Important: I changed my username to "clary14".
Also, I realize that the time gap between sneak peeks and actual updates is small, so I'm no longer sending out sneak peeks. I hope you still review, though :)
"You're kidding me!" Angela gasped as I filled her in on what had happened over the weekend.
"So where are Gia and Victoria now?" she asked.
"New York, again. I didn't hear of Edward pressing charges against Victoria or Anastasia, and Gia just left. I can understand why he didn't. Honestly, spiking drinks at a high school party isn't actually a huge crime, and it would be a waste of both breath and time," I said.
"No wonder the atmosphere was so tense between you and Edward today. You guys were never together one, and while he seemed as if he wanted to talk to you, you always left as soon as he arrived. I'm so sorry, Bella."
"Don't be. I'm not miserable about it. It happened, and there's not much I can do about it. Besides, I met someone who cheered me up," I hinted with a smile.
"Who?" she asked.
"Someone," I replied vaguely.
"C'mon, Bella. Tell me," Angela pestered, her brown eyes wide and pleading.
I sighed and said, "His name's Jacob. On the day I saw Gia and Edward kissing, I stumbled out into the forest and got lost. Jacob, someone near our age, bumped into me and guided me back to Forks. The next day, we met up, he asked me to go to a dance at his school, and I accepted," I explained.
Angela's face was priceless. Her surprise was quite endearing.
"Wow," she whispered.
"I know. Isn't it weird?"
"Beyond weird," she concurred.
On the day I was due to go to the dance, Angela came over and made me over. It was an irritating experience, but the end product made it all worth it. The doorbell rang, Angela gave me an enthusiastic push, and I was out the door, standing underneath the porch lights next to Jacob, who was decked out in a suit. He looked so uncomfortable, it made me want to laugh aloud.
He rolled his eyes at my expression and muttered, "Don't laugh at my pain."
I smiled, suppressing the urge to burst out into incontrollable giggles, and murmured, "Don't worry. I won't."
He held out an arm and asked, "Shall we?"
I took it, and we were on our way.
One of Jacob's friends whistled. "Jake, nice catch!"
Jacob shot him an annoyed glance and snapped, "Stop being immature, Paul."
I blushed and hid myself a bit more behind Jacob.
"What's her name?" a peppy, young boy asked.
"Bella," I volunteered, stepping out from behind Jacob.
A thin, wiry boy asked, "What school are you from?"
"Forks High. Ring a bell?"
He nodded. "Used to go there, but when my family moved here, I transferred. I fit in much better here."
"You guys all go to La Push High, right?"
They all nodded. "What're your names?"
"I'm Paul."
"I know."
"Well, you asked," he muttered.
"I'm Seth," cut in the immature looking guy.
"I'm Quil," a short, bulky one greeted.
"Sam," the tallest one said briskly.
"Embry," the lean one introduced.
Jacob gently nudged me and whispered, "Let's ditch these guys and dance."
I laughed and nodded. "Well, it was nice meeting you all."
They all said their goodbyes, and Jacob pulled me to the dance floor. At first, it was awkward, since we were both bad dancers, but soon, we began to laugh at our silly, clumsy mistakes. Conversation flowed easily from then on and talking to him was so... relieving and stressless.
Soon, we grew tired and sweaty, so we decided to go outside for a little while. It was quiet for the first few minutes, but soon, he spoke, "You're over that guy, right?"
"Yes," I said firmly.
"Well, then you won't mind if I do this, right?"
And before I could comprehend his words, he leaned in close and kissed me on the lips. At first, I just let him, but soon, I responded.
And it felt nice.
2 months later
"We are proud to announce this year's graduates!" the principal yelled as we threw our graduation caps into the air.
Jacob flew up to me from the stands and swung me around in a hug. I squealed as he then began squeezing the life out of me.
"Congrats!" he yelled, setting me down gently.
"Thanks," I replied enthusiastically. "Next year, I'll be going to your graduation!"
He suddenly looked really bummed out. "Right..."
"Are you still upset about that? Just because there's a one year age difference, it doesn't mean our relationship will worsen. I'll call you every week," I comforted. "Is that good?"
