I guess I should consider myself lucky that I have a mother that cares enough to greet me with breakfast in bed on the morning of my high school graduation, but all I could think is why are you waking me up this early? Haven't you heard I am done with school? "Congrats baby girl." My mother said as she hugged me. I just looked at her and frowned at her. My mother is always trying to make everything perfect. Maybe it's because she is this fucking perfect vampire. I don't know, but it gets real annoying.
"Thanks." I said as I looked at the pancakes that had 'Congrats' spelled out with whipped cream. "You went all out." I said as I looked back up at her. She was perfectly pale like a doll with long brown curls falling just perfectly and this smile that could lite the whole city.
"Of course I did. My baby is graduating for the first time." She said as she looked at me. Truth is Alice and Jasper have graduated a million times and she always goes all out.
"Bella dear, didn't I tell you to let the girl sleep." My dad said from the doorway. He wasn't wearing his doctor's coat so I knew he was actually going to be at graduation.
"Carlisle, do you really think I listen to you?" She asked him as she got up. My parents are perfect for each other. However, they are always so sickening because they are so perfect for each other.
"No." He answered as he walked over to me. "I am so proud of you Charlie." He said as he kissed my head.
"Thanks dad." I said as I looked at him.
"Bella, let's let the girl be." He said as he took her hand.
"Yell if you need me." My mother said as he led her out of the room. My mother was the mother who sat outside the school in her car all day on my first day of kindergarten. She was the always there even when you didn't need her mother, but I love her. I ate my breakfast before I started to get ready. I turned my music on full blast as I shut my door. I was hoping this would buy me sometime on my own. And for once it worked. I managed to get ready without someone busting into my room. I walked down the stairs and straight to the kitchen where my mother was.
"Do I have to wear this?" I asked as I looked down at the white dress that my mother had gotten me. Don't get me wrong it was pretty, but it wasn't me.
"I am sorry they said it had to be white." She said as she looked at me. "But, you look amazing." She said as she took a picture.
"Do you really need more pictures?" I asked as I looked at all of my childhood pictures spread out on the kitchen table. I just walked over to the counter and turned on my mother's ipod that was sitting on the dock on the counter.
"Charlotte not in your good dress." My mother said as she looked at me.
"This brings back memories." My father said as he smiled at me. "She is so much like you." He said as he wrapped his arms around her.
"She isn't engaged so I am okay with that." My mother said as she smiled at him.
"Gross!" I said as I looked at them.
"I see you two are in a good mood." Alice said as she came in. She looked perfect in her white dress. She looked perfect in anything.
"What is that supposed to mean?" My mother said.
"Just not everyone likes seeing you two like this in the mornings." She said with a laugh.
"Amen brother ben." I said as I looked at her. She just stared at me.
"I can tell you have been around Angela." She said with a laugh.
"My whole life. If you don't remember I was raised in a very large vampire/werewolf family." I said as I smiled at her.
"You forgot human also." Alex said as she walked in the room. My little sister always felt the need to point out that we were human. She was adopted and you could tell she had tan skin and long black hair.
"Don't you girls know we don't use labels in this family?" My mother asked as she looked at us.
"The truth is the truth mother." I said as more people flooded into the kitchen. This time it was Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and my vampire sister Sydney.
"I need a picture of all the graduates." My mother said as she pushed Alice, Rose, Jasper, Sydney, and me together. "Smile." She said with a smile. "Everyone else is meeting us there?" She asked.
"Yes, sweetheart." My father answered.
"You talked to them right?" She asked.
"Yes." He said.
"I am so ready for this day to be over so we can party." Sydney said as she looked at me. "Got your speech ready sis?" She asked.
"Speech what speech?" My mother said.
"Oh I forget to mention this, but I am valedictorian." I said as I got up.
"That is so great. I need another camera." She said as she headed upstairs.
"We love her right?" Alex asked.
"Yeah." I said as Sydney messed around with the music. She turned on 'We Are Family'. I should have seen it coming she loved to turn it on when all or most or in this case a good chunk of the family is in the room. It was funny to her.
"And we fly just like bird of a feather, I won't tell no lie…" She sang along with it as she danced. She was one of the nutty ones. She loved to start a party. Just as much as she loved how her red hair would fly around her when she danced.
"…All of the people around us they say, can we be that close…" Alex sang as she joined in.
"This can't be normal." Jasper said as he laughed at us.
"If you liked normal you wouldn't be with me." Alice said as she hugged him.
"So, true." He said as he laughed.
"…We're giving love in a family dose…" Alice sang off key before they all three joined together to sing. "…we are family…"
"…I got all my sisters with me…" I sang as I joined in. "…We are family…" Everyone was laughing as my mother came in.
"Sing without me are you?" She asked as she looked at us. "Well…get up everybody and sing…" She sang. She had a great voice.
"…living life is fun and we've, just begun to get our, share of this world's delight…" I sang as my dad walked away.
"You people are freaking out Carlisle?" Emmett said with a laugh.
