A/N: Edward is back! :) This is the continuation of chapter 3, covering Edward's return and also a bit of Annie stuff. It gets a bit more personal and a little emotionally heavy for her at the end, so I figured I'd cut it off there and make the car accident and hospital a seperate chapter. Plus, this is already long enough haha. There is a bit of profanity, it's only one word but I juts thought I'd warn you just in case. There's also a smidge of Midnight Sun in here, I figured since I read the first couple chapters I might as well go ahead and use it. There is no journal entry this time, because it is a continuation and there may or may not be one next time I'm not sure yet how it'll play out. Anywho, I hope you guys like it. There's a lot more dialogue this time around too, Annie's gaining a bit more experience and confidence in interacting with others, but who knows if it'll help her or ruin her.. hmm.. Oh and, if you checked my profile at all you would've seen the sneak peak in the form of a song 'Waiting for You' by Ben Harper, that really fits with the beginning of this chapter. I thought it was a fun way to give a sneak peak. Alright, well I hope you guys enjoy it! Please Review! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but Stephenie Meyer sure does!

Chapter Three - Continued

The weekend passed slowly, taunting me with every lingering minute. I was in confliction with myself, part of me wishing for nothing more than to speed through the next two days and into Monday afternoon and the other part simply not caring anymore. I had nothing that would guarantee Edward's attendance in school on Monday and therefore nothing to observe, nothing I really wanted to anyway. I should have known the moment something slipped up with the Cullens that they would run and hide, remove themselves long enough for everyone to forget about it or maybe even remove themselves for good. It's a great possibility that Edward is never coming back. I hated to consider it, but it's been seven days already, the chances of him being a no show again didn't faze me. I slowly and reluctantly began giving up on him. It was simply causing me too much stress that wasn't as worth it as I once thought. Staring down at the bandage on my hand proved to me that this was simply the last straw. I had gone too far, only to come up with nothing after all of my efforts.

Going to see Dr. Cullen was foolish and pointless. It also backfired, because now Grace was over every chance she could get to 'check on me'. She'd come flinging herself through to door and into my room uninvited, reaching her arms around me and suffocating me in an embrace. She'd then pull herself away, tilt her head to the side and pout, keeping the pose so long it started looking a bit creepy. She acted as if I were on my death bed or something. Leave it to her to take something miniscule and blow it way out of proportion. Then of course Francis would get all thankful and invite her to dinner and praise her for caring, to which she would swat at the air with her hand and bat her eyelashes, saying it was nothing, that she thought of me as her own. Vomit burned my oesophagus as I swallowed it back down when I first heard her say that. She barely knew me and she had the nerve to call me her own. She is such a snake.

Monday eventually rolled around, but I didn't wake up as early as I had for the past week. I carelessly rose up from the warm sheets, accidentally leaning on my wounded palm causing an excruciating twinge of pain to shoot through my hand and up my wrist. I stared at the bandage angrily, knowing it was the stupidest thing I had ever done and now I had to live with the scar that would remind me of my stupidity for the rest of my life. I could just picture myself at age 76, all wrinkled and fragile, with a stiff, white line on palm that stood out from the soft, flowing ridges of aged skin. Stupid.

I got dressed and went downstairs to grab a piece of toast before rushing to school, knowing if I didn't hurry I'd be late for class. I hated the awkwardness of walking in after Mr. Mason has begun his lecture, the room falling silent as all eyes are on me, following me to my seat, then to be subjected to the angered and annoyed expression on Mr. Mason's face that is directed just at me before continuing with the lesson.

I slathered some margarine on a piece of whole wheat bread, folding it in half as I turned to leave when I noticed two bodies pressed into each other under an emerald green, velvet blanket on the couch. I peered over the edge of the couch only to be plagued with the sight of Grace's face nestling into my father's chest.

I squeezed the strap of my backpack that was so heavily weighed down with books, wanting nothing more than to swing it over the couch, right into her gut. I turned away, knowing no good could come of it and, even though I would get great satisfaction from seeing Grace in pain, the anger that would emit from Francis afterwards wasn't worth it.

Bella's truck wasn't parked in the front of her house as it usually was in the morning, assuming she'd already gone to school. I shrugged, not really caring that I missed whatever she did this morning, or her arrival at school. People were used to her now, she was just another student to most, a friend to many. There would be nothing of value to observe of her now, not unless Edward Cullen were involved which was unlikely. I was expecting a boring, useless waste of my time in school today.

