New Moon

Forever,” he vowed, still a little staggered.

“That’s all I’m asking for,”

Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars—points of light and reason....And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.

“The way I feel about you will never change. Of course I love you—and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

“Yeah, I’ll always be your friend,” he said gruffly. “No matter what you love.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

That’s what Jacob thinks is best, but you need to decide for yourself. You should weigh the risks of both options very seriously.

It’s just that, I know how you’re unhappy a lot. And, maybe it doesn’t help anything, but I wanted you to know that I’m always here. I won’t ever let you down—I promise that you can always count on me. Wow, that does sound corny. But you know that, right? That I would never, ever hurt you?

“Of course, you might be an exception. I bet you’d taste good.”

“Thanks so much,” I said, looking away. He wasn’t the first person to tell me that.

Only a teenage boy would agree to this: deceiving both our parents while repairing dangerous vehicles using money meant for my college education. He didn’t see anything wrong with that picture. Jacob was a gift from the gods.

Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars—points of light and reason….And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.”

Why can you believe the lie, but not the truth?”