A few days after the chat with Chad, it was like karma was being a bitch to me.

I didn't get to see Sam for a few days, along with the rest of the pack. Sam had to catch up on paperwork at the station, and then had to go with the Pack.

So when he did sneak up to see me, it was pretty late/early and I was sleeping.

I did get to talk over the phone with him the day after the talk with Chad, but I needed to talk face to face so it didn't really count.

The pack was busy running patrols because they have been slacking, and getting ready for school.

This year was going to be different. Emily, Kim, Leah, Paul, and Jared were all going to college. Or at least the girls were going to go for sure.

Jared and Paul were still having problems with deciding to go or not.

They thought that they could always wait, because unlike humans, they don't age as fast and could go later in life.

But then they wanted to go because it was just the right time for the experience and the girls were already going too.

Jake, Embry, and Quil were getting ready for their senior year. And I mean, I guess it wasn't that big of a deal, getting ready for senior year, but Jake was trying to fix up the Rabbit, Quil was spending time with his imprint Claire and Embry was spending time talking on the phone with Catie.

Collin and Brady were busy getting ready for their freshman year, freaking out about being the little wolf in the big forest, or so they say, so it was just hectic.

I knew I needed to see them all, to break it face to face; but I didn't know if I wanted to break it to Sam separately.

I sighed. This was hard.

I decided to play it out this way.

Charlie already knew about what I was going to do, and he stood by me. (Well I kind of bent the truth by saying it was right outside of Washington, so I could just drive down and visit, but I guess it wasn't a huge lie, right?)

So I was going to call everyone here tonight. Charlie called and said he was working late, and I needed to pack if I was going to go because there were only a few more days of summer, and I already practically sent a letter saying I was accepting the scholarship, I just needed to tie some loose ends up.

Sam called, and I told him I was going to have everyone over here for dinner. I told him to be here a little earlier than dinner time so he could be here before the others, and I could explain everything to him. Luckily, he told me he would be there.

One down and the rest to go. I thought painfully.

I called everyone else and told them to be here around dinnertime; saying that I wanted to just get together before the summer ended.

It was a relief to know that everyone was coming. When it was around the time I told Sam to come, I began to pace.

What was I going to say?

Hey Sam, look, im going to go away for college and I just wanted to tell you. And I know we are imprints but I promise to teleport home everyday. It will just be like a regular day.

No.

Sam, im going to college in a different state. Its actually the scholarship I applied for.

Nope.

Sam, im going to college. Away. But isn't this what you wanted?

Defiantly not.

I looked over at the clock and found he was already 15 minutes late. I paced the kitchen floor, and then heard my cell phone ring.

Crap where is it?

I ran into the living room. I could hear it was close...but where?

Suddenly I remember it was upstairs in my room. I teleported quickly to my room and found it buzzing on my desk.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Bells." Sam said relieved.

"Where are you Sam? I thought you said you would be here like a half hour ago." I said looking at my clock.

"Yea, I know. But they guys needed my help at the station. I'm going to be leaving soon. I should be there in like 20."

I sighed. That's when the Pack was supposed to be there.

"Oh. Ok." I said sadly.

"Is everything ok?" he asked concerned.

I bit my lip.

"No." I squeaked.

Damn it. I thought.

"Look, I will just see you when you get here. I got to go. Love you." I said quickly, and then hung up, not waiting for a response.

I threw myself on the bed and felt like crying.

I was about to burst. I know how they were going to react, and I just needed to get it over with.

Well, I guess fate has it out for me. I thought.

I looked back to my clock and found that everyone should be here soon.

I quickly went down the stairs and made sure everything was cooking.

The homemade pizzas were just about ready, along with the fruit and vegetable salads. I set out the buns and fresh lemonade, putting everything on the counter.

I let out a deep breath and the door suddenly swung open.

"Yo Bells." Paul said.

"Hey Bella." Seth and Embry said.

"Hey." Jake said coming up to me and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey." I replied to all of them, and giving Jake a hug.

"You ok?" he asked concerned.

"yea." I said burying my head in his shoulder.

"You love me right? No matter what?" I asked. I know I knew the answer, but I just needed the reinsurance

"Of course I do. Is everything ok?"

"Yea, yea. I just wanted to make sure." I said smiling.

I knew he could see the scared little girl behind that strong person act that was seen in my eyes, so I patted his shoulder and quickly passed by him to say hi to everyone else.

