67

I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, running the comb through my short brown hair. I chuckled inwardly as I looked at the soft curls that covered my head. Before I lost my hair due to the chemo, my hair was about as straight as it could get. Now, it had some curl to it. I think I got it from Emmett when he gave me his marrow. Carlisle insist that it doesn't work that way but I'm not so sure.

"Baby, are you almost ready?" asked Edward, coming over to the bathroom door. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I said with a smile. I looked at him through the mirror. He was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a white dress shirt. "You look pretty handsome yourself."

"Thanks," he snorted. "Now, are you ready?"

"Yes," I said with a big smile.

I ran my hands down the front of my blue cotton dress before I followed Edward out of the bathroom and down to the car. We climbed in and headed toward the school. Today, Edward and I would be joining our friends and family as they walked across the stage and graduated high school. No, as we graduated high school. We would be walking with them.

The last four months have been incredible. The day after our meeting with Nick, Megan, and Brock, we called our family over to tell them the good news. I still couldn't help but smile as I thought back to that day.

Edward and I were sitting in our oversized chair when the door to the house opened and everyone came in. They looked confused and a little worried as they sat down. Carlisle and Esme were sitting on the edge of our loveseat while Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice were crowded onto the larger sofa. Angela, Ben, Garrett, and Kate were sitting on chairs from the dining room table.

"Ok, so what was so important that you needed us all to come over?" asked Carlisle. I knew he didn't like the idea of us all being here together. Too many germs, even with all the protective gear on.

"Um, well, Edward and I have the best news and we wanted to share it with all of you," I said with a smile.

"OH MY GOD, YOU'RE PREGNANT," bellowed Emmett as he narrowed his eyes at Edward. "HOW COULD YOU, EDWARD?"

"I am not pregnant, you big oaf," I snapped at him. "Why would you think that?"

"Sorry," he muttered. "I just…sorry."

"Anyway," I said, rolling my eyes. "None of you know this but the day before I went in for the transplant, Edward took me to see Nick in Olympia. He had a small recording studio and we recorded some of my songs."

"Oh, how exciting," squealed Alice. "One more thing to mark off your list."

"Right," I said. "Anyway, he sent the tapes to a friend of his in LA. They came down yesterday and offered me a recording contract."

"Seriously?" gasped Garrett.

"Yes," I said. "They want to release 'When I'm Gone' as my first single immediately."

"OH MY GOD!" squealed Rose as she jumped up and tackled me as she hugged me. "This is like your dream, Bella!"

"I KNOW!" I squealed as I hugged her back.

"Damn, B, you're going to be rock star," shouted Jasper, joined mine and Rose's hug.

"Hopefully," I chuckled as they climbed off of me.

"This is just so amazing," exclaimed Alice.

"Wow," said Kate. "That's awesome, Bella."

"Belly, you're going to be a superstar," gushed Emmett, pulling me into his arms and hugging me. "I am so fucking proud of you."

"Thanks, Emmy," I cried softly.

The level of excitement in that room that day was so amazing. Carlisle and Esme were both happy for me but concerned that it would be too much too soon. I assured them that the record company was willing to wait until I was strong enough and ready to start recording. Megan came by a few days after that and went over the contracts with me, Edward, Carlisle, and Esme. Once we were happy with them, Edward and I both signed. A couple weeks later, I heard my song on the radio.

Edward and I were in the car on the way to the hospital for another checkup. He was flipping through the radio stations when we heard it. He pulled the car over on to the side of the road and turned up the volume. I just sat there with tears pouring down my face and a huge smile. That was me, on the radio, singing my song.

"That was the new single from newcomer, Isabella Cullen, 'When I'm Gone'," said the DJ over the radio. "I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more from this young woman in the near future."

"That was me," I cried softy, as I looked up at Edward. He had a huge smile on his face and tears in his eyes. "That was me on the radio!"

"I know," he chuckled. "I am so proud of you, Baby."

"I love you, Edward," I cried as I threw myself into his arms.

"I love you, too," he whispered before he kissed me.

