Author's Note: This chapter is a little on the short side, but I wanted to get it up as soon as I could. My next update may take a while, since I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow. I've been putting this off for years, and I guess that it's time to just get it over with. Lol. But please enjoy this chapter and leave a review! I love to hear from you guys!

Playlist: None for this chapter. Nothing seemed to fit, so let me know if you have any suggestions :)

Chapter Thirteen: Alone

BPOV:

Rolling over in bed, I stretched peacefully, languidly. I felt good, for the first time in a long time. I knew that had to be due to my small friend, currently lying on an air mattress in the middle of my floor. I thought back to Alice's reaction to my story of what had happened with Jacob.

Flashback – Hospital:

"I don't know what…he did…how could…" Alice stammered after I finally finished recounting the story.

"I know, right?" I responded dryly. It left me feeling very exposed, telling Alice everything like that. Part of me still felt like she'd dismiss me as some crazy loon and get up and walk out.

Of course, I had nothing to worry about with Alice. Instead of dismissing me and my crazy life, she just hugged me, whispering "I'm so sorry that all this happened to you! We'll get that money back from Charlie, though. Don't worry Bella."

Of course she would target that in the story. "We'll see about that." I wasn't optimistic. Charlie might play along for Alice and pretend to give it to me, but there's no way he ever would. No, I was on my own.

"Maybe I can look into some more scholarship programs." I said as Alice pulled away.

"Of course! That's totally perfect, Bella!" She was practically jumping up and down with excitement. "I bet we can find you something totally perfect!"

"I love your optimism, Alice." I said, feeling slightly teary.

"Well you better get used to it, girl!"

End Flashback

I sighed as I quietly got out of bed. I could hear Charlie downstairs, watching TV, so I figured that I was all set to take a shower, no fear of disturbing him. Thankfully.

The hot water was wonderful, refreshing and soothing me, easing my aching muscles, cleansing away my fears. When I was done, I threw on a pair of grey jeans and a white t-shirt. No work today for me, thanks to everything that happened at Newton's store. We'd closed down for a while, and I wasn't sure if we were going to open again. Or if I would be allowed to ever go back to work. Losing that job was detrimental to me; it was too late into the summer to find work, and I'd just end up wasting time sitting around.

Wandering back to my room, I saw that Alice was apparently already up and out, as her blankets and things were all neatly folded on my floor. As I walked down the stairs to my kitchen, my ears were assaulted with a very unfamiliar sound – Charlie was laughing.

"I'm serious!" Alice exclaimed, barley able to contain her own laughter. Watching them sit at the table together, laughing and having fun, I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Why couldn't my relationship with my father be like that?

I plastered a tentative smile on my face as I walked into the kitchen, uncertain of how I should act around them both. I hadn't really spoken to Charlie since before I was in the hospital, and I didn't know what he'd thought, what his reaction was.

"Morning, Bella!" Alice chirped to me, not glancing in my direction. Charlie said nothing, which I figured was probably not the worst thing to happen.

As soon as I set my bowl of cereal down on the table, noticing the eggs and bacon that Charlie and Alice had apparently had, Charlie got up, muttering something about having to go to work.

As soon as he was out of the door, Alice started, just like I knew she would.

"Bella, your father really isn't as bad as you make him out to be!"

I said nothing, not believing my ears.

"Seriously, Bella, he's really a nice old guy! He was just telling me today how worried he is about you, how he doesn't know what to do with you sometimes. I really think that you're bringing a lot of this on yourself, you know. He told me that Jacob was just acting out of jealousy, that you and Mike Newton were apparently all over each other in the store. I mean, seriously, what else would you expect him to do, Bella?"

"Alice, that's not really how things happened…" I started, only to get cut off.

"Bella, I know what you told me. But Charlie thinks that you're making that up because you're confused, or maybe just a little depressed or something. And honestly, I know that you just expect me to believe you, but he is the chief of police. He's so nice, and I just don't see how he could be lying to me! And for that matter, I really don't believe everything you said about him, either. How could Charlie ever raise a hand to you? Gosh, Bella, I just don't see it."

