Hey guys. Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I appreciate anyone who is still following my boring stories lol.

Twilight is not mine, but this story plot is.

Chapter 12

"Morning!"

"Morning," I mumbled silently, yawning before taking a seat at the table filled with delicious food, my nostrils getting wider with every delicious smell I take in.

"This smells really nice," I appraised, taking a plate and putting all kinds of greasy shit on it.

"Thanks hon. Could you please do me a favor and go call Bella before you start devouring your food like a savage? " Esme asked with a teasing smile.

"Hey! I do not eat like a savage!" I murmured, stuffing my mouth with food, not really sure if she understood me but not really caring about that at the moment.

She just lifted her eyebrow, giving me a look as to say, "oh no?"

I didn't care, even though she was right. I was too busy stuffing my tummy with food.

Rolling my eyes, I mumbled, a " whatever."

She smiled softly, showing a few of her front white teeth. "Just wipe your greasy mouth and call her to the kitchen."

"Who?"I mumbled, looking away, knowing who exactly, but not wanting to admit it.

"Oh come on, don't do this, you know exactly who I'm talking about," she said, taking a few step towards me and taking the same plate away from me.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"No more of that until you march your ass out there and call Bella."

"Mom!" I whined, knowing it won't help one bit.

"Now!" she commanded.

I grouchily got up with an immature pout, dreading to knock on her door, only to, seconds later, see her quickly walking away-okay, so it might have looked more like a jog—and went straight to hallway, slamming the back door before allowing Esme to even speak.

With a relieved sigh, I sat back down, taking my mom's plate, and happily continued on munching on my breakfast while my mom still kept being frozen, looking at the door, only to moments later, direct that same stare right at me. You know that one? The one that says "You better fix this or I'm gonna whoop your ass boy", or something like that anyway.

"What exactly did you do?"

Okay, so maybe not. Apparently, she just wants to smack me into oblivion.

"Nothing!

"Well, it obviously wasn't nothing or she wouldn't have just walked out of the house like that. What did you say?"

"Hey, you said whatever I did, you'll support me."

She nodded, "Yes I did, because I know that you're gonna do the right thing and follow her to apologize."

"Right now?"

"Yes."

"Do I have to?" I ask, my voice sounding lethargic.

"Yes!"

I gave a groan before taking another big bite of my eggs and went to look for her.

Since she went on foot, I thought there was no way she could have gone too far, but fuck me if I didn't look for her anywhere I could think of for at least an hour or more, to finally- after twenty more minutes- see her sitting on a small bench, near some god forsaken place, surrounded by huge fucking trees. Sometimes, I really liked that about this town, being surrounded by color green wherever you go, the little town providing you to get lost in your little secret paths, and places when you need some time off, but then again, not so much fun if you get lost, searching for a way out in the middle of the night.

Parking my car in some shitty place, getting fucking dirt all over my car and fucking shoes, I stomp away next to her, all the time looking at her with annoyance and dread. Shit, after last night, I decided to avoid her and my father altogether, since my anger didn't subside, and frankly, immature or not, I didn't want for it to subside for a long, long time. I wanted to be mad at them. Anger is good. It's better than sympathy. Or pity. And I didn't want to pity either of them. Or her. Especially not her. Or talk. Or think, because if I do, I knew I would cave like a pussy that I am. I'll cave in the same moment I see her big chocolate brown eyes, or her chewing on her soft, pink lips every time she looks nervous or confused about something. Or just the way her nose scrunches, just a fraction when she's about to laugh, or smirk at something she's about to say.

Shit, see? This is why anger is good. Why I need it. I don't need to like this girl. I also don't want to admit how much my father was right. That I am smitten. Whipped.

With a heavy sigh, as I walk closer to the bench she's sitting on by herself, I try to keep myself calm, needing and wanting anger to be on my side. To be indifferent. Anything to just get this over with and get home.

"Fucking finally," I yell, finally standing next to her. "Where the hell have you been?! I've been looking all over the fucking town for you! What? No answer? Figures. So, what? You're gonna give me the silent treatment?" I ask, as I watch her curiously through my eyesight. She doesn't move, doesn't even flinch as I sit right next to her, yelling at her still. She just continues to sit there, curled up in a ball, her shoulders hunched, trying in vain to hide her face from the entire world, making it lean on her knees.

Don't say it Edward. Don't even look at her. Be strong. Don't cave in.

