I saw the look Alice exchanged with her brother after I was adamant about not having children, a moment before I turned my head to look out the window. It looked as if she was telling him 'I told you so'. I swore sometimes the girl was psychic. The rest of the trip was made with more subdued conversation about how they would miss me when I went off to college in the fall.

"Don't be so sad. We'll keep in touch, won't we?" I asked, desperate to know that they felt about me the way I felt about them. A bond was formed in the last year that ran through to my bones. I felt as if they were my family.

Alice smiled as we got out of the car and put her chilly fingers on my hand lightly. "Of course we will. We'll be best friends forever." She said and I hugged her as I looked up as far as I could, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Emmett pulled me from his sister's embrace and hugged me too, sniffing my hair and then ruffling it causing an indignant squeak to leave my lips as I jumped back from him while Alice reprimanded him.

"I worked really hard on her hair. Stop that." Her tiny hands batted at him and he hopped out of her reach like a skilled boxer as he chuckled at our reactions.

I smoothed my hair as best as I could before Alice then batted my hands away and fixed it quickly.

"There. Now, we'll all be friends forever, and we're going to be late, so let's go inside!" She said quickly before she twirled and pirouetted her way to the doors while Emmett and I lagged behind, walking slowly.

"I'll miss you, squirt." He said softly as he pulled my arm over, linking it with his.

"I'll be here all summer. I'm not gone yet."

"I know but you'll be so busy with college and studying. Just, don't forget about us?" He asked and I heard the trepidation in his voice. I stopped and turned to face him.

"You're one of my very best friends, Em. I won't forget about you or Alice. You're both stuck with me forever, whether you like it or not." I swore to him.

He brought me into a big hug and I looked toward Alice as I hugged him back just as hard, though I knew my muscles weren't as rock hard as his. Alice winked at me and I smiled back as Emmett let go.

"Alright, let's get this party started." He said with a grin and we made our way into the skate building.

====TiS====

College and work took me away from my family and friends but we always kept in touch. I flew back to Forks to watch Alice, Emmett, and Angela walk across the stage for their graduation and I have flown back a couple more times in the last four years of college. It was a grueling time, full of late night study sessions, exhausting professors, and midnight jobs. I was dead on my feet all the time but I remained focused on the goal and I worked hard to keep my grades above par.

When I had received four big envelopes in the mail the summer after I graduated, Charlie took me out for a celebratory dinner before I had a chance to open one of them let alone glance to see who they were from.

As soon as I opened the mailbox and saw the manila eight by ten envelopes crammed in there, I grabbed them excitedly and bolted up the sidewalk screaming "Dad!" the whole way. He snatched them out of my hand, his face lit up with excitement for me and tossed them on the couch in the living room. I gaped at him and he laughed.

"Let's go celebrate, kiddo!" He said as he walked out around me to grab his coat.

I stared at him for a moment. "But I don't know where I've been accepted yet. Shouldn't I-"

"Nope! You've been accepted, that's all that matters. Let's go."

I figured, 'what the hay', and we left for The Lodge. It was the fanciest place in town with stone siding and great big wooden pillars holding the porch roof up. It was also my dad's favorite spot to eat whenever he had the chance. I was a bundle of nerves through dinner and Charlie made sure to tell everyone we saw that I was going away to college. The look on his face was so full of pride and happiness, that I kept sneaking my fingers up to swipe at tears. It was an emotional moment for me to see my dad so proud of everything I accomplished.

I applied to six colleges and received four acceptances. I was probably over eager, only applying to six but I was certain I would get accepted into at least one of my colleges of choice. It would be hard being away from Charlie and Renee, I'd always lived with one of them, but this was a new exciting chapter in my life and I was ready to take the bull by the horns.

Harvard and Stanford were both denials and though it made me sad, I didn't let that sink my ship. They were among the hardest schools to get into. I had taken a chance and applied to Oxford, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, and Washington University, getting accepted into all of them. It was so hard to pick and choose. Between tuition costs and flights home, let alone knowing absolutely no one from any of the areas...I would be completely alone and though it excited me, it also had me extra anxious. Alice worked with me on some of my fidgeting and gave me breathing techniques that actually helped to calm me down. Emmett suggested that I put myself in a position where I am too embarrassed to fidget so the first thing I did when I moved out here for college, was get a job. I worked as a barista at Starbucks and not only did it conquer my fear and shyness of speaking to others, it definitely helped with my anxiety. I told Emmett later on that he should go into psychology or be a counselor.

