Bella

I was unable to move from where I stood. I stared at the little house; it looked to small to hold four large boys and two large men. there was no reaction inside. No flutter at the edge of the curtain. No sound of voices or movements. it faced me vacantly

The rain started to drizzle. stringing here and there against my skin. I couldn't take my eyes of the house. Jacob would come back, he had too

The rain picked up and so did the wind. The drops were no longer falling from above they slanted at an angle from the west. I could smell the brine from the ocean. My hair whipped in her face. sticking to the wet place and tangling in my lashes. I waited

Finally the door opened, and I take a step forward in relief

Billy rolled his chair into the door frame. I could see no one behind him

"Charlie just called, Bella.. I told him you were on your way home" his eyes were full of pity

The pity made it final somehow, I didn't comment. I just turned robotically and climbed in my truck. I'd left the windows open and the seats were slick and wet. it didn't matter. I was already soaked

'not so bad! not so bad!' My mind tried to comfort me. It was true. This wasn't as bad. This wasn't the end of the world, not again. This was just the end of what little peace there was left behind. That was all

'Not as bad!' I agreed, then added 'but bad enough'

I'd thought Jake had been healing the hole in me or at least plugging it up, keeping it from hurting me so much. I'd been wrong. He'd just been covering out his hole, so that I was now riddled though like Swiss cheese. I wondered why I didn't crumble into pieces

Charlie was waiting on the porch. As I rolled to a stop, he walked out to meet me

"Billy called, he said you got in a fight with Jake - said you were pretty upset" he explained as he opened my door for me

Then he looked at my face, a kind of horrified recognition registered in his expression. I tried to feel my face from the inside out, to know what he was seeing. My face felt empty and cold, and I realised what it would remind him of

"That's not exactly how it happened" I muttered

Charlie put his arm around me and helped me out of the car. He didn't comment on my sodden clothes

"Then what did happen?" He asked when we were inside

He pulled the ofghan off the back of the sofa as he spoke and wrapped it around my shoulders. I realised I was still shivering

My voice was lifeless "Sam Uley says Jacob can't be my friend anymore"

Charlie shot me a strange look "who told you that?"

"Jacob" I stated, though that wasn't exactly what he'd said. It was still true

Charlie's eyebrows pulled together "you really think there's something wrong with the Uley kid?"

"I know there is. Jacob wouldn't tell me what, though"

I could hear the water from my clothes dripping to the floor and splashing on the lineleum "I'm going to go change"

Charlie was lost in thought "okay" he said absolutely

I decided to take a shower because I was so cold, but the hot water didn't seem to affect the temperature of my skin. I was still freezing when I gave up and shut the water off. In the sudden quiet, I could hear Charlie talking to someone downstairs. I wrapped a towel around me, and cracked the bathroom door

Charlie voice was angry "I'm not buying that. It doesn't make any sense"

It was quiet then, and I realised he was on the phone

A minute passed

"Don't you put this on, Bella!" Charlie suddenly shouted

I jumped. when he spoke again, his voice was careful and lower "Bella made it very clear all along that she and Jacob were just friends... well, if that was it, then why didn't you say so at first? No, Billy, I think she's right about this... because I know my daughter, and if she says Jacob was scared before" he was cut off mid-sentence, and when he answered he was almost shouting again

"What do you mean I don't know my daughter as well as I think I do!" He listenered for a brief second, and his response was almost too low for me to hear "if you think I'm going to remind her about that, then you had better think again. She's only just starting to get over it, and mostly because of Jacob, I think. If whatever Jacob is going on with this Sam character sends her back into that depression, then Jacob is going to have to answer to me. You're my friend, Billy, but this is hurting my family"

There was another break for Billy to respond

"You got that right - those boys set one toe out of line and I'm going to know about it. We'll be keeping an eye on the situation, you can be sure of that" he was no longer Charlie; he was chief Swan now

"Fine. Yeah. Goodbye" the phone slammed into the cradle meaning he hunged up the phone on him

I tiptoed quickly access the hall into my room. Charlie was muttering angrily in the kitchen

So Billy was going to blame me. I was leading Jacob on and he'd finally had enough

I walked over to my bed and picked up a picture of me and Jacob as we were kids

"Bells" I heard Charlie call out to me

I didn't answer him as tear were rolling down my cheeks "Jacob, you can't do this to me" I whispered in a sad voice as I held the picture to my chest

The door opened

Charlie walks over and sits beside me with a sad look on his face

"Bells, this came for you" he gave me a letter. I opened the letter to see it was from college saying I got into college

The college I applied for was in Mystic Falls, Virginia

I looked at Charlie "I got accepted into College in Mystic Falls" I told him with a smile

"That's great! Are you going?" He asked me in happy voice

"I think it's for the best" I murmured, as I placed the photo down on the side "it starts next week" I informed him as I stood up from my bed "I'm going to bed"

Charlie leaves me alone

I put on my pyjamas on and got into bed. I fell asleep quickly