I put on a peacock feather print off-shoulder top, jeans and grey Vans, stuffing clothes into my bag and looking around to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.

"What do you think you are doing?" Damon said walking in the room.

"I'm going home" I said.

"What? No"

"Damon, I don't want to stay here. Do you realize how humiliating is to be with you here while everyone knows you're still obsessed with Katherine? Besides, Jake would feel more comfortable at my house and he can protect me"

"Right, the dog comes and you leave" he rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you like him? He's done nothing to you but help you. Is it because Katherine had a werewolf lover?" I shot back.

"Shut up. The only one obsessed with Katherine and I is you" he said scowling. "Stop it. It's annoying and really, it makes you look stupid"

"Fuck you, Damon. I just saw you kill a man, without hesitation or regret. Do you understand how do I feel looking at you right now?"

"Oh, so now I scare you? When I drink your blood it's fine, but when I kill my enemy, you get scared" he laughed.

"I am scared. You completely lost your humanity there, Damon" I said.

"I don't have humanity, Bella!" he snapped.

"Yes, I was warned of that, but I didn't listen. I should have"

"You are just jealous that Katherine brings reactions out of me that you will never be able to get" he said stepping closer.

"So, now I'm jealous of your psycothic ex?" I laughed. "Grow up, Damon"

"You're not jealous of her, just of what how strongly I feel about her. And you would love to be able to bring such strong emotions out of a vampire, just because you couldn't with Eddie"

I tried to slap him, but he held my wrist and pulled me closer. I fought against him, but I was defenseless as he wrapped his arms around me.

"I am not jealous of anything concerning that crazy bitch you've dated" I snapped. I was lying just a bit.

"Really?" he said kissing my jaw.

"Stop, I'm mad at you" I said, but the protest sounded weak even to me.

"Fine by me, you're so sexy when you're angry" he murmured.

"You can't get in my pants after offending me, Damon" I scowled at him.

"Fine, if I said I was sorry would you be more willing?" he asked smirking.

"No, because I know it won't be sincere"

"I shouldn't have let you know me so well" he said close to my lips.

"You're infuriating, Damon" I said quietly.

"And you love it"

He crashed his lips to mine, and I stopped fighting. Who was I kidding? He was right. I loved he was infuriating and not perfect like Edward. And he could make me surrender with only one touch. It made me mad at myself, but I so enjoyed it.

"Good morning, sunshine"

I groaned and turned away from Damon, burying my face in the pillow. His hand snaked around my body, cupping my breast.

"Your father is quite bemused about the fact we've been sharing a room" he murmured kissing my shoulder.

"Do you like sending me mixed signs? Teasing my body but talking about my father? You aren't getting nowhere if you continue on that path" I mumbled.

"Well, as much as I wish I got somewhere, you have school in less than an hour and your father needs you to drop him off at your house so he can get his car"

"Oh, dammit. School" I groaned.

He chuckled as I sat up rubbing my eyes. I tried to run my fingers through my hair but it was a mess, probably looking like a bird nest.

"I'm going to take a shower" I said getting up and he started to move. "Alone, Damon. A shower alone" I rolled my eyes at him.

I locked the bathroom door just in case and took my shower calmly. I got out, and Damon wasn't in the room. I put on music and danced as I got ready. I put on a red hooded plaid shirt, rolling the sleeves up, and denim shorts with braces, letting them hang around my legs. I put on black wedge sneakers, put my hair in a braid, and just light make-up to hide the sleepless night. I went downstairs and found Jake, Damon, Stefan and dad in a serious conversation in the kitchen. Apparently Stefan had cooked, because by the wonderful smell it definitely wasn't dad or Jake's food.

"Good morning" I said.

"Great morning" Damon said and smirked behind the rim of his mug.

Dad scowled at him as I blushed and I sat between dad and Jake.

"What is going on?" I asked reaching for a toast.

"Elena's aunt, Jenna, stabbed herself. Katherine compelled her" Stefan said.

"Oh my God" I said and shot Damon a look before looking back at Stefan. "Is she alright?"

