A/N: Well…. I'd like to thank you guys for putting up with my inconsistent updating. And the fact that I'm not that great of a writer. I saw a comment today about how someone thought my story was well written, and I almost cried. I was so happy. Yeah, its dumb to rely on comments like that, but… I'm not exactly the most socially active person. J Just a warning, this is a pretty sad chapter… But it has to happen… ~NeonWaffleSauce :D

Chapter 7

Leslie P.O.V

"Embry… I'm going to miss my flight if you don't let go." I whispered, crying silently. I'd requested that Embry be the only one at the airport with me when I left. I said goodbye to everyone that morning, except for Julia. I had a problem with holding grudges.

"Is it wrong that I wouldn't mind?" Embry replied, sighing heavily. I laughed through the tears, and smiled at him. Pulling the weathered note out of my pocket, I smoothed the edges before placing it in his hand.

"Wait until you get home to read it, please…" I begged, my hands shaking. I'd stayed up the night before trying to get the words just right. It was around 4:30 when I was finally satisfied with my phrasing.

"If that's what you want…" he murmured, burying his face in the sensitive skin near my neck and collarbone. I wrapped my arms around him, holding on for dear life. I'd never been one for romantics, but Embry turned me into a big pile of teenage-girl-mush.

"Last call for Detroit!" A woman's voice called over the intercom, and I gently pulled Embry off of me. Those mocha hugs he called eyes were spilling over, his bottom lip quivering. Leaning forward, I kissed him one last time, tenderly.

"I love you, Embry…" I whispered as I started to board, giving him a little wave. He waved back, and even though I couldn't hear the words, I read his lips.

"I love you too, Leslie… More than anything…" He stood there, his hands in his pockets. I was ushered onto the plain by a flight attendant, but not before I was able to toss in one last smile.

Embry P.O.V

I must've stood there for at least another 30 minutes. I was about to turn and head for my car when I heard a voice behind me.

"Come here, son." I spun around and saw an elderly man sitting by himself, a word search book in his lap.

"Yes sir?" I asked as I neared him. He gestured to the seat beside him, and I sat. This man must've been about 65, and I could take him if need be.

"You do realize you were standing there, staring, for almost half an hour, don't you son?" He inquired, raising a bushy eyebrow. I sighed and looked at the floor.

"Yes sir…" I said softly. He patted me on the back, and I looked at his face. He obviously was still an active old man, because he had a dark tan, and strong muscles. His face was weathered with wrinkles and sunspots. His eyes were hazel, and they held a trace of angst behind them.

"If there's anything I understand, its love." he began. "My wife died on her 24th birthday, only 3 years after we got married. She was the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my 70 years, and I miss her everyday. She was my everything, and when she stepped off of that curb, a colossal piece of me went with her. I was by her side until the second her heart stopped beating, and I refuse to let her go. I understand how you feel, son. You feel like things will never be the same without her. And they never really will, but you'll go on. Trust me." He smiled, tears in the corners of his eyes.

"Th-thank you, sir…" I said, my voice barely a whisper… I stood and had just made it to the car before I broke down. I cried silently, starting the ignition. The drive home was filled with some of Leslie's favorite songs on a mixed CD she left me, and more tears.

"Hey man…" Quil said when I got home. Everybody that had ever met Leslie, and knew how much she meant to me, was there. Jake, Quil, Ivy, Seth, Mr. Black, Mom, even Julia!

"Hey…" I muttered, tossing Jake his keys. He caught them, looking at me worriedly. Ivy walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She may've only been up to my chest, but she was strong. She held me in the hug while she cried, and I hugged her back. If anything, she was the only one who was even close to as affected as I was by Leslie leaving. Leslie was her best friend.

The only noise was the sound Ivy's sobs, as everyone stood in silence. When Ivy was finally cried out, my shirt was practically soaked through.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Embry!" She exclaimed when she saw the puddle. I just shook my head and smiled weakly at her.

