Disclaimer: Twilight and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Jessica0306 is my beta and the one who makes this legible.

The weather was a complete contradiction to Edward's emotions. Sitting outside while he was between classes, he stewed while he chain smoked. Down below he watched students and faculty mosey about here and there. The sun beat down enough to give everyone a soft glow, boosting a little more optimism in their steps. It pissed Edward off. He had taken a few days to try and cool off after that tiff at the diner because he had wanted to pull himself together and regroup. He thought maybe Bella would make it easier on him by calling or stopping by, but each day he heard nothing.

The night of the fallout he had hoped he would run into her when they were all supposed to meet up at the diner. He had it in his mind that maybe if he found a friend for her, who wasn't all tied up in their relationships like Rosalie and Alice, that maybe she would stop hanging out with Jacob so much. He knew it was dumb and condescending, but his lab partner was a nice chick. He also knew from some brief chitchat with her that she didn't have many friends close by. He only invited her that night to introduce her to Bella.

But then she never showed. Alice showed up alone. Edward grew anxious. It hurt that she didn't even try. She didn't even want to see him. So, he made up an excuse and took off while Rosalie and Alice were in the bathroom. He felt bad leaving Emily with strangers, but she took it in stride. She was pretty easy going.

Edward had gone to Bella's. No one was there. Well, he assumed. All the lights were out. No one answered the door. There were no sounds coming from inside. His anxiety grew into anger. He knew where she was. If she wasn't with Alice or Rosalie (and he was standing right there in front of an empty apartment) there could be only one place left. So, he left.

Flicking his cigarette over the railing, he reached down and picked up the Christmas present Bella had given him. He had been keeping it with him, in his bag, making sure to be careful with it. He would set the bag down gently and maneuver away from pushy pedestrians.

He held it up by the fraying ribbon that looped out from the top between his finger and thumb. This caused the attached pinecone to spin ever so gently. After a moment, he stopped the motion with his other hand so that he could get a good look at the picture that had been glued onto the rough grain. Green sparkles shimmered around the photograph framing two young, smiling kids. Bella had made the ornament when they were still in the single digit age group. He remembered her smiling shyly as she pointed towards the badly constructed object that she had hung from her Christmas tree all those years ago.

When he had opened it, it almost broke his heart. He couldn't believe she had kept it. The picture was of them. It had been taken at one of his birthday parties. They both had Kool-Aid stained mouths and wild hair, but they were smiling like nobody's business.

Edward had contemplated running away. He knew it was only a matter of time before he would run into her since they mingled with the same people. He was sure there were some schools in Chicago that would be happy to take him. It was still early in the semester. Common sense shook him of that idea. His best friends were here. His parents annoyed him. The campus was large, and he head never seen her there besides the times he went out of his way to find her. He would just have to limit the activities that involved close encounters, like the diner. No group functions. He was determined to keep far away.

Edward still couldn't shake the dread that followed him after his confrontation at Bella's apartment. He saw him drop her off. He saw him kiss her. He saw how she didn't pull away. How she waved him goodbye. How she seemed placated until she noticed Edward.

She had accused him of cheating. He had no idea what Alice and Rosalie told her, but they weren't in his good graces right then either. He'd deal with them later. He didn't have the energy at that point for another confrontation or two.

Naturally, Edward hadn't been sleeping well. To cover his tired eyes he donned pair of sunglasses. With those in place, clothes disheveled, hair a mess, and a fresh cigarette between his lips, Edward made his way to class. It was almost unfair how put together he looked to the outside world. His just-rolled-out-of-bed attitude actually seemed to draw him more attention… from both sexes.

It was a complete surprise to both of them when their paths crossed that day. Edward wanted to give the finger to the sky. At least he had the advantage of wearing sunglasses to hide his eyes. He saw her. Of course he saw her.

Bella was a mess when she noticed him. Seeing him make his way in her direction caused her to stop in her tracks. She waited. She started going over and over how she could apologize. What she should say. How she should act. Just as he got close, she went to say hello, but he walked on past.

He acted like he didn't know her or see her. He didn't acknowledge her presence. No head bob, no glare, no sneer. It was like she didn't exist. She wasn't even a blip on his radar. She never felt so close to worthlessness in her life.

She watched his retreating form until it disappeared through the building doors. He didn't turn back once.

Once seated, Edward rested his head on his desk. He had no idea how he was supposed to keep this up. The moving back to Chicago idea didn't seem so idiotic to him anymore. Pretending like Bella didn't matter had been one of the hardest things he had ever done. He couldn't help wondering why she stopped. What she had planned to say. There was no way he could have stood there listening to a halfhearted apology about kissing another guy. No way.

The Windy City wasn't so bad. He had some good times there. Yeah, most of them were a little reckless, but he didn't have to be so careless this go around. When classes let out, he made a bee line to the administration office.

Bella had pulled her phone out of her bag. She hadn't left the spot where she stopped to wait for him. Through her sobs she called Alice.

"Bella… are you OK?" Alice asked.

"No, I just saw Edward. He totally blanked me."