Hey, you guys!

Thank you so much for the reviews. I'm very pleased to say that I have hit the one hundred review mark! Wow! I never thought I would! Thank you so much for reviewing. Please, please keep it up.

Ok, so, I was slightly surprised no one guessed who was on Nessie's bed. I know, I didn't give much away, but still.

Can I just say, now that I've given it away, and y'all know it wasn't Jacob, it makes me think that the Cullen household must be pretty easy to break into. Who knows who could pop up in her room next… maybe I'll even give Ness a stalker- if she's lucky. Nah, wouldn't do that.

I've got a new story up. It's a Leah/ Embry one. Only one chapter, so far. Please check it out if you've got any time free. It won't take very long- it's very short so far.

Thanks for reading. See you on the other side!

Chapter 26: Surprise, surprise

I was grinning to myself as I opened my door, greeted with the sight of someone already sitting on my bed.

I couldn't see their face, just their back, and really, just judging from that, it could be anyone.

Except it wasn't.

The scent of her lingered in the air, like a cloud of smoke surrounding her. The same old scent that I used to know- lemons and syrup. Sugary sweet, but also sour at the same time. Says a lot about her personality.

Her hair was slightly longer- it had grown down from around her ears, and reached the tips of her shoulders. Human hair couldn't grow that fast. I'd only been away for three months. It felt like years.

I knew her very well, from her ideal career down to what colour underwear she preferred to wear. It was creepy how well we knew each other. Knew. That word stayed stuck in my head, even after the thought had passed. It was true. We had known each other. Now we were nothing. Like strangers. She didn't know me anymore. I had changed.

This struck me as an odd thought. Would she feel the same way, too? Awkward, not knowing what to say, scared to even enter the room? Or would she think that our relationship was fine- that we'd had a bit of a falling out and was here to patch thing us again? How did she even get in?

At times like these, I really wish I had my father's ability. I needed help. I was floundering around in my head, searching for the right words, the many questions I wanted to ask her. How was she doing? What did she think about my leaving? Did she even miss me at all?

I tried to get out my greeting, but I found it caught in my throat. I wasn't ready for this. I didn't know if I'd ever be.

Instead of speaking, I shuffled my way into the room, alerting her of my presence.

She turned around sharply, her blue eyes wide with shock at the sudden noise.

You could really see the difference that time had had on her face.

Her eyes were no longer as bright. They looked tired, world-weary. Like she'd had the weight of the world on her shoulders. If you looked very carefully, you could see the tiny creases that she had forming around her eyes that no human eye could ever detect.

Her lips were the different as well. No longer stretched widely across her face as she grinned or laughed at something we'd done. Instead, they were puckered, like she had eaten a lemon.

Her whole face just looked… drained of life. She had no colour in her cheeks. Her cheekbones were still smattered with the same old childish freckles like she had had before, but they, too had faded.

"I…uh… Hi" she said awkwardly.

I nodded in response and murmured a reply back to her.

"You look…really nice, Ness. I mean, you always did, but now… you're so beautiful. I… um, I heard a rumo- no, I mean, I heard you were in town, and I thought that I'd come and say hi. I haven't seen you in ages, Ness. It feels like years. I just… I wanted my best friend back. I miss you" She said, choking up slightly at the end.

I don't what I was supposed to say. Yes, and just welcome her back with wide arms? The world doesn't work like that. She'd been… really harsh. The last time I had seen her, she had shouted at me, told me that I should ignore my love for Jacob. Implied that what she felt was something more.

It had hurt, but if she asked, then I would forgive her. She was my friend, and I couldn't just give up our friendship so easily. It wasn't her fault about what happened that night. She just didn't know. Not that I could ever tell her.

"I'm…" I started, swallowing the large lump that had settled in my throat. "I miss you, too" I whispered.

She looked uncomfortable.

"I know… that what I did was wrong. I never should've said anything about Jacob. I think that… I mean, you've seen him. He's got an attractive face and an attractive personality. I just… didn't know you felt that strongly about him. It was my fault, and I'm sorry. I kind of… guessed that you felt that way about him, but… I think that just once I wanted to have something over you." She admitted, ducking her head, and studying her shoes.

This confused me. Something over me? What was that supposed to mean? She had everything over me. She was human. She had a normal life. Something I'd wanted for most of my own abnormal, supernatural, strange one.

Her family was normal. She had normal parents- or, at least her mum was normal. Her dad, though, was another case entirely. Her little brother was normal.

She ate normal food. She didn't have to kill any wildlife just to survive. She could eat anything she wanted to.

She didn't have a strange growing rate, meaning that she had to be checked up every birthday- measured, weighed, mental tests and such.

She was so lucky. She could do so much with her life. And she wanted something over me?

"I'm…what?"

She sighed.

"You've just… got everything I've ever wanted. You're rich, you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, you've got a great house, a loving family, a loving boyfriend, you're intelligent, you're funny, you're the nicest person I've ever met. It's just… Y'know Harry? The guy I liked since ninth grade?" She asked.

I did remember him. He was a nice guy- humorous, sweet, and charming- but he was no Jacob. He was alrightish looking- but then again, I think I've got a different perception to everyone else- I've already found my soul mate.

Harry was blonde, like Cassie, with floppy hair that flopped into his eyes whenever he turned his head. He was tanned, medium build, with deep hazel eyes. If I hadn't already found someone better, then I would've seen the appeal. But again, as I said- I'm bias.

