分节阅读_24

  nders eager for his
  firsthand at. people avoided him as usual. the d the hales
  sat at the same table as always, alking only among
  themselves. hem, especially edward, glanced my way anymore.
  whe to me in class, as far from me as the table would allow,
  he seemed totally unaware of my presenow and then, when his
  fists would suddenly ball up — ski whiter over the bones
  — did i wonder if he wasn't quite as oblivious as he appeared.
  he wished he hadn't pulled me from the path of tyler's van — there was no
  other i e to.
  i wao talk to him, aer the at i
  tried. the last time i'd seen him, outside the er, we'd both been so
  furious. i still was angry that he wouldn't trust me with the truth, even
  though i ing my part ai he had in
  fact saved my life, no matter how he'd do. ahe heat
  of my ao awed gratitude.
  he was already seated when i got to biology, lht ahead. i
  sat dowing him to turn toward me. he showed no sign that he
  realized i was there.
  ”hello, edward,” i said pleasantly, to show him i was going to behave
  myself.
  he turned his head a frae without meeting my gaze, nodded
  oheher way.
  and that was the last tact i'd had with him, though he was there, a
  foot away from me, every day. i watched him sometimes, uop
  myself— from a distahough, ieria lot. i
  watched as his goldeibly darker day by day. but in
  class i gave hat he existed thaoward me. i
  was miserable. ainued.
  despite my ht lies, the tenor of my e-mails alerted reo my
  depression, and she called a few times, worried. i tried to ce her
  it was just the weather that had me down.
  mike, at least, leased by the obvious ess between me and my lab
  partner. i could see he'd bee edward's dari
  have impressed me, and he was relieved that it seemed to have the
  opposite effect. he grew more t, sitting oable
  to talk befy class started, ign edletely as he
  ignored us.
  the snoay food after that one dangerously icy day. mike
  ointed he'd en to stage his snowball fight, but
  pleased that the beach trip would soon be possible. the rain ued
  heavily, though, and the weeks passed.
  jessica made me aware of a looming on the horizon — she
  called the first tuesday of mary permission to io
  the girls' ch dawo weeks.
  ”are you sure you don't mi planning to ask him?” she
  persisted when i told her i didn't mi.
  ”no, jess, i'm not going,” i assured her. dang was glaringly outside
  my range of abilities.
  ”it will be really fu to e was halfhearted. i
  suspected that jessiy inexplicable popularity more than my
  apany.
  ”you have fun with mike,” i enced.
  the day, i rised that jessi't her usual gushing self
  in trig and spanish. she was silent as she walked by my side between
  classes, and i was afraid to ask her why. if mike had turned her down, i
  erson she would want to tell.
  my fears were strengthened during lun jessica sat as far from mike
  as possible, g ah eric. mike was unusually quiet.
  mike was still quiet as he walked me to class, the unfortable look on
  his face a bad sign. but he didn't broach the subjetil i was in my
  seat and he ery desk. as always, i was electrically aware
  ough to touch, as distant as if he were merely
  aion of my imagination.
  ”so,” mike said, looking at the floor, ”jessica asked me t
  dance.”
  ”that's great.” i made my vht aic. ”you'll have a
  lot of fun with jessica.”
  ”well…” he floundered as he examined my smile, ot happy with my
  respoold her i had to think about it.