Eight Weeks Earlier

"So let me get this straight?" Ah Alice, always optimistic, always needs to be told life crushing news a dozen times before it finally sets in, "He cancelled your wedding via text message?"

I nodded in conformation because I really wasn't sure how one is supposed to act in this situation; I've never been dumped before, let alone before my wedding. And here I thought 2009 was on the up.

"What kind of ass monkey cock licker decides a week, a fucking WEEK before his wedding, that he can't do it." Alice had taken up pacing across the living room floor, arms flailing, voice rising, heals clicking furiously, the whole enchilada. I shrugged at her question, because I was thinking the same thing, well what I was thinking was a little more colorful with a few more expletives, but I digress.

Apparently my silence is only fuel for her fire, super. "How the fuck are staying so damn calm Bella? A week, he gave you seven fucking days to cancel a wedding that the entire freaking town was invited to and yet you just sit there holding your phone gazing at that pussy's excuse for a break up. You should be pissed off or crying or something, but instead you're sitting there in his Pink Floyd t-shirt and a pair of J's U-Dub sweatpants, which is gross by the way, emotionless."

Knowing full well that her verbal assault on my emotionally stunted behavior will only continue unless I give her what she's looking for, I lean forward from my crumpled spot on the couch and toss my phone onto the over-priced Pottery Barn coffee table the douchmonger insisted we buy, and finally begin to speak. Unfortunately for me, it's only eleven in the morning and I've already managed to puff away a pack of Camel Menthol Lights, so my throat is dry and on fire and my voice is all wussy and broken, "I-I…Fuck." I drop my head into my hands and rub my eyes with the heel of my palms.

Somehow, by the grace of all that is holy, that manages to be enough to appease my furious fairy sized friend and the next thing I know I'm wrapped up in her little arms, my head crushed against her bosom, as she rocked me gently cooing, "Baby it's okay, let it out, let it all out, we'll take care of everything. It's going to be okay."

However, there wasn't anything to let out, well at least not with tears and shit. I made a deal with myself years ago that Bella Swan doesn't cry, she doesn't break down, she moves on and learns, so that was exactly what I intended to do. So while Alice coddled me and rocked away my "pain" all I could think was, 'this is nice, no wonder guys like to lay on boobies so much, they're comfy.'

Amidst my mental appreciation for Alice's chest she began to inform me that she'll call everyone and handle everything while I get out of town for a couple of days. 'Well I guess now is a good time as any to go see the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and catch up with mom. I wonder what their traveling exhibit is. Maybe Em can take a couple days off of work.'

Our heart touching moment was broken up by incessant banging on my front door followed by the words of Lucifer, as she tested the effectiveness of my doorstop, "Oh my God what the fuck happened I came over as quickly as I could."

Wide eyed and pissed off, my gaze shot up to look at Alice, seething I asked in disbelief, because even Alice wasn't stupid enough to do what I think she did. "You fucking called her?"

Slinking back she apologetically replied, "She's your sister."

"I don't blame you for your genetics, why must you hold mine against me?"

"Sorry."

Before I could retort there she stood in all her harpy glory, crossing the room with her arms extended, "Oh Beebee."

The next thing I knew I was wrapped up in her grasp, with Alice motioning from behind her to hug her back. Following her example I cautiously patted my half-sisters back, "Hey…Rose."

Sitting back on my chocolate brown box store table, Rosalie gripped my upper left arm and pointed her perfectly manicured forefinger in my face. "Fuck him, you hear me. Fuck that ass hole."

I nodded in complete disbelief, this woman before me was not the narcissistic bitch I grew up with, 'Damn it,' I thought, 'Now I have to deal with Forks' gossip and alien abductions. Unbefuckinglievable.'

I stole a glance at Alice; undoubtedly her blended look of horror and uncertainty that left her open-mouthed and bewitched matched mine.

Rosalie and her twin brother Jasper are my half-siblings, and a whopping year older than me. Jazz and I have a great relationship. Rose had always been a complete c-unit to me, like it was my freaking fault that Charlie couldn't keep it in his pants that whole minute he was married to their mother. When I was younger I used to be jealous of her and Jasper's blonde hair and blue eyes, tall statures, and seemingly good looks, hell I adored my older siblings, the sun fucking rose and set by what they said and did, until middle school and Rose decided to live up to the Arian Race persona.

Being bullied is one thing, being accosted morning, noon, and night is something entirely else. The bitch was relentless.

In high school she was the perfect cheerleader, miss popularity. I on the other hand was a bit of a stoner, still am if the occasion arises, and worried about getting the grades needed to get myself as far away from her as possible. For the most part, she ignored my existence after my freshman year, well until I started dating Emmett McCarty, the hottest guy at Forks High School.

Emmett's two years older than me, and a bit a dumb. At the urging of my English teacher I agreed to tutor the big oaf for extra credit, and to have at least one more hour a week away from my sister.

At Emmett's request after our first lesson, we began to meet nearly every day after football practice, I mean the boy was really dumb and I was really naïve.

