A/N: :::Trumpets and Fanfare::: Chapter 16!!! Hooray!!! Thanks to all my reviewers and to everyone who has added 'Torn' to their favorites and put it on alert! You are AWESOME!! I will keep the installments coming as quickly as I can.

Hope You like it!

xo

-A

PS: Since I haven't posted it since the first chapter, here's the disclaimer. I do not own nor am I affiliated with anything/one having to do with Twilight. They're SM's characters, I'm just playing with them!

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Three days passed, bringing winter break to a disappointing end. Emmett and I agreed that he needed to stay home and help Esme clean up, considering the destruction was partially his fault. Not to mention, I really needed time to myself to think things through before school resumed and I had to face Edward. I was dreading the confrontation, but I knew I was going to have to face him eventually. I just wasn't ready for it. I trudged down the stairs Monday morning and shuffled right by Charlie to the refrigerator. I heard him rustle the paper and clear his throat, a clear indication that he wanted to talk. I purposefully ignored him and poured myself a glass of milk, downing the entire thing in one gulp.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well what?" I finally raised my eyes to meet his.

"Care to explain that?" he nodded at my arm. I looked down at the fresh ace bandage I had put on after my shower. I shrugged.

"Not really."

"It wasn't a question, Bells." he frowned.

"It's not a big deal," I said nonchalantly. "Alice and I were having a pillow fight and I fell off the bed. Carlisle said it was just a sprain."

"If he's hurting you, you know you can tell me," Charlie's tone became very serious.

"No," I answered with a vigorous head shake. "No it's nothing like that at all. Edward would never hurt me." At least not on purpose. "In fact, he and I are no longer seeing each other."

"Really?" he cocked an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing," I just slept with his brother. "We're just two very different people." One of us, anyway. " So we decided it was time to part ways. Listen, Dad, I'd love to talk more but I have to get to school." I placed my glass in the sink and trotted over to Charlie, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Have a good day at work."

I grabbed my keys and my bag and ran out the door before Charlie could say anything else. I instantly regretted not grabbing an umbrella, because the skies opened up and an icy winter rain began to fall just as I stepped off the porch.

"Perfect," I muttered and began to slop my way through the slush to my waiting truck. I wrenched the door open and clambered in, immediately firing it up and cranking the heat. I rubbed my hands together briefly before backing out of the driveway and taking off toward school. Might as well get it over with.

I saw Alice and Angela waiting for me under an overhang as I pulled into the parking lot. They both waved anxiously and I waved back before exiting the truck and making a mad dash through the rain to get to the school. I greeted them both with a warm hug.

"How was your vacation?" Angela asked as she released me, then frowned. "What happened to your arm? And where's Edward?"

I looked tentatively at Alice, who just shrugged in return.

"Did he come back?" I asked

She nodded.

"Has he said anything?"

She shook her head.

"Is he here?"

She nodded.

"Shit."

Angela watched the back and forth between us and frowned again.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said, trying to catch up. "What happened? Did he hurt you, Bells? I swear to God if he even laid a finger on you I'll castrate him myself!"

"No! Jesus, why does everyone think he hurt me?" I shouted.

"You show up after vacation with a bandaged arm, sans Edward. What are we supposed to think?" she folded her arms across her chest and quirked an eyebrow.

"She has a point," Alice said quietly.

"You're not helping," I snapped.

"Start talking, Swan." Angela began tapping her foot impatiently.

"I really don't want to talk about this right now," I muttered and rubbed my arm.

"It's kind of a long story," Alice followed up.

"Oh no," Angela shook her head. "No way. You two brought it up, now one of you has to tell me what's going on."

"I…um…" I stammered. "Shit, this is really complicated, Ange!"

"And I'm your best friend. Complicated doesn't matter, I'll understand," she insisted.

"Can it wait till lunch?" Alice asked. "The bell's going to ring and we're going to be late if we don't hurry."

"Fine," Angela huffed. "But I want to know everything. And it better not involve him hurting you! Or else!" She emphasized the or else with a slicing motion across her throat. "Let's go."

She walked ahead of us and I fell into step with Alice. She kept her head down to avoid the cold, icy rain.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"Don't thank me yet," she responded. "You still have to come up with a cover story about your arm."

"Can't you see what will happen?" I asked. She paused briefly before answering.

"Kind of. I can't hear what you tell her, but it looks like she'll believe you. Are you going to tell her about Emmett?" Alice glanced up at me.

"Have to," I said.

"Everything?"

"Yep," I let out a long sigh. "She'll want to know why Edward and I aren't together, and that's an integral part of the story."

"Hmmm…" Alice grimaced. She stopped at the door to our first class. "This is going to get messy."

"I know," I opened the door for her and she walked in ahead of me. "But there's no going back now."

