Summary: Bella's life was just coming together; She had gotten accepted into the college of her dreams, had a loving boyfriend, a family supportive of her aspirations, and a best friend who meant the world to her. When tragedy brings her world crashing down around her she turns to the least likely source for comfort, and to bring her back to life.
Author's Note: I wanted to write a cute fluffy happy fic and then this happened. I just couldn't stay away from the angst.
WARNING: If you thought my first fic was angst filled, it doesn't even hold a flame to this one. It contains "dark themes" that maybe be upsetting to some people so if you get easily worked up I would say skip this one. I will put up additional warnings when needed so if people still want to read my story they can just skip over parts of it.
**
Isabella Swan stood in front of her full length mirror frowning at her reflection. Her sad attempt to style her chestnut hair back fired and it was still as limp and silky straight as ever. No amount of hair spray could keep a curl in; as all but one straightened out in the hour she spent getting ready and eating breakfast. She blew the one little curl out of her face and smoothed her shirt down. She leaned closely into the mirror, wiping at a speck of black eyeliner that smeared by her rich coffee colored eyes. She frowned again putting one hand on her slender hip before turning away from the mirror. She slide on her black converse sneakers and threw a light leather jacket over her shoulder before turning the light off and heading downstairs. She checked her phone, stopping in her kitchen to grab a granola bar out of the cabinet for later. She heard the familiar honking of a horn outside and smiled pulling the hood of her jacket over her head before she walked out into the hazy early morning dew.
Bella smiled and waved in the direction of the forest green Ford Explorer in her driveway, skipping over to it and opening the door. She slid into the front seat, the warmth of the cabin and the smell of the leather enveloping her. She turned to the teenage boy next to her and smiled shaking a finger in his face.
"Color me shocked Mr. Cullen, you're two minute late." She leaned over the center console to cup his face with her hands giving him a smacking kiss on the cheek.
"Shut it Swan, if you bothered to ask you'd know I have a legitimate excuse to keep you waiting."
"Oh I don't mind waiting for you," she said picking his hand up off the gear shifter and intertwining her fingers with his.
"Oh really?" she raised her eye brow at him picking up her phone when she felt it buzz in her tote bag.
She rolled her eyes as she read the text message, typing out a quick reply, her fingers making little clicking noises as they bounced along the keys.
"He's right on schedule though isn't he?" joked Cullen looking at the clock on the dashboard with a chuckle.
"I'd check up on me all the time too if I knew I was riding in a car with someone who had no regard to driving rules and regulations."
"Please, like I would do anything to harm my baby," he said patting the dashboard lovingly, "Oh and I guess you."
Bella laughed turning on the radio station pressing through his presets before settling on what she knew was his favorite station. They sang along to the crude rap lyrics, laughing as she spat out each verse with ease.
They pulled into the small high school student lot, already a bustle of activity. Bella reached into the glove compartment picking out the hanging parking pass snapping it into place over the rearview mirror.
"Fork High School Senior 2008-2009"
Bella heard the driver car door open and close, unbuckling but making no move to get out herself. She smiled as her door opened reaching for the hand held out to her as she stepped out of the car.
"You know Cullen, I never knew you were such a gentleman," she said like she did every morning. He laughed easily, throwing his arm around her neck and walking toward the front of the parking lot.
Bella couldn't help rolling her eyes as she saw the leggy blonde, and one of her good friends, Rosalie Hale leaning up against the flashy fire engine red BMW M3 in the front parking space closest to the building. Rosalie threw back her perfect wavy honey blonde hair smirking over at them. Bella couldn't help taking in her outfit; her four inch leather stiletto boots, black tailored pencil skirt, and a white silk blouse tucked crisply in. No matter how horrible the weather was Rosalie would always be there, ready and waiting, looking immaculate and perfect as ever.
"Hey you two," she smiled lowering her head slightly so when she looked up at them her eyes were partially hidden by her long eyelashes. "What was the hold up today, two minutes late? Emmett, I'm shocked. You're normally so punctual."
Emmett gave Bella a small squeeze before letting her go. He walked up to the blonde and grabbed her hand, lifting her off the hood of the car and into his arms. Emmett already a hefty guy looked even bulkier when he stood next to Rose, his body completely blocking hers from Bella's view. He used his size to his advantage, easily becoming the schools star running back for the football team, along with his brother as quarterback leading Forks to their third straight AAAA State Champion win. Bella looked to her left smiling when she caught sight of a black MV Agusta motorcycle. Bella was a foreign car person, but she could thank the owner for her knowledge in motorcycles as well.
She felt two hands cover her eyes as a familiar voice said, "Guess who?"
"Hmmm, would it happen to be my incredibly sexy boyfriend?"
"Maybe," said the husky voice muffled against her neck, "define sexy."