So there we were about two months later, I a sheltered fifteen year old, and Emmett the seventeen year old King of good ol' FHS, sitting in his room discussing Shakespeare when he began to recite Romeo's lines to me as he pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and then he kissed me. I can still remember what he said to me when he pulled away, "You're the sunshine in my otherwise sad life you know that?" What secluded teenage girl wouldn't fall for that? The next thing I know, I'm on the arm of the football captain, my v-card long discarded, and Emmett had an A in nearly all of his classes; English and Anatomy in particular. And just to put it out there, Rosalie's well-known, long unrequited love for Emmett was only a small part of my motivation.

Side note, if it wasn't for Jasper, I probably would have done more than broke her perfect nose when she went all jealously driven Edward Scissor Hands on my locks. Probably not my brightest moment in life, sitting in the back of your own father's cruiser because you attacked your older sister and sent her to the emergency room, but at least Rose got the point, and I got a lock on my bedroom door. Albeit I also have to attend anger management classes from now until the end of time, but totally worth it.

In the years following, Emmett and I had a great time, and I learned a lot of skills that have come in handy since, and Rose got herself a bronze haired uppity boy toy in the form of Edward Cullen.

When Em went onto U-Dub on a football Scholarship I remained the supportive high school girlfriend, but when he asked me to marry him the Christmas before I graduated high school, I freaked the fuck out. I mean seriously I'm the daughter of the police chief and his eighteen year old mistress, so let me tell you I had real faith in the whole marriage endeavor. After one more, phenomenal roll in the sheets, I let Emmett go, and in the fall I took Ohio, by storm, following my mother and her new husband and attended The University of Akron.

While I was away at school, Rose's unrequited love for Emmett turned into pure lust-driven seduction, and after one party she finally succeeded to get into Em's pants.

The end result was a broken Emmett standing in my dorm room, two-thousand miles away from school at 2:45 on a Wednesday morning begging me to forgive me. In another chapter of moments in the life of Bella Swan life that a father could be proud of, I fucked him senseless for the next four days and then sent him home. That's a little piece of golden information I'm saving for the wedding speech. Emmett and Rose are getting married in the spring.

I met James two weeks after Emmett went back to Seattle, and by the time I graduated with a degree in English Literature and a minor in communications, I was engaged to be married.

Alice Cullen, my best friend since my junior year of high school, and the younger sibling of the bronze douche fucking Rosalie in high school, went to the U of A with me. After my thirteenth straight day of moping about Em, she dragged me out for some rousing Cleveland style antics. James was the drummer in the band that was playing that night and after six long islands I found myself sitting vicariously on the edge of a sink straddling him in the men's room, I'm a daughter for the record books ladies and gentlemen.

I was dickmatized in every possible way. Three years later, I was living with the drummer of Cleveland's biggest band, wearing his ring, and planning a cross country move because they got signed by a small recording company based out of Seattle. That's how I found myself back in Forks, James like the small town feel after living his whole life in the city.

We've lived in this house for three months, and then this morning I wake up to an empty bed, cleared out closet, and a text message.

Alice finally was shaken from her stupor and once again resumed her pacing, Rose following her lead began to roam the floor, and I was still stoically perched on my leather couch wondering where the fuck the real Rosalie was being hidden by this imposter.

"I mean seriously," She yelled, "this is bullshit, completely selfish bullshit."

"How could he do this?" Alice chimed in, "He loves you, how could he do this to you Bella, I just don't understand."

Alice's statement stopped Rosalie dead in her tracks, "How could he do this to Bella?" She questioned. "How could he do this to our family? How could she do this to our family? To me? Think about the gossip that's going to spread through this town. Like I haven't had to deal with enough over the last twenty-five years, but now I'm going to hear about how my half-sister can't even keep a guy all the way through the "I do's"."

Oh and there it was, 'Well hello Rosalie, long time no-see, glad you could join us.' Somehow she managed to bastardize this situation into my fault, congrats Rose, that's impressive.

"You can't be serious?" Alice was irate. "You own sister is crushed a week before her wedding and you blame her?"

Tossing her long blonde weave over her shoulder she huffed, "Well obviously she's done something or he'd still be here, and I wouldn't have to clean up another of Bella's messes."

With that I heard enough. Now seemed like a good of time as any to go pick up another pack of smokes. Silently I stood up, brushed off my thighs, grabbed my phone, and walked right out the front door while Alice jumped down Rose's shit in my defense.

When I was in the security of my own car I called him.

"Hey," James' voice was dead, and I smiled, at least this wasn't easy on him right?

"Hi," I responded in the same lifeless tone.

Then everything was quiet, fucking crickets chirped.

"I'm sorry." Alright at least that's a start, he spoke.

I took a deep breath, determined not to cry, evenly I asked "Why didn't you say something sooner?" And mentally I added 'I don't know, maybe before I moved within walking distance of Hell's gate keeper?'

Nervously he croaked out, "It just sort of happened B. I can't tell you when I started freaking out, but last night… shit I don't know, I panicked, started hyperventilating and whatever and I just needed to dip. I never meant to hurt you. I love you."

