And so the weeks went by.
Ari, being the wildly social person that she was, quickly rose in popularity, until it seemed she had everyone as a friend. Well, everyone except Jasper's family and a blond girl by the name of Lauren, but the overview was still the same; Ari was popular in a way she had never been in Phoenix, and it didn't affect her one bit.
She still went with me almost everywhere, and she still sat with Jasper every day at lunch. The attention of our small school didn't go to her head, as her behavior stayed the same. And, of course, she still poked her nose into my future whenever the opportunity presented itself.
As I slowly worked my way out to the car across the ice that covered our driveway, Ari laughed. "Bella, your face is so serious! You look like an old man."
"Shut up, Ari, I'm trying to concentrate." I grumbled at her, focusing on my feet. I really didn't like snow, not at all, but ice was worse by far, and with Ari talking to me, I felt like I could take a tumble at any moment.
She sighed, then informed patiently, "You are not going to fall, I promise. But watch out for the-" My feet almost skidded out from under me, and I grabbed the side mirror in desperation, only just catching myself.
Ari winced, then finished, "The patch near the door."
"You suck." I said, pulling myself inside.
Ari entered the truck without difficulty, complaining, "Bella, I tried to tell you, okay? But I saw it like, two seconds before you slipped. And you caught yourself! So don't yell at me, I can't help it. You're going to have to watch out today. I don't think you'll slip. . ."
She trailed off, deep in thought, probably combing my future for possible falls. I drove painfully slow on the black ice, afraid of carving a path of destruction right down the middle of the highway, but, miraculously, we made it to school without incident, and I climbed out and spotted snow chains on the tires. "Ari, look. Charlie put snow chains on for us."
"That's nice." she said absently, frowning, clearly worried by something.
"What-" A high, loud, screeching sound cut me off, and she shouted, "Bella!"
Before I knew what was happening, a dark blue van was spinning right at me, so fast I didn't have time to blink before it came. Just before I expected the impact, something hard and cold hit me from a different direction, pinning me to the ground. Someone cursed, and I was aware of a person pulling me to safety, then the van stopped with the sound of popping glass. Silence followed, then screams, and I could hear people calling my name, the closest being my sister.
Edward Cullen's voice breathed in my ear, "Bella? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." I managed to say, then Ari came around the truck to us and immediately smothered me in a back-breaking hug, barely noticing Edward in her haste, tears streaming down her face.
"My God, Bella! I was so scared-I thought you were going to die! I couldn't. . . It happened too fast! Thank God you're okay!" she babbled hysterically, eyes casting around wildly. "My God, I was right there! And I didn't do anything!"
"Ari, it's okay." I said, then became very aware of two things: Edward was also holding me, in an iron-tight grip, and my head hurt like crazy. "Ow."
Ari let me go, worrying, "Do you need an ambulance? Where are you hurt?"
"My head. It's okay, Ari, I just hit it." I said, and she nodded, visibly fighting to calm down. She said, "Okay. Okay. I'm going now. They have to know you guys are still alive, God."
And then she disappeared.
Ari, being the wildly social person that she was, quickly rose in popularity, until it seemed she had everyone as a friend. Well, everyone except Jasper's family and a blond girl by the name of Lauren, but the overview was still the same; Ari was popular in a way she had never been in Phoenix, and it didn't affect her one bit.
She still went with me almost everywhere, and she still sat with Jasper every day at lunch. The attention of our small school didn't go to her head, as her behavior stayed the same. And, of course, she still poked her nose into my future whenever the opportunity presented itself.
As I slowly worked my way out to the car across the ice that covered our driveway, Ari laughed. "Bella, your face is so serious! You look like an old man."
"Shut up, Ari, I'm trying to concentrate." I grumbled at her, focusing on my feet. I really didn't like snow, not at all, but ice was worse by far, and with Ari talking to me, I felt like I could take a tumble at any moment.
She sighed, then informed patiently, "You are not going to fall, I promise. But watch out for the-" My feet almost skidded out from under me, and I grabbed the side mirror in desperation, only just catching myself.
Ari winced, then finished, "The patch near the door."
"You suck." I said, pulling myself inside.
Ari entered the truck without difficulty, complaining, "Bella, I tried to tell you, okay? But I saw it like, two seconds before you slipped. And you caught yourself! So don't yell at me, I can't help it. You're going to have to watch out today. I don't think you'll slip. . ."
She trailed off, deep in thought, probably combing my future for possible falls. I drove painfully slow on the black ice, afraid of carving a path of destruction right down the middle of the highway, but, miraculously, we made it to school without incident, and I climbed out and spotted snow chains on the tires. "Ari, look. Charlie put snow chains on for us."
"That's nice." she said absently, frowning, clearly worried by something.
"What-" A high, loud, screeching sound cut me off, and she shouted, "Bella!"
Before I knew what was happening, a dark blue van was spinning right at me, so fast I didn't have time to blink before it came. Just before I expected the impact, something hard and cold hit me from a different direction, pinning me to the ground. Someone cursed, and I was aware of a person pulling me to safety, then the van stopped with the sound of popping glass. Silence followed, then screams, and I could hear people calling my name, the closest being my sister.
Edward Cullen's voice breathed in my ear, "Bella? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." I managed to say, then Ari came around the truck to us and immediately smothered me in a back-breaking hug, barely noticing Edward in her haste, tears streaming down her face.
"My God, Bella! I was so scared-I thought you were going to die! I couldn't. . . It happened too fast! Thank God you're okay!" she babbled hysterically, eyes casting around wildly. "My God, I was right there! And I didn't do anything!"
"Ari, it's okay." I said, then became very aware of two things: Edward was also holding me, in an iron-tight grip, and my head hurt like crazy. "Ow."
Ari let me go, worrying, "Do you need an ambulance? Where are you hurt?"
"My head. It's okay, Ari, I just hit it." I said, and she nodded, visibly fighting to calm down. She said, "Okay. Okay. I'm going now. They have to know you guys are still alive, God."
And then she disappeared.