Chapter One

By all extents and purposes, I had made it.

The senior year of college was coming to a close. I would be graduating with a degree in English literature with a minor in journalism. What the fuck was I suppose to do that, I had know clue. I was just happy as hell to be done with the whole school thing.

I can't lie and say I didn't enjoy myself while I was here because that definitely wasn't the case. The shell I had created for myself while I was in high school had slowly broken away and out comes this person who sometimes I didn't recognize.

Gone was the girl that was too timid to speak her mind. Gone was the girl that was socially awkward. Gone was the girl that believed she wasn't good enough.

I was still trying to figure out just exactly who this new person was, but I knew I was none of the things I use to be. Fuck that. I was done being that person.

I hadn't been home in four years and if it was up to me, I would stay gone. But I didn't have a damn clue about what I wanted to do after school. One thing was for sure though, I couldn't stay here in the dorm rooms and because even the thought of moving back to Phoenix with my mom made my skin crawl, I had no other choice but to move back with Charlie, back to Forks.

When I left high school, I left a lot of other shit too. I left Edward and his family behind without so much as an explanation. I didn't like the person I was becoming while I was with Edward and once I realized that's not who I wanted to be, I rolled out. Of course with all the vampire senses and abilities that they had, they all knew what I was going to do way before I did it, but it still never stopped me.

I still remember the look on Alice's face when I told her, and these are my words exactly, "To stay the fuck out my life".

Maybe it was a little bit too harsh, but I was so damn sick and tired of them controlling what I did and who I saw and where I went just because they thought they knew better.

The only who knew that I was going to UDub was Charlie and I only told him because I knew he would drive himself insane if I hadn't.

I didn't even tell Jake where I was going. Just like I left the Cullens with no explanation, I did the same Jacob as well. Figured it would be a cleaner breakaway if I just left. I tried not to think about him much, I mean it's been four years. I'm pretty sure he's imprinted on some nice little rez girl by now.

I made a few friends here at school, but none that really stuck around. Most of the time people asked me out because I was fun to be around, partying had become somewhat of a normal thing for me up here. The majority of the time though, it was just because people were just trying to get into my pants. I was pretty good at weeding out which was which.

I wasn't shy about my looks anymore. I knew just the right amount of eye shadow to brush across my lids to make my eyes seem wider, the right amount of gloss to put on my lips to make them seem plumper, more pouty. I always let my hair air dry because it gave that tousled look everyone seemed to be going for and because I hadn't cut it in four years; the shit was damn near to my waist so the style just worked for me.

I had put on some weight, what respectable college student didn't, but it wasn't weight that I was ashamed of. I had hips now and my ass wasn't half bad neither. I was a shapely twenty two year old and I would be lying if I said it was my sparkling personality that guys found so irresistible.

Like I said, I had made a few friends here but none that ever stayed around after the night we hung out. I didn't really speak too many of my friends back from high school, except for Ang, and because she was so annoyingly persistent I really had no other choice.

I liked talking to Ang though, she never changed. Even though I wasn't the same person she knew at Forks, she never treated me any different.

I didn't talk to a lot of people from Forks either, except for Charlie and that was once a week if that. There were moments when I was out late, partying with people I barely even knew, just so I didn't have to feel lonely, where I was almost tempted to call Jake. I just needed to hear his voice, even if I knew he was just going to hang up on me. But then that little independent chick that was in the back of my head would say, I didn't need anybody and I'll make myself forget that I was ever going to call in the first place.

Realizing that you only had one true person you could talk could get pretty lonely, but that was before I ran into Leah Clearwater.

I had no idea why she was on my campus that one day and if I hadn't woken up late for my English Lit class that morning, I wouldn't have had to make a detour to the Student Lounge for a large cup of coffee. I was coming out the building just as she was coming in.

I didn't expect her to even acknowledge my presence, but she did, with a smart ass comment to follow and I responded right back, much to her surprise. Of course she said some things that got under my skin but instead of letting her have the satisfaction of seeing her words get to me, I gave her a taste of her own medicine, saying some things to Leah that I knew was a sure fire way of getting my damn head taken off.

In the end though, all Leah did was give me and small smirk and said calmly that we should do lunch. We've been cool ever since.

I found out that she was interested in taking some classes but hadn't completely made up her mind yet. She says pack life has gotten a bit tough but she wouldn't go any deeper into it and I didn't ask. I told her what was going on with me, the changes I made. Of course Leah liked this new Bella I become, said it was about time I stopped being a whimpy little bitch and started using the good brains and body god gave me.

She was the only one who knew I was coming back home and she insisted on helping me pack on my last night.

"Are you sure, you told no one else that I was coming home"? I asked, throwing shit haphazardly into my suitcase.

Leah was lying down on my naked mattress, the skirt she was wearing hiked up to the top of her tan thighs. I wasn't as pale as I use to be, but I wasn't nearly as tan as she was.

"For the last fucking time, your little secret is safe with me Swan". She sighed and I knew she was rolling her eyes.

"I thought you were suppose to be helping me pack"? I asked, tossing a T-shirt over her face. Leah got up and tossed it right back at me. I just laughed and stuffed it in an available spot in my already over stuffed suitcase.

Leah had been unusually quiet the whole time she was here and when I glanced over at her, she looked worried, scared even.

"What's got your panties all in a bunch"? I asked, trying to lighten the mood , but it didn't seem to help.

"You shouldn't come back home Bella". Leah said and I stopped what I was doing.

"This I already know Lee, thanks. If I had anywhere else to go, I would".

Leah shook her head. "That's not what I mean, you shouldn't come back, it's not the same anymore".

Okay, this wasn't sounding like Leah at all. "What are you talking about? Of course it's not going to be the same; four years tend to do that".

Leah shook her head again and started to speak but it was like the words were physically getting caught in her throat. She swallowed hard.

"I…can't talk about it but things aren't the way they were when you left, things…..are….difficult now". She stuttered and I was becoming frustrated.

"Leah are you going to fucking tell me what's up or am I going to have to play twenty questions all night"?

She opened her mouth to speak but her body became suddenly rigid and she stood up from my bed abruptly, scaring the shit out of me.

"Leah, what's wro…."?

She grabbed me suddenly by the shoulders. I could feel her whole body shaking.

"Promise that the first chance you get, you'll get out of Forks as fast as you can, convince Charlie to do the same, you can't stay there"

"Leah, I don't understand what you're trying to….."

Her body went rigid again and the shit looked almost painful.

"I can't…I got to go….I'll get with you later…just remember what I said". She said and before I had a chance to respond, Leah was stumbling out my door.

I sat down on my bed in a daze after that. I've never seen her like that before. It kind of freaked me out a bit. Leah was the toughest, most head strong person I knew.

So what happened back home that would make her act the way she did? But that wasn't the only question I needed to ask myself.

No the question I needed to ask myself was…..if I was even brave enough to find out?

A/N: Something I got brewing in my head…..hehehehehe….let me know what ya'll think? Until next time…..MN