When I stepped outside I was greeted with a bitter chill in the air and had to step back inside to grab a heavier coat. I walked the two steps towards the coat rack, my eyes accidentally glazing over the couch as I took in the sights of Grace propping herself up on my father's chest and kissing him. I plucked the coat from the rack, turned and slammed the front door as hard as I could, just to make my presence known. Unfortunately, the pneumatic closer attached to our screen door slowed the impact, causing the door to close with a muffled click. I trudged over to my car, slipping my arms through the sleeves of my coat, hoping it wouldn't snow today.

Bella was already seated with Mike by her side in English when I walked in just before the bell. I took my seat at the back of my class, my eyes focused on specks of dirt on the tiled floor. Mr. Mason then announced we'd be having a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights, the book I haven't been reading. Perfect. Just freaking spectacular. This day is off to such a lovely start. After I failed horribly, Mr. Mason began a lecture on the character analysis of Heathcliff. I rested my head on folded arms, drifting off as I waited for the bell to ring.

And, as if the Gods had heard my plea this morning to keep the snow from falling, white clumps were floating in the air to greet me as I walked from one building to the next. My gaze shot upward stiffly at the clouds, cursing them and hoping that whatever God was up there was having a good laugh at my misfortune. I didn't even bother looking in the parking lot for that damn silver car. I ended up walking behind Bella and Mike, as if I planned this myself, and listened as they reacted to the snow. Mike was enjoying it, as was everyone else. Bella, on the other hand, reacted much as I had, disliking the cold, white clusters that began to collect on the sidewalk.

A ball of the wretched substance whipped past my face, smashing into the back of Newton's head. I would have found it amusing, if it hadn't been for the wet residue that now filtered into the shoulder of my jacket. I turned to see Eric walking away slyly. How mature of him. Fool.

I shook my head and my hair along with it, making the mistake of wearing it down two days in a row. I should have learned my lesson yesterday when the frizz appeared in reaction to the rain. Flecks of ice and water droplets flung from my locks and onto my face and coat. I sighed, wanting to just hide out in my car for the rest of the day, or maybe the rest of the week depending on how long Grace sticks around my house. My next two classes reached an all time low of boredom as I sat in my seat, disconnected from everything going on around me. I gazed lazily out the window, following the flakes as they danced in the cold air, slowly plummeting to the ground. It sure was pretty to look at, but a pain in the ass to walk in.

I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or apathetic when Spanish ended. It got me one step closer to the end of the day, but that brought me one step closer to going home which would then bring me a step closer to Grace. I'd usually be excited to get to lunch, but considering how crappy it's been this past week I didn't even think about it. I slipped my arms back into my coat for the fifth time today, fussing with the pesky buttons. I hate winter and its stupid requirement for layers and complicated button-up coats.

I walked to the cafeteria with clenched, chattering teeth, wanting nothing more than to wallow in my bitterness. It was here that I found myself presented with a dilemma. Do I sit in the middle again like I have been, or do I just admit to myself that Edward wasn't coming and just return to my corner? My eyes flickered to the corner I claimed as mine for two years, only to see puny freshman reading a book in my spot. I blinked once in a fury, my nostrils flared as I bit the insides of my cheeks, pulling out the chair to the spot in the middle I'd occupied all of last week and sat down with a plop. I looked down, noticing the floors began growing disgusting brown and black puddles of all shapes and sizes beneath my feet.

I looked up to slide Wuthering Heights in front of me, figuring I better start reading it, when a miracle happened before my eyes, wiping my horrible day out of existence. It was Edward. My head slowly inched forward, my eyes bulging out of their sockets as I took in the sight of him. I blinked feverishly, testing myself to see if this was a cruel trick of my overly active imagination. My mouth gaped open in a smile to see him, to know that I had a purpose here today. It was like electricity was shooting through my veins as he walked past me, his scent mingling with that of his family's as the air split to let them pass, flowing in my direction. I could pick Edward's scent out from the rest, something about it just called to me, making it absolutely unforgettable. I inhaled deeply; hello, old friend.

