Authors Note: Here's a long one for you. Trigger warning for bullying. On that subject, if you have ever been bullied, know that you are not alone and that there are more good people in the world than bad. The bad ones just tend to be a little louder, so they get more attention and publicity. If you are a bully, stop it. Reevaluate yourself. Don't tear each other down. Lift up, my friends!

It was the Monday after Bella's incident. Charlie had agreed to let her stay home from school one day, so naturally the school was in a buzz when I got there with questions about my poor cousin and her unfortunate state of depression.

"Were you there when it happened? I heard the Cullen's moved to Los Angeles. What does she do all day? Is Bella coming back or is she dropping out?"

It was question overload and I was at the center of it. At first, it was just Bella's friends being asked. As people realized they didn't know anything, the crowds and questions immigrated to me. The only upside to this commotion was that people actually started to learn my name, instead of just 'Bella's cousin'. The shitty thing was that I knew all these people didn't necessarily care. It was a small town and that meant not much ever happened. When there was something new, everyone talked.

"So, I'm thinking about taking bets. Was it a mental break?"

I squinted as I swung open my locker door just enough to reveal the source of the disembodied voice. Kennedy. "Excuse me?"

"Your cousin," she stated in an obvious manner. "She went crazy and ran into the woods, right? I only ask because it will help me decide what categories to open up for people to pick."

"What the hell, Kennedy?" I scoffed. "That's not even what happened." I don't think. "Do you even have a heart, or are you just regularly a soulless monster?"

"Oh please," she popped her hip and sighed. "I'm just having a little fun."

"Fun?" I gripped the book in my locker tightly, divots forming under the pressure of my nails. "You call worrying about someone fun? Making money off of a potential tragedy is a thrill for you? Boy wouldn't you be fun to have around during a crisis."

"It's called being an entrepreneur," Kennedy widened her eyes as though that were an obvious idea that I should have grasped.

"It's called being an opportunistic sadist." Bitch. Bitch was the word I wanted to use. I shoved the book into my backpack that I slung in front of me. "Next time you want to be helpful and show up, just don't. You and the rest of the people standing around gawking were of no value to the situation."

"It was interesting," she shrugged and crossed her arms across her chest. "Like reality TV except live."

"Again, with the sensitivity!" I bobbed my head, refusing to look at her any further. "I can't wait to see which boy you bring to the next town event." It was a cheap shot, but I took it, though it clearly didn't phase Kennedy as her windchime-laughter filled the hall.

"I'm just being honest," she flipped her perfect hair over her shoulder. "Look, Valerie. You've been in this town long enough to know that there aren't many people here. You know what that means?" Kennedy's bright green eyes bore into me as I finally turned, a serious intensity in them that I had never seen from her. "It means I'm moving into top tier by any means necessary so that the influence and open chances are left to some nobody with a future in logging or truck driving. If you're smart, you'll stay out of my way. I'm not afraid to knock down a few pawns. Learn your place." The fake, plastic smile returned as her voice evened into its usual preppy pitch. "Better yet, get me some insider info and I'll cut you a deal of the winnings!"

As the warning bell rang, Kennedy, along with the blur of everyone else in the halls, dispersed for their classes. I, on the other hand, stood blinking back my confusion. The morning – hell, the week – had escalated on the weird scale rather quickly.

"What are you staring at?"

I jumped out of my skin and into the lockers as a disembodied voice rang behind me. Looking back, Aly was breaking into a laugh.

"You scared the shit out of me!" I smiled, smacking her with one of my books.

"Sorry, sorry!" she held up her hand in self-defense. Aly readjusted her backpack strap. "Was that Kennedy you were talking to?"

I grunted, shutting my locker before we continued to our classes. "Yeah, unfortunately. She's acting all high and mighty, like she gets a rush out of pushing down everyone else around her.

"She does tend to act like it's a fight to the death. Best to just stay out of her way," Aly shrugged.

"Do people always just bend over backward for her? That's so disgusting," I cringed. "Please tell me no one is doing her homework for her."

"That happens everywhere," she countered. "You can't blame Forks High for that. Hey, how's Bella doing?"

"Not great," I cringed. "She won't eat, won't talk, screams all night-"

"Wait, seriously?"

"According to my uncle. I'm sure she just needs time." I shifted, remembering Kennedy's theories. "Don't tell anyone about that though, okay? The screaming, I mean."

