"You need a ride?" Bailey smiled, as her mom pulled up along the curb, and rolled down the window. "We can take her home, right mom?" Bailey jumped ahead of herself, smiling into the car.

"That's unnecessary, Mrs. Underwood, Bailey. Mom said she would be here." I nodded, situating my heavy bag onto my left shoulder, and holding tightly onto my dance shoes. "Go ahead, she'll be here."

"Angel, it's your birthday." Bailey laughed. "You're sixteen now, aren't you supposed to be gloating about getting your license yesterday? Not waiting for your mom."

"It's alright." I laughed, "She'll be here."

"Alright, alright." Bailey smiled, holding up her hands in surrender. "I'll meet you at the pool. Tomorrow sound alright?"

I nodded, and bit my lip. "Yeah, sure."

She smiled once more, and climbed into her mother's silver Honda. Bailey had been my best friend since fourth grade maybe. She's a tall, lanky, blonde, with a gorgeous boyfriend, and a life. Unlike me, who spends her time taking pictures and writing, with no boyfriend, and never anything to brag about. She was funny, and great personalitied, while I was funny, but quiet and awkward.

I always felt a little different than others. Ever since the age of thirteen, it seems a series of unfortunate events had been set up for me. On the day of my thirteenth birthday, my only grandma, grandpa, aunt, and uncle, had been killed in a tragic derailing on a train, over some body of water. There were no survivors. On my fourteenth birthday, my dog, Sunny, got hit by a car, and we had to put him down. On my fifteenth, I fell down our flight of stairs leading down to the basement. I broke my right leg and 2 ribs, sprained my knee, bruised my elbow badly, tore the muscle in my ankle, and even had a concussion. Easy to say, I spent last birthday in the hospital. You can say trouble is a friend of mine.

Every girl raves about how their sixteenth birthday was their best birthday ever. Meanwhile, I knew mine would only get worse. As I'd grow older, I knew the birthdays would just keep coming, year after year. I have it figured that by the age of 24, I'll be dead.

And I had a good theory that sixteen would be no different than thirteen. It'd be terrible. Mom had promised me that they'd throw me a "small" party, which I didn't even want. I didn't want to risk anything. She had gotten flameless candles for the cake, gotten party hats without points, and presents in bags, so no paper cuts. I appreciated her efforts, but it was too much.

I sighed, beginning to walk along the sidewalk. I'll walk home, I sided with myself. I took a few more steps, slowly, small. But sadly, reality hit. The sidewalk ended in a few more step, then what was left, Angel? The gravel road, that lead to a highway, that lead to home… which was about 24 miles away, with no guarantee that my family would be home.

I'll walk as far as I can, I thought. Save mom some gas, at the least. I started down the gravel road, rocks pressing together at the pressure of my weight. I was doing pretty good, till I dropped one of my good dancing shoes into the ditch, which, just my luck, was filled with water from last night's storm. I sighed under my breath. Nothing too harsh, for my birthday, at least. I just shook off the wet, and continued walking.

This road had always been welcoming to me. The road to a daring gymnastics team practice, and a small escape from reality. But walking home, in a warm up jacket and sweatpants… Well, they didn't keep you warm. They didn't keep you shielded from the outside world. And they sure did not keep you from being assassinated, that is for sure. Which, I'm not sure who exactly I'd be a target for, but whatever. I'm sure someone hates me.

I heard a car pull up behind me, and I heard them slow down when they probably mistaken me for a deer or some other animal, or maybe it just caught them off guard that I wasn't a tree. I turned around, and flagged them on, and returned to looking forward, to keep from tripping, and falling.

And it really gave me the creeps when the car infact didn't go around, but pulled up beside me. The black BMW had dark tinted windows, preventing me from seeing anything. Just keep walking, I told myself.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked, "Do you need a ride?"

