All things Twilight belong to the awesome Stephenie Meyer, the rest to my crazy brain :) Happy Tuesday . . . sorry it's a wee bit late!


Thankful

I'll try to hold on tight tonight
Pink slip inviting me inside
Want to burn skin and brand what once was mine
But the red views keep ripping the divide
Panic Switch - Silversun Pickups


Weeks passed quickly and I found myself splitting my time between the different groups of friends I had made. We spent time together as a group more often than not. Not even Jasper and Alice paired off; they had become better friends but they still weren't even trying to date. Well not as far as I knew anyway. If they were keeping it low key for my sake, they were doing a fabulous job of it, but Alice swore that they were only friends. I think she believed it's what I wanted to hear, but in truth it frustrated me.

Anyone could see the attraction they held for one another, and I had gracefully removed myself from the situation to give them a chance to flourish. I think I was eager to see their first time holding hands or kissing so I could deal with it and move on. All of this suspense was killing me.

Rosalie and I had given Angela a makeover, subtly changing her appearance and trying to give her more confidence as we dragged her to our lunch table. She seemed to be enjoying herself and the attention she was getting from some of the other guys, but it was still Ben's attention she sought. Finally, after weeks of trying, he was starting to watch her more and striking up random conversations with her. Rosalie and I were ecstatic.

Thanksgiving was just around the corner and there was a buzz about the school because of the week's vacation we would get with it. I was leaving on Sunday night after Dad and Tanya left and Emmett grudgingly went to his father's. I'd told him he was more than welcome to come with me, but he wanted to give his dad another chance. I could understand that.

I still hadn't had a chance to talk to him about Rosalie, mainly because Peter seemed to be a permanent fixture around us these days. He still spent a great deal of his time working for his dad, but generally while he was off doing that, there was always someone else around. So I made it a point to find him alone that weekend. It would at least give him some time to think about it before he had to see Rose again.

So Sunday morning, I got up early. I knew everyone else would be sleeping in after the evening we'd spent together, but much like I, Emmett was an early riser and I knew I would find him in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

"Morning." I smiled, sliding in behind him to get to the coffee he'd already put on.

"Hey, you looking forward to seeing Leah tonight?"

"Yeah, it's been a while since I saw her last—Halloween, I think. It's gonna be fun, Sue always cooks way too much food."

"Maybe I will join you then. Dad just orders shit from restaurants. You want some waffles? They're blueberry."

"If there's enough, yes please."

Emmett went back to what he was doing while I slid into a chair at the table and sipped on my coffee. I was still a little nervous about sticking my nose into his business, but I hated seeing them both so miserable. Rosalie had cheered a little over the last couple of weeks, but that was due to her resignation and the distraction helping Angela had provided. She confessed to me that she had given up and was leaving the ball decidedly in his court.

When he finally came to sit at the table, placing the plate in front of me, I thanked him. The smell of the waffles was making my stomach growl. I took a bite, biding my time so he wouldn't think it was the sole reason I joined him this morning. We made idle chatter as we ate, but as the food diminished I knew my time was running out.

"Em, can I ask you something?"

"That sounds ominous coming from you," he chuckled, taking another mouthful.

"I know it's none of my business, but you know Rosalie's single, right?" I asked, my eyes watching for his reaction as I waited for him to speak. He froze at first, his eyes holding mine as I tried to decipher what he was going to say to me. As he relaxed, a little his expression moved through several emotions before settling on curiosity.

He picked up the fork he'd previously put down and cut into his food, finally breaking eye contact with me.

"Yeah, I know, Bella," he sighed, taking a mouthful and chewing it thoughtfully. "And I know what you're going to say, but it doesn't matter. She's still Edward's ex."

"That's ridiculous, Emmett. You're putting your happiness on hold when he gave his blessing?"

Now it was my time to freeze. I hadn't meant to say that and give away Edward and Rosalie's conversation. I bowed my head, trying to avoid his eyes, and chanted for him not to ask what I meant. Only I could start a conversation like that and give away everything I knew in the first five seconds. I was ridiculous.

"How did you know about that?"

"About what?" I asked, playing dumb.

Emmett cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. There was a ghost of a smile on his lips as he silently challenged me to deny what I'd just said. I rolled my eyes and put my elbows on the table.

