I don't own Twilight. I do own a map to Robert Burns Memorial Park and a strong aversion to haggis. See below.

Chapter 12

They sat in the library, not reading, just thinking. Tyler was mad. Bella was incredulous. Edward was smug.

Tyler got to his feet and started pacing back and forth behind the table. He was trying to gather his thoughts. He couldn't believe that his friends would do that to some one. And in his name too. That made it worse. He never wanted some one to be punished for his actions. What happened to him was punishment enough and he would have to live with it for the rest of his life. But to hurt an innocent bystander, a good person like Bella, for his idiocy really pissed him off. He also did not understand why Bella took it. Why wouldn't she say something or do something when they started to treat her badly?

"Why didn't you say something, Bella? Why did you let them treat you like that?" Tyler didn't stop his pacing, he just asked his questions and kept moving.

Bella sighed, it was an easy question to answer but hard for her at the same time. It made her feel weak, like she couldn't take it, and she could take it, she had for months. She didn't need or want a champion to help her, but Tyler became her champion. She didn't want him, or anyone outside of school to know. To know that it hurt her feelings and her pride to be ignored by her peers even though her peers were idiots.

"What could anyone do? You can't force someone to talk to you if they don't want to. It wasn't as if I had lots of friends before the accident, so I didn't really miss out on much. How would I prove that the student body was ignoring me? It's not like I went out of my way to fit in either. I'm not the kind of person to get in someone's face and say notice me. No one did anything to me physically, they just didn't talk to me. There also wasn't anyone here that I really wanted to talk to anyway. I liked reading with you but we didn't chat in the halls or anything." Bella got up and stood in Tyler's path

"Thank you for defending me. You didn't have to do that. I hope we can still get together every day to read. I also hope you didn't lose any of your friends because of me. They are good friends to you, they were hurt and scared that you were injured. Most of them did what they did as a way of supporting you. It was completely the wrong way but when do kids our age ever really think things through enough to do things the right way? What they did was stupid, thoughtless and cruel but they did it because they love you. For the rest I'm sure it was just peer pressure. I can forgive them for what they did to me because it was for you. Can you do that? Do you think you can forgive them and let things go back to normal?"

"I don't know." Tyler would have to think about that for a long time.

"Just try, okay? So look, after all that, I need a couple of minutes in the girls room. Would you wait here for me and I'll be back in a bit?"

Tyler nodded and Bella reached up, gave him a hug and a little kiss on the cheek.

Bella quickly walked out of the library and as soon as she was out of sight she ran to the nearest bathroom. Thankful that it was empty she locked herself in a stall and sat on the closed toilet. She held her head in her hands and tried to calm down. There were too many things to think about, she'd have to prioritize them to think about later. Her father was working a night shift and she wasn't working tonight so she would have lots of time at home alone to work through everything. She scrubbed her hands over her face and tilted her head back. She just sat for a minute in the quiet bathroom and collected herself. She got up and washed her hands out of habit. She avoided the mirror and walked slowly back to the library.

While Bella was gone, Edward took the opportunity to commend Tyler for keeping his temper in check. Edward was really proud of the way Tyler conducted himself, shocked by the revelation about Mike and his crush on Bella, and still smug that he had orchestrated the whole thing. All in all he felt it was a good days work.

When Bella returned to the library, picked up The Goblet of Fire and started reading like nothing had happened, Edward took it as his cue to get out of there. He walked out to his car and drove to the diner for lunch. As he ate he thought of what Bella had said, about the obvious maturity and poise she had. He could almost understand where she was coming from but still she confounded him. She was just a kid, like his sister, she was acting more mature than anyone her age should. If he was honest with himself, she was acting more mature than he had been acting for the past few years. He owed her an apology.

So, he made a promise to himself that after work he would go to her house and apologize, clear the air between them and ease his conscious. He paid his bill and started to walk back to his car. As he neared his parking spot he noticed a florist. Perfect! He'd bring her some flowers to soften her up, girls liked flowers. He ducked into the shop and emerged a few minutes later with a small bouquet. It was one of their pre-made bunches of flowers with lots of variegated carnations and baby's breath. They didn't have a lot to choose from and he hoped that she liked pink. He laid the bouquet on the passenger seat of his car and headed back to the school, very pleased with himself.

AN: But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,

In proving foresight may be vain:

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men

Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Part of Robert Burns "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough".

I dare you not to speak with an accent for ten minutes after reading it.