"Its fine Ivy… I'm going to head back to the house… You ready Mom?" I asked. She nodded and headed to the car. I turned and nodded at my friends before following her. This was going to be a long year…

When you read this,

I pray you don't cry,

Because if you do,

I know so will I.

You have my heart,

For the rest of time,

It's all your's,

And I hope your's is mine.

I didn't want to leave,

I wanted to stay,

But even though I'm gone,

You'll hear me everyday.

Maybe not my voice,

But in other things.

Like the call of the gulls,

Or the beat of their wings.

I know I'll hear you,

In a city you've never seen,

When a random stranger,

Asks me how I've been.

Like you did,

When we first met,

I've loved you since then,

And you know the rest.

About how we shared,

Everything we could,

Together we've fought,

Together we've stood.

And I'll love you, Embry,

No matter the cost.

They can try to stop us,

But they've already lost.

I read the poem at least a hundred times that first night. By the end of the first week without her, the edges were frayed, and tearstains dotted the paper. Of course, I called her every single night, and tried to put on a brave voice, but I always managed to crack when she told me she loved me.

Leslie P.O.V

When school started up, I could've died. I didn't want to deal with the boys that went to my school. Before my hair grew out, I had chopped layers, with a fringe. Also known as the "emo hair". I wasn't emo, dammit. But, the guys in my school didn't see it that way. They screwed with me every chance they got. And I wasn't very well liked among the girls, either. Don't ask me why.

So when it was finally time to walk through those doors on the first day, I wasn't excited at all. I'd expected some rude comments, some shoving, and the occasional teacher intervention. I guess that's why I was so shocked when the same guys who'd made my life a living hell the year before, were suddenly hitting on me.

"Damn Reo, what happened to you!" One of them exclaimed, a perverted tone in his voice. I didn't have to look up to know who said it.

"I swear to god, Nick…" I snarled as I started to put in my combination to my locker. Before I knew it, his little group had surrounded me, so close I could smell their rancid breath. That made me long for Embry, with his own chocolaty peppermint breath.

"What do you swear, Leslie?" The way he said my name made me sick to my stomach. He was the most disgusting, foul, revolting thing I had ever laid eyes on.

"I swear," I snapped. "That if I don't kill you, my boyfriend sure as hell will." That caught his attention. I heard some "oohhhh!"-s from his friends, and I smirked internally.

"Boyfriend? Since when do you date?" Nick scoffed. I drew myself up to full height, which was easily eye to eye with him.

"Since I went on vacation this summer. He's great, you'd… well you probably wouldn't like him, considering you're a dick." I said, grinning evilly. At that time, I didn't realize what kind of hole I'd dug myself into.

"So, I take it he's coming up here for your birthday to visit you, right?" Crap. I couldn't tell him no! Then he'd think I'd been making the whole thing up, and I'd get taunted for the rest of my high school life.

"Of course he is… And my friends." Shit. Did I just really say that? God, I was as stupid as Quil!

"Good. I'd love to meet them." He whispered, and I shuddered involuntarily. It took all of my concentration not to vomit on his shoes. Nick winked at me before walking away, his friends following him like lost puppies. I flopped my head on my locker. What the fuck did I just do? There was no way in God's name my dad would let a teenage boy come stay in my apartment, much less his stupid friends, and Ivy!

"C'mon Dad! Ivy could stay in my room, and the guys could stay in the living room!" I pleaded, batting my eyelashes.

"That doesn't work for me Leslie, and you know it. I don't want that boy in my house. No matter what." He said, attempting to be "Macho Dad" again. He'd read one of the love letters Embry had written me, which mentioned quote, "How beautiful you looked under the moonlight, under my covers." unquote. He was seriously thinking of flying to Washington to murder Embry, until I threatened to move out. That caught his attention, and he settled for calling him and scaring him shitless.

"Dad, he'd have to pass your room and Ivy to even get close to me. And you know it. Now you're just being difficult." I battled, putting my hands on my hips, knowing how much that reminded him of my mother.

