(Thomas POV)
By lunch, Forks High had mostly adjusted to the ring on Edythe's hand.
Not in the sense that anyone forgot, this was still Forks, and Forks could turn a new haircut into folklore, but the initial wave had burned itself out. The staring had shifted into something more routine: quick glances, whispered updates, Jessica Stanley logging data like she was compiling evidence for a court case.
What mattered more was where we sat.
When we'd come back to Forks, the Cullens, the three actually enrolled: Edythe, Alice, and Edward, had started sitting with Bella's table on purpose. It wasn't subtle. It wasn't accidental. It was a choice, the same kind of choice that looked small from the outside and carried real weight underneath.
Keep Bella connected.
Keep her anchored.
Keep her human.
So naturally when I returned, I joined them as well, much to Ben's excitement.
Bella slid into her seat beside Edward with that careful, controlled posture she'd been wearing ever since Charlie grounded her, like she was trying to prove she could be "normal" by force of will alone.
Angela and Ben were already there. Angela smiled first, soft and sincere, like she was relieved Bella existed in the same space again. Ben gave an awkward nod, polite, loyal, still a little intimidated by the "Cullen radius."
Jessica sat a little too upright, eyes flicking to Edythe's left hand out of habit. Then she pretended she hadn't.
Mike Newton hovered for half a second longer than necessary before sitting, as if he needed permission from Edward's presence.
Alice beamed at everyone like this was her favorite show.
Edythe sat close enough to me that my knee brushed hers under the table, nothing dramatic, just a quiet point of contact. A reminder. A promise.
Edward looked exactly like Edward always looked in public: calm, attentive, polite enough to be disarming. If you didn't know him, you'd miss the tension under it.
I shifted my food tray and leaned in just slightly toward Bella. "You look like you're holding a hostage negotiation deal that could fall through any moment. What's up?."
Bella's mouth twitched. "I basically am."
Angela's brows pulled together. "Bella…"
Bella exhaled, then, like she'd decided ripping off the bandage was better than letting it fester, she said, "Charlie let me off grounding."
The table went still in that particular high school way: everyone trying to act casual while listening like their grades depended on it.
"Wow… I thought he was intent on keeping you on lockdown until you were thirty?" I asked, laughing.
Edward's expression didn't change, but his focus sharpened. "He did?"
"Sort of," Bella corrected quickly. "It's a deal. A probation deal. I mess up, it's over."
Angela's face brightened. "That's… actually really good."
Ben nodded. "Yeah. That's fair."
Jessica leaned forward half an inch. "What kind of deal?"
Bella shot her a look that was both relieved someone asked, and worried at the same time. "The kind that involves me being home at ten."
Mike blinked. "Ten? That's not…" He stopped, probably remembering Charlie Swan's mustache could enforce curfews through sheer willpower.
Bella continued, ticking it off like she'd memorized the terms. "No disappearing. No reckless choices. And…" she hesitated, eyes flicking briefly to Edward before she forced the words out, "I have to spend time with people who aren't Edward."
Angela's smile turned even softer. "Okay, good."
Edward's mouth twitched, not quite a smile, but close enough to count. "That seems reasonable."
Bella stared at him like she'd just witnessed a solar eclipse indoors. "Are you… agreeing with my dad?"
"I'm trying to see things from his point of view," Edward said lightly, and there was a hint of real effort in it. Like he'd decided today wasn't the day to turn this into a battlefield.
Alice clapped her hands once, bright and contained. "Perfect. That means plans."
Bella's eyes narrowed. "No."
"Yes," Alice countered, cheerful as sin. "But normal plans, like Angela plans. She was just talking about needing help hand addressing envelopes for graduation invites. Maybe we could turn it into a girl's slumber party or something. Throw in some sappy romance movies and lots of talk about what we are doing after high school."
Angela's cheeks went pink. "I…I mean… we could do something. If you want."
Bella's posture softened in a way that made my chest tighten, because it looked like relief. Not about Edward. About Angela. About being allowed to exist in her human friendships again without it feeling like betrayal.
