Disclaimer for whole story: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all of tis characters, I don't.
A/N: If you like it and review, i will continue.
I felt silly because, as Edward and Emmett threw their graduation caps into the air, tears ran down my cheeks. I quickly brought my hand up and swiped them away. The graduates exited the stage and made their way to their different families. Emmett found us – Renee, Charlie, and I – and picked me up in a bear hug.
"Can you believe it, Bella? I graduated high school! I'm going to college!" Emmett said excitedly. Then, Emmett saw my face and groaned. "Bella, I don't care if those are happy tears or not, don't cry on my happy day!"
I let out a strangled laugh. "Fine!" I huffed and wiped the remaining tears away, hoping those would be the last tears I cried today.
Emmett hugged Renee and Charlie, then the Hales and the Cullens made their way towards us. Rosalie broke into a run and jumped on Emmett. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "You're a graduate!" She cried. The parents cleared their throats, but all the teenagers laughed. Rosalie hopped down and grinned at everybody.
I made my way over to Edward and he grinned at me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'm so proud of you," I whispered. When I pulled back to look at his face, he was smiling, but he didn't look as happy as someone should if they just graduated high school. I ignored it, hoping he would just forget about whatever was bothering him.
I took a step back, one of Edward's arms still around my waist. I looked at everyone around me. This was my family. Edward and Alice Cullen and their parents. Alice was my age, and going into eleventh grade next year. Edward was two years older than us, and going to college next year.
Then, you have the Hales. Rosalie, Jasper, and their parents. Rosalie and Jasper were twins; both of them were going into their senior year this year.
Then, the Swans – my biological family. Well, Renee was a Dwyer; she had remarried to a man named Phil a few years ago. She and Charlie were my parents. Emmett was my older brother, who just graduated high school. I was going into eleventh grade this year.
We had all been friends since we were toddlers. Despite our age differences, we had stayed best friends. I was positive it was going to stay that way. In some cases, we became more than friends.
Emmett and Rosalie started dating when Rose was in eight grade. Jasper and Alice got together a few months later.
A month later, when Edward was a freshman, and I was in seventh grade, he asked me to be his girlfriend. I had, had a crush on him for a while, so I, of course, said yes.
We've all been together since.
That night, we all had a celebration dinner at the Cullen house. It was an amazing dinner. We talked and laughed, just enjoying each other's presence. The food was really good, also.
A few days later, we were at the airport to see Renee off. She had to go home to Phil. It was a tearful goodbye. Even when we knew we were going to see her at the end of the summer so she could help Emmett settle into his college dorm, we were still sad.
But the summer went on. Each and everyday, Emmett got even more psyched about attending University of Washington. Each and everyday, I saw less and less of Edward. I would be lucky to see him once a week. I got even more worried after each phone call I would make to him, and he didn't answer.
One day, a week before Edward was scheduled to leave for Dartmouth, there was a knock at the door. I opened the door and saw Edward. I threw my arms around his neck because I hadn't seen him in over two weeks, but he unwrapped them from around me. I looked at him a bit shocked.
"Bella, we're over," he blurted out. I blinked, and when the words sunk in, I gasped. This couldn't happen. We were strong enough, well, before this summer we had been, to have a long distance relationship.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that," he said in a rush. When I didn't respond, he continued. "It wouldn't be fair to either of us. I mean, I should be allowed to live my college experience to the fullest. You should be able to date other guys while you're in high school, Bella."
"Don't do this," I whispered.
"It's already done. Goodbye, Bella," He said and turned around. He hopped into his stupid, shiny Volvo and left. He just left. Just like that. I started to cry when his Volvo was out of sight. A four year long relationship gone down the drain in less than five minutes.
After a while, Emmett came downstairs. "What are you doing, Bella?"
When I turned around, and he saw my face, his eyes went wide. "Oh, no," he muttered.
He shut the front door, the one I had failed to close, and picked me up. He carried me upstairs into my room, laid me down on my bed, and covered me up with a blanket. Then, he laid down next to me. For a while, we just stared up at the ceiling.
"I told him not to do this," he said, interrupting the silence.
"You knew?" My voice came out choked up.
"He told me a long distance relationship wouldn't work. That was all."
That was the end of our conversation. We stayed like that for hours. Charlie checked up on us a few times. I think someone called and told him what happened. Maybe, Esme.
When the sun went down, Emmett fell asleep. I stayed awake, listening to Emmett's snores.
I stayed in my room for days afterwards. The only visitors I accepted were Emmett and Charlie's occasional check-ups.
When it was time to see Edward off, I stayed in my room and cried.
When it was time to tell Emmett goodbye, I hugged him in my room.
While Charlie, Renee, and Emmett were driving to Seattle, where Emmett's college was, I packed my bags. I told my parents when they got back that I was going to Florida with Renee. The next day, I saw my friends that I had been avoiding, and told them goodbye. It was very tearful. I think I even saw Jasper cry. He knew that he probably wouldn't see me again. Rosalie and Alice cried, of course; they were girls. I lost all contact with them after that.
When I called to tell Emmett, he said that if I didn't come to see him sometimes, he would kick my butt.
