Chapter twenty-four. I'm gonna scream.

"It's illegal", she snapped, "You're still fifteen, Bella. And my word is final. You are NOT allowed to have a relationship with Edward. End of conversation."

She turned to leave, but that only pushed me further.

"You can't tell me what to do", I screamed at her back. Then said the words. "YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!"

When it slipped out of my mouth, I felt happy. Oddly, I felt triumphant. I had gotten one. The scores were up to me. Bella one, Esme zero.

Esme halted in her steps. Her hand was on the door handle, but she didn't turn it. She didn't walk out. She stopped. She froze. Then turned around. And when I saw her face. It felt like I had stabbed her. Then stabbed myself.

"I'm sorry", I blurted out. They're the words I thought of first. Esme was expressionless but I swear I saw a flash of hurt because she recomposed herself. "I didn't mean –"

"No", she said calmly, "I'm not your biological mother. But I've raised you since birth Bella. I've taken care of you like you were my own. Because…you are my own, to me. So, not as your mother but as your legal carer, I forbid you to date or have any type of relationship apart from friendship with Edward Masen. Is that clear?"

I nodded blankly. Not because I was agreeing to her words. Not because I felt guilty of what I said, but because of her expression. Esme had never been expressionless and hard with me before. Her voice had never held authority over me. We fought, as mothers and daughters did, but never in my life did she show me a firm decision like she was doing now.

"Good", she replied, "Carlisle wants to speak to you in his study. Tell him I'll be joining you soon but I asked him to start."

"What does dad wanna talk to me about?" I asked timidly.

"Go and find out", she said coldly. Then walked out of my room, with red eyes.

I stayed still for a while. Going over the conversation with Esme. Slapping myself mentally every time I realised what I had said to her. She was my mother. Not biologically, but she was.

What I had said was low. Very low. I had hit somewhere I shouldn't have. Once again I was messing things up. Why couldn't I just agree with her?

More of all, why didn't she want me to go out with Edward? She liked Edward. I knew that she did. Then why…?

I couldn't understand it. It wasn't that he was too old for me. Alice was going out with someone older. Esme didn't argue about that. Emmett and Rosalie did worst things than me and Edward ever even thought about. Esme was ok with that.

Somehow I felt like everyone and not only Esme, but also everyone was tiptoeing around me. Careful around me. Too careful. Like I was so breakable. And the only person who was actually treating me like a fifteen year old and not a 2-month-old baby was Edward. He was the only one who wasn't so cautious around me.

Why was Esme acting so strict towards me and not towards Alice and Emmett?

But then again, I bet neither Alice nor Emmett had said those words to her. They didn't hurt her like I just did.

The TV was playing downstairs. I could hear laughter. Emmett being the loudest. But I also heard Rosalie, Edward, Jasper and Alice's voices too. They were happy. They wouldn't have hurt Esme like I just did.

With a long sigh I walked to my dad's study and knocked on the door.

"Come in", said Carlisle's voice. He looked up as I walked in and closed the door behind me.

"Hey, mom said to start without her", I told him as I got straight to the point, "what's this 'talk' about dad?"

"Oh…I thought Esme and I were going to discuss this with you together", said my father with his eyebrows furrowed. He dropped his pen and pushed some papers aside. Gesturing a large black sofa, I was guessing he wanted me to sit down.

This couldn't be good.

"What's going on?" I asked him curiously as I went to sit.

As Carlisle was about to speak, another small knock made me jump. The door opened and my mother stood on the other side. She walked in silently, with her eyes on the floor and went to sit on the sofa. On the opposite side of me. Far from me.

"Everything alright, love?" asked Carlisle curiously studying her face.

"Perfectly content", said Esme. Her voice was shaky. There were no signs on her face that she had been crying but I knew it anyway. My words had stabbed her. Betrayed her.

"Alright then Bella", started my father, staring straight at me, "we'd like to talk to you about some things…some issues that has been concerning us."

"Like what?" I asked suspiciously.

"Your diet firstly", said Esme. Once again she spoke harshly. There was no usual softness to her voice. "You haven't been eating well Bella. And today at dinner, you didn't eat at all. What's going on with that?"

"I just didn't feel hungry", I told her truthfully, "I don't…I mean, I do eat. I've been eating. I eat everyday. Else I wouldn't be here right now."

"You eat, but you don't eat as regularly as you should", explained Carlisle, "you've lost so much weight in the last couple of weeks. You don't have breakfast, you rarely eat lunch then only sometimes you eat dinner. That's not very healthy."

"There's nothing wrong with my diet", I snapped, getting angry again, "I'm not…I'm not starving myself or anything. I swear! I just…just don't like eating sometimes."

"You have a problem with food?" asked Esme staring at me. Her voice had softened. That made me feel better. Though her question didn't.

"I just…don't like eating", I muttered, "I'm not on a supermodel diet. I don't really care about my figure or crap like that. I'm not anorexic."

"But you can't eat", finished Carlisle, "and that's a problem Bella. You're very under weight, did you know that? For a fifteen year old…it's not healthy."

"I can't help it", I told him shrugging, "I don't like eating. It's like a chore to me. I will eat. When I'm hungry. When I'm not, I don't."

A moment's silence filled in after what I had said. I looked over to Esme. She didn't spare me a glance.

