The days without Edward were fairly easy to clear. I almost never needed more than two or three attempts. It appeared Bella's GPA was important, as were her interactions with key characters. Skipping from grade 7 to grade 11 meant I had to pay more attention in class than I was used to but as the subject matter stayed the same and the days would repeat if I didn't get something important right the first time, it wasn't a big deal.

Spanish was the most tricky. The only Spanish I knew I'd learned from Dora the Explorer. Somehow, "Hola Soy Dora, ¡Lo hicimos!, Feliz Compleaños, rojo, azul," and "unos, dos, tres, cuatro," just didn't seem that useful.

I carried a tape recorder to class and memorized corrected oral responses. Ben Cheney helped me with the written work tutoring me. This weird version of Twilight was fine with me getting help from a tutor. Well, it was almost fine with me getting help from a tutor. The first person on the Spanish tutoring signup sheet was Jasper who probably needed the volunteer hours to graduate. The day reset if I tried to get help in Spanish from him. He was a good tutor for all that the day would reset if he tutored me. I think maybe the universe didn't want the vampires to know how stupid I am in Spanish? Ben Cheney was allowed as a tutor. Jasper was not. In class, I never volunteered answers in Spanish so most days sitting quietly and smiling got me through.

My various errors never got to the point where the repeated pain ramped up unbearably during the nighttime reset. At first I didn't really want to be friends with Jessica, Mike, Lauren and Tyler. Angela was super nice, Ben was so shy but friendly enough. I looked longingly at the band kids. The boy who played percussion was sooo cool. I like the way his hair flipped when he drummed on the table at lunch time. The school's band was all brass and wind instruments other than the drummer. They had no room for a would-be violinist. Forks was too small for an orchestral band.

I skipped school on day four, three times in a row, to learn that old Frank Sintara song "I Did it my Way," I skipped day six, twice to learn the Backstreet Boy's, "I Want it That Way."

While Edward wasn't there I only got murdered once and that was entirely an accident. I was watching Josh drum on his lunch tray. He always had his drumsticks in his back pocket or in his hands. He kept flipping his water bottle too, in time, almost like it was a back beat. I 'Bella-tripped' over a chair and landed in Jasper's lap. I can't even blame Jasper. It was lunch time after all.

I wonder what grade Josh is in. I wonder if he's interested in older women. I'm seventeen in Twilight right? I think Josh is a Sophomore. I've definitely aged at least two years in biology murder experiences so I think if I average my ages I'm just right for Josh.

(12+2.5+17)/2 = 15.75 ≈ 16

Yeah, I'm more of a music and math girl than Bella. I hate Wuthering Heights. Actually, I've never read it. The thought of reading Emily Bronte makes me violently ill. Romeo and Juliette was okay but they act like duffouses. Ooo, Romeo I want to kissey your face and die for you. Blech!

Edward's back and I have to make small talk with him in Biology. NOOOO!

So apparently when he says, "My name is Edward Cullen, I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan." I'm not supposed to say. "No duh, Stephanie Meyer's 3.5 billion dollar empire kind of gives it away!" Damn my sass.

Nor am I supposed to say, "Must I be Bella Swan? Really MUST I?"

Definitely not supposed to say, "The name is Lexi Wekeo, say it with me, Lexi Wekeo."

The conversation was supposed to be somewhat banal. I remembered that. He goes on about the weather. Is really nosey about my parents. Edward's no Josh. Edward is painfully pretty. Josh is more approachable (Not that I have). Apparently fantasising about Josh while staring at Edward wasn't something I'm supposed to do either. It breaks the universe to not think Edward is amazing.

Maybe I'm not dead. Maybe I'm in a coma and this weird thing is a blending of too many video games and too much fantasy fiction.

I don't think I have to quote Meyer's work exactly. I just have to get the feel of things correct. Ugh, I had to find out if this thing paralleled the book or the movie. In the movie Bella was squashed by a van the same day Edward came back to chit chat in Biology. In the book the events are separated by at least a day.

The first try to get through 'the day Edward came back,' I knew I messed up as soon as biology class hit because I didn't know how to work a microscope and Edward had to show me. Anyway, so; because that day was already going to repeat I used it to answer the parking lot question.

After school I warily went to the parking lot then I just kind of froze. I might have already died a lot but I didn't want to intentionally get hit by a van and I probably would if the van came because biology went all wrong and Edward wasn't in position. I stared at the parking lot for a good half hour before finally realizing I wasn't going to get hit by anything that day as everyone else had already left the school. So that means this was a book thing rather than a movie thing, I guess. Maybe I'm remembering wrong? I'm not exactly a Twilight expert.

Getting through biology took a month and a half of tries this time which is a huge improvement for Edward and me. He is a really awkward conversationalist and I had a lot of trouble not helping him out by just trying to be friendly or skipping ahead because I already knew stuff. Like, one day I filled in Prophase, Anaphase, Interphase before we started checking the slides. Another day I kind of might have started rambling about how I loved sledding and was hoping we'd get more snow.

Once, I think the day might have hiccupped because I kinda sorta disrespected the great American pastime of baseball. "So Mom married a baseball player and there's only so many games you can watch before going crosseyed and looking for the peanut vendor. I put on ten pounds, in peanuts alone. I think I still have peanut shells stuck in my sneakers so anyway, I decided the only thing for it was to hop on a plane and move in with my dad." …yeah, have I mentioned I have a bit of a sass problem?

I may also be a little too curious for my own good. I almost poked him in the eye once. His eyes are like honey. "Dude, your eyes are seriously weird." Kneeling on my stool and getting up close and personal to stare at his curious eyes and poking near them led to me getting eaten again but Edward only slurped me down twice in all of this set of repeats. It seemed like he just needed to mentally prepare himself to face, 'resisting Bella's yummy smell'. I'm not telling anyone what stupid thing I did to end up with him Nom, Nom-ing on me the second time. It's too humiliating. Don't even ask.

I confess I've spent an embarrassing amount of time sniffing myself. I don't think I smell like freesia and whatever. Bella's deodorant is baby powder scented and it doesn't seem to make a difference to the vampires whether I wear it or not. Her shampoo is strawberry scented but the days I use Charlie's 'Head and Shoulders' shampoo never seem to make an impact either.

Back when I was still working on biology day two, I pricked my finger on purpose once to try and smell my own blood but that was a stupid idea. It smells gross and I ended up hurling in the bathroom then blacking out and bonking my head on the toilet seat giving myself a concussion. I met Carlisle again that day. It was an embarrassing day trying to explain to first my dad and then to a vampire doctor exactly how I ended up giving myself a concussion.

Overall, 'Edward came back day' was not a terribly bad day.

So do you think Lexi's age math counts? She's living but she's living the same day and as she's noted there is something not quite right about how she reacts to things that happen on repeat days. How old is Lexi? Is it what's inside that counts? Is she maturing? Is it all about the body she's in? What did she do to get eaten the second time?