Nother chapter that jumps ahead a year... again I had to do it in order to keep the story moving. You'll see why...

Also a huge thanks to Shante, for her help with this chapter! You're the best! Before she helped me, I had a WHOLE other chapter written... the ending was still the same, but the events leading up to the ending were a little different. Some of the outtakes I will post on my site. The link is in my profile and head over to the forum if you want to read them! Let me know what you think.

Months passed before my mom let me get my permit. I had to prove to her that I knew how to drive the speed limit. The day after my seventeenth birthday, or my thirteenth--to be exact--I was allowed to get my license. My mom finally gave in and let me go. To this day I believe my father had something to do with it, but he tells me he didn't.

As I drove to school in my car I basked in my glory. I was finally proving to my parents that I was growing up. I'm still growing, so we know I won't stop until next year. I was happy about that because I wasn't quite ready to be who I will be for the rest of forever. I wanted to look a little more mature.

I honked outside Derek's house. Since I got my license I have to pick him up every day on my way to school. Alyssa insisted on driving her own car. Derek also has his own car, but it's no where near as fast or shiny as mine. I don't think he's driven his car once since he bought it.

"Hey," Derek said excitedly as he slid into the passenger seat.

"You're looking a little too excited." I laughed.

"I know, I am."

"Why?"

"I got my early acceptance for college today."

I turned to look at him, grinning. "Derek, I'm so proud of you!" I couldn't believe we were seniors already. I would be graduating this year. Unlike Derek, I didn't want to go to college yet. I had forever to go to college, unlike him. I wanted to travel the world after high school. My parents had a different plan for me. My father insists on me going to college right after school, my mom feels the same way, but I think I might be able to convince her before my dad. The other problem was me going off on my own. I offered to take Jacob with me, but that ended up an even bigger, "NO!" from both of them.

Derek babbled on the rest of the way to school about how his parents are proud of him and he was excited to go.

"Well," I said as we got out of the car. "I think tonight is a night for celebration!"

"Cullen, I like the way you think." Derek draped his arm over my shoulders and we walked to our first class.

After school I came home to an empty house. My parents were working until late tonight, so I finished my homework and drove over to my grandparent's house. Jacob was there and I missed him. It was weird not having him drive me to school anymore. I sort of missed it, as much as I loved driving myself.

"Hello!" I called out, slamming the door shut behind me.

"We're in the kitchen," my grandma called out. "Hi, honey." She hugged me as soon as I found them. She turned and placed another sandwich in front of Jacob.

"Thanks Esme," he said with his mouth full. His eyes locked with mine and he crossed the room before I could take another step.

"Wow, he left his food to see you. That's got to be a first." Aunt Rosalie grumbled as she walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, where's Alyssa? Derek and I are going out tonight. He got the early acceptance he wanted, so we're going out to celebrate." I informed her.

"She's out with Seth." She tried her best to sound OK with the fact that they were out together.

I shrugged. "That's ok, Derek and I will just go to dinner."

"I can come with you if you want." Jacob offered.

I kissed him and shook my head. "As much as I would love for you to go, I think it will throw off the balance."

Jacob seemed hurt that I didn't want him to come along, but he composed himself quickly. I felt bad, and would want nothing more than for him to come along, but tonight wasn't about me. It was all for Derek.

"Did you ask your parents?" My grandma asked as she held a plate of freshly made chocolate chip cookies in front of me. I took one and shook my head.

"I'm going to stop at the hospital on my way to Derek's. I'm sure they'll let me go."

"They will," Aunt Alice danced into the kitchen with a vase filled with a new bouquet of flowers for the table. "Derek disappeared for the rest of the night."

"Thanks, Aunt Alice!" I jumped around and hugged her before taking another cookie and kissed my aunts, grandmother, and Jacob goodbye.

I went home and changed before heading over to the hospital. My grandpa saw me first as he walked an elderly woman down the hall. I waved and jogged over to him. "Hi, Uncle Carlisle!" It always felt weird to call him uncle, but that's what I had to do when others were around.

"Hello, Nessie. This is Mrs. Gilmore."

I nodded and smiled politely at her.

"Oh, Jessie, what a beautiful name." She crackled.

"No, Nessie," I said a little louder. She looked down at her slippers and smiled.

"Thank you, Tessie, I got them yesterday."

I laughed and turned towards my dad's office. "See you later!"

"Bye, Ashley!" Mrs. Gilmore waved after me. I turned to tell her my name once more, but my grandpa motioned for me to keep walking. I continued to laugh the whole way to his office.

"This is a pleasant surprise." My dad said without looking up form his paperwork.

"That's what I do best," I chuckled and sat on the edge of his desk.

"That I know," My dad laughed and leaned back in his chair.

"So, I came here to ask if I can go out with Derek tonight. We wont go far. He just got into the college he wanted to."

My dad's eyebrows raised and a smile crept across his face. "That's great. What about you?"

I groaned. I knew it was a mistake to tell him. "I haven't heard back yet, besides, what's the rush? I have forever to go to college."

My dad leaned on the desk and took my hand in both of his. "Renesmee, college is not that bad. With your GPA you could get into any college you want."

"Look, I'll go… when I want to."

He huffed and leaned back in his chair, shaking his head.

"What?" I asked him.