"Fine, but this is between you and me. Rosalie and I were talking about it."

"But how would Rose know?" he asked, sitting back in his chair and putting his hands on the table.

"Wait," I said, leaning forward, my eyes narrowing in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Edward and I talked after he broke up with Rosalie and he said it was a lot of things that pulled them apart, but he broke up with her because he could see we had more chemistry than they ever did together. It was a fucking weird conversation; he slapped me on the shoulder and said, 'She's an amazing girl, Emmett. Break her heart and I will have to hurt you.' What are you talking about?"

It really wasn't my story to tell, but Emmett had been candid enough to tell me his side; I figured I owed him an explanation. I just had to make sure this would go no further than the two of us.

"This is still just between you and me?" I asked and he nodded in response, sitting forward again. "Edward talked to Rosalie and said something along the same lines. It's really not my story to tell, but you should know that I believe it was a mutual decision."

It was a slight twist on the truth. Edward had made the decision and broken up with Rosalie, not giving her much of an option. However, after talking to Rosalie, I knew she had agreed with him, that she had herself realized that things wouldn't work out between them.

Emmett's eyebrows rose on his forehead as his hand moved to tease his curls in his frustration and confusion. Which did nothing but make it obvious he hadn't expected that answer.

"But she's been so down lately. I figured it was because Edward broke up with her."

Trying not to offend him, I bit back my laughter. It wouldn't help the situation to ridicule him for being so blind to everything going on around him. Rosalie had been subtle in her own way, not flaunting what she was doing, but as far as her interactions with Emmett were concerned, she could have hit him with an iron skillet and dragged him into a cave and he would be confused by it. I honestly believed he was blinded by his feelings for her. After blocking them out for so long, I could only imagine how difficult it would be to drop that wall for him.

"You really didn't notice, did you?" I said, my voice lilting with surprise.

"Notice what?" he asked. "I swear I need a translator for you girls sometimes."

"Emmett open your eyes. The girl's been throwing herself at you for weeks. She's down because she thinks you're not interested."

"What?" he asked, louder than I expected, and I paused to listen to see if his raised voice had stirred anyone. It wasn't like it was a huge secret, but out of respect for both Rosalie and Emmett, I didn't want to go on about this in front of our siblings.

"You really didn't notice?"

"No, I mean, she asked to hang out a couple times but I thought she was upset about Edward, and honestly, I really didn't think I could handle that because I feel like it's my fault."

"She was subtly asking you out," I laughed, trying to keep it subdued so he wouldn't think I was laughing at him. I just found the whole situation funny; it was all just a huge misunderstanding.

"Jesus, I am such an idiot."

"No," I corrected him. "It is just a weird situation that no one really knows how to handle. I mean, I only asked because I felt bad for encouraging Rose to keep trying. I didn't know if you had changed your mind or something. I know it's none of my business, but . . ."

"No. I'm glad you said something, otherwise I would still be clueless and probably blow any chance at all with her. I mean I still feel weird with her being my best friend's ex, but he's moved on, I think. There's this chick he's interested in."

I tried to quash the disappointment that stirred in my stomach. I knew that the excuse he'd confirmed to Rosalie was simply to appease her in an attempt to help her move on, but it still didn't stop the sting. I wasn't even going to ask who it was, because it was none of my business, and I really didn't think I could process that right now. I wanted to have fun this week, not dwell on my stupid crush being stamped on by the reality of this new girl.

I could already feel a slight shadow falling over my subconscious.

"Are you sure?" Emmett asked, pulling me out of the haze of dissolving disillusion brought on by this new reality.

"Emmett, she's one of my closest friends here. You think I wouldn't know that?"

"Bella, I have never been more grateful for your friendship than I am right now,"—he grinned—"and if you knew how much I respected you already, you'd see how impossible that was."

"I'll just take that as a compliment," I laughed, starting to eat my food again.

"You should."

Our conversation turned a little lighter now that I'd managed to get my thoughts out. Emmett and I discussed Thanksgiving, and I tried once again to give him an open invitation—he promised he would call if he felt he needed to get away.