"Yeah," he muttered. "Just a bit hung up about it..."
"It's fine, Jacob. Let's just be happy for now, okay?"
He nodded and grinned. "Wanna celebrate?"
"I've got to look for Charlie to tell him. Where're we going?" I asked.
"Amusement park!" he cheered, jumping up and down excitedly, which look weird on such a big guy.
I winced. "No, please."
"Yes. They're fun! Come on, Bella, don't tell me you don't like rides?" he teased.
"I do, but the amusement park in Forks sucks," I whined, thinking of the boring roller coasters and lame prizes.
"That's why we're going to Port Angeles," he said. "I'm driving, let's go!"
Just as we reached the exit, Edward intercepted us, his family trailing behind him. It was accidental, but I couldn't help blaming him, anyway. It was silent for a moment, the awkwardness reaching high limits. I cleared my throat and took Jacob's hand, noticing the scrunching of Edward's face as I did.
I shoved past them gently and hurried to Jacob's car, breathing heavily.
"Hey, Bella, you okay?"
"Do I look like I'm okay?" I snapped.
"No," he said hurriedly. "I'm just asking."
I softened up; it wasn't his fault. "Sorry, he was just a bad reminder of the past."
"It's fine. I understand. You wanna continue our trip?"
"Sure," I nodded.
"Ah!" I screamed, burying my face in Jacob's shoulder as we went down yet another drop.
He let out an exultant yell and laughed, "You're such a wimp!"
I glared at him out of the corner of my watering eyes and hissed, "I'm considering dumping you right now, Jacob Ephraim Black."
He shut up pretty quickly.
After the ride, I decided that it was time for us to go. Of course, Jacob whined and complained about how we haven't been here long enough, but I was just about ready to take a very long nap.
The car ride home was quiet as we both contemplated matters that were worrying us. For me, they revolved around college, and I knew that Jacob was worried about our relationship after I left for college.
"Thanks for today," I said absentmindedly.
"No problem, I had fun," he said.
"I did, too. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Lova ya, Bella," he said before speeding away.
I stared at the retreating form of his car in shock. Was that a joking 'love ya' or a serious 'love ya'? I had reason to believe it was a serious one. I smiled as I realized that finally, I had discovered a man who would appreciate me for me and tell me he loved me without doing it with false intentions. I sighed happily and walked inside the house, where a dozing Charlie was waiting.
I woke him, led him to his bed, and fell asleep in my own.
What a day.
5 months later
Emma, my college friend's, phone let out a small noise. She picked it up and scrolled down the screen, using one finger.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "Sophie's mysterious boyfriend broke up with her!"
I looked up. "What? But they were doing so well. It's already been 2 months!"
"Yeah, but apparently, he told her that he couldn't commit himself to their relationship, as he had someone else he loved," Emma stated, looking shocked.
"That's terrible," I murmured. "Sophie must be devastated."
"She is, but we'll make her feel better."
"Right," I muttered, half-convinced.
"She's coming in a minute. Get prepared," Emma warned, straightening up.
I followed suit. Soon, the door popped open, revealing a teary Sophie. Her usually neatly set blonde hair was a mess, and her big blue eyes were surrounded by smudged mascara. She stumbled in, letting out short, muffled sobs.
"He-he b-broke up with me!" she bawled.
Emma got up, put a soothing arm around her shoulder, and led her to the floor beside me, where Sophie was then squished in the middle.
"He doesn't deserve you, Sophie," Emma insisted.
"You never met him!" Sophie accused.
"No one's good enough for you, Sophie," Emma revised.
Sophie rolled her eyes and resumed sniffling.
"Who was he, anyway?" I asked.
"Might as well tell you guys now that we aren't together anymore. He told me not to tell anyone, but you're my closest friends. It's only right that I tell you... right?" She sounded heavily in doubt.
"Yes, of course!" Emma encouraged.
"Okay," said Sophie. "His name is Edward. Edward Cullen."
I decided that this story will end on the 21st chapter, a lovely number, as that is the day of my birthday. I know I said it'd be more, but I don't want to drag it out. This story's very close to over, so updates will be less frequent and longer.