Author's Note: IMPORTANT! CONCERNING UPDATES! Hi, guys. I know it's been a while since my update. And I know a lot of you have been PMing me. It's true that it's summer and that school has ended, so a lot of you think that I have time to update and there's no problem there. But there is a problem. There's a huge problem, and it's called summer school.

I am currently taking two full-year courses, ten hours a day, plus hours of crazy homework, for five full days a week. I have no idea why I decided to take Chemistry and Biotechnology at the same time, but there you are. There is no way I can update as quickly as you guys expect me to.

So while I'm flattered that you guys love my stories so much that some of you would go crazy insane and post hundreds of reviews per hour, telling me to update (you know how you are, guest), I just can't. So please try to understand that I have a life outside of fanfiction and I have my own summer plans. Thank you. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.


Chapter 28

I felt nervous the next day. People were glaring at me disapprovingly, and I knew that they didn't believe that I was innocent. It was so frustrating that I couldn't simply plant the truth inside their minds.

To make matters worse, the police cruisers showed up at the school as soon as the dismissal bell rang. And so did my father.

"Where's Isabella Swan?" the police sergeant demanded to the silent parking lot.

Everyone had frozen. No one had expected this. The teachers all rushed out from buildings and the office, wondering what was going on. They stopped in their tracks, stunned.

I didn't even breathe. I stood where I was, too shocked to move. How could Charlie do this to me? It was bad enough that he didn't believe me. Now he wanted to arrest me too?

"Isabella Swan!" Charlie called, his tone professional. "Come out quietly!"

I felt the angry tears kicking in. I was fully intent on marching up to him and yell and scream at him. But as soon as I took one step, he was there, his hand closing around my wrist.

"Don't move," Edward warned quietly. "Unless you want to get arrested by your own father, don't move."

"I have to tell him the truth," I said. "Why won't he believe me?"

His grip only tightened. "Don't."

"Charlie!" My head snapped at the familiar voice.

Alice was rushing toward my father, with Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper right behind her. "You can't do this! She's your daughter!"

Charlie's expression hardened. "Before I am her father, I'm the police chief of this town. I can't have any loose ends by letting someone who has drugs in her possession run free."

"Charlie, it isn't true," Rosalie said quickly. "Bella would never-"

"I admire your loyalty, kids," Charlie interrupted. "But drugs were found in her locker. I don't what other evidence can make her actions clear."

I spotted Tanya lurking in the background, with a satisfied smirk on her face. I wanted to confront her.

Why are you doing this to me? I wanted to scream. Why?

"That's because someone planted them in her locker!" Alice yelled. "Do you really think Bella was taking crack? She even hates the smell of cigarettes and alcohol. Really, Charlie?"

"She could've liked the smell of crack," Austin Marks mumbled, a little too loudly. It was a mistake.

With an abrupt movement, Jasper lunged toward him and aimed a punch in his face. Suddenly, it was pandemonium. There was chaos everywhere, as girls screamed and police officers rushed to the boys that were rolling around on the ground, fighting.

"How dare you insult Bella?" Jasper growled as the officers tried to separate them. "How dare you?"

"They're all insane!" Mike Newton yelled. "They're in league with Bella! I just know it!"

Emmett lunged at Mike, and there was more confusion. Alice and Rosalie were yelling for their boys to 'teach the traitors a lesson'.

"You bastards!" Emmett roared. "You bitches! How dare you turn on her? How dare you?"

I couldn't stand it anymore. How could I let my family do this for me? They would get hurt. They would get arrested. It was better for just one person to end all this. I would take the blame. There was no other choice.

With a sudden movement, I ripped myself away from Edward and darted through the students.

"Bella!" Edward called, alarmed as he followed me.

"STOP!" I screamed. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!'

Everyone froze, and there was sudden silence. Emmett and Jasper were still on the ground, wrestling with Mike and Austin with police officers trying to break up the fight. Alice and Rosalie's eyes widened in fear for me. Edward was right behind me, his expression hard and cold.

Charlie looked at me, his face full of remorse.

"Stop fighting," I said in a low, furious voice. The tears flowed down my cheek silently. "Now."

I turned to my father. "I can't believe this. Even my own father…betrays me."

Charlie swallowed. "Bella-"

"How could you?" I screamed. "How could you not believe in me? Do you really think I would take drugs?"

"It's my fault, Bella," Charlie said miserably. "If your mother and I hadn't argued so much, maybe-"

"I told you!" I said furiously. "Whether you or Renee fight, it's not my business anymore! I've given up trying to reason with you!"

"It's natural that you would crack up and end up taking drugs, Bella," he said. "I don't blame you one bit-"

"Stop!" I shrieked. I was sobbing. "Stop, Dad… Don't do this to me. It wasn't me. I wasn't taking drugs. I don't know who planted them in my locker… It wasn't me!"

"I know exactly who did it!" Alice blurted out. She turned and glared pointedly at Tanya. "You! You bitch!"

