Authors Notes:

Thanks, as always, to my amazingly wonderful beta, xrxdanixrx. She makes this story so much better!

To my awesome Twilighted validation beta, SunKing. She rocks in a major way! She's also hosting a contest right now. It's the Love Lost contest and there are some really amazing o/s's on there. You should check it out. www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/u/2458839/

Thanks to my awesome pre-readers, Holly_1980 and bella c'ella luna. I heart you both big bunches for all of your great advice and feedback.

I don't own Twilight or its characters. I'd be sitting on a beach drinking margaritas and relaxing if I did. You know, cause I'd be rich! Lol.

Chapter 10 (Broken)

Edward held me in his arms all night and I felt safe and warm. Everything seemed right with the world and I'd never been so happy, but it all changed. It was as if my whole world had shifted on its axis. Maybe I should have seen it coming. Maybe I chose to ignore the signs. Looking back, I'm sure they were there, but I was in love. At least… I thought it was love.

~xxx~

"Bella. Bella, baby, you need to wake up."

"Mmmm… So comfortable and warm." I smiled and buried my face further into his pillow. It still smelled like him, and it was heaven. It felt like a dream and I didn't want to wake up.

"I know, but sweetheart, you have to get dressed. Alice and Rose are going to be up soon. You need to go back downstairs."

I bolted upright, realizing that I was, in fact, in Edward's bed… naked. "Shit! I totally forgot. Where are my clothes?" I asked, wrapping his sheet tightly around my body.

"They're all right here," he said as he handed them to me, all neatly folded.

My brow furrowed. "Did you fold them?" I asked, looking at him with a smiling, yet confused, face.

"Yeah, earlier." He shrugged. "So they would be ready for you when you got up."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Uhh, I never really went to sleep," he said.

"What? Why?" I was perplexed. Hadn't he been in the bed with me all night?

"Just had a lot on my mind. Plus, you talk in your sleep." He smirked. "I was just lying on the bed listening to you and watching you sleep."

"Oh, God! What was I talking about? That's so embarrassing." I blushed feverously, hiding my face in my hands.

"My lips are sealed," he teased.

"Edward! Please. You'd tell me if I said anything bad, wouldn't you?"

"You didn't say anything bad, beautiful. You're very cute when you're asleep. You looked peaceful… and happy."

"Ugh. I can't believe you." I sighed. "I'll get it out of you eventually. You do know that, right? And I am happy."

"Good. That was the idea," he said, running the backs of his fingers down my cheek.

I stood from the bed and carefully wrapped my arms around his neck, not wanting the sheet to fall. One hand slid up into his hair and gently scratched the back of his head as my eyes locked with his. Moving closer, I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a soft, chaste kiss.

"Thank you for last night," I said against his lips. "It was amazing. You're amazing. I can't wait to return the favor." I felt him smile and I kissed him again. "Now, get out of here so I can get dressed."

"Aww, come on! Why do I have to leave?" He pouted. "Haven't I already seen all there is to see?" he asked, pulling on the sheet that I was now desperately clinging to. I felt my face turning even redder as I stood in front of him.

"Yes, but that was last night. And it was dark. And I haven't gotten to see you. So, unless you plan on stripping down and showing me your goods right this moment, you need to get out," I ordered, turning him and pushing him toward the door.

"Fine, fine. I'll go," he said, laughing. "But hurry up."

Edward left and I quickly dressed. I hoped that Alice and Rose were still sleeping or that they wouldn't be pissed at me if they were awake and found out that I had slept in Edward's bed.

I took a quick survey of his room to make sure I hadn't left anything behind, and noticed a picture of us on his bedside table. It was the first picture we had taken together. We stood in front of the waterfall by the primate house, and it was from our first date, at the zoo. The memory of the day made me smile, but the fact that he had a picture of us by his bed made me ecstatic. I was definitely ready to start my day.

When I got downstairs, Rose and Alice were still asleep, and since I didn't want to wake them, I thought it would be nice for me to make breakfast. I went into the kitchen to take inventory and Edward was talking on the phone. As soon as I entered, he immediately became rigid and seemed to be talking in code, only giving yes and no answers. I tried not to listen in, but I wanted to know who he was talking to, as well.

