Bella's POV

My alarm clock rang loudly in my dorm room, as I rolled over and turned it off. Another meaningless day was approaching. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face. I still looked like shit… Pale with dark circles under my eyes. Another night of almost no sleep, was definitely taking its toll on me. Thank god, this first week had started on a wednesday, so the weekend was only a couple of lessons away. I went back into my room and started getting dressed, in the usual jeans and my new favorite band t-shirt. I for once wasn't wearing a turtleneck under it, it was too hot outside and Amber had been right saying that I needed to let people see my scars the first week, so that they wouldn't be more surprised seeing them after having gotten to know me for weeks. I told people that I'd had a run in with a bear, just like Emily would say, when people saw the claw marks left on her beautiful face. I had gotten them, when Leah had recklessly ripped Victoria off of my neck. Victoria had by then been drinking from my neck for a while, so I didn't judge her for acting rashly. I bit longer and I would have certainly died from blood loss. Don't brood about what can't be changed Bella! I knew by now if I started going down that train of thought, that I would never make it to school on time.

I got on my bike, and sped in between the cars, that was making the usual New York traffic. My small motorbike had become quite handy in the big city; I could weave in and out of traffic much quicker than any car would be able to. I sped into the parking lot and almost collided with a BMW going faster than what was appropriate.

"Watch where you're going, asshole," I yelled through my helmet at the toned windows of the car. "Fucking richkids," I mumbled, while parking the bike and took of my helmet. I fumbled in my pocket for a pack of cigarettes, as I just had enough time for a smoke before classes started. I felt a prickling on the back of my neck, as if I was being watched. You are getting paranoid again Bells, I said to myself walking towards the sociology building. I felt after several vampire attacks, I had the right to get paranoid, but I also knew it wasn't good for my heart. I inhaled the smoke deeply, trying to get my bad nerves under control, with the help of some nicotine.

"Hey, Bella," Amber said, walking up beside me. "You're here on time today!"

"You make it sound like I'm late everyday," I replied, rolling my eyes. "I'm usually only late when I'm hungover or something."

"Exactly, that's like almost everyday!" Amber said, chuckling.

"Oh, shut up! You're always exaggerating," I laughed back. "Are you joining me at Matt's frat party tonight?"

"Sorry, I can't, Bells. I have that date with Robert," she replied.

"Oh, come on! I don't want to go to a frat party by myself," I sighed.

"Well, then just don't go! I know you deliberately didn't agree to actually come," Amber said.

"Yeah, you're right…" I relented, stubbing out my cigarette. "I have several assignments I should probably get started on."

The morning class thankfully went by quickly, and before I knew it lunch break was starting. Amber and I sat down at one of the tables outside, and was soon joined by Cody and his roommate Dean. I lit a cigarette and was enjoying, what was probably going to be, the last sunshine of the year.

"So, any big plans for the weekend?" Dean asked.

"Well, I have a date," Amber said. "And Bella has work, and is planning to do some assignments."

"Aaand, maybe go to a frat party tonight, if I have someone to go with?" I said, nudging Cody in the ribs. He blushed slightly before saying, "I actually can't tonight… I'm meeting with my studygroup." I gave an exaggerated sigh and looked at Dean.

"I can't either! I'm babysitting my little sister," Dean laughed. "Why don't you just go by yourself?"

"Frat parties are just usually such sausage-fests! So, it's best having a loud mouthed friend to stand up for you, when some guy is getting too handsy," I elaborated, smiling at Amber. She always spoke up, when some asshole was trying to cup a feel.

"And normally I'm happy to help! But you also have to be better at doing those kinds of things for yourself… " Amber said, sighing.

"I've gotten way better! If you think I'm bad now, you should have seen me in High Schoo-" I stopped myself, having glanced at the clock.

"Oh fuck, anthropology starts in two minutes!" I exclaimed, standing up swiftly and stubbing my smoke. "I can't be late again, or our professor will probably blow a fuse!"

We promptly gathered our bags and sped through the hallways, into the classroom, finding empty seats near the front. Mr. Jenson glanced in my direction, but luckily didn't say anything.

He slowly started taking attendance, as I pulled notebooks and pencils from my bag.

"Emmett Cullen?" the professor said loudly, looking over the attendance sheet.

I froze, as a name I'd never thought I'd hear again, even less on this side of the country, was spoken.

