Yes, I'm back! (For those of you who have been with me since 2010.) For those of you who are new. Please go and check out the prequel to this story, Real Women Have Curves, I promise this story will make way more sense if you do.

Disclaimer: SM owns all names/characters in this story. I only wish I could be as successful as she is.

Enjoy =)

Chapter 1: Summer

The sun kisses my alabaster skin; warming me from the inside out and making me feel like nothing in the world matters except me, lying here, next to friends as our last summer where we're all together draws to a close. The soft 'whoosh' of Alice turning her pages in her magazine, the tweets of birds, the buzzing of an insect that flies past and the sound of the trees moving in the wind are the only things I'm hearing as I reflect on the last year of my life.

At this time last year I was miserable. I was leaving everything I had ever known because I was in so much pain. I wanted to be invisible, unseen, unnoticed. I just wanted a life without getting oinked at, without being called names, without feeling an inch tall and a mile wide.

Edward changed that. A smile forms on my face whenever I think of him. Him and his perfect hair, beautiful eyes, kissable lips, lean body, muscular arms; a blush creeps across my cheeks and down my ample chest at where my mind has currently travelled.

I let my mind wander to those stolen moments we've had this summer. The countless kisses, the feverish groping, the slow love-making, the unquenchable desire for each other that has only gotten more formidable as time has gone on. The month I spent with my mom was difficult. It was great to see my mom and Phil and travel with them while Phil played ball, but I missed Edward like crazy. We had Skype and texting to take the edge off, but it was still hard to not be able to hug him after a long day. He had football camp one of those weeks, which was okay because then he was too busy to be texting me all day and was too tired at night to talk to me except for a few minutes before he crashed. He actually fell asleep mid word once, which was annoying, but adorable.

Since I've gotten back from my visit with my mom a couple weeks ago, we've been inseparable. From boating with his family and movie dates with Alice and Jazz, (who is leaving for Texas next week) to binging on Netflix and even doing our summer homework together, life has been blissful. But, this summer is coming to a close and Alice, spurred on by the imminent departure of her oldest brother and boyfriend, had decided we needed one last hurrah and therefore were going for a week long camping adventure.

Usually, I'm not the camping type, considering my dad's idea of camping is packing up the cruiser with an old army tent and a cooler full of beer and sandwiches and fishing the whole weekend and my mom's idea of camping is building a fort in the living room and roasting marshmallows over the BBQ. Either way, I had never really understood the thrill and lure of pitching a tent in the middle of nowhere.

That being said, the past few days at Crescent Lake have been pretty nice. Currently, the boys are off checking out the old abandoned railroad tunnel while Alice, Rose and I are sunbathing on a rock above the trail. Alice is casually flipping through her magazine when a distant laugh rings out to us from further down the trail.

"It appears the guys are back," Rose sighs as she pulls her mint green and black one piece back up to cover herself again before turning over and sitting up. Just as she finishes repositioning the front of her swimsuit so that the V of the front meets her bellybutton and the clasp is nestled under her boobs another laugh rings out from directly below us.

I sit up and begin unbunching my maxi dress that I was using as an impromptu pillow. Alice finishes flipping through her magazine before sliding it back into her bag just as Jasper grabs her around the waist and hoists her up. Her squeal of surprised delight rings out before she wrestles out of his grasp.

"You're going to expose me Jazz!" She giggles and readjusts her bikini top, making sure the purple and green paisley printed top is firmly over her goodies.

"Anyone up for a game of chicken?" Emmett asks with a pointed look at Rose.

"I suppose," she huffs as she stands and brushes her butt off.

"Me! Me! Me!" Alice answers, hopping up and down.

"Edward, you take Alice, I got Rose." Emmett smirks as he pulls his shirt off and sprints for the edge of the flat rock we're perched on. He throws himself off the small cliff, doing a backflip for show and lands a few seconds later in the water below.

"Show off," Edward grumbles as he pitches himself into oblivion, followed by his own splash a couple moments later.

"Together?" Alice asks Rose as they both approach the ledge slowly and peak over. Rose nods and they grasp hands before taking a couple quick steps and leaping in together.

Jazz looks at me and I shake my head fervently. "I gotta work myself up to this," I answer, taking a seat on the ledge to watch the swimmers below splash and swim toward the shallow end of "The Devils Punch Bowl", as this area of the lake is called. Jazz takes a seat next to me, letting his legs dangle over the edge.

"I'll wait right here until you're ready." He smiles and nudges me with his shoulder. I smile timidly at him.

"So, how was your trek?" I ask, letting my hands fall back onto the rocky ledge behind me, relaxing a little.

"It was good!" He answers. "Kinda cool, kinda creepy. Lots of spiders and cobwebs. Found a skeleton of a long dead animal."