The decision on which college to accept was very difficult and it took almost the rest of the summer and a near miss for enrollment by the time fall came around. Alice and Emmett gave me their two cents and said I should go to Oxford, whereas Angela thought I should study at Johns Hopkins if I really wanted to follow in Preston Burke's footsteps. My dad and mom both thought I should go to Washington U but I wasn't sure about that one. It had been a last ditch application for the just-in-case I failed getting into any of the colleges of my choice. I understood they wanted me close to home but I was ready to spread my wings and fly. I wanted to do great things and in order to do great things, I had to go to great places.

The sun was shining brightly as I walked outside and I turned my face upward with my eyes closed and a smile on my face. I could feel the rest of the graduating class move around me, brushing my arm with their gowns and murmuring their polite 'excuse me's.

"Bella!" I opened my eyes, squinting against the harsh rays of the sun and blinking away the spiraling lights as I looked for the caller of my name. "Over here! Bella!"

A small, pale hand stuck up from the crowd of happy families greeting their college graduates and I smiled widely when I saw Emmett's dark curls pulling Alice along beside him. Charlie and Renee were behind them as they carved a path through the throng of excited bodies. Neither Alice or Emmett had changed a wink in four years and I was certainly jealous of that. While my skin was glowing and my hair was highlighted, I felt as if I had gained forty pounds eating all the fantastic food the UK had to offer.

"Do you know how terrible the airport is here?" Alice shuddered as Renee came up beside her nodding.

"Yes, it's absolutely terrible. So many people in one place!" My mother shuddered before she smiled brightly and gave me a big hug. "My baby girl. You've graduated Medical School!" She released me from her embrace and cupped my face in her hands, her hazel eyes bright and happy. "An Oxford Medical School graduate." She kissed my nose. "I couldn't be more proud. You are so beautiful." Her words became tight as her emotions overwhelmed her and I pulled her into another embrace.

"I love you, Mom. Thank you for coming."

Charlie hugged me next with his own emotional gruffness that we didn't linger on before they insisted on taking a thousand pictures outside campus. They had videoed and photographed the entire graduation ceremony and were bound and determined to get as many photos as possible to remember this date.

I went to take my graduation cap off but Alice and Renee stopped me, hands in the air. "No! Keep it on just yet! I want to get a picture of you at the entrance!"

So that's how the next hour went. Moving through the mass of people so we could take pictures of me in random places across campus. They had graciously let me take my cap off after they got their photos of me under the archways and in front of the signs proving where I attended college, as if they would forget. I took my gown off shortly after that also, leaving me in a pair of American Eagle light blue jeans and a soft magenta sweater that felt like thick alpaca wool. It was my favorite sweater I owned. I ran a hand through my hair, pulling the light brown highlighted strands away from my face only for them to fall back around my cheeks. A handsome guy at the local salon framed my face and gave me long layers before he plucked my eyebrows only a few days before. I love the new hair style, it made me feel sexy. The makeup I wore for graduation was artfully applied thanks to all the self help videos that Alice had sent me on Snapchat.

I followed my dad and mom with Alice and Emmett on either side of me as they directed me where to stand and how to pose. There were many pictures of just me but I insisted they take turns posing with me as well. While I had almost gotten used to the historical beauty and charm of the enormous campus, my family and friends ooed and awed over every little thing they could see. University of Oxford is most definitely a beautiful place with its tall buildings and historical charisma. I was a good sport about posing, even twirling my now shoulder length hair and smiling coquettishly at the camera.

"Someone's found some spunk." Emmett tittered to Alice in a conspiratorial whisper.

Renee batted at the big guy's arm. "She's adorable. She has finally found an ease with herself. I can see it, baby girl. You're so confident now." She sniffled as her emotions once again got the better of her and Charlie awkwardly patted her shoulder as he passed by her.

"You certainly are less shy than you used to be. Love your hair by the way." My father. So gruff and to the point. That's what I love about him.

"Thanks. It was getting too long and I don't want it in the way when I start my internship."

That was the big surprise.