Chapter 7: Excuse Me?

Denali, Alaska, 2004 (Bella is 17, but still 15 physically)

"Are you serious?!" I yelped into the phone. It was a year since I had seen the Cullens last, and I really missed them. I talked to Edward everyday and Alice almost once a week, but it wasn't the same. I missed star gazing with Edward when they came up over their summer break.

I was talking to Edward on the phone, lying in the clearing where I always went at night. Edward was re-telling a story about how that day, a girl tried to ask him out…again.

Edward, on the other end, chuckled.

"Yes, I am! That is exactly what she did!" He laughed.

"Oh my, gosh… That girl is too much…" I giggled.

"No, and that's not the best part…" He continued on, "Then, after I stood there, dumbfounded at her question, how she worded it was very awkward, she said I could drive her new Mercedes if I went out with her!" I roared with laughter, "Honestly, Bella, if you saw her face when I told her that I have an Aston Martin at home… It was hilarious!!"

Talking to Edward was the best part of my day.

Edward was the best part of my day… He listened, and got what I was talking about… He was there for me when I was sad and happy with me when I finally overcame the nasty human pungent ness.

Edward was my rock. And the sad thing was I hardly ever got to see him…

Night was our time. We would spend all of it talking about or favourite things or whatever else came to us. One time, we had a complete conversation about oranges. I know, sounds lame and impossible, but we pulled it off.

What I liked to heard about was Edward's life at school. School, now, was starting to sound more appealing to me.

Because I was slightly bored. My life quite monotone most of the time.

I did most of the same things everyday. It was a nice comforting routine when I was first getting the hang of this new life, but now I was getting bored.

Weird as it was to admit it, I wanted a boyfriend. Or at least something. Friends my own age who I could go hang out with without getting weird looks from the other kids around the mall or museum or where ever I was.

And, well, no one really like to go out much to places I wanted to go to around here.

Pastry conventions, clubbing, Russian operas, ballets….

Sorry, but it wasn't really my thing… Well, it wasn't when I was the third or 5th wheel….

It was around June when I started to realise these things.

Around the last time Edward visited.

The time I came to a conclusion about my Stupid Boy.

I loved him.

That wasn't really that good… Considering he was my best friend… And that he was completely unobtainable…

Edward was Edward. Which means he was perfect in every way, shape and form. He could read Latin, went to medical, twice I think the last count was, and he could play the piano.

Yes, that's right. The piano.

He even wrote his own music!!!!!!!

How in the heck was I supposed to live up to that?! To make him fall in love with me?

The answer is no way. And besides… He doesn't even like me like that, as I have already made a valid point. I am Edward's little sister, turning more into his best friend. There is no way that he could even fathom that he likes me.

Sigh….. That's what I get with becoming friends with guys and then falling head over heals for them…

"Bella? Bella? Are you even listening?" Edward's voice called to me over the small piece of plastic in my hand.

"Sorry, Edward…" I said guiltily, snapping out of my musing, "I zoned out…"

"Really…" His amused voice called out, "I would have never guessed…" He added, dryly.

"Well, I would have you know—"

"Isabella!" Carmen called to me. I shot up. It was night… Usually she and Eleazar were acting like rabbits at the setting of the sun… This was odd. I looked down at my watch.

2:47 am.

No… I didn't lose track of time… What was going on?

"One, sec, Edward…" I said, then covered the mouthpiece, "What's up, Carmen? Did something happen?!" I asked frantically.

"No, no… Can you just come back to the house…? We have something to discuss with you…" Carmen called, then turned around gracefully and flitted back to the house.

"I… a… I have to go…" I said amazedly to Edward. Something was defiantly up with them…

"Wow… Carmen and Eleazar actually stopped for 10 minutes to talk to you?"

"I know, mark the calendar!!" I smiled.

"OK, so talk to you later, right?"

"Yup, this shouldn't take long…" I hung up then, and ran back to the house where everyone was sitting in the living room. Odd…

"Hello, Bella…" Irina said kindly, patting the seat next to her. I sat down, and she started to play with my hair in a motherly sort of way. It was soothing… I had a feeling I would need soothing for this conversation…

"We have something we would like to discuss with you…" Eleazar said carefully. They all exchanged worried looks. I do not like where this is going…

"Ok, ah…shoot," I said, trying to break the scary cautiousness of the conversation.

"Dear, we think you should go stay with the Cullens," Kate blurted out. My mouth fell open.

"Excuse me?!" I exclaimed.

Carmen had taught me my manners well. She insisted that no '21st rude "slang"' was going to infiltrate my vocabulary. "Vulgar words like that over used 'what' and 'sorry,' You shall use proper grammar…" Carmen had said. Carmen had impeccable manners… Like Irina, who had enforced them.

They were like my mothers.

Tanya and Kate; my older sisters.

Eleazar; my brother.

All of them; my family.

And now they were asking me to leave.

I felt the hurt and betrayal seeping up through my being. Why would my family ask me to leave? Was I intruding on them? What did I do wrong?!

OK, maybe I have slight abandonment issues after waking up alone all those months ago, but hell, I had a REASON.

I thought I had finally found my place, and now I was being asked to leave.

A slap in the face when expecting a kiss.

Yes, it might be nice to get to hang out with other kids my age, and it would be nice to see Edward again, but I wasn't planning on giving up my family for that!

"Sweetie…" Irina started to say, as I ripped myself away from her, and started to race up the stairs to my room, "We didn't mean it like that,"

I stopped, and slowly turned around, trying to keep the hurt and betrayal off of my face.

"I get it…" I looked down at my feet, "I'm sorry I intruded… If you felt this way, you should have told me sooner… I would have left. I'll go pack my stuff," I turned towards the stairs and ran up to my room, trying to close the door as quietly as I could so I may sob in peace.

I was in my room, sitting on my bed, when I realized that I should be packing. I sadly opened my closet, and started to pull down my clothes.

My bedroom door opened, and Kate stepped in.

Of course, they would send Kate in.

Kate and I were as close to being sisters as people could get. She was the one who could calm me down or guilt trip me into doing something.

"Bella, Jelly-Belly, We didn't mean it like that…" I gave her no response, "We just thought it would be better for you… You know, you would be with kids your own age, you would get to go to school, maybe, to get a few university degrees…" She chuckled nervously a little at that.

"And we thought you liked the Cullens… You got along so well with them all the times that they've come down here… We just assumed…" I still said nothing, but was trying to stay calm.

"Oh, Bella, please say something…" Kate said, sounding on the verge of non-existent tears.

"I guess…" I said, slowly turning around.

"What? What can we do to fix this?" Kate said, sounding hopeful.

"I could go down to stay with them, if that's what you think is best…" I said slowly, feeling on the verge of tears I knew, painfully, that would never come.

I broke down.

"But…please… Don't make me stay there forever!" I cried, running to Kate and hugging her fiercely, "Please," I said, starting to dry sob, "I don't want to leave you guys for longer… You're my family, the only family I have!! The only family I've ever known!!" I cried.

"Of course we would never make you do something you wouldn't want to do, sweetheart!" Kate said, pulling me towards her closer, "If you want to go, then you can go… But only for a year… I don't thing I could handle longer than that… I can't lose my little sister, after all…" I laughed at that.

And with that, a few days later, I was on my way to Forks, Washington. To go live with the Cullens. And to go to….high school…..

There, there, chapters in 2 days… Tsk Tsk, we are getting greedy… But I don't care! As long as there is not death threats to update, I'm totally cool!!! Aha… And look, theres gonna be a little problem in Forks… Any guesses, hmmm??

Xxoo

--Smurf