"Ew," I answer shivering in disgust. "So are you excited to go down to Texas?" I ask, groping for some way to change the subject.

"Yes and no," Jasper answers slowly before looking at me with a sad smile on his mouth. "I suppose someone has to tell you because knowing Alice, she won't. Edward, Emm and Rose all know too." He sighs and pauses to collect his thoughts. I look at him expectantly.

"Alice and I are going to take a break," He finally admits. My face falls and I reach out to run my hand along his arm as a form of support. It makes me realize I haven't spent that much time with Jazz. He's usually so quiet and contained. This is probably the most we've talked one on one, ever. "Alice is too proud and obstinate to admit it, but I just can't in good conscience keep her on the line while I'm two thousand miles away."

I nod my understanding. "I'm sorry Jazz."

He sighs and looks up at the sky. "She's going to put on a brave face. She tells me that no matter what we're going to end up together and I wish I could be as optimistic as her, but…" He brings his eyes back to mine, "I just don't know. I'm moving to a completely different part of the country and maybe it's selfish, but I don't want to limit my opportunities and punish myself for taking them. And I don't want to hurt her more than necessary. I can't promise her that things won't change."

I nod and can completely understand what he means.

"It's not that I'm going down there with the intent of looking for someone new." He pauses, a ghost of a smile crosses his face, "Alice…well, she's the once in a lifetime type of girl. It's going to be hard to find someone who can compete with her over my heart." His eyes travel down to the tiny pixie haired beauty sitting on her brother's shoulders, trying her hardest to knock Rose off of Emmett's shoulders.

"I just feel it's better this way." He shrugs and looks back at me.

"I get that Jazz," I nod. "It's going to hurt both of you more if you cling to something that is pulling you in opposite directions than if you were to just let go and see what happens."

"Exactly," he smiles. "I know you'd take it better than Edward."

That makes me frown and look down at the pair of struggling duos. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well," Jazz starts, "Edward is being protective older brother, and I get that. I'd do the same thing. But, I think more of his issue with this is the thought that you and he are going to have to come to this same crossroads in a few short months." His eyes lock onto the side of my face and I can't bring myself to look at him, let alone answer with the lump that's forming in my throat. "He probably thinks that if Alice and I can make it through two thousand miles that no matter what, you two can make it work as well."

Tears threaten to sting my eyes and I choke them back, trying desperately to take a steady breath.

"Have you given any thought to what you want to do after graduation?" Jasper whispers.

"Some," I finally manage to whisper. "I admit most of the imagining I do involves Edward and me going to the same college if not at the very least living in the same city. I just…" My voice breaks and I gasp to try to calm myself. Jasper wraps his arm around my shoulder.

"I know Bella," he tightens momentarily. "You can't imagine living your life without him."

I nod as the tears spill over and a sob wracks my body.

Just then a scream and a splash of water break us from our conversation as Alice is pushed off of Edward's shoulders and into the water. Rose and Emmett high five.

"Best out of three?" Edward smiles as he challenges Emmett.

"You think you're ready to jump?" Jazz asks, bumping my shoulder as the four people below take their positions again.

I gulp hard and peek over the edge of the rock again, it has to be fifteen to twenty feet down to the surface of the water, but I swallow my fear and stand, nodding at Jasper as I take my stance.

"Want me to go first?" Jazz asks mildly. I nod again in response. He smiles before dashing for the edge and leaping gracefully away from the rock face. Alice squeals in delight once she hears Jazz hit the water and they all look up at me expectantly.

I close my eyes, forcing down any doubt before open them again, a fierceness taking over my mind and before I can second guess myself again I throw myself off the cliff. My stomach hits my throat and I scream in delight before my feet hit the surface and my body relaxes as I float to the surface. My head breaks the water and I hear a round of applause and smile, letting the adrenaline work its way through my system before swimming over to the others.

Edward POV

As we walked back to camp I ruminated over what Jazz had just told me an hour before. He was moving to Texas. He was moving to Texas, and he and Alice were essentially breaking up when that happened. That statement was hard for me to swallow. As Jasper's friend I'm trying to be supportive.

As Alice's brother however, I was pissed. He would be breaking Alice's heart, even if she was too proud to admit it. I grit my teeth and flex my hand around Bella's involuntarily as I think about it. She looks at me, her brown eyes filled with concern and she squeezes back.

We get back to camp and split up to our different tents to change out of our swimming suits. I give Bella the space and privacy to get changed first, standing outside the tent, pacing as thoughts of how this next year at school will be roll through my head.

So now, I'm not only losing my older brother and my best friend, but Bella's asshole of an ex and my last summer fling are both here, seemingly to stay.

