Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.

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

Thank you guys for all the alerts and thank you to my reviewers.

Chapter 15

BPOV

Everything was back to normal. Well… almost everything. At first, I couldn't bring myself to go back into the basement where my car was still parked. Every time I tried to go near the basement my hands would shake and I felt like I was hyperventilating. I knew that James was in jail and I was being silly but I couldn't help myself. For two weeks, I bummed rides with Liz and Ryan to my classes. If they thought it was strange they didn't say anything to me. It didn't take long for Taylor to notice what I was doing.

We were alone in the apartment when Taylor asked me if I could drive him to the store.

I grimaced. Two weeks of avoiding the basement and my luck had finally run out.

I turned away from the TV to look at him. "What's wrong with your car?"

"I've been having engine trouble." Since when? I never heard him mention any car trouble before.

I reached for my keys on the table next to the couch and handed it to him. "Here, you could borrow my car?"

Instead of taking the keys Taylor looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Is there some reason why you don't want to go down to the basement?"

Crap! I was backed into a corner. I didn't want the gang to know I'd been having trouble and if I wanted to keep it that way I would have to go to the basement.

I tried to keep my face blank and my voice even, as I answered, "No. No reason."

I got up and we left the apartment. We took the elevator down to the basement. The whole ride down I was nervous and fidgety. As the doors to the elevator opened I could feel the tremors in my hands starting up again.

Taylor spared me a worried glance. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, trying to will myself to get it together.

Taylor stepped out of the elevator and held out his hand when he noticed I wasn't following him. I took a deep breath and forced myself to take Taylor's hand allowing him to pull me into the basement with him. I looked around nervously as we walked to my car. The basement didn't look any different except for the fact that old light bulbs had been replaced so it was now well lit. I could see well enough to know that there was no shadowy figure waiting to ambush me.

When we got to my car Taylor squeezed my hand reassuringly and I blushed. I didn't realize I was still holding his hand all this time. I let go of his hand and we got into the car.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, I confronted him with my suspicions. "There isn't a problem with your car, is there?" I fake glared at him.

My answer was a small smile. I knew right then and there that was the most I would get out of him on the topic.

One night Leah called me cursing up a storm. I was surprised because it was the first time she'd ever called me. It was the first time in while that I'd found myself alone in the apartment. I wasn't sure where Liz and Ryan were, Zach was back at his dorm room and Taylor had once again pulled his usual disappearing act.

I was lying on my bed flipping through a magazine when the phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hello, Bella?" Leah's voice sounded more aggravated than usual.

"Leah? What's wrong?" For a second I wondered if she was calling to tell me something had happened to Jacob.

"Fucking Emily. That's what's wrong." What could Emily have done to piss Leah off even more than she already was?

"Ah crap. What the hell did she do?"

"She showed up at my house shouting shit about how she wants her sister back and she's not leaving until that happens." What the hell? I knew Emily and Leah were close before Sam imprinted but she must have been off her rocker to come around Leah's house. Even though they were close in the past, I doubt that they could ever be that close again. Even though they didn't mean to, Sam and Emily hurt Leah in the worst possible way. There were just some wounds that would never really heal. If there was anyone who knew about unhealed wounds, it was me.

"Shit, Leah. What did you do to her?" Leah wasn't known for having the best temper.

"I didn't lay one finger on her. I did however tell her that if she didn't get the fuck out of my house I would rip off the other half of her face." Leah snarled and I shivered involuntarily. I could almost feel the rage in her voice and I hoped it would never be directed at me.

I rolled over on my back. "So what happened next?"

"She left in tears saying she'd be back. She's not going to give up. Why the hell can't she just leave me alone? She made her choice when she chose Sam over me." Her broken voice betrayed her sadness. It made my heart ache for her and I never hated imprinting more than I did at that moment. The shit ruined lives. Nothing about this was fair to either one of them.

"I don't know why she's trying to talk to you now but…" I took a deep breath then continued on as gently as I could "…maybe she misses you." I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for her to lash out at me.

I was surprised when she only grumbled, "Whatever." She was silent for a bit then I heard her say, "I really hate imprinting."