I watched as he walked towards his usual table with his family huddled around him. It was kind of strange the way they all formed sort of a shield around him. Emmett led the group, his chest puffed up as he took full advantage of his size and appeared just as a bodyguard would. Rosalie followed, looking irritated as she shot daggers at anyone unfortunate enough to get caught under her gaze. Jasper and Alice followed, Alice looking a bit wary as Jasper led her to their table. It was odd, seeing a flip in their behaviour. Jasper is usually the one who appeared to be cautious and in pain, while Alice was calm. They balanced each other, except I've never seen their emotions flop in such a way before, it's always been Jasper who needed the balancing and Alice who was there to provide it. And then there was Edward, who appeared to be annoyed by the behaviour of his siblings, their stance around him making him look fragile. My inner voice let out a laugh at the consideration of Edward, the epitome of muscular perfection, as being fragile. It made me wonder again if he really was real. Maybe he really did have an illness, a really bad one. Why else would his family be so cautious?

I tried not to stare, for fear that Edward would catch me and become aware of my interest in him and his family. I restricted myself to quick glances every so often. Okay, so maybe I was looking up from my book every 3 seconds to look at them, pushing my luck by hovering my gaze over them longer than I should. I just couldn't get over this breakthrough in all of them. The exchange of Alice and Jasper's usual behaviour, Rosalie's evident irritation and Emmett's protective stance as he led the pack were casual shifts in behaviour I'd been waiting to see in them for two years. It was very difficult for me to look away, not wanting to miss a second of it and hoping that I wasn't just seeing things, to ensure that every bit of this was reality.

The commotion of people coming through the entrance of the cafeteria caught my attention and I decided to take a look in that general direction, hoping my nerves would calm down if I looked away from Edward long enough.

I caught a glimpse of Bella walking into the cafeteria with Jessica, Bella using a binder as a shield against the numerous flying balls of snow outside. Mike then appeared behind them, laughing with puffed up, bright pink cheeks. I felt strange watching them like this, everyone around them becoming a blur as my eyes focused on them. It felt like I was watching a cheesy TV show about high school life or something. I wanted to look away, annoyance growing from watching Bella and her new friends mingle. My gaze followed them, however, since looking at the Cullen table again suddenly seemed forbidden. But, it's the forbidden fruit that tastes the sweetest, right? I sighed, rewarding myself with another look at them, convincing myself that I've earned it after Edward's week long absence.

My eyes narrowed in on Edward, my mind registering the slight differences in his behaviour now. He didn't study the cracks and grooves of the walls today out of pure boredom, his expression lacking the usual sense of indifference or dissatisfaction. Instead he was very alert and tense in his seat, his eyes darting around the room. His chest looked unusually stiff, like he wasn't breathing.

Why did the Cullens never exhibit the physical signs of breathing? To question their breathing at all is ludicrous, for every being needs to breathe in order to live. It was just so weird that they could make their chests so still like that. I sat there, still staring, as I tried this manoeuvre of theirs out for myself, uncomfortably willing my chest to stop rising and falling in reaction to my breaths. The action was uncomfortable and unfortunately impossible. Maybe it was just a well practiced skill of theirs, although I couldn't see how it would be useful to hone such an ability.

I continued to watch him, fascinated by his newly expressed lively state. His eyes darted, about to reach Bella's general direction. I tensed in anticipation for when he'd see her again, only to be stung with shock when his gaze fell on me. I averted my gaze to the table top in front of me, my breathing quickening, my heart rate sky rocketing as I stared at the grains in the table top, praying for him to look away. I was too afraid to look up from the table top to check, so I just sat there and waited, feeling extremely uncomfortable about having his gaze on me. I realized I'd have to look up some time, I couldn't stay like this for the next half hour. I licked my lips, taking in a deep breath before slowly taking a peak at Edward, my chest collapsing in a large sigh of relief when I noticed his attentions were now focused elsewhere.

Alice then muttered something quickly and they all switched positions. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett did their usual shifting into each other. It was Edward's change in position after Alice said something that seemed interesting. He was relaxed and lively before, and now he was stiff and tensed in his seat. I turned to look at Bella, who was at the lunch line now, and then back at Edward. He stared at the tray of food in front of him intently and quizzically, as if he were figuring out the cure for cancer in that marvellous mind of his. He seemed a little anxious and frustrated. The others talked and laughed around him and he looked up at them, joining in on the conversation. Emmett then lifted his hand and revealed an intact snow ball. It just sat there in the palm of his hand in all its icy perfection. My jaw dropped at the site of it and my brows furrowed as I questioned how this was possible. I squinted, trying to find some sign of melting, but there was nothing. They've been here for ten minutes, that ball should be a puddle of water on the floor of the heated cafeteria by now. Did he stick his hand in a freezer or something? To take a snowball and expect it to still be in your hand ten minutes later is like leaving a child and a piece of chocolate cake alone in a room, expecting the cake to be there when you get back. This was scientifically incapable.

