I had intended to post this on Wednesday and start out by saying Happy Eclipse Premiere Day, but I failed to do so. So anyway, how many of you have seen Eclipse and how amazing did you think it was? I was at the midnight premiere and I thought it was fantastic, by far the best one yet. I won't go into details on that though because I don't want to ruin the movie for any of you who have yet to see it.

So here's a new chapter for you guys. For those who posted reviews (fictionlover1124 and edwardandtaylorgrl), thank you so much. I usually try to get to those and respond to them and throw in a sneak peek, but as quick as I wanted to post this new chapter I just didn't have the chance and I apologize. So here's a hint for those of you who haven't read my stories before: if you reply you get a sneak peek bonus. Why do I do that? I love getting reviews. Your reviews are what motivate me to keep writing. Knowing that you guys are liking what I'm writing is encouraging to me. I haven't forgotten about the ones who added this story to their favorites and story alerts though. I got six of those combined just for that short little prologue.

So I sat down and wrote out a chapter. I feel like it could have ended up a lot better. I just don't feel like this chapter is complete, but if I start writing the next part I'll just keep going and going and I want to save the next part for the next chapter. I'll do my best to get the next chapter written and posted as soon as possible, but the weather here this week has been gorgeous, and since my summer break started it had actually been pretty cruddy. I also have two jobs to work around, softball games, and it is Independence Day this weekend so that means I have a lot of family in town, so it might not be for about a week or two. If it's longer please forgive me.

Now that I've rambled on and on aimlessly to you guys, and for those of you who actually read this, thank you, one last thing. Please review and leave me your thoughts on this chapter (i.e. what you want to see in the next chapter, what you think could have been written better, whatever). I realize these parts at the beginning of my chapters are usually ridiculously long, but I'm one of those people who hates it when you get an email alert for a new chapter and it's an author's note, so I try to get what I want to say out before I post chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't, nor have I ever, owned Twilight or any of its characters.

Three years before

Bella's Point of View

One day. In one days everything I had come to know would be over. I had always looked forward to graduation, but now that it was actually here I was absolutely terrified. After this I my life would be completely different. I'd be on my own in Seattle going to school at a college where the number of students attending the school is larger than the population of Forks. I'd still be with most of my friends, but it wouldn't be the same. I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves as I grabbed the last book from my locker. Everything would be fine.

I felt a hand on the small of my back and I turned and smiled at James as he leaned against the locker next to mine.

"Hey," He looked up at me and then behind me.

"Can we talk?"

I bit my lip and nodded. I followed him outside to one of the benches and sat beside him. He took a deep breath and let it out before he started speaking, his gaze never meeting mine, just staring straight ahead.

"Look Bella, you know how much I like you. I just, I don't know how this is going to work after we graduate. You're going to Europe for the summer with Alice and Rosalie and then you're going to school in Seattle and I'll be going to school in Texas. I just don't see how this is going to work out."

I shook my head, "Okay, uhm, I'm just going to leave all right?"

I stood up and started walking back towards the school when he stopped me, "Bella please just talk to me."

I pulled my arm away and looked at him, "I'm a pretty smart person James, you don't have to spell it out for me."

"Bella can we at least stay friends?"

I shook my head, "I don't think so, James. Excuse me."

I brushed past him and ran into the school, apologizing when I occasionally bumped into someone.

"Bella, can we please talk?"

I ignored him and tried to get as far away from him as possible, trying to find somewhere to go that I wouldn't have to see him. I threw open the auditorium door and paused when it slammed into the wall. Faint music came from the piano, but it never stopped even with the door slamming open. I walked quietly around the curtain that was blocking my view, wiping at the tears on my face as I moved. The first thing I noticed was the head of tousled golden hair.

"What happened?"

I walked quietly over to the bench and sat down beside him. My hands were folded in my lap and I stared directly at them.

"How did you know it was me?"

He shrugged, "Just a guess. Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I, uh,"

He stopped me, "Let me guess, the latest asshole broke up with you?"

"He isn't an asshole."

He finally stopped playing and turned to face me more, "Bella, you're sitting in the auditorium with me the day before graduation in tears. Unless he has a good reason for why he broke up with you, he's an asshole."

"He broke up with me because he doesn't think things are going to work out with us. His point being because I'm going to Europe after graduation with Alice and Rosalie all summer and then he's going to all the way in Texas for school and he just doesn't think it will work."

