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"I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!" I MOANED TO MYSELF

Every ite I oas strewn across my bed; my drawers and closets were bare I stared into the e suitable to appear

My khaki skirt lay over the back of the rocking chair, waiting for ht Sorown up So up ebetter here - and the odds weren’t looking good at this point - I was going to graduate in them

I scowled at the pile of clothes on my bed

The kicker was that I knew exactly what I would have worn if it were still available - ood hand

"Stupid, thieving, annoying varowled

"What did I do?" Alice de casually beside the openas if she’d been there the whole tirin

"Is it really so hard to wait for et the door?"

She threw a flat, white box onto ht need so on top of rimaced

"Admit it," Alice said "I’m a lifesaver"

"You’re a lifesaver," Iright for a change You don’t kno irritating it is - s the way I have been I feel so useless Sonorine hoful that hed "Well, at least thisthief - now I just have to figure out what I’ in Seattle"

When she said the words that way - putting the two situations together in one sentence - right then it clicked The elusive so me for days, the iether, suddenly became clear I stared at her, my face frozen hatever expression was already in place

"Aren’t you going to open it?" she asked She sighed when I didn’t ed the top of the box off herself She pulled so out and held it up, but I couldn’t concentrate on what it was

"Pretty, don’t you think? I picked blue, because I know it’s Edward’s favorite on you"

I wasn’t listening

"It’s the same," I whispered

"What is?" she de out loud, you only own one skirt!"

"No, Alice! Forget the clothes, listen!"

"You don’t like it?" Alice’s face clouded with disappointment

"Listen, Alice, don’t you see? It’s the sas, and the new vaether!"

The clothes slipped froers and fell back into the box

Alice focused now, her voice suddenly sharp "Why do you think that?"

"Re the holes in your vision to keep you fro the newborns? And then what you said before, about the ti too perfect - how careful my thief was to make no contact, as if he knew you would see that I think you were right, Alice, I think he did know I think he was using those holes, too And what are the odds that two different people not only know enough about you to do that, but also decided to do it at exactly the same time? No way It’s one person The sa the army is the one who stoleby surprise She froze, and was still for so long that I started counting in my head as I waited She didn’t ht Then her eyes refocused on ht," she said in a hollow tone "Of course you’re right And when you put it that way"

"Edward had it wrong," I whispered "It was a testto see if it would work If he could get in and out safely as long as he didn’t do anything you would be watching out for Like trying to kill s to prove he’d found me He stole my scentso that others could find ht, and I could see that she knew it, too

"Oh, no," shemy emotions to make sense anymore As I processed the fact that soruesomely murdered dozens of people in Seattle - for the express purpose of destroyingthat irritating feeling that I waselse entirely

"Well," I whispered, "everyone can relax Nobody’s trying to exter has changed, you’re absolutely wrong," Alice said through her teeth "If soh the rest of us to get to her"

"Thanks, Alice But at least we knohat they’re really after That has to help"

"Maybe," sheback and forth across ainst my door

I jumped Alice didn’t seeonna be late!" Charlie coy Charlie hated occasions about asto dress up

"Almost Give me a minute," I said hoarsely

He was quiet for half a second "Are you crying?"

"No I’m nervous Go away"

I heard hio," Alice whispered

"Why?"

"Edward is coed io berserk when he knew I couldn’t keep it froraduation ceremony wasn’t the best time for his reaction

"Put it on," Alice commanded as she flitted out the

I did what she said, dressing in a daze

I’d been planning to do sostraight and boring as on any other day It didn’t matter I didn’t bother to look in the mirror, so I had no idea how Alice’s sweater and skirt ensely yellow polyester graduation robe over my arm and hurried down the stairs

"You look nice," Charlie said, already gruff with suppressed e to concentrate "Alice gave it to me Thanks"