The morning seemed to drag on forever. We moved silently from class to class, the air still thick with anxiety. Even though Alice said he was in school, I saw neither hide nor hair of Edward. The bell for lunch finally rang at 11:45 and I shuffled behind the throng of students headed toward the cafeteria. I pushed my way through the double doors and cut around everyone to my usual table in the back of the cafeteria. I shrugged my bag off on the chair next to me and pulled out my lunch while waiting for Alice and Angela. I had decided to stick with the pillow fight story regarding my arm, but as far as everything else I had decided to tell Angela the truth. Well, half-truth. She couldn't know about the whole vampire thing, that would blow the Cullen's cover totally and I didn't want to screw them. I was watching the doors for my friends when my heart leapt into my throat.

Edward walked in behind Jasper, head down. He looked worn out, but still beautiful. He slumped into a chair next to his brother and folded his arms across his chest. Jasper leaned in and said something to him, to which he only responded with a curt nod. His head suddenly lifted and his eyes met mine. I could feel his pain as he stared coldly at me. I smiled carefully, hoping he would respond with a nod or a wave. I should have know better. He just continued to stare, his expression grim. I felt my heart clench.

"Okay, Swan," Angela interrupted as she dropped her tray on the table and slid into the chair next to mine. Alice sat down beside her, unusually subdued. "Spill it."

I smiled weakly at her, then launched into my abridged tale of the past year's events. I tactfully avoided the vampire parts, glancing fleetingly at Alice who kept her eyes down and poked around at the food on her tray. I spun a yarn about falling off Alice's bed and spraining my arm, and then another about the 'fight' between Emmett and Edward, but otherwise left nothing out. Angela kept a straight face throughout, including when I got to whole 'sex with Emmett' part. When I finally wrapped up, she remained solemn for a few moments before opening her mouth to respond.

"Wow," she tapped her fingernails on the table. "So, let me get this straight. You and Edward are now you and Emmett."

"Right," I said.

"And you're no longer a virgin because you slept with Emmett," she lowered her voice to keep prying ears from overhearing.

"Yes," I muttered.

"While with Edward?" she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.

"It wasn't like that!" I squeaked, then ducked down when a few heads turned in our direction. "It wasn't out of spite. It just sort of, happened. I'd had an awful night with Edward, and Emmett was waiting in my room for me. We kissed, and then one thing led to another. "

"Waiting in your room?" Angela was skeptical. "How did he get in?"

"Through the window," I held up my hand, signaling the end to this line of conversation. "Can we get back on point here? You wanted to know everything, and that's all there is. So… are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad?" Angela giggled after a short pause. "You followed your heart, and I can't blame you for that. Besides, I always thought Emmett was hotter than Edward anyway. No offense, Alice."

"None taken," Alice smiled sweetly.

"There is one thing, though," She brought up her index finger for emphasis.

"What?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Well," she pointed at me and waggled her finger. "I just can't believe you got it on with a college guy and didn't tell me!"

"Angela!!" I shouted. She fell into a contagious fit of giggles, which spread to Alice, and then finally to me. I threw a Cheez-It at her as we laughed. It felt good to smile again. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all. When our laughter died down, Angela let out a sigh.

"I can't believe he treated you like that, Bells," she said sadly. "I mean, you poured your heart out to him and it's almost like he stopped caring."

"No," I shook my head. "No, he didn't stop caring. He still cared for me a great deal, he just assumed that not allowing any physical bond between us was the best way to approach the situation. He assumed that the emotional bond would be sufficient. But sometimes simply telling someone you love them just isn't enough."

"And naturally being a man, he figured he knew what was best for everyone," Alice chimed in to my surprise. "What? Just because he's my brother doesn't make him any less of an idiot."

"Truer words, my tiny friend," Angela smiled.

The bell signaling the end of lunch chimed, and students began to file out the doors. We gathered our things and headed toward the exit and on to our final classes for the day. I was kind of glad I didn't see Edward, as my chat with Alice and Angela had left me in good spirits. I didn't want my impending confrontation with him to ruin that high. I walked out of my last class pleased to see that the rain had stopped. It was still overcast and bitterly cold, but at least it wasn't raining. I zipped my jacket up to my chin and made my way to the parking lot, anxious to get home. I frowned when I didn't see my truck where I had left it.

"Where…?" My question faded away and I smiled. Emmett's Jeep was now in place of my truck, and he leaned against it with his arms folded over his chest. A sexy smirk touched his lips when he saw me, and he crooked a finger, beckoning me to him. I pushed my way through the crowd and practically flew across the lot and into his waiting arms. He wrapped them around me and lifted me off the ground, crushing me to his chest. I willingly returned the gesture, then patted his shoulder gently when I began to run out of air. He placed me back on my feet, keeping his hands clasped at the small of my back. I rested my hands on his chest and gazed up into his warm amber eyes before standing on my tip toes and kissing him softly. I pulled away and returned to flat feet, never taking my eyes from his.

"Do you know how much I've missed you?" he asked and began to stroke my back.

"Em, it's only been three days!" I laughed.

"Longest three days of my life," he pulled me to him again and rested his cheek on top of my head. I slid my arms around his waist and sighed happily. There was no where else in the world I wanted to be.

"Where's my truck?" I asked, still buried in his embrace.

