Hiya humans. Ok, so I realize I'm bad at keeping promises and am posting the second chapter despite not reaching the 20 follower goal. Here's why: I realize maybe one chapter wasn't enough to peak people's interest, so I'm posting the second chapter. However, I'll be true to my word for the third chapter, which I'm nearly done with.

DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN A FEW STORIES, AND FEWER STILL HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED.

"Hey, go to Nurse Jackie's and get her to write you a note for being late. What class do you have now?"

"Biology."

"Oh, Ms. Peters isn't really bitchy about tardiness, but still. Just in case." Edward tells me when I drop him off at his class. Truth is, I'm planning on skipping. But I can't bear to tell Edward, because he will either skip with me or tell Aunt Esme. So I just grin and agree.

Just before he goes into his own class (our school lets us choose between Biology, Physics and Chemistry), he turns back to look at me. His eyes are serious, meaning he isn't joking one bit now. Guilt flashes in his eyes.

"I don't want a repeat of last time, Belle. Tell me if something is bothering you."

And he disappears behind a door.

Growling to myself, I stomp all the way to the roof, an area off-limits to students that is my personal hideout. People think it's either too stuffy or too cold in here, so they don't like it.

As for me, it allows me to think.

But Edward... why did he have to mention this past summer? What a failure that had been.

"Edward... can you come over now?"

No, I stop myself. I don't want to make a visit to the past.

I've surpassed that.

I lay out like a starfish, receiving the sun. The climate is starting to get windy, making me miss the summer heat. I love the sun and the heat it provides. Growing up, we could often not pay for gas or light in our house. So during the winters, the one thing I looked forward to was the summer, when I'd stop feeling so cold. Of course, there were freezing nights when mom ordered me to go to the Cullen's to spend the night, keeping it a secret that we didn't have heaters or gas. She knew they would've helped us, but mom refused to acknowledge just how low she'd fallen.

Most nights, though, I refused to go. Mom would be cold too, drunk and disoriented. Someone had to make sure she didn't die of cold or in her own vomit. So when she'd calmed down, I'd lay down with her in her bed, hugging her and begging God for the cold to pass.

Seriously, why am I so depressed today?

Rhetorical question.

"So, what are you doing here?" Marks is suddenly blocking my view of the sun, casting a long shadow over me. Actually, now that I think about it, this guy is very tall. About 6 ft 4, I think. His shadow is huge.

"Skipping class, of course." I squint, looking up. The sun's glare is killing my eyes, so I really appreciate it when he moves a little so his shadow casts over my eyes as well. He looks kind of angelic this way, with the sunlight pouring from the sides of his head. Then again, that angelic feeling is sort of killed by the piercings, dyed hair, bruises, and more than likely permanent tattoo I spot on his wrist. The glare doesn't help, either.

"So you were this type of student, huh? It's good to see my judgment skills haven't diminished," he smirks, obviously proud of himself. I raise an eyebrow, silently telling him to elaborate. "I knew you weren't the angel you seemed like since I first saw you."

I snort.

"Bitch please, this is out of character for me," his eyes are suspicious, so I lengthen my explanation. "I'm a scholarship student, so my grades and attendance must be near perfect. But right now, I really don't feel like going to class, so I'm not bothering about that."

Marks's eyes are assessing me carefully, like he's deciding something important.

"Is it because of what I said?" he finally asks, crouching so he's squatting on his talons. His face is nearer to mine now, so I can see in detail his two lovely shiners. Edward got him good.

"Yes and no. I have other reasons right now. As you can see, I feel like being depressive. I'm warning you though, the more depressed I am, the more biting my humor."

All in all, I gave him a fair warning.

"What can I do to make it up to you?"

Why do you care, Marks? You just met me.

"Tell me something funny. Either about you or Jazz."

This is as good a chance as any.

Marks sits back, changing his position to be lying next to me. He laces his fingers behind his head, mirroring me, and crossing his ankles. He thinks about it for a while, and I remain silent, watching the clouds.

"My middle name is Paris."

I don't expect to hear this, so it's too sudden and I burst out laughing. I laugh for a good while, heaving and letting a few tears slip.

This tough guy has the name of Paris Hilton, Paris of Troy and Paris from Shakespeare.