"Do you really care?" Rose asked.
"No." He answered.
"Alex there is a boy here for you." My father said as he came in and turned the music off.
"Who?" Alex asked as she walked towards the door. "DAD!" She squealed. "It's just Cullen he doesn't count as a boy." She said with a laugh.
"Hey it got the music off." He said as he looked at her.
It wasn't long after that we were sitting in the gym as the principal talked about the past four years. Then it was my turn to stand up there and talk. "When we were five they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our answers were things like astronaut, president, or in my case a princess. When we were ten they asked again. We answer rock star, cowboy, or in my case gold medalist." I saw my mother's smile as I talked in front of what seemed like the whole town. "But, now that we have grown up they want a serious answer. Well how about this: who the hell knows? This isn't the time to make hard and fast decisions. This is the time to make mistakes." I said as I looked at my father. Maybe he would understand why I want to spend a year traveling. Maybe this will make it worse, but they asked me to speak about what was on my mind. "Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere. Fall in love a lot. Major in philosophy because there is no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind and change it again because nothing is permanent. So, make as many mistakes as you can. That way someday they ask want we want to be we won't have to guess. We'll know." I felt so proud when my father stood up and clapped before anyone else. Everything else seemed unimportant till the names were being called and the only ones important to me were the five names right in a row. "Alice May Cullen." I watched as Alice walked up the stairs and took her hundredth diploma. She smiled at my mother and father as she walked down. "Charlotte Renee Cullen." They said as I walked up the stairs. I looked out at my parents and smiled. I can't believe I did it. It seemed so strange. I walked down and was greeted by a hug from Alice as we stood back by our seats. "Jasper Daniel Cullen." Jasper acted like it was nothing because to him it was. Plus, he made it known that Stebbins was the worst school he ever went to. "Rosalie Anne Cullen." Rose acted like she was on top of the world even if she was only graduating with a two nothing grade point average this time. "Sydney Rose Cullen." Sydney was just like Rose. After the ceremony was over my mother tried her best to get her arms around all of us.
"I am just so proud of you all." She said as she hugged us.
"Okay everyone get together." My father said as he got ready to take a picture. I find it weird how everyone can so easily make it seem like my mother was their mother. Esme usually comes to these things, but couldn't come today. So, Bella, my mother, was mother to everyone.
"You have a good bunch of kids here, Dr. Cullen." The principal, Mr. Monroe said as he walked up to our large family. Jake and Leah were here with Cullen, Harry, Will, and Jessa. Seth and Meghan were here with Izzy and Maya. Plus, Edward and Angela were here with Avery and Tony. We had a village of people.
"You know what they say it takes a village to raise a child." My father said as he smiled at all of us.
"I think you guys have that covered." Mr. Monroe said with a laugh. "I came over here to present Charlotte with her plaque." He said as he handed me a plague that congratulated me for being valedictorian.
"Thank you." I said as I looked at him.
"You will be missed Ms. Cullen. Dartmouth should be proud to have you." He said before he walked away. I never told him that I choose not to take the scholarship. I had no reason too.
"Okay, let's get this party going." Leah said as she looked at us. My folks are known for their graduation parties and this was sure to be the best. They invited the whole graduating class plus some. I was sitting in the back yard leaned up against the house in my ripped blue jeans and t-shirt. I was strumming on my old six string. Just watching people.
"You know watching the party isn't fun." Edward said as he sat down next to me.
"Depends who you ask." I said as I looked at him.
"I guess you have a point there." He said. "I have something for you." He said as he handed me something wrapped in a paper bag. "It's actually from you mother I was supposed to give it to you a few years ago, but I forgot." He said.
"Thanks I guess." I said as I looked at the package.
"You are a lot like her you know." He said as he looked at me.
"Because I can sing?" I asked him.
"Because you're a free spirit." He said as he got up. "Have fun on your trip." He said before he walked away.
"I will." I said as I went back to what I was doing before.
"You know this is supposed to be your party." My friend, well if ex-boyfriends count as friends, Nate said as he sat down next to me.
"I have never been much of a party person. You should know that." I said as I looked at him. He was a true beauty. He had the skater boy hair and bright blue eyes.
"Well, it's you last Washington party." He said as he looked at me.
"I like that." I said as I looked at him. We had ended things simply because we were going in different directions.
"Where is your first stop superstar?" He asked as he looked at me.
"L.A." I answered as I looked at him.
"Classy." He said with a smile.
"Yeah, I am just going there because Sydney is going to school out there." I said as I looked at him.
"Sparkplug is leaving us. Darn!" He said with a laugh.
"You can't say anything mister." I said as I looked at him.
"Yeah well, if you ever make it to Ohio hit me up." He said as he looked at me. He got into Ohio State with a full ride.
"Sure thing Cowboy." I said as I looked at him. I started calling him that when he moved here two years ago from Texas.
"Stop doing that." He said as he looked at me. "You are making me want to kiss you." He said as he looked at me.
