Computer's fixed! ;D I'll get straight to the chapter:

Chapter Eight
All's Fair

Life in Forks seemed to fall into place after my decision to change. How much of myself I was changing, and whether it was for better or worse I didn't know. Nowadays if I wasn't at school, I was with Drew and Tasia. Drew and I had convinced her to give up on her self exile so that she was no longer isolated, but sitting with Drew and I, meaning a few of the more popular people at Forks High. But Forks was so small, and there was hardly any privacy, so all groups were pretty much equal with no rulings on popularity or coolness.

When I wasn't with my friends, I was at La Push. Seth and I got along great, but his sister…not so much, for reasons I weren't to sure of. Other than Seth, I found friend ship in eleven year old Claire. She was--technically--three years older than me, but physically about five years younger. Despite these differences we got along great. And the rest of the La Push gang were pretty cool, too.

And no matter hard I tried, my relationship with Jake hadn't changed. With everyone else, it was easy to be nice. To be the sweet and innocent girl they remembered. To not be bitter and, well, a cold bitch. But with Jake…it was different. I couldn't change. He knew me all my life; the only person I ever grew up with. And he knew me just too well for me to change. But with everyone else…it was a clean slate.

But there was still one thing I would never, ever, budge on. My name. I was Vanessa Wolfe, not Renesmee or Nessie. Vanessa; or V if you would prefer. And Wolfe or Wolfie to Tasia. But that's all I'd budge. I may have had the attitude of Renesmee, but I wasn't her anymore. The eight years had changed me. Since I was four and had the appearance and mind of a eleven year old, I put my foot down. No Renesmee. No Nessie. Just Vanessa.

Just. Vanessa.

~*~

April

"So are you going?" Tasia asked turning to me. The question was from no where, starting a conversation just for the need of one. In the few months I'd known her, I already knew her style. It was so Tasia. When I didn't reply, she asked again. "Well Wolfe? Are you?"

I stared at her blankly, trying to think of whatever she could possibly be talking about. "Uh…" was my best answer.

"She's asking about the Europe trip." Drew clarified, coming up behind me. His locker next to Tasia's which were only a few lockers down.

I stood up from my bottom locker. I kicked it shut. "To Italy?" I asked, vaguely remembering the topic from homeroom earlier that day

"And Greece," Tasia replied, smiling, "We should go, the three of us. It's the first year they're letting Juniors go. In the past, it was only Seniors. They started it about five years ago. I've heard it's really fun."

"So are you sure you really want to go for the experience?" Drew said then, "or because it's during Easter break meaning Angela and Ben are coming over?"

"Your sister's boyfriend?" I asked, using names I heard now and again from the two of them.

"Who hates me!" Tasia cried, "Ben and I just do not get along. Of course I love Ang to death, the best sister I ever could have asked for. But Ben? Ugh, he and I are not compatible."

By then we had walked out to the lot, where some people waited for the bus, and others were climbing into their cars. In the corner of the lot, I saw a small figure. She was a girl, obviously, and tiny. She appeared so breathtakingly beautiful, it was almost unbelievable. A dark car with tinted windows drove by her, and then she was gone. Just like the movies.

"Wolfe?" Tasia said, reaching out and calling my attention, "Dude, our bus is here." Drew was already walking towards the small group of students filing in.

"Right." I said, stealing one last glance to the edge of the lot where the figure was and then wasn't. I blinked a few times to clear my head before getting into the bus.

Unofficially over the months, a system had been set up. After school, I would get off at Drew and Tasia's stop, and hang out at their house doing homework until Charlie would get off work. Then, he would swing by the Webers' place to pick me up. Then from there, I would either get picked up from Jake to go spend the night at La Push, or sleep at Charlie's. Either way, I always had all the clothes I needed for a moment's notice and my special things.

"We're home!" Tasia shouted like she always did after her brother would unlock their front door.

"Hey kids!" was Mrs. Weber's usual reply. "Vanessa with you?"

"Yeah," Drew answered with a chuckle. Everyday she would ask her two kids this question. And everyday I'd be there.