Before I could scrutinize the object any further, it disappeared. Literally, it was gone. The only thing I could see faintly was the extension of Emmett's arm, as if to throw it and then the flick of Alice's finger, as if she were shooing away a pesky fruit fly that flew too close to her face. As soon as I saw the flick, the crushing sound of ice against a hard surface echoed to my right and my head instinctively swivelled in the sound's direction, only to be met with a wall opposite to Alice with shattered ice and a puddle of water beneath it. My head turned back to little Alice and for a moment I considered piecing the actions together, that Emmett threw the impossibly existing snowball at Alice, and that she had flicked it away with her tiny finger, sending it across the room and that all of this happened at speeds impossible for human eyes to detect.

And then I let out a chuckle, out loud, because it was the most outrageous and silly theory I've ever concocted. The ball must have melted or maybe Emmett dropped it and there must have been a fruit fly, the cafeteria is infested with them. Yes, that's exactly what happened.

I looked up at the Cullens once more and stared at them with a hint of envy as they laughed with each other, looking like models in a fashion ad or something. Even when they acted normal it was perfect and beautiful.

"Bella, what are you staring at?" I overheard Jessica's annoying voice, its volume louder than it should be. I snapped in her direction only to see Bella put her head down and hide behind her hair. My eyes flashed in Edward's direction and he was staring at her. I looked back at Bella as she spoke to Jessica, still hiding from Edward's gaze. All of this looking back and forth was giving me whip lash. Couldn't they just sit at adjacent tables for once? And the hiding thing has made a reappearance. Geez, I can never win with these two. When Bella's around, Edward's behaviour is like I've never seen it before, but she hides so I can't observe her. When Edward's gone Bella doesn't hide, she's relaxed, but without Edward there's not much to hold my interest anymore with her, or with observing period, really. Why can't we just have a nice little compromise folks?

I sighed, realizing that sometimes you have to take the good with a little of the bad, and if having Edward back meant Bella was back to her hiding ways then that's just the way it had to be and I would accept it.

As I watched Bella hide and Jessica prod her for information, I felt the desire to know what they were saying. There was nothing more aggravating than watching lips flap away and not hear what was coming out of them. I spotted a garbage can behind them, grabbed a granola bar from my bag and quickly walked behind them, slowly unwrapping the granola bar as I listened.

"I don't think he likes me." Bella said, her head still down, but tilted up towards Jessica.

"The Cullens don't like anybody...well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you." Jessica replied. I scooted around to the other side of the garbage can to look at Edward, while still being able to see and hear Bella. He was looking at her so intently, as if he were trying to figure her out from a distance, but failed. It was odd. Why was he so fascinated with her?

I was still looking at Edward when Bella called my name. She scooted back in her chair and met me at the garbage can. The moment she moved and walked over to me, Edward's eyes were on me. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. They were golden today.

"Annie? Earth to Annie?" Bella waved her hand in my face and I came out of the trance Edward had somehow put me in. I looked at Bella and smiled, then looked past her again at the crooked smile he had painted on his face, his eyes on his tray of food. My mind was blank. What's that word? Two letters...

"H-hi." I finally huffed out.

"Not hungry?" She asked, pointing down at my half unwrapped granola bar.

"Oh, uh, yeah I was just throwing out the wrapper first." I said, pealing the rest of the wrapper off with the tips of my fingers.

"Oh." She said with a chuckle.

I smiled, unsure where to take this. But suddenly I felt confident that I could carry a conversation, that I could talk to her about Edward and not get myself completely involved. I could be an insignificant bystander. People can ask other people questions without establishing a friendship, right? I cleared my throat, read to do this.

"So, uh, E –"

"Bella, what are you still doing there? Mike's giving the details about the snowball fight." Jessica interrupted, her voice worse than nails on a chalk board.

"Yeah, it's gonna be epic!" Mike beamed.