"Yes, Elena and Ric called an ambulance and she will spend the week at the hospital"

"Oh. Ahn, maybe I should pass by the hospital later. Elena and Jeremy must need something…"

"I am sure she will appreciate, Bella. Thank you" Stefan said with a smile.

"Okay, well… It seems the week already started… chaotic" I mumbled and took a sip of my juice.

"It will only get worse" Jake said. "Embry and Quil are coming tomorrow, and Charlie insists I shouldn't stay out of school"

"Well, you really shouldn't" I said. "So, we'll pick them up at the airport"

"Yeah" dad said. "Billy is sending their school papers and I'll enroll Jake and the boys tomorrow"

"That's great!" I said happily. "I'll help you catch up with class"

"Yeah, school uhuu" Jake said sarcastically.

I shook my head at him but with a smile.

"So, we should go home today" dad said.

"What?" Damon and I blurted.

"Well, three… Quileutes here won't be a good idea. We have room at home, and you'll be protected with them" dad said to me.

"Well, then she can go home tomorrow" Damon said.

Dad glared at him. I felt Jake snickering by my side and I elbowed him in the ribs.

"I would prefer if my daughter, slept under my roof… alone" dad said.

"Dad" I said blushing.

"But tonight Jacob's friends won't be here to protect you. You should consider staying until they get here, until tomorrow" Damon said.

"Damon is right, Charlie" Stefan said. "Tonight you would be more protected here. Bella can take my room and I'll sleep in the living room"

Damon scowled at him. Dad looked between them, and grumbled his agreement. I already knew Damon would try to sneak in Stefan's room, and Charlie would be guarding the door like I was a princess in a tower and he was a dragon. Dad stood up, and when he wasn't looking, Damon winked at me. And of course, my not so charming prince would come through the window. I rolled my eyes at him but smiled. Damon went back to his room to catch up on his sleep before we left. Stefan went straight to school and I drove with Jake and dad to my house. I left dad there and Jake drove the rest of the way to school. He said he would be around, discreetly, so he could make sure Victoria didn't pull any stunts. A lot of students stared as Jake parked my car and we got out.

"Think you can survive school?" Jake asked teasingly as we met in front of my car.

"The question is, can you survive the boredom without me?" I said smiling.

"I think I can" he said and pulled me to a quick hug. "Be safe"

"It's school. I can only die of boredom" I said pulling back.

"Hey" Bonnie said approaching us with Caroline.

"Hi" I said. "I've heard about Jenna. How is Elena?"

"She's good. A little shaken up, but she will be fine" Bonnie said with a sad smile.

"So, joining us in school, Teen Wolf?" Caroline asked grinning.

"Why Teen Wolf?" Jake said frowning.

"It's a TV show, about a teenager werewolf" I explained chuckling. "Quite fitting the nickname"

"Yeah, really funny" he said rolling his eyes. "Not today, Barbie" Caroline scowled at the nickname while Bonnie and I smiled.

"So you will be enrolling?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, he, Embry and Quil – his friends – will enroll tomorrow" I said.

"That's… great" Caroline said without enthusiasm.

"Yup, I'm just as excited as you, Barbie" Jake said sarcastically.

The bell rang and we said goodbye to Jacob before walking into school. Caroline was a lot more friendly to me now. Perhaps by not telling her about her control the previous day, she realized I was on her side. Or maybe Bonnie spoke to her. I didn't get a chance to ask Bonnie, but as the day passed and Caroline and I became friends, I forgot about asking Bonnie.

"So, Tyler seems quite interested in you, Bella" Caroline said smirking as we walked to the cafeteria.

"Ahn… really?" I frowned.

"By the way his head turned when you passed, I would say yes" she laughed and Bonnie chuckled.

Stupid me, looked back. Tyler smiled and nodded to me. I blushed and turned away.

"What is it with you and werewolves? Tyler, Jacob… Even Mason was nice to you" Caroline laughed.

"I think it's more of a supernatural thing than a werewolf thing. All supernatural beings are quite smitten with her. Edward, Jake, Tyler, Damon…" Bonnie said.

"Who's Edward?" Caroline asked curiously.

"My ex. Vampire" I said awkwardly.