Slowly the kitchen filled up and the idle chatter started about everyone's plans. The only one who didn't say much was Izzy. She simply sat in her normal spot and ate her breakfast in silence, her eyes occasionally narrowing at me when she caught me watching her. I knew I should probably have invited her home with me, considering she was on her own, but I couldn't get past the acidic relationship we'd shared up to this point. She was poison, her bad attitude and icy veneer sucking the enjoyment out of anything and everything she touched.

I didn't hate her. I pitied her. I wouldn't ruin my Thanksgiving to make her feel included, not this time.

Dad and Tanya left a little after noon. Dad apologized again for being absent for my first Thanksgiving, but I just smiled and nodded. I had already explained the situation with Sue and our traditions, but I didn't want to make him feel as though I were rubbing it in. Especially not with Izzy standing so close to me.

I left for the bayou not long after that, piling all of my comfortable clothes and shoes into a bag, only taking one set of dressy clothes for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. After driving two blocks and remembering the gifts I'd picked up for everyone were sitting on my dresser, I turned back and hurried into the house to get them. Praying I would be spared the final glare from Izzy for a while.

I managed to get away without an Izzy sighting, but Peter was another story altogether. He gave me a grin and a once over with his eyes before telling me he would miss me. I flipped him the bird and laughed as I skipped out of the house, trying to think if there was anything else I had forgotten.

I got in my car and sank into the seats with a satisfied smile. This would be the first long drive since I'd been home after our birthday party, and I was excited about it.

I took off and finally felt like I could breathe when the congestion of the city fell behind me. The tall trees lining the freeway draped periodically in Spanish moss almost felt like a welcoming embrace from a place I had neglected for so long.

I stopped at a gas station and got something to drink on my way, but regretted it the moment I did. I wasn't sure if it was imagination, but the same creepy feeling that had been plaguing me for months now returned with a vengeance. Only now, I could feel the eyes boring into me as I stepped around my car to climb back in.

My eyes scanned the area, I even scrutinized the dense trees bordering the area I believed it was coming from, but there was nothing. Not even an empty car parked in the general area. Just endless trees towering above the asphalt and cutting into the beautiful cerulean blue November sky. I flicked the button on my key ring and vowed I wouldn't stop midway anymore. Opening the door and sliding into the car, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as an icy finger of fear trailed down my spine.

I made it home without incident. I couldn't shake the creepy feeling that had followed me all this way until I turned onto the road that led to our small community. The familiarity of it was like a security wall slamming down between me and whatever was giving me that uneasy feeling. The cypress trees that were laced with Spanish moss closed behind me as I traveled up the road. I could see the sycamores in the distance that I knew cradled mamére's house, which brought on a small cloud of sadness, as it always did when I came home. I thought about her everyday, but I still felt neglectful having not been to her grave since she passed.

As soon as I came to a stop outside the Clearwater's house, I felt safe again. Almost to the point where I believed I had imagined the whole thing. Perhaps it was the comforting thoughts and memories of mamére that had pushed it from my mind completely. She had a way about here like that. Even if she wasn't here.

Leah appeared at the doorway with a smile on her lips as I got out of the car and stood in the dwindling heat. I pulled my bag from the passenger seat, hiding the small bag I'd had to return for. Leah hopped down the steps with enthusiasm. "Took ya long enough."

"I told you I was waiting till dad and the monster left."

"Yeah, well I was waiting you dirty slut. What, did you have to say goodbye to Edward first?" she asked, sticking her tongue in her cheek as she goaded me.

"Dammit, why didn't I think of that?" I laughed, pulling a smaller bag out of the one I had gone back to the house for. "I forgot this and had to go back."

"Pour Moi?"

"No, just figured I would dig through the bigger bag and give you something to hold so you'd feel useful," I taunted in return.

"A simple yes would have sufficed, Isabella."

"Since when have I ever done things simply?"

Leah looked me up and down and cocked her head to the side before straightening it again. "True, you are pretty weird."

"Whore."

"Bitch."

"I haven't missed that," Sue laughed, leaning against the jam of the front door, her arms crossed over her chest as she attempted to give me a reproachful look. I could see the smile behind the look though and didn't waste a second hopping up onto the porch to give her a hug.

"I missed you so much, Sue," I said, embracing her.

"I missed you too, Bella. Why don't you come inside? The wind's getting chillier. There's supposed to be a cold front coming through."

