FYI, Bella didn't send anything to Edward! That's not who she and Renée were talking about.

I swear, we're this close to a reunion between our wonderful Edward and Bella. In fact, we see a little interaction in this very chapter, so get pumped. Also, the story now has over 400 reviews. Guys…that's amazing, and it makes this story my tenth most reviewed story out of over thirty. Thank you so much, I can never say it enough.

My fabulous pre-reader, Twilight44, is still gone, and we miss her. She'll be back soon =)

This chapter is dedicated to LVQueen1 as an early birthday present! Happy birthday, and thanks for your support and reviews!

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EPOV

"Something from Bella came in the mail the other day." Charlie's voice rang out in the silent room, and I slowly turned around to face him, holding Avery in my arms. "I think you should take a look." Charlie held an opened light blue envelope out to me, and I hesitated for a long moment before taking it from him. As I did, Charlie stepped forward and gently eased Avery out of my arms. "There's a note in there for you." He said gruffly. "Edward…something happened to Bella a few weeks ago. Her mother called me and told me right away, but I thought it would be best for you to find out from her. And I guess she thought so too." Charlie murmured. "I'll take Avery into the kitchen and give you a little privacy." He added, and then quickly walked out of the room.

I stared down at the envelope in my hands for a long moment before I took out the three pieces of paper that were tucked inside of it. One of them was a graduation announcement- the date was a little over three weeks from now. I hadn't known Bella had gone back to high school- I thought she would get a GED instead.

The second piece of paper was an invitation to the graduation, detailing that two seats had been reserved for Charlie, if he decided to come. I couldn't help but wonder if one of those seats had been meant for me. Because I hoped Bella missed me like I missed her- I hope she thinks about me as often as I think about her and I hope she wants to come home like I want her to come home. Sighing to myself, I pulled out the third sheet of paper.

It was a folded over note, with my name written on it in Bella's handwriting. I closed my eyes briefly before opening the note with shaking hands, and I started to read.

Dear Edward,

I'm sorry to be writing this through my dad, I know he'll read it before you do. But I don't care. I know that I made this choice and that I have to face the consequences, but I do miss you and Avery. I think about you all the time, even though I probably shouldn't. I really hope you're reading this, because there are some things I think you should know.

I left you, and Avery, because I was scared and stupid and convinced that if I ran away, I could have my old, perfect life back. I was painfully wrong. I'm not going to cry to you, because you don't need to listen to me whine, but I feel like you have to know for some reason. Last month, something happened to me. The police are investigating it now, but they don't exactly have any leads. It's over now, though, and I'm trying to not think about it. And I don't know why it's so hard for me to spit it out and write it down. I was raped. There it is, and it looks even worse on paper.

Don't feel bad for me, please. You certainly don't owe me anything.

Your dad was the person who took care of me afterwards- he's my doctor. And I met your mom once, at the bookstore where I work. I didn't tell either of them who I was, but both of them mentioned you being back in their lives, just in passing, and they looked so unbelievably happy. I'm so glad you reconnected with them. I'm staying with my mom, by the way. In case you were wondering…which you probably weren't.

Anyway, I need to get on to what I really wanted to say.

It would mean a lot to me if you would come to my graduation. But you don't have to- I understand completely if you still hate me and want to stay the hell away from me. But if you don't…then please come. You don't have to bring Avery if that would make you uncomfortable, I understand. I feel bad for missing her last three months, but I know it's my fault. I was hoping that you and I could…talk if you came to my graduation.

I do regret that I left you and Avery. I regretted it the moment I walked out the door, but I didn't have the heart to go back once I left. Edward, you have every right to hate the very ground I walk on. I hurt you, I put you in a terrible position, I left you, and I blamed you for a lot of things that weren't even your fault.

I'm sorry, for everything.

Bella

I looked up in disbelief after reading the letter, my thoughts jumbled. Bella's thoughts had undeniably been all over the place, but I understood. She was nervous. But it was so good to know that she did miss us, that she did regret her choice. And that she was sorry.

I couldn't believe what she had gone through, though. Despite the tough exterior she put up, I know that Bella must be going through a lot. And then she wrote the letter and…I'm even more confused. I'm walking an extremely thin and blurred line of hate and love here, and I can't decide for the life of me which side I should choose. Hate would be the easiest- it would be laughably simple to just forget about my romantic feelings for Bella and to just be content to hate her for the rest of my life. But I didn't want to, not even a little bit.

"Are you going to go?" Charlie asked, stepping into the living room again. Avery whimpered and held her arms out for me, and I quickly took her and held her close.

"I…I think so." I said, looking down at the letter, which was still clutched tightly in my hand. "But I can't bring Avery…that would be too much."