This is just too good.

"Oh God, I know what your nickname is! Riley Paris Marks, your nickname from now on is ROMEO!" I howl, gripping my stomach and rolling away when I see his fist coming. "What possessed your mother to name you Paris?"

Romeo (yes, I already think of him that way) sits up, scratching the back of his head. His cheeks have a light dusting of pink, letting me know he's not so angry as embarrassed.

"My mom named me after Paris of Troy. She was really into Greek mythology."

I crawl over to where he is, eyes shining.

"Seriously? Awesome! My mom named me after the movie Beauty and the Beast, and Edward is named after Edward Scissorhands. We're all children of obsessions!" I laugh, finding the coincidence just too funny.

Romeo is looking at me with those thoughtful eyes again. Do I have something stuck on my face?

"Don't you hate me? It's obvious the rest of the class already does."

So I tell him.

"I like honesty. You said what everyone else thinks. So you were rude and purposely trying to hurt me, so what? I feel like you won't trick me. Already, I feel more comfortable talking to you than over half my class." Romeo is looking at me with a hesitant face, as though I might be bullshitting. But I'm serious. I've been tricked too many times about who people truly are, so I'm sick of it. I welcome someone blunt, without an agenda or hidden feelings.

"You creep me out." He finally says, leaning back to look at the sight. Most girls wouldn't be pleased with that, but I know what he's trying to say.

I laugh.

"Yeah, I know."

We stay like that for the rest of the period. Neither of us talk, because it would be useless. Our agreement is strange, but both of us understand without having to say anything. We both have things to think about. What could he be thinking about? His old friends? What just happened? Troubles? Cotton candy?

As for me, over three fourths of my time is spent wishing I'd brought my favorite manga with me today. I left it at home, figuring I would do homework during lunch. Never thought I'd end up skipping class.

Then again, I also never thought someone would have the guts to insult me so bluntly, but there you have it. Life has a tendency to surprise you.

I close my sweater, wishing for the umpteenth time it was the middle of summer.

"I heard something funny just now, Belle." Edward falls in step with me as we walk towards the cafeteria during lunchtime.

I hum.

"What could it be? I'm positive it's a perverted joke. Those are the best." I say, my voice airy. I don't feel like doing a serious talk.

"No, even funnier," he keeps looking straight ahead as he delivers the punchline. "I heard you skipped class. And even better, Marks did too."

"So what might your conclusion be?" I roll my eyes, and do what I do best: avoid the topic. "I know. Romeo and I are having a secret affair and this morning was all a plot so we could have a few periods to ourselves." I raise an eyebrow, even if he can't see me, to express my sarcasm.

"Romeo?"

"Oh shit. We were found out. Houston! Abort the mission!" I screech, panicking (only half of me is acting -I really did forget to shut up about the nickname), and take off running to the cafeteria, trying to escape Edward's clutches.

Everyone ignores our display of love (well, Edward's right now is a display of scorn). They're used to me being chased or chasing one of the boys. We pass a few teachers that yell at us to not run in the halls, knock over a few books, and encounter Jamie and Ben along the way.

Those two assholes join Edward in chasing after me.

Ben's a little slower, but that's because he's not used to chasing 3D things.

"BELLA! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" I can hear Edward yelling after me. I dodge a girl that's carrying a stack of books up the stairs, and Edward and Jamie manage to dodge her as well, but poor Ben's reflexes aren't that good. He knocks over the poor girl, thankfully when they're on one of those big stairs that mark the change from the lower to upper floor.

One down, two to go.

Damn.

"Why are we chasing Bella?" I hear Jamie ask Edward, but I don't turn back to see just how close they are.

"She says she's having an affair with Jazz's cousin!"

Geez they're loud.

"The asshole?"

Gossip travels faster than light, huh?

"Yeah! And she called him Romeo!" Edward's huffing alerts me to the fact that he's running out of gas. Good, that bastard has the worst physical condition I've ever seen. He'll tire soon enough, and then I just have to deal with Jamie.

"Don't worry, Cullen! I'll make sure to capture Bella!" Those idiots sound like they're making lifelong promises, with how serious they sound. Jamie even sounds touched by Edward's thoughtfulness.