"Of course, I just can't believe the Cullen's took off like that." Aly lingered as we reached my classroom. "Dr. Cullen was so well liked. He seemed happy here with his family. But instead, poof."

"Yeah," I said to myself, Aly already having left for her class. My mind churned. "Poof."

The mysterious disappearance of the Cullen's would plague my mind for the rest of the day, distracting me from any lessons of value. With the end of the day came the visit to the student services office to pick up the multiple homework assignments for Bella, all which had notes from teachers tacked on saying things like, "don't worry if you don't understand this" or "we can talk about this when you come back". Jeez. Charlie must have really laid it on thick when he called in Bella's absence.

In reality, I didn't see much of a point in bringing home Bella's things, since she came back Tuesday morning. Charlie had asked that I pick her up to make sure she got there alright, and honestly, I expected Bella to look better than she had.

The car rumbled slightly as I hit the gravel in front of the Swan residence on Tuesday. As I got out of the car, I could feel the air growing more damp. Dew that lined the grass kept me on the paved path to the front door, which I knocked on with a light rap. Charlie was quick to the door.

"Hey there, Valerie. Thanks for coming." Uncle Charlie stepped aside, allowing me in for a moment to wait for Bella. He called up the steps. "Bells! Ride's here!"

"How's she doing?" I asked, hopeful.

"Not much change, but I'm hopeful that getting back to school will be good for her." He scratched his head. "I just didn't want her driving herself, and I didn't want to embarrass her by dropping her off in the squad."

"Uncle Charlie, it's really not a problem. Don't worry," I said as Bella's footsteps echoed upstairs. She was visible at the top and I gave a smile. "Morning, Bella."

My uncle was right. Bella did not seem to be any better. Under her puffy eyes were dark circles that made her brown and bloodshot eyes appear even darker than before. Her hair was lackluster and unkempt, bringing me to question if she had even brushed it after waking up. As she looked at me, the expression on her face remained the same. Bella's eyes left mine almost instantly.

"Um, so. You ready to go?" I asked awkwardly.

Bella nodded in reply.

"Okay," I dragged out as I lifted up on my toes before moving quickly for the door. "Better go, I guess. Bye, Uncle Charlie!"

"Bye, you two," he waved from the door as Bella and I hopped down the steps. "Have a good day."

The car ride was silent for the first couple of minutes, until I finally spoke up.

"Did you get the homework I passed along to Charlie last night?"

"Mm. Yeah," Bella blinked down. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." I tapped my thumbs on the steering wheel. "Angela said that if you have any problems with the work she would be happy to help you. In the library after school, at her house, your house…"

She didn't reply. As I parked the car at school, I looked over at Bella.

"You know, if you need to talk or anything –"

"Thanks for the ride." Bella rushed out of the car. "Meet you here after school?"

"Y-yeah," I shook my head, dazed as she practically ran for the school.

Later in the day while walking from Geography to Spanish, I brushed past Bella who was walking in the opposite direction and gave her a quick hello that wasn't reciprocated. Chatter of the halls muffled what I hoped I had heard incorrectly, but I knew all too well the voice and the sharp sting that it loved so much to inflict on others.

"So, what do you think is more likely; suicide or shaved head?"

My eyes flashed as I froze mid stride, and my sight landed on a cluster of Junior and Sophomore girls huddled near the lockers, Kennedy standing in the middle in her too-tight pants and frilly pink top. Their line of vision traced Bella's steps that continued on. Realistically, Bella was in her own world now and probably didn't hear their vulgar words, but I had. I turned in the middle of the hall to face them as other students shoved around me. I didn't care that I was in the way. My mind was on fire with the rage for how disrespectful the group was being. The joke wasn't funny, and Kennedy knew it. They continued to mock in whispers that were too loud as I stared until those green eyes of hers met mine. I glared and she glared right back before shrugging a fake and wordless apology.

Violence wasn't typically my fallback, but in that moment, I envisioned myself wrapping my hands around the janitor's mop from the nearby custodian closet and beating her with it. I wouldn't have had the guts, but luckily those thoughts were cut by the bell.

…

"Aunt Liv," I called as I came through the door from the garage, hanging the car keys on the hooks in the hall before walking into her study where I knew Olivia would be. "I'm home," I started saying before I saw she was on the phone. She looked at me and smiled quick before holding up a finger.