He laughed and shook his head, "He's still an ass, Bella. Any intelligent guy would try to make things work."

I shrugged, "I know, but I just thought maybe he'd be different. He was always so nice."

Tears filled my eyes again and I reached up and wiped one away as it fell down my cheek. Edward turned and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned against his chest and just enjoyed the silence.

"Hey Edward."

"Yeah?"

"Will you play me something?"

He smiled, "What do you want me to play?"

I thought for a moment, "Clair de Lune?"

He smiled again and turned towards the piano and I watched the way his hands moved as he started playing. Music made every problem seem like it was a lot smaller than it actually was. It was like music could take any problem I had and make it easier to figure out. I smiled just as the door flew open again. Unlike Edward I turned to look as Alice appeared around the curtain with her hands on her hips.

"That egotistical little, little," She paused trying to find the right word to use.

"Asshole?"

Her eyes looked over at Edward, "Exactly. Are you all right Bella?"

I shrugged, "I've definitely been better."

She walked over to where we sat, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked, "I know what will make you feel better."

I hesitated, "What?"

She smiled, "You'll see. Come on."

She grabbed my hand and started pulling me from the room as the music slowly began to fade the further we got from the piano.

"Alice where are we going?"

"Well," she paused, "First we're going to go to my house and do some last minute planning for Europe. Eek! I am so excited Bella! Then we're going to go do some last minute shopping."

"Alice, the shopping is something that will make you happy, not me."

She shook her head, "Silly Bella. This kind of shopping you'll enjoy. Trust me."

"What about Rose?"

"She did all this weeks ago. Don't worry, if she needs something she'll get it."

Edward's Point of View

I continued playing until the song was finished. I sat there waiting, trying not to let the anger get to me, but I couldn't. I slammed the lid of the piano shut and walked out into the hallway looking for James. I stopped once I reached the end of the hall and looked down both directions of the next hall and spotted him at the far end getting ready to leave, Victoria hanging on his side.

"James!"

He stopped and turned to look at me. I heard him mutter something under his breath but he didn't move.

"What do you want Edward?"

"Are you an idiot?"

He started to speak but I stopped him, "On second thought, don't answer that. Someday, you'll regret this decision. You know, you're lucky she's such a trusting person, because she actually believes you broke up with her because you don't think the long distance thing will work, but clearly," I paused and motioned towards Victoria, "that wasn't the case. So I'm going to ask you to do one simple thing, manage to keep your hands to yourself where Jessica is concerned for one more day so Bella doesn't have to see it."

"I don't have to do anything you ask me to Cullen."

"I'm not asking you to do this for me, I'm telling you to do this for Bella."

He laughed, "I don't have to do anything."

I watched as he turned to walk out of the school and anger flooded my body. I put my hand on his shoulder and turned him around as my other hand collided with his cheek. I heard Victoria gasp behind him and looked down at James as he now sat on the floor in shock.

"I'll do it again if I have to."

"You're fucking crazy Cullen."

I shook my head at him and walked out of the school to my car. Getting away before I went back and punched him a couple more times. My hand throbbed when I gripped the steering wheel and I muttered a curse under my breath as I turned onto the long dirt road to the house and let out a breath of relief when I noticed that Alice's car was gone. Bella was not going to be happy with me when she found out about this. I slid the freezer draw shut and held the bag of peas to my hand and walked into the living room where Esme was sitting on the couch with a book in her lap.

"What did you do to your hand?" She got up and walked over to me, concern masking her face.

"I punched James."

She shook her head, "Edward did I not teach you anything growing up? Violence doesn't solve anything. Besides that you're two days from graduating Edward you could get into serious trouble!"

"He's not going to tell."

"How do you know?"

I shrugged, "He's too big of a coward."

"Why did you punch him? Isn't he dating Bella?"

"Was, he was dating Bella," I shook my head, "You know how trusting she is, she'll believe what you tell her, she's just that way. He took advantage of that."

She gave me a questioning look, "What do you mean?"

"He told her that he thought they should break up because he doesn't think the long distance thing would work out very well. Well when I found him after her and Alice left, Victoria was hanging all over him. So I punched him."

She shook her head again, "I still don't approve of the violence Edward."

"I know mom, I'm sorry, but it was the only way to get my point across."

"And what was your point?"

I paused for a moment, thinking, "That he should, for her sake, stay away from Jessica until Bella leaves for Europe. Also that it isn't okay to take advantage of someone like Bella, people like him are going to ruin her. She's not going to be able to trust anyone if her relationships keep going like the ones she had in high school."