"You'll never catch me!" I scream like a villain, cackle and all included. We're in the first floor now, but I'm making a beeline from here to the parking lot instead of the cafeteria or courtyard. Jamie can't stand the heat from the asphalt, which is why he plays basketball under the condition that it's indoors.

I'm taking that ass down now.

When we pass the open cafeteria doors, I catch a glimpse of Jazz standing beside Romeo, and both are talking to Emmett. We make such a ruckus that those three glance up as Jamie and I pass by. Jazz sits down, simply because he never has the energy to move. Told you, he's a lazy motherfucker. Romeo doesn't know what's going on, so it's no wonder he doesn't follow. But Emmett is well trained, so he takes off after Jamie and I, catching up to Jamie quickly.

"What are we doing?" I hear him ask Jamie.

I'm sort of scared now. I have a football and basketball player after me. And Emmett is a linebacker. He's pure muscle.

Mommy, I'm gonna be crushed.

"Capturing Bella and bringing her to Edward!"

"Is she avoiding the issue?"

"Yup!"

"You assholes, I can hear you all the way over here!" I screech, making a sharp turn in to the right, hoping they'll have too much impulse and crash. No such thing, though.

"We know!" I hear, just as I burst into the school's backyard.

I'm laughing now. I love running, and interacting with these idiots makes me happy. I hope we can stay like this forever. Joking, playing, just being ourselves.

I linger too much in my thoughts, unknowingly slow down a bit, and get caught by Emmett.

Damn, I couldn't lose either of them.

"Let me go, Emmett." I gasp out, because the quarterback is squishing the living daylights out of me.

"Sure thing." He hands me over to Jamie, who swings me over his shoulder in a way that would have me showing the school my panties if I was wearing a skirt.

"Jamie, my favorite James Hunter in the whole wide world, please don't hand me over to Edward. It's gonna hurt." I plead, whacking his back. I can't even kick him, because Jamie has predicted my actions and is holding me around my waist and my ankles.

"Nope. You know what we have to do now, Bella. It's for your own good."

I do know.

Damn this summer.

So when we enter the cafeteria, the crowd ignoring us like usual, I'm near shitting myself with how nervous I am. Edward is already at the table, sitting on top of it. Emmett had raced over, so he's sitting on one side, along with Ben, who's apparently recovered. Jazz isn't there, more than likely because Edward was kind enough to tell him to beat it. I know what's going to follow. Those four are going to squeeze the truth out of me, not sparing poor Romeo any mercy. Which would put Jazz in an awkward position, seeing as Romeo's family and all.

Jamie sets me down on the lone chair at the side of the table closest to the windows. The rest are sitting side by side across from me. Edward has Jamie to his right and Emmett, then Ben to his left. My wrists and ankles are tied to the chair using their school ties.

Kids, this is the wrong use for school uniforms.

"On a grade from 1 to 10 how much did Marks's words hurt? Nothing below 1 or above 10 is accepted. And no, Swan, 'fuck off' or 'not that much' are not acceptable answers." Ben takes over the inquiry, pushing his glasses so they don't slip off his nose. Surprisingly, Ben can have the most 'no-bullshit' aura out of the six of us. It might be the glasses. He's my brother from another mother when it comes to video-games. We beat the other's ass with pretty much the same frequency. Of course, I would always win against him if I could practice at home. But I don't have a TV, much less games or a game console. I play when I go over to the boys' house, but I don't go that often (only, like, ten times a month).

"I give it like a 2. I'm ok. No suicidal thoughts over here. No need to send me to the looney bin. Can I go now?" I reply in a bored voice, even though I know what the answer is going to be.

"No."

Ouch, four no's at once?

"Were you skipping classes with Riley Marks?" Ben leans forward, glasses glinting. He really does look like a geek. My heart gives a painful thump at that. How awful. Must I always be reminded?

"No. We just happened to meet each other. No, I'm not secretly dating him. No, I don't have a crush on him. Yes, I forgave him. No, it has to do with the fact that he's Jasper's cousin. No, that's not my only reason. Am I asking you to befriend him? No, I'm not, but it would be nice. Is this conversation over yet? Yes, it is. Now untie me, you sadistic bastards."

I'm on a roll, baby.