"Yup," boomed a familiar voice from somewhere behind me. My bookbag slipped through my fingers and landed noisily on the floor. I couldn't move. I stared into the nothingness, remembering the last time I had heard that voice. My 18th birthday. While trying to get my thundering heart under control, I slowly picked my bag off the floor. Mr. Jenson stared daggers in my direction, but I barely noticed. He continued going down the attendance sheet, but time seemed warped. He was simultaneously speeding through the list, but also going way too slow.

"Jasper Hale?"

My heart skipped a beat, before continuing with deafening volume and speed. If I had thought my last memory of Emmett was bad, it was nothing compared to Jasper wildly lunging at me, an almost hissing noise escaping from his throat as his family members tried holding him back.

I sat there, completely stunned as memories from years ago seized my mind. Memories of the family that I had loved and lost were infiltrating my head.

A warm hand grabbed my arm and I flinched away, before being transported back to the present.

"Isabella Swan?!"

I glanced to my side, seeing Amber with one hand reaching for me, looking utterly worried. I then looked forward and up, meeting eyes with our glaring professor.

"Miss Swan, maybe your general tardiness has made it so that you don't understand what it means when I'm taking attendance," he said sarcastically. "But when I call your name, you're supposed to say aye!"

"I'm sorry, sir," I murmured, looking down. If my blood hadn't already run cold, I probably would have blushed, but as it was, I just bowed my head staring at the tabletop. Soon afterwards the lecture had begun, but I didn't register a word that was said. What were they doing here?!

After three fucking years of crying, mourning, screaming for them, they show up in my goddamn classroom?! Telling me that I was part of their family, and then leaving me to be tortured and killed, by one of their kind, wasn't bad enough? Were they deliberately trying to obliterate the last remains of my spirit, by doing this?! Was this some sick fucking game for them, to see how easy it would be to break the fragile human?! I wanted to scream, or cry, or yell or throw myself off a damn cliff again, but I was stuck in this classroom with nowhere to run.

Even if I tried, I knew it would be of no use running away from them. If they wanted to, they could find me instantly. They just hadn't wanted to these last years... Every day that I had been begging them to return to me, every night that I had been deathly afraid of Victoria finding me, and even that night I willingly went into the woods to let her end it all for me, they had chosen not to come to my aid. They'd had in every sense of the word, left me to die…

When class finally ended, I seized my bag and sprinted out of the classroom, without looking back. I couldn't bear seeing their faces. My body felt numb as I made it outside, but my mind was on overdrive. I snagged my packet of cigarettes from my pocket, trying to light a smoke with shaking hands, as I moved towards my parked motorbike. I inhaled the smoke deeply as I reached my bike, trying to calm myself slightly before the ride home.

"Bella?" a gentle voice said somewhere behind me. No, not her! Not the girl I had seen as my best friend, my sister, before she too abandoned me. I blinked rapidly, trying to keep my tears from spilling down my face, at the sound of her voice.

"Yo-you shouldn't drive in that state, Bella… You could get hurt," she said softly.

Before being able to stop myself, I turned towards her. The sight of my once best friend tore my heart into pieces.

"And when have you ever cared about me getting hurt?!" I shrieked at her, feeling a lone tear going down my face. She looked wounded by my words, which only caused me to become even more infuriated.

"Of course, I care abo-" she started, before I interrupted her.

"Don't you fucking dare pretend like you care about me! I'm not the naive fool I once was!" I yelled, feeling my entire body shake. Alice's eyes widened at my viscous language and demeanor. Calm yourself Bella! I thought, taking a trembling drag from my cigarette. I wondered if this was how Jacob felt, when he was about to transform from anger.

"We… we never thought you were a fool, nor naive… We only did what we thought would be the best, the safest, for you!" Alice said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. I scoffed loudly at that.

"Oh, really?! What was best for me?! So- so when I couldn't get out of bed for weeks, after you left, that was because you were only doing what was best for me?! When I couldn't eat, sleep, even fucking function as a normal human being, that was for me? When Laurent held me down in the forest, smelling me, feeling me up, that was the best for me?! Or-or when Victoria broke my arm, cracked my skull and fucking drank from my neck, that was for my own safety," I screamed at her. She just stared at me, shocked and speechless.

I threw my cigarette on the ground and, still shaking, got on my bike. Tears were rapidly falling down my face now, as I started the bike.

"So don't you dare say that you did that for me, for my safety," I cried, before speeding out of the parking lot and away from them.

AN: Next chapter will be this day from Edward's POV, so keep posted if you want to see how he'll react