Hello my lovely readers!

Here is another chapter filled with Edward, Velma, and a love sick Bella.

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"Mom?" I manage to choke out.

"Bella! I can't believe you finally answered! I was beginning to think you'd never answer," she says excitedly.

I don't say anything. Instead, I allow her to babble on about how much she has missed me and how good it is to hear my voice, and how thankful she was that I answered.

Finally I cut her off. "Mom, this really isn't a good time," I say loudly.

I hear a sigh of disappointment. "Well when is a good time, Bella? You can't avoid me forever. I am your mother," she says sternly.

I bark out a laugh. "Being my mother didn't stop you from leaving," I retort. "Calling me and texting me every five minutes is not the way to fix anything. Just leave me alone." I snap before I hang up the phone.

I toss the phone onto the passenger's seat before I crank up the volume on my radio, allowing the sounds of Adele to sooth the guilt.

~O~

When I arrive home, I throw my backpack on the floor in front of the door before I walk into the living room. I lay down on the couch with my face buried in a pillow. I take a deep breath and attempt to swallow the lump of emotion I can feel in my throat. My phone vibrates in my pocket but I ignore it, knowing that no matter who it is, I don't want to talk to them.

"Meow."

I turn my head to see Velma sitting on the floor next to me, staring at me with her big yellow eyes. She meows again, almost as if asking me a question.

"I wish I was a cat," I tell her. "Life would be so much easier."

She meows again before she curls up on the ground next to me. She closes her eyes and, almost immediately, she is asleep.

"I mean honestly," I say loudly, causing her eyes to open again. "You just sit around all day, eat, drink water, and then go to sleep. That's all I want to do."

She stares at me for another long moment, gives a grunt, and then closes her eyes again with an exaggerated sigh.

I look up at the ceiling and groan to myself. This is why I don't believe in love. This is why I don't believe in romance or dating. Because the first time I let myself feel something for someone, I get hurt. I don't kiss people that I am just friends with. And yet, Edward says that we will never be anything more than friends.

Once that they go back to LA this summer, I'll just be another memory, another charity case.

Just another girl that Edward messed up.

I roll of the couch and onto the floor, landing with my face in Velma's stomach. She growls, but doesn't move away, so I don't bother to move.

"Velma," I sigh. "You are the only person I can honestly count on anymore," I say into the fur of her stomach.

She meows. I ignore her.

After a few minutes, I hear the door unlock and the familiar sound of Charlie's loud footsteps as he walks inside the house.

There's a long moment of silence as he passes the living room.

"Uhm, Bella?" he asks. "What are you doing?"

"Cuddling with my one true love," I say as I lift my head up. I grab Velma in my arms and crane my neck around. "Dad, I'm marrying Velma. I'd appreciate it if you gave me away."

My dad just stares at me for a long moment before he coughs. "Bells, you can't marry a cat," he says seriously.

I sigh. "Watch me," I declare before I shove my face back into Velma's stomach.

"Why aren't you in school?" he asks.

I shrug. "I don't feel well," I say simply. "So I came home early."

I hear Charlie start to walk towards the kitchen. "Okay. If you need anything, let me know."

A few moments later, there is a loud knock on the door. I grab Velma and stand up before peeking out of the window.

A silver Volvo is parked right behind my truck. Shit.

"Dad!" I whisper scream. "I'm not home. I…went for a walk!" Charlie walks out of the kitchen with a sandwich in his hand and a confused look on his face.

"Why?" he asks.

I run up the stairs and don't give him an answer. I shut the door to my room and curl up on my bed with Velma in my arms. I hear the low sound of male voices downstairs, but cannot make out anything they're saying. I wait until I hear the sound of the door shutting and a car pull away from the house before I breathe a sigh of relief.

The door to my room creeks open.

"Is he gone?" I ask.

"If by 'he' you mean me," Edward responds, "then no. But your father is. He got called into the station."

I nearly fall off of my bed in surprise.

"Edward!" I squeal as Velma takes off towards him.

She rubs his legs and I glare at her.

You're supposed to be on my side, traitor. I think at her.

She lowers her head and heads back to me. I suppress a smile.

"Why did you leave?" Edward asks.

Any joy I felt at Velma's cuteness is gone as I look back at Edward and his sad green eyes. I shrug instead of answering and pull Velma back into my arms as he crosses the room. Edward sits down on the edge of my bed and pets Velma gently behind her ears. She looks at me in apology before she begins to purr loudly. I roll my eyes.

"You read the article, didn't you?" he asks.

I look at him for a long time. "So when do you plan to actually go back to LA?" I question.