Charlie agreed, looking down at the eleven month old in his arms. She would be a year old in just one month, and I couldn't believe that she was growing up so quickly. And now that my parents had met Avery, they couldn't get enough of her. They wanted to be around her all the time, and they even had started to pressure me to move back to Seattle. It sounded good, but I couldn't do that yet. I just…couldn't. Not right now.

"I should get going." I said, glancing at my watch. "Thanks for watching her."

"No problem." Charlie said, kissing Avery's cheek. "I know you don't need me to watch her for a while, but bring her by sometime, okay?"

I nodded, taking Avery from Charlie and grabbed her diaper bag. "Thanks again." I said, walking towards the door. "Oh…here." I said, turning around and handing the envelope back to Charlie. "I'm…I'm going to keep the note." I added, and Charlie silently took the other two pieces of paper back. Then I hurried out to the car, carefully strapping Avery into her car seat before driving off.

When I got back to the apartment building, I was surprised to see Alice's familiar yellow car in the parking lot. Alice was standing there next to it, her arms crossed over her chest. I parked next to her car, and she didn't look at me as I got out of the car and got Avery out as well.

"Are you all right?" I called over to her, scooping Avery up in one arm and grabbing her diaper bag with the other.

Alice shook her head, and then I saw that she was holding a crumpled blue envelope in her hand. "Did she tell you?" She asked as I walked closer to her. Not waiting for reply, she reached into the envelope and extracted a piece of paper with her name written in Bella's handwriting. I slowly took the note and Alice took Avery out of my arms.

Dear Alice,

I know you've probably figured out what happened. I'm sorry, but you need to know that I needed to do this for me, even though it hasn't exactly worked out. I wish we could have become better friends, but then I left and that was it. I think we could have been really close, even though I wasn't exactly looking for a friend when you approached me that day in the library.

I thought that if I left, my old life would just fall back into place. But some things have happened to me, and my life is more different than ever. You don't have to like me, but I thought I would invite you. And if you see Edward…ask if he's going to come. I was too chicken to tell him how much I really miss him and how much I want to see him. You certainly don't owe me anything, but I would appreciate you doing that.

Congratulations, by the way. For graduating and everything…I saw some announcements in the paper yesterday. I'm insanely jealous that you guys got to graduate three weeks before I do.

Bella

I swallowed heavily and handed the note back to Alice, averting my eyes. "She really likes writing letters." I muttered, running my hand through my hair. "I…um, are you going to go?" I asked, and Alice shrugged.

"I think so. I…I do want to see her. Edward, do you know what happened to her?" She asked, and I sighed.

"Yes, but I don't think I should say it. It's kind of personal, and if she didn't tell you…"

"Yeah, I get it." Alice said, stroking Avery's cheek gently. "It's okay. Well…I just came over here to show you that, so I should probably get going. Are you going to graduation too?"

I nodded, taking Avery back. She was half asleep, resting her head on my shoulder and gripping my tee shirt in her tiny little hand. "Yeah, but there's no way I'm bringing Avery. She'll stay with my parents. Do you want to drive together?"

Alice nodded, smiling at me. "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks." She said, and then leaned over and kissed Avery on the forehead. "Bye, guys." She said, giving me a friendly hug. "Jazz and I have a date tonight, so now I really need to go!" She laughed, and then kissed Avery one more time. "Bye!" She called again, getting into her car and pulling out of the parking lot.

"Alright, little lady, let's go inside." I said, and Avery just nuzzled against the crook of my neck. We headed upstairs to the empty apartment and I tried to ignore the nagging feeling of loneliness in my chest, even though it was getting harder and harder to ignore.

...

BPOV

"You look so grown up." My mom said tearfully, snapping another picture. "Congratulations, Bella. I am so proud of you." She said, and I managed a smile as I smoothed down my red graduation gown.

"Thanks, mom." I said, and she gave me a big hug. "We should probably head out to the school, though. We need to be there soon." I pointed out, glancing at the clock. "I'm really excited." I remarked as we headed out to the car. "Finally done with high school…moving on to the next point in my life." Even I could hear the hollowness in my voice, and it matched the hollowness I felt inside.

My mom was silent for a moment, and then glanced over at me as she started to drive to the school. "Honey, I am so proud of you." She repeated. "But…what are you going to do know? You've gotten into colleges, but you haven't chosen one yet. What are you planning on doing?"

"It kind of depends on how today goes." I said softly, and my mom shot me a questioning look. "I think Edward is coming…and I really need to talk to him about the future." I explained. "About what is going to happen now that I'm finally out of high school."

"Okay. Do you want me to be there?" She asked, and I shook my head.

"This is something I should be doing on my own. I've been so immature in the past- this is really my chance to show that I have matured, at least a little bit." I murmured, playing with the tassel of my graduation cap, which was sitting on my lap. "I miss him and Avery. A lot." I added, and my mom didn't say anything. She just looked over at me with apprehension in her eyes.

