"Oh, we have weapons." He flashed his bright teeth in a brief, threatening, crooked smile. I fought back the shiver before it could expose me.240 "Just not the kind they consider when writing laws. If you've ever seen a bear attack on television, you should be able to visualize Emmett-hunting." He continued.
I couldn't stop the next shiver that flashed down my spine. It was probably the most violent shiver that had ever flashed down my spine, and it made my entire upper-body spasm; my shirt ripped instantly, right down the middle, exposing my entire chest and stomach. I peeked across the cafeteria toward Emmett, who was already staring at me, probably because my shirt had just ripped down the middle and my chest was exposed; his bison eyes widened as though they were going to explode off his face. I couldn't take my eyes off him, just envisioning him ripping apart an animal three times his size. The thick bands of muscle that wrapped his arms and torso were somehow even more menacing now, beaming at me through his t-shirt.. I immediately thought of Fredward. Did Fredward rip bears apart too? Did he sneak up behind them, jump onto them, and rip his teeth into their fat necks? The real question was... would he do this to me? I almost wanted to run. I almost wanted to faint. But then I remembered what I really wanted: to spend as much time as possible with Fredward. Running away or being unconscious would really cut in on our time together. Fredward interrupted my thoughts.
"Bella, do you want to borrow one of my shirts?" Fredward asked with concern.
"Um, sure," I agreed, my eyes turning from his bison brother to Fredward's own bulging muscles.
"I always carry around some extra shirts in case... something like this happens," he said, bringing his book-bag up to the table, and opening it between us so that I could see what he had to offer. He pulled out three items. The first was an eggplant-purple canvas vest with a bit of fringe at the bottom. He shook his head. "You'd never pull it off." The next item was a practically see-through white t-shirt with a dramatically large and low V. His eyes widened just thinking of me wearing it. "No way," he said. The third item was a rainbow-colored argyle scarf. It was extremely thin; so thin; it probably wouldn't even have covered my nipples.241
Fredward sighed. "I guess I'm just going to have to give you my shirt and spend the rest of the day wearing a combination of these three items."
I giggled at the thought of him wearing these three items together, and then fainted at the thought of the sweet gesture he was making.
When I woke up, I was wearing his ¾ length gray shirt, and he was wearing the white V-neck shirt with the vest over it; the scarf was lying gracefully atop his shoulders. Even in these mismatched items, he looked like a million bucks.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yes."
I was eager to resume the conversation. "Are you like a bear too? When you fight?" I asked in a low voice.
"More like a lion, or so they tell me," he said lightly. "Perhaps our preferences are indicative."
I tried to smile.242 "Perhaps." I repeated. But my mind was filled with opposing images that I couldn't merge together. "Is that something I might get to see?"
"Absolutely not!" His face turned even whiter than usual, and his eyes were suddenly furious. I leaned back, stunned and—though I'd never admit it to him—a little put off by his reaction, his reluctance to include me in this horrifying yet integral part of his life. He leaned back as well, folding his arms across his chest.
"Too scary for little, clumsy, human little me?" I asked, when I could control my voice again.
"If that were it, I'd take you out tonight," he said, his voice cutting me so, so bad. "You need a healthy dose of fear. Nothing could be more beneficial for you."
240. Occasionally, Bella shivers so violently that all of her clothes come off. For example, her t-shirt would just rip right down the center, exposing her nipples.
241. Bella's nipples are enormous.
242. When Bella fainted, she hit her head on the table, damaging her motor strip and severely hindering her ability to smile.