"I should get back. See you later, Annie." Bella smiled, looking back before taking her seat again. She seemed kind of remorseful when she walked back to her table to take her seat. Did she not like her new posse? This girl is so strange.

I threw the entire granola bar away anyway and returned to my seat, uninterested in the inner workings of this amazing snow ball fight. The rest of the lunch hour passed quickly, the bell ringing in what seemed like minutes after I talked to Bella. She and her groupies got up and shuffled out of the cafeteria with the rest of the student body. Everyone except the Cullens and I were walking towards the door. They didn't show any signs of getting up and for a moment I thought about staying, just to see what they did when there wasn't a crowd around. As the number of bodies in the cafeteria dwindled, I suddenly changed my mind, gathering my things and practically running to the exit. The idea of being alone in a room with five Cullens was suddenly frightening and if I didn't get out of there quick I might have hyperventilated.

I walked into biology with a new outlook on my day. It was like for once, my silent wishes to the universe were being granted. Well, only two of them were but they were enough to turn my entire mood around. For one, Edward was here today. That alone makes this one of the greatest days of my life, because he'd be sitting next to Bella in biology again and bits of his true persona would shine through for me. Secondly, the snow had turned into rain, washing the nasty white stuff away and returning Forks to its usual wetness. It was a bit cooler still, but that I could deal with.

I took my seat next to Tim, my lab partner who most likely hated having me as a partner. I tend to get distracted. It's not my fault Edward's hair is so darn luscious and beautiful. Tim sighed and rolled his eyes, turning to mutter something to the person next to him at the next lab table as I sat down. Okay, so he did hate me. You win some and you lose some, I guess. Or in my case, you lose a lot and take what you can get. I shrugged, averting my attention to more important business, like the way Bella's face flushed with relief when she saw her table was still empty. If it were yesterday, my heart would have sunk into my stomach and I would have lost all hope, but not today. Edward would be here, I didn't doubt that for a second. Class hadn't even started yet, he has minutes to get here, which is plenty of time. Yes, he'll be taking his usual seat today and stealing all of my attention along with it. Sorry, Tim.

The screech of microscopes against lab table tops was unnerving as Mr. Banner slid one across each table, along with a box of slides. Great, an assignment that requires my attention. Well, I'm sure Tim could pick up the slack a bit. He should be used to it by now. If only they made Edward Cullen and Bella Swan slides, then I'd very gladly slip them under a microscope and analyze them. Or if microscopes were large and discrete enough to use on people from a distance, now that would be something.

The sound of a chair sliding across the floor plucked me from my thoughts and back to more important things. I looked up through my lashes to see Edward's back to me, thankful that Beth wasn't here today so that I wouldn't have to dart around her body to see him. He was in perfect view today; another wish come true. His hair was wet and messy. I never thought I'd find myself using the word sexy, but this was so it. This was ridiculous, I had to get a hold of myself. It's not like I've never seen him with wet hair before. Maybe it was his absence that's making me feel this way. Yes, that's why, I just need to get used to him all over again.

Bella didn't even acknowledge Edward's presence, she just kept doodling as he watched her. I couldn't even believe this, he was going to talk to her and she just sat there trying to hide. I would pay top dollar to switch seats with her right now.

"Hello." Edward said, causing Bella to look up. "My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan." I smiled at the sound of his voice, basking in Edward's usual polite demeanour, but stopped myself mid-smile as a few things became aware to me. First of all, what did he mean he didn't get a chance to introduce himself? He was sitting next to her for an hour, he had a lot of chances and he blew off each and every one of them. And second, he called her Bella! I guess it's not that big of a deal, even I called her Bella when we hadn't been formally introduced, but they've never spoken before and then he left for a week, how could he know to call her that? I furrowed my brows and turned my head to the side, leaning forward to hear Bella's reply.

"Annie!" Tim whispered harshly, his hand gripped on my shoulder as he shook me. I leaned away from him and gave him a questioning glare. No one besides my father has ever laid a hand on me, and to do it in such a manner was uncalled for. He could just be polite about it, like Edward would have if he were my lab partner. I mean, I understand his anger I guess, but geez no need to get hostile.

"What?" I asked, annoyance clear in my voice. I wasn't about to try and hide it, he had to know that he was interrupting something crucially important. He leaned into me with clenched teeth, inhaling once with frustration. I looked at him, waiting for whatever it was he had to say while still trying to catch the conversation between Bella and Edward. It's the first conversation they ever had and I was missing it because of this imbecile.

