Chapters will be coming faster now because I'm trying to get the memory parts out and towards the more action parts with longer chapters.

Chapter 4: The Memory of Conflict

During lunch the next day, I sat next to Alice and Emmett. Edward was across the table, investigating me. I tried not to look, and apparently it went well. I acted like I paid attention to Alice, making out only a few words. Which made me be sure we were going shopping. She babbled off about designers with Rosalie and I randomly looked around the lunch area. Everyone was staring at me. They whisper and start rumors. I'm wearing a leopard print mini skirt, black off shoulder shirt, "stockings" that can't really be called that since it's a thick band around my upper thigh with a thin strip of it going down my legs, and black high heels. This makes them think I'm a hooker. Now almost every boy is looking my up and down, deciding whether or not to look me up.

"Looks like Edward isn't too abnormal after all. I knew the quiet act was fake. Jeez, a girlfriend as a hooker, I wouldn't even go that far," a guy says at the next table though I know the only girlfriend he had was a hooker. I sigh and drone out all the voices. The boring old stuff almost all the time. I watch the birds outside trying to find scraps on the floor. They fly away when someone walks by.

I sigh and get up, throwing away my untouched food. When I turn around after putting my tray down, I see the guy I met this morning. He looks straight ahead, knowing the rumors are fake. "Great night yesterday, wanna go again tonight?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'd like that. But next time tell Jessica if she wants to do it, take Mike to a motel," I laughed. I did end up going with Edward growling at him, and I finally found out his name, DL. He laughed with me and was left smiling.

"So, meeting same place." He turned away but turned around again. "And tell jealous Edward to not growl and almost attack me this time." I smiled and walked away back towards the table. Edward raised an eyebrow at me.

"Bella—" I hissed at him and he shook his head. "Esther, I don't want you hanging out with him. He's bad news."

"Oh please, you're just jealous. You believe so much that I'm Bella that you think I'm still your girlfriend. Well, I'm your ex," I say knowing the people are listening. "So you have no right in telling me what to do."

The guys at the next table oohed. I scoffed and turned towards Alice who was smiling. She hugged me. "The shopping trip will be so much fun!" she squealed. A guy leaned over from the table and tapped my shoulder.

"Almost everyone Alice knows went on a shopping trip with her, they came back to school with sore muscles," he chuckled and Alice hit him.

"Hey! That's not… How could you prove… Alright, but it's not my fault they can't carry like 30 shopping bags correctly!" she pouted and turned around, her arms crossed. I laughed. Everyone isn't too bad, not counting Edward. Ugh! It's so hard to even act like I still completely hate him! You don't know what it feels like when you only have few memories! Without a background you can't understand anything! So with the fact that the people I'm living with are vampires doesn't make any more sense than I might actually love Edward! Jeez, things angels go through.

A snapping finger in my face brought me back to the real world and I barely noticed the bell had already rung. Alice grabbed my arm and pulled me off the chair. "We have next period together." Of course. She always makes us go early so we can get good seats. It's the only class where we can chose where we sit. I find strength in my legs and follow Alice into you next classroom. We find the very back seats and then she relaxes, taking a deep breath. "So, I noticed something different in you. Care to explain?"

I looked at her feared. My heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. Butterflies flutter in my stomach. She knows I remember something. My body goes to shock mode and I freeze up. It feels like a million of needles were going through my skin. Everything will change here if I tell her. I review what would happen if she does know and I tell her. She gets excited and can't keep the secret. Everyone finds out and I'm done. My reason for being here will be incomplete forever. Maybe she won't tell and she lives with the secret her entire life. I probably leave and I leave behind a broken family. There's no way out of this, unless I lie, but as far as I can see she's good at catching liars.

"It's nothing…" I say.

She suddenly gasps. "Did you get a memory?" she squeals. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!" she chanted. Just as I thought. Well, I don't have to tell her the truth unless she catches me.

"Okay, you can't tell anyone!" She nods and waits for me to tell all. "Okay, so… I know you guys are… vampires," I say, whispering the last word. She freezes for a while then takes a deep breath and realizes this could be a good thing. "I was out exploring in the woods and saw Edward talking with Bella in the sun. They didn't see me and I was able to sneak away… After that I dropped off the face of the earth and about a year later I was murdered."

"Oh… so did you go to this high school?"

"No, I was homeschooled," I said, the first thing coming to my mind at the time. Her expression drops and it's really obvious she's depressed. Guh! Well, duh! Her best friend is totally dead! Or that's what she thinks…. UGH! This is so frustrating! "Sorry to disappoint." I said a little too harsh. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I should've known. Bella is gone…" she said staring out the window. Her eyes filled with tears that would never fall from her face. If she were human, this would be the worst day of my life. Seeing this little chirpy girl all sad and depressed because I lied a little too much. Huh… who am I kidding? I'm a horrible person, making them suffer this way! I could be totally off on this whole thing about they will never let me do my quest. Maybe they're apart of it… Why do I have to get my memories? WHY!