I pulled out the ingredients to make pancakes, bacon, and eggs and started getting everything ready while Edward ended his call. Once off the phone, he came up behind me, placing his hands on my hips, and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Making me breakfast, are you?" he asked. "I'll let you sleep in my bed every night if it means you'll cook me more delicious food."

"I'd love nothing more than waking up next to you every day, and I love cooking for you, but we both know that our parents would have a problem with that arrangement."

"Fuck our parents," he said surprisingly, and pulled me tight against him. "Besides, I think I deserve it, don't you? I worked up quite an appetite last night," he whispered seductively in my ear, and then placed little kisses all up and down my neck.

"Hmm," I hummed. "You were very… thorough." I grinned. "But, I don't think I'll be moving in anytime soon."

"Well, I'm glad you think I was thorough. I aim to please." He continued with open mouth kisses on my neck and shoulder as his hands ran beneath the hem of my tank and made circles on my stomach.

"You know, that's very distracting," I told him, moving my head to the side to grant him better access. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to divert my attention. I'm not going to be able to focus on cooking if you keep that up, and I thought we were trying to be discreet."

"Oh, I'm being discreet, beautiful. Trust me," he assured. "But I'll leave you to it. I need to take a shower and get ready, anyway."

"Ready?" I asked. "What for?"

"I'm going out in a little but," he offered vaguely.

"Oh. Anywhere specific?"

"Nope. Just gonna hang out with the guys. Summer is almost over so we're gonna live it up while we can."

"So, I guess I won't see you later, then?"

"We're gonna have breakfast together. You'll be seeing me."

I sighed. "That's not what I meant."

"I do still have friends, Bella. I can't spend all of my time with you."

"Umm, hello attitude. I don't know what just brought that on, but I've never asked or expected you to spend all of your time with me," I replied snidely. "I was just asking a question. I'm sorry if your girlfriend wants to know what your plans are for the day."

"Yes, but I can see that there's more to the question. It's written all over your face."

"It was just a question, Edward. That's all." Frustrated, I turned my back to him and continued getting breakfast together. What the hell? He seriously has some nerve. I don't even know what to think or feel anymore. Just keep it together, Bella. Just take deep breaths and keep it together.

"Okay, well, I'll be back down in a bit, then." He turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me a bundle of different emotions; confusion, hurt, anger, annoyance, curiosity and insecurity, once again.

Yes, I was disappointed that he was going out and wouldn't be spending the day with me, but I never would have made an issue of it, and I didn't understand why he was so defensive. We had just had an incredible night together and he was so sweet and attentive, then he did a complete one-eighty and it was confusing as hell. His moods were like night and day and I was having trouble keeping up.

~xxx~

Alice and Rose woke up to the smell of bacon and came into the kitchen to investigate.

"Belly Bean, you're making breakfast?" Alice asked excitedly, bouncing up and down as she clapped.

"Yeah, I hope that's okay. Edward didn't seem to mind."

"Hell yeah, it's okay. Thank you! Where is my darling brother, by the way? I can't believe he's actually awake."

"Yeah, we've been up for a little while."

"We?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, umm… he got up first and then he woke me up a little while after," I explained truthfully, conveniently leaving out the rest of the details.

"Interesting," she replied skeptically.

"What? He wanted to tell me good morning and talk a little before he goes out."

"He's going out?" Alice asked. "With who?"

"I don't know. The guys? He didn't really elaborate."

"Huh," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned on the counter.

"Well, breakfast smells delicious, Bella. I can't wait to dig in," Rosalie stated, changing the subject.

"Yeah, me either," said my favorite voice from the other side of the kitchen. I was still really annoyed with him, but couldn't help wanting him near me, either. "Good morning, ladies. Everyone sleep well?"

"Like a rock," Alice replied.

"Pretty good," Rosalie answered. "Alice snores, though."

"Do not!" she exclaimed.

"Do, too," Rosalie retorted.

"And you, Bella? How did you sleep?" Edward smirked as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

Alice and Rose both turned to me and I blushed. Dammit, why does he have to have this affect on me? "Like a baby. It's probably the best sleep I've had in a while."

"Ha! You see, I must not snore that badly. Bella slept well," Alice said pointedly at Rose.

"Uh huh, whatever you say, Alice. I think Bella would have slept well regardless." She gave me a sly look that said she was on to us.

