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This Chapter: Bella Swan lives in a small one-bedroom apartment near Forks, Washington. Because of some childhood horrors with her father, Bella is alone and anti-social. She is only fifteen, and is atempting to make a living and get a somewhat decent education. When the new guy at Forks High School, Edward Cullen, decideds to help her, Bella is pulled into a swirl of emotions--fear, love, hatred, anger, confusion, and sorrow--events, and choices. Including something that could change her forever--the chance to live happily forever with the only thing she's ever been sure about.

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Although I felt safe in his arms, I also felt scared. The last time I had been in someones arms and felt safe, I'd been hurt. My mind didn't react well to his arms when I consiously realized this. I pulled away feircly, and his strong arms releaced me, causing me to fall with all the force I'd put into pulling away. My head hit the ground hard, but I just got up and ran away, into the forest behind the school, where I would be able to sob at my idiocy.

I sat and rested my face on my knees and my back pressed against a rough pine tree. I sobbed and let my mind open to the pain.

The memory of my first and last boyfriend, Justin, raping me, back in Arizona, was just flitting through my head when I heard the steady sound of footsteps on the fallen leaves and underbrush--not just one set, but a few. Maybe five. My breathing and sobs froze, andI listened to intenlty, fully opening my ears to my surroundings, that I jumped when a twig snapped. The sharp sound was so loud with the voulnerable sensativity my ears were in, that, when I jumped, I let out a little shreik.

"She's over here!" Someone said quietly, as if in hopes that I wouldn't hear.

I jumped up and ran further into the forest, in attempts of loosing them. I knew these forests like the back of my hand. I'd gone through them for weeks when I was first getting to know th town. I hadn't had the apartemnt yet, so I was living in the woods. I'd learned to get to the store early to use the showers that still worked from when the building was a small gym. I knew everything in this wood, down to the last tree.

I dashed around the pines and into a large tree that had a hole in it. The hole was just big enough to fit my small size, so I squeezed in, and wrapped my arms around my knees. I pressed myself against the tree wall farthest from the hole when I heard the sound of running feet and I-think-she-went-that-way's. My ragged breathing alerted someone to my location and I wished, desperstly, that I could blend in with the smooth bark.

"Bella?" Someone asked. Alice's high singsong voice rang through the trees with an eerie echo that sent chills through my body with its creepy beauty. "Bella, I'm sorry--all are! Emmett was an idiot, and we all know it! None of us blame you for hating us, but please some out!" Her voice, as well as all the footsteps got closer to my tree.

"I don' thinks she'd going to come out if we're here," Rosalie sighed. "We should leave and wait until tomorrow to talk to her."

I heard them all leave. I knew that I had to leave too. After a few minutes, I sighed and crawled out of the tree. I brushed off my jeans and shirt and began walking back to school.

I was just exiting the trees when I saw a figure leaning agains the front doors. I recognized the wild hair of Edward Cullen. Since I knew that class would be starting soon, I decided to just walk past him--I couldn't miss class!

I stopped walking a few feet from the doors.

"Can you tell me something?" He asked. I didn't respond, but he proceeded with his question. "Why did you leave so suddenly when you were crying?"

When I didn't answer, he glanced up at me, and I saw that his eyes were black, and glistening with tears. The blackness reminded me of Justin, and had my reflexes taking over my mind.

I ran toward him, and was going to push him aside when strong arms grabbed me from behind. I screamed in fear and agrivation, and lashed out behind me, and at Edward, who still looked pretty sad.

"Jasper!" I heard Alice yell from behind me.

I was shifted as the person holding me, Jasper, turned. I saw Alice running up behind us, looking horrified at the scene taking place before her.

"What are you doing?!" She demanded. She reached us, and tugged at Jaspers arms, glaring at him until he let go. The, she took my arm, gently, and led me into the school, pausing breifly to shoot eye daggers at Jasper and Edward. "What's your next class?" She asked me, as we went through the empty halls. The sound of people chattering echoed from the cafeteria.

