Months and months later, at the start of Senior year, Bella and I turned eighteen.
Bella wasn't happy like usual, though. Not even as I set her favorite breakfast down in front of her that morning. Not even as I gave her the present I'd gotten her. Instead she was glum and I knew it was because she had aged another year, and Edward never would.
I didn't get too excited about our birthday either, but I had to admit there were some small things that made me smile. Bella had annotated one of her favorite books and gave it to me, and later I found out that Dad had gotten me a new CD and Mom sent me a new pair of boots.
When we got to school, Edward was waiting by the Volvo like usual, but Alice was standing there with him as well. When we parked, Alice skipped over to us, but Edward stayed by his own car. I still hadn't forgotten what he'd said to me at prom, and it seemed as though he'd taken that literally. He always kept his distance and never came within five feet of me. Even when I went over to the Cullens with Bella—after what had happened, Alice started inviting me to things—he made sure to stay away. He didn't talk to me when he didn't have to.
"Happy birthday, you guys!" Alice exclaimed. She was holding two tiny wrapped boxes. "Do you want to open your presents now or later?" she asked eagerly as we made our way to where Edward still waited.
"No presents," Bella protested in a mumble.
Alice finally seemed to process her mood. "Okay...later, then. Did you like the scrapbook and boots your mom sent you? And the camera and CD from Charlie?"
I grinned. Of course she would know what our birthday presents were. Alice would have seen what my parents were planning as soon as they'd decided that themselves.
"Yeah. They're great," Bella replied. "I've never been much into photography, though."
"I think it's a nice idea. You're only a senior once. Might as well document the experience."
"How many times have you been a senior?"
"That's different."
We reached Edward then, and he held out his hand for Bella's as he moved to the side of her, as far away from me as possible.
He looked at Bella, captivated. "So, as discussed, I am not allowed to wish you a happy birthday, is that correct?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Just checking. You might have changed your mind. Most people seem to enjoy things like birthdays and gifts."
Alice laughed, and the sound was all silver, a wind chime. "Of course you'll enjoy it. Everyone is supposed to be nice to you today and give you your way, Bella. What's the worst that could happen?" She meant it as a rhetorical question.
"Getting older," Bella answered anyway.
Edward's smile tightened into a hard line.
"Eighteen isn't very old," Alice said. "Don't women usually wait till they're twenty-nine to get upset over birthdays?"
"It's older than Edward," Bella mumbled. He sighed.
"Technically," Alice said, keeping her tone light. "Just by one little year, though."
Bella didn't seem convinced.
"What time will you be at the house?" Alice continued, changing the subject.
Bella raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know I had plans to be there."
"Oh, be fair, Bella!" she complained. "You aren't going to ruin all our fun like that, are you?"
"I thought my birthday was about what I want."
"I'll get her from Charlie's right after school," Edward told her, ignoring Bella altogether.
"I have to work," she protested.
"You don't, actually," Alice said smugly. "I already spoke to Mrs. Newton about it. She's trading your shifts. She said to tell you 'Happy Birthday.'"
"I—I still can't come over," she stammered, scrambling for an excuse. "I, well, I haven't watched Romeo and Juliet yet for English."
Alice snorted. "You have Romeo and Juliet memorized."
"But Mr. Berty said we needed to see it performed to fully appreciate it —that's how Shakespeare intended it to be presented."
Edward rolled his eyes.
"You've already seen the movie," Alice accused.
"But not the nineteen-sixties version. Mr. Berty said it was the best."
Finally, Alice lost the smug smile and glared at her. "This can be easy, or this can be hard, Bella, but one way or the other—"
Edward interrupted her threat. "Relax, Alice. If Bella wants to watch a movie, then she can. It's her birthday."
"So there," Bella added.
"I'll bring her over around seven," he continued. "That will give you more time to set up."
Alice's laughter chimed again. "Sounds good. See you tonight, Bella! It'll be fun, you'll see." She grinned—the wide smile exposed all her perfect, glistening teeth—then pecked Bella on the cheek and danced away, pulling me along.
"I'm not sure she's going to forgive you," I warned as we headed down the hall.
"She will eventually," Alice said, unbothered. "Especially since you're coming."
I blinked at her. "What? I thought it was just a thing for Bella—"
"It's your birthday, too. There's no reason you shouldn't be there."
"I can think of one," I mumbled.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Edward doesn't hate you."
"I beg to differ."
She sighed, but let the issue drop.
We sat at our usual table for lunch.