We had found out through typical town gossip that Drake had such bad attendance in Phoenix that he had essentially flunked out. Add that to an underage DUI and his parents had had about enough, shipping him off to live with his relatives here in Forks, the Franciscos.

Meg as it happens was living with Leah now as her mother died of breast cancer this past winter, her father she had never known and her only living relative was her grandmother who had Alzheimer's and was in an assisted living home. I felt bad for her, I really did, but I still felt that it was going to be weird having her here.

Bella exits the tent and straightens up next to me, grabbing my arm for stability before looking up at me. She doesn't say anything, just looking into my eyes, knowingly. I pull her in, pressing my nose to her neck and burying my face in her brown hair, pressing her close to my body. She softly runs her hands from the top of my head down my back, comforting me. It's a minute or more before I finally pull back from her. I take a deep breath and let it out, forcing a small smile and kissing her forehead. She smiles back and squeezes my biceps once more before stepping away from me and heading towards the fire pit.

I enter the tent and quickly change into a pair of jeans and a hoodie before leaving and joining her next to the fire.

When I get back to the fire the group is already roasting hot dogs over the fire, Bella smiles and motions to the empty seat next to hers. I join her and she hands me a hot dog and a roasting stick. I smile and lean in for a quick kiss before I warm my hot dog over the fire.

Sometime later the sun has gone down, an entire bag of chips has been depleted and a large package of hot dogs has been disposed of and we're all sitting around with very full stomachs, laughing and reminiscing about our childhoods.

Emmett gives me the signal, a large stretch with pointed fingers before rising to his feet.

"If you'll excuse me ladies, nature calls," He stands and gives me a pointed look. I nod, letting him know I got the signal and he heads into the woods. I give him a few minutes before standing as well.

"Hey anyone want to see something cool?" I ask.

"What is it?" Rose looks at me suspiciously.

"It's a surprise," I grin and stand.

"A surprise?" She scoffs, not moving an inch.

"Yep." I answer stretching my hand out to Bella as an invitation.

"No thanks," Rose answers mildly before snuggling deeper into her camp chair.

"Come on Rose," Alice whines. "I'm sure it's not going to be anything dangerous or scary."

Rose glares at Alice. Alice crosses her arms and glares back. Some girl stare down is happening in front of me and I'm hoping Alice wins.

"What about Emmett?" Rose finally asks as she stands, obviously conceding to Alice's superior staring skills.

"He's already seen it," I answer coolly.

Rose sighs obviously agitated but going along with it. "Fine, but if anything jumps out at me or if we get lost I'm going to beat the shit out of you Edward."

"If that happens I'll help you." Alice giggles and takes Rose's arm. "Jazz you coming?"

Jasper shakes his head. "I'll wait for Emmett, let him know where you're going and that you'll be back soon."

Alice shrugs and nods before I lead them through the campsite and down toward the lake.

When we get within a hundred yards of the lake and the trees start to thin out you can see the glow from the beach. Rose and Alice don't seem to notice but Bella does, leaning over and whispering in my ear, "What is that?"

I put my fingers up to my lips in response and continue on. We get ten yards from where the tree line ends when Alice notices it.

"What's that?" She asks pointing to the glow about halfway down the beach.

As we break the tree line and come out onto the rocky and sandy beach they see him. Emmett is standing in the middle of a bunch of candles lit and shaped like a big heart. Bella looks at me and her eyes are alight, she knows that is going on.

Rose slows but continues moving forward, Alice relinquishes her and stands to one side, staring open mouthed at the scene unfolding.

When Emmett told us what he was planning while we were on our hike today I was floored. How was it that while one of my siblings' relationship was falling apart the other was reaching a milestone like this. I was so happy and excited for Emmett and Rose and so sorry and frustrated for Alice and Jasper.

As soon as Rose reached Emmett, he grabbed her hands. She couldn't muster the words to ask him what was going on, but her eyes said it all.

"Rosalie Hale," Emmett begins, voice trembling but firm. "I have loved you since the first moment I saw you in the third grade. You had those blonde pigtails that ran the entire length of your back. I would sit behind you in Ms. Keppner's class and every once in a while I'd yank them." Rose smiled and a tear slipped down her cheek. "You would scold me and I would just laugh. In the 5th grade you tackled me in touch football because I said you threw like a girl. I've never mad e the mistake of saying you do anything like a girl since then. In 8th grade we played spin-the-bottle at Mike Newton's house and when my spin landed on you, I was so happy. Then when we got into the closet, I got so overexcited that I ended up giving you a bloody nose and a split lip."

Rose grins and wipes the tears from her eyes before placing her hand back in Emmett's.

