcome. What had Kim done to get kicked out?

The next day at lunch I was extremely surprised to find Alice sitting at my lunch table. I had texted Jessica and Angela after Alice had agreed to join us, giving them a heads up, but I hadn't expected them to all get together during school.

"Oh, hey, Bella," Alice waved me over. "Finally, you're here. We were thinking we'd hit Marlena's first and then maybe head over to Shoe Gallery after. And if they can't find dresses then there's still Tanya's Tailor and of course that David's Bridal on the corner."

I sat down, barely processing this new adjustment. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Great!" Jessica practically sang. "Afterwards, we figured we could go get dinner at Noodles and Company, you know, to watch our weights."

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes just in time. "Yep, all's good with me."

The sets of smiles smacked me in the face.

Angela asked Alice about her dress and they fell into a deep story about the horrible management at some super exclusive store in Seattle. I pulled out my phone. There was only one person I trusted to give me information about the latest developments with Kim.

Except when I texted Jack he didn't text back.

Not during lunch.

Not during a strangely Edward-less Biology.

Not during Gym.

He never texted me back.