A strange kind of truce existed at that table. Edward, Alice, and Bella sat on the extreme southern end of the table. Now that the "older" Cullen siblings had graduated, Alice and Edward did not seem quite so intimidating to the others, who also sat with us. Mike and Jessica (who were in the awkward post-breakup friendship phase), Angela and Ben (whose relationship had survived the summer), Eric, Conner, Tyler, and Lauren (though that last one didn't really count in the friend category) all sat at the same table, on the other side of an invisible line. That line dissolved on sunny days when Edward and Alice always skipped school, and then the conversation would swell out effortlessly to include Bella.
I sat on top of this invisible line, in between the two groups, but Edward always sat as far back as he could, as if my physical presence pained him like he'd said. I knew he was a brooding vampire, but really, there was no need to be dramatic.
After school, Edward unfortunately accompanied Bella home to watch Romeo and Juliet, but thankfully I had my room to disappear into until a little before seven. I dressed nicely, as Alice had instructed, but I still wasn't sure about tonight. Still, I forced myself to pull the truck out of the driveway and follow Edward's Volvo to the Cullens' residence.
Bright light shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowers—pink roses—lined the wide stairs up to the front doors.
Edward parked the Volvo, and I got out of the truck to meet him and Bella on the sidewalk. I followed behind as they took the lead up the path.
They were all waiting in the huge white living room; when we walked through the door, they greeted us with a loud chorus of "Happy birthday!" Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to the grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.
Carlisle and Esme were the closest to the door. Esme hugged Bella, then me, and I received a quick embrace from Carlisle as well after he'd greeted Bella.
"Sorry about this," Carlisle stage-whispered. "We couldn't rein Alice in."
Rosalie and Emmett stood behind them. Rosalie didn't smile, but at least she didn't glare. Emmett's face was stretched into a huge grin. It had been months since I'd seen them; I'd forgotten how gloriously beautiful Rosalie was.
"You haven't changed at all," Emmett said to Bella with mock disappointment. "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always."
"Thanks a lot, Emmett," she said, blushing deeper.
Emmett grinned, and his expression brightened significantly when his gaze fell on me. "Y/n!"
Within a split second, he had me wrapped up in a suffocating bear hug.
"Emmett!" I exclaimed, punching at his beefy shoulders, though it did nothing because of his supernatural strength.
Eventually he relented and set me down, ruffling my hair. I successfully shoved his hand away, but I knew he only let me do that.
He gasped suddenly in mock surprise. "Well, look at this." He peered at my hair. "Are those curls? You actually dressed up?"
"Oh shut up," I said, batting him away. "It's my birthday."
He laughed. "I have to step out for a second"—he paused to wink conspicuously at Alice—"Don't do anything funny while I'm gone."
Alice let go of Jasper's hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs.
During the days we'd had to spend cooped up together in Phoenix, I'd thought he'd gotten over his aversion to us. But he'd gone back to exactly how he'd acted before—avoiding us as much as possible—the moment he was free from that temporary obligation to protect me. Unlike with Edward, I knew it wasn't personal, just a precaution.
"Time to open presents," Alice declared. She put her cool hand under Bella's elbow and gripped my wrist as she towed us to the table with the cake and the shiny packages.
Bella protested. "Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything—"
"But I didn't listen," she interrupted, smug. "Open it."
She took the camera from Bella's hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box. "This is for the two of you—a joint present."
Bella and I tore the paper off and then stared at the box it concealed. It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. Bella opened the box, but the box was empty. "Um...thanks," she said.
Rosalie actually cracked a smile. Jasper laughed. "It's a stereo for the truck," he explained. "Emmett's installing it right now so that you can't return it."
"Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie," Bella told them, grinning.
I smiled, too. "Seriously, thank you guys." Then I rose my voice to call more loudly. "Thanks, Emmett!"
His booming laugh came from outside, and I couldn't help laughing, too.
"Open mine and Edward's next, Bella," Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a small, flat square in her hand.
Bella turned to give Edward a basilisk glare. "You promised."
Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. "Just in time!" he crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look.
"I didn't spend a dime," Edward assured.
"Okay," Bella sighed.
Emmett chuckled with delight.
Bella took the little package, rolling her eyes at Edward while she stuck her finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape.
"Shoot," she muttered when the paper sliced her finger; she pulled it out to examine the damage.
A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut.
It all happened very quickly then.
"No!" Edward roared. He threw himself at Bella, flinging her back across the table. It fell, as she did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. She luckily managed to twist to avoid the shattered crystal.
Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide. There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face.
I darted forward and tried to pull at Jasper's arm, but it flung out with impossible strength into my chest, sending me flying in Bella's direction.
And into the mess of crystal shards.
Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes focused on Bella.
They flicked to me a moment later.
Only now did I feel the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow. I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm—into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.