A/N: NEWS! I have real, permanent betas now and will no longer be using PTB. Endless thanks go to them for doing such a "bibbidy-bobbidy-boo" job on my rambles.

Thanks go to my beta's sbsp92 and Twilightrocks122.

Leave me some love once you hit the bottom, bb's!

...

Song rec: Born To Make You Happy by Britney Spears

Edward POV

I know I'd decided my life without Bella would be less complicated, but I realized I never decided if it would be better; if it would make me happier. All I knew for sure was that it would surely be less complicated. Stop doubting it Edward. Of course it was better now.

This was what I'd been waiting for. I hated Bella and I'd just gotten rid of the plague. I would definitely be happier. I was suddenly overwhelmed and confused by the fact I wanted her to prove me wrong.

After we dropped Jasper at home, Alice and I drove back to our house. I think without saying it we felt the same thoughts. We were saying goodbye to the life we once knew, and we didn't know when we'd be coming back here next. It was unsettling and I involuntarily shivered after getting out of the car.

I'd already packed everything for Forks Boarding Academy and so had Alice. Carlisle drove us straight over after school. And of course after Esme clung on to us for dear life, which broke my heart.

Jasper was meeting us there later tonight. After a few hours driving we finally made it, and I gasped. It was older and much more beautiful than I remembered.

We drove down a white stone driveway. At the end there was a fountain in the middle acting as a roundabout. The fountain has water coming out of the naked woman's mouth as she attempted to cover herself up. It was five PM now and students were probably heading to their dorms. Everyone I did see were sitting on blankets or tossing footballs around. The main building- which included the office and where core classes were held- was a stone mansion with ivy climbing up the trellises and out onto the balconies. The mansion reminded me a little of those really nice Catholic churches.

Once we got inside and got our details, Alice and I asked if there were any other students from Seattle Junior coming here. The lady, Mrs. Cope, told us only us, one boy and one girl but that she couldn't announce names. Well, the boy was Jasper. And I didn't know who the girl was. Carlisle, Alice, and I headed out into the night air and towards our building, Kennedy House. My dorm was in the McCarty wing and Alice's in the newly added Hale wing. We were both in the same building though. The buildings were also our 'houses' for sport and whatnot. Our building was called Kennedy, and our house was white colour. The houses were each named after influential people in relation to this school. The whole building had dark hardwood floors and it was actually really modern and nice. Everything was decorated or furnished in creams and off-whites.

Carlisle went with Alice to see her room and we split up. We were both on the second floor. We took the elevator up and separated ways. It seemed each level in each building had signs on the walls explaining which way to go like it was a little city of streets. There were a few signs indicating girls were on one half, boys on the other. Now it was a matter of wandering around to find my room. I actually thought it was cool it was a co-ed boarding school, then when they had girls and boys in the same buildings, and then on the same levels I thought this school had a lot of trust in their students. I began walking down the corridor looking for room 216. I finally reached it, turned my key in the hole and pushed open the door to find my room was more like a suite at the Bel-Air.

I still felt uneasy and tried to shake the feeling that I couldn't understand. I should have been happy about coming here, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was the right decision.

I startled myself out of my thoughts when I heard a sound in the room. I looked around and saw the Sasquatch. There was this massive guy with short dark hair sprawled out on the couch watching the football. His back was to me and I was thankful for the composure time.

I immediately plastered a big, fake smile on my face which I hoped hid my mood.

He was so big and muscled- he must be big on sports and weights. I cleared my throat, startling him.

He slowly turned around looking for the source of the noise. His hazel brown eyes met mine, and his furrowed brow from watching the game disappeared as well as the contemplative set of his mouth. It immediately turned into a happy grin and I noticed he had dimples. He was huge. He was so brawny. I'd hazard a guess and say he most likely played football, hence the reason why he was watching it. I assumed by his serious expression- so serious he didn't hear me come in the door- before he had been concentrating on the game and the technicalities of it. No doubt what every player has done before.

I went and introduced myself to the big bear after I put my bags down.

"Hey man. I'm Edward Cullen, one of your new roommates. My best friend Jasper will be our third roommate. He's coming later."

I was stupidly half-expecting him to crouch defensively and lunge at me like he was hunting me like the bear he was. He really could have been an irritable grizzly in another life if not for how happy he always seemed to be.

So, he surprised me when he hopped up from the couch, bounding over to me and pulling me into a suffocating bear hug before speaking. What surprised me more was that I temporarily forgot my worries in his presence, and the smile on my face was no longer fake.

"Ah, finally. Did you bring any food?" He boomed after pulling back from the bone-crushing hug. He started laughing good-naturedly afterwards, and then appraised me for a second, before deciding to attempt to fix the befuddlement that was my brain in this minute.

"Sorry about that, I'm Emmett McCarty. I was so bored and was beginning to feel isolated. I've been waiting for my roomies to show up, bro. It was like I was the last human on the planet or something and then you came in."

I laughed and he asked me my thoughts on the room.

"Nice place, huh?"

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet."

Then I realized what he had said. His name. I turned over his words in my head and the signs out in the wing before asking for confirmation.

