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IT WAS ALL VERY CHILDISH WHY ON EARTH SHOULD EDward have to leave for Jacob to come over? Weren’t we past this kind of ionism toward him, Bella, it’s just easier for both of us," Edward told me at the door "I won’t be far away You’ll be safe"

"I’m not worried about that"

He smiled, and then a sly look ca his face in my hair I could feel his cool breath saturate the strands as he exhaled; it raised goose buht back," he said, and then he laughed aloud as if I’d just told a good joke

"What’s so funny?"

But Edward just grinned and loped off toward the trees without answering

Gru to myself, I went to clean up the kitchen Before I even had the sink full of water, the doorbell rang It was hard to get used to how much faster Jacob ithout his car How everyone seemed to be so much faster thanon piling the dishes into the bubbly water, and I’d forgotten that Jacob host these days So it made me jump when his voice was suddenly there behind me

"Should you really leave your door unlocked like that? Oh, sorry"

I’d slopped myself with the dishwater when he’d startled me

"I’m not worried about anyone ould be deterred by a locked door," I said while I wiped the front of reed

I turned to look at hi him critically "Is it really so iain, Jacob was bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair of old cut-off jeans Secretly, I wondered if he was just so proud of his new muscles that he couldn’t stand to cover them up I had to adht of hiet cold anyh his wet hair; it was falling in his eyes

"It’s just easier," he explained

"What’s easier?"

He sh of a pain to carry the shorts around with me, let alone a complete outfit What do I look like, a packabout, Jacob?"

His expression was superior, like I wasobvious "My clothes don’t just pop in and out of existence when I change - I have to carry theht"

I changed color "I guess I didn’t think about that," I hed and pointed to a black leather cord, thin as a strand of yarn, that ound three times below his left calf like an anklet I hadn’t noticed before that his feet were bare, too "That’s more than just a fashion statement - it sucks to carry jeans in your rinned "Does ain, and I turned my back on him to focus on the dishes I hoped he realized my blush was left over fro to do with his question

"Well, I suppose I should get to work" He sighed "I wouldn’t want to give hi on my side"

"Jacob, it’s not your job -"

He raised a hand to cuton a volunteer basis here Nohere is the intruder’s scent the worst?"

"My bedroom, I think"

His eyes narrowed He didn’t like that any more than Edward had

"I’ll just be aThe only sound was the brush’s plastic bristles scraping round and round on the cera from above, a creak of the floorboard, the click of a door There was nothing I realized I’d been cleaning the saer than necessary, and I tried to pay attention to what I was doing

"Whew!" Jacob said, inches behind ain

"Yeesh, Jake, cut that out!"

"Sorry Here -" Jacob took the towel and mopped up my new spill "I’ll make it up to you You wash, I’ll rinse and dry"

"Fine" I gave hih to catch By the way, your roohed

I washed and he dried in companionable silence for a few ?"

I handed him another plate "That depends on what you want to know"

"I’ - I’m honestly curious," Jacob assured me

"Fine Go ahead"

He paused for half a second "What’s it like - having a vampire for a boyfriend?"

I rolled my eyes "It’s the best"

"I’m serious The idea doesn’t bother you - it never creeps you out?"

"Never"

He was silent as he reached for the bowl in , his lower lip jutting out

"Anything else?" I asked

He wrinkled his nose again "WellI onderingdo youy’know, kiss hih"

"To each her own," I s?"

I s him with dishwater "Shut up, Jacob! You know he doesn’t have fangs!"

"Close enough," heknife with more force than necessary

"Can I ask another one?" he asked softly when I passed the knife to hiain"

"Fine," I snapped

He turned the knife over and over in his hands under the stream of water When he spoke, it was only a whisper "You said a feeeksWhen, exactly?" He couldn’t finish

"Graduation," I whispered back, watching his face warily Would this set hi It didn’t sound like a question It sounded like a lahtened and his shoulders were stiff

"OW!" he shouted; it had gotten so still in the rooht hand had curled into a tense fist around the blade of the knife - he unclenched his hand and the knife clattered onto the counter Across his palers and dripped on the floor

"Damn it! Ouch!" he co to the countertop with one hand, took a deep breath through rip so that I could take care of him

"Oh, no, Jacob! Oh, crap! Here, wrap this around it!" I shoved the dish towel at hied away fro, Bella, don’t worry about it"

The rooes

I took another deep breath "Don’t worry?! You sliced your hand open!"

He ignored the dish towel I pushed at him He put his hand under the faucet and let the water wash over the wound The water ran red My head whirled

"Bella," he said

I looked away fro, but his expression was cal to pass out, and you’re biting your lip off Stop it Relax Breathe I’h my mouth and removed my teeth from my lower lip "Don’t be brave"

He rolled his eyes

"Let’s go I’ll drive you to the ER" I was pretty sure I would be okay to drive The walls were holding steady now, at least

"Not necessary" Jake turned off the water and took the towel from my hand He twisted it loosely around his palm

"Wait," I protested "Let me look at it" I clutched the counter ht if the wound ree that you never told iveto throw a fit over taking you to the hospital"

He made a face of mock horror "Please, not a fit!"