Tasia and I went up to her room, taking out homework for that day. We had most of our classes together, all except our different math periods, but that was it. I took out Spanish, and she took out History and we agreed to help each other later.

Thirty minutes into outlining a chapter, Tasia sighed. This meant one thing. A break. I tossed my hair (which I had to cut over and over, although I stopped growing, this didn't. currently, it was just past my shoulders.) and pushed my book away.

"So? Should we go or not?" Tasia said, bringing back the subject we had discussed earlier. Our impasse whether or not to go to Europe was still undecided, even after debating about it on the bus.

"I gotta ask Jake," I replied, " I haven't even thought about going, let alone told him about it. But Italy sounds fun. With you and Drew? I'm totally up for it." Italy and Greece was sounding better and better every minute.

"Of course," Tasia smiled. "I mean, we have to share my brother's hotness internationally right? Show the Italian girls why every other girl at school including yourself are head over heels for him." My cheeks stained red as I blushed. As if on cue, Drew waltz in, carrying a bag of marshmallows and three small water bottles. "Our daily fix?"

"Gosh, D, could you knock?" Tasia sneered jokingly, reaching for the marshmallows. This was something we all shared: a guilty pleasure for the sweet treat that the Webers always kept stocked. Usually, it would take the three of us two weeks to work through one bag of the puffy white stuff. And on Friday night when Angela came, only a couple days.

"T," Drew replied, "We're twins. We have to have some sort of sense of when to go and when not to go into each other's rooms." Tasia rolled her eyes, and I simply chuckled before reaching into the bag.

I would be lying if I said I had no interest in Drew. He was of course, gorgeous. And it wasn't anything like head over heels with him. Tasia was the closest thing I had to a best friend. And Drew was her brother--her twin brother--and one of my good friends. Anything there would just be way too weird.

There was the chime of the doorbell downstairs. We all waited a moment in silence.

"Vanessa!" Mrs. Weber yelled.

"Your uncle?" Tasia asked, beginning to help me get myself together.

"I don't know," I replied, "He's early."

I stuck one last book into my bag before hopping off Tasia's bed. They both followed me. From the top of the stairs, I saw the shaggy hair and russet skin standing on the doorstep. Jake had never picked me up from the Webers' before.

"Jake?" I said, almost unsure if it was really him. "What's up? Why are you here?"

"I'm just picking you up, Ness," Jake said casually, "You are my little cousin, and you are in my custody. I can pick you up if I want."

"So the mysterious Jake finally appears," Tasia murmured under her breath from behind me. I smiled to my self. Jake had never picked me up from school or the Webers' house. Usually, he just met me at La Push, or stopped by Charlie's house briefly before heading to La Push. Never stopping in between but I knew that he saw how I changed. how I wasn't the same girl to other people.

Just to him.

"I guess I'll see you guys on Monday," I said, filling the awkward silence then. "Bye Drew, bye Tazer."

Drew waved, Tasia mouthed Italy trip, and Mrs. Weber smiled as I walked out to Jake. He smiled at me, and I grimaced back. It was so awkward now. In the three months, communication had been minimum, due to the fact that I didn't want to hurt him.

I climbed into the Volks, and strapped in.

"You didn't even introduce me to your friends," Jake commented, not accusingly or disappointedly.

"Well, if you asked me more about them before, you would have known already," I replied.

"I knew their older sister. Why didn't you tell me they Angela's siblings?" Jake questioned, slight anger in his voice.

"You knew Angela?" I asked.

"I only knew her because…" Jake sighed, "She was friends with your mother. Good friends, actually. I guess I should have known she'd still be coming around. Good thing she's not here today. She would've recognized me and there goes our cover."

I half smiled in spite of myself. "She actually kinda freaked when she saw me. She really thought I looked like my parents a lot. She even brought out a yearbook. It was good to see them, you know? To hear about them from someone other than you or Charlie or Seth." I looked at him. "Do I really look like them?"

