Disclaimer: I couldn't imagine writing about vampires for a few years…which is a feat Meyer has already accomplished. Therefore, I am not Meyer

Author's Note: Hello all. Thanks to those who reviewed. I'll say it now, it's good to be back. This story is for Iluvcatz, Arty Thrip (who I would never forget, silly girl!), Mitch Simmons, Marcy (my partner in crime), Mitch Simmons, and PW. It's going to sound corny, but it felt so amazing that all of you guys found my story and reviewed it. Reviews are what make me keep going, remember that. Without further ado, let's move on to chapter two in the life of foolish and rash….I mean kind and caring Bella Swan.

Chapter Two

While I was senior, James and I were intelligent. I was smitten with him, I knew that. At the time, I would have argued that I was in love with him. No one knew about our us though, or at least not what we really felt for one another. When the townspeople saw James and me together, we were always doing something really innocent. We would be getting ice cream, talking, going to the store. No one would have guessed we were a couple. We put up a good act, even my father couldn't figure it out. In fact, Charlie approved of James in a lot of ways. He figured that because James was polite, dignified, and had a rather successful career he would be a good influence on me. I think he also thought that James would look out for me if anyone ever tried to bother me. He was, after all, seven years my senior. How wrong everyone was! James may not have shown his passion for me when we were in public places, but whenever we went back to his house, it was a totally different story. Whenever we were truly alone, he had trouble keeping his hands off me. I knew it shouldn't have, but his obsession with my appearance made me feel powerful and important. I was addicted to the attention James gave me, the way he looked at me as if I were the only person that mattered in his life. Sometimes, I still couldn't believe it. Even though I never mentioned her, I still thought often of Victoria, his previous love interest. In those days, I couldn't imagine what had caused him to leave her behind in favor of me. Now, I know. I wasn't as observant as a teenager as I believed myself to be.

I made a habit of going to James's after school every Thursday for "homework help."I think it goes without saying I think that I did not work on anything for school at James's house. Ever. My grades in school were decent and I didn't actually need much help. Sometimes, I felt guilty about lying to Charlie about what I was doing with James on Thursday afternoons but I couldn't stop my relationship with him once it had begun. I felt as though I was addicted to him. With each and every passing day, I found him more and more beautiful, but that was most likely because he made me feel beautiful. If my relationship with James had remained as blissful as it was those first few months I might still be with him now, giving in to his every request. The first time I visited his house, he kissed me for the first time. Even though I had guessed it was coming, it was still a little odd. On one hand, it felt wonderful to kiss James, to feel wanted but on the other hand, it was uncomfortable in a way I couldn't have put into words. I tried to push my thoughts of discomfort, telling myself that it was stupid to feel suspicious or uncomfortable. I believed James loved me, that he would never harm me. I continued to believe this for sometime afterward. The human mind is a powerful thing. You can trick yourself into believing anything you think you should believe. This was the case here. Even after James's faults began emerging, I forced myself to ignore and forget them. In my naïve eyes, he was perfect and flawless simply because I loved him.

The first time I noticed one of James's major flaws was on my fifth visit to his house. It was a dreary, dark Thursday, but that wasn't unusual for Forks. It always rained in Washington, no matter what the season. Before meeting James, I had been extremely eager to get away from the northwest as soon as I graduated from high school. After spending a few years in Phoenix, I was certainly more of a sunshine kind of girl. However, after establishing a relationship with him, I no longer had any desire to leave Washington. Instead, I wanted to move to Seattle, got to Seattle University, and support him while he practiced law. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life yet, but I didn't really care. As long as it involved James, I was up for it. Until this one dreary afternoon, things had been almost dreamlike between the two of us. In my mind, James was Prince Charming, sweet, caring, well mannered. This particular afternoon, unfortunately, changed all of that. I was extremely happy to be out of school. It had been a long day and I was exhausted. At school, I always felt like I had to be something I wasn't. I was thrilled to be going to see James and to be getting away from everything that brought me stress. I was going to spend the afternoon in his arms, letting him hold me. That usually managed to make me forget whatever was bothering me and find happiness, even if it was only temporary. Whenever I was with James, I could escape to a fantasy land where he and I were the only two people who mattered at all.

The second I arrived at his house that afternoon, I knew something was different. When he answered the door, he looked irked. I felt an immediate sense of dread fill my stomach, a dread I couldn't really explain verbally. "Come in," James said in a gruff tone that could me off guard. When I didn't move at once, he snapped, "You heard what I said, get in, will you?" Shocked, I obeyed. He motioned to the couch and I sat down, still unable to understand his behavior. Once I had sat down, he turned away from me, back toward his kitchen. Normally, by this time, I would be in his arms by now. I wanted to say something, but I didn't quite work up the courage to ask him. After a few moments, James walked back toward me. For a moment, he stared not at me but at the window above my head. F

There was a tense silence for a few moments which I finally broke. "James," I began. It turned out to be a big mistake.