"Yup. Yeah, Charlie," Aunt Olivia said into the phone. She looked at me as she spoke again. "I'm sure she won't have a problem driving Bella to school the rest of the week."

I nodded and gave two thumbs up as I leaned on the frame.

"I'm positive," she reiterated. "Alright, Charlie. Let me know if there is anything else we can do. Have a good night… Yup, thanks. Bye."

"So, I'm picking up Bella for the rest of the week?"

"Charlie doesn't think it's a good idea for her to drive yet. There's no change in her I guess."

"There won't be with the way people are acting at that stupid school."

"Whoa." Olivia stood from behind her desk dressed in purple pajama bottoms, a white blouse, and a charcoal blazer. "Did something happen today?"

"Of course," I groaned as we moved down the hall from the office. My shoulders shrugged as I rounded the counter to enter the kitchen.

"You can talk to me, you know."

"I know. But I really can't focus with that outfit you're wearing. What is happening here?" I gestured my hand at her mismatched clothes.

Olivia rolled her eyes as she removed the blazer and draped it on a chair. "I completely forgot I was wearing this. There was a conference call between me and a few publishers today from New York and Seattle today. I was pitching one of my clients' books."

"Thank god," a sigh escaped me as I moved to open the fridge. "I was worried that you went out in public like that." I paused for a moment, a small apple in my hand. Closing the refrigerator door, I made my way over to Olivia on the couch. My brow was furrowed.

Olivia looked at me curiously. "What's on your mind?"

"Something that happened at school today," I thought back on the encounter with Kennedy. "When you were in high school was there someone that, I don't know, ran the school? Someone popular. Someone who got away with treating people like garbage?"

"Oh," Olivia's eyes widened before narrowing into deep thought. "Huh, yes. Stacy Kaveski. Gosh, I haven't thought of her in years."

"Was she awful?"

"Absolutely! She walked the halls like she owned the place, got nerds to do her homework, told the football team which kids to shove in lockers-"

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah," Olivia continued. "It was bad. I don't know how many people out there are permanently scarred because of her. The thing about Stacy's is that every school has one. In my day, no one took bullying seriously. It was just a classic tradition of hazing that happened every year, everywhere. The school in the next town over could lose a teen to suicide and no one would even bat an eye or question what they were allowing to happen in their own town, in their own schools. If I'm being entirely honest though, it's people like Stacy that drove me as far as I've come."

"You wanted to get away?" I enquired her reasoning.

She smiled, looking away from me with a distant gaze. "No. I wanted to be better. I wanted to go off and become the best possible version of myself, someone with power and beauty and strength, and throw it in Stacy's face at our high school reunion after she had gotten haggard and as ugly as her soul was." Aunt Liv looked at me again, pulling herself out of a daydream of the past. "So, what exactly happened today?"

"Well, there's this girl at school, Kennedy. She acts like being the most popular is the only thing that matters. Real drama queen. All 'life and death' about it." I scratched my head. "She's been saying some really terrible things about Bella. Yesterday she was joking about taking bets and then today I heard her say…"

"What?"

I told her what I had heard, and her face shifted into defensive mama-bear mode. Talking her out of calling the school and making a formal complaint wasn't easy, but I did it anyway. The last thing that Bella and I needed was a reputation of a snitch.

"You need to understand that people like that have their own issues and nothing they say is viable, okay? They are bullies and nothing more," Olivia shifted on the couch uncomfortably, grabbing my wrist. "If something more happens, you need to tell me, okay?"

"No guarantees that I don't do something about it first," I joked.

"Valerie."

I raised my hands in plea. "I'll be good, I promise."

…

The week continued on. Thursday, while walking from Geography to Spanish again, I passed by that same spot of lockers. Kennedy wasn't just there with her friends this time. Beside her was the Senior boy she was at the Swan house with the night of Bella's disappearance, and he had a friend with him. They were all looking at a sheet of paper in Kennedy's hands, pointing to it and laughing nervously.

"Seriously?" The guy I recognized from that night looked down at Kennedy and shook his head a little. "You actually got someone to sign up for 'turns into a butch lesbian' as a bet? Don't you think that's a bit, I don't know, harsh?"

"She'd make a damn fine one at that. Smokin' waste," the other boy said.

My insides smoldered at the unprecedented gossip.

"Some people just needed a little nudge to place a bet," Kennedy shrugged as she made brief eye contact with me, flashing a momentarily smug smile.

"Meaning you pressured them into it," the familiar guy sighed.