The four are silent for a bit, before questions start up again.

"Why did you forgive him?"

"Didn't you know he has a record, Bella?"

"Now that this conversation is over, I'm going to go buy some food."

"Why do you call him Romeo?"

I shall answer each question in order.

"Jamie, it's because I'm a kind soul that wishes for global peace. Ben, no I didn't, but thanks for the more than likely false information. Emmett, please feed that bottomless pit known as your stomach. And Edward, it's because his middle name is Paris. You know, like Paris Hilton, Paris of Troy or Paris from Romeo and Juliet. Anything else?"

"You're so full of shit."

"I'm never wrong."

"Thanks, sister, you understand my needs."

"You serious? Did his mother hate his guts or something?" Edward laughs, finally letting go of the matter. Well, he and I already talked, so I guess he knows I'm not that affected by it. I sigh in relief, thankful that he let it go.

"She was going through a phase. You know, like our moms?" we laugh, silently cursing our mothers a bit for our old names. "Anyways, untie me. People are staring."

"Haters will be haters."

Ben is already gone, probably heading towards the library.

It makes me terribly sad. Ben hasn't been hanging around me much for the last month.

The reason?

Jacob Black, Ben's ex-best buddy for gaming.

Also my ex-boyfriend.

I shall now explain the elusive events in a very quick point-by-point.

Jake and I met through Ben the last week of December. We dated for a while. I fell for him hard. He turned out to be a coward. When he was through with me, he fled to the other coast when my sophomore year was over. It hit me so hard I tried committing suicide. It left some deep scars, so on my wrists I wear wristbands and I always wear a sweater.

"Hey Belly Bean, what's up?"

"Edward... can you come over now?"

Obviously, I'm leaving out some important details, but all in good time.

But yeah, Ben still feels guilty for introducing me to Jake. The week after my breakup, Edward didn't let Ben get near me until he was positive Ben had nothing to do with Jacob anymore. It took a while to convince Edward, and longer still for Ben to approach me on his own. Now, two months later, Ben just gets skittish around me. I'm still thinking of ways to get him to understand I don't blame him.

They all leave, Edward thankfully after untying me.

I look for Jazz after I've gone upstairs to collect my backpack, which I'd thrown aside in my haste to escape Edward and the rest.

I find him sitting alone in the art room, sketching the sky and a tree. I take out my camera, a gift from Uncle Carlisle, and take a picture from the same thing. Jazz is startled, and he looks back. When he sees me leaning against the doorway, he flushes and turns away.

I'm ticked off, so I stroll to his side and slap the back of his head.

"Hey!"

"That sketch looks nice." And it does. Jazz is a terrific artist. He stops drawing, but keeps looking down at his sketch book.

"Bella, I..."

"Don't you dare say you're sorry, Jazz. It's not your fault that your cousin is an ass." I grab a stool and sit down next to him. He still refuses to look at me, so I start taking pictures of his profile. He's used to it, because I often use the boys as my models. Have I mentioned they're all handsome? Because they are.

Jazz is probably one of the most handsome guys in school, with his skater looks. Curly blond hair, baby blue eyes and fit body. His profile is the best for taking pictures, too.

"I'm scared." He confesses, blowing away some trash that fell on his sketch book. He has the window open, so leafs tend to blow in along with the trash the wind picks up.

"What of?"

"Edward hating me, Jamie ignoring me, Ben avoiding me and Emmett pushing me aside. Just like what happened with Ben, even though it wasn't his fault. And... I don't want you to hate me, Bella. I really don't. If it wasn't for you and Edward, I wouldn't have any friends or love my art as much as I do. Before, drawing was like a curse for me. I couldn't stop. Then all of you came along, and made me see loving drawing and painting was fine. And if it was ruined because of Riley, then I..."

"His name isn't Riley anymore." I interrupt, breaking the mood. He's on the verge of crying, and I feel like a bully. He hasn't cried since he became our friend. I swore to myself I wouldn't let Jazz cry again. "It's Romeo. And you better call him that, cause I've already informed everyone else."

Jazz finally turns to look at me. I sigh in relief. Even though his eyes are red, he hasn't started crying. Jazz is a very emotionally fragile boy. And even though he doesn't mind being alone, he can't stand loneliness.