"Can you stop obsessing over Cullen and just focus for two minutes? This is a partner assignment, not a 'one person does all the work while the other stares off into space' assignment!" He leaned back in his chair and slid the microscope over. "Here, I did the first two, you do the next two. Okay?"

"Fine." I mouthed with a huff.

I was so angry with Tim, I wasn't even paying attention to the slides I was looking at. Prophase, anaphase, whatever-phase, did any of this really matter? And what's with the names? It would be so much simpler if it were called phase one through four. I peaked over at Tim's sheet and noticed he had prophase and telophase marked down, so the slide I was looking at was either anaphase or metaphase. I had a fifty percent chance of being right, so with that being said I simply wrote down metaphase on the third line.

"Do you mind if I look?" I overheard Edward ask Bella. He was so helpful. If only Tim here would mind taking a look for me. My pencil hovered about the line I'd just written on as I thought of what Edward said and how I could twist it to help me. I coughed slightly, which made Tim look up at me.

"Done?" He asked

"Uh, no I was just..." I glanced over at Jessica, who flipped her hair and leaned into her partner, chest first. I hadn't seen her look into that lens once. I bit my bottom lip, realizing there was much more to learn here than just biology. I flipped my hair to one side, licked my bottom lip and sighed. I could do this. It's just Tim. I felt kind of silly, comparing myself to Jessica like this, thinking I could actually flirt with a member of the opposite sex. I wasn't awful looking, I could pull it off. I think. I gulped, trying to pull it together.

"Well?" Tim asked, still waiting for me to say something.

"Oh, um, it's silly but... mitosis kind of confuses me." I said, my voice kind of quiet but I don't know, I thought it gave it that breathy, sultry edge. I smiled a bit, thinking this would be it and I'd have him wrapped around my little finger.

He breathed in deeply, the left corner of his lip tugging into a crooked smile as he huffed out a chuckle. Yep, he's all mine. This flirting thing is kind of useful, no wonder Jessica does it so much. It granted her a not so great reputation but, if used wisely, it could be quite the tool to get what you want.

"C'mon Annie, we both know your grade is at the top of the class." He scoffed and shook his head, returning to whatever he was writing in his notebook.

At that point I just wanted to crawl into a black hole. My face fell and heat flushed through it at the immense embarrassment I felt. A twinge of pressure formed in my forehead and I could feel a pounding headache coming on. I shrunk away from Tim, pulling the microscope with me. I was just reminded why I never spoke to anyone and that I should never do it again. Any confidence I felt in the communication department dissipated completely as he shook his head at my attempt to flirt with him. I swallowed to moisten my dry throat and pressed my tongue into the roof of my mouth to hold back my tears. I felt so small.

I finished the assignment on my own, sliding the worksheet over to Tim when I was done, my eyes never leaving the table top. Bella and Edward had finished long before I did and now they were talking about the weather. I was barely listening, I didn't really care to. I just wanted to leave, to be surrounded by my lilac walls and never leave them ever again. People were cruel and insensitive and I wanted nothing to do with them.

I overheard Edward ask why Bella moved to Forks and decided to listen in since I had nothing better to do. I figured if I put my all of my energy into them I would forget the incident with Tim. I grunted, knowing I could never think of mitosis without conjuring up this mess again. I pushed it aside and listened as Bella told Edward about her mother's new husband and that he was a baseball player, things I'd already known. It was the reason why she moved herself to Forks that made me feel a glimmer of hope for mankind.

"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy... so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie." She said, revealing everything. It made me think back to the days before she arrived, about the gossip that spread about Bella's reasons for moving here. I knew now that every single shred of gossip about Bella was false. She really was special, wasn't she? She was unselfish and considerate of her mother's feelings enough to pick up her life and bring it to some boring, rainy town in Washington. She was so willing to dismiss her own happiness for her mother's. She said it herself in response to Edward, life isn't fair. She had no idea how right she was. It amazed me how different Bella was from the generic person. Usually people think of their own needs before anyone else's, but her mind worked in the opposite way. It was both fascinating and admirable.

