Chapter Eleven

"Jacob? What are you doing here?" I looked at Jacob, who was waiting for me in front of my house, in surprise. I told him that Bella would go to La Push Beach today with Angela and the guys; how come he shouldn't be squatting in front of my house?

"Where have you been? Why are you back so late?" Jacob stormed up to me, again trying to keep the fire that had just bubbled up. "The roads are icy and slippery this time of year, and there's already been two car accidents in Forks.

I blinked. Jacob had always been a bright and enthusiastic boy in front of me; I hadn't seen him look so fierce. For a moment, I was a bit out of breath, and my voice was weak. "I'm visiting a classmate's house."

Jacob also realized his overly aggressive tone; he let go of his hand and lowered his head in silence, his whole person immersed in the moonlight, looking a little pitiful.

I didn't expect him to wait for me to come home; I also didn't expect him to be worried about me. I was surprised and a little touched. "Why are you just being optimistic and waiting here? How cold is it?" I went to pull his hand; I did not expect to touch the burning, hot palm. This is embarrassing!

"I'm not cold at all, Lacey; you're the cold one. " Jacob looked up, smiling like the same Jacob I knew.

"Lacey," Jacob sat down on the couch, his head drooping, and he moped around like an uninspired puppy. I turned the heat on in the room and warmed up a cup of

Milk and put it on his table.

"I think Bella is getting away from me." I heard Jacob say this and gave him a surprised look. I hadn't expected Jacob's keen fear, but it was only natural; after all, Bella was the one he liked. When faced with someone he liked, he would care about her emotions, her changes, and his full heart.

Would be filled with her. Wrapped in a thick cloak, I sat on the carpet, took a sip of my hot cocoa, and cautiously tried, "Today, was it unpleasant?"

This silly boy was overjoyed yesterday and went out today with great gusto, and now his listless look is pitiful to look at.

"No, Lacey," Jacob said, shaking his head. "I'm still happy to see Bella and talk to her, but...

"But all she keeps asking about is the Cullens." Jacob pursed his lips. I get it; he went to see him with great anticipation, but she kept thinking about another person, so it was a shock.

"So do you still like Bella?" I finally asked him after thinking about it.

"Love it." See, still that answer—I knew it—this solid stupid boy wouldn't give up so easily; he just felt frustrated and couldn't adjust for a while.

"Then go for it." I patted him on the shoulder and shook my head. "Fake women can't give up, so work for it; the dust hasn't settled yet; Jacob, you still have a chance. Although it seems very slim... I didn't put this sentence out to boost his self-confidence.

Jacob was in a daze, and I rubbed my hands together, intending to do something to divert his attention, so I quietly touched his hair.

Jacob finished his glass of milk in one gulp. He put it down and suddenly saw the pink bow hanging from his chest. "Hey! Netsie!"

"Hahahahahaha!" I laughed out loud and dodged his outstretched hand. "See, Jacob, that hair ties I bought last time did suit you.

As it turned out, I still couldn't convince Jacob to take the hair rope, but luckily, the guy recovered quickly.

The sunshine is Jacob.

I didn't take Jacob's comment about the slippery road seriously, but I didn't expect to run into it on Monday. I saw that the truck was going to crash into Bella, so I ran towards her, but I underestimated how slippery the road was, and instead of saving Bella, I fell myself!

"Lacey, oh my god, are you okay?" Alice's panicked cries were in my ears, and I pulled hard on her arm, feeling a little dizzy and nauseous.

"Don't move." It was Rosalie's cold voice as she gathered me in her arms. I did try to obey, but the physical discomfort made me a little out of control. I couldn't gain any strength in my limbs; I'd never felt so powerless before, and I felt a little like throwing up. My eyes were dark. I tried hard to keep them open, but I couldn't see the world in front of me.

A few tears seeped out of the corners of my eyes, and I admit that I was a bit scared—scared that I had messed up everything, scared that I couldn't undo it all—and the physical panic combined with the mental panic plunged me into deep darkness.

