"Charlie?" I frowned.
Charlie had been... difficult since my return to Forks. He had compartmentalized my bad experience into two defined reactions. Toward Carbomb he was almost worshipfully grateful. On the other hand, he was stubbornly convinced that Fredward was at fault—because, if not for him, I wouldn't have been climbing those hotel steps that I fell out of. And Fredward was far from disagreeing with him. These days I had rules that had never existed before: curfews, food rations... visiting hours.
Something Charlie was saying made Fredward's eyes widen in disbelief, and then a grin spread across his face.
"You're kidding!" He laughed.
"What is it?" I demanded. I couldn't imagine what their current plan to torment me was, and I feared it.
Fredward ignored me and continued. "Why don't you let me talk to him?" He suggested with evident pleasure. He waited for a few seconds. "Hello nigger, this is Fredward Cullen, the most beautiful man in Forks." His voice was very friendly, on the surface. I knew it well enough to catch the soft edge of menace. What was Tyler doing at my house, though? The awful truth began to dawn on me. I looked again at the inappropriate dress Alice had forced me into.
"I'm sorry if there's been some kind of miscommunication, but Bella is unavailable tonight." Fredward's tone emerged, and the threat in his voice was suddenly much more evident as he continued. "To be perfectly honest, she'll be unavailable every night, as far as anyone besides myself and my penis are concerned. No offense, TyTy. And I'm sorry about ruining your evening." He didn't sound sorry at all. And then he crushed the still-vibrating phone in his fist, a huge smirk on his face.

484

Chapter 25

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