"Wait... McCarty as in this wing?"

He looked sheepish and grinned at me playfully.

"Yeah, uh my great-grandfather donated money for the wing years ago and had it named after him. He used to go here."

"Oh. That's cool!"

After I sat down and settled in and shit, we talked for a few hours about junior high, moving here, girls and sports. He seemed great. He was loud and funny, and had the most infectious laugh. When I explained to him my goals about finding myself and stopping my man whoring, I was grateful he didn't laugh and seemed to understand.

"Yeah man. I used to be like that too. I totally get it."

I decided upon meeting Emmett that we were going to get along. I now found although he was such a piss-up that he could be serious, too. I think he found it awkward but he tried at least. He was so boisterous and loud and said the most random things, so when he made an effort to have serious conversation I really appreciated him.

I got a little awkward talking about leaving home and finding myself, and amazingly enough he sensed it and changed the subject. He talked for another hour about his life, his family back at home, and in turn making me forget about my problems.

I learnt that Emmett McCarty was the heir to McCarty Industries. He resided in Port Angeles and played football, baseball and basketball. He's loud, incredibly funny and goofy.

He then started another story about a prank a mate of his pulled when Jasper showed up. After the introductions and them getting to know each other a bit, we headed over to Alice's dorm room- Room 237, I think. Jasper was anxious for Emmett to meet 'his girl' and she was my sister and Emmett was my roommate so they should meet. We made plans to head into our house lounge and grab something to eat after picking Alice up. No doubt Carlisle had already left. He'd come to say goodbye 2 hours ago.

"Right, let's be off to get the pixie," I mumbled half-heartedly.

Emmett didn't know me well enough to know something was wrong but Jasper was tipped off, though. He looked at me with concern in his blue eyes. Emmett was leading the way out our door to go get Alice, and I just shook my head once, signalling Jasper not to worry. He seemed appeased for now and I wondered how I'd so easily convinced Jasper I was fine; he was usually so intuitive.

The truth was after Jasper arrived, reality had set in and I remembered my earlier worries and concerns. Emmett had me in a somewhat bubble while I spent my time with him and I'd forgotten about my life before this school. He'd given me no time to dwell. The bubble wasn't so much me and Emmett's bonding, more so the forgetting of my problems. Though Jasper was a part of The Emmett Saga and this new life, when he'd walked in, he seemed to burst through the bubble, and was the reminder of the other half of my life I left behind and was now trying to forget. It was part of my past.

Although I may have seemed at ease, I couldn't untangle the knot that had formed in my stomach. Instantaneously once I'd driven out of the gates of Seattle Junior High, the rope in my stomach had tangled itself into the most complicated knot known to man- Houdini could be resurrected and put under water, hands tied behind his back and die all over again due to knot complications. It was impossible. I told myself it was because I was afraid of life outside of where I'd been comfortable for so long. But I didn't want comfort anymore, remember? I was just afraid of the unknown I told myself. But I still couldn't help feeling like I'd left a part of myself behind as I'd drove further and further away from my old school.

~/~

Bella POV

I finally arrived at my new school. We drove through the gates and of course Charlie took over talking to the woman at the desk. Poor Mrs. Cope. I was surprised I'd managed to feel compassion for the receptionist after being numb all day.

"Welcome to Forks Boarding Academy!"

She'd begun cheerily enough, but ten minutes later she seemed tired out from Charlie's endless questions about the school and whatever else he seemed to think of.

After asking me ten times whether I was sure about this when he'd finished his game of "Twenty Questions" with poor Mrs. Cope he finally let me go. He left me to find myself in this strange and unfamiliar place and build the life I wanted for myself.

I watched him drive away in the cruiser through the revolving glass doors, and smiled when I thought I saw Mrs. Cope breathe a sigh of relief. Charlie could be overprotective and overbearing but he meant well. It was really quite sweet actually.

I finally got all the details for my dorm and headed to Kennedy House. I headed up to the second floor, rounded the corner after the elevator dropped me off and stopped in the middle of the hallway.

I froze in place; every limb tensing while my feet locked to the floor. I was unable to move.

In the hallway walking towards me was none other than Edward Cullen.

My eyes widened, and my jaw fell slack. My heart stopped for a beat, then picked up again beating out of my chest erratically. My breathing hitched and I begun to gasp for oxygen.

When his eyes met mine, I stopped breathing altogether and had an epiphany. I begun drowning in the tangled mess that was my thoughts as a million different emotions hit me all at once with such an incredible force I nearly fell over.

The Greek God stood before me at the crossroads, serving as a roadblock, blocking me from running. I could no longer deny, ignore or run from it.

And I couldn't escape him to save myself. It was like Fate's Loom existed, and had threaded me to him while intertwining our lives for better or for worse. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried I would always be inexplicably tied to him.

My head swirled endlessly, as I gradually progressed to the inevitable cliff-hanger of my life.

I could feel change was coming. There were no more choices left but to face it. And things could never be the same because I just had the most stinging realization.

I was and had always been in love with Edward Cullen.