I nodded and let her guide me into the house, looking back at Leah and giving her a grin as she opened the bag and peered inside. She smiled broadly and mouthed I love you while doing a little dance. I'd managed to find her the skirt she'd been talking about for weeks. We'd gone when she'd been in town for Halloween but they didn't have it. Thankfully, Rosalie had a talent beyond anyone I knew to hunt down things like that. If I agreed with Izzy on one thing, it was that.

It didn't take long to settle down in the house, and before I knew it, we were all back into the same routine. Leah and I staying up late every night and getting up just as late. We would find ourselves walking along the path of the bayou with the sounds of the marsh hawks and herons as they swooped around the tops of the cypress and oaks. There was a peacefulness about the bayou that I seemed to forget when I was away from it. Every sound and smell seemed to bring back a memory of my life here. Even with the absence of the oppressive heat.

Leah and I had been talking a lot over the week, seeing as Jacob and Seth were pulling extra hours at the garage. Having this much time with her meant I could go into detail about everything that was on my mind. It was like the sun clearing out the fog as it rose into the sky; I was able to gather my thoughts and look at it all so much more objectively.

Leah, though, seemed to be saving the best for last, and decided she and I would be taking a walk before Thanksgiving dinner, especially seeing as Sue had enlisted Seth for his help this year because she knew he would be coming back with me on Friday morning so he could finally see the city that had captured my heart. Not to mention the people whose names he heard frequently.

We were sitting on the dock with our legs dangling over the edge, the water had gone down a little over the summer and we were able to dangle our feet with no fear of getting them wet, or the gators sneaking up on us for that matter. The dim afternoon light filtered through the Spanish moss, painting our skin in delicate patterns.

"Bella, tell me about Edward," she asked, her eyes watching for my reaction.

I had to think about what she wanted to hear and what I wanted to say. My answers had changed since last week. Then I would have gushed and explained all of the little things that I found attractive and endearing, swooning over the qualities that captured my attention. Now though, after Emmett had mentioned his growing emotional attachment to someone else, I was more reserved. I'd been thinking of it all week, mostly when Leah sneaked out in the middle of the night to be with Jacob. I found myself wondering if I would ever have something like that, and my mind would inadvertently turn to Edward.

It lessened with each passing day now.

"What would you like to know?" I responded with a light smile, hoping she could read the warning not to push in my eyes. She'd always said I was an open book.

"What happened?" she asked, shuffling closer to me on the wood planks. The structure groaned even with her small shift of weight.

"Nothing really, we're just friends."

"No, not that. You know what I mean. You were practically giddy last week, and the week before that, and . . ."

"I get it," I sighed, gripping the edge of the plank with my fingers, picking at the splintering wood. "I told you I talked to Emmett about Rose, right?"

"Yeah, what's that got to do with anything?"

"He mentioned Edward is getting over Rosalie and he seems interested in someone else."

Leah laughed quietly, her head hanging and her hair curtaining her face. I wasn't sure what was so funny, but I knew she would explain eventually.

"Have you even considered the fact that it could be you?" she asked, tipping her head to the side so she was looking at me.

I shook my head. Sure, Edward and I were friends now, but there would be nothing more than flirting. You only had to look at Rosalie to understand that I wasn't his type. Rose was beautiful in the breathtaking sense. Perfect features all proportionate to her stature. Blonde hair that never seemed to have a strand out of place. I couldn't touch her in looks, but she was also charismatic and confident. There were no common denominators between us, I had thought about it enough to figure that much out.

"Why not?"

"Have you seen Rosalie?"

Leah pinched the bare skin on my arm and I retracted from her, my mouth open in shock. "What the hell was that for?"

"Being an idiot," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Rosalie's beautiful, I won't deny that. But Bella—you're different people. You're beautiful, sure it's different than Rosalie, but you're still this amazing, beautiful person."

"Lee . . ." I tried to argue, but she put her hand over my mouth to stop me.

"Stop it, Bella. I'm not arguing with you over this. Maybe it isn't you, maybe it is. No matter what, Edward is the idiot if it's not. You're the most amazing person I know."

"You have to say that." I grinned around her hand. "You're my best friend."

"So I know better than anyone how true it is. I hate how self depreciating you are sometimes," she said, dropping her hand and rubbing it on her jeans.