Needless to say, we were late for our appointment because it took us several minutes to, um… well, anyway, we were late. Carlisle wasn't too happy about our tardiness but when we told him about hearing my song on the radio, he let it slide but did mention that fact that my shirt was on backwards and inside out. My face turned bright red as Carlisle just laughed.

Over the next few months, we received phone calls from reporters all over the country requesting interviews from me. Especially once news of me being a cancer survivor came out. I wasn't thrilled that my cancer status was being used to promote my music. Brock swore that they did not release my health to promote the single. After staring him in the eyes for a good five minutes, I believed him. We never did find out how the press got a hold of that information but it didn't really make a difference. My single was selling quickly and was raising up the charts almost as fast.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Edward. I looked over and saw that we were parked in the school parking lot.

"I was thinking about how much everything has changed over the past few months," I said with a smile. "I'm going to miss it here."

"Me too," mused Edward. "But it will be worth it."

"I know," I sighed. "Are you ready for this?"

"God, yes," he chuckled. "Let's go graduate high school."

"Again," I smirked.

Edward chuckled as we climbed out of the car. He wrapped his arm around my waist as we joined our fellow graduates in the lobby. This was the first time in over six months that I have been this close to my classmates or anyone that wasn't in sterile gear, anyway.

Edward and I were sitting in Carlisle's office, waiting for him to come in and go over my latest test results. Edward had his arm wrapped tightly around my waist. The door to Carlisle's office opened and he came in. He had a big, goofy smile plastered on his face. He went over and sat down behind his desk, leaned back in his chair, and sighed.

"We are taking it that we have good news," I said.

"Yep," he said. He leaned up on his elbows and smirked. "You are officially being cleared."

"I am?" I asked with a huge smile.

"Yes," he said with a equally big smile. "You're body is still producing healthy marrow. Your blood counts are still all in the normal range. Your immune system, while still not at one hundred percent, is finally strong enough for you to venture out into the real world."

"So no more restrictions?" I asked

"Nope," he said.

"No more quarantine?" asked Edward, smiling.

"Nope," chuckled Carlisle.

"Oh, thank god," I sighed dramatically, causing Carlisle and Edward to laugh. "I was getting so tired of being stuck at home all the time."

"I know you were, Sweetheart," chuckled Carlisle. "Now, you still have to be careful. Anytime you start to feel like you are getting a sore throat, or a fever, you need to come in and let me check you to make sure you are ok. Just listen to your body. It'll tell you what you need."

"Thank you, Carlisle," I said, going around the desk and hugging him. "Just thanks for everything."

"You're welcome, Bella," he said, hugging me back. "I'm just so proud of you."

Edward and I left Carlisle's office that day and headed straight to the grocery store. Emmett thought it was funny that the first place I wanted to go was to the grocery store but after months of not being able to do the normal, everyday things that healthy people get to do that is where I wanted to go. I'll admit that it felt great to buy our own groceries like a normal married couple.

"BELLA!" squealed Lauren, throwing her arms around me. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE HERE. LOOK AT YOUR HAIR!"

"I know. It's finally coming in!" I squealed, hugging her back just as hard. I pulled back and looked at her. She had tears building in her eyes. "You look fabulous, Lauren. I hear you and Tyler are going to Berkeley."

"Yep," she beamed. Tyler wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"You look great, Bella," said Tyler.

"Thanks, Tyler," I said. "You do too. You had better take care of my girl here or I will have to kick your ass. You know I can do it."

"I know you can," he chuckled. "I promise to take care of her."

"Good," I said.

"Everyone line up please," yelled Mrs. Cope.

I just chuckled as I joined Edward in the front of the line. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed the side of my neck. Tyler, Angela and Ben were standing in front of us. The music started and we followed them down the isle of the auditorium and down to our seats. Once, everyone was there, we sat down and turned our attention to Mr. Stevens.

