AN: sup guys. Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been chilling down the beach for a few days. So today, it's my plan to update all of my stories today. So, it seems that whining is the best way to get me some reviews, so I'm gonna do it again... "wahhhhh, I got only 11 reviews, and that's great (thanks) but I want more!!! WAHHHH!!!!!!" That means review me!! Please?? I'll love you FOREVER!!! SM owns.

Chapter Twenty One

Grace's POV

Jake held my hand tighter and tighter as he got more and more frustrated. When she said she had thought I was dead, Jake's other hand had flicked out towards the door, as if he was about to rip it off. He didn't though. He shook himself and regained his composure.

I couldn't say anything in reply to what Melissa had said. Otherwise I knew it would have been rude.

"I spose you should come in. You can meet Scotty. That's your dad." Melissa said.

I pulled Jake in behind me. The inside of the house was as horrible as the outside. It was messy, rubbish everywhere; empty beer cans, and the furniture in the lounge room was almost threadbare.

"Scotty!" She called, as we all sat down, "Someone's here."

"Who? I swear to God, if it's that bloody electricity mob..."

Soon, a big man in shorts and a blue singlet ambled in. He was balding and had a beer gut. He looked kind of intimidating.

"You must be Scott," I said, trying to be polite, "I'm Grace.

He stared at me for a moment, as if he was trying to remember me.

"God, it really is you, isn't it?" He said after a minute, "How the hell did you find us?"

"Um, my family in America found you. I don't really know how." I said.

"You've even got a bit of an American accent." Melissa said, about my strange accent; a mixture between American and Australian.

"Well what did you expect to happen if you dumped her in America?" Jacob demanded.

"Excuse me?" Melissa said.

"You left her in a park. You thought she was dead. You left her to die." Jacob yelled.

"We couldn't afford to keep her." Melissa said defensively.

"So you dumped her?" Jake yelled, standing up, "You could have given her to somebody else to look after her."

"Look at her! She's fine. She's been looked after." Scott said.

"Yeah, after someone found her alone in a park in freaking Alaska!" Jake shouted.

"You know what?" I said loudly, as I stood up next to Jake, "I'm glad you didn't keep me. At least I have people who care about me to look after me now."

I grabbed Jake's hand and started to pull him towards the door, but Melissa stopped me.

"How dare you?! You need some manners taught to you. You need discipline." She said.

"You've got nothing on me. And you never will. Even if you tried to get custody of me you couldn't. If I told anyone what you did; there's no way." I said.

"Get out of my house." Melissa said.

"Fine by me."

Jake and I left their horrible house quickly. I walked up the street in a kind of daze. Jake had to guide me. I couldn't make any sense of what had just happened. What I had imagined was them apologising and actually being decent people. I hadn't expected them to be so horrible. I don't know why. What they had done was terrible.

The next thing I knew, I was being ushered into the backseat of a cab by Jacob. He looked angry, worried and upset all at once.

"Come on, let's get you home." He said, and then he told the driver the address of the hotel.

As soon as the cab pulled away from the curb, I felt tears come into my eyes. My face felt hot.

"We should never have tried to find them." I said, before I burst into tears. Jake unbuckled his seatbelt, and moved into the middle seat to comfort me.

"You guys alright back there?" The cab driver asked.

"Yeah." Jake said.

"Alright, but I'm going to have to ask you to put a seatbelt on, mate."

Jake put his seatbelt on, and put his arms around me. I leaned into his side as I cried.

"This was a huge mistake," I said, "I'm so sorry I brought you here."

"None of this is your fault, Grace."

"They were horrible." I said.

"What were you expecting?"

I went quiet and pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry." Jake said, straightening up in his seat. I still remained silent, watching him. When I didn't say anything, his face turned into a tortured mask. I reached out and touched his warm arm. His face instantly relaxed, and he turned back to me, putting his arms around me.

"I should have known they would they would be like that." I sniffled. Jake touched my hair, smoothing it.

"I don't know why I expected anything different." I continued.

Jake was still quiet.

"Say something." I said.

"I don't want to upset you."

I laughed without humour, "I'm already upset, Jake. Come on."

He hesitated, "I hate them." He said finally.

"Me- me too."

"What the hell did they think they were doing, talking to you like that? Their daughter that they haven't seen in over ten years comes all the way to freaking Australia to see them, and they don't even say sorry."

"Jake." I said quietly, but he continued.

"They dumped you-"

"Jake," I cut him off this time, "The driver."

Our cab driver looked nervous. It probably wasn't everyday he had people in our situation to drive around.

"Um, we'll get out here, thanks. Our hotel is just around the corner." Jacob said.

"No worries, mate." The driver said, pulling over to the side of the road. I handed him some money and Jake and I both got out.

"You know, it's pretty nice here." I said as we walked up the main road, heading towards our hotel. I looked around me at the beach on one side of the road, and on the other, the many hotels that lined the streets.

"It's different isn't it?" Jake said.

"It's bright. Not like Forks, or La Push."

"And this is their winter. Imagine summer here."

"We should come back here one day," I said, "I'd like to."

"But what about-"

"My parents don't matter to me, Jake. I decided. I lived without them for 11 years. I can keep going."

Jake smiled down at me in the sun, and put his arm around my shoulders as we walked.

Even after what I said to Jake that afternoon about my parents, I was still really upset about the whole situation. I cried again while we were eating dinner. We were eating pizza on the couch, in front of the TV and I just burst into tears. Again, Jake comforted me, pulling me close to him, and telling me that he would look after me.

AN: Go on, review it. You know you want to. Hey go read my other stories aswell. Sweetest Downfall and That's What I'll Have. DO IT!!!