I stood in front of my vanity, shaking out the loose curls in my hair. I wasn't the prettiest girl, but I felt confidence in myself. I was of average size, by U.S standards. I stood pretty thick at a size 12 and I tried not to let it bother me. My eyes were hazel, which I loved and my hair was a very pretty dark chocolate brown. It was naturally curly, a trait I'd gotten from my mother. My nose wasn't overly big; it seemed to fit perfectly for my face. My lips were average I thought, nothing to write home about. All in all I was confident in how I looked.

Alice had done my hair a few days earlier in a style that was coming to be very popular. It was called 'Oil Slick' and it had every color of the rainbow beautifully blended into the dark brown color of my hair. You almost missed it if you weren't looking for it. But when I got out into the sun, I shone bright. I loved it and thanked her profusely.

Today would be my first shift at Esme's shop and I was nervous, without a doubt. Making sure I looked alright, I grabbed my purse and headed down the stairs. I was wearing a light purple tunic top with blue skinny jeans and a brown belt to cinch at the waist. Normally I didn't wear belts but Alice had shown me the right ones to wear to accentuate my hourglass figure. I completed the outfit with brown riding boots and a pair of small brown dream-catcher earrings. A braided leather headband pulled my hair mostly from my face. I had a few tendrils brushing my face. My makeup was minimal. Some coffee colored eyeliner to frame my eyes and make them bigger and a light brushing of a glittery purple shadow to match my shirt. Mascara and tinted lip gloss completed the look.

When I got downstairs, Charlie smiled at me. "Here's the working girl!" He chuckled, causing me to laugh. "Yeah, I'm kind of nervous." This caused him to shake his head. "Don't be. You're going to do just fine. Esme is a nice woman." He motioned to an empty chair and I sighed quietly before I sat. Here we go. This was the talk I was waiting for.

"Look, I know I'm not your father and that you're old enough to make your own decisions, but I just want you to be careful. The Cullens...well...I just don't want you to get hurt the way Bella did." I couldn't stop my eye roll. "Charlie, I appreciate it, but Bella was the one that broke up with Edward. Any hurt that caused was her fault, and besides, I'm not hanging out with Edward. I'm friends with Alice, that's all. Nothing is going to happen with me and Edward, trust me. I took this job because it was offered and I still need to pay off your table. It would also be nice to get my own car and contribute something to the finances around here too."

Charlie sat for a moment, thinking of what I said. "Alright, Zoe. I trust you, but still try and be careful. I can't help but be cautious. It comes with the job." He pointed to his badge and I laughed, standing and patting his shoulder. "Alrighty, but I'm heading out. Don't wanna be late! See you tonight! Tacos for dinner, so be prepared."

Laughing as I heard his hungry groan from the house, I got into his fishing truck and headed out. I was grateful to him for letting me use it. There was no way Queen Bella would let me use hers. Shaking off those thoughts, I put the radio and sang along until I got to Main Street. Parking the small pickup, I headed into the local coffee shop and got a caramel frappe and a toasted blueberry bagel. No cream cheese of course. It was sweet enough to not need it. Breakfast in hand, I made my way down the street and into the shop.

Esme was already there setting up when I walked in. "Good morning, Zoe! Thank you so much for helping." Shaking my head, I set my things down on the counter. "I should be thanking you for getting me this job. I really appreciate it." Esme just smiled at me and began to show me the ropes. Before long, I had it down and when lunch came around, she was confident that I could hold my own.

She grabbed her purse and looked at me. "I have a few places around town that are selling merchandise and I want to check to see if they are things we could use here. Will you be alright for a few hours?" I thought about it a moment before nodding. "Sure. I'm good here." Esme nodded. "Yes, it is rather slow, which is a good thing. I wouldn't want you to get overwhelmed and quit."

Laughing, I shooed her with my hands. "You go do what you need to do. I will be here when you get back, I promise." Smiling another blinding smile, she seemed to float from the room.

Grabbing a cleaning rag and the wood cleaner, I set out onto the floor, intent on making everything shine. I was kneeling down next to a tall dresser when I heard the bell chime. "I'll be with you in a moment! Feel free to browse!" I heard a chuckle and then a masculine voice. "I don't really need to browse. It's a family shop." Standing, I saw Edward leaning against the glass of the display counter.