"I'm not saying I'm an ugly tree candidate, Lee. I'm saying I'm not his type."

Leah narrowed her eyes at me and lifted her hand to pinch me again, but this time I shuffled away from her.

"We'll see," she prophesied.

"Yeah, yeah," I laughed, turning as Jacob loped toward us.

Dinner was amazing as always. Everything was spread out over the two tables Sue had borrowed from Billy Black. There were nine of us altogether, Billy and Helen Black, Jacob, Rachel and Rebecca, Leah, Seth and Sue, and me. There was so much food we could have fed an army. As was tradition Billy and Helen had brought a couple of sides to accompany those Sue had made as well as the turkey. Then for dessert there was a huge array of pies with ice cream. It was an enormous feast and we must have been there for hours, picking at things and talking.

Billy, Sue and Helen had so many questions about my family in New Orleans that I was exhausted by the time the meal finally came to a close. They had expressed interest in meeting my twin, but Leah had emphatically told them they shouldn't, which only started a whole new conversation about the evil twin and her plotting for my demise.

It was almost ten before the Blacks left, and I was exhausted. Knowing I would be driving home tomorrow made the exhaustion seem that much more harrowing. I helped Sue clean up, while Leah went for a walk with Jacob, and started on the dishes while Seth dried. He was chattering excitedly about his first trip to New Orleans and was firing endless questions about the French Quarter. Finally, Sue had to take over to simply stop him from talking, sending him outside with the trash while she continued the drying.

"Bella, I'm glad we have a moment alone. I'm sure you know, your mamére made me executor of her will, and I've been trying to sort all that mess out."

"Yes ma'am," I replied, my interest piqued.

"Well, I finally found your mom, sweetheart. I was cleaning the house and the phone rang. She seemed genuinely upset about the passing of your mamére."

"Oh God, is she coming back? I can't be in New Orleans if she is, Sue. If she finds out that I'm living with dad . . ."

"No, no," Sue reassured me, brushing my hair down my back with her fingers. "No need to worry about that; she seemed quite willing to stay away now. I did however talk to her about something else. I hope you don't mind but we discussed the house."

My heart sank in my chest and I had to drop my eyes to keep the shadows forming there from Sue. It would never do for her to see the pain and anger I held towards my mother there. I could only imagine how that conversation had gone.

"I suggested her passing it to you," Sue said quietly, and I couldn't stop my head snapping toward her while my eyes widened with surprise. "I can't lie, Bells, I wasn't exactly nice to her. I know she and I have a lot of history as friends, but I can't condone what she did to you and your family. I didn't say anything about Carlisle, but I used her absence as a weapon. I used her selfishness against her, and she actually signed the papers, placing possession of the house and it's contents into your name and faxed it back to the lawyer."

"How did you manage that?"

"I told her what I thought. We talked about you for a while and how you're doing. She wanted to talk to you but I told her you were at school, which wasn't a lie so much as I just left out the detail of where. She was talking about selling the house and how much she could get for it, and I lost my temper."

"You did?"

Sue nodded before continuing. "I told her I'd never met a more selfish human being in all my life. She sounded pretty affronted by the accusation and asked me what gave me the right. I said, 'What gives me the right, Renée Higginbotham, is looking after your child since your mother passed. She lost the one person in the world that showed her any love. You never cared about her enough, so it was up to your mére to do the job for you. Now that she's gone, you're going to take away the only home your child has ever known? You can't do the right thing one time in your sorry life?' I asked."

"Sue!" I grinned, throwing my arms around her waist, making sure to keep my wet hands away from her dress, and gave her a huge kiss on the cheek. "You lied for me."

"It wasn't a lie, Bella. I meant every last word of it. She's useless and selfish, and I just left out the rest."

"I love you, Sue."

"You're not upset?" she asked, a small smile on her lips.

"Upset? Why would I be upset?" I asked, stepping out of her embrace and looking up at her.

"Well, I told off your mom, and she may not come around for even longer now. You may not get along well, but I know you must at least miss her."

I hung my head. I didn't miss her, not one little bit. In all honesty, I didn't know her well enough to actually miss her. Add to that the fact I abhorred being in her presence. Maybe I was as bad as she was.