"Welcome graduating class, parents, and guests," he said, smiling at all of us. "Every year I get up here and talk about the young people who are graduating. I talk about how they are going to go off into the real world and make us proud. I mean it every time but this year is different. This year, I can honestly say, as I stand up here before you all, that I am proud of you all for who you are now. It's been an honor to watch you evolve over the past year and become well rounded, caring young men and woman…"

As I listened to Mr. Stevens' talk about the accomplishments of our class, I looked around at everyone. Ben had Angela's hand in his as they sat next to Tyler. They were planning on moving to Seattle and going to UW in the fall. They were so in love with each other. I turned and looked back at Mike and Jessica.

He had one arm around her shoulders and one hand on her slight baby bump. They were both planning on taking classes at the community college in Port Angeles for a while. Their parents had been very supportive of their marriage and their baby, which was a little boy due to arrive in September. They would be just fine as long as they held onto each other.

Next them was Garrett and Kate. Kate had her head on Garrett's shoulder. They were planning on going to Berkeley with Lauren and Tyler. When they first started dating Sophomore year, I was a little jealous of how easy it was for them. Now, that I have Edward, I can understand the love they felt for each other from day one.

I looked over at Alice and Jasper next. I could almost feel her vibrating with excitement from all the way over here. Jasper smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She sighed and melted into his embrace. They were perfect for each other. I was so glad that my best friend and sister had each other.

Finally, I turned to Emmett and Rose. My silly, overgrown, big brother was sitting there with a huge smile on his face. I could see his chin trembling slightly as he looked over at me and smiled. He put on such a tough guy act but he really was the biggest teddy bear. Rose grabbed his hand and smiled at him. She would take care of Emmett. She was my sister long before she and Emmett got together.

"Would Edward and Isabella Cullen, and Emmett Swan please, join me on the stage?" asked Mr. Stevens, pulling me from my thoughts. I felt my face turn red as Edward, Emmett, and I stood up and made our way up the steps and across the stage. Emmett smiled at us as he stepped up to the microphone.

"Bella and Edward, over the past several month, we as a class, have watched you struggle everyday, both emotionally and physically, with the cancer that tried it's hardest to destroy you but you both proved to be stronger than the cancer. You've held onto each other and worked through more than most people do in their entire lives. We've tried to be there for you as much as we could but there were times, when we couldn't, at least not physically. You both have been an inspiration to, not only us your fellow classmates, but to the classes below us and the townspeople of Forks. As a class, we would like to present you both with, what we call, The Hero Award," said Emmett. He had tears pouring down his face. "You both are our hero's and we are proud to be sharing this stage with you today."

I could feel my tears pouring down my face as Emmett handed us our plaques. I threw my arms around him as our classmates, parents, teachers, and nearly the entire population of Forks, stood up and clapped and cheered for us. The love I felt in this room was so overwhelming. I pulled away from Emmett and leaned up and kissed his check. I turned to the microphone as Edward and Emmett hugged each other.

I saw Jacob standing next to Leah and her parents, Sue and Harry. He had his arm wrapped around her waist. His father, Billy, was next to him. Seth and Tanya were standing in front of them. I could tell they cared for each other a lot. Peter and Charlotte were standing next to Carlisle and Esme, who were standing next to Nick and Megan. Chloe and her fiancé, Sebastian, were next to them. I turned back to my fellow classmates.

"I'm, um, going to try to get through this without crying," I chuckled softy. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes as everyone settled into their seats and laughed with me. "When I first got sick, I didn't want anyone to know because I was afraid that you all would treat me like a freak. I should have had more faith in all of you. I would be lying if I didn't admit to wanting to give up more than once over the last several months. Just when I thought I couldn't keep going, all of you encouraged me to keep fighting, to never give up on my dreams, to never give up on my family. I can't express to you how much your friendships have meant to me, not just while I was sick, but in all the years I have know you all. We've been through the ups and downs. We've had to push through our disagreements and managed to grow closer. We are not like other graduating classes that have left before us. We are unique because we have come together and forged friendships that will last forever. Thank you all for being here for both me and Edward. Your support and love over the last several months has meant the world to both of us," I said through my tears. I stepped back and Edward wrapped his arm around my waist as he stepped up to the microphone.