"It's the Cullen charm. We tend to dazzle people." I said with a smile.
"No, I am pretty sure it's just a Charlie thing." He said with a smile. "One more dance for memories sake?" He asked as our song came on. It was my parent's wedding song.
"I guess." I said as I got up.
"Is there any way I can convince you to come with me?" He asked as he smiled at me.
"Where is the fun it that?" I asked.
"I had to try." He said as he looked at me.
"You lift my feet off the ground, you spin me around, you make me crazier, crazier…" I sang along with the song as we danced.
"I am going to miss you." He said as he looked at me. "You made these last few years amazing, superstar." He said as he hugged me. I felt tears start to form in my eyes. It was becoming real now. I was leaving everyone I cared about.
"I will miss you too." I said as I looked into his eyes. "But, I am just a phone call away." I said as I hugged him again. "I love you, cowboy." I whispered. I knew he heard me, but he didn't say anything. Maybe that was because my father came over to pull me away.
"You're mother wants to give her toast now. She wants you to come." He said as he looked at me. "I am going to miss seeing you around this place, Nathan." He said as I walked away. I walked over to where my mother was standing. I stood there as she gave some silly speech about how proud she was of all of us and she loved us. That took about twenty minutes then I just gravitated towards the back again.
"You're breaking your Momma's heart." I heard someone say from behind me. I turned around to see Nana Sue. I hadn't seen her since Grandpa Charlie's funeral a few years back.
"Nana." I said as I hugged her. "I have missed you." I said.
"Well, I had to come up since my little grandbaby is leaving tomorrow." She said as she looked at me.
"Yeah, well I just need sometime on my own." I said as I looked at her.
"I don't blame you for wanting to go." She said as she looked at me. "I blame you for not calling me." She said with a laugh.
"I called you on Saturday." I said with a laugh as I caught Cullen. "Look who showed up." I said as I smiled at him.
"Nana." He said as he hugged her. That gave me a chance to escape. I walked into the house to find it full of people.
"Going somewhere?" My mother asked me as she caught me at the back door.
"Bathroom." I said. I didn't want her to know I didn't like the party.
"Oh, well I saw you and nate dancing." She said as she looked at me. "I would love it if you decided to go to Ohio State with him." She said as she looked at me.
"Mom I am not going to OSU." I said as I looked at her.
"Well, then it's not too late for Dartmouth." She said.
"Mom, I am going on this trip." I said as I looked at her.
"Fine, break my heart." She said.
"I see you have been getting pointers from Nana." I said as I walked away. I would probably love OSU with Nate or Dartmouth. But, I just feel I need this trip. I need to spend a year figuring out what the hell I should do. I have forever for school. It's not like I am going anywhere. Apparently when you cross a human and a vampire you get a forever young sort of thing. I will be stuck at twenty forever or so it seems (my parents looked at other cases and this is what happened.). Meaning I have two years to really live a human life. I found myself back where I started that was until Sydney got ahold of me.
"We got to party it up sis." She said as she pulled me up.
"I don't feel like partying." I said as I looked at her.
"I will call Eric over here if you don't loosen up." She said with a laugh. Eric was the school creep, a total freak that spent the past four years hitting on me.
"Fine." I said as I started to dance with her.
"So, you are really leaving?" She asked as she looked at me.
"Even you are trying to get me to stay. What the hell?" I asked as I looked at her.
"I thought you would leave with Nate. You still love him." She said as she looked at me.
"I am going on my trip." I said as I looked at her. "It's not fair to bring him into this mess of a family. It was just a high school fling." I said as I looked at her.
"First call you get from Cowboy and you will be in Ohio." She said as she looked at me.
"Stop being so nosey." I said as I looked a crossed the yard at him. I ended the night sitting in my room packing.
"If I drop to my knees and beg you not to go will that work?" Alice asked from the doorway.
"I am afraid not." I said as I looked at her.
"Damn." She said as she smiled at me. "You know us Cullen's we travel and leave a lot, but we always find our way back home. Remember that kiddo." She said as she looked at me. "And to remind you of that." She said as she placed a Cullen crest locket around my neck.
"Finally." I said with a laugh. I always wanted my own one like Rose and Alice. My mother had a bracelet.
"Call, always call." She said as she hugged me. She helped me pack everything. My plane left at six. I got up the next morning all ready to go. I said my goodbyes on my front porch.
"It's not too late to change your mind." My mother said as she looked at me.
"I have to. I will call you." I said as I hugged her.
"Every night." She said as she hugged me.
"Sure." I said as I let go of her.
"Be careful." My father said as he hugged me. "Now make Sydney doesn't go out in the sun too much." He said as he looked at me.
"I will cover up. I wouldn't want to sparkle." She said as she laughed at our father. Then we were off. I was going to start the next part of my life. I was taking my first steps on my own. "Ready to paint the town red?" Sydney asked as we got on the plane.
"Yeah." I said as I looked at her and smiled. This was going to be awesome.