"I have government with Baron." I said. My voice was stronger than I'd though. My tears were gone and I was, suddenly, the same person I was in the morning. I was, again, Bella Swan, orphan, who had two jobs and a so-far perfect GPA. I was the freak who never spoke and lived alone, in an apartment, and got a ride with Mike Newton 'hotest guy in school.' I was the girl who nobody knew, and nobody wanted to know. The only differance was that, now, everyone knew that I could be really loud and scary, and got offended when people talk about me being too young...and I was a pretty fast runner.

"Me too," Alice said. I could hear a smile in her voice, but didn't look at her. I kept my eyes forward, heading toward my locker, which was, conviniently, right across from the girls bathroom.

When I found my locker, and began opening it, Alice stood beside me, leaning against the lockers to my right. She looked down the whole time. When I closed my locker, however, she spoke.

"Bella, I'm really sorry." She whispered. "About my brothers. Edward and Jasper are just worried, and they just wanted to talk to you." I was about to interupt her with the sharp tone I use when people try and tell me I'm wrong, or attempt to apologize when they don't need to, but Alice raised a hand, expecting this. "I'm not making exuses for them. I'm just saying that they are, truly, idiots. I also want to apologize for myself. I should have been more considerate of your feelings. After you told us about your father, I should have known that your body would remember it. I should have just backed off--we all should have. And I'm really, really sorry that we didn't realize that sooner.

"We've all talked, and we all want you to know that, if you want, we'll leave you alone. We don't want you to hate us, and we don't want to be a nusance on you." She waited.

I was shocked. I was shocked frozen. I couldn't move. My eyes flashed around to make sure nobody was there, then looked back at Alice. She look sincere, and sad, but also kinda happy. I knew she thought she was doing the right thing by talking to me. And she was. I respected her for it. It was really... cool of her to talk to me after I'd hit her, and her two brothers, and accused her other brother of being, basically, a terrible person. She was a really mature person.

I smiled at her, my body unfreezing.

"Alice," I began. "I forgive you, and I really would like to get to know you better. I'm sorry for hitting you."

She told me it was fine, and seemed to glow with the happiness I'd given her.

We ended up being early to government, and sitting together. However, right before class started, she got up and went outside for a breif moment. She came back a minute later with a folded peice of paper, which she handed to me. I unfolded it and read it to myself.

Bella,

The writing was a bit choppy, like a normal high school guys, and writen in pen. Nothing was crossed out or messed up.

I'm really sorry for coming across as a horrible person to you. I didn't mean to sound like you were wrong, or should be forced to do something you don't want to. If you wanted to live with someone, you would. I hope you forgive we could be friends.

Emmett.

There was a few missing lines, then another line, in a simalar hand.

I'm sorry for scaring you and holding you against your will. I forgive you for hitting me in the face, and I hope you can forgive me and that we can be friends. Jasper.

A few more blank lines. This script was more elegant, and in cursive.

I'm really sorry, Bella. I wish I knew more about being with people who have a horrible past, but I'm glad I can comfort you when your out of it. Sort of. I'm also sorry about having Jasper hold you still while I tried to talk to you. I didn't want to do it, and again, I wish I had more experience with people how have less basic feelings. I hope you can forgive me, and, as my brothers have said, I hope we can be friends. Maybe you could teach me.

Love, Edward.

My eyes hovered over the 'love' at the end of Edwards note, but not for long, because I heard Mr. Baron teaching. After a few minutes, he gave us our assignment, and left us to work. I shoved the letter in my pocket, got up, and walked out of the classroom.

I found myself in the girls bathroom outside my locker, and quickly dashed into the stall at the back, where I slipped to the ground, and sobbed quietly.

My eyes had just ran dry, when the bathroom door opened and sneakers sqeaked across the tiles.

"Bella?" Someone asked. It was a guy. Someone who had, very resently, been punched in the face and hit repeatedly.

Shit!