Stephenie Myers salad, my fruit.

Un-beta'd; All mistakes are mine.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2:

I shut the door to my stupid, shiny, silver volvo. Or maybe I slammed it. The whole night was kind of a blur.

Why should I even care?

Four suitcases held all of my desired belongings. Jacob could have the rest, It wasn't as if I needed a state of the art coffee maker or porcelain dinner plates imported from Taiwan. Why would we even waste our money on these things?

I might have been speeding down the highway, I don't really care.

I just can't take living like this anymore.

You're not good enough for me.

You're embarrassing.

I've been meaning to speak with you for awhile. Will you sign this?

There's someone else. There's always been someone else.

"God damn it!" I screamed into the steering wheel. I was divorced. I was twenty-six years old and I was a divorcee. I slammed my fists into the steering wheel repeatedly, taking advantage of the stop sign. I'm sure I was quite the sight to behold: A crazy, hysterical woman loosing her mind in her car.

Holy shit, I'm loosing my mind.

I made the first turn available, hoping to get some gas and find out where I could go now. I didn't have much money, that part will be figured out soon when I meet with Jacob to discuss the divorce while there is a lawyer present. After my car guzzled down the maximum amount of gas it could hold, I pulled into the parking lot for the convenient store. I decided there was nothing I desired inside, though I did need the few minutes I could get to stare at my phone. Who do I call?

I don't have anywhere to stay and I haven't spoken to any of my friends in the better part of two years. Jacob had convinced me that in order to truly start over in a new town, I needed to get rid of my old life completely. He convinced me to treat my friends like shit and toss them aside for better things. If only I had had the insight that nothing there really ever was better. The houses were bigger, there was more money and there were better clothes to chose from at the local malls, but the people there weren't worth anything to know. They weren't anything special, although they strutted their shit like they thought they were.

I needed to calm down.

I continued scrolling through my contact list on my Iphone4S, deciding that as soon as I had a place to stay, I would destroy this thing. I didn't need glamour or top of the line technology. I just needed practical. This thing was not practical.

My eyes zoomed in on one contact in particular, weighing the pros versus the cons of calling this person for help. He would help me, but I wasn't sure I could do this. Could I go home and face all the people I ran from?

I shut my eyes tightly, suddenly on the verge of tears. I feel so lost but I couldn't afford to just sit around.

Swallowing my pride and thanking the heavens I didn't delete this number two years ago when Jacob suggested it, I pressed call.

And I waited.

It rang. It rang and it rang. Just as I was beginning to lose hope (after-all, what have I done to deserve redemption?) he answered. He greeted with a standard "Hello", but I remained silent on the other end of the phone. I had no idea what I could say. What if he decided I was a lost cause? What if I wasn't worth his hospitality?

His irritation was plain in his voice when he had to speak again. "If this is a prank call, I'll have you know that I'm chief of police. You definitely dialed the wrong number for laughs, buddy."

I felt a sudden, unexpected tear escape the side of my eye. "Dad?" I whispered into the phone.

At first, I was afraid he didn't hear me, but the shock of his silence was louder than any words he could be saying. I'm not surprised, we haven't had any kind of communication since I left Forks screaming and cursing. He didn't deserve the things I said that night, but I was putty in Jacobs' hands and he had asked me to. I tried pushing the memories of my departure from my fathers house to the back of my mind. It wasn't something I have had much reason to think about until this point. It almost didn't work, I was beginning to writher away in self hate and depression, but his voice brought me back to the present.

"Bells? Baby, is that you?" His nickname was enough to cause me to become hysterical as the sobs rocked my body. I've missed my father so very much.

"Daddy, I'm sorry. Can I come home? Please, I have nowhere to go. I have nothing."

His answer was immediate, which made me cry harder, though this time it was in relief. "Yes, of course. Come home sweetie. Is- is he with you?"

"No daddy," I answered. "You'll never have to see him again. I promise."

ooooooo-oooooooooo-oooooooooooo-ooooooooo

He didn't ask me for an explanation, so I didn't elaborate. I knew the interrogation would come when I arrived home, but for now I needed to focus on the drive. I now drove with purpose, surprising myself by remembering the turns and twists that would get me to Forks. I only had to stop and ask directions on two occasions before I found myself passing the city limits. The sun was fading into the background, hiding behind the trees. Another surprise awaited me at my fathers house. Still sitting in the driveway, exactly where I last parked it, was my old beat up track that was once my most prized possession. I was out of the car and stroking the sides of the truck bed, elated as I felt the rough texture of the bad paint job, before I was even conscious of what I was doing. My smile widened as I heard the screen door creak, making my fathers presence known. I looked up at him while my hand remained on the tuck.

"You kept it," I smiled. I laughed silently, realizing that these few precious moments have been the happiest I've felt in two years. Jacob may have convinced me to leave this place, but my heart has always resided in Forks. It's why I've never fared well in suburbia.

"How could I get rid of it Bells?" He asked, his voice sad. "You didn't exactly give me anything to remember you by." My eyes welled with tears as I took in my fathers appearance. He had lost weight, dark shadows circled the lids of his eyes. This change in demeanor was my fault. I'm to blame.

I ran to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I can't take back anything I did, anything I said. But please forgive me. Oh, please tell me you don't hate me."

His arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"I love you too damn much to hate you, Bells. Not even if I wanted to, I could never feel that way about you. You're my baby girl."

I let him comfort me, even though I didn't deserve it. The next couple months would be difficult, but I was so happy to have my dad back. I could handle whatever Jacob threw at me as long as I had his support.

Thanks for reading!

If you could stop long enough to tell me how you feel about it, I will love you forever.

Plus, you'll get a teaser of the next chapter! Next time, we'll bring in Edward.

So, until then,

xxxxx

Stephanie