I stayed silent after that. The rest of the period sucked. Alice was practically in shut down. BECAUSE OF ME! I just want to scream! Scream out the truth about my memories! I'm so pathetic! So afraid of what the outcome may be! Well, heck, if I do end up Bella—GUH! I AM BELLA! I know I'm Bella. I know that those memories ARE memories and NOT just some random thinking. Why am I so afraid that I will end up alone…? I sighed in my head. I may have found the real reason for my excuses. Not yet have I found why I'm afraid to be alone… Maybe that will be the next memory… I took a deep breath. Nothing is ever what it seems.

Alice dragged me through every inch of the mall. I didn't mind the stores that much until I was lugged into some store with under wear (there is a space in between that if you don't notice). Alice mumbled things to herself as she picked out like a million things for me to try on. She pushed me into a bigger room with many doors in it. Girls waited on couches in the middle of the doors. One woman came up to me and asked how many items I had. Alice was the only one who knew and the person was looking at me questionably at the outfits I carried. She opened one of the doors for me and I made a pile of clothes on the bench. I looked at the vey first outfit.

It was a black floral design on top of a gold color all around. The shape is kind of like a bathing suit with no straps connected to thick circles in height with strings going down the legs. With it Alice chose high heels that I will most likely trip in. I stripped down to the bone, as it's required to get this outfit on. Quickly, feeling uncomfortable, I slipped on every piece as fast as I could. When I walked out Alice came up to me and looked in the mirror, her hands on my shoulders. Her face was cover with a huge smile and I was getting creeped out!

I hear laughing behind me and in the mirror I see Lauren and Jessica. Sighing, I turn around and they laugh harder. "Oh, please, stop flattering yourself Bella," Lauren sneers and Jessica backs her up.

"I wonder what will happen if Edward sees you wearing that in front of another man," Jessica says. Alice growls and I place a hand on her chest before she lungs at them and ruins the secret. "So… Lauren…" Lauren smiles, walks over to the door closest to me and opens it. A guy comes out and grabs my shoulders from in front. He falls down, and I go down with him. Our lips are centimeters apart and my legs are spread out on top of him. His arms are wrapped around me, pulling me closer to him. From the corner of my eyes I see a flash and I know it's been done. Alice couldn't stop it or the secret would be out.

Instead she growls and attacks Lauren. Lauren laughs with Jessica by her side looking at the picture. "Oh c'mon, it's not that bad!" she giggles. "It looks sexy-" she says, dragging out the Y. Jessica holds out the phone and shows Alice and I the picture with everyone at schools number on it. Alice hisses and Jessica presses send. Before Alice even thinks about anything, I grab her and hold her back.

"Fighting won't change anything. They'll always be bitches. Anyways, we know the truth," I whisper in her ear. "What will Jasper think?" Alice calms down and let's Lauren, Jessica, and who ever that guy was walk away. After that we forget it even happened and I continue on with the outfits. Alice finally decides one and I know what she's going to do. Oh, Alice… I just love her.

Next Day At School

I took my own truck, telling Edward I would be fine. That still didn't stop him from tailgating me every second I was in the car. Well, until we got to the school and he had to park. I climbed out of my car and was met with Edward's lips. Without thinking, I pushed harder. Ahhh, teenage love!

"Whoa, Bella, calm down!" one guy says. "You've had enough of that!" he laughs and holds out the picture printed on paper with a saying on it. I grab that from him and he laughs, walking away when his buddy passes by.

"Looks like innocent little Bella Swan isn't as innocent as we thought!"

The paper read. I ripped it apart and saw the signs were covered all over the school. Edward growls and turns towards me for an explanation. "Alice brought me shopping and she brought me into this store with clothes like… that. I knew what she was thinking. So Jessica and Lauren were there and they brought a guy with them, probably one of their boyfriend or "follower". When I got the first outfit on the guy attacked me and they got a picture. Alice was going to kill them but they sent the picture to everyone at school. And… this is the outcome." I mentioned towards the school and everyone walked by and laughed. Some of the players in the school nodded towards me. I ignored everyone and Edward hugged me.

"They will pay," he whispered.

We walked away and the other Cullens joined us. Rosalie was looking at me with a curious eye. She still hasn't gotten comfortable around me, and now this whole situation is making things worse. I walked in between Alice and Edward. We turned at the first building and I crashed into someone. Both of us steadied ourselves and then the laughing came… I closed my eyes knowing exactly who they were. Edward held my face in his chest as I was too embarrassed of this all.