"Oh. Bella, did I tell you your life is really interesting?" she smiled.

We found Jake in a table on the corner of the cafeteria eating, unaware or ignoring the stares he got. After all, he was there as if he was a student, and he wasn't. Caroline went to talk to the cheerleaders, and Bonnie and I joined Jake.

"Hey" he said smiling. "The food is really good. Way better than the one we got at the Rez's school"

"Glad you like it" I said amusedly as he devoured a burger.

"Didn't you get breakfast?" Bonnie asked watching him with amusement too.

"I did, why?" he asked.

"He just eats a lot" I told Bonnie.

"Oh" she said and laughed.

"So, found another thing you didn't tell me, Isabella" Jake said seriously.

"What?" I frowned.

"You've got the mayor's son as admirer?" he teased laughing and Bonnie joined him.

"Shut up" I laughed.

"Well, he's coming over here" Jake said shrugging with a smile.

I tensed and turned, and sure enough Tyler was heading our way. I turned back but my friends pretended to be busy in a conversation, abandoning me. Traitors.

"Hey, Bella" Tyler said.

"Hi, Ty" I said awkwardly. I did not want to speak with the nephew of the man I saw Damon kill. The same man I helped kidnapping. "How are you?"

"Great. I've heard you had a emergency out of town. Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Family stuff, but everything is good" I lied.

"That's great. So, listen, my mom is throwing a Halloween Masquerade Ball, Saturday…"

"I know. I'm on the decoration committee" I said.

"Oh, right. So, I was wondering if you wanted to…"

"I'm going with Jake" I blurted nodding to Jake.

"You are?" Bonnie and Jake blurted.

"Have you forgotten? I asked you last week" I said to Jake.

"I don't remember…" he said smirking.

"Yes, you do… I called you and told you about the ball, and asked if you wanted to go with me" I said pleading with my eyes for him to go with it.

"Oh, the Masquerade Ball" he said nodding and gave Tyler a condescending smile. "Yup, this one is taken, sorry, man"

"Oh, it's… cool" Tyler said embarrassedly.

"You could go with Bonnie" I suggested just to wipe that smirk off of her face.

"I have a date" Bonnie blurted shooting me a glare. "Sorry, forgot to tell you, Bella"

"Oh, yeah? Who?" I asked amusedly.

"Ahn… Jeremy!"

I frowned at her and then fought my laughter.

"Jeremy Gilbert?" I asked.

"Eh, yes" she said with a forced smile.

"That's great"

"Okay, then" Tyler said awkwardly. "Well, see you at the ball then"

"See you" I said.

As I watched him walk away, I saw Jeremy had entered the cafeteria and was looking around for a place to sit. Well, that explains why Bonnie said he was her date.

"Jeremy? Jeremy" she grumbled to herself. "God, with all names on earth"

"It's not that bad" I said although I was kind of laughing.

"If I have to go to the ball with my best friend's little brother, I swear to God, Bella, I'll…"

"Hey, guys" Jeremy said.

"Hey!" I greeted happily. "Take a seat"

"Thanks" he said pulling out a chair.

"I've heard about Jenna. I'm so sorry. How is she?" I asked.

"Oh, she's good. She had surgery during the night, and she's resting" he said.

"I thought neither you nor Elena would come" Bonnie said.

"I wasn't" Jeremy rolled his eyes. "But my sister called Ric, and he kind of dragged me to school"

"Oh" I said frowning. "Ahn, sorry. This is Jacob, a friend of mine from Washington. He'll be staying in Mystic Falls for some time"

"Nice to meet you" Jake said shaking his hand. "Sorry about your aunt"

"So, you're the other werewolf?" Jeremy blurted. "Elena told me"

"Yes, but he is not like Mason" I said.

"So, we were talking about that Masquerade Ball" Jake said changing the subject.

Bonnie's face burned red, and she pretended to be busy reading some Calculus assignment. After a few minutes talking, she realized we weren't going to bring up what she told Tyler, so she joined the conversation. I would tease her later about it, but I wasn't about to embarrass her.

After school, I met Jake at my car, and waited for Bonnie or Caroline. Caroline was the first one to get out and I waved her over.