"Hey Le-le." I said.

"Hey bells, smells good!"

I laughed. She may be a girl, but you could defiantly see the wolf in her.

"Bella, this looks amazing!" Emily said giving me a hug.

"Thanks Em." I said melting into her hug.

Jared and Kim came in next, then Quil, Collin, and Brady.

I laughed as Jared and Quil were standing by the food.

"Guys! Cut it out." I laughed, shoving them away from hovering over the food.

"Hey Sam!" Leah announced.

I tensed a little, and Jake must have noticed because when he touched my shoulder I jumped a little.

He raised an eyebrow at me and I smiled.

I looked over to Sam to see him looking at me. I couldn't read the expression on his face, which made me nervous.

He walked over to me and hugged me. I felt him give me a peck on the cheek, but I didn't really pay attention. All I was thinking was how much I needed this moment. I made sure to respect this moment. His body heat, the way he hugs me, his lips to my cheek. Everything I had, everything I ever wanted was right here, and I was about to mess it up.

I laid my head on his chest, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He gave me a kiss on the top of my head and whispered in my ear. "You ok?"

I nodded. "Just give me a minute."

I breathed in his woodsy smell, and listened to his heart.

Man I can't believe im going to do this.

I backed away from Sam's embraced and smiled. "Dinner time." I said innocently.

Everyone rushed towards the food, and I quickly stepped out of the way.

I heard Sam and Jake chuckle.

Everyone grabbed a plate and sat down. I looked at the food. There was some left, but the way the butterflies were flapping in my stomach made me think twice.

"Bells, aren't you hungry?" Jake asked concerned. I stood there in the middle of the kitchen lost. Yes. No. Maybe?

I looked from the food to Jake.

"I…umm…no." I said ducking my head and fiddling with my hands.

"What's up Bells?" Embry asked swallowing his food.

I sighed. Everyone's eyes were on me, and the pressure was on.

"I'm going to college." I said bluntly. I didn't really know how else to break it.

"That's great Bells!" Paul, Embry, Jared, Quil, and Jake say.

"Hooray!" Brady and Collin shouted

"Congrats." Kim and Emily announced.

"Ahh! Bells, we all can be roomies!" Leah squealed really girly. Everyone stopped and laughed at her. I looked over at Sam to see him smiling.

I let out a forced chuckle and winced to myself. Seeing Sam smile made my heart want to break. God, I was a terrible person and girlfriend.

"Actually, I-….we cant." I said, not looking at anyone. Silence suddenly filled the room.

My shoes started to become the most interesting thing in the world.

"I'm accepting the scholarship back in Montana." I mumbled. Wincing at the expressions I imagined on their face.

The silence was deafening, and I felt my heart crush into pieces.

"Montana?" someone asked.

I looked up at them confused. I saw hurt and confusion all over their face.

It suddenly occurred to me. I never told them the name of where I was.

Shit.

"Yea, its where I was when I left. And that's where the place is of the scholarship. Chad said that they were hoping I would join them. They are even-…"

"Chad?" I heard Sam growl.

I looked over at him.

His eyes were full of sad, heartbreaking pain.

"Yea. I contacted him the night I left your house." I mumbled as quietly as possible.

I heard Sam growl again, and saw Jake put his hand on his chest.

"Sam." He said in a deep voice.

"Just hear me out…" I pleaded.

"Why should we?" Leah asked in a cold hard tone.

The way she said it, it made me shiver. It made me want to crawl away and huddle up into a ball and cry myself to sleep.

I looked at everyone to see them all gloomy and depressed.

"Its not like I will never see you! They are giving me an apartment to myself. They are even paying for it! And I…."

"Can I talk to you?" Sam asked suddenly.

I looked over at him and his eyes connected with me. They were hard and cold.

I nodded, walking out to the living room.

"Why are you doing this?" Sam growled, overly close to me.

I had to look up to him to meet him eye to eye.

"Are we that bad of a family? Am I that bad of a boyfriend that you need to get away? I thought…"

I cut him off. "You guys are the greatest family I have ever had. You all have been the best thing I will ever have. And you have been the most wonderful boyfriend I could ever imagine. I can't even believe you chose me to imprint on." I admitted.

"but I cant pick a future like this Sam. Forks, La Push and Washington college don't have any of the fields I'm considering. You have no idea how hard it is to admit this to you guys. But I figured it out Sam…"

"Why didn't you tell me this?" he cut me off again.

