Disclaimer: Don't own.


Chapter Two- Growing So Distant

"I'm growing so distant

Nothing makes sense to me anymore

I'm learning to resist

Becoming more than you ever were

Can't explain, what's come over me (come over me)

Can't explain, why it's so hard for me,

So hard to see your side"

Five Finger Death Punch- "Hard To See"


Alice Brandon sighed as she looked at the clock. It was the last period of the day. Alice was bored. She tapped her foot against the floor and rolled her eyes at the teacher. She suddenly had an image of the teacher from Charlie Brown. Now she knew how the kids in that class felt. Bored to tears, just how Alice felt right now.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a pencil poking her in the back. She turned around to face her best friend, Rosalie Hale. Rose smiled and handed her a piece of paper. Alice took it carefully and unfolded it.

"So your parents are going to Porterville tonight? Want me to come over?" Rosalie had scrawled on the page in her flawless handwriting.

Alice wrote her response. "Can't. It's my punishment for getting a C in Math, remember? Besides if you did come over, your mom would tell my mom and we'd both be in trouble."

She slid the note to Rosalie. Alice's father was a preacher and was giving a special Sunday morning sermon in Porterville. Her parents were leaving that night and wouldn't return until Sunday night. Alice was to be home alone for the entire weekend. She wasn't allowed to leave or have anyone over.

Her Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Merriam was expecting her for Sunday dinner. If she didn't show up, her parents would punish her even more.

Rosalie read the note and scrawled her response. "Fuck them. You need some fun."

Alice smiled at her friend. Rosalie Hale was not someone you wanted to mess with. She intimidated boys because she was so beautiful. She was a five-nine, blue-eyed, blond haired beauty. Despite her heartbreakingly beautiful looks, Rosalie had what other girls didn't have: personality. She was a tough girl who wasn't pushed around by anyone. Even teachers were scared of her.

She didn't let anyone mess with Alice, either. People used to tease Alice about being a goody church girl. That was until Lauren Mallory crossed the line one day. She teased Alice about being a virgin, Rosalie stepped in and made Lauren regret her words. Lauren was the opposite of Alice in that department. Where Alice was a virgin, Lauren certainly was not.

Everyone knew that Lauren was a Rosalie wannabe. She was convinced that her and Rosalie looked alike. They both had blond hair and blue eyes, but that was were the similarities ended. Rosalie had beautiful golden blond hair and sapphire blue eyes.

Lauren had dirty blond hair and dull blue eyes. Rosalie was tall, curvy in the right places and statuesque. Lauren was five-four, too skinny and somewhat gangly. Rosalie was a well-known bitch, but only to the people that deserved it. If you didn't mess with Rosalie, she didn't mess with you. Lauren targeted people just for her own entertainment.

Alice ran a hand through her gorgeous dark locks and stood as the bell rang. Rosalie was at her side in a second. Alice was considered tall for a girl, she stood at five-foot-seven, but Rosalie was still a good two inches taller.

"Sucks you have to be home all alone on a Friday, Ali." Rosalie said to her.

Alice sighed. "Yeah, but you know my parents." She rolled her eyes, remembering just how strict her parents were. Alice's outfit was evidence of that. She typically wore dresses that flowed past her knees and always wore a jacket over the dress. Her father believed that a woman was the devil's tool, always luring a man into committing some terrible act. Her father had always wanted a boy, and never forgave Alice for being a girl.

Alice and Rosalie walked out of the school building and went to stand next to Rosalie's car. They were waiting for Rosalie's boyfriend Emmett to join them. Alice would never admit it, but she was jealous of Rosalie for the simple fact that she had Emmett. It wasn't Rosalie's charm or her beauty that Alice envied, she had enough of that on her own, but it was the fact that Rosalie loved someone and someone loved her.

Rosalie spared no detail on their relationship either. Anything Alice wanted to know about sex, Rosalie shared with her. Emmett offered to let Alice watch him and Rose, but Rose had put the kibosh on that.

Alice had never had a boyfriend. The only person she'd ever kissed was Rosalie. That happened one night at Rosalie's house. Alice had asked Rose what it was like to kiss someone, and Rosalie had given Alice a very thorough explanation.

Rosalie looked up and said, "There's that idiot Newton."

Alice turned around to see Mike Newton in his truck. Jessica Stanley was next to him. Tyler Crowley, Lauren Mallory and Eric Yorkie were in the bed of the truck.

Tyler suddenly yelled out, "Yeah baby, show us your boobs!" He threw a water balloon and everyone laughed as the truck drove off. Alice looked around to see whom the balloon had hit.

It was a tall Native American girl, with long dark brown hair and brown eyes. Alice knew instantly that it was Leah Clearwater. She was the only Native American girl in the whole school. Alice thought Leah was beautiful, maybe even more beautiful than Rosalie.

Alice and Leah locked eyes. Leah's brown orbs filled with embarrassment, she turned away from Alice's gaze and walked toward the woods. Leah's brother, Seth Clearwater yelled after her, but Leah ignored him.

Alice looked at Rosalie, who was livid. "I can't fucking believe they just did that to her. I will find Lauren tonight and make her regret she ever did that."

Rosalie was always nice to Leah for two reasons, one: She felt Leah didn't deserve the torment she got. Two, Lauren Mallory hated Leah Clearwater and it pissed Lauren off that Rosalie was friendly with her.

