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Word Prompt: Fence

Dialogue Flex: "What time is it?" he asked.

Using the provided snippet of dialogue, explore what comes to mind, be it a scene, a thought, or something else.

Not beta'd.

I'm at a total loss for words. It must show on my face because she speaks again.

"Sorry. I came straight from work. I don't normally look this bad." Her perfectly manicured hand sweeps down her body, drawing my attention to the pink scrubs she's wearing. What I really notice is her hourglass figure and legs that look longer than my entire body. The eyes I couldn't see in the photo, the ones that were hidden behind the icons, are deep blue and soulful.

"You are Bella, aren't you?"

I snap out of my daze, forcing a smile to my lips. "Yes."

"I'm Rosalie. Edward asked me to pick you up. There was an emergency at the hospital, and he was unavoidably detained."

"Unavoidably detained?"

She smiles, not the reassuring kind, but one that says: I'm not going to bullshit you.

"A train derailed; total chaos. The med students don't normally see this kind of situation except during simulated training exercises. It was a great chance for them to deal with a disaster of this magnitude firsthand."

Her blonde curls extend halfway down her back and bounce each time she moves her head.

"Is he okay?"

"Oh honey, he's fine. He thrives on this stuff."

I nod, accepting the pieces of the story she's given me.

"I apologize for being so late picking you up. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell him. It will just give him another excuse to be pissy with me. I'm sure you know how he can be."

At least it's not just me he's moody with.

"A little. I haven't known him very long."

"If you've known him at all, you've probably seen that temper of his. He wasn't always like that." She adds the last part quietly, almost as an afterthought.

I feel a little deceitful hearing details about him that he hasn't wanted to share himself, especially from her.

"Rosalie, it's really kind of you to drive me home, but my friend said I could stay with her on campus. It's probably a better idea since I'm not sure how I'll get back tomorrow. I haven't had time arrange for a new rideshare partner yet."

"So you have seen his temper." Her laugh is carefree. She checks her mirrors and eases the car into traffic. The route to my apartment appears on the GPS screen once the car starts to move.

"It was my fault. I pushed him to open up to me."

"Bella, it's not you. He's angry at the whole world right now. I'm happy that you're trying to get to know him. He needs more people in his corner."

Her encouragement that I should get to know her boyfriend better is peculiar. I have to fight not to shake my head at her.

"He doesn't think so. He told me he doesn't have time for a social life."

She snorts. "That's a load of crap."

"Do the two of you work together?" Maybe that's why he has time for her.

"Hopefully one day we will, depending on his specialty and whether he stays in the area after he's finished school. I'm a paediatrician. I'm not sure Edward wants to work with kids."

The idea of Edward and children is foreign. It only serves to remind me how little I actually know about him. It's probably better things have turned out the way they have, before I had time to really fall for him, before I get my heart broken.

"Can you drop me at Bissell Hall?"

"Bella, Edward would never forgive me if I left you stranded on campus."

"Quite honestly, Rosalie, I don't think Masen would give a shit if I were lost in a dark forest, surrounded by a pack of wolves."

"If that were true, do you think he would have gone to the trouble of arranging a ride for you?"

"He's honouring the commitment he made, because that's the kind of guy that he is. It has nothing to do with me."

"Nonsense. You're important to him, even if he hasn't realized it yet."

I laugh. I can't help myself. What she's saying is absurd. Why would I be important to him when he has her? How can I be important and shut out of his life? I truly want to know, and I have a feeling Rosalie could probably explain why Masen treats me the way he does, but I'm sitting on the fence about asking her. It's perverted and, quite frankly, desperate to ask someone's girlfriend to explain why her guy flirts and fights with me in equal parts. The bottom line is that Masen doesn't want me to know him. He probably doesn't even want me in his life anymore. Figuring out who he is won't change what's happened, and while it might satisfy my curiosity, it could just as easily hurt me. It's safer not to know.

"If you say so. You know him better than I do. How long have you guys been together anyway?"

She makes a noise that sounds like a combination of a shriek and laugh, then clamps a hand over her mouth. Her wide eyes give nothing away.

"Sorry, that was rude," she says once she's composed herself. "I was under the assumption that my brother told you who I was."

A/N: Lots of great guesses about who was in the car. Now you know. I still suck in the review reply department, but not because I don't care. I care a great deal. Time is just limited. In fact, I may have to skip posting for a couple of days. I should have my schedule worked out by tomorrow, and I'll let you know then, if I'm able. Thank you for all of your support on this story.

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