"Yeah," Bella said, quieter. "I want."
Alice bounced in her seat and let out a little happy squeal, "What about you Jesica, Edythe, are you girls in?"
I gave Edward a quick look. He met it, and for a second a silent message passed cleanly between us:
Inevitably this will lead to Bella seeking out Jacob.
Then, unsurprisingly, I noticed Jessica's gaze drift to Edythe's hand… again.
Not dramatic. Just automatic. Like her eyes couldn't accept that the ring wasn't the center of the universe anymore.
I caught Edythe watching me watch Jessica and gave her my flattest expression.
She leaned in, voice quiet. "Don't."
"I wasn't going to start a fight," I murmured back. "I was going to start a rumor."
Her lips curved. "That's worse."
Alice, who absolutely heard that, brightened. "What rumor?"
"Nothing," Edythe and I said at the same time.
Alice's grin widened like she'd just been handed a gift.
Bella, meanwhile, had noticed my empty left hand again. She'd noticed it earlier too, she just hadn't said anything in front of everyone. But Bella couldn't keep a question inside her forever.
"So," she said, careful, "why aren't you wearing one?"
Jessica's head snapped around like she'd been waiting for that exact line.
Mike blinked, suddenly interested too, like he'd discovered an angle that made this less intimidating.
Angela looked politely confused, like rings weren't supposed to be a group discussion.
I exhaled once through my nose. "Because of how much I lift weights. My hands tend to swell a bunch when I am pushing myself. It's why you rarely see professional weightlifters wear rings at all."
Bella's eyes widened. "Right. I forgot."
"It's all good sis," I said, keeping my voice casual. "I have been thinking of different options. I could wear a necklace with a ring on it and maybe when I stop lifting so much start wearing it. Or I could get a rubber ring that has enough elasticity to not hurt me. The last option I am looking at is a band tattoo around my finger. We just have to decide what fits us best." I reached for Edythe's hand at that point.
It was a good excuse that would pass most people's questions, after all its not like I can say its because I shift into a giant tiger sometimes and may not have time to take the ring off first if I'm in a hurry.
Angela made a small, startled noise. "Oh."
Ben muttered, "That's… not something I had even considered."
Alice's eyes lit up like she was physically restraining herself from launching into a fashion monologue. "I have ideas no matter what way you go."
Edythe's gaze cut to Alice…gentle, but warning.
Alice snapped her lips together. Then she mouthed, later, like a mime in a tiny invisible box.
Bella nodded slowly, absorbing it. Then her expression shifted, less curiosity, more quiet thoughtfulness. Like the ring wasn't "news," but the choices around it still meant something.
Edward's hand moved, subtle, controlled, to rest against Bella's wrist for half a second. Not possessive. Not claiming. Just present.
Bella didn't pull away.
That, more than anything, told me today was a fragile kind of progress.
The bell schedule kept moving. Forks High kept spinning. Jessica kept collecting information like she might publish it.
But at this table, Angela was already talking about getting with her parent to plan the girls night, Bella was easing back into her own life, Edward was trying to behave like a person instead of a fortress with a sign at the door that read No Wolves… things were aligning.
Not perfect.
Not simple.
Just… moving.
Edythe's knee brushed mine again under the table, a quiet question without words.
I leaned slightly toward her, just enough for her to hear. "Spring break," I murmured.
Her eyes softened, a flash of something warm and certain.
Then Alice, because she couldn't help herself, smiled sweetly at me and said, "You know, people will pay more attention if you say that like it's a secret code."
I didn't look away from my now empty tray. "Good."
Bella blinked. "Good?"
I finally glanced up, letting my tone stay easy. "Let them wonder."
Edythe's mouth twitched.
Edward sighed like he'd been born tired of all of us.
Angela looked between us, baffled but smiling anyway.
And for one normal, strange, dangerous moment, Forks High felt almost like it could hold us without cracking.