"What?" James yelled, "Shut up! I'm trying to concentrate! Are you too blind to see that? Are you so selfish that you don't care? What the hell is your problem?"

I felt my mouth become very dry and heat began to form behind my eyes. I didn't dare make eye contact with him. I didn't really want him to see my cry. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those girls who tries to be void of all emotion, I've always thought that was a bit silly. All the same, I didn't want to give James the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to me. I was frustrated, confused, nervous, and, I'll admit it, somewhat afraid all at once. I couldn't understand James's outburst. I didn't have a clue what had brought it on or why on Earth he had taken his anger out on me. I began to think that maybe he had been faking all along. Perhaps he had never cared for me, not sincerely anyway. As soon as that thought, that horrid possibility occurred to me I could control my tears no longer. Within seconds, they were streaming down my cheeks. I cast my eyes deliberately downward, ashamed of myself. It was then that I heard James's tone change and become the one I recognized as his. "Bella," he said softly, pronouncing my name as though it were the title of something sacred, "I'm so sorry, Bella." Without another word, he walked over to the couch and sat down beside me, embracing me as he did so. At this point, it became easier to control my emotions and before too terribly long, my tears subsided. When he was certain I had stopped crying, James whispered, "I shouldn't have let you see this. I shouldn't have exposed you to this."

Exposed me to what? I wanted to shout. I still did not comprehend what James was talking about or what had put him in such a terrible mood. Now, he seemed to be back to normal, his usual kind self. That puzzled me more than anything else. How could he go from screaming at me one second to holding me the next? I wanted to ask him about his behavior, to demand to know why he had treated me with such disrespect. I wanted to know if there was something bothering him and, if there was, I wanted to be there to help him get through it. Although I had many questions for James, many points I wanted to make, I simply replied to his comments by saying, "It's all right, James, I'm not upset, I promise I'm not."

My words seemed to reassure James. He leaned down and kissed my lips. I leaned in and deepened the kiss. For the following few seconds, I was lost in his kiss, forgetting all that had troubled me just a few minutes before. When at last our kiss came to an end, James gazed at me and ran his finger down the side of my pale face. Finally, he spoke once more. "Bella, I want you to forget what you saw today. I want you to forget the way I treated you. I should never have taken out my anger on you, please forgive me. I'll never do it again, you have my word."

Because it was the first time anything like this had occurred, I believed James. I told myself that he had probably had a difficult day at work and that he was most likely just stressed because of the pressures he experienced in the office. "You don't have to apologize to me, James." I answered, "You have done nothing wrong. But James, I want you to know that if you ever need to talk about anything, I'll be right here, happy to listen."

James smiled, a sweet, breath taking smile that made it suddenly hard for me to breathe properly. "I know you will, Sweetheart. Someday, I'll need to get something off my chest. But not now, not today." He kissed my temple and then said, "It's late. Charlie's probably wondering where you are."

I nodded. "I've gotta go. I'll see you soon, James. Take care."

"You too, Bella, you too. Don't get into any trouble."

I laughed. James and I both knew I was not the sort of person who caused trouble in Forks. To be honest, there weren't loads of trouble makers in Forks and everyone knew who did like to cause trouble every now and again. I would have had a difficult time being a troublemaker in that town anyway, considering my father's profession. I left James's house feeling a bit better, but still a tad bit uneasy. I wanted to slap myself for feeling so paranoid. I didn't have a real reason to be, but I was. Something about James's sudden fury had made me uncomfortable and unsure.

As I was walking home that evening, I caught sight of Edward Masen walking about town. When I passed him, he looked up and made eye contact with me. I didn't expect him to acknowledge me, he didn't usually. This day though was different from all of the rest. Edward gave me a look that could only be described as disapproval. Then, he turned and walked in the other direction as if nothing had happened between the two of us. After he walked away, I started to rush home, my mind spinning. Why would Edward Masen give me a look of disapproval? It was almost as if he knew about James and me. But how could he possibly know about us? He barely knew me. More confused than ever before, I walked home at a very brisk pace, the thoughts in my mind whirling around in my head. I didn't get much sleep that night. How could I when my mind was as puzzled as mine was? I had so many questions and so few answers.

AN- Sorry for such a short chapter, I don't have much time. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it. PW: I understand you want me to write more SH. I will someday, but not now. Don't take it offensively. You're awesome and I promise that one day, I'll write another huge SH fic and dedicate it to you. Love ya.