"Hey. Have you seen Jeremy? I was going to offer him a ride to the hospital" I said.

"Oh, he got stuck with Mr. Simpson. The man made him stay over to compensate the class he missed this morning" Caroline said.

"Oh, okay. Ahn, see you tomorrow, then"

"See ya" she said.

Jake and I had lunch at the Grill, and I ordered three meals to go. After leaving the Grill, I went to the hospital, and after asking a nurse, I foung Jenna's room. Mr. Saltzman was the only one awake by Jenna's bedside, while Jeremy and Elena fell asleep in the armchairs in the corner.

"Hey" I said quietly.

"Bella, hi" Mr. Saltzman said standing up to greet us.

"Hi" Jenna said smiling weakly.

"I came to see you, and bring food to your constant visitors" I said showing the paper bags.

"Oh, thank you" Jenna said. "I told them to go get some lunch…"

"Thanks" Mr. Saltzman said.

"You're welcome, Mr. Saltzman" I said giving him one of the bags.

"Call me Ric" he said.

"Ric, okay. Ahn, this is Jacob, my friend" I said.

"Hey" Jake said awkwardly.

Elena awoke and rubbed her eyes before smiling at us.

"Hi, Bella"

"Hey, came to bring you some food" I said smiling.

"Thanks" she said taking the paper bag.

I put the one that was Jeremy's on a table, and turned to Jenna.

"I'm really sorry about your accident" I said.

"Yeah, quite silly, right?" she said chuckling. "How did I stumble into a knife?"

"Accidents happen" I lied smiling. "I mean, I fell down two flights of stairs last spring, went through a window. I know everything about clumsiness and accidents"

"Yes, she's the biggest klutz in the world" Jake laughed.

"I wouldn't say the biggest" I scowled at him.

"She's just being modest" Jake told them grinning.

They chuckled and Jake and I took seats. We spent the next couple hours talking to them. Eventually Jeremy awoke and ate his burger before joining the conversation. Their dinner the previous night had been interrupted by Jenna's 'accident', and they hadn't a decent meal since. Jenna finally convinced them to go home, get some rest and go to school the next day. Alaric stayed with her, saying he wouldn't leave her alone. That appeased Elena a bit, and I drove her and Jeremy home. She thanked me, and Jacob, saying she didn't have the chance to thank him properly for what he did for Stefan.

"You know" Jake said as I drove back to the Salvatore's. "Although I am not happy with some of your friendships… I am happy with you living here. You have friends, you have a life. The way you were in Forks, frankly, it scared me"

"Yeah, I've changed a lot since I came here" I said frowning.

"It was for good, Bella" he smiled at me. "Even though you have vampire friends again"

"Thanks, Jake. It means a lot to me"

"So, about that Masquerade… Only a mask, right? I don't need any stupid costume, right?"

"Well" I laughed. "I think you could come up with a wolf costume and it would fool everyone"

"Yeah, that would be the best Halloween party ever" he laughed.

"But, no, you don't need a costume. Only mask, and a tux"

"A tux?" he whined.

"We'll get yours and the boys' tomorrow in Richmond"

"I really have to wear a tux?" he asked scowling.

"Well, I have a really beautiful, expensive dress… so yes, you do"

"Great" he grumbled.

"Hey, do you think Embry and Quil will get dates for it too?" I asked.

"I don't know, maybe, why?"

"Because it would be so awesome to walk in, arms linked with two men while Bonnie is stuck with Elena's little brother"

"You're mean" he laughed.

"I am not! Jeremy is not that bad… The fact that Bonnie is older than him is funny. But besides that, I have nothing against him"

"He is cool" Jake shrugged.

I parked the car on the driveway and we got out.

"So, tomorrow, after I leave school we pick up the guys at the airport, get your tuxes and come back to settle you all down in a room"

"We can take turns using the room. One sleeps in the couch, one in the room and one patrols" Jake shrugged.

"That's a good idea" I said. "And you will all go to the ball. There's no need to patrol that night. Victoria would risk exposure, it will be crowded"

"We'll see" he said.

We entered the house and it was quiet. I knew dad was still at work, but Damon and Stefan should be home.

