Chapter 53

• I'm sorry, Alice, I didn't mean to blow up on you," I apologize after a brief pause, my voice contrite.
• I'm startled when Alice surprisingly bursts out into laughter. Her sweet and joyful laughter is infectious and it doesn't take me long to join her. With everything that has been going on, it feels wonderful to release some of that through laughter. We are both holding our stomachs after a short while as our fit of giggles died down to an occasional chuckle. Alice wipes her eyes as she speaks.
• "Seriously, Bella, if that's you blowing up on someone -," she starts giggling again and I quickly join in. I see what she means. I'd never been good at standing up for myself and the "explosion" I've apologized is mediocre compared to the norm. When our laughter slows again, Alice is thoughtful.