The sun is obscured by thick grey clouds, just like any other day.
It looks like it's about to rain, but it always does here. Forks is just that kind of place. The sky sort of matches my mood, cheerlessly bleak.
It's nearly winter, and the weather is getting colder.

I hurry across the carpark to my truck, anxious in case it begins to rain again. I climb into the cabin, the engine spluttering to life after much coaxing.
It's almost ironic that the loudest, biggest, reddest truck in the car-park belongs to the least-noticed girl in the school.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother anymore.

I glance over my shoulder, just in case the car-park is overrun with students skipping 6th period classes. It's empty, like always.
Well, not empty, because the old, beat-up cars still fill their spots. There's Tyler's new sedan, Mike's red Toyota and then a flash of silver-

Wait.

Silver.

A silver Volvo, sitting in the car-park, its engine idling and, in the driver's seat-
Please, please let this be my imagination.

I turn away, backing out of the spot and onto the highway in record speed.
Like a criminal, I glance in the rear-view mirrors, to check if I'm being followed.

My heart speeds up.

The trademark silver flashes in the dim light. Only now I realise how showy his car really is, how pretentious and arrogant it seems.
The thought of him, it's ripping my chest open, and I hate it.

I hate the fact I'm so weak without him, that every breath is such a huge fucking effort, because he's no longer by my side. I hate him, and how he stole my heart away, tore it into little pieces and tossed them casually over his shoulder.

I vow to myself, right here and now, that I will never, ever give in to him.
He can go prey on some other poor little damsel in distress, and one day, when he comes back to me for more, he'd better watch out.

'Cos that one day, I'll be ready for him.

On that day, I'll spit at his feet, tell him just how much I hate him.

And it won't hurt a bit.

I stamp down on the accelerator, knowing very well the truck won't do above fifty.
He'll stay on my tail, but not for long.
Where I'm going, he's not allowed.

The borders of La Push come rushing up to meet me, and once I'm there, a huge weight seems to lift from my chest. The birds sing louder and the clouds are brighter down here, it seems.
I can't help smiling as I pull up outside of Jake's, and, as always, he's there to greet me. Shirtless, and with a new haircut, he seems to have grown another foot or so.

But he's not smiling.

There's a grim desperado about his features, and the smile falls from my face so very quick.

"Bella," he says, "we need to talk."

--

I climb out the window and back onto the street, where everything's washed silver and grey like a dream. Not that I would know.

I wish I could dream.

I wish I could fall asleep and dream and never wake up.

Whoa. With all this 'replace all the chapters' nonsense, turns out I'd deleted one by accident in the process. Who'd have thought?