A/N: I came up with a wonderful title for the sequel. :D And it even keeps to the whole 'Taking Back Sunday songs' theme: You Need Me Like a Bad Habit. What do you think? Last hate-me chapter, homes. Then it'll get better again, and no one will be upset with me (or Edward). That poor boy. You guys really let him have it. :D He's offended.
The bed was shaking me awake.
"Get up! Get up! Get up! We have to talk! Isabella Marie Swan, wake up! We need to talk! Bella! I bought you new clothes! You drank last night! Edward's a fucking jerk! You've got to get up!" Alice bounced once more, and landed with an 'umph' on her bottom next to me.
"Alice," I groaned, "hangover. Let me sleep. I'm not up for a homicide today."
She scoffed. "Like you could even begin to try and kill me. God, you've been asleep forever. I've been sitting here for hours."
"An hour," I begged. "Then you can talk yourself to death for all I care." I sighed and curled into the pillow again.
She not-so-graciously obliged, and my dreams made me regret my persistence for sleep.
I was in the forest again, just after Edward left. Too much time passed for it to be the same nightmare I had before. I lay, crumpled up on the ground, for what felt like days. Perhaps it was days…
I hummed my lullaby to myself while I waited for Sam to find me, like he had before. I should've woken up already. Finally, a twig broke in the distance. Leaves shuffled, and from the darkness of the woods, Lauren came to sit by me. I didn't look up, but she stared at me intently, a gentle smile plastered to her face. Being Lauren, she didn't tolerate the silence for long.
She recited her monologue from our first friendly encounter. "Bella, I know you've had a hard time lately. We just wanted to invite you to our party this weekend. It'll help take your mind off that bastard." Her warm smile was in place, just like always. From beside her, she pulled out a vodka bottle and a pack of cigarettes—the same ones from our first party. "Have fun, babe. The real party's tomorrow."
I woke screaming. I shot straight up in the bed, beads of sweat decorating my forehead. Alice sat calmly beside me.
"Bad dreams?" she guessed, placing a cool hand on my forehead. It helped.
"Yeah," I sighed. "The worst."
She nodded in understanding. "You should come downstairs. Everyone would like to see you. And I would like to ask about a certain decision you made last night—one pertaining to, oh, I don't know, leaving with your mom?!"
I groaned. "Could you please refrain from yelling? It would be a monumental help."
"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" she hissed. "You can't possibly be considering going to Florida, Bella!"
"Yes, I am. I need to get out of here, Alice. This place…it's…I can't handle this anymore. I need to get away. Please, try and understand," I pleaded, finally waking up.
She sighed. "You can't leave me, Bella. We both know how hard it is for the two of us to be apart. We're best friends!"
"Alice," I murmured, shocked, "you don't actually think I would stop talking to you, do you? I'll be calling so much, you won't even be able to miss me." I took her hands. "Who could live without their other half?"
She smiled sadly. "It won't be the same! Ugh, why did your mom have to live in Florida? Jazz and I would be on the next flight with you if we could."
I laughed. "I think we'll make it, Alice. Come on, let's get downstairs. I missed you guys a lot. I needed you yesterday."
"Sorry," she sang, "I had some shopping to do. And boy, did I find some great things for you. You are going to love me so much."
And I did. She bought clothes for me that were actually comfortable, but still looked good. Among the pile of clothes I found a sundress, two pairs of boyfriend jeans, and—especially for me—a new pair of sweats.
After our detour to her room, Alice and I joined the family in the kitchen. As Jasper had said, Edward was nowhere to be seen, still. I felt no less than awkward walking into the room—everyone's eyes on me, all filled with pity. All motion came to a halt as I approached, and I felt my cheeks flush as Renee's coffee cup stopped, mid-air on its way to the table.
"Morning," I said quietly, averting my eyes.
"Afternoon," Renee corrected. "How are you feeling, honey?" She came to stand next to me in front of the sink.
"I'm fine," I lied as I turned around to find some aspirin in the cabinet behind me. "I just have a little headache, is all. Hey, mom, could I talk to you upstairs for a minute?"
"Sure," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, "we'll be right back."