"You are your mothers daughter."

"How?" I asked. "She graduated college. She's a doctor. I want to take a year off… maybe two."

"She didn't see the point in college. Although she had a better excuse than you do. She was anticipating herself as a crazed newborn. That was her reason for not wanting to go to college."

"I can act like a crazed newborn if you want me to."

"You're going to college."

"No, I'm not."

"I'm not discussing this with you."

"Me either." I stood up and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you when you get home."

"I didn't give you permission to go out."

"Oh, come on! It's for Derek!"

"What time are you going to be home?"

"Nine?" I asked.

He nodded and I threw my arms around his neck.

"Can Jacob come over until you get home?" I knew it was a long shot, but I had to ask.

My dad's expression scared me. He wasn't mad, but he was thinking hard about something. "Ness, have a seat," he patted the desk again and I slowly sat down. "You're a senior about to graduate in a few months. I can say this with complete confidence, you have showed that you are responsible enough to actually be thought of as a seventeen-year-old. I'll make you a deal."

I stared at his face and he waited for me to answer him. I could have danced around the room with him just telling me he was thinking of me as a seventeen-year-old, and not the thirteen-year-old I should be. A smile crept across my face and he continued.

"You go to college, and I will fully treat you like the woman you have become. Including your relationship with Jacob. Your mother was seventeen when we started dating, so I will back off."

I took a deep breath. "So, the only thing I have to do is go to college and I will be free to have a real relationship with Jacob?"

"I wont judge the two of you, but you need to be responsible."

I nodded. "College," I groaned.

"College," he repeated.

"Ok," I sighed.

"Good," he opened a draw and pulled out a pile of paper and envelopes. "When you get home tonight I want you to start filling these out."

I stared down at the applications, but kept the smile on my face. "Can I pick the ones I want to go to?"

He shook his head and placed the pile on my lap. "I want all of them filled out."

"All this for Jacob?" This was not fair. I had to go through four years of college just to prove to my father that I was as old as I looked.

"Take it or leave it, sweetheart."

"Take it," I grumbled and tucked the applications under my arm and slid off the desk. "See you later."

"Have fun," he called after me.

I waved without turning back.

"I thought I heard you," I ran into my mom in the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm on my way out. I'm picking up Derek. Dad already said it was ok."

She nodded and pulled the pile of applications from under my arm. "Ah," She sighed. "He got to you."

"Yeah," I groaned. "He made me a compromise."

"Did he really? And what was this compromise?" She looked at his closed door then back at me.

"I get to be treated like a seventeen-year-old including my relationship with Jacob, if I go to college."

"That seems fair." My mom shrugged and kissed my cheek. "Be careful driving."

"I will," I turned to walk away.

"Oh, Ness," my mom called after me. "If he gave you all of them to fill out, he wants them all filled out. If you don't he'll do it himself." She winked and walked into my dad's office. Can he be any more unfair?

I picked up Derek and we went out to dinner. He gushed over his parents and how proud they were. I slouched over my plate. I heard this conversation in the car this morning.

"What about you? How are your parents taking to you wanting to go tour the world?"

I took a deep breath and shook my head. "My dad wants me to fill out about a thousand college applications. I don't even think some of them are in the United States."

"Well then, there ya go! You get accepted to one of them and you get to travel."

"True, but I want Jacob to come with me. I don't think he would go that far away from his pack while I go to college."

Derek laughed and choked on his steak. "I think that guy would follow you into space if you wanted to live there." He looked down at his plate and his smile quickly disappeared.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"If you go to space than we will never see each other. I'm leaving in a few days. Ness, we might never see each other again."

I reached across the table and took his hand. "I'm not going to college in space."

"Well you might as well be, we're not going to be in the same classes next year. I don't even have a summer to say goodbye to you. We only have days left."

"Derek, we will have holiday vacations, and besides, I might choose a college close by. I don't really think I can go too far away from my family."

"Really? I figured you would take Jacob and not look back."

"I couldn't leave you. You're my best friend." I smiled. Even though Derek was going to college out of state, it would be closer than if I left right after graduation and traveled.

"Thanks, Ness." He sighed and let go of my hand to continue eating.

When we were done, we walked hand in hand back to my car. "Hey, can I drive?" He asked reaching into my back jeans pocket for the keys. I spun away from him and snatched the keys out of his hand.

"I don't know."

"C'mon! I have my license. I'm not a bad driver."

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Because your car doesn't know how to go faster than forty-five."

"Please, Ness! You're car is amazing and it calls to me. I have to drive it… just once!" He begged.

"Ok, I sighed and tossed him the keys."

He pulled out of the parking lot safely, and turned in the opposite direction of his house. He glanced over and saw the confused look on my face.

"I want to take the highway." He winked and stepped on the gas as we merged onto the highway.

"Derek, slow down." My heart was pounding in my chest when I leaned over to look at the speedometer.

"Relax, she handles like a beauty." Derek laughed at the way I clutched my seat.

"Derek, there's a sharp turn up here… DEREK!" My scream was drowned out by the screeching sounds of the tires, and the sound of bending metal and breaking glass. I heard Derek's muffled gasps, but I couldn't open my eyes to find him. Something was pinning me where I was. I could smell both my blood and Derek's in the air.