Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own any of the Twilight characters, the town of Forks, etc., etc. I do own my characters, but if you really felt you wanted to borrow them, well, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

A/N: I know it starts of kind of slow with no real Twilight themes yet, but hang in there because I feel like I have a really good story up my sleeve!

Present Day

"I'm just not exactly sure how it got this way. Do you think it's a sign of depression? Waking up every morning wishing you weren't who you are, you know? That... you'd done everything different?"

"Yeah. Probably." Katy replied. Her tone was dull, flat. It was only reaffirming how I felt.

"Yeah, right? I mean..." I stopped for a moment. We had been on the phone exactly twenty minutes now and I felt bored of my own repetition. "I'm just exhausted. At twenty-three, I should...I should be more than this."

Katy was quiet on the other end. There wasn't much she could say besides "I told you so" and she had to be quite certain I didn't want to hear that no matter how true it was.

"I should go. I was supposed to leave for work five minutes ago."

"Alright. I love you." Her voice still had no life in it. I supposed I'd ruined her mood with my negativity. "Liv, be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, of course." I knew she meant something bigger than physical; to guard my emotions and my thoughts. "Love you too."

Two years ago, New Year's Eve

"The countdown's going to start in 2 minutes!" My excitement was evident in my voice and the way I bounced around on the balls of my feet.

Isaac was grinning at me, a grin he saved just for me. The twist of his mouth and the way his lips curled at the corners was almost frightening. I was almost sure, as someone who knew him better than anyone, that he did it on purpose. There was a part of him who wanted people to fear him. And they did. It surprised everyone, including myself sometimes, that we could be so different and still remain so close all these years. "Two minutes." He replied. His arm was casually thrown over my shoulder.

The people in the bar around us were getting noisier by the second, scurrying around the find their crushes or significant other's to plant their New Year's kiss on. I already had mine.

I had known Isaac only five years now but we had attended the same schools for most of our lives. He was my absolute best friend. I stared up at him for a moment, trying to take him in, deciding what exactly it was about him that I couldn't agree with to take our friendship to the next level. He wasn't exactly unattractive. In fact, in all the time I'd known him, he was rarely single. Girls seemed to be pulled to him, as if by magnetic force. His hair was dark and shaggy, messily falling over his ears and eyebrows. His eyes were the darkest shade of brown I'd ever seen, nearly black. He was tall, maybe just over 6 feet, of average build and he seemed to always have a five o'clock shadow, even after just shaving. Sometimes, like now, I would look up at him and wish I felt what other girls felt for him, some sort of girly passion, because I was certain he felt that way about me.

Suddenly there was a hush that fell over the bar as everyone gathered beneath the closest television on the wall and then...

"10!" Everyone shouted in unison.

The countdown had begun. Carson Daly's grinning face was replaced with the silvery sheen of the New Year's ball.

"9!"

"8!"

"7!" I shouted, joining in with the ranks. New Year's Eve was one of my favorite holidays.

"6!"

"5!"

"4!" Isaac's face was still frozen with his devilish grin, but he didn't join in the countdown. He wasn't much of a joiner anyway.

"3!"

"2!"

"1! Happy New Year!" Everyone in the bar exclaimed at the same time, followed by silence as everyone met their lips against someone else's.

Isaac bent slightly to meet his face with mine as I stood on my tiptoes to do the same. We shared a quick peck in the spirit of the holiday but I backed off immediately, not wanting things to become awkward or messy.

He, however, towered over me, his face tilted towards mine. He reached for a few hairs that had fallen over my cheek and brushed them away. "Happy New Year's, Olivia." He whispered roughly before straightening himself up and walking away. I didn't see him much the rest of the evening we spent at the bar.

*****

It had been an entire six days since I had last spoken to Isaac. And it had only taken me half of the first to know what was going on - Isaac was employing self-preservation. He had made his feelings for me clear months ago. It was depressing not to hear from him in the last few days but I couldn't truly blame him. The phone rang, shaking me from my analyzing and daydreaming.

"Hey cupcake!" Katy said before I could even muster a greeting. I could hear her smiling through the receiver. "Why didn't you tell me everything got all hot and heavy with Isaac the other night?" She was kidding. I hoped, at least, that wasn't the rumor that hit the small town of Forks. For such a small place it was surprisingly populated and though I had lived here all my life, I couldn't confidently say I knew everyone.

I laughed as I explained the events that had taken place on New Year's. "What's going on?"

"Want to go out tonight? I thought we could just hang out at The Tavern, grab a couple beers? Or, ooh, there's that new place, Sonata, in Port Angeles? It's supposed to be kinda fancy, with like $9 martinis and such. It's Saturday, they'll have a band, I'm sure." She rambled on, thinking out loud.