Into a deep darkness.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. My head was wrapped in a layer of gauze, and Alice and Rosalie were guarding my bedside. Alice surprised me by coming up to me, and I was so happy to be able to see her beautiful eyes again.

See her beautiful eyes again. "Lacey, is it still hard?"

"Carlisle said you had a mild concussion." Rosalie explained from the sidelines, "Nausea and wanting to throw up are normal; do you have anything you want to eat right now?"

"Apples ..." I thought of apples. I used to always see them in the hospital, relatives peeling apples for the patients.

I must have never thought back then that I would have the day to become a patient, or that someone would peel an apple for me.

"Apples?!" Alice stood up, "I'll get them right away, Lancywait!"

"Bella, is everything okay? " I cleared my throat and Rosalie immediately poured a glass of warm water and handed it to my mouth, carefully putting a straw in.

I bit down on the straw.

Rosalie frowned with a kind of suppressed fire. "She's fine; Edward saved her.

"Edward? Without ignoring Rose's expression, I knew

That this wasn't a question I should pursue.

Maybe it's not my illusion. Billy came in to look at Rosalie, and Rosalie also frowned. The bottom of her eyes could not control the flow of a few points of disgust.

The atmosphere was about to tighten up, the scene was extraordinarily subtle, and I blinked. Their antagonism was too explicitly pinned down to give me a vaguely not-so-good guess.

I coughed and wailed twice suddenly.

"Lacey, are you okay?"

"What's wrong?"

"Lacey! I got the apples back!" Alice's brisk voice came. I didn't think she'd be back so soon; well, it was destined to be a fixer-upper, and I closed my eyes miserably.

"Why do I smell?" she mumbled as soon as she entered, frowning as she walked over to my bed. I'd never seen Alice look so serious; it was as if she was enduring something

Something she was having trouble enduring, but was still trying her hardest to endure it.

I guess it was because I couldn't find anything else. That was the reason Alice had to stay.

I was touched heartily.

Thank all of them for caring about me.

Alice peeled my apple in silence; she peeled it well. It was the silver-glistening fruit knife that made my little heart flutter slightly at the sight of it, and I thought that I must

say something like, "Jacob, have you been to see Bella yet?"

"Yeah." Well, that was a no-brainer. "Bella's fine; it's you, Lacey. I hear you can concuss yourself when you wrestle. I warned you about that yesterday, Lacey. You sure do have a bad memory.

Jacob started rambling, but strangely enough, I wasn't surprised.

It was Alice who interrupted him. Alice peeled the apple into small pieces and fed it to my mouth. Jacob looked at Alice with hostility, and all I could feel was a headache.

"Jasper's going to be jealous of me when he sees this." I said this, trying to lighten the weird mood.

"He won't, Lancy; you've got to get better soon." Alice said she was looking at me seriously.

Carlisle walked in. Well, in numbers, the Cullens scored a crucial victory, and Billy and Carlisle's eyes met in a way that I just pretended I was blind and didn't see anything.

I soon didn't have the mind to think about that because Carlisle's appearance in a white coat suddenly reminded me that he was a doctor, and I began to fidget for fear that he would find something.

To be honest, I didn't really want my friends to know that I wouldn't live much longer; I knew deep down that it would follow like a cloud over our heads, and that wasn't good.

And I didn't know the exact timeframe, and it wasn't good to drag people around like that.

In the beginning, I didn't think I would have friends; although I thought about living a good life, I didn't want to leave too many ties with the world. But people are group animals, and without realizing it, I seem to have a lot of people around me.

I am very grateful for the help they gave me, some of which I cannot afford to return, so I do not want to see their mournful eyes. I also do not want to say goodbye to the last full of sadness, which I can do, perhaps only in the end without a trace of departure.

I clearly know the power of time, although sometimes blame time cannot frame the good. In this kind of moment, I am incomparably grateful for the power of time.