Story Summary:

Bella Swan is rather unwillingly heading to University of Washington for college, to stay close to Charlie, whose health she is worried about. She doesn't really plan on making new friends, but then she meets Alice Brandon and her friends, including the gorgeous and mysterious Edward Cullen. But he wouldn't look twice at a girl like Bella, especially not when he has the beautiful Rosalie as his girlfriend. Or would he? Sometimes, everything changes.

~Bella's POV~

I took one last long look around my bedroom, checking I had left nothing behind. The room was as bare as it had been the day I arrived here in Forks.

I waited for a sense of an ending to wash over me, but none came. It wasn't that I hadn't enjoyed my time here in Forks; I had. Well maybe enjoyed was stretching it. The weather was always crap, and you had to drive out to Port Angeles for proper shopping, Seattle if you wanted decent variety.

But the people round here were great, and I had made some really good friends. There was Jacob Black down at La Push, my oldest and best friend. At school I'd met Angela Weber, my best girl-friend, and Mike Newton, my loveable boyfriend, who had followed me like a lost puppy since my first day at Forks' High. Charlie approved of Mike, of course, and he knew the Newtons well. Every teenage girl's nightmare; a boyfriend who your dad really likes.

I'd said my goodbyes to my friends yesterday. Angela didn't head off to college until next week, so she had come over and helped me to pack.

I'd driven down to La Push and spent most of the day with Jacob and his friends. I was going to miss the fun I had with Jake and everyone down at the reservation; Sam, Quil and Embry and also Emily and Leah.

Finally I'd gone out with Mike; he'd insisted on treating me to dinner at the Lodge, one of the few restaurants in town. Mike was going to stay around Forks this year, working and earning money before he went to college next year. I was going to be able to see him every weekend, so he was happy.

No, the reason why I didn't feel sad about leaving was that I was not really going far enough away to constitute 'leaving'.

I was going to the University of Washington, which was close enough to Forks that I could drive home every weekend to visit Charlie.

Ideally, I had wanted to go to college somewhere warmer, where the sun shone more than three days a year. It would have been nice to be closer to my mom as well; I'd missed her over the past two years.

But Charlie needed me, much as he tried to persuade me otherwise. His health was failing, despite his age. Ever since Harry Clearwater's untimely death, I lived in fear of Charlie suffering a similar fate. His blood pressure was too high; he turned a ghastly red color if I ever upset him.

Added to this, I knew that, much as he denied it, Charlie would be lonely without me. He had been lonely before I came, and now would be worse. He no longer had Harry to hang out with, and Billy Black, Jacob's dad, was finding it ever harder to get around.

Renee, on the other hand, had Phil, and he was perfectly capable of looking after her. I had spent pretty much the first seventeen years of my life making sure my mother was ok, and now it was my father's turn.

My feelings of obligation towards Charlie had led me to choose University of Washington.

I sighed and grabbed my duffel bag off my bed, then headed downstairs to say goodbye to Charlie.

"I'm in the living room." He called as he got up from the sofa. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you Bells?"

"Charlie, I'll be fine. Anyway, I'll need my truck."

"Oh yeah, I guess you will..."

"Anyway Charlie, I'd better go. There's plenty of food in the freezer that just needs heating up."

"Honestly Bella! You'd think I'd never lived alone before! I managed fine before you came. Though I have to admit I have eaten better these past two years."

"Well, bye then dad. I'll see you on Saturday."

I gave him an awkward one-armed hug.

"Bells, are you sure...this is what...you want?"

"Bye Charlie, I'll call you tonight!" I garbled, avoiding the question.

I rushed out the front door and threw my bag onto the passenger seat of my beat-up old truck.

I started the ignition and the truck roared to life, drowning out the sound of Charlie's goodbyes. Waving frantically, I backed out of the drive and set off.