"I can't really add anything to what Bella has already said. Thank you all for keeping us in your hearts. You will always be in ours," said Edward.

We followed Emmett off the stage and back down to our seats. I looked down at the plaque in my hands. I couldn't believe our classmates would do this for us. They are the true hero's. I felt a chill run through my body and knew in that moment that Charlie and Renee were with us. I looked back at Emmett. He looked at me and nodded in answer to my silent questions. He was feeling them, too.

I wiped the tears off my face as I watched as our classmates began receiving their diplomas. When it was our turn, Edward and I stood up and followed Tyler, Ben and Angela over to the side of the stage.

"Angela Cheney."

"Ben Cheney."

"Tyler Crowley."

"Edward Cullen."

I watched as Edward followed Tyler across the stage. He shook Mr. Stevens' hand before he grabbed his diploma. Edward turned back and winked at me before he walked down the steps and off the stage. Mr. Stevens turned and smiled at me.

"Isabella Cullen," said Mr. Stevens, proudly. I took a deep breath as I stepped onto the stage and made my way across. I could heard my family and friends cheering for me. Mr. Stevens' shook my hand as he handed me my diploma. "Congratulations, Bella. We are so proud of you, Sweetheart. Charlie would be extremely proud of you, too."

"Thank you, sir," I whispered through my tears. "I know he's proud of me. I can feel him and my mother here with me."

"I can too," he whispered.

I threw my arms around Mr. Stevens' neck and hugged him, causing him and everyone else to laugh. I laughed with them as I pulled back. I went over and jumped into Edward's waiting arms, eliciting more laughter from everyone. I kissed him softly before we went over to our seats and watched the others walk across the stage.

"Alice Hale."

"Jasper Hale."

"Alison Johnson."

"Christopher Larson."

"Lauren Mallory."

"Garrett Mitchell."

"Kate Mitchell."

"Jessica Newton."

"Mike Newton."

"Kimberly Olsen."

"Scott Richards."

"Emmett Swan."

I jumped to my feet, along with Ben, Angela, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Garrett, Kate, Carlisle, and Esme as we cheered as Emmett strutted across the stage and got his diploma from Mr. Stevens. He was a little red in the face as he turned looked right at me.

'I love you, superwoman,' he mouthed.

'I love you, superman,' I mouthed back. He laughed as he walked down the steps as he waited for Rose, his life, to join him.

"Rosalie Swan."

We cheered as Rose made her way across the stage and got her diploma from Mr. Stevens. She walked off the stage and in to Emmett's waiting arms. They came over and sat down as Mr. Stevens read the last few names.

"Amelia Taylor."

"Cynthia Williams."

"Eric Yorke."

Eric went over and got his diploma. He came over and took his seat in the back row. Mr. Stevens smiled as he looked around at all of us for a moment. You could see the tears building up in his eyes.

"It's an honor to present to you, your graduating class," he said, proudly.

My fellow classmates and I all looked at each other as we stood up and moved our tassels from one side to the other while our family and friends cheered for us. The music started and we made our way up the isles and out of the auditorium.

As soon as we were outside, we all started cheering. I jumped into Edward's arms and hugged him tight. I had been so afraid that I would never have this memory. That I would die before I got to achieve this dream. I pulled back and leaned my forehead on his.

"We made it," I whispered.

"Yes, we did," he whispered. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked back to see Blake Mallory standing with Erin. Edward set me back on me feet. I turned and faced him as my tears filled my eyes again.

"Bella, honey, we are so proud of you," said Brock. I stepped up and wrapped my arms around him. He slowly wrapped his around me.

"Thank you, Blake, for being honest with me that day in your office," I whispered. "I needed someone to tell me what it was really going to be like and you did that for me. But you also made me realize that it was worth it. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he whispered. "Take care of yourself."

"I will," I said, pulling away from him. "I promise."

They both went to find Lauren and Edward and I went to find the rest of our family. We found them all together, hugging on each other. I think we all are hug addicts, or something. They opened their arms to me and Edward. We both just smiled as we let them hug us. Our family was one of kind that was for sure, and I wouldn't have them any other way.