"Don't worry," Sue whispered, planting her lips on my forehead and lifting my chin so my eyes would meet hers. "I don't think there's a soul on earth who truly misses Renée anymore. Your mamére missed her, but your love for your children never diminishes. I don't think your mama thought of herself as a mother and doesn't have that instinct in her, but you will always have me, bébe."

"I know," I whispered, giving her a small smile. "Thanks, Sue."

We embraced one last time and finished the dishes in companionable silence. Seth came in and out with new questions, and Sue had to physically swat him out of the room with the dishcloth, threatening not to let him go if he kept it up.

Leah came back not long after, her eyes motioning to her bedroom. I excused myself and followed her in there.

"Where's your phone?"

"In my bag, why?" I asked, kneeling beside it and rifling through my things to find it.

"I got a text from Emmett asking you to call him. He said he's been texting and calling for an hour now."

I dug my phone out and hit the button to activate the screen, dragging my thumb across it as it notified me I had four missed calls and six texts from Emmett "Bro" McCarty.

The first message was simple and short. 'How was dinner? Mine sucked ass and tasted like fast food. Probably because it was! Bring me back some leftovers please.' The second was a little stranger. 'Think the shit hit the fan . . . Call me!' The Third was more urgent with only two words. 'CALL ME!' The last was 'Calling Leah if you don't answer soon.'

"What's going on?" Leah asked, crouching beside me as I hit the call button at the top of the messages.

"No idea, but we will soon see," I replied, waiting as Emmett's phone rang.

"Where the hell have you been?" Emmett's voice said, filling the line with frustration. There was a muffled voice in the background but I couldn't make it out so I focused on Emmett's voice.

"I was up to my neck in dishes. Not exactly the best place in the world for my phone. What's going on?"

"You may want to stay away until your dad and my mom get back."

"Why?" I whined into the phone, almost expecting the answer.

"Guess who decided to have a Thanksgiving party and completely destroyed not only the pool house, but most of the kitchen too. Not to mention your bedroom door looks like someone tried to pick the lock with a pick axe."

"What?" I screeched, my head falling into my hands, Leah leaned in, her ear against the other side of the phone so she could hear too. "Did she get in there?"

"Doesn't look like it, but there's some pretty fucking major dents in your door."

I felt all the blood drain from my face. I knew if I went home, I was sure to get partially blamed for the shit that happened, but then taking Seth with me was going to cover my ass in that aspect. Then there was Emmett, I still had his text messages and Sue and Leah to confirm my whereabouts.

"Where is she?" I demanded down the phone. It was just like that selfish bitch to ruin everyone's holiday.

"Throwing up in the bathroom, wanna hear? I was gonna take some video and post it on you tube. It's no less than she deserves."

"Do it," Leah shouted down the phone.

I heard retching on the other end of the phone and Emmett's chuckles, followed by a screamed 'Get out.'

"The place is a fucking shithole," Emmett sighed. "Let me check my room."

There was silence on the other end of the line as he walked around. I could hear the door shutting and his sigh of relief. Then I heard another door open with a muffled scream. "Jesus fucking Christ, get out."

Leah and I looked at one another and both put our ears back to the phone to listen. "Peter's gonna be pissed at you little fuckers."

"Who was that?"

"Sophomores, they were screwing in Pete's bed."

"What do you wanna do, Em?" I asked, sighing.

"Two choices," he said, his breath coming as a gust of wind down the receiver. "I clean this shit up and get Izzy off the hook, or go back to dad's and let her get caught. She'll never clean this shit up in time."

Leah looked at me and shook her head. She could see what I was planning. I couldn't do that to Emmett though. I knew he was unhappy about being at his dad's, and not only that, Seth had been so excited about coming back with me, I couldn't let him down.

"I'll be there in the morning, Em. I'll give you a hand, but on one condition."

There was a pause at the other end of the line as he waited for the condition.

"Izzy has to pull her weight. None of this 'I have a hangover, I don't feel good' bullshit. She will replace my door with her credit card, and if she snaps at either of us, we come back here and leave her to deal with the fallout herself."

"Done."

I said goodbye to Emmett and hung up, knowing that Leah would be disappointed. She watched me for a while and started to grin. I didn't wait for her to say anything to me. Instead I went to explain what happened to Sue, just in case I needed her to back me up if we couldn't get the mess sorted out in time.

