[Edited]

Disclaimer: I do not own this story. It belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I only own the unfamiliar plot line, other characters and anything else unrecognisable.

A/N: I've been MIA from Fanfiction for a while now but since I'm back I've reread this story and decided that I'm editing and reposting it. Enjoy! I will also be posting chapters of my other story, Soul Mate again and get some new stories up and running so stay tuned. This chapter is dedicated to my first ever reviewer.

Chapter 1

The saying goes; if life gives you lemons then make lemonade. Well, sometimes it isn't that simple. Usually when you think things are a certain way it turns out that they just aren't. I've been in this cocoon where I believed that this was how my life was and how it would always be. Until, quite frankly, reality struck. It slapped me right in the face when I least expected it. I wasn't prepared to deal with so much rejection on my plate all at the same time. Hell, I'm still not. I'm not even close to dealing with it. I've been living in a bubble all this time thinking life was blissful and that everything would work out for me, because it always did. But then a little thing called reality knocks on your door and you haven't had the chance to prepare yourself for the bad things that come with once you've opened that door. You live in this mythical world where you expect nothing to go wrong. Funny thing is there is no such thing as a mythical world. Vampires, werewolves and unicorns just don't exist and there isn't a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A mythical world is exactly that, a myth. And reality is ever so kind to remind you of that fact. I learned the hard way that fairy tales and happy endings do not exist. The worst thing that could possibly happen to you is having your world come tumbling down before your eyes and there's sweet nothing you can do about it. You're forced to see everything you've ever known fall to pieces. I'm sixteen years old and I haven't lived long enough that I've experienced so much that I'm just giving up. Believe me, I want to give up. Somehow it just doesn't make any sense to carry on. This is by far the most realistic experience in my life and I've decided that I hate reality. It stinks and it hurts. Life hasn't given me lemons, its thrown me C-4 bombs and they just keep exploding in my face.

"Hey guys, I have an announcement." Mike says.

It was lunch time and we all sat around our usual table. I sat next to Owen while his arms draped around my shoulders, Jessica was trying her best to get Mike to notice her but he was completely oblivious and Angela and Eric were currently staring deeply into each other's eyes. Bella normally sat with us too but since she befriended that Cullen guy she hardly ever notices us. Not that I mind, I'm not really that much of a Bella fan. I just didn't get why everyone kept fusing over her. She was just a normal girl, like the rest of us. I didn't see anything special about her

Mike clears his throat to get all of our attention. "I have an announcement to make." he says again getting up from his seat. He misses the way Jessica moves up from her chair as well so she stood beside him as he leaned against our table.

"Yeah, we heard you the first time man." says Eric not tearing his gaze away from Angela's.

"It didn't look that way." he rolls his eyes. "The way you two were staring into each other's eyes like pathetic love sick puppies." he scoffs.

Owen and I snicker while Eric and Angela roll their eyes and Jessica just keeps trying to get Mike to notice her. She tries too hard sometimes. She's my friend and everything but sometimes you've got to just take a hint.

"You were saying Mike." I say wanting to know what Mike was on about.

"My parents are going to Seattle for the weekend and I'll have the house to myself." he grins as if it was the announcement of a lifetime.

"Party!" Owen and Mike holler at the same time high-fiving.

Angela and I roll our eyes. "Can you guys think of anything other than partying?" says Angela, always the conservative one.

Mike looks at her like she just said the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. Mike lived for parties. He never threw one that didn't get raided by the cops because it got so raucous that the neighbors would call it in. I've never been at one long enough to witness it but I've heard the stories. It's safe to say that Mike Newton was the party-throwing god of Forks.

"Uh no." he says looking at Angela like she has a mental deficiency or something.

"Then what would we think about?" Owen decides to add his two cents an adorable innocent expression marring his face.

I elbow him in the rib. "You wanna throw a party this weekend? Explain to me how you're going to do that when it's Thursday right now and we have a test early tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Why not? I'm sure we can throw something together if everyone helps out. I'll do drinks. Eric you can do music. Owen spread the word. And maybe you ladies can put together some snacks."

"We didn't say we agree with this." says Angela.

"And you're being sexist." I cross my arms over my chest. "What if we wanted to do drinks or whatever?" I try conjuring up an offended expression but I know I just look amused.

"But babe," Eric whines. "We haven't partied in a while."

"Exactly." Owen and Mike say in unison nodding.

"And babe," Owen drawls out mimicking Eric's tone and grins at me. "If you wanna do drinks do drinks. But we all know Ang makes the best mini tortilla wraps so..." I punch him lightly in the arm, shaking my head and chuckle.

"He has a point."

"Whatever." I mutter dismissively.

"I'm in." says Jessica over-enthusiastically grinning broadly.

Everyone, excluding Mike, snorts a laugh.

"See, Jess is in." he says obviously not realizing that she's only agreeing to this party because she's so in love with him and is hopeful that he'd finally notice. But we all know that Mike is so thick he barely notices that she ogles him every chance she gets. And she gets plenty of chances.

