A/N: Hi-dee-ho, everybody! Yes, Anarchy is alive and well, and she's posting. This chapter is brought to you by the artist Lauv and his wonderful album/playlist I Met You When I Was 18! Check it out. See me at the bottom for more updates!

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. All creative credit goes to Stephanie Meyer for creating this little universe that I like to meddle in. ;D

Chapter 5: Infinite Moments and Hysteria

BELLA

Six Months and Ten Days Ago

(AKA Before Edward)

Five minutes after Tyler's departure, Angela and Ben joined me out on their patio. If there were any doubt at all about their capacity for friendship, it would be erased as they huddled around me. Angela slowly stroked my hair, comforting me in her motherly way; while Ben lent me some of his strength, allowing me to sag into him. Somehow, they sensed that I wasn't in the most verbose mood, so we stood in silence for an infinite moment where I felt wholly loved and supported by my best friends.

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When then drizzling rain and dropping temperatures became too much to stand, we moved our pity party of three into the living room. Once the Huddle of Friendship was broken, so was the silence. In its place was a static buzz of unasked questions. My own thoughts moved around in my brain like a hive of recently fogged honey bees; sluggish, but persistent. Once the shock began to recede, everything that had I refused to think about came around, desperate to be figured out.

Immediate plans that needed to be reworked…

Financial decisions that had to be made…

Changes to the lease agreement that couldn't wait…

Sorting through his, mine, and ours…

Mercifully, Angela threw me a lifeline in the form of a legal pad and a Bic pen. "It helps to get everything written down, it won't feel so overwhelming," she said softly. I smiled at her gratefully and set to work on rearranging my future.

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Three hours later, I had a U-Haul pickup scheduled for the next day, a substantial chunk of my savings for the deposit and rental fee of said U-Haul, and a lease agreement with only my name on it. Although the emotional part of me desired to crawl under the covers and sleep in the fetal position for a week, it felt good to have a solid plan. I'd wake up in the morning, load up a moving van, and start my three-day trek down south.

Alone.

Ben and Angela argued vehemently on this point like my Mom and Dad decided the fate of sixteen-year-old Bella going on her very first road trip. At first, it was hilarious watching them volley back and forth, presenting pros and cons as if they had the right to make this decision for me. Surprisingly, Ben was on my side of things. He figured that the time alone would allow me the space to work out the mess of my heart, while Angela felt that I shouldn't be alone so soon after such a traumatic event. They argued long enough that my fractured nerves finally broke. After the previous night's disaster, and the total mind-fuck of the morning with Tyler, I was over the drama.

What started out as a quiet chuckle quickly escalated into full-blown hysterical laughter. They both stopped talking, turning to look at me as if I'd lost my fucking mind. The bewildered expressions on their faces further aided my laughing jag. When I finally had the ability to breathe properly, I ended the most ridiculous argument ever had.

"Okay, Mom and Dad," I said sardonically, "I love you both, you know that, right?" At their hesitant nods, I forged on. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but this is something that I've gotta do by myself," I said firmly. "Angela, it would be insane for you to drive down with me in a cramped little U-Haul, only to turn around and fly back to Seattle! You've got that summer internship with the hospital coming up next week, so I know you'll want to prepare for that," I said, jostling her shoulders lightly. Her eyes lit up at the mention of the internship she'd busted her ass over for years.

"So, Benny here will drop me off at the U-Haul place in the morning, and then we'll put everything in it. We'll have a huge teary sendoff where I'll snot all over you guys, and then I'll leave, waving out the window the whole time. Once I'm on the highway, I'll listen to a playlist full of 'screw you, jackass' tunes with some girl power songs mixed in, and I'll probably pull over to cry a few times. I'll eat awful food from truck stops and drink coffee that'll give me an ulcer later, and I'll call Y'all every time I stop. Then once I'm in Texas, I'll send you goofy selfies of me in front of that famous sign. By the time I get to my new place, I'll be so over Tyler that I won't even remember his face. Cool?"

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A/N: So, I won't get into the gruesome details of life since my last posting, but suffice it to say, adulting sucks gigantic hairy donkey balls. However, I do have an update on not one, but TWO stories! (I Will Never Knock is up next, probably tomorrow) *Gasps dramatically*.

I have a non-rhetorical question, guys. Until I can strike that perfect balance between work/school/and writing, would y'all prefer that I post frequent, but small drabbley-bites (500 words or less) of this story, OR would you prefer full, yet infrequent chapters (1000 words or more)? Please give me feedback in your reviews!

I absolutely adore you all for your never-ending patience with me. *swoony heart eyes*

Also, Edward should be making an appearance next chapter!

XOXO Anarchy