I never thought I'd ever come back to the sleepy little town of Forks, Washington. When Jacob and I left, it was with the intention of never ever coming back. We hated everything about this small town even though we thrived in it. We were the perfect couple. The head cheerleader and the quarterback, Prom Queen and Prom King; we were the very definition of high school's most popular clichés. Don't get me wrong, these titles weren't all we were but they were what people paid attention to. I didn't really care about what the townspeople thought though. All I wanted was for my mother to be proud of me. I wanted her to come back and love me and my dad again. It was an incredibly naïve and irrational notion but by the time I figured that out, I was already stuck in that perfect caste. She never looked back and neither did I, until today.

Damn it. I'm so distracted that I miss the cop car behind me. A flash of blue lights and the sound of the Forks police siren force me out of my musing as I pull over. I look over my shoulder at Izzy and sigh in envy; at least she can get some sleep. We're late enough that it will be almost three in the morning by the time we get to my Dad's. I reach into the glove compartment and pull out the registration.

Oh crap. The officer pulling me over is Jessica Stanley. Great, just great; of all the police officers in Forks I had to get the one that hated me the most in high school. She gestures for me to roll the tinted window down; once I do I see a flash of recognition and hatred flit across her face. Yep, this is so not going to go well.

"Well, well, well. Look at what the cat dragged in. Isabella Swan," she says haughtily.

I take a moment to breathe. "Hey Jessica, How are you?"

"Much better than you apparently, Ms. High-and-mighty. We all saw your interview on the Vicki Laurent show. That must have been so humiliating for you," she sneers with an evil smirk.

I will not assault a police officer. I will not assault a police officer. I chant to myself over and over. "Was there a reason you pulled me over Jessica?" I ask as politely as I can manage.

"It's Officer Stanley," she replies coldly. Damn, she really can hold a grudge. "You were speeding and you swerved back on Main Street. I need you to get out the car and take a breathalyzer."

"Mommy? What's wrong?" Isobel asks sleepily from the back seat.

"It's nothing. I'm just going to talk to a friend for a second. Okay baby?" I turn around and tell her as I unbuckle my seat belt. "Go back to sleep, I'll be back soon."

"Can I come with you?"

"No Isobel. I need you to stay in the car," I say as I get out of the car and face Jessica.

"Wow Bella, you look like crap." Jessica says almost happily as she motions for me to follow her to the back of the car. I fight to keep the venom out of my voice as I set to work on diffusing her little show of authority. I can't afford to get arrested for hitting a cop; Charlie would never let me hear the end of it. I glance back at the car and see Isobel's face pressed against the glass. Great. She just had to inherit my stubbornness.

"I know that we weren't friends in high school and I know that this is a power play. You want to put me in my place and that's fine, but I will not allow you to do so in front of my daughter. I'm sorry that my friends weren't very nice to you in high school and I'm sorry that I did nothing to stop their taunting, but high school was ten years ago. I've grown up and I would hope that you have too. I'm begging you to just let me get to my father's house in peace. I am clearly not under the influence of anything. I have my daughter in the car and I would never jeopardize her safety like that. Please Jessica, let me go home."

When it looks like my pleas are falling on deaf ears I switch tactics. After all, my Dad's temper is legendary.

"You know, if I have to call Charlie, he'll be furious with the two of us. I don't know about you but I really can't deal with one of his angry lectures right now. "

"You know what? You always thought that you were so much better than all of us in town but in the end, we're happy and you were just dumped on TV. You're the one beneath us. You're free to go."

She turned around and headed back to her patrol car, leaving me infuriated. What gave her the right to judge me? I never thought that I was above Forks or the people in it. I just wanted more for myself and my family.

I get into the car and drive the short distance to my childhood home. My dad has left a light on and the key is in its usual hiding place so I don't wake him. After an exhausting day, I'm finally able to put my daughter to bed with a kiss and an I love you. As I unpack my suitcase, I start to meditate a little on what happened tonight with Jessica. Her behavior was uncalled for. I wasn't a mean girl in high school. Yes, I was popular, but I never bullied anyone. You witnessed the bullying and never once said a word. Does Edward Cullen ring a bell? The niggling voice of my subconscious questions me.

Irrelevant. I think back stubbornly. What happened in high school shouldn't matter anymore. It was ten years ago. My days of being Prom Queen and Jacob Black's girlfriend are over.

Oddly enough, I don't remember a time where I wasn't Jacob's girlfriend. It sounds pathetic, I know, but I've never had to be anything else. Just being with Jacob opened up so many doors and opportunities that I didn't have to do anything but be his girl. I don't really know who I am. I can't just be Isobel's mother and Jacob's ex. I have to figure out what to do with my life now. I need to find myself again. I need to figure out how to just be Bella Swan.

I can't help but wish I had all of the answers. I wish I could tell Isobel that everything would be all right and mean it. I wish that I could just go back to the way things were; to when we were a family. I guess it's true what people say about ignorance being bliss. If Jacob had never told me, I know without a doubt, I would still be with him. It sounds silly but I love him; even now, I still love him. Things were never perfect but I knew that no matter what, he would always be there for me and our daughter.

At the bottom of my suitcase I find one of Jacob's old football jerseys from college. I clutch the blue fabric in my hand and bring it to my nose, wishing that it still had his scent on it.

We had been together for five years, Isobel was two, and I was about to graduate from UCLA with an English degree. Jacob had just been drafted to the 49ers and he had to leave for a month and a half of training camp. We had never been apart for that long before and were both feeling a bit of separation anxiety. An hour before he had to leave, we were still in bed, neither one of us ready to say goodbye. Jacob's arms were locked around my waist and my head was on his chest.

"Bells . . ."

"Jake," I responded.

"I got you something," I started to sit up when he pulled me on top of him and sat us both up. "It's in the bathroom. Go get it. When you come back, I'll be gone. I love you, Bells."

I leaned over and kissed him, understanding his unwillingness to say goodbye. Good byes were something that neither one of us were ever really comfortable with.

"I love you too, Jake. Be safe."

The farther I walked away from him, the harder it was to keep the tears at bay. The soft click of the door alerted me to his departure. I wiped the tears from my eyes and found the plain white box Jake left to distract me. I immediately recognized the light blue UCLA football jersey with Black in bold lettering on the back sitting beneath a folded up piece of paper with my name on the front.

Bells,

I know the separation will be hard on you, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I know that you and Izzy will be absolutely fine; you're the best mother I know. You're my rock and just knowing that you are following your dream and supporting mine makes me love you a thousand times more. I left you my jersey because I remember how much you love wearing it. Plus it's really sexy to imagine you just sleeping in my jersey. Could you take pics for me? Just kidding babe (sort of). Anyway, I love you and I'm counting down the days until I can see your face again.

Love,

Jacob

Jacob wasn't always a douchebag. He used to be so sweet to me. He used to love me. At least, it seemed like he did. I can't imagine what would make him hurt me like this. It feels as if my heart has been torn from my chest. I don't know how to move on from this. I don't know how to keep going. I finally fall into a dreamless sleep clutching the well-worn jersey in my hand.

Thank you so much for your response to this story. Shout Out to Aurowanfinn for being this story's first reviewer. Review, please!

Thanks to Astro2009 for being a truly awesome Beta and putting up with my abundance of periods and commas.