"Alright, breakfast is ready. Everyone help yourselves," I encouraged, grabbing a stack of plates and utensils.

We each made our plates and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. The conversation was sparse until Alice began talking.

"What's the plan for the day?" she asked.

"I don't know. Pool?" Rose suggested.

"Yeah, I could work on my tan some more. Only two weeks until school starts and I leave for Europe in a couple days."

"What? Europe? When did that come about? Who are you going with?" I asked, slightly panicked that Edward was leaving for the rest of the summer and hadn't mentioned it.

"It's kind of a last minute thing. Our aunt and uncle are going and they were going to take our cousins, but Samantha had to take a summer class and Ashley just had a baby. So, my mom and I are gonna take their tickets. I can't believe I forgot to tell you guys."

"You lucky bitch! Where all are you going? I've been asking my parents for a trip to Europe for like… ever," Rose said.

"It's just a ten day trip. We're going to London and Paris for sure. Don't know what else they have planned yet. I just know that I plan to do a lot of shopping."

"Why aren't you going, Edward?" Rose asked, looking at me and then back at him.

"I don't know. I guess I just have better things to do." He smiled over at me and winked.

Just then, a horn honked outside.

"Well, that's my ride," Edward stated, sliding his chair back and picking up his plate.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked him.

"Out" was all he offered in reply.

Not sure if I should get up, I watched him as he took his dishes to the sink.

"Bella, are you coming to walk me out?" he called to me.

The girls eyed me as I got up. "I'll be right back," I told them, making my way to Edward at the front door.

Timidly, I stood in front of him. I hated not knowing how to act, but I'd already been on a roller coaster of emotion that morning and I didn't know what to do. I was still really irritated with how he left things in the kitchen earlier, but didn't want to fight with him. Sensing my unease, Edward pulled me to him.

"Don't stand there like you're afraid of me, doll. Come here," he whispered. He wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged me to his chest. "I'm sorry for being shitty with you earlier. I'm just a little on edge. You forgive me, right?"

Happy that he had apologized, I shook my head yes as I buried my face in his chest. He smelled clean and sweet - a combination of soap and vanilla - and I didn't want to let him go, but it wasn't my choice.

He kissed the top of my head before bringing his hands up to cup my cheeks. He ran the pads of his thumbs over my cheeks while looking in my eyes.

"I'll call you later, angel. Be good."

"You, too," I replied quietly.

He gently brought his lips to mine and let them linger, softly and languidly. "I'll try. I'll see ya."

Then, he let me go and he went outside. I couldn't help but notice who waited for him in the car at the curb… Royce.

~xxx~

Over the next few days, I talked to Edward on the phone here and there and Alice left for Europe. Summer was quickly ending and while it was eventful, it wasn't exactly the way I had envisioned it going.

Since Edward was off spending his time with his friends and Alice was gone, it left me with lots of time to hang out with Rose. Her house was infinitely better than mine, so we hung out there. We swam, worked on our tans, watched movies, and talked.

Lying out by the pool one afternoon, Rose asked, "So, what's up with you and Edward? Why haven't you been spending time with him? You can, ya know? You don't have to feel obligated to keep me company."

"No, that's not it." I shrugged, biting my bottom lip. "I love hanging out with you. Besides, I don't know what's going on with him… with us."

"Uh oh, what happened? I thought things were going well with you guys. They seemed to be that last night we slept over at their house, at least. Alice may be oblivious, but you stayed in his room that night, didn't you?" She smirked.

"You knew that?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Umm, hello! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that shit out. There were no parents present, you guys were all over each other on the couch, you're both young, horny teenagers, you weren't kept awake all night with Alice's snoring, and you were both up way too early. You tell me how I figured it out." She laughed. "Plus, I would have done the same thing."

"You would have? I was worried you would be pissed."

"I can't speak for Alice, but why would I get pissed? I get it. He's your boyfriend and he's a hot, popular guy. Why wouldn't you want to sleep with him?"

"It has nothing to do with him being hot and popular. Okay, well not the popular part." I blushed. "He can be really sweet to me. It's just that, lately, he's been weird. It's like, one minute he's really great and attentive and things are going so well, and the next, he's angry or distant. It's really starting to make my head spin. I don't know what to do."

