Disclaimer: These characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, and even though there are a lot of people out there who think they are her, I am not one of those people. Therefore, these characters are not mine.

Summary: Bella and Edward were friends since birth. Edward was always the stud and Bella was always the ugly tomboy best friend. Bella leaves Seattle to visit with her dad in Arizona for two years, leaving Edward to fend for himself. She comes back, and there's something…different…about her.

Random Stuff To Know That Will Be In This Story: AU, OC, OOC, ExB, AxJ, RxE, JxOC, Mostly BPOV, maybe possibly will have some EPOV, Lemons, Language

Author's Note: Ok so in my previous update, I asked if you guys would prefer Edward to be the player and Bella be normal (just slightly changed), or should Edward be normal and Bella be a bitch? This is for AFTER Bella comes back from Arizona.

***

Chapter 3: Goodbye

I held the phone to my ear for what felt like hours before the dial tone came on. I jumped and hung up. My head dropped into my hands and I sighed. Ed will definitely be mad at me for this. The longest we've been apart is 3 months, when Ed's parents decided to take him to Greece for the summer. We missed each other insanely, and as a result our parents couldn't take either of us on another vacation unless they took both of us.

I sighed and stood, putting the phone on the bed. I ran my tongue nervously over my braces over and over again, trying to decide what I was going to say to Edward. I walked out of the suddenly too-small bedroom, into the hallway, and into the kitchen where Ed was bent over the sink, washing dishes. His parents are very outdoorsy people and they were out on yet another hiking trip.

"There you are Bells, I was about to come get you. Help me wash these—hey, hey what's wrong?"

I didn't know it, but my eyes were misting. I felt the traitorous drops of moisture with my hand and swore under my breath. I never cry. This is the closest I have ever been to crying. Now I had to tell him. And as I looked into his sweet, caring face, I felt my heart break. How could I possibly leave him for two years? I love him. He's been there for me through thick and thin, and he's like the brother I never had. I didn't want to leave him, but I had to. "Ed…"

"What's wrong Bells?" He enveloped me in a big bear hug, crushing me into his chest. "You can tell me anything. Come on, what's wrong?"

I let out a shaky breath and stepped out of his embrace. "Don't get mad at me Ed, I tried my hardest to get out of it. I don't know what else to do."

"Bella, just tell me."

"Sit down then."

"No."

"Fine." I sighed and closed my eyes. "Mom and Phil are going traveling so I have to go live with Charlie in Phoenix."

"Oh that's no big. We'll survive through the summer, it's not that long of a-"

"For two years." No sound came out of his mouth. I opened my eyes, and gasped. The look on his face was so heartbreaking. He looked like I just ripped his heart out and stomped on it. Wait since when did I become so melodramatic? Fuck, that stupid bitch Tanya must be rubbing off on me. I was jerked back to reality when I heard a feral growl erupt from Ed's throat. His look changed rapidly from one of pain to one of complete and total anger. At me. I backed up slowly and gulped. He was absolutely livid.

"Apparently you didn't fucking try hard enough. If you did, you could have asked to stay with me for that time. You fucking bitch, you're so stupid you couldn't even think of that as a fucking option? You're my BEST FRIEND! How the HELL do you expect me to survive two whole damn years of high school without you! This is BULLSHIT! You don't even want to fucking stay here! If you did you would have tried harder to convince your mom to let you stay! What the fucking hell was going through your mind when you were on the phone with her? Huh? Was there ANYTHING going through your mind at all?!?"

My mind was numb in panic. I've never seen Ed so angry. I didn't know what to do. "I…"

"You what? Didn't care enough to fucking ask your best friend about how he would feel if you left?"

That made my brain start working. "I just found out today! My MOM didn't even ask me if it's ok! She just fucking stated it! She didn't fucking remember to ask me about it earlier so I had no other choice! Plans were already made and tickets were already bought? What was I supposed to fucking do? Make her waste $1000.00 on me?'

Edward's eyes went from blazing to sparking. He turned his head away from me and looked down, ashamed of the way he had reacted towards me. "When do you leave?" He asked quietly.

"Tomorrow."

"Well then, you better go and pack. Wouldn't want you to miss this amazing opportunity to leave your life behind." His voice was calm, but it dripped sarcasm and poison.

"Yea. I guess I should." I quietly walked into the living room and picked up my backpack. "See you, Edward."

I heard him walk out of the kitchen behind me. "When do you come back?"

"Summer before senior year."

He scoffed. "Have fun then. Hope you have a kick ass time in Arizona."