I threw my hands up exasperated. "I tried! I wanted you to come over earlier today! I wanted to see you face to face days ago after I made the decision, but you were busy with the pack and patrols. By the time I did see you, I wasn't even conscious and I didn't feel like ruining the moments I knew I had to remember because of this!" I yelled my voice thick with tears.

"I didn't want to say anything over the phone. I thought you and the rest of the pack deserved a lot more than that." I said calming myself down.

I looked at him, and found him standing there just frozen.

"Why Bella? Why do you have to leave?" he cried looking up at me.

"Sam." I said walking over to him. I hugged myself to him and felt his arms wrap around me.

"I don't want to. But you were the one who always wanted me to have more. To go to college and have a good future, something that we will have together. You wanted me to be happy remember?" I asked him.

"of course." He said looking down at me.

"And that's what I'm doing. I'm going to be at school for teaching and baking. It's what I want to do. Its what I need to do. I need to prove to myself I don't always have to pick one thing over the other. I found my loophole and I want to take it."

I looked at him and saw he was still trying to understand. So I admitted something I felt uncomfortable with. I bit my lip and laid my ear over his heart.

"One day, I want to be the proof to our kids that they can achieve anything they put their mind too, even when people think you cant; or when they think it will hurt the ones they love. I want to show our kids how we survived it all and never had any regrets."

"Bella?" he asked with his voice cracking a little.

I couldn't even imagine the pain he was going through. My heart felt heavy and broken already.

I closed my eyes and mayed my forehead under his chin.

"Bella?" he asked again. "look at me."

I let out a breath and slowly looked up to him.

"Kids?" he asked smiling. He waggled his eyebrows and I laughed a little.

"yea, well I thought…" I began to feel my cheeks get warm and knew I was blushing.

"ok." He murmered in my ear while swinging me around.

"Ok?" I squeeled.

"yea." He said setting me back on the ground. He lowered his head and I quickly captured his lips into a sweet passionate kiss.

When we broke, he moved a strand of hair out of my eyes and looked at me.

"So how is this all going to work out? If I know my girlfriend, she has some kind of plan or worked it out somehow, right?"

I smiled up at him. "Very good Mr. Uley. I believe you are learning." I stretched my neck up and went on my tippy toes to give him a small kiss on the lips.

I heard a cough and rolled my eyes.

I grabbed Sam's hand and walked to the kitchen. I saw Jake leaning on the doorframe of the kitchen waiting for us.

He gave me this look; it was a mix of disappointment and hurt- a feeling that made my chest ache.

"How could you Bella?" he asked as I dragged Sam into the kitchen.

Sam must have felt my pain because he growled and snipped at Jacob. "That's enough Jake."

"Why Sam? She may be able to trick you with some baby saying, but its different for us!" he yelled.

I flinched away from Jake's tone of voice and backed away.

"Bella…"

"How…"

"Why…"

Everyone started to say.

"Oh Heavens!" I said frustrated.

"Could you all just stop being so disappointed in me and let me talk?"

Everyone shut up, but I could tell they didn't like my choice of what I was going.

"The college I applied to really wants me. Chad told me that he said I was in a predicament right now so I would have to think about it."

I felt Sam's hand tightened against mine when I mentioned Chad. I squeezed back and flashed him a quick smile.

"So they said that they would throw in an apartment for free, as long as it was in a reasonable price range." I took in a breath and saw everyone's face a little less angry.

"So I thought about this. I wanted to go into cooking, but I also wanted to go into teaching. So I was thinking if I took the scholarship I could do my schooling for free and some cooking classes on the side."

Everyone was still kind of pissed, especially Leah. I knew she was really hurt.

"If I was to have a free apartment that means no one would know when I was leaving or entering, especially when I would be teleporting everyday."

I saw everyone's head snapping up to me. "What?" they all said.

"I could take all my classes during the day, back to back, and then come home around the same time Collin and Brady come home. It's kind of like I'm going to school, just not by here."

"So you're going to teleport back here everyday after classes? What about homework?" Leah asked skeptical

"Well we don't have classes on weekends, and if I start around 6am for my first class and continue from there, I can get out by 1pm. Then if I had lots of homework, I could do it and be home by the time Collin and Brady get home." I repeated.

"Wow." Quil said.

I nodded and looked at everyone. "I told you. It's not like I'm leaving. I mean I am, but it won't be any different."

I looked at Leah and saw her about to say something but I cut her off.