Kennedy pouted and pushed herself into him ever so slightly, popping out her hip in the once again too-tight jeans. Her chest puffed out against the pure white sweater that she donned. "I just told them that my big tough boyfriend would hate to hear that they disappointed me, that's all."

He scoffed and started to push her away. "I have to go to class." He and the other boy left her with just her friends as she rolled her eyes at those who denied her charms.

Till her eyes landed on me again.

Challenging me.

Everything inside of me burned with hatred in that moment and I wanted her to hurt and suffer and ruin that perfectly white sweater and get everything that was coming for her. I visualized what it would be like to see her get smashed in the face by her own locker door. Maybe her books inside would fall against the door because they were ill-stacked and when she unlocked it she would get a face full of metal. In my mind she was walking to her next class and tripping and sprawling out on the floor and breaking her nose on the fall. She could run into a door and get a black eye.

Her perfect face watched me as I walked away, not doing anything physically but mentally wishing her the worst of luck in her next few steps.

…

"What's going on?" I asked as I set my stuff at the lunch table before following Aly and Michelle into the lunch line. There was a strange buzz in the air and everyone seemed light for the first time all week, aside from Bella, who was still sitting alone at the far-off table.

"You didn't hear?" Aly hid a smile, mostly successfully.

"Kennedy tripped over a Freshman girl that was picking up some books that fell out of her locker," Michelle inserted, not trying to hide her own grin at all. "She fell into the lockers and smashed her nose."

My eyes widened in shock. "Wait, are you serious?"

Aly nodded as Michelle continued on. "She bled all over herself and had to put on her gym shirt."

"Huh," I exhaled heavily through my lips. "I guess sometimes dreams do come true. Is she pissed?"

"She's definitely mad," Aly said as she grabbed a lunch tray.

"Good."

…

I was running late at the end of the day because I had a question to run past Mr. Leland for the homework he assigned and most of the students had dispersed into the parking lot to either drive home or catch the buses. Bella would be waiting for me by the car, probably wondering what was taking so long. Er, maybe not. Bella didn't care about much the last couple of days. Either way, I needed to hurry up.

My feet rounded the corner into the next hallway of lockers that led to the exit. Then I froze.

"I'm just saying, it's only fair that you pay for my sweater since you're the reason it got ruined," Kennedy hissed to the younger girl as she bore down on her. "Don't you think that's fair?"

"Sounds completely fair to me," echoed one of the three friends flanking Kennedy's side as they encircled the brunette girl.

"But I didn't mean to trip you," the Freshman tried to defend.

Kennedy cooed. "I know you didn't mean to, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened. I was embarrassed because of you and I can't let that stand. You see, if you get in my way again-"

"You'll what," I heard my own voice, surprising myself, yet it kept speaking. It felt…good. Deserved. "Send a jock after her? Spread a rumor with no basis?"

As I approached, Kennedy turned to look at me. Her usually green eyes were puffy and bloodshot and her nose was swollen widely with purple bruising. "What the hell do you want?" Kennedy snapped at me.

"Picking on the Freshman that you tripped over?" I stepped closer. "Very brave and noble. Kind of like that list of bets you've been carrying around all day. Why don't you just stop? Leave the girl alone."

"Stay out of it Owens. This doesn't concern you."

"Actually, it does." My feet carried me until I was about four feet from Kennedy. "See, you've been pretty much terrible all week and I can't stand by and watch this anymore. I mean, I might be new and all, but that gives me an advantage to see that people act afraid of you for no reason. You have an incredible amount of confidence, I'll admit, but that's all you have."

"Excuse me?" Kennedy shifted away from the Freshman and brought her face inches from mine. I had to look up ever so slightly to meet her one-inch higher eye level. "I have power, which is more than I can say for you. What is this, some effort to step in where your pathetic cousin checked out?"

My jaw flexed. My teeth ground together. "Trust me, I don't want your throne. Just stop the bets. Leave Bella alone. Leave this one alone, too."

"Or what?"

"I won't touch you." I shrugged. "You do a pretty good job of letting karma get you it seems."

Cussing was uttered before I felt a pair of hands shove me, toppling me into the lockers. It was hardly an assault. It would have been filed as a minor altercation at best that probably would have been forgotten after a slap on the wrist, until Kennedy came towards me again and spat in my face.

Getting close was a mistake.

My forehead flew forward into her nose.