"Of course she is." Owen mutters and we all snicker causing Jessica to glare at us.

"What did I miss?" Mike looks at all of us with a confused expression. How can you be so thick? It's as clear as daylight that Jessica is basically falling at his feet while he relentlessly hits on other girls, completely oblivious to the fact that she's into him.

We all laugh again.

"Anyway," Owen says taking the attention off of Jessica who looks like she's about to kill us. I swear, if looks could kill. "Come on Case, don't be that way." He pouts, his sea-green eyes twinkling. "Eric is right we haven't partied in a while. Plus, we'll keep it small. Right Mike?"

"Oh yeah, of course." Mike winks.

I roll my eyes. "I'll only agree if Ang does." I shrug.

Owen, Mike, Eric and Jessica all look at Angela with pathetic pleading eyes.

"Please." Eric says in a sugar sweet voice, probably an attempt to get her to say yes.

Angela giggles. "You guys are pathetic." She shakes her head.

"Fine, whatever. We can have your party." They all cheer with delight and Eric kisses her on her cheek. "But keep it small." She shoots a warning look Mike's way who holds up his hand defensively looking way too innocent.

Crashing glass and plates snap me out of my reverie. More crashing and slamming sounds are echoing from downstairs. I'm surprised to hear things happening downstairs. I know its mom drowning her sorrows, but usually she does that in her room, in silence. She hasn't left it since he left. And that was a week ago. She's turned into this person I hardly recognize. She mopes around all day. Not that I've seen much of her. Like I said, she's been cooped up in her room probably drowning herself in the bed covers. The dark rings under her eyes are an indication of the little sleep she's getting, if she's even getting any and she barely eats anything. My mom didn't take my dad leaving us very well, I mean obviously. Things were picture perfect until he just up and left. I still don't know why. Because my father, the man who I thought was my hero, who I looked up to, who I loved so dearly, obviously didn't love me back because he abandoned me and my mother without as much as an explanation. Never mind explanation, he didn't even say goodbye. For as long as I can remember my father has been the one person I could always count on. I knew that if I needed something he'd be there, no matter what. He would always be there at my beck and call. My dad never failed to disappoint me. My mom wasn't a bad parent she was just rarely home. Being a high profiled real estate agent took up plenty of her time so it was usually dad and I. We were really close too. But that didn't mean we resented my mom for being home so rarely. He and my mom were like a couple out of a perfectly directed romantic movie. They'd been together since high school. High school sweethearts. And they have literally been in love, like sappy, cheesy, head-over-heels in love ever since then. So you can understand my shock when I come home to a devastating looking mother of mine who leaps into my arms because she thinks I'm her husband who has come back to her.

I was getting ready to leave for Mike's party. My mom wasn't home yet of course and my dad was in his study working. When his in his study, it's best to leave him to it. He's a writer so he spends a lot of his time in that study. That's one of the reasons why my dad was my hero. He inspired me to start writing. And now I have a journal for every year since I was twelve. I love English Lit and essays are kind of my thing. It was all inspired by him of course.

The moment I hear Owen honking outside I grab my jacket, slide my phone into my pocket, get my keys from the top of my dresser and head for my dad's study. I knock lightly then turn open the door, poking my head inside. My dad's glasses covered eyes are glued to the laptop screen and I'm torn between breaking his concentration and getting snapped at for it or not telling him where I'm going and getting grounded for that because he would be worried so I decide to go with the former as I'm more likely to deal with getting yelled at than being kept away from Owen for two weeks.

"Dad," I say softly. His head immediately shoots up and he looks startled. As if I've just caught him doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. I frown for a moment, scanning his face. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, except for the cut on his chin due to his early morning shaving mishap, everything is normal. Probably just my imagination. Anyway.

"I'm going to Mike's, they're having a little party. I won't be late." He just nods and gives me a brief smile which surprises me because as cool as my dad is, he doesn't enjoy me going to parties. I was expecting an hour long speech on how dangerous it would be being surrounded by drunk and hormonal teenage boys and that he wanted to have a word with Mike's parents about the "little party" going on at their house. Don't get me wrong, I was thankful he wasn't on his usual interrogation spree when it came to me going to parties, but I found it odd. But me being me shrugged it off, enjoying my new found freedom.

I waved a quick goodbye, closed the door and made a Bee-line for the front door in case he changed his mind. I yanked open Owen's car door, slipped inside and shut the door loudly.

"And now?" he raises an eyebrow.

I giggle. "My dad is being surprisingly non-interrogative and I'm just making a run for it before he storms out of that house changing his mind and wanting to call Mike's parents. And we do not want that."

He chuckles. "I should start driving then."

I lean in and kiss him on his cheek then buckle up.

"Good idea." I grin.

