We had so much fun on the ride home. My favorite part was when Jessica was describing Edward as we drove down my street. "Two words: amazing and gorgeous," she said, streching out the syllables.

Angela and I laughed, and I couldn't help but say, "Dude, that's two words!"

Angela, the voice of reason, said, "Well, it is two adjectives."

"And a verb!" Jess shouted. Angela gave me the is-she-serious look, and I rolled my eyes.

"Jess, that's not a verb." Angela said quietly.

"Well then, what is it?"

"It's a conjuction." I said, still laughing.

"What's that?"

I just rolled my eyes and laughed. "Nevermind Jess. Nevermind." She parked the car behind Charlie's cruiser and I hoped out laughing. "Bye guys! I had fun! We should definitely do that again!"

I was still laughing as I walked into the door to my house. I half expected Charlie to be in the living room, surfing the television for any games that might have been on, but the house was silent as a graveyard. Something felt odd. I tried to put my finger on what was wrong as I walked in the darkness to my room, but I couldn't think of what could be wrong. I hung my purse back up in its little corner of the closet, and put my wallet back in my backpack before I could forget where it was.

I got myself ready for bed, and crossed the hall to Charlie's bedroom door to check on him. I squinted through the darkness, and my stomach dropped when I saw an empty bed. Don't jump to conclusions Bella, I told myself. Maybe he just fell asleep watching a game, and turned off the television because it woke him up. There's no reason to freak out.

I knew there was no reason to get worried, but I couldn't help it. My stomach flipped and knotted itself as I got closer to the living room. I had to remind myself to breath I was so nervous. I flipped on the light, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the couch was empty. Maybe he went over to La Push to check in on Billy or something.

I walked to the kitchen, and dialed Billy's number. I glanced at the clock, and winced. I probably shouldn't be calling this late. The phone rang for a long time, before Billy's son Jacob picked up the phone and mumbled, "Hullo?"

"Hey, Jacob. Is Charlie there?" I said, worry coloring my tone.

He paused, like my question made no sense to him. "Bella, its ten thirty. Why would Charlie be here?"

Just then, the microwave beeped. 'Enjoy your meal' flashed across the screen.

Oh God.

"Bella? Bella? Are you okay?" I heard as the phone slipped from my hands. I must have gasped or something. The phone clattered to the floor, and the noise sounded like it was coming through a layer of water.

I reached over and flipped the light on. Charlie lay in the middle of the floor, his hands resting on his chest like he'd been clutching it. His eyes were open wide, and stared up at the ceiling unseeingly. I fought the urge to vomit, and walked over to open the microwave. The door swung open to reveal a piece of lasagna.

I blacked out.

Six months later

I walked into my English class, taking my seat at the back of the room, next to the only free seat in the room. For a while after the my dad died, people tried to make conversation; Mike would walk me between classes, always with the same boyish smile, but when he noticed that I wasn't participating in the conversation in any way, he gradually stopped. Jess and Angela tried to get me to go out with them again a few times, but after I rejected them every time, they too gave up trying.

So now I was alone. I sat alone in class, I sat alone during lunch; I even lived alone after the court ruled that since I was so close to turning eighteen there was no point in making me move.

For the first few weeks, everywhere I looked, people were looking at me with that same expression, sympathy mixed with an awkwardness that comes when people don't know what to say. Now, they all just assumed I was okay. After all, it was easier to just pretend nothing had ever happened.

By now I was kind of used to this, and I liked it better this way. When mum died, I was always surrounded. Relatives staying in the house, afraid to leave me alone at home. Friends at school would hover around me protectively, daring anyone to even look at me the wrong way. I knew they all meant well, but it was too much. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. So this time, I was kind of glad to be spared all the theatrics, and if peace and quiet meant total isolation then so be it.

Hey guys, this is Riley updating. I'd just like to take this opportunity to ask you something... Does Stephenie Meyer do collaborative work with a person she's never met? No. I think this means we are not her, therefore, we own nothing. Especially not Twilight or any of it's affiliates.

So anyway, enjoy, and tell us what you think! We love to hear it! Oh, and thank you to: margerita-pizza94, Mrs Fiona Panda Cullen, flower123, and FRK921 for reviewing. And let's all give margerita-pizza a hand for giving Bekki and I the rights to the stroy, and letting us rewrite it. You rock!

So anyway, read, enjoy (or hate), and REVIEW!