A/N: To be frank, this is short. Too short, almost. But it's enough to let you guys know that I'm back. After months and months of empty promises, I've found my muse and started towards finishing this story.

Thanks for the support as always. I appreciate each and every pm/comment I have recieved. I know I don't always reply, but I read them. Know that you are all in my heart.

Birdee, I couldn't wait. I did a crappy edit and slapped it up here. I love and appreciate your guidance always though, love! Mwah.

Anyway, enjoy and shit like that. Let me know what you think!

Bella POV:

I stared at my belting phone in disbelief. Styx's drum solo filled my ears as "Lady" exploded in a burst of guitar and vocal perfection. After weeks, no, a solid month of being left in the dust of our crumbling friendship, after Ryan had closed himself off from me completely after we returned from the horror convention, after making work a constant state of hell and having me wonder obsessively what I did that could have done to evoke such a strong reaction from him, and after nursing a swollen heart and a brash qualm, he chose now to call me, when I was feeling my most venerable.

I didn't know what tore at my heart more, actually seeing his smiling face lighting up my touch screen or the fact that it took him four weeks too long to get over whatever hurdle he had placed between us. Our friendship.

I felt my resolve crumble as the stitches I had sewn so intricately around the gaping hole Ryan had created came undone, bringing forth a tsunami of emotions that both confused and scared me. A cascade of relief and hatred rained upon me and my heart swelled excruciatingly. My breathing turned into sharp, painful gasps as my throat constricted tightly.

The feeling of love and rejection swallowed me whole in one swift second. I both despised and admired him for that. Only he could awaken such depths within me. My best friend. The only other person that honestly knew me for me.

"Bella…?" a small, soft voice asked. I felt a warm hand rubbing gentle circles into my back. "Bella, who is it?" it asked again, but the voice sounded distant, trivial almost. I continued to stare at Ryan's smiling face dumbly.

A loud scoff came from a haze of blonde to my left and my hand suddenly felt weightless as Ryan was pulled from my vision. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to decipher what had just happened.

"That little fucker…" Rose muttered angrily to herself, a perfectly manicured finger nail poised at the ready above the green button that would officially open the brittle flood gates.

"Rose, don't," I cried meekly in a weak attempt at stopping the inevitable. The sour taste of dread flooded the inside of my arid mouth and coursed its way down through my throat and pooled at the pit of my stomach.

Rose did it. Despite my wishes, she answered the call. With a violent flick of her hand demanding silence, she pressed down on my Iphone and I saw the caller options pop up.

Dread morphed into anger.

"The fuck do you want, ass?" Rose snarled into my small phone, her voice crackling through the stiff air of Alice's bedroom like lightening hitting an innocent tree.

"Rose," I hissed through my seething annoyance. The gravity of the situation came crashing down upon me. Ryan was calling me.

Ryan was calling me.

After a month of silence, Ryan was actually calling me.

Oh, fuck.

I flapped my hands dramatically to gain Rose's attention. "Rose! Put the fucking phone down or it's your face!" I whispered hurriedly, snatching for the phone. She backed away and shook her head at me, eyes full of warning.

"Really, what the fu-" Rose began, but was apparently cut off by Ryan. Her face began to transform between a look of disbelief and anger. They seemed to be playing tennis, each emotion passing whatever Ryan was telling her to and fro at a fast rate.

"Well maybe if you would have handled the fucking situation like an adult rather than a fucking spoiled child, you may have avoided walking in on Edward and Bella today, I'm just fucking saying," she spat into the phone. A rather large, nasty snort followed.

I cringed at the venom she was dishing out. My shaky legs finally gave and I landed my numb ass on Alice's bed.

She had to bring it up.

Alice sat next to me and wrapped her tiny arms around my shoulders, resting her head against mine. "You know how Rose is," Alice offered lightly. I shrugged sullenly.

It wasn't like I had any control of the situation now. Rose was on a roll; cheeks fire engine red and her voice primal. I tuned the rest of the conversation out between her and Ryan and tried focusing on honing in the sick feeling that was taking over my body and shoving it all back into that cavernous hole.

"Fucking, alright! Fine, Ryan. I'll bring it up to her, but if she doesn't want to go then blame your fucking self. Yeah…sure, right. Yeah, bye." Rose finished heatedly. A loud roar of annoyance ripped through the tendons of her throat.

"Ryan is playing a show tonight and wants you to be there, Bella, which I do not agree with at all if you want my opinion."

The demons I had begun to lock away all came flying back to the forefront. The mixed feelings littered my consciousness and I found myself spiraling.

Ryan was playing again? I thought he quit a year ago? He wants me to watch?

"I…um, do you guys want to go?" I heard myself ask before I could fully process what had just taken place and what had just fallen from my mouth.

A long, laborious sigh sizzled from Rose's full lips and a look of exasperation colored her face.

Edward's face branded my mind as I took in Rose's expression. What about Edward…?

I felt a tight squeeze surrounding my body and a squeal assaulted my ears.

I took that as an affirmative to my question. Fuck.