Swallowing, I moved over to another peice of furniture, spraying the rag as I did. "Come to check on me? I'm alright here. It's slow, so it's fine." When he didn't answer, I turned to face him, only to find his eyes on me. I froze, watching him watch me. It was almost as if he were studying me, and I felt my face get hot. "What? Something on my clothes?" I looked down at myself and found nothing amiss.

He cleared his throat and shook his head, finally turning his eyes away. "Just wanted to...come by." He finished lamely, his eyes wincing. Frowning, I set my cleaning supplies down. "Why? Are you worried I'll steal something?" Horror filled his eyes and he shook his head. "No! I just...I wanted to...I mean...ugh." He stammered and it made me confused. What was his deal?

Suddenly a customer came in and I gave them my undivided attention. She came to look at our selection of jewelry and I helped her pick out a few peices. I checked her out and watched as she left. Remembering Edward was there, I looked around only to find an empty shop. What a weird guy. Maybe that's why Bella left him?

Shrugging I went back to cleaning, never noticing the Amber eyes that watched me from afar.

My day finished how it began and I could honestly say that I loved the work. I unlocked the door and walked in, setting my purse on the dining room table. Charlie wasn't home yet, but would be soon so I wanted to get dinner started. I was browning the ground beef when Bella stormed into the kitchen.

"You're working at Esme's shop?!" She fumed, her voice hard and angry. I glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah. I needed a job to finish paying for Charlie's pool table and I need to get a car and help here too." I turned back, not caring if she was mad. "There are plenty of other places to work! Why there?!"

I sighed and stirred the beef. "Because it was offered to me by my friend's mother. I needed a job and wasn't about to turn it down." Bella scoffed from behind me but I didn't turn. "Well I don't like it." That caused me to get angry. "Well you aren't my mother or the boss of me so forgive me for not caring."

"You're just doing this to get close to Edward!" I laughed and drained the meat before adding the seasoning. "Oh yeah, let me tell you. That was my only goal! Give me a break! And even if I was, he is your ex. You have no reason to care."

I felt her hand turn me around and saw her finger in my face. "Don't even get any ideas! He still loves me and would never like someone as ugly and fat as you!" She motioned to my makeup and outfit. "You can try and pretty yourself up as much as you want to, it won't make a difference. He wants ME and that's not going to change!"

I watched her storm out and slowly turned back to dinner. My eyes were burning with the want to cry but I told myself it was the spices. How could she say those things about me? Fat? Ugly? Was I really? Looking down at myself, I felt a tear slip through and I wiped it furiously.

The meat finished and I set it aside, getting out the veggies to cut to. I was just finishing everything when Charlie came in, announcing he was starving. Bella came downstairs to meet him and gave him a hug, acting innocent and sweet. It made me sick. I looked between them and heard Charlie speak. "How was your first day, Zoe?"

I forced a smile on my face and shrugged. "It was alright. I think I'm going to like working there. Unfortunately you guys are going to have to eat this yourself. I'm beat and not the least bit hungry." Before he could say anything, I made my way to the stairs, ignoring Bella's smug face.

Halfway up, I heard Charlie whisper. "Is she alright?" I could image Bella shrugging. "No clue, dad. I haven't talked to her today." Such a liar! I felt the tears leak down and I made my way into my room, shutting the door behind me and leaning on it. I began to take off the outfit I thought had been cute and threw it away from me.

In just my underwear and bra, I looked at myself in my mirror and cried harder. Bella was right. I was fat. Shrugging on a baggy shirt, I climbed into my bed and covered myself with my blankets, sobbing into my pillow.

Edward felt like such a fool. He had acted like a shy schoolboy! He hunted most of the day and played piano the rest of it. Tonight, he was laying on the roof, looking up at the stars. He couldn't stop thinking about her and he couldn't understand why.

Suddenly, he got a flash from a vision Alice just had. Like his sister, he was shocked and disgusted by what he saw. How could Bella treat her that way? Why would she say those things to her family? Was it because Bella still loved him and wanted to be with him? Hope flared in him but he soon tampered it down. There was never an excuse to talk to someone that way. Shaking his head, he went into the house.