"Leslie," he sighed. "I understand that you miss them dearly, but, I don't think they should miss a whole week of school to come see you!" He was just throwing things off the top of his head.

"Dad! My birthday is right in the middle of spring break! It works out perfectly!" He looked around the room, obviously thinking of another excuse of why they couldn't come. That's when I brought out the big guns.

"Mom would've let them stay…" I whispered. He looked at me with so much pain in his eyes, I almost regretted saying it. Almost.

"Fine…" he breathed. "But if this Embry character so much as looks towards your room, I'm killing him."

"!" I yelled, tackling him onto the couch in a hug. No matter how "Macho Dad" he tried to be, I still loved him.

"You're serious? After that letter, he's going to let me come up there and stay with you?" Embry asked incredulously. I grinned into the phone.

"Yup! And Jake, Quil, and Ivy. And, because I'm the best daughter ever, he agreed to pay for the tickets. You guys are coming to New York!" I exclaimed, my face hurting from smiling so much.

"Whoa… You're really lucky to have such a cool dad…" He mumbled. I kind of felt bad, because Embry never knew his dad.

"Well your mom's a sweetheart… Tell her I said hi!" Looking around my room, I found the envelope with the 4 tickets in it. I scribbled Embry's address on the front.

"Yeah, she is. One sec-," I could tell he held the phone away from his mouth, but I could still hear him yell, "MOM! LESLIE SAYS HI!- She said hi. So, spring break in New York, huh? That sounds like fun." He might not have sounded extremely excited, but I knew he was.

"Leslie, dinner!" My dad called down the hall. I quickly told Embry goodbye, and that I loved him. He returned the sentiment, and I jogged into the kitchen and sat at a bar stool.

"So… Your friend Ivy called me today," he began. "And asked- begged is a better word for it- if she could bring someone along. Her only other friend, according to her. I like her, by the way. She seems like a sweet girl. So, I agreed. She's bringing her friend, Seth. I talked to him, too. He's alright. I already like him better than Embry."

I choked on my spaghetti, coughing so hard a piece of beef went flying across the room. Seth? Seth Clearwater? He was actually decently cute! I was so proud of Ivy, I could've cried.

"Dad, can I go call her really quick? This is really important." He nodded absentmindedly, and I sprinted to my room for my cell phone. Punching in her number, I frantically tried to process the situation. Ivy never mentioned Seth to me… But she did talk about Jacob. I was coming to an upsetting conclusion when she finally answered the phone.

"Yes, whore?" She asked bluntly. I could hear people in the background, boys at that. This was getting more and more interesting.

"SETH CLEARWATER?" I boomed into the phone, and I heard the background go silent. "WHAT THE FREAK, IVY? WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED OF THIS?"

"Shut up," she whispered into the phone. "I… we… eh…. Erm…. I'm glad we're going to be seeing you soon?" That was her answer? I was going to kill her when she got off of that plane.

"Me too you crazy freak. When you get here, you're going to have to give me a better explanation than that. Oh, Ivy, the building's on fire, I'll talk to you later." I hit the end button, ignoring her protests, and walked back into the kitchen.

"So… Are you excited?" My dad asked, shoveling in a forkful of spaghetti. I just shrugged, and sat back down. In reality, my stomach was doing backflips. There was only 2 weeks left until spring break, only 2 weeks that separated me from my two favorite things. My friends from La Push, and seeing Nick Mallory eat his words.

A/N: Soo… I hope you guys liked that sad, sad chapter… I promise that some SethXLeslie stuff will be coming up in the next couple of chapters… It just takes a little bit of time. I mean, this started in the summer before Bella moved to Forks, so there's still a bit of ground to cover… But I'll get it, trust me! If you want to read this story from mainly Ivy's point of view, check out my friend Pastelpancakesauce, her story is AWESOME chiz… She doesn't update a lot, but I've been beating her up daily so she's gonna try to be more regular… Uh, sounds like my period. XD Just keeding! ~NeonWaffleSauce :D