Alice shook her head, "Rose, if Leah didn't retaliate, then you shouldn't either."

Rose faced Alice. "Ali, you know what this school would do if Leah did anything. They would all turn on her and alienate her even more. Lauren needs to learn not to mess with Leah. If Leah won't teach her a lesson, then I will. Let's go." She opened her door and got in. Alice climbed in the back at the same time Emmett opened the passenger door.

"Hey babe." He said, kissing Rosalie's cheek. "Sup, Ali?" He smiled at Alice. He noticed the tension in the air and finally asked, "What's wrong?"

Rosalie backed out the parking space and answered him, "That Mallory bitch and her pussy-boy cohorts hit Leah with a water balloon."

Emmett shook his head. "Can't they ever leave her alone? You know they're probably all down at the lake. You want to go down there and break up their party? I'm sure Jasper would be up for that." He smiled evilly.

Jasper Whitlock was Emmett's best friend. Jasper didn't like the natives, but he didn't torment them like the rest of the school did. He was indifferent towards them. Rosalie had tried several times to get Alice to go out with Jasper, but to no avail. Alice didn't click with Jasper and her parents wouldn't allow her to date him if she did. Sometimes she wanted to hook up with Jasper, just to spite her parents. She couldn't bring herself to even ask Jasper that question though.

Rosalie pulled up to Alice's house and Alice clambered out, running across the yard and in the front door. Linda Brandon was waiting for her.

"Mother!" Alice exclaimed as she shut the door behind her.

"You're late Alice Layne." She said in a firm tone. "Why?"

Alice didn't answer. She knew her mother wouldn't understand the Leah situation. Her mother thought like the rest of the town. Her father entered then, barely looking at Alice. "I'll be in the car, Linda." He said, passing Alice without so much as a glance in her direction.

Alice felt tears prick her eyes at her father's coldness. She was used to it by now, but it still hurt. Linda Brandon snapped her fingers in front of her daughter's face to gain her attention again.

Alice looked back at her mother, successfully biting back her tears. Her mother stared at her. "Your father and I will be in Porterville until Sunday evening. You are not to go anywhere and no one is to be here. Mrs. Merriam is expecting you for lunch on Sunday. You get yourself to Sunday school, then to her house and straight home. If I find out you've been anywhere else or had someone over, the Lord will punish you Alice Layne. The Lord will punish you, I will punish you, your father will punish you. Understand?" Alice nodded.

Her mother reached out and straightened Alice's jacket. "This is your punishment for getting a C in math. You will spend your weekend dividing your time between your math book and the good book. If you should have any sinful urges, I want you contemplate spending an eternity burning in the fiery depths of hell."

"Yes, mother." Alice answered.

"Don't forget your prayers. Remember a prayer for Mrs. Masen in the hospital. And say an extra little prayer for your father and I while we're on the highway." She kissed Alice's cheek and went out the door.

Alice stared at the door for a while after she heard the car pull away from the house. "Dear God, while my mother and father are on the highway," Alice started. "Please let the earth open up and swallow them whole."

Alice went up to her room. She went over to her dressed and pulled out the pack of cigarettes she had Emmett buy for her. Alice didn't smoke, but she knew it would piss her parents off, so she lit one and put it between her lips. She stripped off her ugly blue dress and slipped it up so that it covered her hair. She had her dress on her head and was only in her bra and panties. She took the cigarette from her mouth and blew out the smoke.

She pulled out a CD that Rosalie bought for her. She put it into her little radio next to her bed and played the CD. She put the cigarette back to her lips and took a long drag. She coughed and did it again anyway. The Katy Perry CD that Rosalie bought her was playing loudly.

Alice 'whooped' and then jumped on her bed and started dancing to "Waking Up in Vegas". She jumped up and down, dancing at the same time. If her mother saw this, she would skin her alive. At that thought, Alice shook her head around and she squealed again at the feel of her freedom.

A loud crack of thunder made Alice freeze. She leaned down and turned up the music. After a few more songs, Alice realized she was hungry. She slipped her dress back down so that it covered her and went downstairs.

The house had no food. Her mother believed that if food wasn't baked dry or boiled tasteless, then it hadn't been properly disinfected. She picked up the phone and dialed the phone number for a pizza place. She ordered a large pepperoni and pineapple pizza. That would last her possibly until tomorrow night, she thought. When the doorbell rang, she ran to the door.

She could almost hear her mother yelling at her not to run in the house. She pulled the door open and paid the delivery boy. Alice started to go into the kitchen to eat, but stopped short and went up to her room. Her mother would never allow her to eat in her room. After she ate her fill of the pizza, she placed the box on her dresser and put in another CD that Rosalie had given her.

After listening to the entire CD and some more dancing in her underwear, Alice decided she was tired and went to bed. It was past midnight when she crawled into bed. Even though Alice was seventeen and a senior in high school, her mother still had her go to bed at nine o'clock. Alice didn't always go right to sleep, but her mother made her go to her room at that time. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed.


A/N: There's chapter two for you! I'm super excited to have you get a glimpse of Alice now. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and a special thank you to CullenGurlsDoItBetter and LucyClearwaterMeraz for being so supportive of my story. You girls rock! Let me know how you liked the second chapter, if you give me lots of love then Alice will give you a lap dance in her underwear and I'll update sooner than once a week. :) -Loveless-