"You're too nice," Leah sighed when I got dressed for bed and hit the lights. "I would have let the bitch burn."

"I wanted to. If I hadn't promised Seth, I would have told Emmett to just come up here. He could have stayed at mamére's house."

"Aw, you love little Sethykins."

I put the palm of my hand on her face and pushed gently before rolling over. "No, I just feel bad, you whore."

"Sure," she laughed, yawning. "Keep telling yourself that."

Seth was practically vibrating the next morning as we got ready to leave. I promised Sue I would drive him home on Sunday, but she refused, telling me to put him on a bus. She didn't want me having to drive all the way out here to turn around and go straight back home. This only seemed to excite Seth more.

We left at eight and finally rolled into the congested city around ten in the morning, which I figured was plenty of time for Izzy to get some sleep. I pointed out some of the things I'd learned about since being here to Seth. His wide eyes and wonderment for the city I was beginning to love gave me more enthusiasm. I pointed out houses in the Garden District, and he was amazed at some of the names I produced.

By the time we pulled up at the house, he already had his hand on the door and his eyes trained on the house looming ahead of him.

"This is where you live?"

"Yeah, it's my dad's house, and it's gonna be trashed. So just be forewarned."

Why she hadn't kept it contained to the pool house was beyond me, but then I couldn't ever really decipher her actions. I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to get into her mindset anyway.

Seth and I made our way around the pool, stepping over beer cans and red plastic cups that littered every surface. There were lounger pillows floating in the pool, as well as someone's underwear. Seth stopped, but I gripped his hand, pulling him along behind me.

I turned the handle of the back door, but it was locked so I entered the code on the door panel and pulled again, letting myself inside the house.

Emmett had been right, the kitchen was a disaster. There were cups sprawled everywhere, as well as dip on the floor and ceilings. Someone had pulled out canisters of pasta and it was everywhere. The place smelled of cigarette smoke and beer mixed with the sweet, bitter smell of bourbon. It wasn't until I saw the drugs on the table that I pulled Seth out of the kitchen altogether and up the stairs.

My door was worse than I had imagined; there were heavy dents and smashes around the handle, but fortunately, none had gone all the way through. I stepped up and checked it, satisfied when I found it still locked. It seemed like a small miracle, considering the dents in it. Any harder and there would have been a hole clean through it.

My anger was so palpable now, it was Seth holding onto my hand, rather than the other way around. I knew he could feel the tremors of emotion working through my body as I surveyed the damage with my free hand, his thumb squeezing the pressure point between my thumb and forefinger as he tried to silently console me.

"Hey, you're home," Emmett said, stepping out of his room and walking toward us. "Sorry you have to do this shit. Hey, Seth."

"Hey, Emmett!" Seth grinned, releasing my hand and shaking his to get the blood circulating again. "This place is awesome."

"It can be, when the fucking pigs haven't trampled the shit out of the place."

I unlocked my door and pushed it open; small shards that had chipped off from the impact were the only sign that anything out of the ordinary had occurred. "Seth, why don't you check my room out."

"Why?"

"Please?"

"Fine," he grumbled, darting up the stairs. I could hear his awe as I turned to Emmett.

"Em there're drugs on the kitchen counter."

"What?"

"You didn't notice?" I asked. I assumed he'd done an assessment of damage, but I couldn't blame him if he simply just went to bed.

"White powder stuff. It's on one of Tanya's sterling silver serving trays."

"Son of a bitch. Okay, I'll get rid of it and make sure there's nothing else like that lying around. You wanna wake up the beast?"

"My pleasure." I grinned, looking up the stairs to my room and hearing the sounds of the gaming console starting up. Emmett chuckled and headed for the stairs that led directly to the kitchen while I headed toward Izzy's door.

I threw it open and looked around the darkened room. I could see the lump on the bed that was cuddled up to what I guessed was Mike Newton. I marched toward the window and threw back the drapes and pulled opened the blinds letting the bright streaming light fill the room.

Both of the bodies on the bed groaned. Mike was the first to open his eyes. He looked around in confusion before finding me at the window with my arms crossed. I smirked at him, the same smirk he'd used on me when he was acting all high and mighty.