The party wasn't that bad. It wasn't as small as Mike insinuated, not that I expected anything less. Eric and Angela spent the night staring into each other's eyes as usual, Jessica was trailing behind Mike like a puppy after its tail and he would just be blind to her trails and the hints she keeps throwing his way while Owen and I watched them in amusement, cracking jokes and every now and then getting lost in each other. Everyone from our school was at the party. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the sheriff in to stop the party. Like they usually did. Anyway the party didn't get out of hand but it wasn't exactly timid either. And given the fact that nobody left Mike's house until after the sun came up, things couldn't have been timid. What surprised me even more was the fact that I didn't get a call from my dad and he didn't show up at Mike's house dragging me out by my hair either. I mentioned that my dad was a cool guy but when it came to me and parties, he decided that was the time to be the un-coolest of uncool. When the clock hit 2a.m I started to feel anxious that something might be up. I was enjoying the freedom, don't get me wrong, but it was two hours past my curfew and I wasn't home yet I would've expected at least three hundred phone calls and about twenty text messages. But nothing, not a peep. Owen told me not to worry so I didn't. I decided to take my newly found freedom and use it to all my advantage spending time with my boyfriend that I adore and my crazy group of friends. Because when I get home I'd probably be grounded till I'm forty so I might as well make the best of my free time. And so I stroll up my drive-way at five in the morning, completely exhausted and totally buzzed because of the few slugs of beer I had. I'm not a huge drinker, but between taking an occasional slug of Owen's beer and making out with him while he was drinking, I was pretty buzzed. I knew I'd be in for it now. I would probably get a speech as long as the Nile River for staying out all night without calling including the fact that I reeked of beer and that Owen and I were together. My parents like Owen, but after catching us making-out, and need I point out that we were in the middle of things getting really intense and heated, my parents doesn't trust us alone together. My mom was seventeen when she had me and they didn't want me making the same mistake they did by falling pregnant at such a young age. As much as I assured them that we weren't going to have sex they just kept grilling me. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life. I know they meant well, but still, they didn't need to shove birth giving videos and what diapers cost now-a-days down my throat. I got grounded for a week when that happened and that was the biggest trouble I've ever been in. I'm a straight kid I'd like to think. And my parents are pretty understanding. However, they won't be so understanding now. I'll probably be sentenced to life inside, with no phone calls and no access to the outside world any other way. Not that I blame them. I didn't call, and I did stay out all night and I do reek of beer. Yeah, definitely life sentence.

I take a deep breath before I open the door, turn the door knob and push open the door. I expected to see my dad on the other side of the door fuming with anger. But I was greeted with a totally different picture. My mom was sprawled across the couch looking - well - dead. If it wasn't for her chest heaving up and down I would have thought she was dead. She was as pale as a sheet and her body looked so limp. I stared at her for the longest time wondering why she looked so lifeless and where was my dad? Shouldn't they be worried about where I was? Or at least be angry at me for coming in at this hour. I was so confused by what I was greeted with when I walked in through our front door that I hadn't realised that it was slipping through my fingers and banging close with a loud thud. This caused my mom to jerk up and immediately shout out my dad's name. Her previous lifeless body sprang to life as she jumped up and literally leaped into my arms, crashing into my chest murmuring things like 'you're back' and 'I knew you still loved me'.

I frowned.

What the hell? Now I'm even more confused. What does she mean you're back? When did he ever leave? He's here. He's supposed to be. He is here. Right?

"Dad?" I call out. But there's no response. "Dad!" I call out again, my heart beating hard in my chest. Mom's head pops up from my chest and she looks at me with confusion in her eyes. Her vision must still be blurry because of the sleep because she blinks a couple of times until her eyes go wide and she shoves me back roughly. I stumble backward a bewildered expression marring my face.

"What are you doing here?" she says looking at me like I was crazy. She says 'you' with a tone of disgust and I feel my heart rate pick up even more. It was beating so fast I'm surprised it hadn't sprung from my chest already. I try my best to stay calm but with my mom's outburst, her appearance―wild hair, puffy red eyes, white as a sheet―and my dad's non-appearance, it's proving to be a little hard.

"Mom, are you okay?" I ask her. "Where's dad?" She suddenly goes limp and falls to the ground sobbing loudly. I watch the scene before me feeling even more confused, worried and anxious. My heart is beating so fast right now that I swear I may pass out because of it. My mouth goes dry with a sudden hit of realization. It's absurd to even think. But what if it was possible? My mom was cursing, hitting and kicking air as she screamed out my father's name. By this time I'm not sure what to do. I'm torn between crouching down and consoling my obviously distraught mother and trying to figure out why she is obviously distraught. I decide that the former will help bring me to the conclusion of the latter so I crouch down and pull her hands into mine as she kind of calms down.

I try to make eye contact with her but she won't look me in the eye. "M-mom," my voice quivers. "Mom," I say again, more confidently this time and she's looking me in the eye now. But they're filled with tears and look completely vacant. "What happened?" She's shivering like its negative-degrees in the house and her eyes are bloodshot. She looks awful and my speculated realization seems to be looking like an actual reality. I swallow hard trying to shake that out of my head. He wouldn't.

And then she utters two words that make my world come crashing down.

"He's gone."