Tanya had the nerve to looked shocked. "Me? I've done nothing wrong!" She looked smugly at me. "It's Bella who made the wrong choices."

Rosalie yelled in defiance as she lunged at Tanya. Tanya shrieked like a banshee as Rose grabbed her hair and pulled. Hard.

"You!" my friend screamed. "You slut! You bitch! You-" She called Tanya words so bad that the teachers all gasped and the students backed away.

"Ladies!" the police officers protested as they ran to separate them.

But Rosalie was strong. She resisted the pull of three men and continued to pull a screaming Tanya's hair.

Alice joined in, and Emmett and Jasper resumed their fight. Suddenly, the parking lot became loud again as people accused each other of siding with the police officers or me.

I looked around in horror. What have I done?

I sank to the ground slowly, stricken. Was this what that psychic had told me? Was this what I had to endure through to get my happiness?

If this was the obstacle I had to face, I didn't want to face it anymore. I'd rather just die. End everything… I didn't need happiness. I needed death.

Edward sank down next to me. "Bella…"

I began laughing. First, softly, then the laughter got louder. I sounded like a person who'd gone insane.

Edward looked scared. "Bella, what-"

With a sudden, determined glint in my eyes, I pushed him away roughly and ran toward Charlie.

My father's eyes widened when I knocked him down and snatched the gun from his belt. "No, Bella!"

Alice and Rosalie screamed in terror. "BELLA!" Everyone else screamed for me to stop.

But it was Edward who did something. He was suddenly in front of me, his face desperate and fearful. He seized my wrist before I had the chance to aim properly at myself.

"No!" I shrieked. "Leave me alone, Edward! Leave me alone!"

"No, Bella!" he insisted, still struggling to confiscate the weapon from me. "You can't!"

I squeezed the trigger, not caring where I hit myself. The gun fired, and everyone screamed. I fell to the ground, my face contorted in pain. Blood covered my stomach.

"Bella!" Edward yelled. "Bella!"

Charlie was there too, shouting my name. "Medic! Get an ambulance right away!"

My eyesight got blurry, and the world faded to black.

Edward's Point of View

As the ambulance drove away, I looked down at my hands. They were covered in blood. Her blood.

The fact angered me. Tanya Denali…

I turned to face Tanya, my face menacing. She didn't look remorseful at all, though she did look surprised that Bella had tried to commit suicide. I stalked toward her, glaring.

She backed away at the weight of my glare. "E-Edward…"

"You bitch!" Alice screamed as she lunged at Tanya again.

This time, Emmett held her back, shushing her and trying to console her in soothing tones.

Alice was crying. She was sobbing, fearful for her friend's life. "Let me at her! She deserves to rot in jail! She deserves it! You killed her!"

"She's not dead!" Rosalie snapped at her. "Don't say that! She will live."

Alice sank to the floor. "Poor Bella… Bella…"

"Did you have to go so far?" I asked Tanya. My voice was soft yet dangerous. "Were you that desperate?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tanya answered coolly. "It certainly isn't my fault that Bella tried to kill herself. She must have gone insane."

"I'll prove this was your doing," I said. "I'm not going to stand back and watch while Bella goes to jail for what you did."

Her eyes flashed. "You can't prove anything. Besides, it's your fault. If you hadn't been so obsessed with a crazy girl, I wouldn't have had to do this. I did this for you."

"I'll prove you wrong," I promised. "You'll regret you ever messed with Bella and my relationship."

Tanya stared at me. "You can't. There's no proof that I did it."

"You did the same thing, didn't you?" Jasper accused, glaring. "Back in Seattle. That's why you got expelled. That's why you moved here."

Tanya smirked. "What did I do?" She turned and walked away.

"What do we do?" Alice moaned as our brother held her upright, patting her back consolingly. "Bella's going to go to jail for something she didn't do. Bella…"

"Oh, shut it," Rosalie snapped. "Didn't you hear him just now? He'll prove Bella's innocence. If anyone can do it, Edward can. I trust him." She turned to me. "I don't know how you're going to do it. But let us help."

My lips parted as I stared at Tanya's car that was driving away. I was barely listening. Her car…

"Edward!" Rosalie slapped my arm. "Pay attention!"

"The car…" I murmured. "Of course. Her house… She's always alone…with no supervision."

"What?"

I blinked, then turned to my siblings and friends. "Bella just bought me some time. She's not arrested yet, which gives me time to prove her innocence."

"You're insane too," Alice moaned. "She probably put a bullet through your brain earlier."

I ignored her. "Bella's name will be cleared. I'll make sure of it."

"How?" Jasper asked. "Tanya just said that there was no evidence. She probably got rid of everything."

I began walking quickly toward my car. "There's always evidence on her."


AN: So again, I have summer school at the moment, and it's five weeks long. I have two weeks down, and I still have three more to go. But don't get excited, because I'm going on a vacation for two weeks right afterward. So don't expect too much updates like I usually post, but I'll try to update whenever possible. Thanks a lot, and leave me lots of love and reviews!