I turned around, and saw that his eyes were on me. He looked like he wanted to kill me, but I wanted to hug him. This was the last time I was going to see my best friend for two years. I ran over and wrapped my arms around his waist, since he towered over me at his height of 6 ft 2in and me at 5 ft flat. "G'bye Eddy." I turned and left his house, crossed the street, and walked into my own living room. I ran across the empty street and into my house. I sprinted up the stairs two at a time and into my room. I dropped my backpack onto my bed, pulled out my duffel, and began to pack.

I walked into my bathroom and grabbed my hairbrushes, some deodorant, my shampoo, a pack of razors, and my toothbrush. I didn't really need anything else; I could just buy the rest of it in Arizona. I dropped all of that into the side pockets of my duffel, and zipped it. I went through my closet and began pulling out my favorite band tees and sweats. I don't own any shorts, since its too cold in Seattle for them most of the time. Plus I hate wearing them. Skirts too. I had a pile of about six sweats and 12 band tees. I folded them neatly and placed them into the main compartment of the duffel.

I only owned sneakers, so I grabbed two pairs to take with me to Arizona. I'll just wear the third pair on the plane. I only owned three pairs of pajamas, so I grabbed all of them and stuffed them in. I'll just sleep in my current clothes tonight. My pajamas weren't too different from my day clothes anyway. Two pairs consisted of flannel pant bottoms and a baggy thermal shirt, and the third was for the rare occasion when it was warm enough here to wear boxers to bed. 14 pairs of underwear later, I was pretty much packed. I didn't need to pack bras because my AA cup boobs weren't really in need of much support.

I looked over at my towering shelves of books, deciding which ones to take and which ones to leave. After a good thirty minutes debating with myself, I settled on my favorite fifty. Fifteen of them are classics, ten or so are fantasy, another ten are sci-fi, fourteen of them are random fiction stories, and shoved in that pile is the lone romance novel I own. It's something that I read only when the house is empty, cause I don't want to get caught doing something so….un-me. I also grabbed my four favorite video games for the PS3 (I'm not a big fan of XBOX) and the PS3. I placed the books, games, and console carefully into a medium sized box, sealed it with a whole roll of tape, and put my name and new address on it. I surveyed my room and decided there was nothing else worth taking. I zipped up the duffel and put it by my door with the box of entertainment on top. Sketchbook! I can't forget that!

I ran over to my desk and pulled out a plain white sketchbook. No one but my closest friends and family knew that I liked to draw, so it was kind of my little secret. I opened the backpack that was lying on my bed, pulled out all the stuff in it, and shoved my sketchbook in. In a last minute decision, I grabbed the green and blue lava lamp Edward gave me for my 14th birthday. Edward…I shook my head as the tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, and shoved the lava lamp in the bag, along with a few other trinkets to keep me company in Arizona. After I was content with the things I was taking to Phoenix, I zipped up that backpack too and placed it next to the box.

I felt a trickle of moisture on my cheek, and I felt angry. The fact that Ed could make me feel like this…this upset….this sad…it made me pretty pissed. I never cry. This is the first time I cried since I was 6 years old. Fucking asshole. It's cause of him I'm crying like a fucking girl. I angrily wiped the tears away, and scratched myself across the cheek in the process. I hissed as the scratch stung, and I went into my bathroom to clean it.

Damn. It was actually bleeding. I pressed a wad of tissue paper to it to start the coagulation, and then cleaned it with an alcohol swab. There. Better. It'll scab but what the hell; I can make up a pretty cool story to tell. I walked out of the bathroom, and decided it was time to sleep.

I cracked open my window cause it was feeling stuffy, and crawled into bed. I yawned and my jaw cracked with the force of it. I was exhausted. I glanced at my clock, which read 12:00 in flashing red letters. Hah. This was the time I was supposed to get home. At least that fight with Ed was good for something. I get to go to sleep now. I closed my eyes, and my breathing slowed. I had to get up early tomorrow for my flight, so I better get some sleep. In seconds, I was gone.

EPOV:

"Two years." The words flew out of her mouth and I found it hard to breathe. Bella opened her beautiful, liquid brown eyes and looked up at me. My chest felt like someone ripped it open. The pain was too much. I growled and she gasped, shocked, I'm guessing, by the expression on my face. I was angry. No. I was livid. How dare she…

"Apparently you didn't fucking try hard enough. If you did, you could have asked to stay with me for that time. You fucking bitch, you're so stupid you couldn't even think of that as a fucking option? You're my BEST FRIEND! How the HELL do you expect me to survive two whole damn years of high school without you! This is BULLSHIT! You don't even want to fucking stay here! If you did you would have tried harder to convince your mom to let you stay! What the fucking hell was going through your mind when you were on the phone with her? Huh? Was there ANYTHING going through your mind at all?!?"

She broke my heart. And just stood there as if it's not a big deal. She's the only one I trust with my life. Sure, Jasper and Emmett are really good friends to me, but she's the only one who truly gets me. And she was leaving me.