"Bella, will we find you in the janitors closet?" Lauren laughed.

"Hasn't you mom and dad tell you to wait until you're married?" Jessica echoes.

"What's wrong? The little slut had too much?" Lauren asks, brushing my hair for a split second before someone slaps it away. I open my eyes and see Alice growling at them.

"The only sluts in this school are you two!" she screams. "You guys know the real story!"

"Yeah, Bella did it with Ryan couldn't wait and so they ended up doing it in the sexiest store ever."

"Shut up! Anyways, isn't Ryan your boyfriend? I saw the way he looked and how GLAD he was to be the one playing with Bella! He will soooo dump you!"

"No he won't! No one would ever go for someone like her!"

"Well, look who she ended up with! After all those two years you tried to use other boys to get Edward's attention! And after two WEEKS Bell and him end up together! HAHA! Who's the slut now?"

"Whatever. I know you're just trying to protect Bella. I know what I saw. Bella is a stupid little whore—" Alice growls and jumps on Lauren. She punches her face and she gets a nose bleed. Lauren tries to squeeze away, but it's not possible. Alice grabs her hair and Lauren screams. She continues to pumble Lauren until the principals show up with Jessica behind them. They broke them apart and Alice screamed.

"You bitch!" she yelled. Lauren was too busy coughing blood on the sidewalk.

I grabbed Edward's shirt and he held me tighter. We heard the principals yelling at Alice from where we waited for them to question us. Alice was suspended for a month and she would have to do clean up at the side of the freeway. Then they questioned us. We told them the story and they expelled Lauren.

I went home with Edward so I could talk with Alice. She was totally fine with it, more time to hunt and spend time with Esme. "Hey, Bella, you're my sister. I'd do anything for you. Give up everything for you. I don't care of the consequences. Anyways, I've been to school waaaay too long. This is a good thing," she said with a huge smile on her face. I grabbed her into my arms and her smile grew even bigger if it was possible.

I walked out to the back of the school after school and thought over the memory. Wow… I've messed up too many things. I can't hide this much longer, I need to do something. My memories are coming faster and I know for sure it's only a day or two away from me retrieving all of them. I'm an angel, there's probably something very special about me. I meet DL there with all his friends. They greeted me and we climbed into car and drove away towards the beach.

It was freezing cold and no one could stop shivering. All the guys took off their jackets and gave them to the girls. DL then took off his own jacket and gave it to me. "Here," he says and I saw him shiver himself. I shake my head.

"No, I'm fine." He laughs and put it around me.

"Hey, you're the one that's most undressed than all of us. Maybe next time you should wear pants and a long sleeved shirt." People laugh in the background and we turn around.

"Yeah, as though it seems like us guys here love it, it's not too good for this whether. I'm not even going to fight about it," Mike says.

"Oh, so you're saying you don't like the way she dresses?" Eric teases.

"Well…" Jessica gasped and hit him. Lauren continued to stare at me, setting out for her plan.

"Hey, so how'd you and Edward break up? I can tell her still has feelings for you if he dates someone who practically your twin besides the hair and the way you dress. Hah, Bella was horrible! You should've seen her," she snarls. I laugh along side of everyone, I'll play this game for a while. Amusement.

"Oh, trust me, I have. They have pictures of her everywhere in their house, especially in Edward's room! He keeps like millions under his pillows!" Lauren's expression drops. Innuendoes all around. Everyone catches it and we all walk towards the cave, Lauren not saying another word. DL laughs and holds me in his arms, seeing how much I'm still shaking. I can't enjoy this as much as I did yesterday. Knowing that my love is probably reserved for Edward throws me way off.

"Lauren is very annoying at times, and by the way, nice way to get everyone off your back," DL says, his mouth very close to my ear. I just nod and we enter the cave. A hole in the mountains just big enough for us to have some space. Mike and Eric start the fire and we all cuddle around it in doubles. Mike and Jessica, Eric and Angela, Lauren and Ryan, then me and DL.

"So, how'd you break up with Edward? You haven't answered," Angela asks. So far she's the only nice one besides DL.

"Well… long story short, we had our lives planned for the entire future even though we were only 14. He caught me with this guy, and then he gets angry and they move away to here," I lied, trying to amuse Lauren, and I got her trapped!

"So, why'd you follow him here?" Jessica asked.

"I didn't follow him… He never told me where he'd run off to. I got into a conflict at school and my mom and dad shipped me away here to live with the Cullens. They heard they take in anyone who needs it, and they knew them well. So, that brings me here. Parents hate me, I'm living with a family that definitely hates me."