Edward arrived just a few h tiether a cal in the cruiser with Charlie, he never had a chance to ask otten stubborn last hen he’d learned that I was intending to ride with Edward to the graduation cerehts corace, and Edward had cheerfully suggested that we all go together Since Carlisle and Esme had no proble objection; he’d agreed with poor grace And noard rode in the backseat of lass divider, with an amused expression - probably due to rin that widened every tilance at Edward in his rearview ining things that would get him in trouble with ht?" Edhispered when he helpedlot

"Nervous," I answered, and it wasn’t even a lie

"You are so beautiful," he said

He looked like he wanted to say more, but Charlie, in an obvious ed in between us and put his arm around my shoulders

"Are you excited?" he askeddeal You’re graduating froe Living on your ownYou’re not irl anymore" Charlie choked up a bit at the end

"Dad," I et all weepy on rowled "Nohy aren’t you excited?"

"I don’t know, Dad I guess it hasn’t hit yet or so this party You need so to perk you up"

"Sure A party’s exactly what I need"

Charlie laughed at my tone and squeezed htful My father had to leave us at the back door of the gyo around to the main entrance with the rest of the parents

It was pandemonium as Ms Cope from the front office and Mr Varner the math teacher tried to line everyone up alphabetically

"Up front, Mr Cullen," Mr Varner barked at Edward

"Hey, Bella!"

I looked up to see Jessica Stanley waving at me from the back of the line with a shed, and went to go stand with the C’s Alice wasn’t there What was she going to do? Skip graduation? What poor tis out until after this was over with

"Down here, Bella!" Jessica called again

I walked down the line to take my place behind Jessica, ot closer, I saw Angela five people back, watching Jessica with the sa before I was in earshot

"so araduating together," she gushed "Can you believe it’s over? I feel like screa!"

"So do I," I muttered

"This is all just so incredible Do you reht away Fro And now I’oing to ether so a party That’s perfect Because we really haven’t spent"

She droned on and on, and I was sure the sudden return of our friendship was due to graduation nostalgia and gratitude for the party invite, not that I’d had anything to do with that I paid attention as well as I could while I shrugged into s could end on a good note with Jessica Because it was an ending, no matter what Eric, the valedictorian, had to say about co" and all the rest of the trite nonsense Maybeso behind us today

It went so quickly I felt like I’d hit the fast forward button Were we supposed toin his nervousness, the words and phrases running together so they didn’tnah pause between; the front row in the gy to catch up Poor Ms Cope was all thuht diploht student

I watched as Alice, suddenly appearing, danced across the stage to take hers, a look of deep concentration on her face Edward followed behind, his expression confused, but not upset Only the two of them could carry off the hideous yellow and still look the way they did They stood out frorace otherworldly I wondered how I’d ever fallen for their hus intact, would be less conspicuous

I heard Mr Greene callfor the line in front of y Charlie to his feet, both of theement I could just make out the top of Billy’s head beside Jake’s elbow I ed to throw them an approximation of a smile

Mr Greene finished with the list of narin as we filed past

"Congratulations, Miss Stanley," he ratulations, Miss Swan," he ood hand

"Thanks," I murmured

And that was it

I went to stand next to Jessica with the asseraduates Jess was all red around the eyes, and she kept blotting her face with the sleeve of her robe It took

Mr Greene said so I didn’t hear, and everyone around me shouted and screamed Yellow hats rained down I pulled round

"Oh, Bella!" Jess blubbered over the sudden roar of conversation "I can’t believe we’re done"

"I can’t believe it’s all over," I mumbled

She threw her arms around my neck "You have to pro a little aard as I dodged her request "I’ood two years"

"It was," she sighed, and sniffed Then she dropped her ar through the e, pressing us tighter together

I caught sight of Angela and Ben, but they were surrounded by their faratulate theratulations," Edhispered inaround my waist His voice was subdued; he’d been in no hurry for me to reach this particular milestone

"Um, thanks"

"You don’t look like you’re over the nerves yet," he noted

"Not quite yet"

"What’s left to worry about? The party? It won’t be that horrible"

"You’re probably right"

"Who are you looking for?"