Bella turned around and wrapped her arm around the his neck looking up into his dark navy blue eyes, "Good morning," she said her whole face lighting up into a smile as she delicately kissed him on the lips.
He laughed as she reached up running her hands through his hair cupping them behind the back of his head.
"You know, your hair's getting a little long. I think you should cut it," she said standing on her tippy toes to reach for another kiss.
He pulled back, a smirk on his face placing one hand on her forearm as he slowly lead her backwards both of them laughing again when her back hit a parked car.
"Oh really now, what makes you so sure I care what you think?" he joked leaning up against the car, placing a hand next to her head.
"Hmm maybe because you love me," teased Bella pinching his cheek lightly.
"Come on," he chuckled, winding his arm around her back. "I don't want little Miss Dartmouth to be late to her last day of high school." The five minute warning bell rang and they headed toward the building, following right behind Emmett and Rosalie.
"Jacob Black, you are too good to me."
*
It was surreal after four years of attending Forks High School that their education was almost over. It seemed like just yesterday that Bella met her best friend Emmett Cullen waiting for the bus on her first day of freshman year. She had just moved to Forks, her mother flying out to Florida to spend time with her new husband Phil leaving Bella with her father Charlie. She was miserable the summer before high school, not knowing anyone, sulking in her room and cursing the constantly rainy haze that seemed to loom over the whole town reflecting her mood. She remembered nervously walking up to the corner on her first day toward the small group of kids huddled together. Being the natural klutz that she was, she slipped and fell into a puddle, her eyes tearing up, face burning as she heard them burst out laughing. She wiped her muddy hands off on her jeans and was about to get up when a hand reached out in front of her to help her.
"Just ignore them; they're a bunch of inconsiderate fuckwads."
Emmett Cullen was her knight in shining armor, her savior from the hell that was Forks, Washington. Ever since that day they were inseparable. Emmett introduced her to his circle of friends and they accepted her as readily as he did. At first they fancied themselves in love, dating for all off three days before they realized that the bond they had was more familial than anything.
Another blessing that came along with Emmett's friendship was becoming part of his family. She even had her own room at the Cullen household, considering Esme and Carlisle her adoptive parents. They could never replace her real parents, but she loved them all the same. They were always a fixture in her life, showing up to as many of her softball games and school Art Fair's as they went to Emmett's football games and Edward's piano recitals. Oh yes, Edward. "The Other Cullen" as the students, and sometimes teachers, referred to him.
Edward was everything that Emmett wasn't; brooding, moody, anti-social, and wildly attractive. The initial reaction of any heterosexual female is to be drawn to Edward, his silence at first seen as intriguing and mysterious only to find out that he's self centered and mildly conceited. He judged everyone around him too quickly, mostly keeping to himself. In her four years of being with Emmett knowing him inside and out she barely even knew Edward at all. He was a mystery for her that she never expected to get a chance to solve.
Now high school was over and they were all parting ways for the first time since Bella met them, going to schools across the country from each other. Bella was attending Dartmouth, planning on majoring in English. One of her passions was reading and she wanted to put it to good use and become an editor or work for a publishing company. Jacob, wanting to stay close to home and his father, was attending Washington University majoring in engineering. He loved working and tinkering on cars and hoped to design automobiles and motorcycles. As long as he was knee deep in grease and oil he was perfectly content. Bella and Jacob didn't know how they were going to make the long distance relationship work, but they were going to try.
Emmett had his mind set on becoming a professional football player. There was no other alternative, he was talented enough to make it and got accepted early admission on scholarship to several schools with reputable football teams notably Notre Dame University in Indiana and USC in California. In the end, he picked USC to be closer to Rosalie who went against what most of the town expected her to do, like modeling or fashion design, getting accepted into Berkley in the hopes of studying law. Although a shock to most, it didn't surprise her friends knowing full well that she would talk her way out of any situation possible.
Alice and Jasper were both accepted at NYU, Alice majoring in Film and Jasper in History. Alice was an aspiring screenwriter and director seeing her life as if it were a film, gauging what angles to zoom in on and what songs would be playing as she entered a room. Her first love would always be fashion but her true passion involved film making. Jasper's past obsession with the Civil War made History a given for him, the stop in Gettysburg, PA during the Road trip of '07 the summer before junior year still a sore point between him and Alice. There are only so many open fields the girls could look at before running off in search of anything more entertaining than old ghost stories.
The final bell rang signaling the end of the day, Bella jumping up quickly from her seat and walking through the crowded hallway. She stopped at the end of the senior lockers waiting for her friends.
Alice Brandon was the first to show up, her boyfriend and Rosalie's brother Jasper Hale in tow. Her once short spiky hair was now almost shoulder length, the rich blackness making her pale skin almost glow in the florescent light of the hallway. She smiled sweetly causing the dimples by her eyes to close them slightly. While every girl envied Rosalie's sex appeal, Alice no doubt was beautiful in her own way her delicate nose and soft full lips the envy of every girl in the senior class, Bella included.