"Izzy, dad wants to see you in the kitchen immediately." I marched out of the room and left Mike shaking Izzy awake, the fear drawing the little color he had in his cheeks out. I stood outside the door, my back against the wall facing away from the direction of the kitchen. Mike scurried out, pulling up his pants and pulling on his shirt as he sprinted to the main stairs. He flew down them, almost toppling over near the bottom as his pants fell down toward his ankles.

I could hear the expletives coming in waves from Izzy's room as I stepped back inside. Her eyes were swollen and her hair was matted at the back of her head, sticking up in all directions. She looked like a badly dyed peacock. I stood there with my arms crossed as she pulled on some of her sweats and tried to tame the mess on top of her head.

"What the fuck are you staring at? I bet you're just fucking loving this."

"Not really," I sighed, pushing the door closed behind me. "Dad's not really home, Izzy. You can relax."

"What? Jesus fucking Christ, you gave me a fucking heart attack. Get the fuck out of my room. I'm going back to bed."

"No," I said defiantly, "you're not."

"Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?"

"You want me to go tell Emmett to stop cleaning up the lines of coke on the kitchen counter?" I asked, stepping forward. "We can just leave you in this squalor and come home after dad does on Sunday, if you like."

"Like I give a shit," she said defensively, but I could see the panic behind her eyes. I wanted to call her out on it.

"I know you do, Izzy. Unless you want to go to boarding school? I know I sure as hell don't, and to be quite honest, you'd get your wish and I would go home, but where would that leave you? In Connecticut, surrounded by girls just like you? You can do what the hell you like. Emmett and I were going to help you out, but I can see you'd rather just take the heat," I said, turning and grabbing the handle of her door.

"No. Bella, wait."

I stopped and turned to face her again, my eyebrows raised. Her eyes were wide, like she was hiding something, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. Her admission came too quickly.

"I fucked up. I know I fucked up, but what do you want? What's in this for you?"

"Some peace and fucking quiet. No more attitude, no more bitching. I'm not asking to be friends, just to be left alone."

"That's it?"

"That and you replacing the door you tried to get through last night."

"Which door?" she asked, her head tilted to the side in confusion. She stepped toward me and into the large landing, her eyes zoning in on my door. "I'm going to fucking kill her."

"Who?" I asked, stepping out beside her and cringing at the mess.

"Jessica, she kept going on about trashing your room last night and I told her to fucking drop it. Stupid bitch is crazy."

"She's your friend." I said, crossing my arms.

"Yeah and she's paying for that shit. These are specialty doors—it will take a miracle to get it replaced in time."

Her concern for not only my door, but her best friend—whether I believe that or not—defacing said door, actually took me by surprise.

"Oh my God, you weren't joking," Seth said from my door way, his mouth open and his eyes moving between Izzy and me. "Bella, you look hot as a blonde."

"Shut up, Seth," I quipped, rolling my eyes. "Seth this is Izzy, my sister. Izzy, this is Seth, Leah's brother."

"Hey cutie," Izzy said, grinning and stepping over the shards of wood to get a closer look. "Fancy helping us clean?"

Seth looked from me to Izzy, his smile fixed in place. I could see his Adam's apple bouncing as his gaze stopped on Izzy. "I'd help you any day, gorgeous."

Izzy's smile widened and her eyebrows rose at me in surprise. I rolled my eyes as he offered his arm to her and she took it. This could be very dangerous.


A/N: I know, I know no Edward! But Leah was at least helping Bella see a resolution to that problem of not feeling worthy enough for him! And Seth's finally come to visit!

Sorry this is so late there was some stuff going on in RL and I am slowly getting back to normal. I just didn't get up early enough for this to be normal lol, but it will be next week!

Thanks as always to the amazing Annabanana, my beta, for making the words flow just a little bit better and adding all the commas I forget in my neverending brain fart!

A huge thank you and loads of love to Miztrezboo, Bendingmirrors, Hev99 and Newmoonaholic for being there and holding my hand in my hysteria lol, and for always knowing how to make me smile and keep me going no matter what! Thank you so much for this past week ladies!

To the reviews. I love you all! Your endless patience and kind words are so amazing to me. Every week you keep me giggling and smiling and your questions and predictions are always so amazing! I love you all loads! I bar none have the best readers on this site!

Much love and huger hugz ~Weezy~