…

It didn't take me long to spot him. I stood behind the curtain on the stage with the rest of my classmates, and I immediately sought him out in the crowd. His bright auburn hair stood out, and he was taller than a lot of the crowd. I inhaled sharply when I saw him, my heart starting to pound in my chest. Squinting, I followed him with my eyes, watching as he wove through the crowd towards he seats. I saw that there was someone walking with him, but I couldn't see who it was.

Edward finally reached his seat and sat down, the person he was with sitting down as well. I smiled when I saw who he had sat down next to.

I immediately recognized my father sitting on Edward's left, and my heart warmed as I saw him. I had missed him too, and I was glad he came to see me graduate, seeing as how I left him, too. And I was stunned to see the person sitting on Edward's right. It was Alice. I had invited her, but I didn't think she would have come with Edward…they barely knew each other.

"Hey, Bella." Jane appeared next to me, wearing her red graduation gown.

"Hey." I said, smiling at Jane. Since the night of the party, Jane has changed a lot. She's quieter, more reserved. It's not bad, but it's also not Jane. It's like she's afraid to be herself. It has affected her more than me, and I feel bad for her. Jane didn't deserve that either. Neither of us had. "Are you all ready to go?" I asked, and Jane nodded.

"Yeah, I leave for my graduation trip in two days. My parents are taking my brother and I on a cruise." She said, looking down at her feet. "I just came over to say hi…I'm going to go stand where I'm supposed to." Jane blurted out quickly, and then hurried towards the back of the line.

I watched her go, and then peeked out through the curtain again, focusing on Edward and Alice. They were sitting close together, and I cringed when I saw Edward whisper something in Alice's ear that made her laugh. I knew that Edward was a good guy, and that he would eventually find a good girlfriend he deserved…but Alice? I had been so sure about Alice and Jasper, but now Alice was getting cozy with Edward.

But before I could get totally lost in my thoughts, the rest of my classmates and I were herded into our alphabetical line, and we were marched into the outdoor auditorium. I tried to find Edward again, but now that we were moving and all the people in the audience were sitting, it was harder to see.

Graduation went by quickly. I barely listened to the class speakers and the other various speeches, I was just waiting for this to be over. I wanted to talk to Edward so badly, it was almost a physical pain in my chest.

And then it was finally over. I walked across the stage and they handed me the diploma, and then that was it. I was a high school graduate with my future in front of me. I had opportunities and choices, and I had matured, at least a little bit.

Afterwards I made my way through the throngs of people, searching for the one person I wanted to see most. My mom stopped me on the way, snapping pictures and hugging me and congratulating me. Various classmates stopped me as well, and I posed for countless pictures with the people I had graduated with. Then I continued looking for him, and after I pushed through a group of people…he was there. He was standing four feet away from me, talking to my dad with Alice at his side. I watched for a moment as he laughed and pulled gently on a piece of Alice's short hair, and then I cleared my throat and stepped forward.

My dad, Edward, and Alice all turned to look at me, their expressions all a little nervous and surprised. "Bells." My dad spoke first, stepping towards me and hugging me tightly. "Congratulations. I'm…um, well, good job." He said, releasing me and then stepping back again.

"Thanks." I said, taking off my cap and turning it over in my hands. "Hi, Alice. Thanks for coming." I said, trying to smile.

Alice nodded, her face a little pinched. "No problem. Congratulations." She said stiffly.

Then I turned to Edward, my heart beating frantically. "Hi." I said softly, and he didn't say anything. "Can…can we talk?" I asked awkwardly. "We could go get dinner or something…" I suggested weakly.

Edward finally nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, okay. I'll drive." He said, and then looked over at my dad and Alice. "I'll see you guys later. Alice, I'll meet you at my parents house, okay?" He said, and Alice nodded before giving him a hug and walking off with Charlie.

"Thank you for coming." I said stiffly as we walked through the crowd towards the parking lot. "I've missed you." Edward nodded, not speaking, and I started to unzip my graduation gown, tugging on the zipper to reveal the green dress I had on underneath. "Did you…um, did you get my letter?" I asked.

"Yeah, I did." Edward said shortly as we reached his familiar silver car. He paused for a moment, looking at me uncomfortably as we both got into the car. "I'm sorry about what happened, Bella. You didn't deserve that…no one does." He murmured, and I nodded my head.

"You don't think I deserve to burn in hell?" I asked, my voice heavy.

Edward stared at me for a second, and then quickly shook his head. "Not in a million years."

…

I hope you enjoyed this longer chapter! I'm not sure if I'll update before Jensen and I leave…so we might have to leave it there for a week.

Please review!

Xoxo- Melodyella aka Mellie