I sighed, "I do too, Leah." God, how I hate imprinting.

We talked for another hour, during which she opened up to me about how she still loved and despised both Sam and Emily. She also talked about how she felt like no one was on her side. I was glad that I could be there for Leah.

My twentieth birthday came and I didn't mention it to anyone. I never told anyone the date of my birthday and I was hoping no one would ask. However, all my hopes were dashed when one night a gift was delivered to the apartment.

We were all hanging at the apartment one night listening to Zach go on and on about his 'adorable' pet ball python he named Suzie Q. It was weird. He was going on as if the snake was his baby. Personally, I hoped never to see the damn thing. Snakes creeped me out big time.

The throbbing vein on Liz's forehead told me that she was about to reach her limit. At any moment I expected her to snap at Zach to shut up about his snake, but instead the doorbell rang.

Ryan got up to answer it. He opened the door and there was a delivery man standing there with a bouquet of roses. "Good night, folks. I have a delivery for Isabella Swan."

Thoroughly confused, I got up and went to sign for it. The delivery guy left and I walked back into the living room trying to figure out who would send me flowers. I plopped down on the couch looking for a card.

Liz's eyes lit up. "Who sent you the flowers? Was it Dillon again?" She was way too excited about this. She was desperate for me to date someone, anyone.

I found the card and was about to read it when it was plucked from my fingers by Zach and read out loud.

Hello love,

Even though we are no longer engaged,

I hope you know I'm still allowed to spoil you.

Please accept this token of my undying love.

I'm still hoping you'll change your mind and marry me.

But I'll respect your decision.

Just know I'll always be here waiting for you.

I have all the time in the world.

My heart is forever yours.

Love Edward.

Happy Birthday!

P.S. The family's gifts will arrive tomorrow.

Around the time Zach finished reading the note, I found Edward's gift hidden in the flowers. I opened the jewelry box to discover a pair of white gold, diamond and emerald earrings with a matching necklace. I was speechless.

Damn! The jig was up. In one fell swoop Edward had managed to spill the majority of my secrets. The silence in the room was deafening.

Liz appeared at my side with something akin to vampiric speed and took the jewelry box out of my hands. She eyed the jewelry with raised eyebrows and whistled. Meanwhile, I was still in shock trying to think of a way to spin this.

I took a chance to glance around the room to gage their expressions. Zach and Ryan had the biggest shit eating grin on their faces, Taylor's expression was unfathomable and Liz… well, her expression said she planned to milk me for every last drop of information I could give her. She was making me nervous. She hadn't brought up Edward since Angela's slip up on the beach. I wasn't going to get away this time.

"Okay. Where do I begin?" Liz folded an arm across her chest and tapped her chin with a finger.

Ryan beat her to the punch. "So you were engaged? When the hell was this?" Liz glared daggers at him.

I sighed. I was trapped. "Over a year ago, I was engaged to a boy named Edward Cullen." I placed the flowers on the table and leaned back on the couch.

I couldn't tell them everything but I would tell them what I could.

Zach was bursting with excitement. "Well, how did you two meet?"

I felt like a parent telling a bedtime story to my children. I had the attention of everyone in the room. "We met my junior year of high school after I moved to Forks and we started dating almost immediately. I was really close to his family. We were… inseparable." My mind trailed off. It seemed like that was a lifetime ago instead of just three years.

"Well, then was happened?" Liz prodded.

"We were together for a few months when he…" abandoned me "…moved away with his family. I didn't handle it so well." I felt a slight twinge of pain. After all this time it still hurt to think about how Edward left and got his entire family to turn their backs on me.

Taylor frowned. "What do you mean when you say you didn't handle it well?"

I flinched. "Let's just say that I was…" a zombie, insane, suicidal "…unwell." I was still so ashamed of the ridiculous way I'd reacted to losing Edward. The people I hurt. I still had trouble forgiving myself.

Liz looked tempted to ask something but then she gave me a sympathetic look and patted my arm instead. "So was this where Jacob Black entered the picture?"

Just at the mention of his name I felt a small smile on my lips. "It was during this time I started hanging out with Jacob and he…" kept me sane "…took care of me. He became my best friend."