"I…" She sounded so vulnerable. So fragile. But I didn't care. I was in pain, and I wanted her to feel my pain ten fold.

"You what? Didn't care enough to fucking ask your best friend about how he would feel if you left?"

There was a spark, and I think my words finally ignited the fighting spirit in her. "I just found out today! My MOM didn't even ask me if it's ok! She just fucking stated it! She didn't fucking remember to ask me about it earlier so I had no other choice! Plans were already made and tickets were already bought? What was I supposed to fucking do? Make her waste $1000.00 on me?'

Fuck. I didn't know that. I turned my head away and looked down, embarrassed by my overreacting. "When do you leave?" I asked slowly.

"Tomorrow." Her voice was shaking as she said it.

I think I heard my heart shatter. "Well then, you better go and pack. Wouldn't want you to miss this amazing opportunity to leave your life behind." I didn't even have more time to spend with her before she left. For the first time in my life, I hated her mother and her forgetfulness. Without realizing, Renée had hurt two innocent people. Badly.

"Yea. I guess I should." I heard Bella leave the kitchen and walk into the living room, grabbing her backpack off the floor. "See you, Edward."

That did it. My heart melted. I love when she calls me Edward. I love the way it rolls off of her tongue. I would never tell her that, but when she said my name, I knew I couldn't let her just walk out of my life for two years. She was my best friend. My staunch ally. My tomboy. My other half. My…soul mate. I jerked as the realization dawned on me. I needed her here. As more than a friend. She was a bigger part of me than I had thought. But my heart was broken, and I wasn't about to forgive her. I still wanted her to feel pain. She didn't know my pain enough. She needed to feel it more.

I walked out of the kitchen and stood behind her. "When do you come back?"

"Summer before senior year."

I scoffed. "Have fun then. Hope you have a kick ass time in Arizona." Without me.

She turned around, and I kept my cold, emotionless gaze on her. She surprised me by running over and wrapping her tiny arms around me. I was too shocked to hug her back. She really is sad about leaving…

"G'bye Eddy." I didn't look up as I heard her walk out of my house. The slam of the door into the frame woke me, and I raced to the window. I saw her run across the street and into her own home, then a few seconds later her bedroom lights came on.

I stood silently watching her pack for a few minutes, and then I had and idea. I'll write her a letter, use the big tree by her window to sneak in like old times, and leave it in her bag.

I grabbed a pad and a pen and began to write.

Dear Bella,

After you ran from my house, I realized I couldn't let you go without saying goodbye. I will miss you dearly my friend, and I hope you will miss me too. I do genuinely hope that you have a great time in Arizona with your dad. I know you miss him. It was cruel of me to attack you as I did, when you did do everything you could to try and stay. I apologize for my brash behavior, and hope you will forgive me. I love you, little tomboy. You're my best friend, and you better call and talk to me often, or I will stalk you in every possible way until you do. Love you, midget.

Edward

PS. For a good time, call (206)567-8901. Don't hit me.

I smiled and ended my letter with a flourish. I peppered the note with little inside jokes and some teasing, knowing that would up my chances of her forgiving me. I also revealed my feelings for her in the letter, but hoped she wouldn't notice. If she does, I don't know how she would react.

I hopped up and walked out of my house, shutting the door quietly. I walked quickly over to her side of the street and began to climb the beautiful oak that stood outside her window. Suddenly I saw her through the window and froze, trying not to be seen. She was packing up her backpack with what seemed like random trinkets and accessories, no doubt in order to give her some comfort in Arizona.

Then I saw something that made me feel like the very devil himself. There was a light sheen on her cheeks, and then all of the sudden a single tear rolled down her cheek and onto the floor. I made her cry. I made Bella Swan cry. I hadn't seen her cry since we were 6, and I was the one to make her cry now. She never cried. "Fuck." I swore under my breath. She was in pain. I was just too stupid and oblivious to realize it. I had to make this right.

I looked down at the letter in my hand and felt more determined than ever to give it to her. She wiped away that tear, and cut herself with her nail. Damn. My fault too. She disappeared in the bathroom for a minute or two, and then came back out with just a small scratch on her face.

SHIT! She's walking over to the window! I pressed myself flat against the trunk of the tree, hoping she wouldn't see me. She opened up the window and I stopped breathing. Then she turned around and climbed into her bed, turning the lights off. I stayed in the same position for what felt like hours until I was sure she was asleep. I walked across the tree branch that ends at her bedroom window, and widened the opening. I clambered through, as silently as possible, and stopped to listen. Nothing. I glanced over at her, and couldn't tear my eyes away. She looked so peaceful, so gentle. Not like she did an hour ago, when she was crying because of me.

