In spite of my reluctance, I finally returned to school. I did it pretty much against my will, but I returned nonetheless, and really felt I should get some credit for it. Not knowing what to expect, I was hoping that the novelty of the drama had worn off during my suspension, and, to my relief, it almost seemed like it had. Sure, every now and then I would hear people quietly wondering if I was back from the mental institution, but all in all, it wasn't as bad as I had expected. The morning of that first day was fairly uneventful.

At lunch, I sat down with my siblings in the cafeteria as usual to pass the time. As I sat there and the minutes slowly passed, I couldn't help but catch bits and pieces of the murmur of thoughts surrounding me. As time passed and more and more people gathered, it started to really get to me. I tried to zone out most of it, but some stuff still managed to slip past my defenses.

… should put her in therapy …

… probably on steroids, like her brother … I mean, look at those biceps …

… fucking weirdos, the lot of them …

"How you holdin' up, champ?" asked Emmet, suddenly.

I smiled and tried to shake it off.

I was glad they were all talking to me again. I had been avoiding them for some time, afraid that they would treat me differently after what I'd done, but once I actually started talking to them properly, I found that, for the most part, they were all pretty much the same as always.

I guess I'm lucky to have such a forgiving family.

Jasper and Alice followed me to biology class, and tried their best to keep my mind off things. I realized that they were probably also worried about me being within arms reach of Edward again, but I didn't bust on them for it. After all, I guess they had reason enough to be concerned.

Before I headed in to take my seat, I turned to Alice and asked her something I had been wondering for quite some time: "I just need to know … did you know I was going to hurt Edward?"

She shook her head and smiled.

"You're always the hardest person to keep track off, since you make most of your decisions in the spur of the moment."

… proves that you're not a bad person, just impulsive, thought Jasper, his head slightly tilted to the right. I gave him a pat on the shoulder and headed for my seat. As I waited for class to begin, I swore to myself that I would try to be civil to Edward. No matter what he did or said, I wouldn't lose my cool. Once was enough.

The room soon filled up with students, and since Edward Cullen seemed to be nowhere in sight, I figured that maybe he was sick today. Just then, right as class was about to start, he came trailing in through the door. Instead of heading for his usual seat next to me, he approached Mr. Banner and asked – quite loudly, but without looking at me – if he could please be appointed a new seat.

Mr. Banner looked in my direction, confused for a moment before he remembered what had happened, and replied: "Of course, sport."

Edward was seated in the back, and a mousy, shy girl named Tracy was moved up to the empty seat at my table. Had there been blood in my veins, I probably would have blushed, but I tried my best to appear unaffected by the whole situation.

Afterward, I decided not to approach him, despite thinking that I was probably expected to say something. Instead, I grabbed my phone and called up Jacob.

"What you up to, loser?" I asked.

"Well, I'm definitely not stalking you, that's for damn sure."

"Wanna hang after school?"

"Damn right I do."

"See you then, you bum."

The anticipation of getting to spend time with Jacob made the rest of the day a lot easier to handle, and by the end of it, I was actually in a rather good mood. I was in a hurry to head home, excited to tell Jacob all about Edward dissing me in biology. As I headed for the parking lot to meet up with my siblings, I stopped for a moment to tighten my shoe laces, and just then someone brushed past me in such a rush I almost fell to the ground. I looked up to find it was none other than Edward and decided, for whatever reason – in the spur of the moment, as Alice would say – to call out his name.

"Hey, Edward! Wait up!" He didn't react, but kept going, so I tried again: "Hang on, I wanna talk to you."

Running without really thinking about why, I caught up with him and lightly placed my hand on his healthy shoulder to slow him down. He suddenly swung around – almost as if I had given him an electric shock – and shouted: "Don't touch me! I don't want to talk to you."

I was taken aback by his reaction and backed off immediately, not wanting to cause another scene.

"I – I just wanted to say –"

"I don't wanna hear it. Please, go away."

"I'm sorry, okay. I never meant to hurt you, I just lost my temper –"

"Oh!" he said, gesturing wildly with his uninjured arm. "You lost your temper? Well, I guess that makes everything okay then!"

"That's not what I'm saying. Just let me talk!" I said, speaking fast so that he wouldn't get the chance to interrupt. "I just haven't been myself at all for a very long time, and you just, you bring out this side of me that I can't explain – like you somehow bring out the worst in me –"

"Awesome, now you're insulting me again."

He turned his back and tried to walk away, but I immediately blocked his path, continuing my desperate attempt at an explanation: "No, no, not like that. I know I was way out of line, and I honestly am sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone. For what it's worth, I would take it back if I could."

"Why should I believe anything you have to say? You have never shown me anything but contempt, even when I've tried to be nice to you. I thought at first that maybe you were different from every other, self-absorbed teenage girl in this godforsaken school. I thought you were cool, and maybe we could be friends, but you shot me down from the very start. So what honest reason do you have for being sorry, since you obviously can't stand to even be around me?"

I hesitated for a moment. He did have a point.

"Well, so maybe I can't convince you, but I am being honest – I really am. I just wanted to at least try and explain, and now, well, I have. It doesn't change anything, I know that. It doesn't make your shoulder magically better. But, I just … I am sorry."

He looked straight at me for a few seconds, apparently considering whether he should believe me or not. He snorted a couple of times, shifting his weight and slightly shaking his head.

"I'm not forgiving you," he said. "You broke bones in my body I didn't even know I had. Because of you, I now have a metal plate holding my shoulder together. You can be damn sure I'm not forgiving you." He takes a deep breath. "That being said, I guess you deserve some credit for coming up to me like this. Happy?"

"It's a start."

"Bella, hey!"

I turn my head to the left, trying to find the source of that call. Jacob. Right. And what a splendidly awkward time for him to arrive. He walked up to us, smiling widely from eye to eye and greeted me with a light pat on the back.

"Hey. Oh, uh. Edward, this is my friend Jacob. Jake, Edward."

They politely shook hands, and then we all stood in silence for a moment, suddenly at a loss for words. Just as it started to feel unbearable, I cleared my throat and said: "Well, I won't bother you anymore. But, thanks for … listening, I guess."