Ryan poked my foot. "Friend, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "Jacob wanted to be more than friends but I was still in love with Edward. When I finally started to see him as more than a friend Edward came back." More like I had to go save his ass.

"So what did you do? Please do not tell me you took him back." Liz was pissed.

"Yes, I took him back and that's when things got complicated. You see, Jacob's and Edward's families were enemies."

Zach interest was piqued. "Enemies how?"

The mortal kind. "Their families had a feud that was generations old." It was the truth, well sort of. "It was difficult to keep them from…" killing each other "…fighting."

"So you were the girl who started a war. That's so freaking cool." Ryan was impressed.

"No. They didn't fight over me. I never let things get that far." I shook my head.

"But the fact that they would've if you hadn't stopped them makes you a real life Helen of Troy. You're the woman men would go to war for." Taylor comment made me blush slightly.

"Edward knew how Jacob felt about me and Jacob didn't give up after I got back together with Edward. So Edward staked his claim by asking me to marry him. But I realized that I did have feelings for Jacob, so I called off the engagement."

"So you left Edward for Jacob?" Zack asked.

"No. Not really. After Edward came back, things were different between us and I never really took the time to deal with them. Edward went from being a little over protective to telling me who I could see and where I could go. Jacob worried about me but he still taught me how to cliff dive and how to ride a motorcycle. It was different with Jacob. Edward is extremely protective of me. If he ever found out about what almost most happened to me here he would show up here and try to make me leave with him. If I'd married Edward I would've had to give up a lot of things." I would have had to give up everything that made me well…me.

Liz frowned, "Why would you have to give up anything at all?" It was difficult for them to understand without knowing I was planning to become one of the undead.

I tried to explain myself better. "It's just what would've been expected of me if I married into his family. In the end it was just too hard to stay with him. It shouldn't have to be that hard." I ran my finger through my hair. I sat back waiting for the senses of loss and sadness to overwhelm me but was surprised when there was none. Of course I still missed and loved him but I could accept that we would never be together. Maybe I had already mourned the death of our relationship after he left me the first time. We were truly over.

Liz was amazed. "Wow. You really know how to hook a guy. From what we heard in his message he's still crazy about you." Liz was right. Edward's message was still a little worrying. I hoped his feelings for me weren't identical to the ones Victoria had for James. Crippling and obsessive. I prayed that Edward's love for me would be like a stepping stone he would use to find his true love.

"I know but in the mean time we're still friends. I think eventually he'll meet someone else." I knew that there was someone else out there for him. Edward and I weren't right for each other. I hoped he'd see that someday soon.

"How are you still friends with him?" Zach's expression was incredulous.

I looked at Zach and shrugged my shoulders. "I still care about him and we'd rather be friends than nothing at all. His sister and I are best friends and I'm still on good terms with his family. It's not that big of a deal." Even though I didn't tell them everything, it still felt good to share something from my past with them.

"Well, since we kind of missed your birthday you have to let us take you out." Liz had an evil calculating look in her eyes.

I held up my hands. "No, no. You don't have to do take me anywhere." I was worried. Liz was difficult to stop when she was determined to do something.

"Oh, but we do and I have the perfect place too. Dillon's fraternity, the Alpha Thetas are having a costume party tomorrow night. We're all going." Crap!

I scrambled for an excuse. "But I don't have a costume, Liz."

"Don't worry. I already have something for you to wear." Liz smiled smugly and flipped her hair. Realization dawned on me that I was set up. She was just waiting to spring this on me.

"How long have you known about this party?" I glared at her. When I looked around the room everyone was grinning. Every one of them had been in on this ambush. Bastards!

"Oh, relax. Not that long. Dillon told me about it and asked me to invite you. That guy really has a thing for you." Damn! So I had Dillon to blame for this. He was determined. I had to give him that.

I rolled my eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. "Do I get to see this costume at least?"

"You'll see it tomorrow night." The evil glint was back in her eyes and I knew it whatever my costume was, it wouldn't bode well for me. Ah crap.

A/N:Can you guys guess what Bella's costume will be?

Coming up next some sexy fun at the frat house.

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