I led her up the stairs to Carlisle's study—the only sound-proof room in the home. I hoped that Alice would keep her vision to herself until I could tell the family on my own accord. We sat in the chairs in front of Carlisle's desk, and I took her hand, staring at her intently.
"I want to move to Florida with you. Don't totally freak out or anything, it might just be for the summer. But I was thinking about maybe trying twelfth grade again. Can I come stay with you?"
Her eyes were wide and twinkling with joy. "Absolutely, Bella! Phil and I would love to have you back. Have you talked to your father about this? What about Dr. Cullen? Do you think you can handle this, Bella?" she asked, never pausing for me to answer.
I giggled. "Slow down, mom. No, I haven't spoken to either of them yet. And I'm positive I can handle this. Getting out of Forks is exactly what I need."
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"You're sure about this, Bella?" Carlisle asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You know I'll worry sick all the time and call constantly, right?" He smiled and hugged me. "Don't worry about the bags, Renee; I'll have the boys get them."
The cab sat in front of the house beside the vacant Volvo. The driver waited impatiently as I said my tearful goodbyes by the door. Emmett and Jasper had already wished me well and given me hugs, and had followed Carlisle's orders to retrieve our bags.
Esme stepped forward with a sad smile. "You can't know how sad it is to let you go, Bella. Edward will come around, I promise." She sighed. "Well, maybe he'll learn now. Keep in touch, dear, please. We love you, Bella." She sniffled, hugged me, and went to stand by her husband as Alice and Rosalie came over.
Rosalie went first. "My brother's an idiot—we both know that. But this makes me think you might be, too." She smiled sadly. "It sucks to see you go, I must admit. I was actually beginning to get used to having you around." She hugged me awkwardly and retreated to Emmett's arms.
I sighed and walked the short distance to Alice where she stood, pouting. Rather than ruin myself with words, I threw my arms around my tiny best friend and squeezed her tightly. We both began to cry—loudly—and we held each other tighter.
"I love you, Alice. I'll call you every day, I promise." I sniffled again. "We're pathetic," I laughed.
"Yeah," she sighed. "We kinda are. But it's okay. I love you, too, Bella. You better call. Don't think I won't be on the first flight to Jacksonville if you don't." She winked at me and pushed me toward the taxi where Renee was waiting.
"Ready?" She smiled at me as I closed the door and waved my final goodbyes to my family—to my former way of being. One more detour and I would be on my way to my new life.
"Yeah. Let's go see Charlie."
The ride didn't take long enough. All too soon for my liking, we were lurching to stop in front of my father's small home. The Volkswagen Rabbit beside the cruiser made me think this would be harder than necessary—having to see Jake and Billy when I leave. Then again, I needed to say to them my goodbyes.
Renee sat in the cab while I went inside. I took a deep breath and reassured myself before opening the door. Quietly, I made my way through the living room, eavesdropping.
"I just can't believe it. He was just fine last week when we went fishing." Charlie heaved a heavy sigh.
"I know, Charlie," Billy murmured. "But, these things happen."
I interrupted their conversation with my presence. Billy and Charlie sat at the kitchen table while Jake leaned casually against the counter, all three of their expressions pained. Charlie looked up in surprise.
"Hey, Bells. What are you doing here? Is anyone with you?" He became slightly panicked.
"No, Dad, I'm alone. I just…I needed to talk to you. But I can wait. You guys were obviously talking about something." I awkwardly nodded my head and pressed my lips together. "So I'll let you get to that."
"Yeah," Billy agreed, "Jake, why don't you go watch some TV with Bella or something? You've already heard all this. I won't make you listen again. Go on, now."
Jake uncrossed his stiff arms and came to stand by me. I didn't move for a minute—I needed to ask Charlie something.
"Hey, Dad?" He looked up at me. "Do you mind if Jake comes upstairs with me for a minute? I need to get something out of my room."
He sighed and ran a hand over his tired-looking face. "Yeah, go ahead. Get whatever you need."
"Thanks, Dad!"
I didn't speak until I'd closed my bedroom door. Tears silently fell, and I turned immediately away from Jacob—walking straight to the rain-covered window. I heard his heavy footsteps pick up and cross the small distance my tiny room put between us. He placed a warm hand on my shoulder.
