A Mortal Life Chapter 7: Like Family, a twilight fanfic

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not.

A/N: Also thanks to my awesome Beta, Blueboarderchick.

Chapter 7

Classes started off with a bang. I was late to my first few classes because I kept getting lost. Even though we visited the campus before classes began, it seemed even bigger now that I had to walk around it alone. The classes were much larger than the ones in high school, with at least 100 students per class. There was no pressure from professors to attend classes or to do assignments. It was completely up to you whether you flunked out or not. To the professors we were adults, completely responsible for ourselves and what we chose to do with our time. The students were all so diverse in race, personality and morals. I'd never been around people like that before and it was so refreshing.

The gang (as I affectionately called them)and I tried to meet each other in between classes on campus but usually we were so busy that the only time we got to hang out was at the apartment. We made it tradition to have breakfast and dinner together. We felt like a real family. For that I was glad. Liz was like a sister, Ryan a big brother and Taylor… well I had trouble trying to figure out what box to put him in. So I just labeled him one of my best friends and confidante. He was kind, considerate and a great listener. I even got used to his constant staring.

On mornings before class I got up an hour earlier to exercise and go jogging with Liz. I remember the first morning she assaulted me into going with her.

(Flash back)

I was peacefully asleep in my bed when I was awakened by a painful slap on my butt.

"Ow! What the hell?" I rolled over to see Liz standing next to my bed with her hands on her hips, trying to look stern.

"Wakey wakey, Izzy. You're going jogging with me." I sat up and noticed she was dressed in a light blue t-shirt and navy blue shorts. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Jogging, Liz? Come on, you know I'm a colossal klutz. I'd probably end up breaking my neck in a fall." I collapsed back on the bed, convinced that that was the end of it. But I was wrong.

She let out an annoyed sigh. "Why do you keep saying that? How are you a klutz? I've only seen you trip twice since you moved here." I thought about that for a moment. I hardly tripped at all since coming here but in Forks not a day would go by when I didn't fall, trip or break something. I began to wonder how much my being clumsy had to do with people always telling me that I was clumsy. But still jogging?

"But Liz, I'm tired." I whined.

She whined right back. "Oh come on, Izzy. Go jogging with me. Ryan and Taylor won't go and it's not safe to jog alone. Besides when you jog you produce endorphins and they make you feel good. I wanna feel good, Izzy." She stomped her foot and pouted.

I smirked. "I would have thought you had enough of feeling good last night." She and Ryan were at it again last night. The first time I heard them, I couldn't make eye contact with either one of them the day after. After that I invested in ear plugs.

Liz grinned. She was completely unashamed. "Yeah, that was great. Speaking of feeling good. When was the last time you had some good feelings?" Her green eyes glinted mischievously.

I blushed and changed the subject. "You know what? I'll come jogging with you." I got up and fled into the bathroom to get changed.

(End flash back)

I saw Dillon around campus and talked to him a few times. He was a nice guy and a whole lot easier to get along with when he wasn't asking me out. He reminded me a little of Mike Newton.

I called Charlie and Renee often. Charlie and I were both careful not mention Jacob even though I wanted to ask and he wanted to talk about him. He talked about Billy and work. I felt a little sad for him. It didn't seem like he had a lot going on in his life. He promised me he was making a real attempt to eat better.

I spoke to Alice and the Cullens frequently. I made Alice promise to stop her 'looking', as far as my future was concerned. I tolerated it when Edward and I were together but now it felt like an invasion of my privacy. As promised I emailed Edward a lot. After our break up, he spent three months with the Denali clan. But now he was back with the family and doing better. Even though it was hard on him, we were slowly becoming friends.

It was over a month after coming to Dartmouth that I finally gained the courage to call Leah. I was alone in the apartment that night. Liz and Ryan went on to dinner and a movie. I didn't know where Taylor was. I assumed he had a date. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed her number. I sat on the couch and waited for her to pick up.

Leah answered in her typically disgruntled voice. "Hello?"

"Hi Leah, it's Bella."

"Well, well. Look who it is. So how's it going, college chick?"

"It's going all right. How are things with you?"

"You know same old, same old. Still stuck here watching my cousin play house with my ex-boyfriend." Her sarcasm still stung but I could feel the hurt in her words.

"I'm sorry, Leah. That must really suck." Once again, I was reminded of how much better off I was.

Her voice softened a bit. "You know, you're the first person … well other than Sam and Emily, that ever apologized for what happened to me. I know you have nothing to be sorry for but it's still nice to hear." I couldn't believe no one else ever said that they were sorry about what happened to her, before. No wonder she was so angry all the time. I decided to change the subject.