"And don't even think about saying, 'well we wont see you during the day', because everyone either has school or work, so none of us would be seeing each other during the day anyways."

I said directing it to Leah.

She sighed and nodded. "Plus, there is such a thing called a phone. Most people in our generation know how to use it." I said pointing out the obvious.

"I just….I hate the fact that you wont be close by." She admitted.

"I am here. A phone call or thought away." I said.

"Thought?" Seth asked.

"Yea, well I was thinking. And I actually think that I can connect my mind with all of yours; Kind of like you can when your wolves." I told all of them.

"So we have to phase to connect with you?" Brady clarified.

"Yeaaa, I think so." I said guessing.

"How do you know this Bells?" Jake asked

"Actually I don't, I'm just guessing. If I can connect my mind with yours when you're human, even if it's for a little while, then I think I can have a stronger connection when everyone is in wolf form."

"Why would that matter?" Collin asked.

"Because I don't have to put so much energy into connecting my mind with each and every one of you. When you guys phase, you automatically have a connection, no energy needed. So if I was to keep the connection open, I think you guys would be able to communicate with me, just as long as I can connect minds with one of you." I tried explaining while working out the kinks.

"Hmmm….." Jared sounded out loud.

"It's like being a bridge" I stated.

Everyone started nodding, processing the information.

"Can we try it out?" Quil asked everyone.

I shrugged my shoulders looking at Sam.

He looked at me and tilted his head to the side.

"Why not?" he asked nonchalantly, making sure I was ok with this at the same time.

"Leah, Paul, Jared and Quil- Go phase." Sam commanded.

They all nodded and walked out the door.

"So how is this going to work?" Collin asked.

"Well if what Bella thinks is correct, then once they phase she should be able to hear them." Sam explained. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

I leaned into his chest and he kissed the top of my head.

Brady looked out the window and nodded. "Ok, they phased."

I nodded and Sam gave me a quick squeeze and kiss on my head again.

I closed my eyes, concentration on hearing Leah's voice.

"Hello?" Jared kept asking

"Heeelllooo?" Paul asked

"Why do I have a feeling this isn't working?" Leah complained

"Bella? Where are youu??" Quil said curious.

"Hey guys. Well Leah, your feelings must be off cause I did it! I can hear all of you." I said happily.

"Sweet!" Quil shouted

"Awesome." Jared concluded

"Neat-o!" Paul said.

"Oops, sorry Bells. Great Job though!" Leah said blushing.

"It's fine…."

"Bella?" Sam said.

I could hear him loud and clear, I knew how close he was standing by me, I just tried to make sure I could focus on a connection with the pack's mind.

"Bella, if you can hear me, open you eyes." Sam commanded me gently.

"Your eyes are closed?" Jared asked me.

"Wait. You can hear that?" I asked the wolves.

"Yea. Wait, it's through you." Quil said.

"So let me get this straight. You can hear us and we can hear you, including other people who are talking to you face to face?" Leah asked me.

"Yea, I guess so." I said shocked.

"Wow," was Paul had to say.

"I don't think she can hear me." Sam said to someone.

I furrowed my eyebrows and focused on my lips.

"Sam?" I asked with my eyes still closed.

"Bella? Are you still connected with them?" he asked me.

"Guys?" I asked the pack.

"Yup. We are still here!" they all shouted.

"Yea, I got them." I told Sam out loud.

I could feel Sam's smile as I answered him.

"Open your eyes Bella." Sam commanded me again.

I slowly focused on opening my eyes while keeping the connection with the pack.

My eyes started to flutter open and I looked up to find Sam eye to eye with me, and a smile plastered on his face.

"Are you still connected with the pack?" he asked me.

"yes." They said groaning a little from repeatedly answering that question.

"yea." I said looking at him straight in the eyes.

We both smiled widely and he swooped me up into a big hug.

When he set me down he gave me a quick kiss.

"You can tell them to phase back and come inside now." Sam told me.

I was about to tell them when they all cut me off.

"Don't worry Bells, we got it. See you in a sec." Jared told me.

Within two seconds Leah, Paul, Quil, and Jared were coming back in though the front door.

"That was sweet!" Quil announced.

"Not only could we hear Bella, but we could hear Sam too!" Paul whooped in happiness.

Sam gave me a look of shock and disbelief.

I nodded, telling him it was true.

"Amazing." Sam breathed and pulled me into a quick intense kiss.