"Yeah," Jake sighed, "Both of them. So much. Your mother's eyes and curls, your fathers color and bronze hair. Your mom's pretty face," I felt blood rush to my face. Jake chuckled, "You got that from your mom too. You blush about as much as she does."

I blushed harder, naturally. Jake continued to stare me down. "Watch the road," I muttered under my breath, adding, "Stupid werewolf."

By then, we were close to La Push, the tall trees from the forest lining the highway. It was then that I remembered Tasia's request.

"Hey Jake?" I asked, "I have to ask you something. It's not like life-or-death or anything. I just have to ask you not to freak out…"

Jacob sighed, "What is it?" he groaned.

"I want to go to the trip my school's having. It's in a few weeks, and it's to Italy and Greece. Tasia and Drew are asking me to go. It's a once in a lifetime thing, no matter how long I'll be around and it's a good package and includes everything so please, Jakey, I really wanna go." I smiled cheekily.

"Sounds fun," he replied. I cheered silently.

Yes! Two weeks away from Jake and his stubbornness. Two weeks with just me and Tasia and Drew. Two weeks to create a name for myself. Two weeks to meet Italian--

"Sounds fun," Jake repeated, "as in do they need chaperones?"

"Wait, what?!" I exclaimed, outraged. "What are you talking about?"

Jacob laughed. "Nessie," he said, "you honestly think I'd let you go to Europe all by yourself?" He was in complete hysterics just as we pulled into Seth's street.

"Vanessa." I muttered, not knowing what to say. Instead, I went into my signature cross-armed-pout look. It wasn't long though until he was serious.

"V," he said, "you know I can't let you go alone right? What it will do to me not seeing you? Even for a day?"

Childishly, I turned my head to face the window. We had this topic before, of course. A dozen or so times as I grew up, and even more now that we were surrounded by wolves. And I'd be lying if I said I loved to talk about this, with Jake or anyone.

Imprinting.

Even in my mind, I said it with a sneer. I had hated it forever. I had no choice. Somehow, someway, I'd end up with Jake. Somehow, someway, we'd fall in love. And it was going to happen. Someday. And it wasn't as if I could run away from it. We both had forever.

But I couldn't see it. I couldn't picture it in my mind. To fall in love with the person who raised you? The person you could only be yourself with? Talk about incest. Yech!

"Please Jake, can we not, not, not, talk about this?" I said, shaking my overgrown bangs to hide my face. My virtue was, if you can't make them shut up, run. If you can't run, hide.

Jacob simply sighed, turning back to face the road. I hunched my shoulders, pouting.

"Vanessa…" he said after a while, "I have to go with you. I can't let you go that far without me going with you." He turned to me one more time. "We can't be apart."

I sighed in defeat. "Call the school. We'll see if you can be a chaperone."

He smirked. "You better hope I can be." He chuckled. "Or else you can't go either."

I groaned in defeat, only making him laugh more.

But what could I do then? I wanted to go to Italy. Something in me told me it was the thing to do. I had to. But with Jake insisting he would go? It made war.

And all's fair in love and war.

Well? What do you think? I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Seriously, if I counted the number of times I said "Sorry for the slow update" it would come up to about 2703570278512 times. iSwear. Lol. Well, I'm back now and I hope to update again by next week [crosses fingers for luck] I am now working on a new updated poster, and here is the new cast as of now:

Emily Browning for Vanessa/Renesmee. I know in the current poster it's Michelle Trachtenberg (or however you spell it x]) but this is her now. Amber Tamblyn as Anastasia "Tasia" Weber. Mostly as her role as Tibby from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Liam Aiken as Andrew "Drew" Weber. and that would be Klaus from Series of Unfortunate Events. Yes, I realize I am stealing characters from other book-turned-movie things. I saw SoUE yesterday on TV, and Tibby has kinda stuck into my mind as Tasia(: yeah, I've been thinking hard about casting and posters for well over a month. I'm just so excited! :D

So review review, and oh yeah, REViEW! I'll hopefully be updating next week, and so HAPPY LABOR DAY!