Jazz blinks.

"Romeo?" then he laughs, shaking his head at himself. "Oh, you found out about his middle name. Does he know?"

"Yup. He was the first one informed of his new name." I hope down from my stool, then stretch. I lean over and give Jazz a hug. I love hugging. I'm a touchy-feely person. The boys are used to it. At first, all but Edward were surprised, because I'm not girly at all.

"Jazz, I would never let Edward or any of the others kick you out of the gang without a damn good reason. And let me tell you, Romeo's insults suck, anyways. So don't worry about me." Jazz laughs, hugging me back. I step back, wipe away a tear that fell from his eye.

"You have a very loyal cousin, you know? Romeo puts you above his own high school life. I'm pretty sure he already knew what would happen if he insulted me, right?" Jazz sighs, nodding.

"That idiot. I don't know what possessed him to do that."

I'm in the doorway by the time I answer that.

"Didn't you hear? Your family thinks that I'm your girlfriend. I would tell Alice, but I'm afraid that would cause a big misunderstanding." I snicker, and run away before the flying eraser can hit me. "Don't forget to wait for her!" I call down the empty hall.

Oh, I do love messing with Jazz.

School ends without further problems, but it would be idiotic otherwise, since there's only one period left today after lunch. Edward wants to walk me home, but I blow him off and claim to have too much homework. I've gotta get to one of my part-time jobs. He doesn't know about them, which is fine with me. I don't want his family to know just how broken my mom is. Aunt Esme thinks that mom and I don't get along because of her habit of getting drunk, but that's not it. I don't care if mom drowns her sorrows. I just wish she didn't do it with the next month's rent.

My life sounds much more dramatic than it actually is.

Today, I'm heading over to the bookstore. It's the favorite of my three part-times. Whenever I have some money left, either because mom drank a little less and contributed more to the bills or because I made a little extra, I buy the books I can. I normally take turns in buying regular books or manga. Some months, I buy neither because I have to buy more memory for my camera or fix a broken piece.

But yeah, to the bookstore.

It's this rundown place with unexpectedly great pay. I work four shifts a week, four hours every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (I normally work about six hours on Saturdays). Mondays and Wednesdays I give tutoring sessions, and on Thursdays and Sundays I work as a waitress in a fancy restaurant. Needless to say, Mondays and Thursdays are like hell for me. On Monday I go straight from school to the tutoring, then at five I clock in at the bookstore. On Thursdays, which is a half day at school, I head straight to the bookstore, and then from five to ten I waitress.

Truly, I don't have enough lifetimes for this shit, and yet here I am.

So, today is a Thursday. School ended the period after lunch, as always. Right now, I have to hurry to the bookstore.

Ten minutes later, I'm dumping my shit in the front desk. I take my seat, open up my notebooks, and start doing my homework.

It's gonna be a long day, I can feel it.

A couple hours after my shift started, the doorbell rings. Customers are few and far in between, but it's a constant flow. There's hardly ever any new customers, but today, I'm surprised when I see Romeo come in.

Shit. I've been working here for the last two years, and not once has a classmate come here. And yet this dude did.

Am I a lucky bastard or what?

"Romeo! A displeasure to see you, as always. What can I do for you in this rainy afternoon?" I smile brightly, filled with sarcasm.

Romeo isn't amused.

"Just who I wanted to see. Tell me, is there a particular reason why you're working in a bookstore two bus stops away from school?" he approaches the front desk. Nobody's here right now, making it just the two of us.

I shrug.

"The pay is good." I tell him, not bothering to tell him the rest. I don't even tell him to keep it a secret from the gang, because the chances of him talking to them are pretty damn low. Besides, it's not the end of the world if my friends know I have a part-time job. Now, if they knew I had three, that's another story.

"There's another bookstore closer to town, and the pay is better. Much better. Why not work there?"

He's ticking me off with his questions.

"Because I figure it's nobody's beeswax what I do in my free time." I snap, even throwing in there a bitch-brow.

"Whatever."

I want to punch him. I hate that answer.

"What are you doing here?" I challenge, watching him as he runs his hand down one of the bookshelves.

"What do you think, genius? Buying school books in the nearest bookstore to my place."