I dove right in. "So how's Jacob doing?"

Leah sighed. "He's doing better now that he's back home."

I sat up. "Back home? What do you mean?"

"You mean you didn't know? After you left Jacob took off for a while." She was genuinely surprised I didn't know about Jacob.

Oh god. What did I do to him? "Where was he? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine, calm down. After you left, he stayed in wolf form and ran all the way to Canada. He was gone for three weeks. But don't worry, he's back now."

I closed my eyes feeling relieved. "How come Charlie didn't tell me? Who took care of Billy when he was gone?"

"Well, Billy covered with Charlie and told him Jacob was away at some Native American coming of age thing. And the pack chipped in and took turns helping Billy out."

"Leah, be honest. How is he, really?" I needed to know how he felt.

Her voice was sad. "He misses you, Bella. Sometimes the pain is too much for the pack and we can't stand to be phased the same time he is. Sam is the only one who can bear to be phased with him when he gets like that." I felt the pain, I'd been holding at bay since the day I left, clawing at my chest. It was my fault he was hurting. I broke his heart. I couldn't even attempt to hide my pain from Leah as I sobbed.

"Leah, tell me I'm doing the right thing. Please, I need to hear you say it." I pleaded with her. I felt as if I was drowning in despair.

"You're doing the right thing, Bella. I'll say it as many time as you need me to. You made the right choice. It will get easier, you'll see. " She told me forcefully, trying to make me believe in my choice.

I felt like a little girl again. I needed someone to tell me that everything would be okay. "You promise?" I asked in a small childlike voice.

"Yeah, I promise. So tell me about your roommate." Gratefully she changed the subject.

I told her about the gang and classes. Despite everything I was enjoying college.

"I started classes at Peninsula Community College a month ago. I'm really enjoying them." She sounded a little happy.

"Really? That's real good news, Leah. I'm happy for you." I was glad that Leah was enjoying something. She deserved some happiness in her life.

"Speaking of happy. That was some going away present you gave ole Jakey boy." I could hear the grin in Leah's voice.

"Oh my God! Leah!" I was mortified. The entire pack must have seen what happened between Jacob and me the night before I left. I could feel all of the blood in my head rushing to the surface of my skin. This was so humiliating.

"Relax, Bella. I was just teasing." She smirked. "Lighten up. From what I saw you have nothing to be embarrassed about. I was just poking fun at you. It's what friends do." I was still embarrassed but the some of the warmth I felt now was from her calling me friend.

"Thanks, Leah." I smiled.

"Sure. Call me again, okay. I wanna hear about your college hook ups." She laughed.

"Sure thing, Leah. Talk to you later." We said our goodbyes then hung up.

I sat on the couch with the phone in my hand, thinking about the conversation I just had with Leah. Jacob was so hurt and I missed him. I wished I could call him, just to hear his voice.

I was beginning to feel sad again when I heard the jingle of keys in the front door. I wiped at my eyes and glanced at the clock. I knew it was too early for Liz and Ryan to be back from their date. I looked up, surprised to see Taylor coming through the door with a pizza and DVDs in his hand.

"Hey…Isabella? What's wrong?" The smile on his face faded at my teary-eyed appearance.

I did my best to smile reassuringly. "Nothing, I'm fine." I flinched. My voice didn't sound the least bit convincing.

Taylor put the pizza and movies on the living room table and came to sit with me on the couch. He took the phone out of my hands, set it aside and took both my hands in his. "It doesn't look like nothing."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, knowing he wouldn't let it go until I told him. "I just called a friend back home. My ex Jacob, he isn't handling the break up so well. It's just hard. I wish this was easier on him."

Taylor gave me a sympathetic smile then pulled me into a hug wrapping his arms around me. I knew he was, without words trying to tell me that it would be okay. I buried my face in his muscular chest and Taylor tucked my head under his chin. It felt nice to be held again. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He smelt of aftershave and chlorine. Chlorine? It was oddly comforting.

I pulled away to look at him. "Hey what are you doing here? I thought you had a date." A few times, every week Taylor disappeared for a couple of hours. I never asked Liz or Ryan about it but I assumed he was dating.

His eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Date? Who said I had a date?"

"No one did. I just assumed you had a date. Where did you disappear then?" It was my turn to be confused.

A smile broke out on his face then, displaying his perfect white teeth. "That, Isabella, is a secret. One day I'll reveal it to you." I shook my head. Taylor really loved being mysterious at times. "I knew you'd be alone tonight, so I thought we could watch a movie and have some pizza."

I smiled, feeling grateful. He really was a great friend.

