Author Note: just to get this over with: SORRY! :( I'm super sorry I haven't.. you know, updated, in forever and a half. I kinda have a lot on my plate right now. Work, SAT prep, College hunting, etc. This is really the only thing I've had time to and/or wanted to update right now. Oh, also, I wanted to clarify something. I don't write the letters that Edward writes to Bella. I'm not that clever or creative, seriously. They letters are lyrics from miscellaneous songs.

Guess the song/lyrics, I'll make you a banner, or something. I like guessing games. I've been hanging out with 3rd/4th graders all week who like to think I'm a walking jungle gym they can hang all over, or something. I dunno.

Also, feedback is awesome. and I love it. It makes me happy. and um, I'll get around to OSM... sometime this weekend. Promise. I have to ice cupcakes and watch Juno again tonight.

And I highly suggest you listen to "So Nice, So Smart" by Kimya Dawson. (It's such a Jacob-Bella song. And speaking of Jacob/Bella.. I have a Jacob/Bella oneshot in the works. It's based off a line from a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song.)

Two.

Bail; to give up on or abandon something, as to evade a responsibility

At Northwestern, she got along well with her roommate. Tiffany James, or TJ, as she preferred being called, liked to party. Club. Or whatever. She also had an affinity for alcohol and older men, not that Bella cared. She could understand the older men thing. No problem there.

Of course, there was Jamie, too. Jamie was TJ's best friend from home – they had both gone to high school together and gotten into Northwestern together. Part of Bella figured Jamie was harboring a secret love for TJ, seeing as they had their fair share of awkward glances. She, however, would just roll her eyes at both of them and retreat to the couch to stare blankly at the TV as Flavor Flav would hand some chick with implants a rather large clock.

TJ would take them clubbing, and dance with random guys and have them buy her fruity drinks. Jamie would sigh and cross his arms across his chest and rant to Bella about how she was slowly killing herself. Bella would shrug and sigh and drink her soda.

Jamie, he listens to some varied form of alternative Britrock, or indie, and TJ prefers… whatever she can sing to. Bella is somewhere in the middle. That's where she fits in their little trio… friendship thing. She and Jamie are friends by association, and that association would be TJ. Who, at that exact moment, was cozying up with some random guy with a semi-fro and doing that annoying 'dry sex' dance… thing.

"You know," Jamie noted as he took a drink from his water bottle, "If there were no clothes involved, someone would get sperminated."

Bella shrugged and took another drink of her soda. She frowned at Jamie and sighed again, "Cut her a break. We can't all live up to Jamie Lewis's standard of life."

He rolled his eyes and glared at TJ on the dance floor. "We should leave her." He says quietly as he sips his water. All Bella can do is smirk and think, Jealous, much?

She snorts into her drink and rolls her eyes, "I'll believe that one when I see it, Lewis. You'd never bail on TJ," she said with a pensive frown, "Well," she tapped her chin with her index finger, "I take that back."

He just cocked an eyebrow at her, curiosity growing slowly as his counterpart for the night tapped her index finger on her chin, "You'd bail on her," Bella said slowly, taking a quick drink of her soda, Jamie cocked an eyebrow again, "But you'd come back for her later. Within the hour, probably."

Jamie just crossed his arms over his chest in a pout, 'hmph'-ed, and took a drink of his water. Oh, he was out to prove her wrong. Bella knew the Jamie Lewis pout. It was the same pout he gave TJ when she told him he couldn't down four shots of vodka without puking. Of course, he failed. Miserably. And of course, Bella was left to care for a drunken Jamie while TJ sashayed on to the dance floor with a sympathetic smile and a rather distinct: "I told you so."

Bella laughed and rolled her eyes, "Don't even bother denying it, Jamie. If you want to stay here and stare longingly at the rear end of our lovely Tiffany James, please don't hesitate to do so. Unfortunately, I have an English lit exam tomorrow morning and I have to leave. Plus, the smell of cheap fruity drinks, perfume, and sweat is making me a little nauseous. And if I have to hear the song Umbrella one more time, I think my head will explode."

He just nodded and sighed, "I'll probably go, too…"

She rolled her eyes, "And come back as soon as you walk me to my dorm…"

He shrugged, "So?"

Bella just smirked and slipped on her sunglasses and took him by the wrist and lead him toward the exit of the stuffy club.

———

The practically jogged all the way back to their dorms, only stopping occasionally to catch their breath.

They bailed on her, and Jamie didn't really feel all that bad. TJ had bailed on him numerous nights for some guy with a 'fro who was a club promoter. He just laughed as they breezed past numerous annoyed white collar workers heading home from getting dinner and a beer from a local eatery. Life was, you know, bearable at the moment. Even though there was a pang in Jamie's ribcage when he thought of an intoxicated TJ and 'fro boy. Bella stopped in front of the post office and smacked her forehead.

"Crap. I forgot to check my mail today. Do you mind?"

Jamie just shrugged, content with their little adventure at the moment, even if it was close to eleven. Plus, he really needed to catch his breath anyway. He didn't know how Bella had so much goddamn energy. For being so serious and morose and tiny, she had been a bit of a firecracker ever since he had met her earlier a few months ago.

Bella jogged up the steps and unclipped her keys from her belt loop, then began searching for her P.O. Box key, which she soon found. Jamie followed suit with ease. He rested his chin on her shoulder as she went through her mail, still giddy from their run and the feeling of bailing on TJ for once in his life. She shifted through miscellaneous offers for cable TV, the opportunity to sign up for Verizon wireless, her cellular bill, a letter from her dad, a letter from some guy named Jacob, and a letter without a return address, which in turn, made her pause significantly and stare blankly at it for a good minute or two.

Jamie noted the fancy-shmancy cursive on the front, and made a mental note that he should probably attempt to make his scrawl a bit more legible whenever he wrote something out that wasn't solely for him. His eyes moved over to Bella's face, where she looked almost catatonic.

"Hey, earth to space cadet Swan," he said and nudged her slightly, "Earth to Bella, come in Bella," he continued and knocked on her head. Unfortunately, she didn't budge. Jamie frowned and stood up straight, then cocked his head to see her face clearly.

When he attempted to put himself between Bella and the wall, she tore away from him began ripping the envelope open. She carefully pulled the letter out of the envelope like it would explode in her hands. She stared blankly at it for the longest time. Jamie sighed and sat next to her as she continued to stare blankly at the letter, which seemed to make no sense whatsoever.

Dear You,

Do I find you in between heaven and hell again? Where nothing's what it seems.
It's just as well; I plan on giving me the creeps. And a farewell to arms, and legs, and heads and hearts. You're up there, took the stairs to the stars all alone. You left all the lights burning, but nobody's home. I believe they deceived your tuneful heart too long.

XO; me.

———