Harry was Cassie's cover. She did like him, at school, at least. But when she came over to my house, it was always like she only liked Jacob.

I nodded in confirmation to the question, and Cassie continued.

"Well, I… I asked him out last month. I was… really shocked that he said yes. I was so happy. It… it just seemed perfect. He would take me out to dinner, or the movies, or to the park- just… wherever. And he was great. So funny. So nice. So open. He would tell me stories about his childhood, and just generally get to know me, and I would do the same. I really… I thought for a while that I loved him, I really did. He just seemed… like it, y'know? So, we were getting along just fine, but then, I noticed a change in him. Like his personality had flipped. It was…scary how much he changed. He didn't tell me stories about himself, he began to avoid me. I thought it was just pressure, about exams. But I was wrong.

"He called me up one night. I was really shocked. He hadn't spoken to me at all that week, and even when we saw each other in the hall ways, he refused to acknowledge my presence. So, he called me, and his voice… it just… wasn't right. It gave me a really bad feeling.

"Then he broke up with me. Told me that he never loved me, and that he went out with me so that he could get closer to you. He knew we were best friends, and thought the best way to stay in touch with you was through me. I knew it was too good to be true" she finished bitterly, shaking her head a little.

I sucked in a breath, truly shocked. How could he do that to her? He'd always seemed so… nice.

"I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"I started, but was cut off.

"No, no. It's okay. I know it wasn't your fault. You always were the prettiest. Guys just… felt more comfortable around you. I was always the weird one. You were more approachable. I guess it's just my nature, though. It kinda freaked them out." A small smirk settled on her face in place of the bitter grimace.

"But still. No one should be treated like that. It's not fair. I swear, sometimes I hate people. Besides, you could never be as weird as I really am. Never."

She looked confused, but smiled anyway.

"Thanks, Ness. I'm glad that it's all sorted. Friends again, yeah?" She asked, gingerly holding out her hand for me to shake.

"Yeah, we are." I said, and pulled her in for what I liked to call an "Aunt-Alice-hyperactive-pixie-hug".

"Hey, Ness?"

"Yeah?"

"Are the rumours true? I mean, there's been… speculation. People say that…" She trailed off.

This piqued my interest. I was never really one for gossip, but if it was about me, then I wanted to know.

"What? What were people saying?"

"Well…they think that… I mean… I went down to the beach, once. You know, the one on the reservation? I saw Jacob there. This was before you came back, by the way. He looked… really depressed. He was… he was talking with another one of his really tanned, muscular friends. I think I saw him at the party. Anyway, I overheard them talking, and he said to his friend that he had sent you plane tickets for your birthday, and that you were going to fly back over, and he was going to ask you to move in. Is it true?" She asked, pure curiosity on her face.

I nodded, and she squealed in response.

"That's so cool!" She started clapping and jumping up and down, but then stopped after a second thought. "Well." She looked at me expectantly. "What did you say?"

I sighed loudly, full of melodrama.

"Yes. I said that I supposed so" She dug me in the ribs with her little diggy fingers, and started to tickle me, and evil smile on her face.

I started giggling and rolling around on my bed, pleading for her to stop.

"Ok, ok!" I shrieked. "I said yes!"

She stopped her attack, and sat back on her heels, looking satisfied.

"Good. Now- when are you moving in with him? And what are you going to do about school?" She asked.

I hadn't really thought about school much. I was more focused on moving in with him, and getting married. More about the positive effects of the moving in, not on the actual logical parts of the move.

Cassie gasped.

"You… you're getting married? Wow, Ness. That's amazing! That's just… amazing. So cool! Can I come? Please, please, please?" She begged. This was another reason why I liked Cassie so much in the first place. With her boundless energy, her readiness to take anything life threw at her- even an idiot boyfriend- made her remind me of my Aunt Alice.

I loved my Aunt Alice. She was… amazing. After Jacob, if I needed anything, I would go to her for it. Sad to say, but I was closer to her than I was to even my own mother. Our personalities just… fitted. She understood about having to wait for the one you loved to love you back. I had heard her story about her and Uncle Jasper, and I immediately thought back to when Jacob didn't used to love me in the way I loved him. I, too, had to wait for him.

No matter how annoying, hyperactive or just plain pushy my Aunt was, I loved her. I was kind of like… her adopted child, or something. But not.

"Yeah, or course you can come! The wedding is pretty soon, I think. I'm not sure when, though." I had a sudden thought, and gasped. We were gasping a lot this afternoon. "You can be one of my bridesmaids!" I grinned. I knew she'd love it. She jumped at the thought of anything like that.

She did. She was smiling, grinning and bouncing around as we talked for the rest of the afternoon, until it was time for her to go home. None of us brought up the topic of Harry again. I still don't understand how anyone could be so cruel.

I fell asleep that night entirely happy, curled up in the arms of Jacob, who had crept into my room at some point during the night.

Life was great.

So. Surprised, were you? I was. I swear, sometimes it's like it's not even me writing. Random stuff just happens. I wasn't planning for Cassie to be there, she just was. I wasn't even planning for Jacob to get engaged to Nessie then, he just did.

Scary. Sometimes I think these characters write them selves.

Ok. Thanks for reading. Please, please, please review. Only a few chapters left to go now.

Love you all!

Lots of love,

Deany-Bob101