I looked to the driver, who was leaned over the console. He had blonde hair, and pale skin, with darker eyes. I sighed, wondering what to say. I started by taking my hood off, so he could see who I was. Maybe if he could see my expression, I'd be more convincing.

Saying no would sound stupid. It was obvious I needed a ride, otherwise, who would actually be walking? But taking a ride from any stranger would be stupid and risky, all the same. But mom would be here any moment, right?

"No," I sighed, continuing to walk down the road, "I have a ride." I nodded, "She'll be here anytime."

"I don't think that time comes soon enough when you're walking on the side of the road in summer night weather." He chuckled. "A ride home is it, I promise. I'm not going to hurt you, believe me. I'm actually a doctor."

"You probably wouldn't, but I have a ride." I continued walking, with the wishing that mom would pull up anytime.

"You're Angel Scott, right?" He asked.

I stopped walking, and I felt myself looking stupid as I looked at him surprised. He stopped the car along side of me, all the same that he'd been driving slowly along side of me.

"Well, are you?" He insisted.

I nodded quickly. "Umhm. How'd yo-"

"You're mother wanted me to pick you up. If you're planning on her picking you up, no matter what I say, then you'll be waiting on her for a while." He sighed, and nodded to himself. "She's a busy woman."

"I know that." I started walking again.

"Well. Are you riding with me, or are you walking the miles home?"

I sighed, stopping in my tracks again, and looking to him. I continued just looking, till he raised his eyebrows at me.

"This is what she'd want, I promise."

"What she'd want? So she didn't tell you to pick me up!" I accused, becoming a little annoyed with this random stranger who was simply interrupting my journey on my way home.

"Walk the 25 miles home, I don't care, love." He sighed, shaking his head. "No one will be there waiting on you."

"They won't?" I asked, suddenly wondering where they were. They weren't going out of their way for my birthday, were they? "Well, they don't have to. I'll wait for them." I nodded, trying to make myself sound confident.

"You won't see them for a long time…" He nodded. "Let me give you a ride, plus an explanation. That's it. Please."

I sighed, situating my dance shoes under my arm. "Alright.." I finally sighed out.

A smile spread across his face as he reached over the console, and opened the door for me.

"Good girl." He nodded, as I climbed into the car, and shut the door behind me. I let us get down the road some, before I even thought about asking anything.

"I'd like the explanation now." I nodded, with a sigh, sitting my dance shoes down onto the floorboard of the car, along with my dance bag.

"Right." He sighed, continuing to watch the road. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you… You're family was killed in a car accident."

Most girls, especially at my age, would start bawling immediately. Or at least, I guess.

I sighed, putting my head in my hands, knowing I had been right about my sixteenth birthday being the worst so far.

"Ellen began to fall into a diabetic coma, and you're parents wasted no time getting to the hospital, with themselves, Ellen, and Jacen… They were side swiped by a train."

I sighed, blinking tears out of my eyes, as I looked up, looking forward, towards the road.

"Doesn't surprise me that much." I sighed, "I'm cursed, that's it."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"What could possibly bring you to that?"

And so I explained the whole "since I was thirteen" thing, to the complete stranger, before I even knew his name. He was a really good actor, or he was actually listening.

"Probably just terrible coincidences." He sighed, with a nod, after I finished. "Life gets worse before it gets better."

"And there's a rainbow after every rain, but I think I might be blind." I sighed, leaning against the window. "I'm living in the desert or something. This is just getting ridiculous."

"Well, I know it doesn't mean much, especially of this moment, but if you'd like, come stay with my family for a little. We have plenty of room for one more, if you decide to stay."

"Don't you have kids already?"

"Four, god forbid." He laughed. "Plus my wife. We have a huge house. Plenty of room for one more."

"I'll think about it." I sighed, as we pulled into the driveway. The gravel driveway that lead to a huge, glass, dollhouse…

"I'm Carlisle, by the way." He looked towards me, and extended his hand, "Carlisle Cullen."

"I'm Angel Scott."