He groans. "Bella, please tell me you didn't believe any of that?" he asks loudly as he stands up. He begins to pace the room and Velma follows him with her eyes.

"Is there any reason why I shouldn't?" I ask. "I mean, you kiss me and act like you actually like me, but at the same time, you and Tanya looked pretty damn cozy at your house."

He rolls his eyes. "Bella, we're friends! That's it. No more!" he exclaims. "I wish you would just get that through your thick stubborn skull!"

I stand up and cross my arms in front of my chest. "I normally don't kiss my 'friends,' but whatever you say, Edward," I say with a sad smile.

"You and Jasper act pretty cozy together all the time, Bella. Don't be a hypocrite," he says in defense.

I bark out a laugh. "Please! The thought of kissing Jasper literally makes me want to vomit! He's like my brother! And he's pretty much dating your sister, so that's not even going to work."

He sighs and sits in the rocking chair I have across the room from when I was a baby. "I don't know what you want me to say," he says. "I didn't have anything to do with that article."

I look at him with doubt in my eyes. "Edward, the quoted you. You must have had some clue that they were writing something," I insist. "You must have known she was planning something. She wants you, Edward. This is her way of trying to get you," I say, and I'm surprised by how jealous I am of her.

He shakes his head. "I don't care about Tanya that way anymore. Maybe I did once, but then again yes, I was high all the time!" he exclaims. "But Bella, you can't shut me out because of a stupid article. I may have said those things, but I didn't know the article was going present you as some sort of charity project! My family and I have never seen you that. If anyone is the charity project here, it's me! You've changed me, Bella.

"You can't just write me off," he says, softer now. "I'm not your mother, Bella. I won't stay away just because you won't answer the phone."

My heart clenches at the mention of my mother, but I push through. "You're not a charity project, Edward. Not to me," I whisper quietly.

"Bella," he whispers as he walks over to me. He kneels down in front of me and places his hands on my knees. "I need to admit something," he says. "And this is really hard for me, so just let me get this out."

I nod and wait for him to continue.

"I'm addicted to cocaine," he whispers. "I've known it all along but I refused to admit that I was that weak." He sounds so broken, so helpless, that I don't know what to do.

"I realized it when Tanya left," he continues. "She offered me coke and every fiber of my being wanted to take her up on her offer and go get high. I almost did. If you hadn't of walked out of your truck when you did, I probably would have," he admits.

He closes his eyes and hangs his head in shame. I reach forward and take his head between my hands and pull it up.

"Edward, I'm proud of you. Admitting it is the first step. It'll be hard, but I have faith in you," I promise him. "And I'll be here for you." I want to add "until you leave" but I decide against it.

He looks up and smiles a sad smile. "I'm sorry about everything, Bella. Please believe me, had I known she was going to say that stuff, I never would have gone along with it."

I nod. "You have to understand though, Edward. I have trust issues. As in I trust no one. Well, besides Velma," I say with a nod at my cat. "I started to trust you though. I started to think that maybe…" I trail off, afraid to finish my sentence.

I started to think that maybe love is possible.

He grabs my hands gently in his and looks at me with soft eyes.

"Bella, have you maybe thought that it would help if you talked to your mom?" he wonders with a shrug. "It couldn't hurt."

I look at him for a long moment before I speak. "I have talked to her," I say. "Today, she called me. I answered on accident…needless to say, it didn't go well. I hung up on her." I curl my legs under me and pull Edward up on the bed next to me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," he says.

I look at him. "There's no way you could have known," I say with a shrug.

Edward and I readjust ourselves on my bed. We lean against the headboard, our shoulders touching and our hands only intertwined at the pinkies.

It's a long time before either of us speaks. Velma curls up at my feet as I stare blankly at the wall in front of me, my mind working nonstop to work through everything I'm thinking and feeling.

"You know what the worst thing is?" I say quietly as I continue to stare at the wall. "Hearing her voice made me feel like a kid again. I just…hearing her talk to me, hearing her say my name brought me back to when my mother was my world. I've never allowed myself to miss her, but I can't just ignore it anymore.

"I wish I could go back to a time when she was my mommy, not the woman who left me to do drugs," I say, trying to work around the lump in my throat. "I just…I've never felt more longing in my life. And it hurts so bad," I whimper.

And for the first time in years, I allow myself to cry, and the only thing holding me together is Edward's arms wrapped tightly around me.

Bella and Velma-OTP. Enough said!

Please review and tell me what you think :) Thank you so much for reading!

Lots of love,

Emilia Elliot