While Alice was bubbly and energetic like Emmett, constantly on the move and always willing to be the center of attention, Jasper was more on the subdued side. He shied away from the spotlight, unless it was on the baseball field. His tall lean build was perfect for playing baseball and he was the schools star pitcher. He gave Bella a small smile, brushing a piece of his shaggy curly blonde hair out of his eyes and throwing an arm around Alice.
"Still up for tonight?"
"Of course."
It was a long standing tradition to celebrate the last day of school at First Beach on the La Push Reservation. It was at their sophomore outing that Bella met Jacob, further solidifying the importance of the trip in her mind. She was immediately captivated by his easy going personality, similar to Emmett's, unable to believe that the little boy she used to fish with as a kid could grow up to be the amazingly toned tan specimen he was today.
Both girls looked down the hallway just as Edward walked by, nodding before brushing past them on his way to the parking lot.
"What are the odds that out of all of us, the one who ends up coming to the same school as me is Edward?" Bella said bitterly, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger.
"I can't even imagine having to live with him. How the Cullen's popped out a relatively normal child like Emmett and then have Edward come along is beyond me. At least he won't talk much, you can pretend like he isn't even there."
Bella watched him walk away, hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched over. She barely registered Jasper scolding them she was so focused on Edward, "Come on guys, give him a break. It must have been hard with him having to live up to having Emmett as a brother."
She nodded still watching as Edward looked sideways giving her a great view of his profile accentuating his stunning cheekbones, his almost bronze hair capturing the light and reflecting it back at her. She sighed, remembering how she used to be infatuated with him. So much so that her and Alice had walked along the aisles of the local drugstore to find the exact color of hair dye that matched his unruly hair, a mix between L'Oreal Feria Espresso and Sparkling Amber. She never told anyone about her infatuation with her best friend's brother, quickly forgetting about it when Jacob arrived on the scene.
"Are you mentally undressing my brother Bells? Gross, I think I'm going to hurl."
Bella rolled her eyes, ducking away from his arm as she ran over to Jacob. When Rosalie showed up they walked out of the building as a large group, turning around and silently staring fondly at their school one last time. It was bittersweet pulling away from the parking lot for the last time. Bella couldn't have been more excited to being one step closer to leaving Forks, yet at the same time was anxious of having to start all over in a new town basically all by herself.
*
"To new beginnings," they said in unison clinking their bottles together, Bella sipping at her water instead of the beer that everyone else was drinking. She had a horrible first experience with alcohol and it still made her queasy thinking about it. They huddled close to the large bonfire the boys built, a chilly breeze blowing softly from the ocean. They spent hours telling and retelling stories from the past couple of years, eventually talking about their upcoming semesters at college.
Bella zoned out, watching the waves lap up on the sand in front of them, thinking about how much she'd miss being able to hang out with all of her friends like this. She didn't even realize that everyone had started packing up for the night until Jacob gently kissed her on the top of her head and stood up. Jacob and Rosalie walked off together arguing over the advantages of adding a performance chip to her BMW. Most people didn't know the side of Rosalie they did, one of her favorite pastimes working on modifying her car herself.
"You guys coming?" called out Alice as she followed Jasper back to their cars.
"Yeah you guys go ahead, we'll be there in a minute," said Emmett scooting over to where Bella was sitting.
Bella sighed as she leaned up against him, looking into the crackling fire, "I want this to last forever."
"It will."
"You don't think we'll drift apart being so far away from each for college?" she asked apprehensively looking up at him.
"No of course not, I'll always be here for you Bella."
"Promise?" Bella smiled, holding up her pinky.
"Promise. Plus you'll have Edward around 24/7 as a constant reminder that you better not dare replace me with a new best friend."
Bella laughed easily kissing Emmett lightly on the cheek, "You know I wish it was you I was living with next year right? Even though you're brother is easier on the eyes I prefer your company above everyone else's."
Emmett smiled sweetly down at her, "Oh I'm well aware of that, the feelings mutual. Come on, let's go. I don't want you getting all soft on me now Swan."
Bella watched Emmett jump up running over to Rosalie, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. She laughed along with everyone as he carried her kicking and screaming over to his car.
"Life couldn't get any better," thought Bella as she looked around at her close group of friends. Although she was nervous about her future and what it would hold for her, she was ready to face it head on. She knew no matter what, she'd always have this moment to fall back on when she needed it, and the best friends possible to help her get through any obstacles that life would throw her way.
*
Author's Note: This is the story i'm working on once i'm done with On Letting Go. i decided to just finish that one up first before working on this one. i'll probably have most of this completed by then because i write this one every once in a while so then it won't take me forever to update.