Vanity and Patience: A Rosalie Hale & Emmett Cullen Story

Chapter 14: Rejection Pangs

"Emmett?" I breathed again, making sure it was him, but I didn't need to; I knew that scent and those eyes anywhere.

I heard his breath hitch before he disappeared instantly, charging further into the forest headed north.

I did not chase after him. In fact, I felt exactly the opposite; I wanted to crawl under a rock and die. If there were a picture in the dictionary for the term "embarrassment," it would be this very situation.

I hastily rearranged myself, grabbing the blanket to stuff in my duffel bag, and then I was off running towards the house, drenched in humiliation. The feeling of burning acid churned in my stomach.

As I returned home, I saw Edward running about half way to our property line. He paused and looked onto me with frenzied concern. "I lost Emmett," he said, worried.

I said nothing, but I was drowning in shame and mortification. The onslaught of my circumstance rendered my thoughts far from being controlled, replaying being caught by Emmett in the paddock.

Edward's face became a twisted mess as he saw my memory before taking a moment to gain composure. "Do you know where he went?" he asked, his eyes scrunching shut as he winced at the scene playing in my head.

Was he supposed to be with you?

"There was a mountain lion on the loose here, and they're so rare in this area, that I took my time with it, and when I looked up again he was gone."

I glared at him incredulously. You idiot! Now, look what happened! How could you just let him alone like that when he was you responsibility tonight? You're so unbelievably stupid!

"Was that north I saw?" he asked abruptly, not responding to my mental chastising.

"Ugh!" I huffed in frustration and continued my run back home, feeling a brush of wind behind me as Edward headed north towards Emmett.

I arrived at the house charging upstairs and directly into my room, ignoring whoever was sitting in the living room. I probably caused some questionable curiosities with my family, but I didn't care.

For two weeks I avoided Emmett like the plague. I refused to hunt with him or to be alone with him at all, so I made excuses to my parents. I managed to keep our circumstance a secret. Edward was most respectful, and did not mention it to them as well. He even volunteered to go in my stead every time I was supposed to take Emmett hunting.

My evasion prompted the return of Emmett's indifference briefly in these last days; somehow we had reverted back to a few months ago, before Viktor had intruded, and we had grown somewhat in friendship. He took extra distance if he passed me, following my lead in evading one another's presence. Something was different though. I would catch him more often staring at me, and he seemed to grow careless in trying to hide it, even though he'd turn away or avert his eyes when I'd look in his direction. I should be happy about it, but instead it only added to my humiliation.

It was the fifteenth day since he caught me in the forest. Edward was getting ready to go out with Emmett. I had planned to read up on my art history that evening, this time the Early Italian Renaissance period. I figured I could count how many times "Madonna and Child" had been painted by different artists to pass time.

Carlisle and Esme were informing me about their plans to enroll Emmett into university with me next school year. They were arranging to accelerate Edward's high school graduation so that he may be there to assist Emmett in his struggle to conform to human society. In the middle of the conversation, Edward and Emmett, both aware of the plans, came into the kitchen to prepare for their hunt.