The next day, I arrived at school to see the girls waiting out the front steps. I wandered over, a large smile on my face. They saw me coming and waved to me.

"Hey Vanessa, we are just waiting for Shauna." Kat explained to me.

Jess grinned towards me. "So? What's happening about the party?"

I felt so twisted up inside. I wanted to tell her that I could come. But my parents had completely forbidden it.

"I haven't had a chance to ask my parents yet." I lied.

My first lie.

"That's okay." She nodded, understanding. "Just let me know when you know."

They were so great. I was so lucky. It just made me feel even worse that I had deceived them. Honestly, I was hoping I could eventually convince my parents to agree. But that was a very long shot.

We saw Shauna running towards us, her black boots echoing as she ran.

"Sorry, guys." She apologised. "My brother was driving me crazy about getting a ride."

I then wondered what it was like to have siblings. Was it a pain? Was it fun? My mother was also an only child and my father never spoke about his past. I would have to ask Jake. He had two sisters. He would know.

We all entered the school, and I felt more than ready to face the day. The day went slowly, and until lunch I was slightly bored learning things I already knew.

It's all part of the experience. I told myself.

I was collecting my books from my locker when Dylan came rushing over.

"Hey Nessie." He greeted.

"Hey Dylan." I reciprocated, smiling. "How's your day been?"

He frowned. "Coach made me run la ps because I decked Francis."

Decked? What does that mean?

I didn't want to ask, in case I looked foolish.

"Why did you do it?" I asked.

"They took Simon's glasses." He told me.

I felt my body tense. How dare they pick on him like that? I was not about to let my new friend be harmed.

Then I realised how dangerous I was.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

"Is he okay?" I asked as we walked to lunch together.

Dylan ran his hand through his hair in distress.

"He is now."

As we walked, we passed Kaila and her friends. For all my vampire abilities, I hadn't seen her stick her leg out in my way. I tripped over her obstacle and fell to the ground.

They all laughed hysterically and I found myself growling like Jacob. Dylan helped me up and led me away.

"You okay?" He asked.

I glared at her, and then took a breath.

You're better than that.

I nodded, and followed him to lunch.

The next few days I followed the routine as the day before. Go to school. See my new friends. Come home. See Charlie every couple of days. Spend time with Jacob. Ignore my parents.

I wanted so badly to talk to them, but I felt so angry at them.

On Thursday that week, I was walking out of school with Dylan.

He was telling me about when he and Simon went down to the beach and Simon lost his swim trunks. I found myself laughing and, in that moment, I felt myself become swept up in the human experience. I found myself wishing for a simple human life. Where I could have a crush on a boy, go on dates, fall in love. No secrets. No dangers. No fears.

But I never believed that was something I could have.

There was no way for that to be something I could have. Because I wasn't human.

"We were all gonna go to La Push beach. Do you wanna come?" He asked me, clearly hopeful I would join them.

My face flushed pink. I wanted to say yes. Something was stopping me.

"Can I invite the girls?" I asked him to deflect.

He nodded. "Of course."

Why couldn't I go? Why couldn't I do something I wanted to for once without needing it to be vetted by everyone in my life?

"Okay." I agreed, pulling out my phone and texting my mother, hoping she would be less overbearing.

'Going to La Push beach with friends. Will text when headed home xxx Love you.'

I sent it before losing my nerve and then quickly called round to all the girls. I gave Jessica and Shauna a ride because they didn't have cars. We sang along to the music all the way there, and I loved being silly with them. They made me feel like a kid, without the weight of everything on my shoulders.

We pulled up to see the boys were already there. Kat pulled up next to me and we all formed a large group. Lucas and Kyle set up a mini campfire and we all sat around laughing and telling stories.

"Nessie." Dylan caught my attention.

"Walk with me?" I nodded and got up, following him down the sand.

The wind blew my hair around so I started to braid it as we walked.

"So, I heard something interesting when I arrived." I looked up at him waiting for this shocking news. "It seems that Lucas has a crush on Kat."

I gasped. "No."

"Oh yeah. Massively." He assured me.

I could see a glint in his eyes but I couldn't tell what it meant.

"That's so cute. Should we help them?" He stared at me in horror shaking his head.

"No no no. The last thing we want is to make either of them unhappy."

I pouted. I loved love. I wanted to help them.

He laughed at my pout. "You're so cute when you pout."

I shoved him playfully and he shoved me back. I pretended to be moved by it and we both laughed. It was worth the punishment to be here with them today.

When I arrived home, I saw Jacob waiting for me. He looked so enraged. When I got out his eyes shot to me.

"Jake? What's wrong?"

He stormed towards me angrily. "I came to check on you to see you fawning all over some jock. I thought you were smarter than that. Getting involved with a human."

I was in complete disbelief. How dare he?

"Excuse you?!" I shouted.

He was stunned by my reciprocated anger, but still didn't back down. "You've known that guy all of 4 days. What were you thinking?"

"First of all, how dare you? I was meeting my friends, as in plural. Dylan asked to talk to me so I agreed. Secondly, I was not fawning over him. What planet are you on? What right do you have to tell me who to spend time with?"

I felt so angry at him. I thought he trusted me. I thought he knew me better than that. He just looked so hurt and I couldn't understand why. I hadn't done anything wrong.

Then he said the words he knew would hurt me.

"You're such a child. You have no idea what's going on around you because you're too immature to understand."

His words cut me.

So that's how he saw me. A child.

I thought that he was the only one who saw me as more. The only person in this world who saw me.

But I was wrong.

"You need to go." I told him, my face completely frozen into a frown.

Jacob's eyes widened as he realised what he had done. But it was too late. He thought I was a child, so I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of acting like one.

"Now!" I shouted.

He backed away, wounded.

My father came out of the door. "Jacob, leave now."

He looked between the two of us in horror at what he had said. Knowing he couldn't change it he ran off into the forest, shifting into a large red-brown wolf as he left.

I was expecting my father to shout at me, but when I looked at him with tears in my eyes he softened. He could read my pain in my mind. He could read the true events in my memory. He came down and wrapped an arm around me, leading me inside.

I spent the evening in my room. I wanted to be alone.

I felt so betrayed by Jacob. I felt so helpless and alone.

There was a knock at the door.

"Nessie?" My mother's voice spoke gently through the door.

I said nothing in response.

She opened the door slowly to reveal me curled up on the bed. I heard her sigh before she came over and lay facing me on the bed.

"Jacob didn't mean it, sweetie." She tried to convince me.

But seeing me unmoving and frozen she knew better than to continue. So she just held my hand.

After a while, she spoke up again.

"You are not a child, honey." She tried to assure me, holding my face.

She looked me straight in my eyes as she spoke. "You will always be my baby. But you are also a young woman. And I have always had faith in you."

I felt a sob escape my mouth. She quickly pulled me into her chest and I sobbed into her. Her arms protected me from the pain of what had happened. As my crying subsided, I found myself falling asleep in her embrace. It reminded me of when I was little and I had nightmares. She would hold me all night until I felt better. I guess sometimes it's okay to be a little bit vulnerable, and be a little bit childish.

Because sometimes all you need is your mother to tell you that you are everything you've been telling yourself, and to hold you when you can't get rid of the pain.