"If you don’t let uaranteed"

He inhaled deeply, and then let out a gusty sigh "Fine"

He unwound the towel and, when I reached out to take the cloth, he laid his hand in mine

It took h I was sure he’d cut his palry pink, puckered line was all that was left of his wound

"Butyou were bleedingso much"

He pulled his hand back, his eyes steady and somber on mine

"I heal fast"

"I’ll say," I ash clearly, seen the blood that flowed into the sink The rust-and-salt smell of it had almost pulled me under It should have needed stitches It should have taken days to scab over and then weeks to fade into the shiny pink scar that marked his skin now

He screwed his ainst his chest "Werewolf, remeht," I finally said

He laughed at my expression "I told you this You saw Paul’s scar"

I shookthe action sequence firsthand"

I kneeled down and dug the bleach out of the cabinet under the sink Then I poured so the floor The burning scent of the bleach cleared the last of the dizziness froot this Throw that towel in the wash, will you?"

When I was sure the floor sht side of the sink with bleach, too Then I went to the laundry closet beside the pantry, and poured a cupful into the washingit Jacob watchedlook on his face

"Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder?" he asked when I was done

Huh Maybe But at least I had a good excuse this time "We’re a bit sensitive to blood around here I’m sure you can understand that"

"Oh" He wrinkled his nose again

"Why notis hard enough"

"Sure, sure Why not?"

I pulled the plug, and let the dirty water drain frohed

"What’s it like - having a olf for a best friend?"

The question caught hed out loud

"Does it creep you out?" he pressed before I could answer

"No When the olf is being nice," I qualified, "it’s the best"

He grinned widely, his teeth bright against his russet skin "Thanks, Bella," he said, and then he grabbed s

Before I had tih," he said, his nose wrinkling "Your hair stinks worse than your room"

"Sorry," Iabout earlier, after breathing onwith va "It lared at hirinned "See you around, Bells"

"Are you leaving?"

"He’s waiting for o out the back," he said, and then he paused "Hold up a sec - hey, do you think you can co a bonfire party Emily will be there, and you could meet KimAnd I know Quil wants to see you, too He’s pretty peeved that you found out before he did"

I grinned at that I could just iine how that would have irked Quil - Jacob’s little hual pal doith the olves while he was still clueless And then I sighed "Yeah, Jake, I don’t know about that See, it’s a little tense right now"

"C’et past all - all six of us?"

There was a strange pause as he stuttered over the end of his question I wondered if he had trouble saying the olf aloud, the way I often had difficulty with va

"I’ll ask," I said doubtfully

He made a noise in the back of his throat "Is he your warden, now, too? You know, I saw this story on the news last week about controlling, abusive teenage relationships and -"

"Okay!" I cut hiet out!"

He grinned "Bye, Bells Be sure you ask permission"

He ducked out the back door before I could find sorowled incoherently at the eone, Edalked slowly into the kitchen, raindrops glistening like diamonds set into the bronze of his hair His eyes ary

"Did you two get into a fight?" he asked

"Edward!" I sang, throwing hed and wrapped his ar"

"No, I didn’t fight with Jacob Much Why?"

"I was just wondering why you stabbed hiestured to the knife on the counter

"Dang! I thought I got everything"

I pulled away from him and ran to put the knife in the sink before I doused it with bleach

"I didn’t stab hiot he had a knife in his hand"

Edward chuckled "That’s not nearly as fun as the way I i envelope froot your ood?"

"I think so"

My eyes narrowed suspiciously at his tone I went to investigate

He’d folded the legal-sized envelope in half I sht of the expensive paper, and read the return address

"Dartmouth? Is this a joke?"

"I’m sure it’s an acceptance It looks exactly like rief, Edward - what did you do?"

"I sent in your application, that’s all"

"I h to believe that"

"Dartmouth seems to think that you’re Dartmouth material"

I took a deep breath and counted slowly to ten "That’s very generous of them," I finally said "However, accepted or not, there is still the minor matter of tuition I can’t afford it, and I’h money to buy yourself another sports car just so that I can pretend to go to Dartmouth next year"

"I don’t need another sports car And you don’t have to pretend anything," he e wouldn’t kill you Maybe you’d even like it Just think about it, Bella Iine how excited Charlie and Ren��e would be"

His velvet voice painted the picture in my head before I could block it Of course Charlie would explode with pride - no one in the town of Forks would be able to escape the fallout from his excitement And Ren��e would be hysterical with joy at h she’d swear she wasn’t at all surprised

I tried to shake the i through graduation, let alone this suain "No one is going to hurt you You have all the ti the contents of my bank account to Alaska toh away that Charlie won’t expect a visit until Christmas at the earliest And I’m sure I’ll think of some excuse by then You know," I teased halfheartedly, "this whole secrecy and deception thing is kind of a pain"