Chapter 2

I walked outside and let the sun soak into my face. This was bliss. I wish that I could just stay here and not take another step toward that house. That house across the street that used to be my favorite place. Her house is on the larger side, with a big pool behind it. Yes, she is slightly wealthy, but that never mattered to us until recently. Now everything in her closet was designer. Mine consisted of comfort clothes and jeans, which she detested. That was another thing I hated about her now, she detested everything about me and tried to change me. My hair is naturally straight, but now I "needed highlights" and "needed a straightener". I am very fine taking care of myself. I don't need or WANT these things. I am perfectly content with myself. Except for a Prince Charming. That was the only thing I needed now. Someone to come driving down this street and drive me away as fast as possible. Wait, no. Regular speed. Charlie's a cop. Speeding is bad.

Finally my feet trudged onto the other side of the rode. So much for Prince Charming. I scuffled my feet toward the door and knocked politely. A year ago I would have never knocked; I would have just simply walked in and called out Lynne's name.

"Hi Bella, hold on, Lynne's on the phone. Let me get her," offered Georgette kindly. I knew that smile. It was a smile of oblivion, one that didn't know how Lynne was avoiding me and ripping me apart.

Oblivion.

"Heeyyyy Bella," Lynne drew out the "hey" sarcastically. I also knew this smile. Fake as the supernatural. Faker than Dracula. She was doing this for show. For her own amusement of watching the pathetic, me.

I looked at Lynne, just proof of how much she had changed. Her blonde hair was stick-straight, unnatural for her. Her blue eyes were crudely rimmed with black eyeliner. And what scared me the most was when I saw her face. Or when I didn't. It was covered in at least a pound of foundation. This struck hard. She looked like the girls we had once avoided. Made slight fun of even. That face staring at me made me want to puke. Had our friendship meant nothing?

"Hi Lynne, I haven's seen you in forever. How's Tina doing?" I said, in the politest snide manner I could.

"She's good"

"And cheerleading how's that going?"

"It's good. I'm flying now, you know."

"You know," I said rudely, "I have no idea what that is."

"It's the person on top for the mounts."

I hope they drop you. Oops that was rude. She just makes me so mad.

"Oh, that's good."

"Bella?" Her innocent tone caught me off guard from my malicious thoughts. Was a sorry in order?

"What?"

"Can we go inside? I don't want anyone to see me outside talking," and then she added under her breath, "especially not to you."

That proved her façade.

I stepped inside warily, knowing that the atmosphere of her phoniness had not lifted. She led me upstairs, to her room. Her room had changed a lot like herself. It used to periwinkle and covered in fairies and posters from her favorite books. Now the Pepto-Bismol pink walls were covered in posters of half-naked guys and singers. There was nothing left of her old ways.

Immediately she left me to fend for myself and sat herself down at her newly acquired laptop, typing away on instant messenger. I hated this.

So I opened up her closet, the only place where I knew I could find things to occupy myself. She was still Lynne, and loved books, but not publicly.

Her newest acquisition was the screenplay of Cinderella. Oh joy. More princes in shining armor on white horses. That I would never have. Ever.

I picked up the book and settled myself in her new plush pillow chair. In some ways I was jealous of Cinderella. She lived in a world where magic was real, the supernatural was real. Oh if only. Another recent read. Well, not too recent. 5th grade, Holes. If only if only.

Lynne was oblivious to me just sitting there. She was content with typing away, to princes and princesses far more glamorous than me. Slowly I drifted away, falling asleep, tired and sad.

I was in a meadow. A beautiful meadow. Far more magnificent than anything I'd ever seen. Until I turned around. Suddenly I was in a classroom. A fairly non- descript classroom, black lab tables, students. But this wasn't in Phoenix. I could hear the rain outside. One word flashed into my head… Forks. But still, I had turned around to see the most glorious sight ever. A boy, no a man, with auburn brown hair, and deep ocher eyes. He was pale, like me, and had the face of a god. He watched me as I watched him, tensed at our staring. Then he relaxed, his face forming the best kind of smile, a crooked sincere one.

"You must be Bella Swan, I'm…"

"BELLA BELLA BELLA BELLA!!!" Lynne was screaming, so loud, I think I now needed an ear plug. She was actually excited. "Guess what?"

I grumbled. Now she wanted to talk to me. "What." (A/N No, not a typo, she's just being curt.)

"Greg asked me out!!!!!" She was ecstatic. Greg was the quarterback of the football team, and he'd had his eyes on Lynne for a while. And yet, I was her (ex) best friend, and he didn't know I existed. Oh, but he knew Tina.

"That's good. When're you going out?"

"I don't know, he says his friend Mike wants to ask out Tina, so we might do a double date. I just talked to her, and she'd be up for it. Well, MORE than up for it. She's really excited."

Why does this matter to me? Oh, I'm being rude again. She's just excited. I can't fuel her current dislike of me.

"That's good. I'm sure you'll have fun." I stated. Then I decided to change the subject, "Wait, how long have I been out?"

"Umm, I don't know. But we'd better be getting Harry some dinner."

"Oh, yea. What should we make?"

"Hmm, how 'bout Mac n' cheese and… oh wait, let's make COOKIES!!!"

This entirely took me by surprise. It was like she was making a peace offering. This was a legendary Bella/Lynne meal. Always. This was what we ALWAYS made. Was she trying to apologize? Or was this just what came to mind?

"Okay," I replied sheepishly.

We walked down to the kitchen with Lynne jabbering about how Greg asked her out. It was hard to hate someone who could be so frivolously happy. So I just kept my rude factor turned off and gritted it through.

Later, after eating half a pound of chocolate cookie dough and Kraft and putting Harry to bed, we settled down for a movie. It was a fairytale, which just hurt me more. Another Prince Charming I will never have. Luckily, the lights were off and Lynne couldn't see my eyes water every so often. But they were. After the movie, Lynne grabbed her pillow and sat herself on the end of my sleeping bag.

"So, see any high school guys you like yet?" she asked inquisitively.

"Nah, not really. Well not any that have seen me."

"Oh, come on, you probably have got so many guys after you. Come on, you're gorgeous."

Hahaha, don't make me laugh. Me, gorgeous?

I tensed. This conversation, as short as it was, made me realize that I was falling into the pattern again. Lynne just kept pulling me in then pushing me out again. I had to stop.

"I'm going to get some ice cream, you want some?" Lynne offered, obviously struck by my sudden tension.

"No, thanks, I'm actually a little tired. I think I might turn in." Anything to get away from this. It wasn't fair how she was stringing me on, but it also wasn't fair how I was falling for it again and again.

I lay down and looked at the ceiling, plastery white and boring. Imagining shapes forming out of the plaster. A dragon. A bunny. Soon later I fell asleep. Only once again to find I was in heaven.

A/N: Three guesses to who she sees. And the first two don't count.

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