A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Here's chapter two- have fun reading! :)

Alexandra

CHAPTER 2

Bella's POV

I didn't know where I was running. I just ran.

When I finally stopped running, my legs felt numb and my chest was exploding. I didn't how long I had been running. I slowed down and just let myself fall.

I fell onto what felt like grass. My breathing was heavy. My stomach had cramps. It killed me. My legs… oh… I was even sure if I could ever walk again.

I lay there in the grass for quite a long time. It was mid afternoon, maybe four or five o' clock, when I finally took notice of my surroundings.

Where was I?

I didn't know what to expect. While running, everything around me was just blurred. They meant less than nothing. I didn't pay attention to my surroundings while I ran. I was lying on grass, and all around me were tall green trees. I was still in Forks, I thought.

I knew I wasn't far from the highway, because I could hear the cars driving past me, maybe only about fifty meters away.

I lay back down on the grass. I had tried to hold back the tears before, but I didn't have the energy to hold them back now. So I let myself cry freely.

Call it wimpy - I didn't care. For God's sake, I was seventeen. Couldn't a teenager cry in peace?

This was a lot to take in. This wasn't the way I imagined spending my Christmas break - far from it. I imagined spending the holidays doing fun stuff with Alice… She'd always have a way of making things fun, no matter what it was.

Just the thought of Alice made me cry harder. My face was probably wet, and red. I was beyond noticing.

I cried for the loss of a friend, I cried for the mistake I made. I cried because I had probably had done something with Edward he never would want to do with me. He was probably regretting it so much right now.

I cried for probably causing the pain and shame I was going to give to Charlie, my dad. He didn't deserve this, such an irresponsible daughter. He deserved so much better. I cried because of the pain I would cause Renee. After seeing her daughter only one or twice after marrying Phil, she runs away.

I cried for myself too. The pain in my stomach, my legs, and my hunger. My loss, and everyone's loss. I felt empty, lost and alone.

The sun started to set. Afternoon turned into evening. I stared at it for a while.

By then, I realized I had stopped crying now. I was quiet now - thinking.

I still heard the cars drive past on highway. But other than that, and few leaves rustling, it was silent.

I sat up, sometime late that evening, and it had turned dark. The stars were shining as brightly as ever that night, the moon full.

But something was different.

Maybe it was me - maybe I was different. Changed. A slightly different person now, you could say. Well, I was obviously still the same person, Isabella Swan, but different at the same time. Maybe slightest bit more mature. I think it was because I had spent almost the whole day making myself understand – the fact that I was alone now. I was understanding and trying to accept the truth.

Because no matter how much I tried, the truth would never change. Whatever happened yesterday, I couldn't erase, and it would stay there forever.

I stared at the moon for a long moment before I dragged myself up upright. My legs felt a bit stiff, and I was starving.

I shook my head. I pushed away all bad thought and cleared my mind.

Life was going to be different now for me, that's for sure.

I took a deep breath, and took off again into the night.

Edward's POV

I woke that morning, and yawned.

I got up, and the sheets slid down. I was naked.

What the fuck?

Then I remembered last night came to me. Not too clearly, but a faint and blurred image. I remembered a gorgeous girl. I didn't remember her features, or really much about her. I remembered her eyes though. A deep and pretty, chocolate brown shade. The rest of it I couldn't recall.

But I wanted to remember. I wanted to know this girl suddenly, badly.

I glance to my side, expecting to see her there, but it was empty.

What? That didn't make sense.

But you could tell someone else had been there, sleeping there. That meant I wasn't making this up and wasn't completely insane.

Where was she? I really liked her, and if I was to be honest to myself it was deeper than that.

I wanted to see her. Maybe she was downstairs having breakfast. Yeah…

I put on some clothes and looked to the side several times, acting casual as I searched for her.

I went to the kitchen. Disappointment swept through me as the only person there was Alice.

"Good morning," I said.

Alice didn't answer, which was out of character for her. I frowned. I looked at Alice. She seemed to be thinking, and if I was correct, she seemed upset about something.

"Something wrong, Alice?" I asked softly.

She finally looked up and I saw a tear roll down her cheek. What had happened?

"Are you okay?" She asked me, acting as though she never heard my question.

"Yeah…" I said. Then I realized what she was indicating. "Uh, where's…" I trailed off not knowing what to say.

"Where is she?" Alice asked. It didn't pass me that she never said the girl's name.

"Yeah," I said. "Do you know her?"

Alice paused and then simply replied, "I knew her," She replied simply. She looked like she wanted to say more, but decided better of it and said nothing.

"What's wrong Alice?" I tried once more.

"I need to be alone for sometime," Alice said abruptly. She was still avoiding my question and quickly got up, leaving the kitchen. I watched her leave in confusion. I felt like I was missing something. What was going on?

Then Carlisle and Esme walked in. They were still wearing their night clothes. I glanced at the clock and realized it was eight in the morning.

"How was the party Edward?" Carlisle asked.