Esme patted my cheek before leaning up to kiss my forehead, "You're such a gentleman Edward."

Bella's Point of View

"Alice, what are we doing here? I told you I don't have any money to go shopping. Even if I did I wouldn't be able to afford anything in this store."

She shook her head, "Bella I told you already, I'm buying."

"Alice, you are not buying me stuff that I already have. I don't need new clothes. Anything you could possibly buy we already have at home."

"Nonsense," She smiled and spun around on her way into the store, "You can never have too many clothes. Now come on Bella, you aren't getting out of this."

She led me to a corner of the store and I froze, not a chance in hell.

"Alice I have a swimming suit, I definitely do not need another one."

She smiled at me knowingly, "You just proved my point. You have one swimsuit. We're going to be in Europe all summer; you're going to need more than one suit."

"I'll get another one, but not from here."

She shook her head and grabbed three swimsuits off the rack and handed them to me. I looked at them briefly and shook my head.

"Definitely not this one," I handed her the bikini but she refused to take it.

"Come on Bella, it's one bikini. For me please?"

"I don't want to get three Alice, I don't need three swimsuits."

"Too bad," I watched as she grabbed four swim suits off of another rack and turn to look at me, "Let's move on."

We spent three hours in one store. It was the only store we went to, but I was still amazed that Alice could spend that long in one store. I watched as Alice piled more clothes on the counter to be checked out than what I had in my entire closet. I shook my head and walked past her, I could feel a headache coming on.

"Bella, where are you going?"

I looked over at her, "I think I'm just going to sit outside and wait. I do not even want to know how much that is all going to cost and I feel a headache coming on."

I sat out on a bench and watched people walk by as my normal thoughts returned to my mind. James. I felt my breath catch in my throat. I swallowed and looked around at the other people in the room. I was doomed to end up alone. Every relationship I had had so far was a complete failure. When would I be happy?

"Bella," Alice dropped over 10 bags by my feet and sat down beside me, "Forget him. He's an ass and you deserve way better. You can do so much better than him. You could get any guy you wanted to you know that right?"

I shook my head, "No I can't Alice. I'm not beautiful. I'm ordinary."

"You're a silly girl Bella. Anyway, buck up. We're spending eight weeks in Europe; a different city every week. You can't tell me you aren't excited."

"Of course I'm excited Alice. I've always wanted to go to Europe. I just feel bad. I feel like I should chip in some money for the trip. There is no way this isn't an expensive trip and I can't let your parents pay for the whole thing."

Alice stopped me, "Bella I've told you, my mom took a trip to Europe when she graduated and she said it was the best thing she ever did. She wants to send us."

"All right. I still want to help pay in some way, but I'll stop bringing it up."

She smiled, "Good. Let's go back so we can finish packing."

The Cullen house was like another home to me, another more expensive and extravagant home. It was my home away from home. I had grown up there. I grabbed half of the bags and carried them inside and up to Alice's room where she had our already full suitcases in the hall and more empty ones sitting in her room. I set the bags on her bed and walked up another flight of stairs and stopped at the second door down the hall.

"Knock, knock."

Edward turned and smiled at me, "You look better than you did the last time I saw you."

I smiled briefly and watched him set down his book, "What did you do to your hand?"

He glanced down at it and shook his head, "Nothing."

"I don't believe you," I sat down next to him and picked up his hand and looked at it, "Tell me the truth."

He hesitated, "I punched James."

"Edward, you can't punch every guy that ever breaks up with me."

"I don't. I never punched Mike."

I smiled briefly, "That's because if you would have punched Mike he probably would have ended up in the hospital."

He shrugged, "You need to find a good guy Bella, get away from this hell hole of a town and meet a guy who cares about you and isn't going to break up with you for no reason."

I looked at my hands, "There's someone out there for me. I just need to have my heart broken a few times so I know when I meet him."

"That's what's so great about you, even when you're heartbroken you still have a positive outlook on things."

I leaned over and hugged him, "What am I going to do without you for three months?"

He laughed, "Well for one you won't be very entertained, and you'll have no one to play the piano for you."

I looked at the door and back at Edward just as Alice's voice rang through the house, "Bella."

"Looks like I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow. Can you believe we're graduating in the morning?"

He shook his head, "Not at all."

There you have it. Don't forget to review. :)