"It wasn't until high school that I realized that even if you are strong, beautiful, stubborn and forgiving, you can still be hurt. Even though I know you can protect yourself. Even though I know you can be independent. It doesn't mean I don't want to be the one who defends you. It doesn't mean I don't want to help you. And Rosalie Hale," At this point he drops to one knee and reaches into his back pocket. When his hand comes back into view he has a small black box open and there is a small glittering diamond in it. "Will you allow me to defend you when you can't defend yourself, help you when you need some support and love you every day for the rest of our lives?"

Rose breaks down even more and nods fervently as she leans in and kisses Emmett fully. She pulls back and gives him her hand and he slips the small but beautiful diamond onto her left ring finger before standing and wrapping his huge arms around her and kissing her hard and passionately. I look over at Bella and she has a huge smile on her face and looks like she's trying not to bounce up and down. Alice actually is bouncing up and down, looking like she wants to go wrap her small arms around her brother and future sister-in-law. She holds herself back long enough for Emmett and Rose to turn and look at us before she leaps at them with a squeal and hugs them both, then pulls back and grabs Rose's hand to look at the shiny new piece of jewelry.

"Congratulations you two!" I manage to smile and nod at them as Bella breaks free from me and joins Alice and Rose in admiring the ring. Emmett walks over and gives me a hug.

"Thanks for getting her here," Emmett whispers as he looks back at Rose. "I knew that would be the hardest part."

"Yeah, no prob." I answer and clap him once on the shoulder. "Should we head back to camp now?"

"Sure," He answers as he begins to pick up the candles and blow them out before putting them in a plastic garbage bag.

A few minutes later Bella and Alice are chatting animatedly as I follow them back to camp. Emmett and Rose stayed behind, wanting a bit of time to mellow in their newfound commitment to each other.

As we're walking back to camp I get lost in thought again. A strong feeling of jealousy washes over me as I think about tonight's event. How is it that Emmett, who is such an immature goofball, has cemented a life plan with Rose, but Jasper and Alice aren't even considering trying to maintain a long distance relationship? Well, I guess considering Emm and Rose will only be separated by a couple hour drive, not to mention Rose plans on meeting Emmett down in Pullman as a student next year, the two situations are extremely different.

As we arrive back at our campsite we take our seats back around the fire. Jasper has prepared the smore ingredients and we start perfecting the art of marshmallow roasting. Rose and Emmett finally come back an hour or so later, both still sporting huge grins. Another round of congratulations and hugs goes around and soon after that, each couple disappears into their tents.

I'm rooting around in my bag for a warm pair of socks when Bella reenters the tent from her bathroom visit. When she enters I smile and go in for a kiss. The taste of mint is left on her lips from her toothpaste and I lick mine in response. She stows her bathroom stuff and we climb under the pile of sleeping bags, cuddling close for warmth.

"Did you know Emmett was going to propose?" She asks as she nestles into me.

"Yeah, he told me on our hike today." I answer. "Right after Jasper told us that he and Alice were breaking up."

"This is so weird," Bella answers. "I'm so confused about how I feel about everything; First with finding out about Jasper and Alice and then about Rose and Emmett. I feel happy for Rose and Emm obviously, but Jazz and Alice? I don't know how to feel about that."

"It's stupid." I answer stiffly. "Jasper is being a coward. He's taking the easy way out. He's hurting Alice and himself, why? Because he knows he's going to miss Alice and end up cheating on her in Texas if he tries to stay in a relationship with her? That's weak and frankly if that's the kind of boyfriend he is, Alice deserves better."

Bella stiffens at my response and I know she disagrees with me. "I think you're being a little unfair Edward. Jasper isn't a bad guy; he's making a tough decision."

"You're saying you agree with him?" I ask incredulously.

"No, I'm saying I understand that it's a tough decision and he's making the best choice for him and Alice that he knows how to make. Do I think he should at least try to make things work with Alice? Yes. Do I think it's going to be possible for them to stay together in a situation like this? Probably not."

I get what she's saying but it's still a hard pill to swallow. She lets me sit and think for a minute before saying anymore.

"I know it's hard for you Edward. You are losing Emmett and Jasper and they both seem to have polar opposite choices that they are making in their relationships. But this is already going to be hard on both Jasper and Alice, so the least you can do is not make it any more difficult. Just be friends with Jasper and be Alice's big brother."

"Yeah, I know," I nod and squeeze her a little. "It's just a big dose of reality and I'm not sure what to make of things. It reminds me that our time here together in Forks is finite and you and I need to make the most of what we have now. I really hope that our futures don't tear us too far apart." I sigh dejectedly.

"Then let's try to make the best decision we can this year and enjoy the time we have. Hopefully distance won't be an issue for us." She shrugs before peeking up at me. "I plan on spending a very long time with you Edward." And her smile is shy and sweet and I can't help but smile in return.

"Ditto baby," I answer as I lean in to kiss her.

Leave me some love…or hate…both can fuel me.