"Yeah, absolutely. I love over-priced liquor and I have a new dress."

"Awesome, I'll pick you up at nine!" She replied quickly and hung up the phone.

I checked the clock on the stove, which read four and glanced around at the mess of dishes and debris that cluttered my light pink countertops. Thankfully I had plenty of time to clean my kitchen before getting ready. My small two-story, Victorian-reminiscent house largely resembled a child's dollhouse. The wood siding was painted a pale lavender color with gingerbread trim and decorations. Each room inside had its own style; the master bedroom, mine, of course, was simple, with white ceiling and walls and black swirling patterns and fleur de lis's in a three-quarters border I had freehanded myself. The furniture set was made of black iron rods and black and white photographs of my family and friends lined the blank walls. Both bathrooms were yellow and white with light blue dolphins on the shower curtains and holding my toothbrush and hand soap. The kitchen was differing shades of pink; the living room was brightly colored with seventies-inspired mod appliqués on the wall and furniture. All the white windows had flowerboxes and, ideally, there would be sunflowers and tulips all over the front yard, but the weather in Forks was rarely flower-friendly. The man I married would have to be quite comfortable in a girly-girl heaven as it had cost me a near fortune to decorate and I had no intent to change it.

Sometime around seven that night I jumped in the shower and cleaned the smell of rubber gloves and antibacterial spray from my skin. After quickly drying my pitch black hair, I spent nearly twenty-five minutes curling into an array of soft waves and tighter spiraled ringlets. Sometimes achieving the messy bed-head look was more difficult than readying a perfect updo for prom, but usually, as was the case tonight, the finished product was worth it.

I applied a light amount of makeup and eyeliner, and a somewhat heavier amount of eyeshadow and lipstick. Katy had once told me when going out accentuate two body parts, whichever two you want, but only two, as it makes a killer look without being over the top. She, I had learned, was right. Tonight it was lips and eyes, two of my favorites. I slipped into my new dress, a short, silk party dress, strapless and empire-waisted. The bust was black and a red ribbon marked the high waistline. The bottom half was white and gathered with red and black polka dots. A Betsey Johnson original, the dress had cost $510, but I adored the way it hugged my body and showed off my legs. Plus Visa was thrilled to have more of my business; they made it clear every time the upped my credit limit.

I was just finishing adjusting the straps on my red high heels when Katy burst through my front door. "Liv!" She shouted from downstairs. "You ready?"

"I'm coming right now!" I called back as I pushed a pair of rather large diamond studs through each of my ear lobes and attached the backs. I bounded down the stairs, my heels clacking against the wood.

"You look gorgeous!" She grinned at me.

"Right back atcha'!" I replied giving her a wink. Her long pale blonde hair was pulled into two messy buns that she had pinned together. She wore a simple, shimmery black dress with spaghetti straps and black stilettos. Large black beaded hoops hung from her ears and a long, thick, multi-strand silver chain swayed from her neck with her every movement.

"So I have a surprise for you! It's in the..." She paused for a moment, as if trying to decide what to say. "Truck." She finished.

I was checking that all the lights were off on the bottom floor. "Kate, you drive a Mini-Cooper. I don't think you can really call that a 'truck'." I met her at the front door, keys in hand.

"Mm, well..." Her grin was more mischievous than the Cheshire Cat's from Alice in Wonderland.

I opened the door, let Katy out first, then locked it behind us. As I turned to face the driveway, a familiar vehicle met my eye, one, however, that did not belong to Katy. A large, shining, yellow truck - Isaac's.

"How did you manage this?" I said to her under my breath.

"I perform magic everyday - no one ever notices."

As I climbed in - the truck was equipped with tires much too large for its body - and settled in the front passenger seat, Isaac gave me his famous dangerous grin and a low whistle. "You look stunning." His voice was even deeper than I remembered.

"Thank you! I am, in fact." I replied smartly, buckling my seatbelt.

He chuckled, a low, deep, rumbling type and pulled into the road. Katy, perched behind me, laughed declaring me full of "it", whatever "it" was and the rest of the drive to the bar was fun and completely lacking any previous tensions.

*****

Sonata was everything you'd expect a place that sold $9 martinis to be. Clean, classy, hip... overpriced, as drinks turned out to be $11 once mixed with high quality liquor. Katy ordered her and me a vodka and cranberry and Isaac a rum and Coke and we seated ourselves at the corner of the bar. The band was setting up and occasionally we'd have to talk over their particularly loud sound checks.

I was laughing at some sort of burn Katy had sent Isaac's way when I saw him.