Chapter 1

Leaving

Things were rough for a while. They had been like that since my mother died a while ago. After my father remarried I decided to move away. He needed his space with his new wife. He had spent too much of his life caring for me. It was time for me to let my father have a little bit of freedom. It was his time to be happy, he deserved it.

Charlie had married during my second year in college. He married Sue Clearwater. She was a great woman. She had been married to one of my father´s best friends until he died of a heart attack. She had two kids with him. They were really nice but I hadn´t had time to get closer to them. There was Seth who was the youngest. He was now nineteen. He was attending California State University and right now was spending his summer in San Francisco with some friends. Leah was my age. She was now married and living in Portland. From what I knew she married Jacob Black a great friend from High School.

That wasn´t the only reason I was leaving though. Mike has an integral part in my decision. You can't imagine how hard it was to let the idea of ¨us¨ go. Coming home the summer right after graduation I decided to surprise Mike. He thought I would still be out for two more weeks but I decided on moving as fast as possible so I could begin my new life next to the man I loved, or so I thought.

Mike and I had only been dating for a year and half, but it wasn´t even that much considering that we lived across the country from each other. We started dating during the Christmas break a year and a half ago. We kept our relationship going even though we lived away from each other. During the next summer we kept dating and so we decided to keep the relationship going this way. During this past school year we had talked about moving in together so this is where our relationship was going.

The drive to Mikes house wasn´t much from Charlie´s but I wanted to his house before heading down to my dad´s. We had come to the conclusion that we would be talking about moving in during this summer. We wanted to live together before our relationship progressed to the next level.

When I got to his house all the lights were out except for the porch light. That couldn´t be. Mike and I had spoken last night, he didn´t know I was on my way precisely but he assured me he would be home all week. He had said that he had been spending some time at his parents' house since they needed some work done around the house. Intrigued as I was I decided to go around back to see if there were any lights on. When I rounded the house I saw the light in the extra bedroom they had was on. I could see someone moving around the room. Then I heard him. Mike was laughing and someone was with him. What the hell. I knew the sensible thing to do was go towards the front and knock but I couldn´t. I waited there for a while until I was able to move towards the window.

I couldn´t believe it. I was livid. I got closer to the window and that´s when I saw them. Mike had the girl around his arms. I knew the girl. We had gone to high school together. Her name was Jessica Stanley. She was known as the school whore. I knew they had actually dated a while but when they broke up Mike had told me that he wanted to leave that part of his life behind. He obviously lied.

I knew that we hadn´t been totally intimate during the year and a half that we had dated but come on. He couldn´t really believe that I would be willing to sleep with him when we were having a long distance relationship. All those times he called and talked about how much he loved me and wanted to be with only me were all bullshit. He didn´t even miss me. He was probably keeping his bed warm with Jessica or some other slut.

Well he could keep Jessica. They were exactly the same. They were clearly meant for each other. I was not going to suffer anymore than I needed to. I grabbed a rock and threw it at the window shattering it. Immediately Mike showed his ugly face through the window throwing blasphemies in the wind. When he saw me he stopped dead in his tracks.

¨Bella, don´t go anywhere. Let me explain.¨ He said while putting on a white t-shirt and scrambling out through the window.

¨No Mike, let´s leave things as they are.¨ I started walking towards my car but stopped myself. I needed to give this a clean break. I couldn´t have this hurting more than it deserved to. I knew that Mike was too good to be true. How stupid had I had been thinking that he loved me and wanted to be with me. I actually believed the lie about him wanting to live with me. Well, tough shit Bella I inwardly told myself. Put your big girl pants on and do what needs to be done.

¨I really hope she makes you happy Mike.¨ He was now standing about two feet away from me.

¨I´m not even angry Mike. I just wish you could have been more sincere with me. If you would have told me you wanted to see other people I would have understood.¨ my hands were now swinging in the air. I must have looked like a madwoman but I couldn´t have cared less.

¨I mean for shit sakes up until two weeks ago you were living in New York. How could I not understand? Maybe you think that I don´t have needs. Is that it Mike? I lowered my hands and my voice as I asked this.

¨Well let me clear that point up for you. I do have needs but I also have standards. Which is something you obviously don´t so I´m going to make this real easy for you okay.¨ I was looking straight at him while his tears dropped from his face.

¨Leave me alone. I don´t exist to you. Never have, never will. What we had was the biggest mistake of the twenty two years I have been alive. Don´t call me, don´t text me, don´t go by my house or I will tell my father about this and he will go about things a totally different way. Goodbye Mike.¨ those were the last words spoken to him. I high tailed myself out of his property and into my car. I didn´t look back and I didn´t let my emotions take over. I was going to my fathers and he couldn´t see me this way.

During the drive to Charlie I quickly made up my mind. I was not going to stay here in Forks. If I did I was going to get depressed and poor Charlie had already suffered enough with me.

After my mother died during Middle School I had to move to Forks with Charlie. My mother had been my best friend and without her I didn´t really know how I was going to cope. I was depressed for a long time but thanks to Charlie I learned to deal with my grief and moved on. Don´t get me wrong. Things were tough. My mother had been my best friend. I graduated top two percent in High School and received a scholarship to Arizona State University. My mother had left me some money courtesy her life insurance and a very limited bank account. So now I knew what I was going to do with that money. Thanks to my mother I was able to make the decision to leave Forks before even coming home.

Needless to say Charlie was very upset when I got home and gave him the news about my early departure. It was for the best though. I only spent two days there and repacked my few belongings in my car and left again. I was going to Seattle. Seattle was close enough to home that I could visit if I wanted or Charlie could, but still far enough away to feel free and away from the whole Mike situation.

Two gas stops, three bathroom breaks and many hours later I arrived in Seattle. Upon arriving I decided to call Alice. I had called her when I devised my plan and she had secured an apartment for me a couple of blocks from where she lived. I needed directions though. I didn´t want to spend the next hour lost. She had given me the address of the apartment I was to rent but she had told me to meet her at a coffee shop downtown. I could do that. I followed the signs that led me downtown and ten minutes later I had found the coffee shop. The only question then was where to park. When I entered the coffee shop I sat on the first table available and dialed Alice.

She picked up on the first ring. That was Alice for you.

¨Hey Bella, you´re here.¨

¨Yeah Alice I´m downtown at the coffee shop you told me to meet you at.¨ I was biting my fingernails. I was just so nervous. I mean what if she decided she didn´t want meet me. I mean we had only had a brief encounter, what two years ago.

¨ Sure thing Bells oh and stop biting your nails.¨ she shrieked into the phone.

¨How did you know? ¨ I looked around nervously. Maybe she was around here somewhere.

¨Oh Bella you´re just predictable. I´ll be there in 10 minutes okay. Order us some coffee while you wait. Oh and some raspberry muffins, they are delightful.¨ She sang into the phone. Wow, was she always this chirpy.

¨Sure thing, See you in a bit.¨ I hung up and went to order the coffees and the muffins. Exactly ten minutes later Alice was in view. I sighed because I knew my life was about to change. If Alice had taught me anything in the little time I had known her and with the little I knew about her was that you could trust her completely. She was a beautiful soul.

I cleared up some mistakes in this first chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Review if you have an opportunity. Thanks