"Right," I began. "Firstly, you lost all right to say that you love me when you left me. Secondly, shit like this just doesn't pop up out of the blue. So I'm going to ask again. Why didn't you say something sooner?"

I could just imagine him pulling out the hair tie that normally held his should length blonde hair at the base of his neck and scratching his free locks with abandon, "Bella, listen to me. I never meant to hurt you," I scoffed at that, "really, when I asked you to marry me and you said 'yes' nothing had ever made me happier, but with everything happening so quickly, the record deal, buying a house, the wedding… I just cracked. Somewhere inside I realized that I can't make you as happy as you make me, and I refuse to wake up every morning next to you knowing that."

"How can you possibly know if you make me happy or not, you've never asked."

He let out a dark chuckle, "Because baby girl, I shouldn't have had to. That's why I left. One day B, you're going to make someone just as happy as they make you, but that guy just isn't me. I'm sorry that it took me this long to realize it. I love you."

That cracked me, he actually broke through my tough girl façade and tears were rolling down my face as drove through downtown Forks. "I love you too" was all that I was able to choke out.

"Shhh, hey now baby girl don't cry because of me," his voice was soothing and warm, "I'm just a lousy musician living up to the cliché."

A laugh escaped amongst my tears at our inside joke. "My mom's going to tell me 'I told you so.'"

"Yeah," he said solemnly, "she had me pegged right from the get go."

"No," I cried shaking my head even though he couldn't see me.

"Stop with the tears Isabella, you don't cry, and you definitely don't cry because of me. Do you hear me baby girl? No more tears." His voice was cracking.

Sniffling I wiped my face, and noticed that Mrs. Newton was gawking at me as I sat in the Speed-Way parking lot bawling my eyes out. Flicking her off and motioning for her to move along I whispered to James, "You did make me happy."

He exhaled, "Just not happy enough. I'm sorry," his breath hitched, "I got to go baby girl."

"What about the house?" Yeah, really I was that desperate to hear his voice just a little longer that I asked about the house he bought me as an early wedding gift.

"Keep it, I bought it for you." And with that the line went dead.

I closed my phone, and noticed six missed calls from Alice, and a text from Jasper.

Ignoring Alice I opened the text: 'You wanna get stoned?'

And that's why he's my favorite sibling (not that he really has any competition) he always knows the right questions to ask.

I typed out a quick response: 'Load it up, I'll be there in three, call Em and see if he wants to join.'

I got an instant response, 'make it two and I'm already ahead of you sister.'

I laughed a real good hearted laugh then ran inside to get a pack of cigarettes before making my way to my brother's house.

Thanks to the ganja gods I was well baked and smiling an hour later playing Halo with my brother and my best friend.

Neither of them really said anything, well except Emmett made a comment along the lines of "at least he got you to say 'yes'. That's further than me."

The rest of the afternoon the three of us, drank beer smoked some more and killed aliens until a door slam indicated Alice was home.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I swear to God if you left me with that Hell Hound to come here and get all toked up, I'll give your mother your real cell phone number."

"Hey," Emmett interjected, "that Hell Hound of which you speak is my future wife."

"And she's my sister," Jasper clarified, "She's still a fucking bitch." Alice and I nodded in agreement.

"Never mind that," Alice said whipping her arm in the air to clear the fog that over ran the room. "Bella, coming over here and getting retarded is not the way to handle this kind of situation, and leaving me alone with Rose is not a way to treat your best friend."

Shaking the controller and wiggling in my seat to better eliminate the aliens, I kept my eyes focused on the T.V. as I said, "You called her."

"True story," Jasper confirmed.

Exasperated, Alice came and leaned over the back of the couch so that her upside down head was placed between me and Emmett and she had a glorious view up my nose, "But she's your sister."

"Not by choice," Jasper and I said in unison, followed immediately by a poorly executed, slow motion high five. Stoners unite.

"Seriously guys," Emmett whined, "I really don't like you talking about Rosie like that."

At the same time Jazz, Ali and I shot Emmett the 'we know too much for you to piss us off' look which shut him up fairly quickly. Just because Rosalie doesn't know that Emmett came running to me after he slept with her doesn't mean Alice and Jasper don't.

Grumbling Emmett rose to his feet, "Well apparently I need at home, fuck yous all around in advance, and see if I can calm Rose down. Hey B if you need anything, don't hesitate to call." I nodded as he turned to walk out of the room. Whipping around, he amended, "My cell, don't hesitate to call my cell." I nodded again, because there was no way in hell I'd call his home phone when I knew there was a possibility of the Swan genetic deformity answering.

When the front door closed Alice huffed into Emmett's vacated seat, "And then there were three," she announced. "Well actually," she said scrunching up her features and giving Jasper and I the stink eye, "and then there were two because you tools each count as half a person. You both have shit for brains when you're high."

I rolled my eyes and Jasper winked at me as the two of continued our attack on fictional extraterrestrial life forms. I was moving on one dead alien at a time.