"Just stay put for now."
"But it's cold," I complained. It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath. Why was he always laughing at me? And now, after I had just been hit by a van? There was an edge to the sound of my thoughts.
"You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and his chuckle stopped short. "You were by your car," I insisted.
"Nope," he countered.
I really thought he had been. "I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of the adults arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held onto our argument because I was right, and he was going to admit it. For what it was worth, I knew he had been over by his car earlier, like I had said, and not right next to me, like he had said.
"Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled you out of the way." He unleashed the full, devastating power of his eyes on me,81 as if trying to communicate something crucial.
I wasn't having it. "No." I set my jaw in a 'no' position.
The gold in his eyes blazed.82 "Please, Bella."
"Please what?" I demanded; demanded to know why he wanted me to forever live a lie.
"Trust me," he pleaded, growing even more attractive in such a pathetic state.
I could hear sirens now. "Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"
"Fine," he snapped, abruptly exasperated.
"Fine," I repeated angrily, happy that I had gotten my way, and happier yet that we already had plans for our next date.
It took six EMTs and two teachers—Mr. Varner and Coach Capp—to shift the van far enough away from me to bring the stretchers in. Fredward vehemently refused his, and I tried to do the same, but the traitor told them I'd hit my head and probably had a concussion. As if! I almost died of humiliation when they put on the neck brace, even though I did have a concussion and probably needed it.83 It looked like the entire school was there, watching soberly84 as they
81. Vampire hypno-eyes.
82. Melted.
83. It is likely that Bella is admitting that she needed a concussion.
84. Without Absolut.