I finished out high school in Florida. I visited Forks twice during that time. The first time was when Jasper and Rosalie graduated. I flew to Forks and visited with Charlie and Emmett. I made sure that they knew that no one was supposed to know that I was there. The next day I sneaked into the back of Forks High School's gym and watched the ceremony in a sweatshirt and ball cap, as to not be recognized. I made sure to take lots of pictures. I sneaked back out of the gym as soon as it was over, so my friends wouldn't see me. All of them had been there, including Edward.
I hadn't wanted them to see me because I was ashamed. I had been the coward to flee Forks because I had been dumped.
The next year, I did the same thing when Emmett called to say that Alice was graduating.
A few years later, while I was attending University of Florida, Emmett called to say that he was graduating. I did the same thing, except when he came back to Forks that night, I had a big dinner cooked. He came in with Renee and Charlie and a few duffle bags because he was staying their until he found his own place. I gave him a big hug, and we celebrated over dinner. I left back to Florida a few days later.
A few months later, Edward was graduating from Dartmouth. I flew up North, rented a hotel, sneaked into the ceremony, took pictures, and went back to Florida. All the while, avoiding my friends.
The same when Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice graduated from University of Florida. I even stayed in a hotel because I knew after their graduation, they might go back to Forks. I stayed in Forks during Emmett's graduation because the others had to stay in Seattle; they had classes the next day. I was lucky the graduations never interfered with my classes.
Now, three months after I had sneaked into Alice's graduation, I threw my own graduate cap. I exited the stage to find my family. Emmett's muscular frame wasn't hard to find. He picked me up and spun me around. "My little sister graduated college!" He sang. I hugged Charlie, Renee, and Phil after he put me down. I had made sure Emmett and Charlie didn't tell anyone in Forks I was graduating.
We went back to my apartment after I had hugged some of my friends because I didn't feel like doing anything extravagant. I made some spaghetti, and we sat down around my small table. We didn't talk about anything to important. We just sat around enjoying the food.
Well, there was nothing too important until Emmett opened his mouth.
"Bella, you should come home."
"I am home," I said nonchalantly. I knew what he was really saying, but I was trying to avoid this conversation.
"Don't play dumb with me, Bella. You know, as well as I do, that Florida was never your home. It's always been rainy Forks."
I looked at Renee to see if he had hurt feelings in any way with what he said, but she just reached for the Parmesan cheese. Then, she looked back up at me. "He's right, Sweetie. You love Forks more than Florida. Though, I don't see why." The last part she said more to herself, than anyone else. I gasped at her words. I looked around the table to see everyone nodding.
"Please, will you move back to Forks, Bella?"
A refusal was on the tip of my tongue, but it didn't come out of my mouth. I surprised myself – and everyone else. "Fine."
After a few days, we were ready to leave. I had, had to pack up all my clothes and a few other miscellaneous possessions, take all the food in my kitchen to the local homeless shelter, and a few things I had just thrown away. I didn't really have any furniture because I had rented a furnished apartment.
With the money I have saved up, I would rent an already furnished apartment in Forks. I would have to get a job, too. It shouldn't be hard, though. Forks Hospitable could always use another nurse.
We dropped Charlie off at the airport, then we started driving. Charlie was going to fly to Washington, while Emmett and I drove the long journey in my little Honda Civic – my truck had died out a few years ago. I had made sure to tell Charlie to not tell anyone I was coming. I wanted it to be a surprise. His story for the Cullens and Hales was that Emmett was staying in Florida a little bit longer to visit mom and I. That he didn't know when exactly Emmett was coming home, so it's not like they could show up at the airport to pick him up, thinking Emmett was flying up.
On the way up there Emmett and I took turns driving. We stopped at hotels, occasionally, to sleep and get showered. We fought constantly over directions. By the time we reached Seattle, we were worn out. We stopped at a hotel, showered, and got a full night's sleep. The next day, we left out, ready to get home. A little while before we got there, he called dad to tell him.
"Hey, Dad," Emmett said. "We're almost home. . . Tell everyone to come over. . . Tell them that I landed and just called a taxi. . . Okay, bye."
I took in a deep breath and tried to concentrate on driving. "It'll be okay, Bella. It's not like you haven't seen them recently. You sneaked into all of their graduations, remember?" Emmett laughed, amused at my tactics.
"Don't laugh. I'm scared. I haven't talked to them in forever. And Edward. . . " Edward moved back to Forks after his graduation with a degree in music. He was working with a record company in Seattle; his first a CD was coming out soon. I was very proud of him.
Emmett sobered. " It'll be okay. . . You still love him don't you?"
I nodded my head. I really did love him. I had just learned to let him go. We were quiet the rest of the ride.
When we pulled into the packed driveway of the Swan house, I just sat there staring at all the cars. Edward's Volvo, Rosalie's BMW, Alice's Porsche, Jasper's Aston Martin, and others. "Come on," Emmett said and hopped out. When he saw that I hadn't moved, he came around to my side and practically pulled me out.
I grabbed his hand and held on for dear life. He smiled down at me and then led me into the house.