"So, you guys did sleep together, then? How was it? It was your first time, right?"

I put my head down and sighed.

"That bad," she asked. "Wow, I would never have imagined that."

"What? No! He was amazing. I mean, we didn't sleep together, er, umm, have sex… exactly."

"You've lost me, Bella. I thought you said that you did."

"No, technically we slept together, but we didn't have sex. Well, not the kind with penetration, at least." My face was a bright shade of crimson by this point.

"What are you saying? Oral?" she asked, eyes now as big as saucers.

I shook my head yes.

"On who, him, you, or both?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me, grinning.

"Me," I replied, looking up at her through my lashes.

"Wait, he went down on you and you didn't do it back?"

"No, he wouldn't let me, but believe me, I wanted to. He said the night was about me."

"Oh. My. God. I can't believe you kept this from me. Alice, I can understand, but me? Girl, you better dish. How was it? Did he make you come?" she asked, quirking her eyebrow, again, suggestively.

"Rose!" I exclaimed, embarrassed and hiding my face in my hands.

"What? It's not a big deal. It's a natural thing. I bet he's good at it if he's anything like Royce."

I froze. "What did you just say?"

"That I bet he's good at it. He was, wasn't he?" She smirked.

"No, not that part. The part about Royce. You guys slept together?"

"No, but we messed around a good bit. He was very talented in that area."

"Fuck!" I shook my head.

"What? What did I say? Was he not as gifted?"

"No, that's not it at all. He very talented," I said, still shaking my head in disbelief and biting my lip.

"Well, what is it, then? I would think you would be happy about that."

"It's nothing; just a misunderstanding."

"Spill it," she demanded.

"It's just that I thought you were, you know? Inexperienced, like me."

"A virgin?" She laughed with a loud, hearty laugh.

"Why is that funny?" I asked, annoyed.

"I don't know. It just is. I mean, I'm not a skank, but I'm not a virgin, either."

"When did you do it?"

"A couple of years ago, when I was fifteen, with some guy I thought I was in love with. He broke my heart, of course, but at least I got it over with."

"So, it wasn't a big deal? He didn't do some elaborate, romantic thing?"

"Ha! Are you serious? He was fifteen, too, and horny. He could have cared less about romance. I doubt he even knows what it is. No, it was one afternoon after school. We did it in my room, before my parents got home."

"And?"

"And, it was over pretty fast. I didn't really get much out of it."

"That's horrible."

"That's typical, B, so get used to the idea. Your first time probably won't be that great, either. A woman is more likely to give herself an orgasm than she is from having sex with a guy."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I already had one."

"So, he is skilled in that area." She grinned. "Congratulations, girl. Looks like you picked a good one to start out with. Just don't think that all guys are going to be that way, because they aren't.

Wondering how she knew so much, I asked, "How many people have you been with?"

"Just a few," she replied.

"And Royce?"

"Royce is an asshole. I probably would have slept with him if things had gone differently, but we both know how that turned out."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be. He's not the only guy in the world. I expect that I'll have to kiss a lot of frogs before I find my prince."

~xxx~

I went home that evening and had a lot to think about. Rose wasn't as innocent as I'd made her out to be in my head. She definitely wasn't a slut, and didn't deserve the rumors Royce started, but he wasn't the complete liar I thought he was, either. It was all very confusing and I wanted to talk to Edward.

The next morning, I called him. His dad said that he was still sleeping, so I left a message. When I didn't hear back from him, I decided to go by his house. His car was in the driveway, so I knew he was home.

I knocked on the door and no one answered. Thinking that maybe he didn't hear me, I knocked harder - still nothing. So, I went around the side of the house to the glass sliding doors off of the kitchen. They were open.

"Edward?" I called out as I entered. I felt kind of uneasy since he hadn't invited me in, but the doors were left open. Anyone could have gone inside. "Edward, are you home?"

I could hear music coming from his room, so I decided to go upstairs. There were also muffled voices and laughter. He wasn't alone.

"Shit," I muttered to myself. I didn't know whether to turn around and leave or continue to see what was up. I stood at the top of the stairs for a minute, trying to decide, when Edward came rushing out and saw me.

"Bella?" He looked confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I came over to see you. I called you earlier. I talked to your dad."