It made it easier to understand why Edward was actually holding a conversation with her, why he'd even want to. He detected the originality and uniqueness in her. It also became clear to me why everyone in this town was so fascinated with her to begin with. Bella Swan was special, different in an attractive way, and people were inevitably drawn to her. Who knew one measly little fact could reveal so much about a person?

I missed the rest of their conversation as I registered that one fact about Bella. That stupid, whatever it was with Tim messed me up completely in the observing department. I needed to step my game up, be more attentive. I've been thinking about myself and my own life a lot lately, more than I care to. I'm losing touch with observing others because there's so much going on with Grace and my dad and Bella's constant interactions with me and now Tim. I need to regroup and remove the focus off of myself, it's driving me insane. I took in a deep breath and knew that I had to whack the bad grass out so I can get back to tending to the flowers in my virtual garden, my observatory subjects.

The bell rang and everyone filed out. I sat in my seat for a moment and just watched as Mike sprinted to Bella's side to walk her to gym class. Ugh, gym. If I waited here long enough, pack up slowly enough so there wouldn't be any questions, gym would start without me and I'd be in the clear to run to my car and get out of this place. Yep, sounds like a plan. I moved very slowly, like a sloth moseying up a tree branch, as I lifted the cover of my binder with the tips of my finger and laid it down gently. Then I lifted my pencil, slowly opened the zipper to my pencil case and slid it in. Mr. Banner was going around collecting microscopes and, since I was done packing up, I thought I'd give the guy a hand. I hopped out of my seat and started gathering boxes of slides without saying a word.

"Thanks, Annie." He said, smiling with a nod as he continued gathering microscopes. I smiled back a bit wider than was necessary, happy that I was wasting another ten minutes. This was working out pretty greatly. When everything was cleaned up and back in its place I waved to Mr. Banner and made my way to the door. I noticed Edward and Emmett walking briskly down the hall in long strides. Edward had his hand over his mouth and he looked a little sick. I scurried after them, hiding behind a door as I listened. They were at the other end of the line of lockers, unfortunately, but this would just have to do for now.

"Is it as bad as that?" Emmett asked. The rambunctiousness of the uncontrolled class next to me was such a nuisance, practically drowning out the conversation I was trying to listen to. I wondered what these two could possibly be talking about.

"Worse Emmett, Worse." Edward replied. I wished I could look at them, to know what their faces looked like. It was silent for a bit too long now and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest at the idea of being caught. Emmett should be saying something now, right, I mean that's how a conversation works. The class behind me could be drowning it out though, stupid kids.

"No, it would not be better to get it over with. Go back to class, Emmett, I –"

"Hey!" A man's voice shouted so loud I jumped, clutching my heart with my right hand. "Quiet down! This is an English class, not a playground!" Mr. Barker yelled at his class. I pressed my back into the wall with a sigh of relief. Jesus, that almost gave me coronary.

Emmett walked past me and making me freeze in my current stance, as if being still would keep him from seeing me. I slowly peaked around the door, only to be met with an empty hallway. I groaned and hurried out to the parking lot and to my car. I noticed Edward opening the driver's side door to the Volvo and sit inside. He didn't start the car though, and I wondered if he would actually sit there for an hour to wait for his family. I guess he didn't really have a choice, considering they all rode to school together in the same car, but that seemed like such a bummer to be stuck here. There was this sense of urgency to Edward's tone when he was talking to Emmett and the way he was walking made it seem like he really wanted to get out of here, like he needed to. Maybe he was talking about Bella? Maybe he wanted to get asking her out over with or something. What else could he possibly mean?

I dismissed it, since I didn't exactly have much to go on, and sped out of the parking lot. I wanted to look into the Volvo as I drove by, but then I figured he'd be looking at the only car driving out of the parking lot and I wasn't sure how I'd handle it if we both locked eyes. I'd probably run into a telephone pole. I kept my eyes straight ahead and tried to focus on driving. It was only Edward, I need to pull myself together for tomorrow. I can't afford another day like today's. Everything would have been so incredibly perfect if it weren't for all of the distractions.

I pulled into my driveway with a sense of release. I couldn't wait to get inside, give Francis a hug and then hide out in my room for the rest of the night. I walked inside and threw my coat onto the rack with a smile on my face, an actual smile. I peaked around the corner into the living room where I thought Francis would be watching ESPN, but he wasn't there. The living room and kitchen were spotless. I leaned into the sink that was free of dirty dishes and was taken by surprise when I saw my own reflection in the bottom of the steal sink, sparkling. I rarely see the bottom of the sink, let alone see it sparkle. What on Earth happened here?