"What do you want from me, ha? To apologize? Well, sorry, but I did nothing wrong! You are the one who just one day walked in our lives, our house, acting all…all…cute and infuriating with your smart mouth and…"

I stopped myself. Shit, did I just say cute? My body froze, waiting for her to show some reaction, but, once again, she did nothing. Not even a move. Not a peep.

I sighed, relieved and outraged at the same time. Letting the silence surround us, I focus momentarily more on the small forest, the green grass, the way it swayed from side the side, feeling the air caressing my face.

"It's nice isn't it?" I say quietly, not expecting an answer. "The town, that is. I liked living here as a kid. Used to play hide and seek all the time with my folks, giving them a heart attack. It was fun messing with them. Alice and I used to do that a lot. My parents always thought that it was I who was the troublemaker, but Alice was actually the one who challenged me often to do things that got me into trouble. She was always my father's favorite, we both knew that, even if neither of them wanted to verbally confirm it. She was a pro at getting the things she wanted. All she had to do is call him daddy in her cute girly voice, maybe even flutter her eyelashes a bit, or even pout and she got it. Just like that. It was always amusing to see just how much my dad was whipped. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one. She got us all wrapped around her little finger."

I sighed mournfully, melancholic at the memory. It was still all very bittersweet. I missed her so goddamn much. Every damn day.

With another sigh, my eyesight was back on her. She still hadn't move a bit.

"Are you gonna stay in that position forever? Because trust me, I have nothing better to do today. So just…shit. I don't know…"I say, rubbing my hands through my hair, irritated.

Still nothing. Not a sound.

"Fuck. What do you want from me?! To say I'm sorry? To say it's my fault, whatever it is? Do you? Talk to me!"

I could hear a little sigh, and something that sounded like…soft sniffling. Shit.

"Wait. Are you crying?"

Fuck. I hated when chicks did that, never knowing what to do to make them stop, not to mention how uncomfortable that shit would make me. Usually, as soon as I would notice a girl crying, I would run away like a chicken that I am, yet, I knew I couldn't do that right now. If I were to come back home without her, Esme would without a doubt punish me in the worst possible way, do something that she knew would hurt me in the most possible ways;by probably taking my precious car. It was enough taking away my iphone as it is.

"Talk to me Bella. Come on." Yeah, I was past the point of being pissed, sounding too desperate for my own good.

"Why?" sounded like something she murmured, her face still hidden away.

"Just…because. Okay?Now…talk."

"I have nothing to say to you," she said silently, moving her face from her knees, her head turning left.

"Fine. If you don't want to talk, at least let me take you home, so you can bitch me out to my mother and..."

To my surprise, she finally looked up, and what I saw made my resolve crumble, and my anger –what was left of it—disappear.

Her face looked sullen, eyes red, dismal, almost as if she was…yearning for something? Or maybe even someone?

"Contrary to what you may believe, not everything is about you. You are not the center of the world, sorry."

"Ouch. That hearts."

"Good, " she said firmly, then continued softly, almost as a whisper, "Now you know how I feel."

Without knowing, my hand reached out to her face, wanting to wipe away her salty tears. Seeing this, she quickly moved and wiped them before I could, making me freeze my hand midway. I silently put it back on my hip, my fingers clenching in a fist.

The whisper of the sudden wind made me shudder slightly. It seemed quite cold this morning, too cold for the beginning of October.

"You cold?" I ask, noticing just now that she left the house in a hurry with a shirt too thin to look warm." We can leave or I can give you…"

"I'm fine," she interrupted me.

"Don't be stubborn, " I admonished. "Here, take my jacket at least."

"Won't you be cold?" Yes.

"I'm fine."

"Who's stubborn now?" she asked, but took it anyway.

After another few moments of silence, she whispered, "I just needed some time to be left alone. To…mourn."

"Mourn?"I whisper back curiously, but get no response. Of course.

"You can trust me, you know?" I ask, my voice gentle as I stare into her eyes, needing for her to believe me.

She bites her lip indicisevely, deciding on taking a few deep breaths before finally responding. "Today's my mom's anniversary."

"Of?"

"Of…her death."

"Oh." Yeah, that was my brilliant answer. Such a dumbass.

"It's the little things, you know?" she continued. "What you remember. The way she smelled, the way she smiled, how she always called me her sunshine. The way she always tried to fix everything with ice cream. Or candy. It just makes me wonder sometimes…"

"What?" I ask gently, totally sucked in to her little story.

