Disclaimer: I do not own any Twilight characters…I'm not that brilliant. This is just me playing with someone else's creations.

Prologue

There are a few things to be said for living in a small town in the middle of one of the rainiest places ever.

Everybody knows everybody.

With a population of less than five thousand, our rumor mill never has much to work with. But when it does, it gets around faster than the speed of light. It's uncommon for a kid to sneak out of school to hit the beach on one of the rare sunny days and not get caught. Sure no one may come looking for you, but you just know when you get home there will be hell to pay. It is precisely that which brings me to my next point.

It is the dream of everyone you know, besides the people with children or those who only aspire to live here and have beaucoup babies, to get the hell out of this town.

I know it's the quintessential cliché of the ages that a small town kid should want to one day leave the godforsaken hell hole they were unfortunate enough to be stuck in. I mean, don't get me wrong. Some people live for the slow paced lifestyle. However, the rest of us would just as soon watch paint dry. If you're cool with the only form of shopping being a run-down strip of old Main Street that now housed a bargain mart and a five and dime then be my guest.

Despite all the bad that you can pull from the mundane, it is inevitable that you will realize you were blessed with the opportunity few children elsewhere get anymore. The chance to actually be a kid.

In small towns, kids are still seen running around and playing outside. Teenagers actually do still go to the movies and hang out in diners when they tire of the occasional house party or camping out on a friends couch all day during the summer. People don't fear for their kid's safety at every turn because they have eyes and ears everywhere. There has never been a place, more so than in a small town, that the phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" been more aptly applied.

I grew up in one such town. At the age of eighteen, I was aware of my surroundings and what I was giving up. But, my dream was one of far greater importance than clinging to the safety and security of home. I'd already accomplished the hardest part. I graduated high school alongside my friends with fairly decent marks. That day seemed to go on forever, but it wasn't until the one that followed that the realization that our childhoods were over finally hit us.

I was preparing to enjoy my summer and my best friend was packing to leave for a summer in New York with her cousin Tanya before heading off to Dartmouth in the fall. It wasn't long after Rosalie departed, that I shared my tearful goodbye to Edward, Emmett, and Jasper who took off to the South and the famed SEC the first chance they got. But that solemn day was a whole month ago and now it was my turn to fly the coop. Tomorrow, I would be leaving and it would be the most exciting and frightening thing I'd ever done. Partially because I was in essence moving half way across the country, but also because I was leaving behind the only girl I'd ever loved. Looking over at her as she jumped from the sounds of the telephone as it rang; I chuckled and swallowed the lump that was threatening to lodge itself in my throat. I took a message for her dad to call Carlisle back and returned to the living room only to find Bella hiding behind the blanket she was wrapped in.

"I think we've had enough Freddy for one night, huh?" I said, removing the DVD from the player.

"Allie! I was watching that!"

"Righttttt because I'm sure the view was spectacular through the covers."

"Okay, so I was scared. But you know his face creeps me out. I can't even volunteer at the burn center because of this!"

"Yeah I know."

And for a moment, we sat there in silence. Neither one of us really had the energy to make it until the end of the movie, but we were both hesitant to call it a night.

"Let's watch a Disney movie."

"Bella, it's getting late and my dad will kill me if I miss curfew."

"Don't care. This is my last night with my best friend and I want to stay up with you."

It was hard to argue with her in general but when she pulled out the pout I had to find it in myself not to lose my cool. I felt sorry that I was causing her this much pain but I had to go. Things at home were never the best when others weren't around and this was my chance to get out and make something of my life that I could be proud of. This was my chance to be more than just Alice. I had to take it.

But it also meant that things would change for us. Unlike Rosalie and Jasper or Edward and Emmett, Bella and I didn't have parents to fall back on. So we worked our asses off, and I was able to score a spot at Parsons in New York to finally start on my dream of becoming a fashion icon. But Bella wasn't so lucky. Her grades were impeccable but she still couldn't afford to go to her dream school even after all the scholarships. Things only got worse when Charlie got hurt on the job and the little money that could have helped, went into bills and rehabilitation efforts.

It crushed Bella and she lost her will to do anything for a while after that. But being stubborn and proud, she refused to take handouts or loans. Instead, she resolved that she would take some time off to save up money while looking into other schools. UCLA would always be her dream but she needed more than they were willing to or able to give. In a way, I respected her decision.

She had been the only other one who truly understood what it meant to not be wealthy. Sure, the others were sympathetic to our issues, but they never really grasped what it meant and how it changed our perspective on things. We weren't homeless but there had been plenty of occasions where our refrigerators ran out before the month did or we fell asleep in class because we had to pull dinner shift at the diner to have spending money, only to have homework waiting at our houses. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing our friends were used to.

Now, I wouldn't have that connection with her because no matter how unfair it was that I had to scrape for my savings, I didn't have to put my dreams on hold. I no longer understood what it was like to be her. I was now one of them.

I was broken out of my reverie as Bella burrowed into my side, cuddling into the space created as my arm rested on the back of the couch. A part of me wanted to wrap my arm around her and offer her these last few moments of comfort. But, I didn't because I knew that the worse thing I could do would be to tell the lost girl sitting next to me that I was in love with her. I mean, what kind of heartless person gives someone that kind of hope only to leave them? I wasn't under the illusion that I would never see her again. It simply wasn't possible. But, it was highly unlikely that anything between us would survive what was about to take place.

Selfishly, I leaned in closer and reveled in the closeness until deep, even breathing was the only sound that could be heard. Checking my phone, I noticed that it was nearly two in the morning. Laying her head on a couch pillow I turned off the table lamp and left after locking the door. I sat in my old beat up car for a moment dazed as I made the choice to leave my love behind. Sending her a quick text, I locked my phone and headed towards my family's house. By the time she woke up the next morning, I'd already be gone.

Away from the small town called Forks and away from my love.