"When the weight is on your shoulders
Come on your knees

All the things you knew for sure
Were not what they seemed
Wake me when it's over
Wake me please
Wake me when it's over

When all the noise has gone
Anything you want
I will give away
Just to watch you go"

-Longwave "Wake Me When It's Over"

Emmett's POV

My name is Emmett McCarthy and I am the biggest dick in the world.

It was the first day of my senior year. I should have been excited, but I wasn't. I started the day off with a heavy heart. The day before I spent the entire day in the bed of my true love, Rosalie Hale. We cuddled, made out, snacked on junk food, and watched Disney movies all day. I never wanted that day to end. I wanted that day to continue for the rest of my life. But as soon as I got home, my friends texted me and started badgering me to break up with Rose.

They've never liked her. They thought she was self-centered and is too young for me. They don't know who she really is. She's the most loyal, dedicated, beautiful, smart, funniest girl in the entire world. She's my everything. Every time I tried to tell the guys this, they'd accuse me of being a pussy and would hear nothing of it. I was getting tired of always being made fun of.

I've never been the most fit guy in the world. I've always been slightly bigger than average. Rosie likes it, but no other girl finds me attractive. I'm thankful for Rosalie, but it would feel nice to be attractive to other girls. Rosalie has been the only girl to ever have any interest in me. Even other guys like to make fun of my body shape.

Growing up, my parents kept me away from all the neighborhood kids because I've always been the receiving end of every joke. My parents didn't think I was mature enough to handle kids teasing me. Maybe they were right, maybe they weren't. I don't know. Because of this I have no social skills. I'm an awkward guy who doesn't know how to communicate with other people. Lots of people think I'm weird and don't have the patience for me. But Rosalie's patience is unwavering. She's always been there for me and she's never judged me. She likes my awkwardness. She understands me like no other. She understands me better than my parents.

My parents hate Rosalie. They don't like her parents so that means they don't like her. Her parents are two of the most worthless human beings in the world. They treat Rosalie like she's some kind of disappointment. I guess my parents and her parents have more in common than I thought. All Rosalie ever does is try to please the people around her. She feels like she's never good enough for anyone, including me. That's where she's wrong. She's better than anyone else in the world. She doesn't see herself clearly.

Rosalie and I are constantly on and off. We never break up because we loved each other any less. It's always because my parents and friends put so much pressure on us. My parents think she's going to hold me back next year and my friends think we've been together too long to be considered healthy. I've always done my best to ignore them, until one day it all became too much.

That's when I broke up with Rosalie. I didn't just break up with her. I broke her heart in the most brutal way.

I didn't want to break up with her. I wanted to stay with her. I only broke up with her to stop the constant badgering from my parents and friends. I don't know why I couldn't just ignore them. I gave up too easily.

It broke my heart to see her cry over me. I wanted to throw myself off the nearest cliff. I didn't mean a single word I said. But hearing my friends approve of what I was doing made me feel good. I was finally accepted. If only it was in a different way.

It took all of my strength not to fold completely when I saw Rosalie get on her knees and beg. I should have stopped right then and there and ended all of this. I should be the one on my knees begging for her forgiveness. But I didn't. I kept it going. I felt her hand grab mine, and instinctually I held her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. It felt like time stopped as I looked into her eyes and saw that she understood. In that moment, she knew I didn't mean a word I said. She's always been able to read me like an open book.

"God, how pathetic. Emmett leave her on her knees and let's go," Mike Newton said. I let go of her hand and instantly missed the connection I felt with Rosalie. With one more glance at her, I walked away. I followed my friends to the commons and sat down with them. They were all laughing and joking about Rosalie on her knees. I didn't pay any attention, but I felt myself laughing and smiling along with them. I felt disgusting. I looked towards the cafeteria. I had to see her again. I made some lame excuse about getting more food, and quickly hurried towards the cafeteria again.

Alice and Edward hovered around Rosalie who was still sobbing on the floor. I felt bad for her. I wanted to rush over and hug her, comfort her, kiss her, tell her everything would be alright. But I couldn't. She looked up at me with teary eyes. We made eye contact for God knows how long. I never wanted to look away. Even as she sat broken and crying, she was still the most beautiful girl in the world. The trance was broken when Edward poured a carton of milk on my head. I tore my eyes away from Rose. I was furious Edward would disrupt me from memorizing every last detail of Rosalie's face. Edward was about to say something, but like the asshole I am, I didn't give him a chance to tear me a new asshole. I walked away and rejoined my asshole friends.

For the rest of the day, I avoided Rosalie. I couldn't face her. I didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes. Later that night Rosalie called me ten times, each time I rejected her call. I knew the first call was Rosalie. The other nine was most likely Alice. Alice never knew when to quit.

My parents were proud of me. They said I finally got my head on right. This was the first step to me getting my life together. I hated myself for what I did to Rosalie, but part of me was glad I did it. I finally earned everyone's approval. Everyone was happy.

Except Rosalie Hale.