"What's wrong, Bella?" he asked anxiously. "Bells, look at me." He turned me around to face him, my tears flowing like a stinking river.
"I'm leaving, Jake," I sobbed, collapsing on his fiery chest. "I'm going to Florida with my mom."
"What?" he breathed in shock. "You…you can't be. I mean, you can't let that mosquito drive you away from your home."
My wide eyes bored into his. "How did you…?"
"He called Sam last night. Said he needed to make a quick run through to get out." He shrugged. "Sam drove him. It was pretty funny, actually. He drove about as slow as your decrepit truck moves. Sam was pretty pissed that he broke up with you, still is."
I averted my eyes from his smoldering dark ones. "So, ah, what's going on downstairs?"
Jacob sighed and I could see a small tear form in his eye. "Harry Clearwater died this morning." He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair.
My breath hitched in my throat. "What?"
"Yeah," he sighed. "Sue called this morning at seven. He had a heart attack. Bella, I can trust you, right?" I could barely manage a nod. "Seth and Leah…they phased. That's what triggered it."
My eyes bulged. "Seth and Leah are wolves now, too?"
He nodded. "We thought only guys phased. That, and the fact that Seth is so young…it was just too much on him."
"Wow," I breathed, sitting on the bed. "I can't leave now. He's going to need me. I can't just leave Charlie when he just lost one of his best friends. I'll be right back. I need to get my bags out of Renee's cab." I jumped up, and Jake tried to stop me.
"Bella, don't make such rash decisions all the time. You can't always babysit Charlie. If this is what you need, then you go to Florida."
I sighed. "It's a good thing Carlisle's paying for the cab; this is taking longer than I had expected."
He laughed. "Come on, let's go talk to Charlie."
"Let me grab some stuff first. I need a few things to take to Jacksonville." I grabbed my bag of toiletries from beneath the bed and stuffed a few important things into my duffle. I sighed and Jake gave me a reassuring smile, guiding me toward the stairs.
Billy and Charlie were quietly watching an old football game on ESPN classics. Neither seemed too enthralled in the game, and their pained expressions had yet to fade. They didn't look up as we took up spots on the love seat, and I had to try a few times to grab Charlie's attention.
"Yeah, Bella?" he asked after my third try.
"Dad, what would you think about…about me going to Florida with Renee for a while?" I tensed, awaiting a reaction.
His expression was immobile. "What brought this on, Bella?"
I took a deep, much-needed breath. "Edward and I broke up."
His face went purple. "That no-good son-of-a-bitch left you again?!" he shouted, infuriated.
"Technically, no," I explained. "No one's leaving…except maybe me. If you need me to stay here, though, I'd be glad to, Dad. I understand if you need some help around here. Jake told me what happened. I'm here if you need me, Dad."
"Bella," he sighed. "You're not my mother. I think Florida would be great for you. Forks is not the best place for you right now—I understand that. Besides, I'm probably going to be in La Push most of the time for a while. Helping Sue and such. I want you to be happy, Bells. Is that why that damn taxi has been outside for half an hour now? You're costing your mother a fortune, you know." He smiled—the first one I'd seen in a while.
"Carlisle's paying our cab fare, no worries," I laughed, rising to go hug my father. He welcomed me with open arms, and I sat on his lap.
"I'll miss you, kid. Don't stay gone too long, okay?" He patted my back.
"Couldn't if I wanted to," I promised. "Well, Billy, I'm really sorry about Harry, and I'll see you in a few months or so, okay?"
"We'll miss ya around here, Bells. But you do what's good for you. We'll be checking in on you, okay?"
"Sure thing." I stood to walk to the door with my bags in tow, Jake and Charlie close behind. I hugged Jake and promised to keep in touch. I told Charlie I'd call when we landed, and I went back to the cab, much to the driver's satisfaction.
"You ladies are costing yourselves a fortune," he laughed as he drove us as quickly as speed would allow to Port Angeles.
We had to be at the airport by six, after all.
A/N: Hate me, go ahead. But express that raw, evil hate in the form of a review. :)