"How…how long has she kept her secret from us, or would she still if…"

"If what?"

She doesn't finish her thought, instead adamant on starting another.

"I was coming home from school one day when I found her unconsciously lying on the floor. After getting her to a hospital, she denied that she ever knew about having brain tumor, and like a kid, I believed her. I was only twelve after all. Just an innocent, gullible kid. She promised me everything will be okay and that she will get through it. But it wasn't okay. From that day on, it only got worse. After she was…gone, everything changed. I took all of the responsibilities of the household as much as I could."

"What about your dad?"

"As far as I know, he's dead, " she said, sudden anger and bitteress that was filling her soft voice surprised me. I tried to ask for more information.

"But…"

"What about Alice?" she asks, quickly changing the subject.

"What about her?"

"Well…where is she?"

"Not here."

"I can see that. What I meant is…what happened to her? What's her story?"

"She doesn't have a story."

"I beg to differ. Everyone has one. Come on, I told you mine, now it's up to you. Please," she pleaded with her big brown eyes, pulling me to reveal my story next with her soft, lulling voice, full of curiosity and interest.

I sighed. So goddamn whipped.

"She was only sixteen when my father discovered she had leukemia. She was at the time dating this guy called Jasper. I didn't really like him, but she seemed happy, so I said nothing. Day by day, I was getting suspicious. She didn't look good, losing weight, having big bags under her eyes often, even complaining often to her friends just how much she would get dizziness. One day, by accident, I saw a few suspicious bruises on her body; arms, back etc. I immediately suspected he abused her, and was so fucking filled with rage I went to his house and started beating his ass. Alice was there that night, asking me to stop, but I couldn't. My whole body was filled with this uncontrollable rage. It was strange. I could see what I was doing but my body wouldn't listen to me. My sister jumped on my back, crying and pleading for me to stop, and yet, only moments later when I couldn't feel her weight on my back, and Jasper no longer resisting, did I realize something was really wrong, what made me finally stop. He didn't move, didn't even seem to breathe. All covered with blood, his face was unrecognizable. After calling the hospital, his parents decided to sue me for an assault, but somehow were convinced to settle outside of the court, by my parents or Alice, I don't know. Still don't. Anyway, for a long period of time Alice wouldn't even look at me, let along talk to me. They were all disappointed at me, I could see that. I tried to apologize to the guy, but the damage was done. Few days later, I found Alice unconscious on her bed. I freaked out, didn't know what to do, so I called my father. After I drove her to the hospital, Carlisle took some tests and found out she had leukemia. That day, hell, entire year was very hard on us. Especially on Alice, but she never complained. Never lost hope. They were all there for her, but me? Like an asshole that I am, I avoided her. Ignored what was happening in my own house, because as long as I ignored it…"

"You could act like everything is okay, and the less you thought about her disease, the less you thought you'll hurt when she dies."

"Yes," I answered, feeling just a bit better that there was at least one person who understood.

"Unfortunately, that's not how it works, does it?"

I shook my head sadly. "No. Far from it."

I could feel her touch on my back, trying to comfort me, but awkward as it was, it also felt kind of…well…nice.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks. And ummm…I'm…sorry, you know, too. About your mother."

She gives a small smile. "I thought you weren't gonna apologize."

I give a silent soft snort."Apparently when it comes to you, I keep on doing things I don't usually do."

Her smile softens, but quickly turns into a yawn.

"Sleepy?"

"Yeah, haven't slept much. I'm also kind of hungry," she says, her stomach making a weird gurgling sound.

"Me too," I say, giving her my hand so to help her get up, not really expecting her to take it. But she does.

"Come on, let's go."

BPOV

"Stop,stop,stop!" I yell as I chew on my pizza.

"What?"

"Go back. I think I saw something good."

"I doubt it," he mutters, but changes the channels, one after another, before I find it.

"That's the one."

"What the hell is this?"

"I think it's Pride and Prejudice, with that chick, what's her name? Keira something…"

"Keira Knightley."

"Yeah, that's the one."

"How can you like that chick? She's all skinny and shit."

"I thought guys like those kind of girls. You know...skinny and tall.."

"Don't know about others, but anorexic is not really my type, no. I like my girls to have some meat on their bones. Ass I can grab, boobs I can devour with my mouth and tongue."

