As we walked in silence, he slowed his pace to catch my beat. I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but most of them had to wait, because those were the questions I wanted to ask Alice: How is Jasper this morning? What did they say after I left? What did Rosalie say? Most importantly, what does she see in her strange but imperfect vision of the future? Can she guess what Edward is thinking? Why is he so glum? Is there any reason for that baseless, instinctive fear that I can't seem to resist? The morning passed slowly. I can't wait to see Alice, even though I may not be able to really talk to her when Edward is around. Edward was still cold. He would ask me about my arm from time to time, and I would lie to him and say it was all right. Alice usually comes to lunch before us; she needn't be as lazy as I am. But instead of sitting at the table, she put aside a plate of food she wouldn't eat and waited for us. Alice did not come, but Edward said nothing about it. I wondered if she was late getting out of class — until I saw Connor and Ben, who were in their fourth period French class with Alice. Where did Alice go? I asked Edward anxiously. "She's with Jasper," he replied, looking at the granola slowly crushed at his fingertips. "Is he all right?" "He'll be gone for a while." "What?"? Where to go I thought he would laugh,Walking measuring wheel, or smile, or at least respond to my words. All right, then. He said coldly. After I got into the car, he kissed me on the forehead before closing the door for me. Then he turned and jogged gracefully toward his car. I was able to pull out of the parking lot before I panicked, but I was already breathing hard before I got to Newton Outdoor. He just needs time,Wheel tape measure, I told myself. He will pull through this time. Maybe he's sad because his family is leaving. But Alice and Jasper will be back soon, and so will Rosalie and Emmett. If it helps, I'll stay away from that big white house by the river — I'll never set foot on that land again. That's okay. I can still see Alice at school, and she will go back to school, right? No matter what, she's always on my side. She wouldn't want to hurt Carlisle by running away. No doubt I would also visit Carlisle regularly-in the emergency room, though. After all, what happened last night was no big deal. Nothing happened. And then I fell down-it was my life. Compared with last spring, these seem particularly unimportant. James left me bruised and nearly dead from loss of blood-Edward, Surveyors tape measure ,Fish measuring board, however, was with me in the hospital for several long weeks, and he did much better than this. Is it because, this time, he protected me from harm, not the enemy? Because this time it's his brother? Maybe it would be better if he took me instead of tearing his family apart. When I think about all this undisturbed time alone, I'm in a slightly better, less depressing mood. As long as he can get through the school year, Charlie will not object. We can leave here and go to college together, or pretend we're going to college together, like Rosalie and Emmett's this year. Edward must have to wait a year. What is a year to an immortal? A year doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I persuaded myself to stay calm enough to get out of the car and go into the store. Mike? Newton beat me to it today. He smiled and waved at me as I walked in the door. I grabbed my work clothes and nodded in his direction. I still picture myself eloping with Edward to all sorts of exotic places. Mike interrupted my fantasy: "How was your birthday?" "Well," I whispered, "I'm glad it's over." Mike looked at me out of the corner of his eye like I was crazy. The work in the shop is slow. I wanted to see Edward again, and I prayed that before I saw him again, he would get through the most difficult time, exactly, no matter how precisely the situation was expressed. It's not a big deal, I tell myself again and again. Everything will be back to normal. As I drove up the road and saw Edward's silver car parked in front of my house, I felt a sense of relief, so strong, so overwhelming, but deeply upsetting in this way. I ran through the front door in a hurry and shouted before I could get in. Dad? Edward? As I shouted, ESPN SportsCenter's distinctive theme music came from the living room. Here Cried Charlie. I hung my raincoat on the hook and ran around the corner. Edward sat in the armchair and Charlie sat on the sofa. Both of their eyes were fixed on the TV. This concentration was normal for my dad, but not so normal for Edward. Hi. I greeted them weakly. "Hey, Bella," Charlie replied, his eyes still. "We just had a cold pie. I think it's still on the table." "All right." I'll wait at the door. Finally Edward turned to me and gave me a polite smile. "I'll be right behind you." He promised. His eyes drifted to the TV again. I watched for a moment, stunned. Neither of them noticed. I could feel a certain feeling, perhaps panic, growing in my chest. I fled into the kitchen. The pies didn't appeal to me. I sat in my chair,Horse weight lbs, curled up my knees, and wrapped my arms around them. Something was very wrong with me, perhaps more than I realized. The peculiar intimacy between men and the sound of playing tricks on each other are constantly coming from the TV. tapemeasure.net