"Oh yeah, he said you called. Sorry," he replied dismissively. "How did you get inside?" He looked nervous.

"Umm, I knocked, but I guess you didn't hear me. I went around to the side door and it was open."

"Fuckin' Royce's dumb ass," he mumbled.

"I was calling for you. I don't mean to just barge in. Is now a bad time?"

"Yeah, sort of. I mean, it's great to see you, but I'm hanging out with some friends right now."

"Really, with who?" I asked. "Are you getting fucked up?" I glared at him. "It seems that getting high is your new favorite past time these days."

"It's not like that. It's just a way to relax and hang out. What's the problem?"

"You know what the problem is with it. For one, it's illegal. And two, I can't be around it," I said, exasperated. "And, you've been hanging out with friends the past week and half. When are you not hanging out with them? Do I need to schedule an appointment to spend time with my boyfriend now?"

"Don't be ridiculous. We hang out."

"Do we? Because the last time I really spent with you was at your house before Alice left. We had an amazing night and I thought that things were finally going to settle down between us and be great again. So, why am I still unsure and freaking out? What's going on?" I asked, raising my voice.

"Nothing is going on. There's no need to get loud. Let's go downstairs," he said, ushering me the other way.

"Why does it feel like you're avoiding me, then?"

"I'm not avoiding you."

"Then, why haven't I seen you? Why didn't you call me back earlier? Summer is almost over and I thought we would spend some time together. I miss you."

"We will. I've just been busy."

"Busy. Always with the busy. Fine. Whatever. I seriously don't know why I bother." I turned to walk away and he grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, that I'm tired of being in a one sided relationship. I'm tired of feeling like I don't matter to you. I get that you have friends, Edward. So do I. But I still make time for you. And to think I came over here to apologize."

"Apologize? What for?"

"It doesn't even matter now," I replied, turning to leave.

"It does matter. Hold on. Baby, what's wrong?"

"I wanted to tell you that I talked to Rose earlier and I guess I haven't exactly been fair about Royce. I still think he was wrong for the way he handled everything with Rose, and he shouldn't have opened his mouth, but their relationship wasn't as innocent as I thought," I said, frustrated.

"Oh, sweetheart, come here," he whispered, putting his hand on the back of my head and pulling me to his chest. He kissed the top of it, nuzzling in my hair for a minute as he hugged me. "I don't want to fight, okay?"

"Neither do I," I told him. I was really irked and riddled with insecurity. I wanted to be an understanding girlfriend and not freak out, but my patience was wearing thin and I was becoming resentful of the relationship he had with his friends. Why didn't he want that connection with me?

"Let me get these guys out of my house and you can come over later. We'll go out and do something. Sound good?"

"Yeah, do you want to call me?"

"No, just come back over later this evening. We'll grab dinner and go to a movie or something."

"Alright. Is six o'clock good?" I asked.

"Yeah, baby. Whenever."

He walked me back out to my car and placed a soft, slow kiss on my lips before closing me inside. I drove back to my house and killed time by catching up on some laundry and picking up my room. It was around four when I was about to start getting ready and my dad came home. It was a good hour earlier than he usually got in, but didn't think anything of it until he came inside.

"Bella, are you upstairs?" my dad called out when he came in.

"Yeah, I'll be right down," I replied back.

As I descended the stairs, I knew something was up. My dad had a strange look on his face. I couldn't tell if he was angry, upset, or worried. It actually appeared to be a combination of the three.

"Hey, Dad, what's up?" I asked, smiling up at him.

"We need to sit down," he said, ushering me to the living room.

"Okay? What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"I'm not going to beat around the bush about it because, quite frankly, there's no sugar coating this. Edward was arrested today."

"WHAT? What happened? What do you mean he was arrested? For what?" I was panicked.

He was driving a friend home and was pulled over for failing to signal at a stop sign. When the officer pulled them over, he said that he could smell marijuana. He made them get out and did a search of the car and found a baggie of it in his center console."

"God, he's so stupid!" I said, exasperated.

"Bella, do you know anything about this? Does he do this kind of thing around you? Are you doing it?"

"What? No Dad, I swear! I would never do that. Edward is a good kid. I don't know what's going on with him. Who was with him in the car? Was it Royce?"

"Yes, I believe it was. Are you friends with him?"