"Smart." I praise sarcastically, then sigh, looking down at my notebook. I'm almost done with the physics homework. I don't have the energy to chew him out on his rudeness. "The books you're looking for are at the back, near the window. In the classical section." I point, but Romeo makes no move.

"Hey, Bella..." his voice makes me looks up. It sounds like something is wrong, and upon further inspection of his face, his emotionless face does have a hint of worry.

"What up?"

"Can I ever make Cullen and the rest not hate me? I mean, everyone's been glaring at me like I killed one of their family members in cold blood."

"Well, you did insult me. I can count two teachers that don't like you anymore and four out of the six of us in the gang that won't let you off the hook so easily. That, without counting the rest of the school. And let me tell you, just within the gang -not counting me- you're facing two karate black-belts, one of them being a basketball player, a football player and a geek better left alone if angered. If you count me, you have three karate black-belts. So your chances of making up with the school ain't looking too bright, my friend."

Romeo throws his head back, looking at the ceiling.

"So everyone hates me, huh?" I say yes. "Thanks for the support."

"Why are you so interested in not being hated? Somehow, you don't seem like the type of guy to care."

It's the truth. Everything about this guy screams 'FUCK OFF!' and yet, here he is, asking me for help. Sort of.

"So Jazz hasn't told you." he sighs, sort of in disbelief.

"Believe it or not, Jazz is the quiet type. He just told me today his cousin would be transferring."

"Well, there was a reason for my transferring here so suddenly."

"You got expelled?" Can there be any other reason?

"Shut up," he snaps. I make a motion for him to proceed. "When I got expelled, I had the option to either go to military school or go to Jazz's school and be supervised. Truly, I wanted to get into military school." Now, that's a shock. "But..." he mumbles something incomprehensible.

I glare. Then I tell him to speak loud and clear.

"..."

"What?"

"The girl I like goes to this school!" He shouts.

The doorbell rings.

"Welcome to Hazel Bookstore, if there's anything you need Mrs. Jackson, just give me a shout." I smile pleasantly at the old lady that came in. I like her. She always buys erotica and makes me laugh real hard.

"Hi dear, girl problems?" she laughs.

"Yup. Hey, Mrs. Jackson, this guy here is exactly your type."

"A troublemaker?"

"You know it. I'm just helping him pour his heart out for the lucky girl."

"Oh, now, don't make him too sweet. The cold and aloof personality is the best." Mrs. Jackson winks and disappears into the erotica section.

I grin at Romeo, who looks like he's a little bit in shock.

"That's Mrs. Jackson. She reads erotica. Anyways, you were saying the girl you like goes to this school? Do I know her?"

Romeo has just gone through a mental bleach, obvious because he's ignoring the Mrs. Jackson matter.

"She used to be really into gaming at the arcade a few months ago. She always went with her uniform, so that's how I know this is her school."

I wait for him to elaborate further.

He doesn't.

"Do you know her name?" he shakes his head. "Age?" head shake. "Class?" No.

"Let me guess. She's beautiful, has a great smile and you fell in love at first sight. She has big boobs, long hair and a tiny waist. You saw her around the arcade every once in a while, probably with a bunch of friends. Did I get anything wrong?"

"Nope. Spot on."

"I don't know if I should punch you or cry for you." I'm so disappointed. Love at first sight is bullshit. That's why I don't read shoujo (girl) manga. It's filled with instances where the girl has seen the boy around the train station and falls for him, only to find out he's a perverted asshole, yet she insists she loves him. Or she falls for the guy that helped her up when she fell, and he turns out to be an asshole. There's a pattern in love at first sight, my friends. Never ends well. It's shallow, obsessive and creepy.

When I fell in love with Jake, it certainly wasn't because of his looks. Even though they didn't hurt.

"Huh? Why?"

Is this guy for real? His story might sound sort of sweet and whatnot, but this is real life.

But Romeo (I see the resemblance to his namesake right now, shallow and air-headed) keeps looking at me with those expressionless eyes, and for a second, I can see the love. He does love her. Maybe he's in love with the idea of her, but it's love. I shouldn't be bitter just because my first love almost killed me.