"You need to see a specialist", said Carlisle at last breaking the silence.

"No", I told him calmly, "I'm not seeing a shrink. Its just food."

"Yes Bella. Food. An essential part of living", Esme pointed out harshly, "you will collapse and faint with the diet that you're on. If you don't eat, we're going to have to make sure that you want to eat."

"But I don't want to eat", I shot back at her. Turning my head away I took in a deep breath. I didn't want to say anything unnecessary. I had hurt enough people already. Now my own parents wanted to send me off to see a psychiatrist.

"Then this person will help you", said Carlisle softly, "Bella, anorexia nervosa can kill. You could…die."

"I'm not anorexic", I screamed. Standing up to my feet, I suddenly felt rage again. Why didn't they believe me?

"I'm not going to see any fucking shrink", I snapped at both of them.

"Don't use that language in my house", hissed Esme, standing up as well.

"Then stop judging me", I shouted back at her, "I do eat food. I just don't like to."

"Then that's your problem right there", said Carlisle, oddly calm and still sitting down, "we've been watching you Bella and it's gotten worst. At this rate, you'll end up in hospital in less than a month."

I stayed silent. I didn't know what to say. It seemed the whole house was silent too.

"Can you…can you give me a last chance?" I whispered, not looking at Esme or Carlisle but staring at the floor.

Edward's POV.

"I'm NOT anorexic!"

Bella's voice rang through the house. Emmett's laughter suddenly stopped. We all froze and listened.

"I'm not going to see any fucking shrink", she carried on screaming. Alice gripped Jasper hand and I felt the tension in the room.

Emmett's face had turn to one of pain. He bit his lip and this was the first time I actually saw him so seriously focused.

Grabbing the remote out of Rosalie's hand he switched off the TV and we carried on listening.

"Don't use that language in my house", snapped Esme. I was shocked by her voice. Very surprised. I hadn't known Esme Cullen for long but I had never heard her loose herself like that.

Somehow I felt very apprehensive to hear her shouting at Bella like that. What were they arguing about? Something to do with seeing a shrinking?

They were sending Bella to the mad house or something?

"Then stop judging me", Bella continued to scream in rage. I gripped the edge of the sofa to stop myself from running upset to comfort her.

"I do eat food. I just don't like to", she yelled furiously. I thought I heard a stomp too.

Then there was silence. Alice sniffed and turned her face into Jasper's chest. The rest of us didn't dare to move.

I couldn't help feeling guilty. Bella was now arguing with her mother. Was it my fault? Something to do with me? Surely it was. Esme had caught Bella and I in a situation that she shouldn't have. I cringed at the thought of Bella getting punished because of something that we both did. Then flinched again, would Esme call my parents?

My parents weren't normal heart to heart sort of people. My father, Edward Senior had never once in his life ever even told me that he loved me. That was fine with me. My mother, though she showed her love at times was also very distant from me.

They were both too busy with their constant business trips. That's why for my whole life my aunt had looked me after. My father's sister, Elizabeth.

Aunt Liz wasn't strict with me, which I liked but she was often stern. In a way, she was like a second mother to me. Better than my own mother in anyway.

"Why were they arguing?" Alice's small shaky voice brought me snapping back to reality.

"It sounded like mom and Bella…", Emmett trailed off. We were all breathing quietly, all very silent as if creeping past a lion.

"They've never shouted at eachother like that before", said Alice sounding concerned, "Emmett, do you know why they were shouting?"

"I'm going upstairs to see Bella", said Emmett standing up. Just as he did, Bella came running down the stairs with a sprint. She took one look at all of us, and her eyes flickered at the TV. I could see that her beautiful brown orbs rested on me for a couple of seconds.

Then rage fumed out of her.

"Listening, were you?" she snapped as her eyes burnt showing hurt and anger, "well, I hope you heard what you wanted to hear!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Rosalie, reaching out for Bella.

"Bella! Come back", Esme called out as she, too, came running down the stairs followed by Carlisle.

Bella took one look at her parents then back at me.

"Stay away from me", she screamed, stomping towards the door, "I'm not sick, I'm not anorexic and I will not see any fucking shrink!"

Ripping the door open, before anyone could make any moves, Bella ran out. I was only aware of the fact that Carlisle had murmured something about Bella taking his wallet. And his keys.

"What's going on?" Alice asked her mother. Pure panic and confusion flashed on Emmett's face.

"What did you shout at her for?" he snapped at Esme.

"It was a misunderstanding", said Carlisle, "Emmett stop her! She's got my keys –"

"Bella! Don't –"

"Why were you arguing?"

"A shrink? You're sending her to a shrink?" Alice's high-pitched scream wasn't even enough to stop my head from spinning.

We all ran out of the house and watched as Bella turned on the engine of Carlisle's car and with one last desperate glance at me, she backed out and drove away.

"I'm going after her", declared Emmett, racing towards his car.

"Let her go, son", said Carlisle holding him back, "she'll come back soon, let her go."

I was only aware of Alice calling out Bella's name even though she wouldn't hear it. I was aware of Jasper trying to calm down Alice. I was aware of Rosalie consulting Emmett. I was aware of the small sobs that escaped Esme's lips.

And I was so confused.