"No, not really. Rose dated him for a while, but he said some pretty crappy stuff about her and they broke up. I recently thought that it may have been a misunderstanding of sorts. You know, two sides to every story, and all? But, I guess my initial opinion of him was right because I'm pretty sure he is a major factor in why this happened. I don't like Edward hanging out with him. No one does, really, but he doesn't see it."

"Well, I don't think it's going to be an issue from here on out," my dad assured me.

"Why is that?"

"Because when Carlisle picked Edward up earlier, he was not happy. He told Edward that things were going to change, and in a major way. The first thing was that he could say goodbye to the majority of his friends."

"I'll bet that didn't go over too well. Edward is really close with them."

"I don't think he has much of a choice in the matter."

"So, what's going to happen now?"

"Well, they're minors, and it was a first offense, so they'll probably have to do some community service, but I think they'll be paying a lot more heavily at home. Neither one of their fathers were pleased."

"I can imagine. Edward knows better. Can I go see him? We were supposed to go out tonight. I know that he's probably grounded, but I need to talk to him. I need to find out what's going on."

"I don't think that's a good idea. I think you should be staying away from Edward for a while."

"Dad, no! Please! I'm sure his dad will be there. You know Dr. Cullen. Do you really think he would allow anything to happen? I need to see him. Don't you think he could use some positive reinforcement right about now? Please?" I begged him, batting my eyelashes.

My dad stewed over it for a few minutes and finally, though unhappily, agreed.

"Fine, but I want you back here within an hour. You can go over and talk to him, but you're not staying. Understood?" he clarified.

"Understood. Thanks, daddy!"

~xxx~

I went to Edward's and knocked on the door. Dr. Cullen answered, of course.

"Isabella, hi," he greeted.

"Hi, Dr. Cullen. Would it be possible to talk to Edward for a few minutes? We were supposed to go out tonight, but my dad told me about what happened. I'm really sorry."

"You have no reason to apologize, dear. Edward is a big boy and is responsible for his own actions. I know that you didn't have anything to do with this."

"I know, but I still feel bad."

"Don't feel bad. Hopefully this will be a learning experience for Edward. Time will tell. You may speak with him for a few minutes. Come inside and I'll get him.

I went in and waited for Edward in the family room while his father went upstairs to tell him I was there. When he came down, he looked a mess. He was walking slowly with his head hanging down and his hands in his pocket. His eyes were red and swollen and it looked like he had been crying, though he'd never admit to it.

"Hey," he said meekly.

"Hi, I replied, waiting to see what he would say.

"So, I guess you heard what happened?" he asked.

I wanted to hug him and tell him that it would be alright and that it was just a mistake, but my emotions got the better of me and I went off on him.

"God, Edward, how could you be so stupid? Seriously? Driving around with weed in your car? Have you lost your mind? I know that you're smarter than that. Do you know what would have happened if I'd been in the car with you? My father would have killed us both. Why would you do that? I thought you said it was a once in a while thing and that you didn't carry it around with you. It seems that you've been doing it more and more, and with Royce, no doubt. Don't you see that he's causing everyone more problems than good?"

"Yeah, well he's leaving now so that should make you happy," he said sadly.

"Leaving? What do you mean he's leaving?" I asked.

Shuffling his feet with his head still hanging, he answered, "I mean, he's going to live with his mom in New York. His dad kicked him out for good. Said he's not welcome at his house anymore and that he's been nothing but trouble. He's leaving today."

"Maybe that's a good thing. He's obviously got some issues to handle and you could do without the negative influence."

He lifted his head and looked at me for the first time since he'd entered the room and it was a cold, blank stare, not the warm, green eyes I was accustomed to. "Are you fucking kidding me? And what, you're a positive one? The goody two-shoes act is wearing thin on me, Bella."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what that means."

"No, I'm pretty sure I don't, Edward. Why don't you enlighten me? Are you saying I'm a negative influence for you?"

"Let's just say that if I didn't know any better, I might not think you're as sweet and innocent as you portray yourself to be."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I mean, does your dear, sweet father know that you've been trying to get me to fuck you for months?" he seethed. "You put on this act that you're so good and that you follow all the rules, yet you're constantly throwing yourself at me. I bet he wouldn't approve of that, though."