I didn't know what to say. Who was she? That was all I could think about and it kept screaming in my mind over and over again. I wanted to her. I wanted her to be mine. But that was stupid because I barely remembered what she looked like up until this point. "Fine," I replied. "Jasper stayed over, I think. He's still sleeping in the guest room." I knew Esme and Carlisle wouldn't mind. They didn't mind things like that- after all, they were like second parents to me.

"That's fine," Esme said, nodding.

I wasn't really paying attention to what Esme had said. Since another thought came to me then. Did she leave me because she didn't like me? Probably. She was too good for me anyways. I couldn't blame her.

"I got to go." I got up and exited the kitchen.

One thing was for sure. I liked that girl a lot. More than I was going to admit. And Alice knew who she was. But she wasn't telling me.

If it was the last thing I was going to do, I was going to make sure I found out whom she was- one day anyway.

Alice's POV

It still didn't make sense to me, how one night had changed everything. Yesterday seemed like years away, so different, almost like a different era.

Yes, I had been mad at Bella. But I had already forgiven her. I wouldn't have told her that right away if she was still here, but she wasn't.

And I missed her.

I knew from the morning 'talk' with Edward that he didn't know whom he has slept with last night. But I also knew that he knew I knew whom he had slept with last night.

Bella asked me not to tell him. She asked me to promise. Well, that was also a question. But I had made no promise. Yet I still wasn't ready to talk yet.

So I went shopping. And not only because of the fact that tonight was Christmas Eve, but also to make me feel a little better, and calm me down.

It didn't really help much. Whenever I went into a store and tried something on, I would remember Bella. I would remember her walking out of the dressing rooms wearing something that I chose for her.

I would remember her obvious distaste with shopping and her expression, when she wore something she didn't like. Or her trying to hide her expression when she clearly liked what I had chose out for her. It had made me laugh, then.

But now, that seemed so long ago.

I sighed.

I came back home at about five in the afternoon. I tried to kill as much time as possible, but I still had to be there in time for the family dinner. I knew Grandma and Grandpa should've come while I was gone.

When I did come back, Edward and Jasper were already at the door. Right there, waiting for me.

Jasper's expression was soft. Edward, on the other hand, was expressionless.

"Hey," I gave a small wave.

"Hey," Jasper smiled in return. He came over to me, and took a few of my shopping bags. Bella was right when she said I liked Jasper. It was also true that I liked him a lot. I only saw him a few times, because he didn't come over to Forks that often. He and Edward have been friends since the beginning their high school years.

Edward's expression turned… vivid?

"You know her," He said glowered at me. He stared at me hard. "Tell me who she is."

He liked Bella. It was clear in his eyes. But he didn't know who she was and it was killing him. But Bella didn't want Edward to know it was her last night. I didn't really know what to do.

The feeling of confusion didn't come to me often. Only when something bad happened, or I lost someone close to me.

Bella was the best friend I had in my whole life. Yes, we were different, but that's what made us such good friends. Our differences. And I had lost her. And knowing Bella, I could only hope she was still in Forks. She was a responsible person. I'm guessing that she never expected something like this to happen in her life.

"I-" I started to say, but then got cut off.

The phone started to ring.

"I'll get it," I said.

I went to the phone and picked it up. "Hullo?" I said into the receiver.

"Hi," Answered the voice on the other side. I recognized the voice. Charlie - Bella's dad. I gulped. "Is that you Alice?" I heard him say. He didn't sound mad or anything so I should take that as a good sign. It was no secret that Charlie liked me.

I bet he never would have expected this to happen to him.

"Yeah," I said. Edward and Jasper were watching me, listening to what I would say.

"Is Bella there?" He asked.

Of course he was calling for Bella. Did he know?

"No," I whispered in a broken voice.

"No?" Charlie repeated, concerned. "Is everything alright Alice?"

"She's not here," I said.

"Bella?" Charlie repeated as if confirming. Then he asked sharply, "Where is she?"

"I don't know," I whispered again, and it was a surprise something came out. I felt so helpless.

"How could you not know?" Charlie burst out angrily. I bit my lip. "Is she okay?"

I didn't answer.

"Did someone do something to her?" Charlie's voice was slowly getting louder, angrier, and he was panicking even more.

I didn't respond this time either.

Inside I was freaking out. I didn't know what to say…

Suddenly Charlie asked, "Did Edward do something?"

That surprised me. "What?" I asked shocked. Why would he ask something like that?

"I always suspected that she liked him. He did do something, didn't he," Charlie growled. "What is wrong with you people? What did you do? What happened, Alice? Tell me right now, or your family is going to be in serious trouble."

I didn't reply. I was stunned. It wasn't until now that I realized I had a few tears streaming down my cheeks. I snuck a glance at Jasper and Edward who were still standing there, frozen, watching me, listening. I noticed that Edward looked mad.

He grabbed the phone from my hand.

"I don't who you are," Edward said in a slow voice. "But no one talks to my sister like that, so I'd suggest you put down the phone right now, or…" Edward didn't bother continuing.

I heard Charlie gasp, and then Edward slammed the phone down.

I was crying hard now. I sat down on the couch. Jasper put my shopping bags down (which I realized he was still holding until a few seconds ago), and sat down beside me. He put his arms around me and I rested my head on his shoulders and cried. He rubbed my back, attempting to comfort me.