"Hey, if you get another conflict at home, you can surely live with me," Mike smiles, leaning towards me. Jessica rolls her eyes and shifts her eyes away from me.

"Well, I promised I'd be good and it's better than jail."

"Wow, you were going to go to jail? What'd you do?"

I bit my tongue and thought of something that would throw them way off. "I murdered a kid. To be exact, the kid who I was with who broke me and Edward up."

"You did mean like… doing it, right?"

I laughed. "No way! I would NEVERsink that low. It was an interview. At first I thought it was to perform music, but it wasn't. The guy was looking for people for a club. Well, I was poor and had no choice. I took the job. They gave me this really skimpy uniform and I worked that night. I had no idea Emmett would force everyone to go because a band was playing there that he loved.

"I was a waiter at that club/restaurant and I had to serve the table next to where the Cullens sat. My job was to do what the customers needed to hawk up some cash. So this guy couldn't make a decision and I sat on the seat with him…" As I told the story I could practically see it in my head.

Very fast I untied the cardigan just enough so it would fall later. I sat down next to him, our legs touched. I looked over his shoulder at the menu and pointed to a random drink with my pen. "This one looks good," I said and flipped my hair back.

"Yeah… it does," he says, but his eyes were staring at something else. I looked down and sighed.

"It's so hot in here! We need better uniforms," I said and took off the cardigan. His mouth dropped open and I smiled. The guy dropped the menu and I bent down, trying to reach for it, but not actually trying. It was "too far" to reach and I sat back up. "I'm sorry, I'll get it." I placed one of my legs on the other side of him and reached the menu. When I got it, I sat down on him very close and held up the menu towards him. "I got it." He slapped the menu out of my hand and pulled me even closer to him. His lips touched mine and I closed my eyes, kissing back and pretending I was liking it. The guy traveled him hands up my back and my chest was on his, my eyes staring right into Edward's.

My eyes widened as I felt the second layer if my so called top come off. All that was left was my bra and a mini skirt. I moved away and tried getting away, but he refused. He put me back in place so I was staring at Edward again. "I'm a regular customer, no one has ever done that, you just helped this club a lot. But, I'm not done," he purred.

I closed my eyes and groaned, my arms wrapped around his neck. Finally he was satisfied a few seconds later and I got up, put back on my clothes, took their orders, and walked away. I heard a bam and glass breaking. When I turned around I saw Edward beating the guy's head into the table. "Don't you ever touch my girlfriend ever again!" he growled. The guy fought back.

"No one who works her has a boyfriend! It's against the rules! Which means, you're lying," he yelled and pushed Edward into the bar. Before the guy came I stopped him by kissing him.

"If you want to continue being a customer, you need to calm down," I said. Behind me I heard Edward get up. As I turned I saw his fist and he was ready to pound the guy. Be fore he could, I grabbed his wrist and brought him into a backroom. I pushed him onto one of the bed and started screaming.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" I screamed.

"You're asking me? What about you? Are you ready to throw away everything we've created together?" he yelled back.

"It's my job! What was I supposed to do?"

"A job?" he laugh teased. "No job is required to do something like that! That was your doing! If that was a job, why would you choose a job in this crap!"

"It pays good! I'm trying to go somewhere in life! Unlike you who counts on Carlisle's money!"

"He gives it to me! There are no good jobs in this dump! So, excuuuse me for not wanting to have a stupid sadistic job like this!"

"You know what, I'm done! This job is better than nothing! Anyways, it's WAY better than living a life with a stupid, violent, idiot like yourself!"

"I don't care either!" he continued on stalking towards me, cornering me into the wall. "Why would I want to be married to a slut!" He slapped me with the back of his hand on my face. "You go ahead living the life of a whore!" He stomped furiously out of the room and I sat crying for the rest of the night.

"Wow. Who knew Edward could be so violent…" Lauren said, losing interest in him like that. "I now understand why Bella moved back wither her mom."

"So how's it living with them?" Eric asked.

"If you've noticed Edward and I have glaring wars. It's really uncomfortable especially living with him. We have to share rooms because no one wants to give up their room for me. Yeah, they don't like me as much as Bella," I said.

"Well, let's get rid of the drama and go back to having fun," DL says. We all screamed yeahs and then played truth or dare.

Lie after lie after lie. These last ones made sense, the first ones, not so much. I am exactly who the person was in the fake memory. Stupid and idiotic. And there's no getting out of that.

So things that are italicized AND bold are fake ones Esther/Bella uses to explain things to Jessica, Lauren, Angela, Mike, Eric, Ryan, and DL. The regular italicized is real memories.