"Hello?" I called out.

Stefan came from upstairs.

"Hey, where have you been?" he asked.

"I was at the hospital with Jenna, Elena, Jeremy and Alaric" I said.

"Oh. How are they?" he asked worriedly.

"Jenna is fine. The others are tired, but Elena and Jeremy went home, and will go to school, while Ric stays with Jenna"

"That's good" he said. "Ahn, Damon was waiting for you…"

"I'm gonna sleep before sunset comes" Jake grumbled going to the stairs. Yup, still hating Damon.

"He's here?" I asked Stefan.

"Ahn, no… He went out… He made you lunch, it's in the kitchen"

"Oh" I said frowning.

Damon made lunch and wanted to talk to me, and I was out for a long time. Damon was pissed, that was for sure. Damon was spoiled, always getting what he wanted when he wanted.

"I'll talk to him later" I sighed. "Do you have a computer where I can work on an assignment?"

"Yes, there's one in the library, feel free to use" he smiled.

"Thanks, Stefan… For everything" I said.

"You're more than welcome"

I went to the living and put my iPod's earphones on as I did the research for school. Dad called an hour later, said Billy had sent the papers that morning and he had already enrolled Jake, Quil and Embry. He said Jake needed to start tomorrow, and so I should go buy school stuff with Jake. I agreed, and after some effort to wake Jake, we were leaving the house. We bought everything he would need for school, and I let him copy my assignments for the week. I told him and myself that was the last time I would let him copy my assignments, but by the smile he wore when he agreed, I knew it wasn't the last time. Dad came home and Damon was still out. I made dinner with Stefan's help, and Damon was still missing. Jake and I went back to the library after dinner to finish our assignments. We were almost finished when I heard the front door opening and closing and footsteps on the stairs. I put away all my stuff, said goodnight to Jake, and went upstairs to look for Damon. But dad walked out of his room, as if waiting for me, and blocked my way to Damon's.

"Stefan is settled on the couch" he said.

"Dad, this is their house, you can't make Stefan sleep on the couch" I said. "I'll sleep on the couch"

"Stefan insisted it was no problem. Besides, the living room is easy to access"

"Come on, dad. I'm just going to talk to Damon, get my stuff and go to Stefan's room, okay?"

"Bella" he said warningly.

"I'll just take two minutes"

I passed him and entered Damon's room. He wasn't there but I could hear the shower on. I tried to open the bathroom door, but it was locked.

"Damon?" I asked knocking on the door.

There was no answer. I sighed and knocked once more before giving up. He didn't want to talk to me, then fine. I didn't need to talk to him either. I got my things and went to Stefan's room. I've waited for hours for Damon, but he never showed up. I should have known it would happen sometime soon. After all I had known Damon before I got that involved with him. I had heard all about the women he used and threw away, even from him. So, I wasn't surprised Damon was ignoring me. It was the first stage of kicking me aside.

And you know what. Although it hurt that he hadn't been man enough to tell me, I was surprisingly fine.

Losing Edward hurt so much because I hadn't expected and because I lost something so perfect.

But losing Damon… although it hurt a bit, it was expected, and I knew he would be an ultimate asshole sometime.

So, if we were back to just friends, I would be fine. He taught me how to live, and enjoy life. And I was thankful. But I sure as hell wouldn't stay waiting for him.

AN: Thanks so much for the reviews I'm getting! I'm so glad you're liking this story...

Who checked out the Polyvore collection might have noticed that there are a lot more sets than necessary to the story... Well, I just finished chapter 28, I'm just giving last touches to make them as perfect as I can... If you want to know, I just finished chapters related to season 2 and a lot of Breaking Dawn.

This one is unBeta'ed, as soon as I get the beta'ed version, I'll update, I just didn't want to keep you waiting. I have a bit of attention addiction problem :)

Also, I know that Bella is supposed to be in her last semester of school, since she graduates in Eclipse. But in this story, Bella is still in junior like Elena, Stefan, Caroline and the others... And yes, she's eighteen, after that disastrous birthday. Just go along with it, please.

REVIEW!

xoxo Luuh