"I took it home while you were in class," he answered casually.

"How?" I frowned, still confused. He chuckled and held me a little closer.

"Let's just say I'm really good with cars."

"Emmett Cullen, did you hot wire my truck?!" I gasped. He only grinned impishly. I narrowed my eyes. "You know, if I tell Charlie he could sooo arrest you."

"Yeah but you won't," he smirked.

"How do you know?" I asked

"Because you love me too much," he answered confidently. I didn't respond right away and watched the confidence fade into anxiety. "You do love me…right?"

"Yeah, I guess," I shrugged, then smiled slyly up at him. His cheeky grin returned and he pulled me close and kissed me. I smiled before returning the kiss eagerly, sweeping my tongue along his lower lip. He groaned and delved his tongue in my mouth, and I felt my body grow warm with desire. We both broke away when we were greeted with hoots and wolf whistles from passing students. I blushed and burrowed my face in his coat.

"Come on. I'll take you home so I can warm you up," he helped me into the passenger side of the Jeep.

"Don't be fresh!" I yelled when he shut the door.

"Who, me?" he grinned, suddenly appearing in the driver's seat. I pushed his shoulder.

"Just take me home!"

In what felt like seconds we were turning down my street, and as I turned my gaze to try and find my house, I saw it there. The familiar silver Volvo with Edward leaning against the side, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He looked up when he saw Emmett and I pull in and scowled. Emmett growled beside me.

"You knew this was coming," I whispered and laid a hand on his forearm to calm him.

"I know," he grumbled. "But it doesn't mean I have to like it."

"I have to go talk to him," I said softly. Emmett looked over at me, his eyes filled with concern tinged with anger.

"Fine, but if it even looks like he's going to hurt you again, I swear it I'll-"

"He won't," I reassured him with a kiss on the cheek. "Wait here."

I hopped out of the car and walked over to where Edward stood, still sneering at Emmett. I laid a hand on his cheek to catch his attention and he jerked away as if I'd stung him.

"Don't do that," I frowned.

"You don't get to touch me like that," he snapped. "Not anymore."

"Edward, please," I grimaced. "We need to talk about this."

"What more is there to say? You've made your choice and I guess I have to live with it," he responded sarcastically.

"Just…just hear me out. You owe me that much," I stood my ground. He rounded on me.

"Owe you?! I don't owe you shit! You're the one who slept around on me!!" he spat.

"You're goddamn right you owe me!" I shouted. "Dammit Edward! Do I have to remind you?! You shut me out. You turned your back on me when I needed you the most!"

"And you ran to the arms of another man," he ad-libbed.

"It wasn't like that! Shit!" At that moment I couldn't think of how to explain my sudden feelings for Emmett.

"Then what was it?" he snarled.

"It…" I sighed. "Look. I'm going to lay this out for you. When you stopped touching me, I shut down. I felt like I had done something wrong by bearing my soul to you. I turned to Emmett because he accepted who I was…am. Who I am. He understood and still took me in his arms. I never meant to hurt you, and I never stopped loving you. I still love you."

"You never meant to hurt me?" he asked coldly.

"No," I answered. "I'm truly sorry that I did."

"It's a little late for 'I'm sorry,' Bella," he said bitterly.

"Edward, don't-"

"Why shouldn't I? I just lost the best thing that ever happened to me. The one bright spot in my dismal existence." his voice started to break, but he cleared his throat and instantly composed himself.

"I-"

"You can't expect this to be fixed overnight," he cut me off. "You can't expect me to just accept this and move on. You've changed my whole world, did you know that? For almost a century I've lived in cold darkness, never knowing the light and warmth that love could bring. And then you arrived and changed everything. You brought me the sunshine and happiness that I never dreamed I could have again. And now that you've taken that all away…I'm not sure what the point is anymore."

"The point of what?" I cocked my head to the side.

"Living," he responded sadly. "Don't you get it? You are my life. Or at least you were."

He pushed off of the car and closed the distance between us. He caressed my cheek with one hand.

"I love you, Bella," he murmured. "I will always love you. But right now, I can't bear to look at you."

He let his hand drop and crossed in front of his car. He opened the door and gave me a wistful look before climbing in and firing up the engine. I stepped back as moved the car into gear and sped away into the distance.

I watched him go, unable to move or speak otherwise. I suddenly felt Emmett's arm wrap around my shoulders and pull me into an embrace from behind. He nuzzled my neck and I sighed.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," I muttered. "I'm good. I'm done crying for him. I just…he said he didn't know what the point was."

"Of living. I know," he nodded. "I heard."

"I hope he doesn't do anything stupid," I turned to face Emmett, my eyes filled with worry.

"Don't worry about it," he kissed my forehead. "Edward is a drama queen. He talks a big game, but he won't follow through. He never does."

"You'd better be right," I laced my fingers into his. "Come on. Let's get inside."

"I still have to warm you up," he smirked, and I could already feel the heat rising from within.

"Only if you behave," I raised my eyebrows suggestively and pulled him in the direction of my empty house.