I said nothing, just looked at her with an expression of utter horror. My brain couldn't wrap itself around what she was telling me. How could she ever think that I was lying to her? How could she not be on my side in this?

"I thought…I guess I thought that you were my friend, Alice." I mumbled, too hurt to really say anything.

"I am, Bella! That's why I'm saying this! Really, I think that you're making a big deal out of everything, but if you just made an effort every now and then your life might actually get a lot better."

"Well, thank you very much, Alice." I said dryly. "But I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I really don't want to deal with this right now. At all."

She sighed, eyeing me with a sad expression. "Fine, Bella. I'll go. But really, try to use the rest of the summer as a chance to make things right with Charlie. Things are bound to get better if you just make an effort!"

And she left. I watched her drive away, unable to block the feeling that my best friend in the world suddenly wasn't what I thought she was. Or rather, she was what I always feared she was. That act she had put on in the hospital had really had me fooled. For a few moments, I really believed that she was going to be there for me, that she understood what was happening, and that she'd help me. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Just like I always was. In the end, I really am alone.

Bella's Diary (later that day):

I am alone. Utterly. Or maybe not really alone. I suppose there's always those assholes out there that want to destroy my life. Lucky fucking me.

Alice is a bitch. At least, right now she is. But she did send me an iPhone. So whatever. It's not like I thought she'd just disappear, not offering me any comfort or help. I knew that she'd come through on everything she'd promised me. But the fact that she's so ready to believe that I'm the root of all my problems. It's not like I've ever told Charlie to hit me. Seriously. He's the one who's wrong. He's the one who took all my money. He's the reason I took those pills and almost died. Him and Jacob, that is.

Maybe everything would have been better if I really had just died. Then I wouldn't have to feel anymore. I wouldn't have to hurt. Wouldn't that be better?

EPOV:

Waiting in the airport to board my flight, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander to Bella. I wondered how she was doing, if things had finally turned around for her. God knows things couldn't have gotten worse. Part of me longed to pull out my iPhone and just check to see. I didn't need to look at everything, or steal anything. I could just peak in. Couldn't I? Or would that be wrong? Should I just let her be?

The issue of her living in Forks played in my mind, torturing me endlessly. I could 'accidentally' bump into her. Maybe get to know her? But she probably didn't really need another fuck-up in her life. In the back of my mind though, I couldn't help but worry about her. And more than worry, I couldn't help but want to know what was going on in her life. I knew that I was lost and broken beyond repair. And this was the only way I could be in her life…

I accessed her system quickly, noticing that her new background was just plain purple. Dark and flat. That didn't seem to bode well. Only a few clicks later I was accessing her diary file, my stomach sinking at what I saw. Her entries were sparse, not entirely giving me the full picture of what was going on. Clearly, she'd gotten better after the hospital. But I didn't understand why she'd taken the pills. Had it really been a suicide attempt? Could Bella really want to take herself out of the world forever?

I couldn't linger on that thought, distressed by the pain it caused me. A world without Bella in it wasn't really a world at all. I wouldn't accept that. She couldn't have meant it that way. The problem with her friend I also didn't understand. I'd thought that Alice was someone that Bella trusted, that she could count on. Now apparently she was on Charlie's side. My poor Bella. If only she knew that she wasn't really alone. If only she knew that I was here, that I cared about her.

But there was nothing I could do to comfort her. I couldn't try to befriend her. That would be wrong, for she deserved a better man than me. She deserved to have someone in her life that wasn't as selfish as me. I would never be good enough for someone like her. Hell, I was barely good enough to go crawling back to Carlisle and Esme. I barely even deserved that small grace. I'd be well served if they turned me away the moment I showed up. Part of me, apparently the masochistic part, hoped that they would.

With that thought, I rose from my seat and boarded the plane to take me to Washington.