Self-Preservation
"You're overreacting," Masen calls from behind me as I stalk towards the detention room.
"Am I, now?" I call back.
"Yes."
"And why would you say that?"
"Because absolutely every one goes through this, and not once has anyone resisted," he exclaims, and I can tell that his hands are thrown up in the air from the tone of his voice.
"Not everyone," I turn around, walking backwards, with a smirk, "The people of La Push don't have mates."
His face scrunches up, "Don't even bring up those freaks; that's not the point anyway."
"Then what's the point?" I turn back around.
"The point is that you're overreacting," he hisses in my ear, grabbing my wrist.
I yank it out of his grip and turn on him.
"I tell you that I'm afraid of losing myself. I tell you that I don't want to lose my friends. I tell you that I don't want my world to revolve around you. I tell you that I never wanted this. And what do you do?" I point my finger in his face, "You force me to leave my friends, and then you threaten to take away my freewill."
His jaw drops.
Maybe he gets it now.
"You're not as bright as you like to think you are Edward," it doesn't escape my notice that this is the first time I've ever called him by his name, "And maybe I don't know a lot about this whole mating thing, but . . ." I choke on my words.
Sorrow etches his face, and I can tell he understands now.
"You don't know anything about me; and maybe that's not your fault," I add when I see that he's about to intercede, "But you do know what I'm afraid of, and you knew when you said what you said that it would hurt me. And while I haven't been nice to you, it hasn't been with the intent to hurt you."
"Then what is it?"
"Self-preservation."
A/N: Interesting . . .
~ Madison~