Bella rolled over in bed, sighing slightly as she turned. She knew it was time to wake up and get ready for school but she felt exhausted. She hadn't fell asleep until 5am.

When the alarm clock failed to silence, she stuck out her hand and turned it off. "Come on Bella, up you get." She mused to herself.

She dressed slowly, catching a glimpse of her body in the mirror. She was thankful the weather was cold so that she could cover up the purple bruises coating her legs and arms. She pulled on two hoodies before looking out of the bedroom window.

Alice was right on time. She waved from the driveway and Bella forced a smile back.

Bella hadn't been feeling well for a while, and she was determined to not let the Cullen's notice. It was a pretty hard task considering Carlisle was a doctor and both Edward and Rosalie had gone to medical school. Still, the last thing she needed was the Cullen's figuring out her secret.

She grabbed her bag and met Alice in the driveway. Before she could get into the car, Alice shot her hand out. "Breakfast, Bella." She reprimanded.

Bella had intentionally forgotten to pick up the breakfast laid out on the kitchen counter but she went back in and got it to not make Alice suspicious.

"How are you this morning?" Alice asked as Bella climbed into the passenger seat. Edward had gone on a hunting trip with Emmett and Jasper late last night and was going to meet them at the school just before class.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Tired." Bella replied. It was starting to become her standard answer.

Alice glanced over at her but said nothing. Instead, she fell into a deep conversation about the latest fashion trends and their upcoming shopping trip to Seattle.

When they arrived at the school, Edward was waiting for them in their usual parking space. His face warmed as Bella climbed out of the car and into his arms. "Good morning, beautiful." He murmured into her soft hair.

Bella blushed lightly and readjusted herself in Edward's arms so that he was unable to feel her ribs. "Morning."

The day went pretty quickly after that. The morning classes were usually boring but Bella spent the time going over things in her head and looking at Edward.

It was when lunch rolled around that the day began to slow. Bella unquestionably dreaded the lunch time bell. Why did they need a lunch time anyway? School was for learning, right?

The Cullen's were already sat at the lunch table – minus Edward who was stood with Bella at the entrance to the cafeteria.

"Right, let's go get some food for the human." Edward murmured quietly so that only Bella could hear. He chuckled lightly.

Bella hated being the weak and feeble human, but she followed Edward down the food line anyway and picked up a plate. Although she'd rather sit at the table with nothing, the Cullen's would definitely notice something was up if she did. She piled her plate with fruit and some vegetable sticks before grabbing a bottle of water. Edward had put some kind of stew on his plate to fake appearances.

When Bella walked to the Cullen table she was cautious when choosing a seat. She knew Rosalie was becoming somewhat suspicious of her behaviours, so she made sure to not sit opposite her. She didn't need Rosalie watching her every move as she attempted to hide the food on her plate.

"That looks nice, Bella." Emmett complimented as she sat. He was trying to eat some French fries but didn't seem too satisfied. "Though I'm not sure just fruit and veg is a full nutritious lunch…"

Bella stared down at her plate. "Well, I am still quite full from breakfast and it's always good to be healthy, Emmett."

"Breakfast?" Alice piped in. "What? A cereal bar and a banana? That's very filling, Bella." She resorted sarcastically.

"Definitely." Bella agreed, pretending she hadn't picked up on Alice's sarcasm. She began to chew on the carrot stick. She had to refrain herself from gagging. She hadn't had any choice but to eat the cereal bar and banana in front of Alice this morning and she didn't need any more food in her today. The fact she had forgotten to take her caffeine pills this morning didn't help the situation either.

The Cullen's chatted mindlessly about the hunting trip, minus Alice who was still talking about fashion. Bella pretended to listen but wasn't really that interested.

She was trying to not focus on Rosalie but it was extremely difficult when she was staring Bella down.

Rosalie watched every single movement Bella did. She watched her pick up the food off the plate and put it in her mouth. It was torture. There was no way Bella would be able to drop the food into the napkin she had slid onto her lap. Rosalie was definitely suspicious, which made Bella a little confused because she wasn't very close to Rose. She hadn't expected Rose to notice a thing.

"So," Rosalie finally spoke, grabbing Bella's attention quickly. She was looking right at Bella as she spoke. "Esme hasn't seen you in a few days so she's organised a movie night later on at the house. She's phoned Charlie to say we're having a girly sleepover and he's happy for you to stay over."

Bella bit her lip. She had purposely been avoiding Esme over the last few days but couldn't deny that she did have to go over to the Cullen house eventually. "Sounds good." She mumbled and Edward smiled beside her.

"It'll be so good to just hang out with everyone," He began. "Even Carlisle isn't working this evening!"

Great, Bella thought. Not only was she spending the evening at the Cullen's but the doctor was also going to be in attendance. It was really starting to become difficult now that everyone around her was more observant and in tune to her needs.

She would have to be extra careful at the Cullen household.

Edward was starting to encourage her to eat some more of her vegetables when she just couldn't take it anymore. She grasped her stomach and clasped her hand over her mouth in an attempt to feign sickness. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, "But… I really need the bathroom."

Before any of them could speak, she shot off across the cafeteria and into the girl's bathroom. She wasn't really feeling unwell, she just wanted to get out of the awkward situation at the lunch table. She also wanted to relieve herself of the food she'd just eaten unwillingly.

She was just finishing up in the stall when there was a knock.

"Bella." Shit. It was Rosalie. "You're being sick? You okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Bella cleared her throat, wiped her mouth and flushed. "Must just be a stomach bug or something."

As she came out of the stall, Rosalie placed a hand on her forehead. "Funny." Rosalie mused. "You don't seem to have a fever."

Bella shook off Rose's hand carefully and ran her hands under the faucet. "Must be in the early stages then."

"Well, Carlisle will be able to take a look at you later so it'll be okay." Rosalie smiled softly. "Take it easy though okay? Edward nearly barged through the door when he heard you were being sick…we don't want any crazy vampires on the loose." She winked and then left the bathroom. When the door shut, she heard Rosalie in the corridor. "Chill Edward; it seems to be the start of a stomach bug. She'll be out in a minute."

Bella stood looking at herself in the mirror for a few moments. She couldn't make it out. She was positive Rosalie knew something was going on and definitely didn't think she believed it was a stomach bug, so why was she going along with it?

Whatever reason it was, Bella didn't mind. She just didn't need anyone finding out. She walked out of the bathroom to find Edward leaning up against the corridor.