Please be nice! This is my first attempt at writing anything outside of a research paper...so leave me a review and let me know how I am doing!

The idea for this story came from the song "Someone Like You" by Adele. If you haven't heard it, listen to it. It'll change you.

Don't own Twilight or any of the characters I write about...so thank you to Stephenie Meyer (who does own them) for creating them so I can play.

Chapter Song: Bruised by Jack's Mannequin.

"Damn it!" I was so frustrated that I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Jake, come on. We're going to be late and I'm not letting you blame it on me this time." My best friend and current thorn in my side, Jacob Black, smirked at me and went back upstairs to grab something else.

"Calm down, Bella. You know Charlie's not going to care if we're a couple of minutes late." I rolled my eyes, choosing not to acknowledge that he was probably right. Charlie, my father, was never mad at me. Benefits of being an only child, I suppose.

"Fine. Just hurry up. I want to at least get there before it gets dark." I'm not sure why I was so anxious to get back to Forks. Jake and I had just finished our senior year at the University of Washington and were going home for the summer before starting our respective teaching positions at The Seattle Preparatory Academy, me in English, Jake in Physics. Seattle Prep was an elite private school, and way different than any school either Jake or myself had attended. I was sort of surprised when I was offered a job right after I finished my undergraduate degree, considering the economy was terrible and there were tons of people looking for jobs. I was more than sort of surprised when Jake got a job in the same school…surprised, but glad. I needed Jake. He was stable, constant. And that's what I needed.

I sighed, shoving the memories that were trying to worm their way to the front of my mind back where they belonged…buried. I trudged out to the car and tossed my two suitcases in the trunk. I missed the truck I had in high school, but it had unfortunately wheezed it's last wheeze on our last trip home. My mom, Renee, had convinced her new husband, Phil, to buy me a new car, so I now had an ever dependable Lexus GX11. I guess having a stepfather that was only 12 years older did come in handy…particularly when said stepfather was a major league baseball player. I can definitely say I was not hurting for anything, money included. Phil lavished me with things, probably correctly assuming that I was going to be the closest thing he ever had to a daughter. Maybe I shouldn't be complaining…I loved my SUV. It was gorgeous.

I shook my brown, damp hair out behind me and checked my watch for the tenth time in 30 minutes. Just then, Jake came bounding down the stairs and tossed is bags in with mine.

"What is your deal, Jake? We're going home for two months, not two years."

"Bella, just because you don't care what you wear doesn't mean that the rest of us don't care. I wanted to make sure I had everything. Besides, home is Seattle now. Can you please stop calling Forks 'home'?"

"Fine, can we just go now?" I glared at him. He knew that I was touchy about Forks. Forks represented everything to me. The first 18 years of my life. My first scraped knee. My first day of school. My first kiss, first love, first everything…I stopped again, shoving the thoughts out of my mind again.

"Hey, Bells. Look at me." I turned to look at him, my face giving away my train of thoughts. "I know what you're thinking about. Don't. Just don't. You have been doing so well. I know you're probably going to have to see Ed- I mean him this summer, but I'll be there the whole time. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Jake. It's fine. I'm really not even that worried about seeing people from high school." I lied. Of course I was worried. I'd been worried ever since Jake and I found out we'd be able to go to Forks this summer. "I mean, I can't wait to see Alice, and Rose…it's been forever." It had been forever. In fact, it had almost been 3 years to this date since I'd seen Alice Cullen and Rosalie Hale. I missed them, and I'd heard through the grapevine that they were going to be in Forks this summer. Their fiancees, Jasper and Emmett, were going to be there too…and probably Alice and Emmett's brother, too. 'Don't think about it, Bella. He doesn't exist, he doesn't exist.' I swallowed hard and started the car.

I took one more glance at the house Jake and I shared and backed carefully out of the driveway. I turned my iPod on, a clear indication that the discussion was finished. Jake started yammering on about our graduation a week earlier. I had been so close to not making of my fool in college… and then I tripped as I was walking across the stage to accept my diploma. I was even wearing flats. I veered away from that conversation as well, and distracted by asking Jake if he thought all of the guys from the La Push reservation were going to be home.

Three hours later, we were pulling into Jake's father's home. As he got out of the car, I waved to Billy and told Jake that I would see him tomorrow. I just couldn't wait to be in the safety of Charlie's home. Out here in the wide openness of La Push, chance encounters just seemed all too likely.

When I pulled into Charlie's driveway, I was a little relieved to see that his police cruiser was gone. I loved my father, and I missed seeming him more often, but right now I just needed to be alone. I hauled my suitcases out of the car and upstairs to my bedroom. Fortunately, the last time I was home, I'd redecorated my bedroom so most of my childhood memorabilia was in the storage closet in the basement. I'd chosen beige, white, and a light blue color as an accent throughout the bedroom, making it have a much more calming effect than the vivid purple that had been in here before.

I threw myself down on the recently acquired queen size bed and stared up at the ceiling. All of a sudden, a phone started ringing next to my ear. I jumped up, startled, as the phone hadn't been there the last time I'd been home. I smiled, pleased that Charlie had had the foresight to add a phone line in here for me. I picked it up, expecting Charlie to be on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Bella?"

"This is she. May I ask who is speaking?"

"Ohmygosh you're home! Hooray!" There was only one option.

"Alice." I sighed. "How are you? I miss you. Are you in town?"

"Yep. Rose and I are two minutes from your house. Get ready, Bells. It's sweet summertime, and you know what that means…"

Did I ever. I was in for a long, long summer.

Ah! Please tell me how I'm doing and if you're interested in me continuing! :)