"Wow, really? It comes down to that. I've only ever had the best of intentions for you, Edward. I've only ever wanted you to be happy and I've tried to be understanding and supportive, even when I didn't always agree with the situation, but that right there speaks volumes."

"What, does the truth hurt?" His eyes were narrowed at me and filled with anger.

"Yeah, I guess it does, Edward. I guess you're right. I have been throwing myself at you. Pretty pathetic to want to take things to the next level with a person that I thought cared about me. I guess I'm an idiot for thinking that. While we're on the subject, though, what's wrong with you? I've heard all this stuff about the infamous Edward Cullen and his conquests. If it was just fucking, why didn't you just do it then, Edward? Most guys would have jumped at the chance to fuck a virgin, especially one that was willing. But I think you're afraid; afraid that if we did do it, it wouldn't be fucking at all. It would be more than that, and that scares the hell out of you. I think you're afraid to let me in, afraid that you might actually let someone see the real Edward and that they won't like what they see. Well, you know what? I don't like what I see right now. I thought you were better than this. You need to figure out what you want and stop blaming everyone else for your fuck ups and insecurities."

"Bella, wait…" He grabbed my arm, trying to pull me back.

"No, Edward! Don't touch me!" I yanked my arm back, glaring at him. "I'm tired of the fucking drama and all the ups and downs. I can't do it anymore. Figure your shit out and talk to me when you do. I'm going home."

I got in my car and sped home. My hands were shaking and I could feel the tears that were about to spill. I needed to get to my house, and in my room, before they did because I didn't know if or when I would be able to stop once they started.

Once I arrived, I ran inside and up the stairs to my room, slamming my door and avoiding my parents. I threw myself on my bed and sobbed, sobbed like I'd never cried before. How could he say that stuff to me? We'd had arguments before, but never like that. We never said things that we knew would intentionally hurt the other and leave them at that. We always made up. I already regretted calling him out on his shit and leaving, but he couldn't talk to me that way. I had to make a point and let him know it wasn't okay. I knew that I would have to apologize to him, but so would he. I decided that I would wait for him to call me. I eventually fell asleep, praying that the next day would be better.

The next day came and went. It was not better. In fact, the rest of the week passed and Edward didn't call. I was sick with worry. My only resolve came in knowing that I would see him at school on Monday. It was going to be the first day of our senior year, and hopefully, one of the best years of our lives. I knew that we were going to work things out. We were just both stubborn and needed some time to cool off. Once we saw each other, it would work out. It always did.

I went to school on Monday and Edward didn't show. I didn't know his schedule, but found out that we had English together when the teacher called roll. Tuesday was the same, no Edward, but Alice wasn't there, either, so I thought maybe they were all doing something as a family.

The third day of school rolled around and I finally spotted Alice. "Alice, you're back!" I ran up to her and threw my arms around her, giving her a tight hug. "How was Europe?" Maybe she can help me talk to Edward. Tell me where he's been and how he is.

"Europe was great. I took tons of pictures and I got you and Rose each the coolest presents, but Bella, I need to talk to you," she said, pulling away from me. "It's about Edward." She looked serious. She was looking in my eyes and had the saddest look on her face.

"Oh, okay. He told you we had a fight, huh? We both said some pretty awful things to each other, but I know we can work it out. I just need to see him, so we can talk. He's been avoiding me and we've both been really stubborn, but we care about each other. I know that. We'll work through it. I just really need to see him. Is he here today? I haven't seen him since school started and I've been waiting –"

Cutting me off from my endless ramble, she said, "Bella, he left."

"Left? Did he go home? It's a little early to be cutting class already, isn't it? I haven't seen him all week." I was confused.

"No, he didn't go home," she said, defeated. "Bella, he went to a boarding school a few hours away from here. He's not coming back."

Chapter End Notes:

Eek! *Ducks and hides for cover* Please don't hate me! The next chapter is more than half way written and you shouldn't have to wait too long for an update, I promise. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the meantime. What's up with Edward? What about Bella? What do you hope or imagine will happen next? I'm dying to know what you, the readers, are thinking. So, please go hit that review button and tell me all about it.

I'm on Twitter. Look me up. I'm Dinx219.

Teasers can be found on the blog. www (dot) notinforks (dot) blogspot (dot) com/

I'll see you guys soon! *Smooches*