(BPOV)

I hated what I was about to do. I was about to break the heart of my best friend, probably my father too.

But what choice did I have?

The way I felt around Edward was something I'd never felt with Jake.

I loved Jake; but that wasn't enough anymore.

I sighed, picking up the phone and dialing the familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Billy, its Bella. Is Jake around?" I tried not to sound like my heart was breaking. This was for the best, and deep down I knew it.

"Oh, hi Bella. Yeah, he's here. Just a minute."

I heard Billy yell for Jake, and stifled a laugh as I heard loud thumps as Jake ran for the phone.

"Hey beautiful." He said as he picked up the phone.

I swallowed loudly.

"Hey Jake…" I started carefully. Shit. How was I supposed to do this? And over the phone? How much of a coward was I?

"What's wrong Isa?" Of course he would know something was wrong. I could never hide anything from him.

"I…Jake, I don't know how to say this." Tears were already running down my cheeks, and I did nothing to stop them.

"Bella?" I could hear the worry in his voice, the hurt.

"I'm sorry Jake." The words were harder to say now, the tears were flowing faster.

"Sorry for what? What is it Bella?"

"I… I can't do this anymore Jake."

"Do what anymore? Bells, I don't understand." Confusion laced his voice, along with panic, hurt, fear. I was a monster.

"Us, Jake." It barely came out as a whisper, but I knew he heard me.

"Is this about that party? Bella, you can go to any party that you want."

"It's not that." How do I explain this to him?

"Then what? I'll move to Ashland if that's what it takes. I love you Bella."

"I love you too Jake, but…"

"It's not enough is it?" The pain was back, the hurt.

"I'm sorry Jake." The tears weren't stopping now, and it took all the control I had to keep my voice from breaking.

"What happened? What brought this on Bella?" He was mad now, anger dripping from every word. "I knew you should never have left. You should have stayed in Forks. You'd be happy here."

"No, I wouldn't have. That's the thing Jake. I hated Forks. I've always hated it. I was miserable there, and you know it." Now I was mad too. He was always trying to guilt trip me into coming back to Forks.

"But you had me…"

I hoped he wouldn't finish that sentence.

"Jake, I'm sorry. But I have to start doing what's best for me." Soft sobs broke through my speech.

"If it's best for you, then why are you crying?" The anger was back, laced with disbelief.

"Sometimes life hurts Jake. We are supposed to be in each others lives, but not like this. I can't move back to Forks for you Jake. I can't be happy there. I'm not that girl."

"You used to be. I could see us, Bella, together; a house, down the street from Charlie's, with a dog, and kids. I can still see it Bells.

"I want to travel Jake, see the world. I want to have a career." I had explained this to him many times, but he never seemed to get it.

"Where is this coming from Bella? You were perfectly happy with us a week ago. You were fine with our future. I figured you'd go to school down there for a year, and then come home."

"Jake, I'm not coming home. I never wanted the future you want for us. I don't want to stay in Forks. I don't want to be a housewife. I can't be that girl for you. I'm sorry."

My body was shaking now, but not a sound escaped.

"So this is it? You're ending it, just like that? Throwing everything away for a stupid career?" The anger was back again, every word he spoke cutting me like a knife.

"It's not a stupid career Jake. For once, I'm listening to what my heart is telling me. I've spent too long doing what everyone else wants me to do. And I can't be with someone who thinks my dreams are stupid."

"Bella…" He started, but I cut him off.

"We used to be easy Jake, like breathing. But now it feels like I'm suffocating. I can't do this anymore. I have to be happy Jake, and you do too. Love isn't always enough. We both want different things. You're my best friend, and I don't want us to end up hating each other."

"I am happy, Bella, and I thought you were too." The hurt was back in his voice. "And it might be too late for that Bella."

"Jake…" I breathed before I started sobbing. I almost didn't hear the soft click over the line.

He had hung up on me. I had broken his heart and now he hated me. And he'd tell Charlie, and he'd hate me too.

I had hurt everyone I loved, but it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

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AN: Okay, I know this chapter is ridiculously short. It was actually one of the first ones I wrote of this story. It's one of those chapters that needed to happen, but I didn't want to go into a lot of detail about.

This was never going to be a Jacob/Bella story. Ever. Jacob is just a casualty in my cruel, twisted mind (can you tell I was never a fan of j/b?)

Again, sorry for the short chapter! - kapers