"Ugh, fine. I'll help you get in good graces with Edward. And I'll even help you find this girl. But you have to do what I say. No ifs or buts. You get me?"

Romeo looks bored. But he nods nonetheless.

This guy.

"For now, just buy the damned school books and get out of here. Tomorrow, we'll talk during lunch break. I'll talk to Jazz, too. We'll figure something out."

Romeo comes back with the books. I ring them up, and when I give him the change, he talks again.

"Bella, why are you doing this? You don't owe me shit. And this'll make everyone suspicious, you know. You helping me."

I stuff the receipt in his bag.

"You're Jazz's cousin. You can't be all that bad. And I feel sort of guilty about Edward's influence over the school." I hand him his purchase. "Now, have a nice day, Romeo."

Romeo stops in the doorway.

"Thanks, Bella."

The rest of the day goes by quickly. The tips are average, the customers behave for the most part and I get home half past ten. Mom still isn't home, but that's alright. She's working the night shift today, meaning she'll get here, drunk, at about five in the morning. I'll wake up, put her to bed and sleep for another hour before I have to get up.

The house is in a shady part of town. We've lived here for some ten years, and the house still looks as barren as when we got here. I don't worry about having a break-in, though, despite the neighborhood. We've lived here long enough to make friends with everyone, and the people here sympathize with our situation. However cheesy it sounds, we're like a family. Sometimes, a neighbor will be out in the middle of the night, and help my mom get here with as little ruckus as possible. I grew up around these guys. Even the delinquents don't scare me anymore. If anything, some of them helped me practice karate when I was still learning.

And dude, if all else fails, I know how to pick-pocket.

But none of my friends have been here. Nobody knows my situation, either. Aunt Esme knows mom is an alcoholic, but thinks my father left us some money and that this is a recent problem. Uncle Carlisle has an inkling, though, so he insists I eat at his house. He gives me gifts, like my camera or my phone. During winter, mom and I survived because Uncle Carlisle would 'conveniently' give me warm clothes, blankets and socks. The Cullens have been the miracle mom and I needed.

But I don't let this get me down. I love my mom, simply because she didn't run out on me. And she cares. During the week of my birthday and Christmas, she won't drink. She'll spend a few more hours with me and take me out to dinner as a present.

I fall asleep thinking of ways to get Romeo into Edward's good graces.

"Fuck!" I hear the whispered curse. It's five in the morning, just like I predicted. Mom is stumbling, and I follow the hushed curses. She's trying to properly close the door, but her hands are shaking and she can't get the key in.

"Mom, be careful not to wake the neighbors." I scold her in a raspy voice, pushing her aside so I can close the door.

"Belle!" mom hugs me tightly. Well, at least she's friendly today. "Baby, I missed you so much. Why can't you work with me at the bar, huh?"

"I'm not old enough." I reply, tired of this question. It's the same as always. I help mom get into her room, getting elbowed a few times.

"Belly, have I told you how much you look like your dad? Just as beautiful. Same brown eyes. Oh, honey, you're too pretty," mom mumbles as I lay her down, bucket beside the bed, as always. I don't answer. It sounds like a compliment, and in a way it is, but mom saying it reminds me that she hasn't gotten over my father.

Suddenly, mom pulls me down, hugging me. The stench of alcohol isn't so big today, so I figure she's only half out of her mind.

"Baby, my Belly, I'm so sorry. I wasn't there for you. I'm so glad you were found, Belle. I love you so much, I'm so glad you're ok." Mom is crying, hugging me even tighter.

I want to cry with her, but I hold myself in check. Crying with a drunk person isn't good.

I know her words are truthful. Aunt Esme told me that the whole time I was in the hospital, mom didn't drink or eat. She just sat beside me, crying. She told Aunt Esme she was relieved I hadn't tried killing myself in our house, because I wouldn't have been found in time, otherwise.

I felt so ashamed.

I go back to my room and go back to sleep.

As you can see, Bella's had a few rough... years. Btw, this was actually going to be a longer chapter, but FFN's been giving me trouble with uploading loads of text. So instead of leaving an odd cliff-hanger, I'm making it a bit shorter than it was meant to be. I'll rush chapter 3... if we get to 20 followers. :)) Again, you (the reader) showing me you like this story is my motivation.

Leah.