"Sure," I say, but keep my eyes rolling to a minimum, all the while keeping that image twirling in my head.

"What? What's with the annoyed look on your face? I'm just saying like it is."

"Of course you do. You guys are all the same."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You all want a perfect girl that's tall and has a big ass, tight waist and at least a D cup. And that has a brain. Actually, no, I take back the brain comment."

"Hey, I like having a stimulating conversation with a girl from time to time, but then again,if you ask if I would rather have a conversation or sex with a hot girl, I think the answer is obvious."

"Of course you do, " I say with another roll of my eyes.

"Then again…" he continues, raising his voice, "natural is always better than plastic, no matter the size. "

"So, tell me this," I continue, "if you could choose, would you rather fuck Keira Nightley or Pamela Anderson?"

He takes a few moments to decide."Neither. I would choose you."

"Excuse me?"

"Keira is too skinny for my taste, and Pamela, well…she too old for me, and trust me, I'm not that much into MILF's anyway. You on the other hand… "he says, gazing at me with a beholding stare that I've seen a lot in my years, which was easy to decipher- lust, which was plenty there to see, do not be confused- but for some reason, this look also meant to show something entirely different, yet difficult for me to analyze.

"Assward, are you trying to make me blush here, or just uncomfortable, because it's working at both counts."

A casual shrug. "I'm just giving you a compliment. No need to freak out or anything. This doesn't mean I like you, or anything like that," he says, before he takes a gulp of his beer bottle, leaning back on the couch.

"Well, I don't like you either."

"Good. Glad we got that figured out."

I don't say anything else, instead trying to defuse awkwardness- from my side, at least- by focusing on the movie. I've seen it a hundred times, yet, I'm sure I could watch it a hundred more. Jane Austen was always one of my favorite writers of all time, because no matter how complicated her character's life was, she would always find a way to bring them their happily ever after, which was not something you can have in real life. So yeah, as much as life had made me into a pessimistic cynic, I was still a teenage girl who enjoyed reading romance, and HEA.

We watched the ending of a movie just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Assward answered, getting up and taking the empty bottles of beer to trash before opening the door.

"Hey mom," I hear him say in the background.

Seeing nothing else good on TV, I decide to greet Esme, searching for her in the kitchen, where she probably is. Coming in, I see Esme worringly murmur something to Assward, to which he answers, but stops instantly when they both recognize me in the room.

"Hey hon." Esme aknowledges me, an artifical smile on her face," I've brought some pizza for you guys, but Edward said you already ate."

"Yeah, but it's fine. I'm sure we could pre heat it for later."

"Okay. I could easily make something for you if you want? If you're still hungry, that is?"

That pityful look in her eyes was what had made me feel powerless and irritated at the same time.

Stop looking at me like that, I wanted to say, but instead all I said was a short "No thanks," before walking away, going straight to my room.

Knowing there was nothing interesting to see, still, I turned on the TV on, opting to watch any mind-numbing thing just to past the time until bed time.

An hour later, a knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes?" I ask, opening the door to see none other than Assward, although, for a moment, I easily thought it was Esme, probably wanting to know my thoughts behind today's behavior.

Assward,on the other hand did no such thing, just standing in front of the door, not interested in wanting or even asking to come in. I appreciated that.

"Just wanted to see how you're doing, and now that I see you're not acting all emo, I'm happy to take that mental picture of you in your pj in my bed." The implication of the sentence would sound a lot more differently if he hadn't had that smirk on his face, obviously trying to tease me.

"Very funny."

"You know, some people say sarcasm is the lowest form of humor."

"What people?" I ask, folding my arms across the chest, a defying smile on my face.

"I don't know. Just…people," he answers shrugging.

"Well, they don't know what they're missing then."

"Guess not."

Just as he turns to leave I speak once more. "Hey Assward?"

He turns around, a small ironic smile flirts on the edge of his lips. "Yeah?"

"Thanks, you know…for today."

"I didn't do anything."

This time, it's me who smiles back softly, gratefully. "Yes, you did."

I hope you enjoyed the ramblings of my mind. This chapter has been stuck in my mind for a while, but since I was out of town, I was not able to write any of this down until today. Hopefully, these kids weren't too boring. No lemons this time, but there might be some next chapter.

P.S. I have nothing against Keira Knightley or Pamela Anderson. That was just Assward having an opinion of his own. ;)