I creeped up the steps slowly, the scent of paint hitting me so strongly my nose wrinkled. I could hear Dolly Parton faintly, an artist Francis wouldn't be caught dead listening to. I coughed a bit and continued upstairs, wondering if maybe I stepped into the wrong house.

"Dad?" I hollered, expecting an unfamiliar voice to respond.

"Yeah, honey. We're in here!" Francis replied with a grunt, as if he were pushing something. Wait a minute, 'we'? The paint smell got stronger and my head started to hurt. I could see white sheets trailing out of my doorway and crept closer, wondering what the hell was going on.

I fumbled backward into the wall across from my doorway, my mouth gaping open in the horror that had taken over my room. My furniture was gone, all of it. Most importantly, my laptop was gone. The white sheet that peaked out into the hallway covered the floor of my room. But that wasn't all of it. Grace was there, in my bedroom, with Francis. There was a black radio in there, where the Dolly Parton was coming from and I just watched, appalled as she wriggled her hips to the music. But that wasn't even the worst of it. My walls, my beautiful and cherished lilac walls were gone, replaced by a repulsive pale yellow. The fact that my walls were now the color of pee wasn't even what angered me the most. It was the fact that they did this without my permission, that they just painted over a piece of my mother. I painted those walls with her, her hands brought that color to my room. It was a reminder that she was here once, that she existed and they just painted over it without a second thought.

"Wha – what did you...?" I couldn't even get the question out, I was angry and hurt and vengeful all at the same time.

"We wanted to surprise you, pumpkin."

"Don't you like it?" Grace asked. God, if I could just push her out the window...

My jaw clenched tight and my nostrils flared as I glared at Grace. Slowly, piece by piece she was trying to replace my mother. She could do whatever she wanted with Francis, but this was my territory and that bitch would not get away with this unscathed.

"You." I growled. "Get the hell out of my house." I said angrily, pointing towards the stairs. "GET OUT!"

I screamed, so hard that my throat burned. She dropped the roller in her hand and hurried out of my room and down the stairs to the coat rack. I turned my gaze to my father, shaking my head as the tears I was holding escaped my grasp. He simply huffed and then ran past me to go after Grace. My father chose his lover over me. Now I've seen it all. I didn't even bother stopping him or yelling profanities at Grace. It didn't even matter now. What's done is done.

I couldn't even step across the threshold and into my room. It was like a million hands were pushing me back, keeping me from inching any closer. I bent over, clutching my stomach as I sobbed. It was like it I had lost her all over again, like Grace was a cancer, spreading her poison slowly and inconspicuously until it's too late to do anything about it. I had nothing now. I had nowhere to go. The house that seemed so comfortable for two now felt crowded and small. I felt disoriented, walking to the stairs and back to my room numerous times, unsure of where to go. I fumbled down the stairs as quickly as I could, grabbed my coat and went to my car. Francis was gone, his Barracuda wasn't in the driveway anymore. He actually left me here to go after her.

I curled up in the backseat of my car and locked the doors. This was too much. I couldn't handle this, not now. It was all coming back, like it was October 2000 all over again. I let out an ironic laugh at the year she died, how the millennium was supposed to be the end of the world and how everyone laughs about it now because the world clearly hasn't ended. The irony is that the world did end that year; my world.

A/N: I actually got a little teary writing the conclusion of this chapter, it was a tough one to write through. I hope the emotion comes across, because her heart was just shredded when she saw the yellow walls, so I hope I pulled it off. Anywho, you know the drill, Review please! Next chapter is coming soon I hope. Have a good one :D

PS: I've unintentionally put songs to different parts of the story so if you're interested in it let me know and I'll send you a few. I'm not making a playlist, but whenever I go on my hunts for new sounds I always end up finding something that is so Annie or fits a situation in the story entirely and can't help but make a little note of it just for myself. So anyway, if you'd like some music to set the tone or something, let me know. Or if you have any suggestions of things I should listen to, feel free to recommend something because I'm always looking for new stuff. I personally like having a song to connect to a story, it just sets the mood and makes it so much more real I guess, so I thought you might like it too. Alright I'm done rambling now haha have a good weekend!