I proceeded to crawl over to where her bags were, unzipped her duffel, and shoved the letter into the pile of sweatpants. I crawled over to her bed and watched her. She looked beautiful. A wisp of short hair had fallen over her eye, and I reached over to brush it away. She stirred and I froze. Then she sighed and went still. I smiled slightly and placed my hand over her's. I will miss her. I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, then backed away and out her window, shutting it as I left. I climbed down off the oak and walked back into my house to go to sleep.

BPOV:

I woke up in the morning and found my room stifling once again. I rose and looked at my window, surprised to find it shut tight. Huh. I thought I opened it. Whatever. I rubbed my eyes and stretched, scratching my stomach as I did. Then my mom happened to walk in.

"Bella! That is NOT something ladies do! Be more feminine for once in your life! Are you packed?" she surveyed my pile of bags and box and shook her head. "Is that all you're taking with you? You're not just visiting, you know. You're gonna be living there."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I know mom, I know." More than you could ever guess. "This is all that I need."

I glanced out my window and across to the Masen house, sighing when I saw that Edward's not up yet. My mom had already left my room when I turned back around and grabbed my bag, preparing to take them downstairs and into Phil's car. It was 8:00. I had time to shower, dress, eat, and leave. That's it. We had to be at the airport by 10, otherwise I would miss my flight.

I walked down the stairs with my duffel bag on my shoulder, my backpack on my back, and the box of stuff in my arms. I dropped all the stuff by the front door and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, some milk, a bowl, and a spoon.

Mom walked in right when I finished my breakfast. "Come on sweetie, go wash up and get dressed. We need to leave. Oh and" I paused on my way up the stairs, waiting for her to finish her sentence. "Can you please dress up a little? You know, for Charlie's sake. He hasn't seen you in over four years."

"Yeah, sure mom." I rolled my eyes and walked into my bathroom. I stripped and jumped into the shower, washed my short hair, and jumped out and dried myself off. I ransacked my closet, looking for something nice. Well…nicer than normal.

I grabbed my only pair of jeans and a plain purple shirt. I put the jeans on, and immediately wanted to take them off. Fuck. I hate jeans. I want my sweats. The jeans were really baggy though, so it suited me. I pulled on my purple shirt, the girliest color I own, and went back downstairs. I checked the time on the microwave. 9:30.

My mom ushered me out the door and into the car, my bags being in the trunk. "Wait!" I ran around and opened the trunk of her car and grabbed my carry-on backpack. "Ok. Ready." I sat back down in the front seat, next to my mom. Phil was getting ready for his business trip, so he won't be coming with us to the airport. I took one last look at Ed's house while my mom started her car. We drove out of the street and turned down the hill, and the view of Ed's house was lost.

***

"God, BYE mom!" I hugged my erratic, harebrained mother again one last time before I finally started boarding my plane. I was supposed to land in Arizona at around 3. Four hours. Oh joy.

I stepped into the tunnel to board the plane and then I heard "Bella!" I whipped around, searching out the owner of that voice. I saw him standing behind my mother, who was waving so hard I thought her arm might break. He grinned at me and I felt lighter, then he vanished. I smiled sadly and shook my head. Now I was imagining things. Great. I turned around and continued walking down the tunnel to the plane.
I entered and walked down the aisle, trying to find my seat. I eventually found it, almost completely to the back of the plane. Well, at least it's not a far walk to the pee room.

I contemplated stowing my backpack in the little hatch things they have for carry-ons, and decided against it when I remembered the lava lamp I shoved in there. It's the last thing I want to break. Besides, maybe I'll get some good drawing done.

An hour and a half later, the captain turned off the seatbelt sign and the flight whores-I mean attendants—started making their way down the aisle that they thought was their catwalk. Dumb sluts.

I pulled out my sketchbook and pencil, and just let my imagination go. When I finally zoned back in, I was looking at an almost perfect picture of Edward, his smile turned up on one side, his hands in his pockets, and his beautiful gold eyes peeking out from under his bronze fringe. Since when did I start thinking about his eyes as….beautiful? Whatever. I lost myself in the picture, wishing we hadn't got into that big fight before we left. We could have sat and talked for another two hours before I had to go and pack, and maybe then I wouldn't be feeling that giant hole in my chest as if a part of me had been ripped out. Maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm just too damn close to that jerk for my own good. God, I'm gonna miss my dork.

The asshole next to me had decided to order a whiskey, and apparently even without the alcohol he's a total klutz, because next thing I know Edward has a large stain growing on his head, smearing everything except for his hands, which were in his pockets. Looks like the asswipe hadn't even touched his whiskey before he decided to dump it on my sketchbook. Great. It's gonna be a looong flight…