I went into the kitchen to get us some plates and soda. When I came back, Taylor was sitting on the floor in front of the television holding up two movies. "So what do you want to watch? I've got The Hills Have Eyes 2 or Knocked Up."

There was no way I was watching the horror movie. "I prefer to be able to sleep tonight, so I'll go with Knocked Up. I could use a laugh tonight."

He put the movie on and came back to the couch to sit next to me. We quickly tore into the pizza while we watched the movie. When we were finished eating, Taylor slung an arm around my shoulder and I laid my head on his shoulder while we watched the rest of the movie. It was surprisingly funny and we were cracking up so much that I forgot about my previous bout of melancholy.

After the movie Taylor helped me wash the dishes and put away the leftovers. We returned to the living room where I sat on the couch reading a book assignment while Taylor watched the sports channel.

It wasn't long before Liz and Ryan came home from their date. Apparently, they had gotten themselves thrown out of the movie theatre for lewd behavior. Taylor and I laughed as they recounted the story of how they were 'perp walked' out of the theatre by security. I felt so content; they were all really like family.

Winter in Hanover was ridiculously cold or bitchin cold, as Liz eloquently put it. I didn't go home for Christmas break. Charlie was disappointed but I knew he would spend the holidays with Billy and Jacob. He wouldn't be alone. I, on the other hand, was fully prepared to spend the holidays alone in the apartment but was surprised to learn that none of the gang planned to go home either. Taylor and Liz had a difficult relationship with their father and Ryan wasn't going home because his parents didn't like Liz. He would go wherever Liz went.

So we spent the holidays together. Ryan and Taylor drove out to the Christmas tree farm to pick out a tree while Liz and I went shopping for decorations. We returned home and everyone helped decorate the tree while Christmas music played in the background. Liz and I baked Christmas cookies and despite the mistletoe incident that happened between Taylor and me, we all had fun.

We decided to do the secret Santa thing and get gifts for one person instead of getting gifts for everyone. I got the feeling I was set up because Liz and Ryan ended up with each others names while Taylor and I got were paired off. Later, a giggling Liz and a grabby Ryan slinked away to his apartment to give each other their gifts.

I gave Taylor my present. It was leather bound musical journal. "I thought you could use this." I blushed lightly. He was always walking around with scraps of paper that held his songs and music so I got him a journal to help him organize his thoughts.

His green eyes lit up in pleasant surprise. "Thank you, Isabella, I'll cherish this always." He set it aside. "And now for your present. I know you don't like expensive gifts, so I went with something a little low key."

He got up and walked toward the Christmas tree and removed a guitar from behind it. He went to sit on the couch while I stayed where I was on the floor.

He positioned the guitar and strummed the chords. "Remember I promised to sing for you. I wrote you a song."

He began to play and I was drawn to his beautiful voice.

Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead.
Yesterday is a promise that you've broken.
Don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes.
This is your life and today is all you've got now
Yeah, and today is all you'll ever have.
Don't close your eyes.
Don't close your eyes.

This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose.

Yesterday is a kid in the corner.
Yesterday is dead and over.

Don't close your eyes.
Don't close your eyes.
Don't close your eyes.
Don't close your eyes.

This is your life are you who you want to be?
This is your life are you who you want to be?

This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed it would be.
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose.

And you had everything to lose.

Taylor finished playing and I was so shocked. I had no idea he was so talented. I applauded and he smiled. I was well aware of the fact that my face was now crimson in color. "Wow, Taylor. You have a beautiful voice."

He laid the guitar on the couch. "I'm glad you like it but sometimes I worry about you, Izzy."

"You worry about me? Why?" I felt a nervous twinge in my stomach.

He came to sit next to me on the floor. "Sometimes you seem happy but there are times when you go away to a place inside your mind and I can see the sadness in your eyes. I know there are things in your past you haven't told us about but that's okay, Izzy. I want you to know that I…we love you like family and we'll always be here for you. Whenever you're ready to talk about it." He finished his heartfelt speech and held his breath waiting for my reaction.

I stared at him, amazed yet again. I couldn't believe they all knew I had deliberately left out parts of my past. They were all very perceptive, especially Taylor. He was the least talkative out of the bunch but whenever he spoke, it was always something worth hearing.

I smiled. "Thanks, Taylor." He smiled in response.

We lay on the floor and let ourselves be lost in our thoughts as we stared up at the Christmas tree lights. Even though I couldn't have the life I wanted, I would make the best of the life I had now.

A/N: The song Taylor sang is from Switchfoot and called This is your Life.

Now I'm going to attempt the impossible with you readers but I won't say what I'm attempting to do I'm I'll let you know.

Things get dangerous in the next chapter. If you want your chapter sooner you know what you have to do. Review.