"It's okay," He whispered in my ear, trying to comfort me. But it wasn't okay. If it was any other time but this, I would've been thrilled to be in Jasper's arms. Right now I was just thankful he was there to help me.

We were sitting closer than necessary. What did that mean?

Meanwhile Edward stood there gaping at us, shocked.

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. Edward sat down on the other sofa and buried his face in his hands, and said nothing.

I cried for some time in Jasper's arms. A little while later I calmed down.

I looked at Jasper and put my arms around his neck. He gave me a small smile, and wiped the tears away from my face.

"So where's Bella?" Edward asked suddenly.

So he remembered Bella, but he didn't know she as whom he slept with. Nice. Helpful, real helpful, Edward.

I paused. "She left," I said carefully. My words had a double meaning.

I glanced at Jasper. "When?" Edward asked. "She seemed like a nice person."

"She left this morning," I said. I looked at Jasper. And judging by his expression, I think he figured it out. And he was staring at me with an expression I couldn't identify. I gave him a look that said, "Be quiet for now, please. I'll explain later." He gave a slight nod.

Edward however, did not seem to get it. I wasn't sure if he saw my and Jasper's exchange.

"Oh," He then said and left it at that.

How could he not know it was Bella?

I wanted so much to tell him, but at the same time I wanted to try to keep Bella's promise.

Then I realized why Edward didn't know. It was the drinks. He must've been a bit drunk and that made his memory blurry, because clearly he knew that he had slept with someone, he just didn't remember who - even though that was the most important fact.

Then Carlisle and Esme walked in together.

I was on Jasper's lap still I realized. I quickly got off his lap, and just placed myself beside him. I was still close to him, and his hand was still around me. I was just wasn't in his lap, and I missed that as soon as I sat on my place.

"Hey kids," Carlisle said.

"Hi," We mumbled back.

They both took in our expressions and mood. I knew that Carlisle and Esme knew something was up. They were quiet though and then left the room a little later. Esme and Carlisle were probably going to talk to us later anyways.

We sat there quietly for some time. After a few minutes, Esme came into the room.

"Dinner's ready," She said. She gave a small smile. "Grandma and Grandpa are waiting for you guys to come."

Edward got up immediately. He left the living room.

That left Jasper and me alone.

My head was resting on his shoulder. I looked up at him.

"You know, don't you," I said. I said it as a fact; I already got that much from him.

"It was Bella last night, wasn't it," Jasper said. Even though we've only seen each other a few times, I feel like Jasper knew me almost as much as I knew myself. That was one of the many reasons I liked him, because he understood me well. He understood me better than everyone else.

"Yeah," I said softly. "It was her, but she doesn't want Edward to know it's her."

Jasper opened his mouth to say something, but then Edward poked his head into the living room.

"You guys coming?" He asked. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We are," I said. And Edward went away again.

Jasper got up, and pulled me up with him. When we were up we were holding hands. His hands were soft and warm and comforting.

"We'll talk about this later," Jasper said. "And figure we'll figure out what to do."

I simply nodded. "I know we will."

Bella's POV

It was midnight when I reached the airport.

Although it was pitch-black outside, the lights surrounding and in it helped a little.

There was no one outside the airport. Forks was a small place, not many people used the airport here.

The airport was ten miles away from my house. That meant I had only run ten miles this whole day. I sighed. I was more pathetic than I looked.

I was still breathing heavily. I sank down and sat down against the wall outside the airport. My breathing was just as hard as the first, even though I think I ran less the second time.

My hands went to the pockets of my shorts.

I had brought my wallet. Thank God. At least I wasn't as stupid as I looked. Inside it, I had one hundred and twenty-five dollars and some change. And I always kept my passport in it as well. There were a few other gift cards and stuff but those weren't that important to me.

Then I took out the money Alice gave me. She gave me six hundred dollars.

Why did I accept this money? Why? Did Alice know what I was going to do? Is that why she gave me the money? So I would go away? A tear rolled down my cheek.

I counted up my money. I had almost seven hundred a fifty dollars altogether. That should be enough.

So I stood up, and walked into the airport.

I took the next airplane to Seattle. Which cost me about two hundred and fifty dollars. When did airplanes have to get so expensive?

I was tired by the time I got off the plane. Tired didn't even cover it; tired and hungry. I probably looked like a mess too. But I needed to do this. I checked the airplane schedule.

I didn't have a specific place in mind to go to. I just needed to go somewhere far. Nowhere near Alice, Edward and Charlie, and not near Renee either.

Then I found my place. It would have to do. It was the earliest timing I could get for a flight that wasn't anywhere near here, and it fitted my specifications I had in mind.

I went to the counter to book my ticket. I took out my passport, and few hundred-dollar bills. I took a deep breath, and gave a mental goodbye to Forks.

"I would like the first available ticket to Chicago, please."

A/N: Yay! So that's that chapter. So Bella is going to Chicago! So whoever was wondering- that's your answer! As said, this chapter wasn't as long as the first. Do you guys like long chapters?

Anyways... PLEASE REVIEW!!

Alexandra